This book was hard going, but I felt like I had to keep at it, that something might happen in it that would make it all worth while. It didn't. I didn't like Shade's name and I don't like the cover. The book was a slow starter, the dialogue jarred and the description was clunky. It seemed to me like a mash-up of Holly Black's Modern Faerie series and Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring. It's a shame because I wanted to like this book. I think this was four or five drafts away from a good book. 2 Stars.
To be honest, I was given this book to read as research for my own romance novel Everlong and I didn't know what to expect, especially as I hadn't read the first three books in this series. I have to say, in some ways I was quite impressed as I picked up the story and the characters really easily despite not reading the first three (although I wouldn't recommend this approach!), which shows how good a writer Chandler is. I love the cover, very contemporary and fresh compared to a lot of the generic covers out there. This is a good quick read, perfect for a rainy day or to take on a summer's holiday. As a YA author I was really jealous when I read the first two lines of the book: "The night Heaven lost her heart was cold and moonless. But the blade that sliced it out was warm with her dark blood." It blew me away, giving me one of those moments where I got opening line envy. Unfortunately the rest of the book didn't quite live up to the promise of those first two lines. It's is still an excellent read, and one I would recommend. I just think for me, after the wow factor of those lines, it didn't quite live up to my expectations.
I loved the concept of this book - Luce having to travel back through time, via the Announcers, to re-visit her past lives in order to work out why she is cursed to die every time she falls in love with Daniel and how she can stop it, and all the while Daniel is chasing after her, desperate that she doesn't do something that will kill her or alter the future. The passion still doesn't hit the dizzying heights that I would like it to, but it certainly had me hooked from start to finish. There is a slight jar in the story-line (Daniel suddenly changes the way he looks and it threw me a little - don't know whether that is my fault for missing something in the writing or whether it's a fault of the story) so that is why this has four stars instead of five, but, it didn't take away from my enjoyment too much!
|
Nikki MorganA Young Adult Fantasy Author. Archives
March 2016
Categories |