MelanieTheresa (997 KP) rated The Rise of Magicks (Chronicles of The One #3) in Books
Dec 16, 2019
The evolution of Fallon's relationship with Duncan was exactly right; I love him for her. In fact, I loved all of the relationships in this story.
When they travel to New York, back to where it all began, I could still picture everything the way it was described in the first book, overlaying the current state of things in my mind. This is great storytelling, in my opinion. I could see Arlys at the news desk next to the corpse of her co-worker. I could see Fred and Arlys traversing the tunnels. I could see a frightened Lana discovering her powers.
There are deaths, of course, because, you know, war. One absolutely heartbreaking death in particular - and the characters' reactions to it - literally brought tears to my eyes.
The emotions throughout this story are so powerful. You can FEEL their triumph, their heartbreak, their joy, their rage.
And, while this is classified as fantasy, the entire story certainly feels like a commentary on modern society, no?
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARE!
ClareR (5906 KP) rated Face of Glass in Books
Apr 10, 2020
A young slave, ParuMe, finds himself in the right place at the right time, and is handed the role of chief of the tribe. As SatuKe, a God-like chief who never dies, he is forced to protect his tribe and the whole island from an invading force who know the secrets of steel. Help comes in a surprising form - that of a long dormant, ancient power. And as all good storytellers say, these ancient powers can be rather tricky.
This has some great world building, but I did keep trying to place the tribe and the invading forces - I think they’re all a product of the authors imagination though (but I keep thinking that the invaders are Romans - I may well be Descriptions we’re such that I thought they could be based on reality.
It’s a great story - very exciting in places, and I loved the stories that the tribes told one another. As with all tales where God-like creatures are involved, they don’t have happy endings, and are cautionary tales.
I really enjoyed this book, and I’ll be keeping an eye open for any more books by this author. Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and to the author for reading along.
Morgan Sheppard (936 KP) rated Wind Warrior (World Aflame #1) in Books
Apr 29, 2020
Xander is a twenty-year-old college student who doesn't know what he wants to major in. He is best-friends with Sean, and has some sort of weird relationship with Jessica, a sorority president. He lives at home and doesn't have a job. His life changes when he suddenly gains some powers over the Air.
I loved the Elemental aspect of this book. No surprise to some of you, I'm sure. I thought the part that says only one Element can live on the earth at one time was a good one. I'm not completely sure why Fire is always cast as the bad guy but there you go.
Sammy (a Fire Elemental) is a very intriguing character and I would love to learn more about her backstory. A lot goes on with her in this story and I can't wait to see where she goes next.
This was an easy read that kept me turning the pages. Like I said, some of it didn't quite fit with the background/story but not enough to disrupt my reading. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a YA/NA Elemental story!
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