Author: P.C. Cast
Genre/Age: Fantasy/YA
Series: Tales of a New World Series (Book One)
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Format: ebook via NetGalley
Rating: ✺✺.5
Links: Goodreads
Synopsis: #1 New York Times bestselling author, P.C. Cast, brings us a new epic fantasy set in a world where humans, their animal allies, and the earth itself has been drastically changed. A world filled with beauty and danger and cruelty…
Mari is an Earth Walker, heir to the unique healing powers of her Clan; but she has cast her duties aside, until she is chosen by a special animal ally, altering her destiny forever. When a deadly attack tears her world apart, Mari reveals the strength of her powers and the forbidden secret of her dual nature as she embarks on a mission to save her people. It is not until Nik, the son of the leader from a rival, dominating clan strays across her path, that Mari experiences something she has never felt before…
Now, darkness is coming, and with it, a force, more terrible and destructive than the world has ever seen, leaving Mari to cast the shadows from the earth. By forming a tumultuous alliance with Nik, she must make herself ready. Ready to save her people. Ready to save herself and Nik. Ready to embrace her true destiny…and obliterate the forces that threaten to destroy them all.
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for honest review.**
This book has a serious case of wordiness.
This is something the beta readers should have caught, assuming they were utilized. The page count could have been cut nearly in half if some of the over-description and useless daily routine was removed. I understand the necessity to world build, however, sometimes less is really more.
As it was, this took me a lot longer to read than it should have. And I did a lot of skimming. A lot. Yet, I didn't miss anything. That tells you just how wordy this book really was. I like to think this story could have earned the title of "epic" due to the content and not the 600+ page count.
I also wonder about the intended ages for this read. While I understand that children often read above their recommended age range (I did, myself), I still am not sure this should be targeted to middle school-aged children. The graphic nature of the villain-ish characters' behavior (Dead Eye and the ravenous clansmen) is just a bit too brutal for what I would, personally, allow my own children to read in middle school. High school? Absolutely. I would be happy to elaborate on this, if prompted.
Now on to my actual review...
Mari is a character I grew to respect as the book went on. She may have troublesome roots but learns to harness her identity, something that can be admired. Her journey is covered the most in this book. There are several other characters in the clan that Mari interacts with and each are developed fairly well. Character variety is something that the author does a pretty good job with.
We also have Nik, a member of a rivaling tribe. Like Mari, he is trying to find his place in their world. He displays understanding, courage, and is probably the character I was able to connect with the most. In a world that is painted as being incredibly savage, Nik is one of the few breaths offresh sane air.
As for the story, itself, there is a lot of creativity here. Some of it is downright strange and somewhat disgusting but unique nonetheless. It's too bad that the imaginative storyline is so bogged down with all of the unnecessary wording and incredibly slow pacing. Every moment is shown in great detail and a lot of the story is uneventful. In all, this confused me, frustrated me, and fell short of my expectations.
This is something the beta readers should have caught, assuming they were utilized. The page count could have been cut nearly in half if some of the over-description and useless daily routine was removed. I understand the necessity to world build, however, sometimes less is really more.
As it was, this took me a lot longer to read than it should have. And I did a lot of skimming. A lot. Yet, I didn't miss anything. That tells you just how wordy this book really was. I like to think this story could have earned the title of "epic" due to the content and not the 600+ page count.
I also wonder about the intended ages for this read. While I understand that children often read above their recommended age range (I did, myself), I still am not sure this should be targeted to middle school-aged children. The graphic nature of the villain-ish characters' behavior (Dead Eye and the ravenous clansmen) is just a bit too brutal for what I would, personally, allow my own children to read in middle school. High school? Absolutely. I would be happy to elaborate on this, if prompted.
Now on to my actual review...
Mari is a character I grew to respect as the book went on. She may have troublesome roots but learns to harness her identity, something that can be admired. Her journey is covered the most in this book. There are several other characters in the clan that Mari interacts with and each are developed fairly well. Character variety is something that the author does a pretty good job with.
We also have Nik, a member of a rivaling tribe. Like Mari, he is trying to find his place in their world. He displays understanding, courage, and is probably the character I was able to connect with the most. In a world that is painted as being incredibly savage, Nik is one of the few breaths of
As for the story, itself, there is a lot of creativity here. Some of it is downright strange and somewhat disgusting but unique nonetheless. It's too bad that the imaginative storyline is so bogged down with all of the unnecessary wording and incredibly slow pacing. Every moment is shown in great detail and a lot of the story is uneventful. In all, this confused me, frustrated me, and fell short of my expectations.
In closing...
The last quarter (or so) of the book really picks up and becomes enjoyable. It is that very reason that I added the half sun. The ending gave me just enough of a reason to care to continue this series. I just hope the next book is either slimmer in wording or quicker paced. 2.5 saddened suns...
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