Author: Sara Raasch
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 416
Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own. (More from Goodreads)
Since the sequel is coming out this month, I figured it would be a good time to review this book! This is the first book in a trilogy, the third of which is slated for release in 2016.
The Book
I got a nice hardcover from a bookstore online with a very reduced price. The dust jacket was slightly smaller than the actual book cover, though, so that might be the reason why. The actual cover is very plain. Like, white with the title along the spine, and that's pretty much it.
I love the cover, for whatever reason. That was one of the reasons why I immediately wanted this book when I saw it a year ago.
Characters
I feel that the characters and their struggles all have heart; they were written very lovingly. This is, of course, my personal opinion and for all I could tell all writers write their characters with a lot of love. But you cannot help but get swept with their inner turmoils and be happy with their successes, no matter how unrealistically lucky they seem to be. It is very easy to sympathize with Meira after the first few chapters, once info dumping stops and actual plot progression begins.
There is a love triangle of sorts, though rather Pythagorean- you already know which characters are closer than the others. Or do you?!
Main characters are, as I said, well fleshed-out. Side characters are as their names suggest- SIDE characters. There is no point in ranting about how under developed they are, particularly considering the fact that this book isn't even very lengthy. That said, I feel the side characters were very well written. I said it before and I'll say it again- the characters have heart.
Setting
High fantasy world- Eight kingdoms divided into two halves where climate is concerned, and each half divided into 4 kingdoms. Our main character hails from a broken kingdom and though she does not live in it, you have a pretty good idea how it would be like. As the story begins, she was in the middle of nowhere between these 8 kingdoms.
The setting is not very believable, but abrupt geographical and climate changes aside, it is a high fantasy setting, ergo there is no point in trying to rationalize things. Having things rationalized would be a huge plus in the author's favour, but is not necessary. Furthermore, it is a YA title. Let's not get all nitpicky.
Are the kingdoms fleshed out? Yes and no. This puts it it on very neutral grounds when it comes to...
Writing Style & Plot
Honestly, there is nothing extravagant about the writing. Some lines are beautiful, others merely serve as potent conduits of info dumping- not that I have anything against info dumping, if not done excessively. I felt the earlier chapters were very dumpy, but the book rather quickly becomes better in terms of pacing. As if a vacuum is suddenly switched on, sucking you in, and getting stronger and stronger as the story progresses.
The writing style is simple and very easy to get into. As such, I feel it is very appropriate to pick up after a long hiatus from reading, particularly if one wants to get into the fantasy genre without being too technical with the details.
It almost feels wrong to say it's an extraordinary book, but somehow Raasch manages to do just that- turn something ordinary into something extraordinary.
Quotes
"Fear is a seed that, once planted, never stops growing."
***
“One flake falls, twisting down through the empty sky. One frozen speck of snow. Then another, and another, and before I know it the roads will be covered in dozens of distinct flakes. All these little pieces combining to create one giant, volatile snowstorm, something beautiful and dangerous and epic.”
***
“Someday we will be more than words in the dark.”
Conclusion
This is a fun and unexpectedly heart-warming read for readers of YA fantasy. If you have a short attention span, brace through the first few chapters and be in for the ride of your life! Just try not to read anything overwhelming before this one and keep your expectations moderate, and you will end up loving this book. I know I did.
~My Rating~
5 out of 5 Chakrams
★★★★★
I'll make sure not to DNF it lol 😂
ReplyDeleteHaniya
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