To start off, half of the book (probably less than that) is set in a foreign land, Malent. The other half is in the real (and boring) world. With that, I can say, as an avid fantasy reader, I definitely enjoyed reading about Malent much more than I did about the other things set in the real world.
I understand that this is a YA novel, but it still irks me to no end the way Alara acts throughout the book. She does some crazy, potentially dangerous things that no sane girl would do (or at least, I hope they won't). And her attitude was very annoying (I feel sorry for her parents).
Another thing that threw me off a bit was that Alara, along with her buddies, is only 14 years old. She is young! Only a freshman in high school. But some of her day-to-day routines make it seem as if she is older, like makeup and boyfriends. Maybe it's just me, but even if all of that is accurate, I can't help but think of the ideas this book may plant into kids' heads after reading this.
But even as annoyed as I am with the mundane reality portion of the book, I can't help but be pulled into the fantasy portion, which is why I still gave this book four stars. The glimpses into the world of Malent genuinely piqued my interest. The characters, through which Malent is revealed, were definitely intriguing and I am sorely disappointed that the authors did not give them a little more attention.
Right to the end, I was stumped as to who is the "bad guy" in the book (That's a plus!). There's one side saying one thing, and then another side saying the total opposite.
In the end, I can't say how I feel about the book. On one hand, I don't really like Alara, although I have some sympathy for her. But on the other hand, I am interested in how the story will unfold and what happens to the secondary characters that only appeared once or twice in the novel. I guess I can say, if somewhat reluctantly, that I will read the next book when it comes out.
(If there is a request I can put through to the writers, please! I hope Alara can mature as quickly as possible!)
I received a copy of the book via Goodreads Giveaway.
I understand that this is a YA novel, but it still irks me to no end the way Alara acts throughout the book. She does some crazy, potentially dangerous things that no sane girl would do (or at least, I hope they won't). And her attitude was very annoying (I feel sorry for her parents).
Another thing that threw me off a bit was that Alara, along with her buddies, is only 14 years old. She is young! Only a freshman in high school. But some of her day-to-day routines make it seem as if she is older, like makeup and boyfriends. Maybe it's just me, but even if all of that is accurate, I can't help but think of the ideas this book may plant into kids' heads after reading this.
But even as annoyed as I am with the mundane reality portion of the book, I can't help but be pulled into the fantasy portion, which is why I still gave this book four stars. The glimpses into the world of Malent genuinely piqued my interest. The characters, through which Malent is revealed, were definitely intriguing and I am sorely disappointed that the authors did not give them a little more attention.
Right to the end, I was stumped as to who is the "bad guy" in the book (That's a plus!). There's one side saying one thing, and then another side saying the total opposite.
In the end, I can't say how I feel about the book. On one hand, I don't really like Alara, although I have some sympathy for her. But on the other hand, I am interested in how the story will unfold and what happens to the secondary characters that only appeared once or twice in the novel. I guess I can say, if somewhat reluctantly, that I will read the next book when it comes out.
(If there is a request I can put through to the writers, please! I hope Alara can mature as quickly as possible!)
I received a copy of the book via Goodreads Giveaway.
