"The Blue Horse" (The Red Grouse Tale) by Leslie Garland

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Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
A strangely dressed clergyman, wearing a pair of designer sunglasses, asks Peter for a lift to the Cathedral. And so starts four very strange and revelatory days of philosophical discussion on life and death, the nature of time and eternity, and resurrection. Desperately trying to understand, Peter is swept along from one situation to the next until finally he grasps what this strange and enigmatic man has been trying to explain to him.

A Red Grouse Tale which will keep you hooked and leave you with a lump in your throat.

My Review:

***I received this eBook as a free review copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review***

"Too many of us spend too much of our time looking and far too little actually seeing, and so only see what we want to see rather than seeing what is, actually seeing the truth."

This is the second novella I have read from the collection of Red Grouse Tales by Leslie Garland and oh boy, I must say that this one really threw me for a loop!

As with the previous Tales, a group of close-knit friends meet once a week in the Red Grouse Inn and spend the evening sharing experiences of their lives. On one of these evenings, the narrator of this Tale, Peter, decided to tell this story, which lay quite close to his heart. On the surface, the plot might seem to be about a series of coincidental meetings with a quirkily dressed clergyman, who appears to know more than he lets on. But there is more to him than meets the eye...

The plot of the novella is one of the points which I am unsure how to phrase because when it came to writing this review and I thought back on the actual storyline, it actually took me a little while to pinpoint what the story actually was. Yes, there is a story that the reader can follow and one that came to a somewhat predictable but still satisfying close and yes, I, of course, can recall what happened, having read the novella. However, the plot of the book, which is supposed to draw the reader in and prompt them to continue and eventually finish reading, was drowned out by the barrage of philosophical discussing the characters were undertaking. Oftentimes it almost felt like the philosophy and the plot were two different books, as the incorporation of the discussion did feel a little forced and unnatural for these characters. Seeing as this discussion was the main point of the novella, the author did achieve his goal. But having this span majority of the book is, despite the thought-provoking nature of the arguments, not what I am looking for in a story.

All novellas from this collection discuss and dissect certain themes and/or questions that the modern society as we know it takes for granted. This novella is no different and focuses intensely on our perception of reality and time. The quote above summarizes what I am trying to say very nicely in my opinion. This topic by itself is very interesting, intriguing and is something I could definitely spend some time discussing myself: seeing only what we want to see, believing what we want to believe. However, the theme was slathered on a little too heavy for my taste. It made me realize that despite its low page count, one cannot sit down and read this like any other novella by breezing through it. Some of the arguments and discussion points really left me scratching my head and rereading the passage several times (slowly this time) to allow my mind to process what my eyes had already read. Yeah, and to be honest, there are still several sections, where I think I understand the concept of what the author was trying to convey but it was still slightly beyond me to fully grasp. Now, this might just appear that way for me, as someone else may be able to read this without issue and glide over the theories with ease.

That said, I did enjoy the story elements of this novella. They were carefully crafted with little hints and clues strewn throughout by the protagonist, which all lead towards the ending. I had fun collecting and putting these puzzle pieces back together to predict the end. Additionally, the subtle shade of supernatural activity held its own appeal and was blended in well enough that it was satisfying to pick out, especially after finishing the novella and looking back. It made me realize the clever spin the author put on the story: not everything is as it seems and the reader will do well to remember that fact. 

The writing style itself was easy to follow and pleasant to read; the author was able to emulate what the protagonist, Peter, was feeling and make him appear human and real. Like the previous Tales, this one was told out of the perspective of the narrator looking back on an event that happened years prior to the current retelling. Thus Leslie Garland built a framed narrative, which is a style I actually quite enjoy, as the readers were essentially guided through unfamiliar territory with the help of this story and then eased into the topic of the novella.

As for every story, the characters also play an important role. Leslie Garland did great crafting characters that were unique in their own way, while the protagonist was made to be relatable to the reader, as we went on this journey alongside him; we were just as blind and confused as he was and found out more information alongside Peter. Towards the end, it was starting to get noticeable though, that almost all of the other characters, besides the main character, were written with similar traits, speaking patterns and tones. I could distinguish them by name and by who they were supposed to be, but they all started to sound like the same recycled character. They weren't memorable to me as a reader, because they were missing that one trait in their speech, actions or body language that would set each of them aside from the rest of the cast. 

All in all, the novella turned out to be an enjoyable read, that really let you think deeply on how we might perceive the world around us. Every person has different preferences, so I recommend this book to anyone who has a keen interest in theoretical philosophical discussions and can take their time going through this story. While it went a little overboard for me and the characters felt a little flat, I still liked the intensely thought-provoking nature of the novella. 

Final Thoughts: thought-provoking, with an important message at its core. 

"The Bat" (The Red Grouse Tales) by Leslie Garland

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Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
The Bat; a coming of age story involving a search after truth, doubt and a bat!

What is true? What is truth?

An old and now sceptical Thomas looks back on the events of his last term at school when his class returned to a new beautiful class teacher, a donation of stuffed animals and birds by an eccentric benefactor and the increasingly strange events which followed. Zoological specimens appeared to be not quite as dead as they looked. A bell-jar which had contained a stuffed bat shattered during an exorcism. Strange events then turned to being sinister and frightening.

As a then naive young Thomas searched for the truth, he found himself, questioning ‘good and evil’, realising that his task was not as simple and straightforward as he would have wished and in so doing losing his innocence and having to accept that truth may have as much to do with belief as facts.

An adult, speculative, spiritual and philosophical coming of age story.

(Warning to sensitive readers; the story is an adult one and so does contain references to sex)

My Review:

***I received this eBook as a free review copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review***

“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” St Thomas Aquinas, 13th Century.

This quote summarizes the central theme of this book very well and is often referred back to throughout the novel.

The novella itself is part of a series of stories told by a group of friends, who meet on a weekly basis in the Red Grouse Inn. On one such night, a certain series of curious circumstances led the narrator, Thomas, of this particular tale to recount his story from his schoolboy days. The reader gradually finds out along the way about a generous, albeit mysterious, donation of decrepit stuffed zoological specimens to the old school. Ever since then, seemingly supernatural cases crop up throughout the village. All seeming to lead back to the dead stuffed animals housed within the school building.

To be honest, I haven't read many books like this before. What made this book stand apart from others, is that while it does have a storyline, it is accompanied by many theological and philosophical debates. I was more used to novels in which it is purely focused on the plot, but it is clear that in the case of this novel, the ensuing discussions spawned from the story were as important to the book as the actual tale itself.

Unexpectedly, I found that this combination worked out much better than I had anticipated at the start. The plot was interesting to follow. I felt a bit like a detective, trying to piece the story and the mysterious happenings together into a picture that might make sense and is something I can personally believe to be the correct course of events. Over the course of the novella, the reader realizes that there are in fact two stories, if not multiple, contained within one, which I actually enjoyed and fully appreciated at the end once I realized what was going on.

The core theme of the book is truth - or more accurately, our perception of the truth. The discussions and the back of forth between the different sides of the same coin were really intriguing and written in such a way that every argument had a valid point. The purpose was clear: to provoke thought and consideration in the minds of the readers. To not take all the facts of life at face-value. To perhaps look beyond the obvious and find a truth that's right for you. To question yourself: what is the truth? What is my truth? I personally really like deep discussions that might go against normal social conventions or thoughts, so I sincerely appreciated the thoughts the author put behind this novella because while it may be a quick read, there are many memorable quotes that stick in the reader's mind and thus might even impact how they perceive the world at large.

However, halfway through the book, these debates started becoming excessive to the point where I felt that many of the same arguments about belief, faith, truth and religion have been rehashed over and over again, just worded differently. Even though this is a book clearly grounded in philosophical thinking, gently prompting the reader to think about these things while continuing on with the tale instead of having entire sections of theological discussion revisited again might have been more enjoyable and captivating.

The writing style itself was pleasant to read with a lot of very elaborate imagery that conveyed the desolate atmosphere that seemed to permeate through the village after the first haunting incident occurred. It was a very sophisticated tone, but in certain parts of the story, I was unsure if it was entirely suitable for a young schoolboy and his group of friends, who I thought might not necessarily always express themselves in that way.

Due to this being a retelling of a tale, there are some transitions between the present time and the past. This has been executed very well, as I was able to distinguish, most of the time, between the present Thomas thinking about his story and interacting with his listeners and the actual Thomas uncovering the happenings in his village.

All in all, this is a short read but definitely worth the time as debates about truth are especially relevant in our current society, where news and media can document events differently and deliver their own versions of the truth, distorting our perceptions. In that way, this story, despite its supernatural and mystical elements, draws parallels to our own lives: just like in this book, we have to decide for ourselves what's true.

Final Thoughts: A well-written and thought-provoking read with strong relevance in our own culture.

"The Pause" by John Larkin

Goodreads

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
Declan seems to have it all: a family that loves him, friends he’s known for years, a beautiful girlfriend he would go to the ends of the earth for.

But there’s something in Declan’s past that just won’t go away, that pokes and scratches at his thoughts when he’s at his most vulnerable. Declan feels as if nothing will take away that pain that he has buried deep inside for so long. So he makes the only decision he thinks he has left: the decision to end it all.

Or does he? As the train approaches and Declan teeters at the edge of the platform, two versions of his life are revealed. In one, Declan watches as his body is destroyed and the lives of those who loved him unravel. In the other, Declan pauses before he jumps. And this makes all the difference.

One moment. One pause. One whole new life.

From author of The Shadow Girl, winner of the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2012 Prize for Writing for Young Adults, comes a breathtaking new novel that will make you reconsider the road you’re travelling and the tracks you’re leaving behind.

My Review
I think that John Larking has done a good job for writing a book about a very serious topic.
This book is about a boy called Declan, who has a happy family, an amazing girlfriend, friends and everything he asked for. Yet he was willing to throw it all away after a mental breakdown. The Pause shows the reader what could have been if only he would have paused before the train came.
Like I said before, this is a very serious topic. Depression and suicide effect many people around the globe. I was honestly quite impressed at how well John Larking handled this topic and how he managed to write an enjoyable book about it as well as give a very clear message to the people reading the book. I really enjoyed reading this book, but I'm still unsure about what I really think about it.

I'm going to talk about the beginning first. Honestly, I was quite bored at the start. Nothing within the first 50 pages caught my attention. I put the book down several times until I decided to power through it. I'm glad I did that though, because after that it definitely became way more interesting. 

The concept of this book was unique, I haven't read something like this yet. As an example, the ending is left ambiguous because there seem to be two endings to this book and the reader is left wondering what actually happened. This veiled ending is something that I found really cool. The same goes to the content of the book. I liked that the story revolves around what could have been.
I thought that the characters were definitely very interesting. They all had different personalities and mind sets. I thought that John Larkin was fairly successful at portraying the mental states of the individual patients in the psychology ward. Declan's humour was actually really funny and was at times what kept the book going. Sarah on the other hand was a really sweet girl and I could really see her being together with Declan.
Overall I thought that the book was written in a matter of fact way, although it is still written our of Declan's perspective. However, I thought that the story and the writing wasn't very captivating and didn't really capture my attention. Despite that, I admire the message the author is sending through the book: "You will get through the dark times. There are many beautiful moments to live for."
I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

"A Time to Dance" by Padma Venkatraman

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
Padma Venkatraman’s inspiring story of a young girl’s struggle to regain her passion and find a new peace is told lyrically through verse that captures the beauty and mystery of India and the ancient bharatanatyam dance form. This is a stunning novel about spiritual awakening, the power of art, and above all, the courage and resilience of the human spirit.

Veda, a classical dance prodigy in India, lives and breathes dance—so when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered. For a girl who’s grown used to receiving applause for her dance prowess and flexibility, adjusting to a prosthetic leg is painful and humbling. But Veda refuses to let her disability rob her of her dreams, and she starts all over again, taking beginner classes with the youngest dancers. Then Veda meets Govinda, a young man who approaches dance as a spiritual pursuit. As their relationship deepens, Veda reconnects with the world around her, and begins to discover who she is and what dance truly means to her.

My Review
This was actually the first book I have read that was structured like a poem in verses and still had a story plot like a regular book and I really enjoyed it.
The book is about a girl called Veda, who has always loved dancing, especially the Indian dance called bharatanatyam. She danced until she won a bharatanatyam competition. However, soon after, she lost a leg due to an accident and her old dance teacher refused to teach her because he believed that Veda could never dance again.
This book was beautifully written. At first I was really curious how the story will still be told in an efficient manner so that the actions and plot are still conveyed to the reader, but it worked out really well in this book. The verse and lyrical style of this book also really matched the theme of this book. That was also really enjoyable. I loved how the author tackled the heavy topic of spirituality, religion and finding oneself. The theme itself was already very interesting; it was great to read about the importance of religion to a person. In this case the book focused on the religious dance. For Veda, dance became less about the religious meaning and more about the fame she was going to receive at the start of the book. I loved how more of the religious meaning of the dance came back to Veda as the book progressed and that she realized that dance wasn't about winning or losing; it was about the meaning and spirituality behind it.
The verses were a new writing style for me but I really enjoyed it in this case. The verses helped to make certain phrases in the book stand out and gave some sentences a heavier meaning. This style also worked really well with the writing style of the book. Even though the end of the sentences didn't rhyme, the story was still told using a lot of poetic devices, which made it really unique and still gave me the feeling of reading and not really reading a poem. Despite that, I found the beginning kind of shaky, meaning that the verse-like writing just didn't really work out that well, but that is probably just me not being used to it yet.
The amount of character development that took place in this book is remarkable. Veda went from dancing for the applause to finding the real meaning of dance. While she did that, she lost her anger and spite she still had leftover from when she lost her leg. It was great to see her mature in that way. It was also kind of sneaky, how the author incorporated a kind of love triangle into this book. (And personally, I was happy with the outcome.)
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The lyrical writing style took some time for me to get used to, but the rest of the book flowed by really quickly. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars!

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"An Ember in the Ashes" (An Ember in the Ashes #1) by Sabaa Tahir

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

My Review
Wow, I can totally understand why this book had so much hype surrounding it.
I picked this book up because of several reasons. First, all the positive reviews encouraged me to read it and the blurb seemed like I would like this book. Plus, the cover looks so awesome. It's so beautiful!
This book is based in a fantasy world, where an Empire, based on Ancient Rome, has taken over the Scholar land and enslaved the Scholars. Living in a seemingly normal Scholar family, Laia is a free woman and is trying to support her family. That is, until her brother is captured and her grandparents are killed. She seeks the Resistance to help free her brother and in return they want her to spy on the Commandant of Blackcliff Academy, where the dangerous Masks are being trained. That is where Elias is training to be a Mask, even though he didn't want to be a Mask. And that is where they meet.
This book was amazing. It is told out of two perspectives: Laia's and Elias' perspectives. This is done very well. The plot progresses really quickly on both ends and once both the characters meet, it is interesting to read about both of their thoughts. The plot was very interesting, intriguing and flowed very nicely and I love it. All the solutions to the problems were interesting and the problems were so intense.I guess, that some things were kind of predictable and some things weren't, but that's what makes a book really good.
All of the characters were amazing and written about really well. All of them had their own unique personalities and I will probably start talking about Laia. She is a very quiet girl and I found, that I could somehow relate to her. She just wants the best for her family and I just really liked her. Elias was the kind of guy, who was good at something but doesn't enjoy it. He is rebellious and unlike other Masks, he actually knows mercy, kindness and friendship. I kind of liked him and the more I read out of his perspective, the more I liked his point of view. Helene Aquilla is a different story. I guess I can understand where she's coming from and why she does some things, but I just didn't like her personality. Especially when she was interfering with my ships! Yeah, while I was reading this book I was busy shipping Laia with everyone. First I shipped her with Elias and then I shipped her with Keenan and stuck with that. Keenan is really sweet and Laia and Keenan really belong together.
I loved how the book was written. The story was flowing really nicely  and I think I detected some kind of a deeper meaning. Don't give up. Do what you think is right. Sabaa Tahir wrote in a way, that makes the reader connect with the characters. They feel what they are feeling.
This was definitely an amazing book which I recommend to everyone. I enjoyed it so much and I give it 5 out of 5 stars!

"The Diviners" (The Diviners #1) by Libba Bray

Book Blurb (from Goodreads): Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.




My Review
I couldn't really get into the story. It was a good book after all, but in my opinion there was nothing that really kept me hooked to the story and made me want to keep on reading.
I believe that this book was set after World War 2 in America. Evie O'Neill is has just been kicked out of her small hometown and sent to New York City after a mysterious party trick she performed went wrong and earned her some enemies. However, Evie isn't any safer in New York. A series of gruesome murders take place and Evie decides to help her Uncle solve the case along with some of her new friends.
It is already made clear from the start of the book that Evie and several other characters have mysterious powers that are best kept hidden. There are quite a lot of different characters in this book, which is part of the reason for the frequent perspective change. However, I found some perspectives more interesting than others. I liked Evie's perspective the most because it was the most interesting and there was more going on, meaning that the plot moved on a lot faster with Evie. Theta and Memphis' perspective bored me on the other hand. I would stop reading when their perspective came up or power through until I finally reached Evie's perspective again.
The main characters became better as the plot progressed. Evie was definitely very annoying and selfish at the beginning. All he wanted to do was partying and she didn't pay attention or listen to her Uncle Will. However, as the murders continued, I noticed that Evie's character changed. She became more serious and mature and handled dangerous situations very well. She was still kind of annoying when she acted childish and cared too much about her image. I also really liked the characters Will and Jericho. Jericho has a very interesting backstory, which is gradually revealed towards the end of the book. The other characters were also alright but didn't really interest me, which is why I didn't connect with them.
All in all, I didn't feel like the writing style captivated me, especially at the beginning. However, the story did progressively become more interesting the further along I got in the book. It took me quite a while to finish this book. I eventually got used to the characters, but they did annoy me at the beginning. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

"Antigoddess" (Goddess War #1) by Kendare Blake

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.

These days, Cassandra doesn't involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn't even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don't just flicker out.

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

My Review
I absolutely loved this book! I don't understand why I put off reading it for so long.
I might be a bit biased about Antigoddess though. After all, ever since I started reading books related to Greek mythology (or an mythology in general), I've been obsessed with this topic. (I blame you for my obsession, Rick Riordan.) So I started looking for more books related to Greek mythology, based in the YA and fantasy genre and found this book, which fits all of my criteria.
This story starts off with two dying gods, Athena and Hermes, traveling across the desert to find Demeter and gain more knowledge about why all the gods are dying in the first place. However, the other dying Olympians have allied themselves with Hera and will stop at nothing to eliminate competition and prolong their own lives for as long as possible. The only thing Athena knows for certain though, is that Cassandra is the key to everything.
Kendare Blake created an awesome tale that I enjoyed reading so much! First of, I noticed that even if you don't know your Greek mythology, you would still understand what this book is about. All the pieces of Greek mythology you do need to know for this book are mentioned either during descriptions or conversations between characters and if you do want to read up about Greek myths anyways, then all you need to know is the gist of the Trojan War. I think that you could learn some things about Greek myths in this book, even though it isn't a lot.
I'm no going to talk about the best scene in this book much because it is at the very end of the book and I don't want to spoil anything. But it is the best scene (in my opinion) because it was action-packed and the plot progressed really quickly in that one part because so many things happened at once and it was also kind of an emotional part as well.
This book was full of action, first off. From start to finish, something dramatic was always happening, so you never got bored reading it.
The characters were also really diverse and interesting. This story is told out of two different perspectives, Athena's and Cassandra's. For some reason, I always found Athena's point of view more interesting. I think, that my favourite character was Hermes because he still kind of had a light spirit despite the fact that he was dying. The other characters were also alright, like Henry and Andie were also pretty cool.
Overall, this is one of my all-time favourite books and I recommend this book to any person, that likes action and fantasy with its fair share of Greek myths. This was an amazing book, which I think Kendare Blake wrote really well, because even the descriptions weren't boring and there was constantly something happening. The ending of the book was also kind of cliff-hangerish and I can't wait to read the next book in this series. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

"A World Without Heroes" (Beyonders #1) by Brandon Mull

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
Jason Walker has often wished his life could be a bit less predictable--until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank to a place unlike anything he's ever seen. In the past, the people of Lyrian welcomed visitors from the Beyond, but attitudes have changed since the wizard emperor Maldor rose to power. The brave resistors who opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.
In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor, and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes.

My Review
This was an amazing book. I loved every single page and every second reading it.
I have wanted to read this book for quite a while already. Basically anything to do with magic, evil emperors who need some overthrowing and an epic quest. Everything about this was awesome.
This book A World Without Heroes  tells the story of how a normal boy called Jason gets sucked into a magical world called Lyrian. There he accidentally stumbles across the beginning of a secret word that could defeat the tyrannical ruler but marks him for immediate execution. On this world he meets Rachel and together they desperately try to save their skin.
The world-building itself was done excellently. Nothing was too rushed or anything. It was amazing to see a complex world being created without any info-dumps. I could imagine the world passing by around me through Jason's eyes, even though it is vastly different from our own world. The author made  a great job of continuously introducing new elements to this new world to always build on the experiences.
The characters were also very three dimensional and I could relate to them. I loved Jason's wry sense of humour. He is sarcastic and his narrative voice made the book very entertaining to read. There was a wide variety of different characters though. Rachel was mostly serious but she could be sweet and sincere if she wanted to be. Both of them care a lot for their friends and family, which was a nice touch. Despite all that, I think that I still like Jason the most. His attitude was just really endearing.
The book was a joy to read from start to finish. The excellent writing style made it exciting and not boring at all. Even the beginning was a pleasant start and intro to the story. I can't wait to grab the second book! I really recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and an exciting adventure that will pull the reader into the story and never let go.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!