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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
I received an ARC of Year One and was hooked from the beginning. I enjoyed following the disparate story lines, seeing where they converged and parted. Roberts is excellent with description, and a lot of the imagery stayed with me long after I'd read a passage. Things moved a bit too quickly in the last section, but considering the size of the book, perhaps Roberts felt the need to wrap up that story line quickly in preparation for the rest of the trilogy. I very much look forward to reading book two.
It reminded me strongly of Roberts' Sign of Seven trilogy and Justin Cronin's The Passage, though with it's own twists and turns.
It reminded me strongly of Roberts' Sign of Seven trilogy and Justin Cronin's The Passage, though with it's own twists and turns.
Nora Roberts never fails to entertain and this latest book is no exception. I have read a few of her books that have had a pagan witchy feel to them, but this one added a dystopian element to it. It had me hooked from the very beginning and was creepy and scary at times. So if you are looking for a Nora Roberts romance novel, this isn't it. But if you enjoy a well written dystopian fantasy then you will be hooked by this one. My only question now, is how long do I have to wait for the next one?!
This is my first Nora Roberts and I really enjoyed it. Love a good dystopian fiction and there’s some supernatural in there too. Going to read #2 in the series soon.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
[b:Year One|34311452|Year One (Chronicles of The One, #1)|Nora Roberts|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1488360073l/34311452._SY75_.jpg|55367060] by [a:Nora Roberts|625|Nora Roberts|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1505847251p2/625.jpg] is an interesting dystopian/post-apocalyptic novel. There is a lot going on here, as my sister said when I tried to explain it to her. I'm not even going to try to explain here. I will say that it is not really a romance, but it does have some romantic relationships in the story. Some more significant and more focused on than others, in particular, those concerning the central protagonist Lana Bingham.
I thought that once the initial setup of the virus/infection spreading was over and Roberts started focusing on the characters and their journey the novel became more interesting. Though there are a lot of them. I loved the description. It was fabulous, it really puts you in the scenes. It was hard at times to listen to this because we are in the middle of the Covid pandemic. A lot of the things they experienced were too real, and it was scary to think about how all too easy it would be for us to end up where they did.
I also loved the action scenes and when magic was used. Those are very cool. I kind of have a love/hate thing for a group of survivors fighting to survive and rebuild society. I love these stories, but I fear the reality of them if that makes sense. While it is confusing a little in how it starts, the mythology for this world Roberts has created here is very intriguing. I like it.
I listened to the abridged audio because I need to review the 2nd audiobook and I could only get a hold of the abridged. My first time listening to the abridged, I was really worried about missing stuff. I'm still kind of wondering how you get rid of 1/2 of a novel and not leave out any important stuff, but ok. Julia Whelan's narration wonderfully draws you into this novel, capturing the fear, dread, excitement, hope, joy -- all the emotions. Her voices for the characters are good as well.
I had no expectations for this novel, so that may have helped my enjoyment. It’s my first read by her in nearly 20-30 years, if you can believe it. I may have more thoughts after listening to the 2nd book. We’ll see. I’m supposed to be finally finishing another review right now anyway.
-----
2nd Listen - I was able to get the unabridged audio. It really does make a big difference. I had quite a few questions that were answered. I feel like important details were left out of the abridged. As they say in that quote I don't particularly like, but, is significant - sometimes the important things are in the details. Like:
spoiler:
*how did Arliss and Fred get out the city - these scenes were awesome.
*how did New Hope get the power on to begin with
*how did Rachel and Jonah get together (I shipped them, okay. And I wanted to know how they went from Jonah pining to being a pair. Unabridged was worth it just for that.
*more story leading up to the initial confrontation between Max and his brother
*more details about how some members/residents of New Hope who became pivotal secondary characters made their way into the town
I probably forgot some stuff. But it's well worth the listen. Anyway, I enjoyed it more on the second listen because many holes were filled in for me. There is just a tad more romance in the unabridged. Just a tad.
I thought that once the initial setup of the virus/infection spreading was over and Roberts started focusing on the characters and their journey the novel became more interesting. Though there are a lot of them. I loved the description. It was fabulous, it really puts you in the scenes. It was hard at times to listen to this because we are in the middle of the Covid pandemic. A lot of the things they experienced were too real, and it was scary to think about how all too easy it would be for us to end up where they did.
Spoiler
We have the divide in society between vaxxers and anti-vaxxers. And they have the light vs. the dark + puritan + crazies +government.I also loved the action scenes and when magic was used. Those are very cool. I kind of have a love/hate thing for a group of survivors fighting to survive and rebuild society. I love these stories, but I fear the reality of them if that makes sense. While it is confusing a little in how it starts, the mythology for this world Roberts has created here is very intriguing. I like it.
I listened to the abridged audio because I need to review the 2nd audiobook and I could only get a hold of the abridged. My first time listening to the abridged, I was really worried about missing stuff. I'm still kind of wondering how you get rid of 1/2 of a novel and not leave out any important stuff, but ok. Julia Whelan's narration wonderfully draws you into this novel, capturing the fear, dread, excitement, hope, joy -- all the emotions. Her voices for the characters are good as well.
I had no expectations for this novel, so that may have helped my enjoyment. It’s my first read by her in nearly 20-30 years, if you can believe it. I may have more thoughts after listening to the 2nd book. We’ll see. I’m supposed to be finally finishing another review right now anyway.
-----
2nd Listen - I was able to get the unabridged audio. It really does make a big difference. I had quite a few questions that were answered. I feel like important details were left out of the abridged. As they say in that quote I don't particularly like, but, is significant - sometimes the important things are in the details. Like:
spoiler:
Spoiler
*how did Arliss and Fred get out the city - these scenes were awesome.
*how did New Hope get the power on to begin with
*how did Rachel and Jonah get together (I shipped them, okay. And I wanted to know how they went from Jonah pining to being a pair. Unabridged was worth it just for that.
*more story leading up to the initial confrontation between Max and his brother
*more details about how some members/residents of New Hope who became pivotal secondary characters made their way into the town
I probably forgot some stuff. But it's well worth the listen. Anyway, I enjoyed it more on the second listen because many holes were filled in for me. There is just a tad more romance in the unabridged. Just a tad.
3.5 Stars
Summary: A man vacationing with his family in Scotland shoots a pheasant. It falls into the center of a stone circle, spilling blood and awakening ancient magicks. Shortly afterward, a virus dubbed The Doom, begins to spread, infecting others as the family members fly back home. This virus is virulent and there is no cure. Within months the world’s population is decimated, governments collapse and anarchy arises.
There are some survivors, many of whom have latent talents from old bloodlines. Some people with faerie blood grow wings. Practicing witches find their minimal skills are now exceptional. There are sorcerers, elves and dryads. But not all of the supernaturals follow the good and the light. There are those who have turned to the dark and wish to destroy everything that is good. The few regular humans who survived the plague, are caught in the crossfire and must choose sides.
The story centers on a few of the supernatural and human survivors, most of whom are good. They try to pick up the pieces of society and rebuild a community. When they are savagely attacked, one woman in their group must be protected at all costs, for she bears the savior.
Comments: I am not generally a Nora Roberts fan. I’ve tried several of her books over the decades and they just didn’t do anything for me. They were… meh. But when I read about this apocalyptic fantasy series, I decided to give it a try.
At 419 pages, it took me three days to read, but I actually looked forward to picking it up again. That alone scored a few points. It’s not amazing literature by any means, but the story moves along and the characters are interesting enough. She does know how to write a readable story, even if it’s not particularly deep or insightful. The author has hit the New York Times best seller list 69 times to date, so she’s obviously hitting a chord with many readers. If not a full chord, Year One finally hit at least an intriguing note with me. I definitely plan on reading the next book in the series, Of Blood and Bone.
Recommended for readers of Apocalyptic Fiction, Best Sellers, and books dealing with magic and light fantasy.
My rating: 3.5 STARS
Summary: A man vacationing with his family in Scotland shoots a pheasant. It falls into the center of a stone circle, spilling blood and awakening ancient magicks. Shortly afterward, a virus dubbed The Doom, begins to spread, infecting others as the family members fly back home. This virus is virulent and there is no cure. Within months the world’s population is decimated, governments collapse and anarchy arises.
There are some survivors, many of whom have latent talents from old bloodlines. Some people with faerie blood grow wings. Practicing witches find their minimal skills are now exceptional. There are sorcerers, elves and dryads. But not all of the supernaturals follow the good and the light. There are those who have turned to the dark and wish to destroy everything that is good. The few regular humans who survived the plague, are caught in the crossfire and must choose sides.
The story centers on a few of the supernatural and human survivors, most of whom are good. They try to pick up the pieces of society and rebuild a community. When they are savagely attacked, one woman in their group must be protected at all costs, for she bears the savior.
Comments: I am not generally a Nora Roberts fan. I’ve tried several of her books over the decades and they just didn’t do anything for me. They were… meh. But when I read about this apocalyptic fantasy series, I decided to give it a try.
At 419 pages, it took me three days to read, but I actually looked forward to picking it up again. That alone scored a few points. It’s not amazing literature by any means, but the story moves along and the characters are interesting enough. She does know how to write a readable story, even if it’s not particularly deep or insightful. The author has hit the New York Times best seller list 69 times to date, so she’s obviously hitting a chord with many readers. If not a full chord, Year One finally hit at least an intriguing note with me. I definitely plan on reading the next book in the series, Of Blood and Bone.
Recommended for readers of Apocalyptic Fiction, Best Sellers, and books dealing with magic and light fantasy.
My rating: 3.5 STARS
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It would make for a great TV series.
I like the story and might continue the series just to see what happens.
But, the writing feels really weak. Most of the book consists of dialogue, which often doesn’t feel natural. At times, there’s so much back-to-back dialogue that I lose track of who is speaking. I also found it hard to connect to the characters. I don't think I would recommend this to anybody.
Also none of the "plot-twists" really surprised me.
I like the story and might continue the series just to see what happens.
But, the writing feels really weak. Most of the book consists of dialogue, which often doesn’t feel natural. At times, there’s so much back-to-back dialogue that I lose track of who is speaking. I also found it hard to connect to the characters. I don't think I would recommend this to anybody.
Also none of the "plot-twists" really surprised me.
adventurous
medium-paced