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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
Kate Winters is a rare type of Skilled, a Walker. She gets capture from her home in Morvane and is taken to the capitol city of Fume. AFter being captured she gets caught up in the secrets of the High Council and of her family's past.
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This book had a very nice cover, which I enjoyed looking at before opening the book to read. The prologue and first pages sucked me in, although I must admit the book did start somewhat slowly. Even though the book was easy to follow I sometimes got confused as to who was speaking, but maybe thats just my fault. Shadowcry is very action-packed and fast paced, and the characters each have a unique and well thought-out story.
Overall I really enjoyed this book, even if I do prefer books written in first-person.
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This book had a very nice cover, which I enjoyed looking at before opening the book to read. The prologue and first pages sucked me in, although I must admit the book did start somewhat slowly. Even though the book was easy to follow I sometimes got confused as to who was speaking, but maybe thats just my fault. Shadowcry is very action-packed and fast paced, and the characters each have a unique and well thought-out story.
Overall I really enjoyed this book, even if I do prefer books written in first-person.
This book started out slow, but it was the action and not the world building that made me uninterested. However, I realized it was going to be a quick read, and around chapter 7 the book really kicked off.
This book is probably more of a 3.5 stars.
There was just so much exposition for like the first 120 pages... and it's all good and interesting, but god it's hard to read sometimes.
Once Kate gets to Fume and she starts learning about the magic and talking to Silas the book gets a lot better with pacing, and I became more and more interested as I read.
I don't really have a favorite character right now, but I do like Kate and am excited to learn more about her abilities and what will happen to her in the future.
Silas was the most interesting character. He's complicated which is good, but I also don't know how to feel. Like he's all cold and heartless, but not completely. But it also isn't written like the girl heals his ability to love nonsense which I liked.
I'm intrigued and want to learn more. I hope the other books treat me well, lol.
There was just so much exposition for like the first 120 pages... and it's all good and interesting, but god it's hard to read sometimes.
Once Kate gets to Fume and she starts learning about the magic and talking to Silas the book gets a lot better with pacing, and I became more and more interested as I read.
I don't really have a favorite character right now, but I do like Kate and am excited to learn more about her abilities and what will happen to her in the future.
Silas was the most interesting character. He's complicated which is good, but I also don't know how to feel. Like he's all cold and heartless, but not completely. But it also isn't written like the girl heals his ability to love nonsense which I liked.
I'm intrigued and want to learn more. I hope the other books treat me well, lol.
4.5 Stars
I found myself completely captured by this novel and was immersed in it from the beginning. I loved the premise, the characters and the writing. It all felt very exciting! I wasn't sure what to expect from any of the characters or situations and it felt fresh and very different from anything I have read before. Perhaps this is due to my limited experience with 'straight' fantasy reads - but as an introduction to the genre I found this one superb.
At first I was disappointed the story wasn't written in first person with Kate as the narrator, but as time went on I was glad this was not the case. I really enjoyed the way we were able to see the story unfold from the different character perspectives. This gave much more insight into each of the characters and their motivations. I loved Kate from the beginning. She seemed strong and wilful yet kind and loyal. I enjoyed taking the journey with her. Edgar was interesting but I wasn't sure what his true interests were - but that added to the mystery of the novel. As for Silas Dane, I think he has to be one of my favourite character creations. I didn't know whether to hate him or love him. You could practically feel his presence radiate from the page - I couldn't wait for his scenes and loved his interactions with Kate.
I found the whole story to be compelling and I loved the end. I raced through the final pages of the book not wanting the story to come to an end but desperate to find out what happens. I would love to revisit these characters so I am really hoping this is the first in a series. There is definitely the potential to take it further and I know I would, without a doubt, be first in the queue!
Brilliant!
I found myself completely captured by this novel and was immersed in it from the beginning. I loved the premise, the characters and the writing. It all felt very exciting! I wasn't sure what to expect from any of the characters or situations and it felt fresh and very different from anything I have read before. Perhaps this is due to my limited experience with 'straight' fantasy reads - but as an introduction to the genre I found this one superb.
At first I was disappointed the story wasn't written in first person with Kate as the narrator, but as time went on I was glad this was not the case. I really enjoyed the way we were able to see the story unfold from the different character perspectives. This gave much more insight into each of the characters and their motivations. I loved Kate from the beginning. She seemed strong and wilful yet kind and loyal. I enjoyed taking the journey with her. Edgar was interesting but I wasn't sure what his true interests were - but that added to the mystery of the novel. As for Silas Dane, I think he has to be one of my favourite character creations. I didn't know whether to hate him or love him. You could practically feel his presence radiate from the page - I couldn't wait for his scenes and loved his interactions with Kate.
I found the whole story to be compelling and I loved the end. I raced through the final pages of the book not wanting the story to come to an end but desperate to find out what happens. I would love to revisit these characters so I am really hoping this is the first in a series. There is definitely the potential to take it further and I know I would, without a doubt, be first in the queue!
Brilliant!
Read #1 and #2 - really enjoyed them.
Seeing as I have just won a cop of Blackwatch (Wintercraft, #2) - decided that I'd better invest in a copy of #1!
Seeing as I have just won a cop of Blackwatch (Wintercraft, #2) - decided that I'd better invest in a copy of #1!
Jenna Burtenshaw's Shadowcry has been on my radar for quite some time, ever since a friend read it and loved it. With a review copy of book three in hand, I've embarked on the full series, always a risky venture, yet one that I can't resist. Obviously, I have will power issues. Shadowcry stands unique from the bulk of young adult fiction, but, thus far, isn't the ideal read for me personally.
As I say over and over again, what really makes me interested in a book are the characters. Whether I love them or not, I almost always need to connect to them in some way, to feel that they're in some measure real to really get involved in the book. World building and writing for their own sake get me only so far. Shadowcry definitely focuses more on those aspects than on character, so I had a lot of trouble maintaining interest, even though, objectively, I can appreciate a lot of what Burtenshaw has done here.
Shadowcry starts dramatically with Kate and her uncle Artemis preparing to flee before the Wardens, the men who killed her mother and father, arrive in town. They do not make it out of the bookshop Artemis owns in time however. Blackbirds, the precursors to the Wardens, have arrived, pecking madly and dying on the streets. The scene is eerie and horrifying.
The Wardens are looking for the Skilled, people with the ability to bridge the veil, the space between life and death. If one of these dead birds is touched by someone Skilled, the bird will return to life. In the process of rescuing Ethan, who works for Artemis, from the barrage of dying birds, Kate touches one and it comes back to life in her hands. The blackbird flaps up the chimney, alerting Silas, the head collector of the Skilled to her existence.
Kate and Ethan are on the run, pursued by Silas. They don't know who to trust, and have no idea what they can do. The concept of the Skilled is fascinating, and I like the complex nature of Silas' character. He is not entirely good or evil, and not entirely human either. Kate is a great heroine, too, full of fire and strength. She never crumples in the face of adversity, and constantly tries to rescue Ethan and Artemis. There's a definite sense in the book that the female characters are the strongest ones and that's awesome. Also, I know some folks are really sick of books dominated by romance, so, just fyi, there's absolutely no romance in Shadowcry.
Despite all that good stuff, my main reaction to Shadowcry was boredom. Since there wasn't any focus on character development really, I just wasn't all that engaged. Before I can care much about the world or the dramatic events, I need to care about the characters.
So far, the Wintercraft series has not proved the ideal read for me, but I have hoped for Blackwatch. I do think Shadowcry is a good book, but just not what I was hoping for or what works for me personally.
As I say over and over again, what really makes me interested in a book are the characters. Whether I love them or not, I almost always need to connect to them in some way, to feel that they're in some measure real to really get involved in the book. World building and writing for their own sake get me only so far. Shadowcry definitely focuses more on those aspects than on character, so I had a lot of trouble maintaining interest, even though, objectively, I can appreciate a lot of what Burtenshaw has done here.
Shadowcry starts dramatically with Kate and her uncle Artemis preparing to flee before the Wardens, the men who killed her mother and father, arrive in town. They do not make it out of the bookshop Artemis owns in time however. Blackbirds, the precursors to the Wardens, have arrived, pecking madly and dying on the streets. The scene is eerie and horrifying.
The Wardens are looking for the Skilled, people with the ability to bridge the veil, the space between life and death. If one of these dead birds is touched by someone Skilled, the bird will return to life. In the process of rescuing Ethan, who works for Artemis, from the barrage of dying birds, Kate touches one and it comes back to life in her hands. The blackbird flaps up the chimney, alerting Silas, the head collector of the Skilled to her existence.
Kate and Ethan are on the run, pursued by Silas. They don't know who to trust, and have no idea what they can do. The concept of the Skilled is fascinating, and I like the complex nature of Silas' character. He is not entirely good or evil, and not entirely human either. Kate is a great heroine, too, full of fire and strength. She never crumples in the face of adversity, and constantly tries to rescue Ethan and Artemis. There's a definite sense in the book that the female characters are the strongest ones and that's awesome. Also, I know some folks are really sick of books dominated by romance, so, just fyi, there's absolutely no romance in Shadowcry.
Despite all that good stuff, my main reaction to Shadowcry was boredom. Since there wasn't any focus on character development really, I just wasn't all that engaged. Before I can care much about the world or the dramatic events, I need to care about the characters.
So far, the Wintercraft series has not proved the ideal read for me, but I have hoped for Blackwatch. I do think Shadowcry is a good book, but just not what I was hoping for or what works for me personally.
Actual rating: 2.5 stars. Full review to come soon!