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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 ⭐️
That beginning chapter SNATCHED me into the book. Then, in the first few chapters I was interested in the story but I found myself thinking “when’s the magic part” a few times (which could just be me honestly) but after that it got so interesting. (Especially because of the plot twist that was thrown in there not too much later. For some it could be predictable though but it was a intriguing concept in my opinion) I love love love the inspiration for this story being the colonization of the land and how the new westerners don’t take care of the land the way indegenous people used to. The main character also grew on me a lot towards the end when she had difficult choices to make
That beginning chapter SNATCHED me into the book. Then, in the first few chapters I was interested in the story but I found myself thinking “when’s the magic part” a few times (which could just be me honestly) but after that it got so interesting. (Especially because of the plot twist that was thrown in there not too much later. For some it could be predictable though but it was a intriguing concept in my opinion) I love love love the inspiration for this story being the colonization of the land and how the new westerners don’t take care of the land the way indegenous people used to. The main character also grew on me a lot towards the end when she had difficult choices to make
This is more science fiction than fantasy. As a biology major, I studied botany, ecology and genetics. This book was well researched and very plausible. Man is destroying the earth, there is no question about that. It’s especially evident in the frequency of California forest fires which is a central theme of this book. The protagonist is a fire fighter stationed in the Sequoia National Forest. She encounters a species that is hidden from man, but evolved from humans. The genetics are sound with a symbiotic relationship with mushrooms. We know how hard it is to rid the body of a fungal infection, so what if a mushroom species infected a human and we learned to communicate? I really enjoyed the story and the personal struggles of Syrah, the protagonist. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.
Love the author and the Mambo Reina Dumond series but didn’t like any of the character of this one and the book was too preachy. I tried audio too and wasn’t a fan of the narrator either.
Great storyline and idea, just not the most enticing writing skills. I will definitely read the rest when they come out, to follow the story.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Well this was disappointing. A brilliant premise let down by uninteresting characters and a meandering plot.
Syrah and her brother are out exploring in the Sequoia national forest in the middle of the night, having left their camping tent against their parents' instructions, when a tragedy occurs and Syrah is left alone in the world.
Years later, she is a Fire Chief in that same forest, pulled back by a desire to protect the land she so loves. Little does she know that there is another world born of the ancient trees' roots where two sides battle for the future of the forest.
I dove into this book ready to find a compelling main character, a rich fantasy world, and a narrative of nature v. man. Unfortunately, I didn't much care for Syrah. That's not bad in itself, there are plenty of characters whom I didn't like but still wanted to follow their story, but this was not the case.
When you build a fantasy world on top of a real one, the real one still has to make sense, and this one didn't. An entire hidden world that is not so hidden, because they work their wonders within our world, which goes by completely unnoticed in one of the most popular national parks in the country.
The problem might have been that the scope was too big for this book. Is this a fantasy book? A mystery to discover what happened to Syrah's brother? A race to save the land from the evils of plastic-hoarding people? A character finding herself beyond a single purpose? In the end, the book doesn't fulfill any of these and was a letdown.
Syrah and her brother are out exploring in the Sequoia national forest in the middle of the night, having left their camping tent against their parents' instructions, when a tragedy occurs and Syrah is left alone in the world.
Years later, she is a Fire Chief in that same forest, pulled back by a desire to protect the land she so loves. Little does she know that there is another world born of the ancient trees' roots where two sides battle for the future of the forest.
I dove into this book ready to find a compelling main character, a rich fantasy world, and a narrative of nature v. man. Unfortunately, I didn't much care for Syrah. That's not bad in itself, there are plenty of characters whom I didn't like but still wanted to follow their story, but this was not the case.
When you build a fantasy world on top of a real one, the real one still has to make sense, and this one didn't. An entire hidden world that is not so hidden, because they work their wonders within our world, which goes by completely unnoticed in one of the most popular national parks in the country.
The problem might have been that the scope was too big for this book. Is this a fantasy book? A mystery to discover what happened to Syrah's brother? A race to save the land from the evils of plastic-hoarding people? A character finding herself beyond a single purpose? In the end, the book doesn't fulfill any of these and was a letdown.