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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
The last 100 pages or so were excellent, so I'll probably give the next book a shot. (Edit: Tried to read the sequel- nope! DNF)
4.5 stars
My Morgan Rhodes does it again! I love her writing so much, and the way she develops her characters; this book was no disappointment.
My Morgan Rhodes does it again! I love her writing so much, and the way she develops her characters; this book was no disappointment.
Books are an infinitesimal immensely magical thing and I say this entirely biasedly and without hesitation or qualification. And sometimes the magic within a particular book finds its way into the world, much like it does in A Book of Spirit and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Crystal a.k.a. Crys Hatcher and her sister Becca are working in their family's bookstore in Toronto when a delivery from their aunt Jackie arrives in the mail. Crys ignores to the fact that the package is addressed to their mother and opens it anyway. But when Becca touches the book, something strange happens and puts her into a coma and sends her spirit to a different world, Mytica. In Mytica, Maddox is a boy-witch who can summon spirits through his necromancy, so when he can see and speak with Becca, it's no surprise that he's the only one that can help her. Farrell Grayson is the middle son of a wealthy family in Toronto and involved in a secret society that delves into magic and vigilante justice. Crys, Farrell, Becca, and Maddox are intertwined and their lives will never be the same because of it.
I will readily admit that I have not read the Falling Kingdoms series, but now I feel as if I just have to because I enjoyed the characters and the world building details that were presented in this prequel to the series that assumed no prior knowledge. As with virtually any YA story I read, I was immediately on guard about the love angle of the story. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the love aspect to this story wasn't too cliche or overt. And no love triangle!!!!! Hip, hip, hurray! The fantasy elements and reality mixed together well throughout the narrative and the three alternating point of view narrations delineated the different realms, as it were, efficiently and helped to provide a cohesive whole to connect the story's events together.
Overall, I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Crystal a.k.a. Crys Hatcher and her sister Becca are working in their family's bookstore in Toronto when a delivery from their aunt Jackie arrives in the mail. Crys ignores to the fact that the package is addressed to their mother and opens it anyway. But when Becca touches the book, something strange happens and puts her into a coma and sends her spirit to a different world, Mytica. In Mytica, Maddox is a boy-witch who can summon spirits through his necromancy, so when he can see and speak with Becca, it's no surprise that he's the only one that can help her. Farrell Grayson is the middle son of a wealthy family in Toronto and involved in a secret society that delves into magic and vigilante justice. Crys, Farrell, Becca, and Maddox are intertwined and their lives will never be the same because of it.
I will readily admit that I have not read the Falling Kingdoms series, but now I feel as if I just have to because I enjoyed the characters and the world building details that were presented in this prequel to the series that assumed no prior knowledge. As with virtually any YA story I read, I was immediately on guard about the love angle of the story. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the love aspect to this story wasn't too cliche or overt. And no love triangle!!!!! Hip, hip, hurray! The fantasy elements and reality mixed together well throughout the narrative and the three alternating point of view narrations delineated the different realms, as it were, efficiently and helped to provide a cohesive whole to connect the story's events together.
Overall, I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Eh. I love Morgan Rhodes as you all know - Falling Kingdoms has become one of my new favorite series - but I'm conflicted about this one. It was definitely decent but also definitely not anything special. For me, it didn't really meet the standard that I hold for Rhodes' books. However, I had a similar experience with the first Falling Kingdoms book - I thought it was okay but not great - and I fell in love with the rest of the series once I continued, so hopefully the same thing will happen with this series. I found this to be a bit too insta-lovey in both romances for my taste, and the plot twists seemed.... I don't know how to describe it - sort of juvenile and... lame? However I did enjoy getting to read about ancient Mytica when the goddesses still ruled, because in the original series it is well past that time by millennia.
This was an amazing read. This is a companion book for the Falling Kingdoms series. The story is told from the perspectives of the three main characters. I also like how the story went back and forth from modern day Toronto and the world of Mytia. The characters were incredible. Crystal Hatcher was awesome. I loved her persistence, honesty, and badass attitude. She is the type of heroines that I love to read about. Farrell Grayson is amazing. He is the equivalent to Magnus for me. I just love him. Maddox Corso is interesting. I like how he learns more about his family near the end of the book. I also really like him and Becca together. However, I absolutely love Farrell and Crystal together. They start off as enemies, but I can see that they got the Magnus and Cleo effect and will fall in love. I really like the similarities between the two series. I cannot wait to read Obsidian Blade to see Magnus and Maddox in the same book. That will be an interesting duo I believe. I did have some doubts for this book as I really loved the Falling Kingdoms series. However, I believe that Morgan Rhodes did a fantastic job of telling this story. Can't wait to read the rest of the Spirits and Thieves series. Overall, a fantastic read.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
THIS BOOK. WAS SOOOOO GOOD.
i hate farrell he was an ass even before he got the marks. i so hope there won't be a love story between him and crys. because i reaaaally like her!. i really like becca and maddox as well. and THE PLOT. DUDE that was AMAZING. Morgan Rhodes if i ever see you in person i will bow to you and pledge my allegiance to you, because you are a goddess,your creativity is fascinating. i really would like to have a conversation with you.
this book was fantastic. i need the next one like NOW.
also flew through this one i barely noticed how far i'd gotten and suddenly it was over dafuq
this was an amazing read after having a bookhangover after gathering darkness. need more of this. both falling kingdoms and this book. it's a series right? must be. love it love it love it
i'm gonna look up when the next book comes out now. byeeee
i hate farrell he was an ass even before he got the marks. i so hope there won't be a love story between him and crys. because i reaaaally like her!. i really like becca and maddox as well. and THE PLOT. DUDE that was AMAZING. Morgan Rhodes if i ever see you in person i will bow to you and pledge my allegiance to you, because you are a goddess,your creativity is fascinating. i really would like to have a conversation with you.
this book was fantastic. i need the next one like NOW.
also flew through this one i barely noticed how far i'd gotten and suddenly it was over dafuq
this was an amazing read after having a bookhangover after gathering darkness. need more of this. both falling kingdoms and this book. it's a series right? must be. love it love it love it
i'm gonna look up when the next book comes out now. byeeee
3.5 stelle!
Il libro nel suo complesso mi è piaciuto.
Adoro la scrittura della Rhodes perché non la trovo mai troppo complicata o pesante.
Il libro è interessante in quanto ci sono le società segrete, due sorelle con un libro magico, un viaggio "nel tempo", intrighi, misteri e segreti.
L'inizio è molto promettente, ma ho trovato il centro del libro un po' lento e in queste pagine non succede niente di eclatante. Le ultime cinquanta pagine ripartono con il botto e mettono molta carne al fuoco per il seguito. Credo che vada bene la lentezza del libro in quanto è un libro introduttivo.
I protagonisti sono anche in questa serie quattro: Crystal, Becca, Maddox e Farrell.
Le due sorelle mi sono piaciute, soprattutto Crystal che è il mio personaggio preferito del libro, mentre Becca ha avuto poco spazio in questo libro, ma credo che sarà fondamentale nel prossimo.
La storia di Maddox è quella che mi ha colpito di meno, per farci capire quando arrivavano i suoi capitoli ero molto scontenta. Però in conclusione il suo personaggio ha fatto un salto in avanti, speriamo bene.
Farrell è il personaggio che mi è piaciuto di meno, soprattutto verso il finale, per ritornare tra i personaggi che apprezzo deve fare un grande character development, cosa di cui non sono sicura che farà. Molti lo paragonano a Magnus (della serie originale), però a mio parere sono su due pianeti diversi.
In conclusione il libro mi è piaciuto ed è interessante scoprire dei segreti della serie originale, che però a mio parere per adesso rimane nettamente superiore.
Il libro nel suo complesso mi è piaciuto.
Adoro la scrittura della Rhodes perché non la trovo mai troppo complicata o pesante.
Il libro è interessante in quanto ci sono le società segrete, due sorelle con un libro magico, un viaggio "nel tempo", intrighi, misteri e segreti.
L'inizio è molto promettente, ma ho trovato il centro del libro un po' lento e in queste pagine non succede niente di eclatante. Le ultime cinquanta pagine ripartono con il botto e mettono molta carne al fuoco per il seguito. Credo che vada bene la lentezza del libro in quanto è un libro introduttivo.
I protagonisti sono anche in questa serie quattro: Crystal, Becca, Maddox e Farrell.
Le due sorelle mi sono piaciute, soprattutto Crystal che è il mio personaggio preferito del libro, mentre Becca ha avuto poco spazio in questo libro, ma credo che sarà fondamentale nel prossimo.
La storia di Maddox è quella che mi ha colpito di meno, per farci capire quando arrivavano i suoi capitoli ero molto scontenta. Però in conclusione il suo personaggio ha fatto un salto in avanti, speriamo bene.
Farrell è il personaggio che mi è piaciuto di meno, soprattutto verso il finale, per ritornare tra i personaggi che apprezzo deve fare un grande character development, cosa di cui non sono sicura che farà. Molti lo paragonano a Magnus (della serie originale), però a mio parere sono su due pianeti diversi.
In conclusione il libro mi è piaciuto ed è interessante scoprire dei segreti della serie originale, che però a mio parere per adesso rimane nettamente superiore.
"My name is Becca Hatcher. I don't know what's happened to me, where I am, or how I got here, but I know one thing. You're going to help me get back home."
There are some authors who just know how to hook you immediately and keep you on the edge of your seat. I don't know exactly what they do - it's something about the perfect tension, perfect amount of surprises, perfect balance between interesting characters and fast-paced plot - but Morgan Rhodes is one of those authors.
I started out quite liking Rhodes' [b:Falling Kingdoms|12954620|Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1)|Morgan Rhodes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337026387s/12954620.jpg|18111704] series, but I was put off by how derivative the books were (i.e. Games of Thrones, round 2). The need to read on was there, that inexplicable, addictive pull, but I just couldn't ignore that the plot and characters were "borrowed" from other works. So I tried to get my Rhodes fix from her spin-off series.
And I am so glad I did.
This book is just ultimate fantasy fun. I found myself dragged along from the very first chapter, into a world of parallel universes - namely, our universe in modern day Toronto, and the world of Ancient Mytica. These two places are linked by history, magic and a book - because isn't the thought of getting pulled into a book and discovering a new world the most exciting thing ever?
There are three different character perspectives, all in third person (which I thought worked well). One is Crystal, a girl in our world, whose sister's spirit gets sucked inside an ancient magic book, and Crystal is left behind to solve the mystery that will lead her toward family secrets and lies.
Then, again in our world, there is Farrell - a party boy from a rich, important family - who gets dragged deeper and deeper into a magical cult that seems to be changing him.
And finally, there's Maddox - a boy in Mytica who can communicate with spirits - who will soon find himself caught between the queen's plans and helping the new spirit girl who has landed in his world.
It's so exciting. So much is constantly happening. All the characters have engaging stories and I especially enjoyed how Farrell becomes increasingly a kind of antihero/villain who still manages to hold the reader's sympathy.
I highly recommend this to anyone who loves some fast-paced, drama-filled YA Fantasy.
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"Tales of fantasy and magic are the best."
As a Falling Kingdoms fanatic, I was thrilled to see a spin-off while waiting for the next book in that series. Ms. Rhodes did not disappoint! I only wish it were longer and certainly can't wait for the next installment. I loved the two worlds aspect and the entire storyline is intriguing. Maddox is the perfect anti-hero and reminded me a lot of Prince Magnus. I couldn't help but love him.
I tell every HF fan to read Falling Kingdoms and this series will be on my list now as well.
As a Falling Kingdoms fanatic, I was thrilled to see a spin-off while waiting for the next book in that series. Ms. Rhodes did not disappoint! I only wish it were longer and certainly can't wait for the next installment. I loved the two worlds aspect and the entire storyline is intriguing. Maddox is the perfect anti-hero and reminded me a lot of Prince Magnus. I couldn't help but love him.
I tell every HF fan to read Falling Kingdoms and this series will be on my list now as well.