Steven J Carroll

I'm going to start off by saying that I got this In a Goodreads Firstreads giveaway, just so I don't forget. Also, the amazing author sent me the first book in the series as well, even though it wasn't part of the giveaway! (I had it marked to-read, and in my 'Books I want' shelf) Anyway, to the book! The STORY, well, the story was fantastic! Magical, and whimsical, and everything. Better than the first one, even though it's mostly new characters and all that. (Also, you do need to read the first book before you read this one. Nothing will make sense otherwise.) However, the writing felt sort of forced at times, rather meandering and a bit like an attempt at an old fashioned fairy tale.
*gasp* (I just said something critical, I feel like I should get an achievement sticker or something)
It wasn't that big of a deal for me, I mean, I'll read anything, but it didn't feel like it was vastly and painstakingly edited. Also, in favor of this novel, I'll say that there are plenty of other, hugely popular books that I've read, that seem to have some of the same small editing problems. The first that come to mind are: the Heroes of Olympus series (yes, I love it anyway), and Twilight (....No comment) But yes, the next time my little sister asks for something to read these books will be on the list. ;)… (plus d'informations)

Before I get to my review, I would like to start off by saying that I received this book for free as a giveaway winner via Goodreads.com (sponsored by the author/publisher/other individual or entity) and by no means does this impact my review. Although I am super grateful and excited for any opportunity at receiving a book for free, I am also very strict with being honest. And with that, I thank you!

Actual Rating: 3.5/5

This book was good. Not great, but good. It had it's moments where I was completely hooked and didn't want to put it down - but it also had it's moments where I was straight up bored. Not bored the "this book sucks, ugh, ermergerd" bored, but just the "I'm ready for you to do something, like 2 chapters ago" bored. It starts off strong; the first chapter had me hooked and that's always a good thing! It was intense and had me wondering what happens next. If you like dystopian/sci-fi genres, then I would definitely recommend this book for you, although I wouldn't recommend to anyone who dislikes younger reads. The only reason I say that is because I find Alpha to be a little too whiny, even for my taste. Not saying that every leading male character has to be brooding and strong willed and oh-so-dreamy, but Alpha was a little much to take sometimes.

The Enjoyable Things:

Can I talk about this cover first? It's great! I am a cover snob. I'm sorry, if you put effort in to your writing I feel like you need to put just as much into the appearance. I am a
"judge a book by it's cover" type of gal. It's what made me read the book description in the first place. It really captured my eye and I love the idea of holding a picture of a 'before world destruction' over the 'after math'. Kudos for the outer display!

Another thing I enjoyed in this book was Chapter 22 in particular! Without spoiling anything, I really enjoy who they introduced here. I, personally, did not see it coming and that always makes for a fun read :]

The Not So Enjoyable Things:

I really feel that this book should've been a "book 2" because I don't feel like there was much background info before things started falling apart. THAT or it should add a few more chapters to the beginning.

I did enjoy the scene where Alpha and Theta are thrown up against each other to fight - I got so excited reading about it but then it seemed to fall flat. I was really engulfed in this build up but felt like it went no where. Again, this is a scene where I feel like Alpha's whiny and unruliness comes in to play. He just needs to stop -_- .

All in all, I would recommend this book - and being at the end it quotes "End of Book One" I would definitely be interested in getting my hands on book 2 and seeing where this story goes!

**To see my FULL review, visit: The Nerdy Bookmark - A Not-So-Serious Book Review Blog **
… (plus d'informations)