M. P. Ness

I had high hopes for this novel -set in Seattle and it has a unique dystopian fantasy world vibe and a unique plot going for it.

While the book starts off with a literal bang as Shannon ends up in the middle of an elf attack on a logging operation, the over-written descriptions and frequent sentence repeats kept drawing me out of the story. An entire chapter consists of nothing but the main elf’s superior yelling ‘But you didn’t kill her’ over and over for what felt like ages.

I slogged on to the end of chapter 6, hoping for it to improve, but I finally gave up after a two page description of someone drawing a sword.… (plus d'informations)

I recently finished reading “White Leaves” by new author M. P. Ness, and I’d have to say it was a unique fantasy read. I very much enjoyed it.

“White Leaves” starts off with an action- packed “bang” and readers will meet Shannon Hunter, the book’s main character, an eco-terrorist and a member of the elusive Earth Liberation Front (E.L.F.), hard at work attempting to stop the environmentally unfriendly bull-dozing and logging practices of a large multi-million dollar conglomerate. Unfortunately for Shannon and her other team members; the night’s mission does not go as planned. And, while the machinery the Earth Liberation Front was attempting to destroy was successfully obliterated, it was not done by anyone on Shannon’s team…

Shannon winds up incarcerated, but she finds herself in the hospital due to injuries she sustained from the night’s mayhem. As she contemplates both the success, and the failure, she realizes she must acknowledge the possibility that what is labeled as “fantasy” within the world might, in fact, be real. How else can she explain her experiences, or what she witnessed?

I don’t want to provide any further aspects of the story as I don’t wish to take away any of the twists and surprises, but I will say that “White Leaves” is definitely a “must-read” for any lovers of the fantasy genre.

In summary, “White Leaves” was well-written, the various characters were always believable and the story-line was both unique, and interesting. My only concern was that there were a few instances where the explanations provided bordered on being…loquacious. However, I understand that this is the start of a series and sometimes a lot of explanation is needed. Regardless, I give “White Leaves” a four star rating and I’m very much looking forward to reading the next book: “Blighted Leaves.”… (plus d'informations)