Janine K Spendlove

Originally reviewed at Witchmag's Boekenplank

Finally a book that grabbed my attention! It’s a fresh look on the main character who ends up in a new world, although the beginning reminded me a bit of Alice in Wonderland, minus rabbit ^^ We also have unusual elves, which makes it even more interesting. Although the age difference is something you’ll have to overlook… otherwise it’d be a little creepy ;)

The new world that Janine Spendlove creates is, despite some clichés, breath-taking. Even the situation Story (okay, not a big fan of the name…) finds herself in is a cliché, you know, prophecy, chosen one, saving the day and such, but it’s twisted in such a way that it turned into something new and interesting. And that’s something I love: take all the well-known elements, mix them together and create something new, that’s also familiar. Those are my favorite books to read ^^

Eirnin and Story are great together, exactly how I like my two main characters. At first they can’t stand each other and we have lots and lots of bickering. But they eventually open up and slowly but steadily…. yeah you got what I mean, right? Another plus is Story and her almost complete lack of swooning over Eirnin. It’s a relief to just read about love without anyone turning into an obsessed being / stalker. Story is too down to earth for that. Although she has the tendency to over-think. And I could totally see myself in her, I’m also an over-thinker, so Story and I bonded quite easily ^^

There’s also a time and place for Story to cope with her sorrow, the sorrow for her lost family. As the story continues you can feel how little by little she’s able to cope, to let go. To give it a place. It’s not always handled this gradually and naturally. I’ve read books where this process was herky-jerky. At the start they can’t live without said person and after a couple of crying fits, they are ready to move on with their happy life. That’s not how it works, so this book was a welcome change.

The only part I was not so happy with was the ending. If this book was a stand alone, I wouldn’t have had a problem with it, but this is book is part of a series. Usually there’s a cliffhanger, or at least an attempt at one, at the ending of the book. Just to raise your curiosity for reading the next one. But I didn’t get that feeling at all with The Human. Everything was neatly solved, there were no loose ends and no cliffhanger. Well there’s something you could define as an attempt at one, but that did not appear clearly. And it didn’t raise any curiosity to read the next book. For me this story is finished, even though I quite liked it.

Conclusion

3 HEARTS. It’s a refreshing and compelling story. It has some clichés, but they are given a nice, fun twist. It was very nice to read about Eirnin and Story, they have some chemistry there ^^The only thing that I liked less was the ending. It failed to raise any curiosity for the next book. For me this story has ended now.… (altro)

Please note: This is NOT a Middle-Grade book - it's a better fit for Teens 16+ to adult.

Story, the main character is now 18 (she was 17 in the [[ASIN:0983656703 War of the Seasons: The Human]]) she is now no longer a "teen" in the way we are used to. The book involves Magic (both dark and white (is there such a thing? - both books did) and Story is very involved with a lover - although they aren't doing much more than heavy petting. She is now engaged, dealing with his possible death and basically she is having to make decisions about tricking the Sun Prince (Morrigann) and delivering him up to his sister for "punishment, death or worse".

I had more difficulty getting involved with this book. As you'll recall I managed to read the first book in a day (it's 380 some pages) and I got involved fast in the story and the events of the book. Book Two is a little different - I found it harder to get involved with the book until about 1/3 way through. It opens dealing with her relationship with Eirnin and their engagement, big changes in the Elf Kingdom, her learning how to sleepwalk and getting used to powers that she received in Book One. About 1/3 of the way in the book the action starts happening and Story has to make some tough decisions involving leaving Eirnin who is unconscious and unable to stop her, disobeying the Elf Queen and not really knowing who she can trust and choosing to free the Sun Prince - Morrigann. The decisions she makes at the beginning of her journey may mean her and her new friends (and some not so close friends) death. The action is fast moving, the writing very well written and you aren't left wondering what happened and reading it over and over to stay connected.

Just a note: I read this on my Kindle whereas I read the first book as a paperback. That could of been partly why I struggled with this book. I had a hard time connecting until quite a ways into the book. Please check out the first book War of the Seasons, Book One - The Human. I loved it & if you like a good fantasy story with lots of action you will like this one. From there decide if you want to go on to Book Two. Hmmm?

I was given a copy of War of the Seasons, Book Two - The Half-Blood
by Janine Spendlove to read & review on Classic Children's Books. I was not required to write a positive review and no money exchanged hands. This is my honest opinion. Thanks Janine!… (altro)