Maria DeVivo
Autore di The Coal Elf
Opere di Maria DeVivo
The Rise of Sturd 1 copia
Etichette
Informazioni generali
- Sesso
- female
Utenti
Recensioni
Witch of the Black Circle (Dawn of the Blood Witch) di Maria Devivo
I loved this book – DeVivo took me on a wild ride, and I loved every twist and turn of it. Joephie is a great heroine, caught in the middle of forces she doesn’t totally understand as a teen, then as an adult trying to get a handle on everything. The setting really comes to life around the reader, and it’s so easy to forget a time when cell phones and the internet weren’t a part of everyday life, but this book made it easy to slip back there. The story moves along at a nice pace, and there are plenty of twists to keep you reading and on the edge of your seat. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the series has in store!… (altro)
DeVivo's Coal Elf Chronicles is an interesting alternative take on Christmas. Usually, authors of alternative visions of the holiday carefully avoid challenging certain core conventions, even as they delight in challenging many of the common tropes. Thus, Santa is always jolly and kindly, and we seldom see naughty children actually receiving coal for Christmas. In the Coal Elf novels, this is turned on its head. There is an entire underclass of Elves dedicated to mining the coal needed for the Big Day, and Santa - or "The Claus", as he is called - is a distant figure with little direct involvement in the operation, and is revealed in The Rise of Sturd to have become weary and embittered.
I have come to think of the Coal Elf chronicles as a dystopia. Elven society is rigidly regimented. Elves are assigned a life-job at age nine, and there is no appealing it. Most elves are told when, if, and who they will marry. Coal elves are at the very bottom of the social hierarchy, and are even obligated to live underground. Any who rebel against this state of affairs are termed deserters, and are dealt with harshly.
Sturd is an engagingly detestable villain, but yet is somehow not a two-dimensional caricature. His obsession with chaos, and his desire for power are credibly rendered, but one still grits one's teeth at his actions, and hopes to see him find his comeuppance. Ember Skye, the titular coal elf, is a no-nonsense, take-charge kind of person. Having taken on management of the naughty list and annual coal deliveries, she views her job not with regret but as a kind of moral necessity, and an opportunity for her targets to do better next year.
The Rise of Sturd isn't your typical warm-fuzzy, feel-good holiday story, but it is a most entertaining, if dark, read. I eagerly anticipate the next volume.
On a side note - if I may indulge the latent English teacher within me - I would like to observe that in Chapter two, "The shear ambiguity of the title..." would more properly be rendered "The SHEER ambiguity..." (shear = cut, sheer=complete). In Chapter 22, "It's necessary to ensure the longevity of the Claus's rein..." would perhaps be better given as "It's necessary to ensure the longevity of the Claus's REIGN..." (rein = leather strap for guiding a horse, or given the venue, perhaps reindeer), reign=rule). Although perhaps in this context, rein is intended as a pun.… (altro)
I have come to think of the Coal Elf chronicles as a dystopia. Elven society is rigidly regimented. Elves are assigned a life-job at age nine, and there is no appealing it. Most elves are told when, if, and who they will marry. Coal elves are at the very bottom of the social hierarchy, and are even obligated to live underground. Any who rebel against this state of affairs are termed deserters, and are dealt with harshly.
Sturd is an engagingly detestable villain, but yet is somehow not a two-dimensional caricature. His obsession with chaos, and his desire for power are credibly rendered, but one still grits one's teeth at his actions, and hopes to see him find his comeuppance. Ember Skye, the titular coal elf, is a no-nonsense, take-charge kind of person. Having taken on management of the naughty list and annual coal deliveries, she views her job not with regret but as a kind of moral necessity, and an opportunity for her targets to do better next year.
The Rise of Sturd isn't your typical warm-fuzzy, feel-good holiday story, but it is a most entertaining, if dark, read. I eagerly anticipate the next volume.
On a side note - if I may indulge the latent English teacher within me - I would like to observe that in Chapter two, "The shear ambiguity of the title..." would more properly be rendered "The SHEER ambiguity..." (shear = cut, sheer=complete). In Chapter 22, "It's necessary to ensure the longevity of the Claus's rein..." would perhaps be better given as "It's necessary to ensure the longevity of the Claus's REIGN..." (rein = leather strap for guiding a horse, or given the venue, perhaps reindeer), reign=rule). Although perhaps in this context, rein is intended as a pun.… (altro)
A most satisfying conclusion to a fine, entertaining work of dark fantasy that has certainly had many plot twists over the course of three books. I kept thinking I'd figured out what was coming next, but it seldom played out as I had expected. Without revealing any spoilers, I will say that the ending is not entirely what I'd expected, but works well within the context of the overall story. The author's skill as a storyteller has grown with each volume, but I recommend the entire trilogy.
The Altered is one book you won't want to put down. It starts off with a bang, and is well paced. You get drawn in before you even realize it's happening, and before you know it hours have passed! A brilliant twist on the typical zombie story, I highly recommend this to zombie and horror lovers alike.
Statistiche
- Opere
- 5
- Utenti
- 13
- Popolarità
- #774,335
- Voto
- 4.4
- Recensioni
- 4
- ISBN
- 4