Review: Well deserved 4 stars
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 7, 2013
SERENA'S REVIEWThis is my first review for the Masquerade Crew and I won't lie- this book was not for me. Post-apocalyptic meets fantasy- when I read the blurb, it sounded intriguing and I thought it would be fun to review. When I first started the book, it seemed to take me an age to get anywhere with it. While Matt Bone's descriptions are flawless and engaging, there just seem to be too many of them and the first chapters, while descriptive and important to the plot, are just far too long.The novel starts with the realization that John, the main character, is the only man alive on Earth. Or so he thinks. The story leads through his discovery of another universe and he makes a life for himself there. There seemed to be a lot of different factions within this world and it's a tad convoluted and if I'm honest, puzzling. John teams up with characters we meet early on, two women Ceria and Telde, who are fleeing their oppressed city. It starts off with first John's story, then Ceria and Telde and then they merge.When this happens, the more fantastical aspects come into play. Against them are the half-man and the Endless. I have to say, for so long I was wondering who or what the half-man was! (I won't spoil it though.) Reading this story made me feel a bit stupid. I'm not sure why, but rather than absorbing everything, all of the well-developed characters and the really beautifully described scenes of Crescent, I was left shaking my head in confusion.Wow, what a negative way to start and you're probably wondering why I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars. Simply, because it was a great novel, filled with all you need for an enjoyable reading sess'. I think the story merits 4 stars as does the writing. Matt Bone has done a really good job and I'd recommend this book again to a fantasy fan. I think this novel has displayed the huge differences between fantasy and paranormal stories. In my mind, I've always pressed the two genres together, but this book proves otherwise.It's a long story and requires a lot of concentration. I'm a really fast reader, (I can devour a book a day if I want to...) but this seemed to take forever. That doesn't reflect on the novel, it's just my reaction to it. On the whole, it was good. Definitely worth reading if you're into fantasy and from his style, I can see Matt Bone making a name for himself. Especially as he is really capable of some fabulous twists!A well deserved 4 stars.Review Disclaimer: This book was provided free of charge by either the author or publisher. There was no financial gain in regards to this review, and the opinions presented above were not artificially influenced in any way.