Review: 3.5 on the Masq Scale
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 5, 2014
Bella's ReviewAlthough I didn’t at all dislike this book, I think I may need to stay away from most Young Adult, because it rarely seems to work for me. I will say that having a male main character did make it easier for me to read than your average YA with a female at the helm, but still, teenagers are just difficult–in real life or in fiction!I found the first few chapters all right, somewhat interesting but kind of unengaged. We saw what happened, but I didn’t really FEEL it, and Ethan was a little tough to tolerate at first.Once the “switch” happened, it did start improving. One of the things that I really liked going in was the setting–which sets it apart from most novels of its kind–and that was fun. The concept and mythology of it was great. The Tokoloshe were of particular amusement, and the sentient animals were a particular favorite; especially Salih. I think he was my favorite character.Ethan grew a little easier to read through as the story continued, but I found myself very sad that we didn’t learn more about the secondary characters; about their histories.There were surprising elements to the climax, although one part wrapped up a touch quickly and cleanly for its build up. And there was some cute stuff at the very end that I liked. As it says “end of book one,” I know there’ll be another and I might be curious enough to check it out.This being one of those books that hovers between ratings, ultimately, I have to go with 3.5 Fireballs. It just didn’t quite hit REALLY liked it, but it was better than average.Review Disclaimer: Book provided in exchange for an honest review.