Review: All action fantasy adventure
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 15, 2013
*I received a free copy of this book from the author through Never too old for YA and NA in exchange for an honest review*Alyssa wakes up in a field on an alternate Earth full of magic and monsters and with no memory of who she is or how she got there. After befriending a coven of witches, Alyssa begins a dangerous quest to kill the monsters to get her memories back, helped by a variety of people with special monster hunting skills.I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't expecting the book to have the setting of a more traditional King Arthur court kind of fantasy so I was worried that I might not like it. However as soon as I got into it, I was caught up in the adventure. I like the fact that Alyssa has no magic powers in this world and that she finds ways to use that as a weapon against the witches and monsters she faces. The worldbuilding is interesting and detailed without getting boring and the varity of characters and monsters was great!I really liked our band of heroes-Alyssa and Vessa had an interesting and complex relationship that is well developed through the novel. Parker struck me immediately as the likeable rogue, instead of just the straight romantic hero. I laughed at the vanity of Eric and enjoyed the sarcasm of Lace who became one of my favourites. Kaitlyn was a character that I wasn't too sure about all the way through which gave her a more interesting edge than she might otherwise have had. I liked what was done with Beth as well. Ooh there is so much I want to say about the characters but that would mean spoilers so I must restrain myself! OK one wee hint-when the witches discover a traitor in their midst, I knew instantly who it was because of what happened when they first entered. I did suspect the possibility of what happened in that flashback shocker but I was taken by surprise a few times in the final showdown. I like it when that happens!The range of monsters in the book was wonderful for an urban fantasy fan like myself! Vampires, werewolves, human sized ticks(UGH), witches, demons, Ice Queens and Fire Kings, zombies! What more could you have in a book? Plus we had the city of Frankenstein where the people are creating science instead of magic and I found this bit really interesting. It blended both versions of Earth together with a nice thick helping of monster mythology!I don't think I could say there was much I didn't like. There was a good mixture of action packed plot and character development. I enjoyed the way Lace in particular was developed with her mixture of cowardice and bravery. It made her more real. I liked the storytelling and the simple way that the story was told. I liked the gradual development of the relationships between the characters and the way they became more committed to each other and the quest. It was good to see them all playing their part in the quest and becoming a real team. OK so I didn't like the cruelty to a few poor animals though! *Sniff*. I'm such a soft touch when it comes to dead animals. I never did forgive JK Rowling for what she did to Hedwig and Dobby...The great thing is that I have a few more works by this author that are lurking on my Kobo and I'm REALLY looking forward to reading them now! This book will appeal to those interested in fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal and adventure books. Highly recommended.