Review: A very good read!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 23, 2013
Smoke, Wings & Stone was a good read and quite unique to me. I have only read one book with Gargoyles as characters and they were nothing like this, where a Gargoyle is more of a shifter and I found I really enjoyed this concept. All of the characters were very likable, especially Carrie & Sara - our main ladies - and the synopsis is accurate in saying they are very different with Carrie being more of a tomboy, very into sports and friends whereas Sara is a dedicated classical musician, both well grounded girls, with a good idea of where they want their lives to be headed... until Carrie introduces Sara to a mysterious young man who has declared her his intended & manages to get her to say a vow that will tie her to him in every way, not only making her his fiancé but also the future Queen of the Gargoyles  - for he is a prince & next in line to the throne. But, the Gargoyles have enemies, enemies that would do anything to gain the upper hand and break the treaty, causing a war that will have disastrous consequences for the whole world and what better way that to get a Lucien than through his beloved - Sara - and in doing so, turns everyone lives upside down. What follows is a game of cat & mouse with Sara being the mouse and the only way to save her & keep the treaty intact is for her to marry Lucien and be protected by the treaty but Sara is a modern girl, she has things she wants to do, places she wants to see and marriage is not on the cards any time soon, much to the chagrin of Lucien & his council as old & new ideals collide.So, I enjoyed this and as I said, it was quite unique for me and I love the idea of Gargoyle shifters, I don't really want to go into that because it adds a certain something to the book but I think it's a great idea for a new type of supernatural. I liked the whole premise, the romance, the danger, the threat, the old meets new and I loved the Gargoyle set up, with its history, politics, enemies etc. it was really interesting and I would have liked to know more. I especially liked that the book was split up into four sections, alternating with Carrie & Sara's point of view - I think it's the first time I've read anything written like that, usually it's a chapter each but these were 5 chapters each and every time it swapped, I felt like it gave the book a lift. Both girls views were good but you could even feel the difference in their personalities as you read and I really liked that too. The pacing was good too, as they all tried to live their lives as normally as possible, they were hit with constant threats throughout leading up to a great ending, full of action - just the way I like them. I even liked the romantic complication that popped up for one of the couples.... One thing is for sure & that is, I was definitely left wanting more so I'm hoping for a sequel.