I was very luck to win a copy from LibraryThing
Genre
YA Paranormal/Fantasy
Publication Date
March 22nd, 2012
Publisher
Self-Published
Available At
Format
Ebook
Last year, Ariel's life was ripped apart. She's finally started to put the pieces together again, and is looking forward to summer break. That's when a dream brings her back to the mysterious Dexter Orphanage.
With the return of an unlikely person in her life, Ariel begins to find out answers to the secrets that plagued her -- what was wrong with her grandmother? Why did Henry suddenly start dating the popular snobby girl whom he seemed to previously hate? And what really happened to Jenna?
As the threads are unraveled, Ariel realizes that she's peering into a world that no one else can see.
Review
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
There's no way to go, but up. And that is what Abigail Boyd has done. There were still some issues, such as grammatical errors and also some things that were mentioned twice, one example, someone jumped off a stage and a few sentences later jumped off the stage again. These are errors that are hard to ignore and something that isn't expected from a published work. There is no doubt that Abigail Boyd has a talent in weaving tales, but the story still came off as slightly unfinished.
One thing that stands out without any blatant flaws is the characters, they are all well-developed with Ariel pulling forward as a strong female protagonist. Abigail Boyd is definitely strong when it comes to characterizations, there is never a moment where the characters or dialogue seem forced or unnatural.
The plot still feels a little drawn out, there are things that are obvious, but the characters are oblivious to. Maybe that is the authors intentions, it's hard to tell. I can say that even though I know where the series is going, I have no idea how I will be taken there, and that's somewhat of a good thing. It lengthens the mystery yet at the same time frustrates me because it's a constant one step forward, two steps back plot. I want more information then what I'm fed, but I can admit that I'm fully reeled in.
My emotions were tugged at more than Gravity, most likely due to the fact that there were less errors, allowing me to concentrate on the story rather the wording. Also, there was more descriptive prose rather than bare sentences, which was a HUGE plus. I'm looking forward to the next installment, and if this is any indication, the writing will only keep getting better.
That is a very high rating for someone who needs to hire an editor. We deserve polished work, I think this reflects very badly on the author. :-(
ReplyDeleteIt is a high rating, but the editing was soo much better than the first book. She's grown as an author and she has the pure talent of creating a fascinating world. She does need to polish it up a bit, but I was completely hooked despite my qualms, that's why it got 4 stars.
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