Lezersrecensie
Skyestone review
My biggest thanks to @uitgeverijhamleybooks for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
The premise of the book hooked me immediately: a Little Red Riding Hood retelling with winged guardians of nature, a magical talisman and - of course - werewolves.
The book starts with a prologue that emerges us into the magical vibes of the story. The first few paragraphs are even from the POV of a magical tree! A lot of names are mentioned here, but it’s not necessary to remember them that well. It serves more as an introduction of the elusive and mysterious Hunters.
Then the story shifts to Shannon and Matt, two high school students in a contemporary (& super cozy) Canadian village. At first it seems like a normal setting, but then the danger and magic start to seep in, making the story relatable, but also full of suspense.
About halfway, the pacing gets a huge boost as the characters start traveling while facing more and more problems. When the danger and the magic are at their peak, Shannon and her friends prepare for an epic end battle where they’ll have to fight for their lives (& for the world).
The main themes are grief, self worth and finding your voice.
I have given this book 3,5 stars.
The story has 3 parts that are cohesive, but have a very different feeling to them. This kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat.
The writing, and the dialogue in particular, feels smooth and flows well.
I really liked Shannon’s personality and temperament. It reminded me very positively of Scarlet from The Lunar Chronicles.
Even though I enjoyed the overall story, I feel like it has more untapped potential and that it would have benefitted from a few more rounds of editing.
The reason behind certain decisions wasn’t always clear and I didn’t really get why it was important that the enemies didn’t obtain the Skyestone, other than it "being bad”.
Also, the many spelling mistakes and errors in characters' names and age were quite distracting.
In conclusion, I’d recommend this book to people who like fairytale retellings with a fierce FMC and are looking for a quick & easy read.
The premise of the book hooked me immediately: a Little Red Riding Hood retelling with winged guardians of nature, a magical talisman and - of course - werewolves.
The book starts with a prologue that emerges us into the magical vibes of the story. The first few paragraphs are even from the POV of a magical tree! A lot of names are mentioned here, but it’s not necessary to remember them that well. It serves more as an introduction of the elusive and mysterious Hunters.
Then the story shifts to Shannon and Matt, two high school students in a contemporary (& super cozy) Canadian village. At first it seems like a normal setting, but then the danger and magic start to seep in, making the story relatable, but also full of suspense.
About halfway, the pacing gets a huge boost as the characters start traveling while facing more and more problems. When the danger and the magic are at their peak, Shannon and her friends prepare for an epic end battle where they’ll have to fight for their lives (& for the world).
The main themes are grief, self worth and finding your voice.
I have given this book 3,5 stars.
The story has 3 parts that are cohesive, but have a very different feeling to them. This kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat.
The writing, and the dialogue in particular, feels smooth and flows well.
I really liked Shannon’s personality and temperament. It reminded me very positively of Scarlet from The Lunar Chronicles.
Even though I enjoyed the overall story, I feel like it has more untapped potential and that it would have benefitted from a few more rounds of editing.
The reason behind certain decisions wasn’t always clear and I didn’t really get why it was important that the enemies didn’t obtain the Skyestone, other than it "being bad”.
Also, the many spelling mistakes and errors in characters' names and age were quite distracting.
In conclusion, I’d recommend this book to people who like fairytale retellings with a fierce FMC and are looking for a quick & easy read.
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Gesponsord
Een Nederlander en een Française, twee talen, twee culturen. Twee werelden. Een arts en een studente kunstgeschiedenis. Louter tegenstellingen, maar één grote liefde. Groot genoeg?
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