Publication: July 1st 2014 by Legends Press
Source: Received a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review from ebooksforreview.com. Thank you!
Goodreads Summary: Sixteen-year-old Macy is not your average teenager—she’s a member of the Chosen, an elite group of gifted and magically talented children responsible for protecting humans from the monsters of the Hidden race. But when the Shard of the Ninth Chosen arrives at her Watcher’s door with the deadly Shadow Wraiths in hot pursuit, her world is shaken. The Ninth is to lead the Final Battle against the evil forces of the Dark. And when the Ninth turns out to be Tolen Parks, a clueless seventeen-year-old who has no idea he’s anything other than a freak, she figures the world is a goner. The two of them are swept down a dangerous path that tests everything Macy is ... and brings out everything Tolen can be. Amidst monsters and Radia Warriors, the pair must discover who they really are and face the heart of darkness in order to find victory ... and their destinies.
Goodreads Page
My Thoughts:
This. Was. So. Good! When I first started reading it, I read the first chapter and immediately thought that it was going to be a tough read for me because it seemed a little complicated and intense, and in some ways it is, but it's so good!
I loved so many things about this: the fantasy world, the abilities/magical powers that the characters have, the characters themselves, I loved it all! The only thing that made me dock it a star is that it's a bit insta-lovey, and the slight love triangle. I would've loved to have seen the same events take place without a love triangle involved like it always is and seen some more creativity since this book was already so creative.
I loved the magical abilities and setting this book has. All of the abilities that are possible are touched on and explained (Bonus: if you get confused, the author includes a guide at the back of the book to break things down for you!). The world is very much shown instead of told which can be a struggle with fantasy authors but which I personally think Parkinson pulled off flawlessly. I'm not the biggest fan of fantasy, normally because the worlds aren't explained well enough and I get caught up in logic ("That doesn't even make any sense!/Why did you think that was a good idea?!"), but even with the strange, ancient terms used in the book, it was still relatively easy to follow along and I really enjoyed this. Also, all of the words and the way their abilities worked put me in the mind of The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan which I think helped me catch on to this book more quickly.
The plot was a bit slow and complicated for me in the beginning but I got into the flow of it by the fourth chapter and it picked up. I think it was a little on the predictable side but I still loved reading the events unfold.
I also loved the characters. Each character was unique and I loved meeting them. Again, I think Parkinson did an amazing job with showing instead of telling about the characters abilities and roles and everything unfolded in an organic way. It was really fun for me to see Tolen's different abilities appear and see him grow. Macy is literally a ball of fire and a strong female character, and if you've read any of my reviews before, you'll know I love strong female characters. Bastian is so sweet and gentle, and just all of the characters were so good.
I could go on but my main point is that this is a strong fantasy read and I loved nearly everything about it. I'm definitely putting the second book on my to-read list.
Likes: Characters. Showing instead of telling. Different abilities/beings. Tolen.
Dislikes: A little on the predictable side. Spelling/grammar errors. Love triangle. A bit insta-lovey.
Overall:
Recommend? Yes!
Reading the Next One? Yes!
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