5 HUGE Stars
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My Review
This book. I have had to sit a few days to get myself together and find words to describe how I truly loved this book. It was the first book to make me cry in public, with no change at not, in a long while. I mean how could one NOT cry at that point in the book? It was heartbreaking and emotional and Just *GAH* I felt for the other characters. This is THAT type of a story.
I will admit in the beginning it is a little hard to keep up with the mass of characters you meet, and I did find myself referencing back a few times to remember who is form what clan, but after the story got going I had no troubles and felt that really getting to know EVERYONE gave me a huge advantage in relating and diving into the book. You get all the little backstories and slowly grow with the characters are their individual plots unfold. It gave the book a whole new layer.
One of my favorite things about the book was that it was not all Happy Go Lucky. There were parts where you wanted SO bad for a certain outcome and you just hoped that your predictions were right, and as in real life this book has the heartbreaks and the not so great endings to some parts. It was very real, well yeah, you will see. I was pleasantly surprised to see some of the turns the book took. I WAY did not see a lot of it coming and I adore that in a book.
The story itself was very origional. I liked how there were not only parts of our past in it, but the way that she developed the future to be. It kept you intrigued at what you would see next. I also felt that her characters were real and had real reactions to events and their current life in general. I enjoy post-sopcolyptic, or post world destruction in our case, types of books. i felt this one took its own route and has a story with plenty of room to develop in future installments.
I secretly hope that the next book will be out SUPER soon because I am Way hungover from this one. Its a compulsion, I NEED to know what happens next. I have a definite connection to these characters and can't wait to spend some more time with them. Bye Now! I am off to stalk S.L. Dearing in hopes of getting on her good side and getting an ARC of book two in the future :)
* I was given an ARC copy in return for an Honest review*
Synopsis
Thirteen years after the last world war, the village of Lia Fail sits peacefully above the Hollywood Reservoir in the Santa Monica Mountains. The village is making ready for the fall Gathering, where the other colonies from various parts of what was once Southern California visit for ten days of fun and reminiscence. What begins as a normal Gathering, soon changes as the people of Lia Fail begin to see magic around them. Then they receive news of a horrific massacre and face a nightmare as a dark evil descends on the tranquil village. Alia Stark, the queen of Lia Fail, must face this evil along side her oldest and dearest friends as well as an incredible new ally as the fate of her people and the lives of her children rest in her hands. Will her new magic be strong enough to save those she loves the most?
