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laughlinesandliterature's review
4.0
* I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
This was a book that I didn’t really have any expectations for. I hadn’t even read the synopsis since I requested to be part of the blog tour. So I was pleasantly surprised that it ended up so different than what I expected. There were even a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I’m not sure that I really liked Aurelia. She wasn’t very likeable, although she wasn’t cruel or mean. She was just like a normal person with good parts and bad parts.
There were many twists and turns in this book that surprised me. It’s pretty hard to surprise me because I read so much, I can usually spot a twist a mile away, and this book was enjoyable because I didn’t see them coming. However, I was not surprised by Aurelia’s mother being kind of a shady individual. The minute she showed up as alive, I knew that she was going to cause problems. She didn’t seem overly maternal, and far more interested in power and what Aurelia could do for her.
I feel like Aurelia is going to be much darker and harder in the next book. I can’t even be upset or not understand why. This girl has been through so much, and she has every right to be angry and want to destroy things. I hope she doesn’t, but I can see it happening.
The writing in places was stilted and choppy. It didn’t always flow together, but the plot and characters were well rounded. The few places where it didn’t flow right were pretty minimal considering all of the great things that this book has in it. It was pretty clear that this was a first novel, however it is a GREAT first novel! I was only going to give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars, but after writing the review I think it really deserves 4 stars. Recommended for people who love fantasy, romance, and surprises!
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2015/03/stones-and-finger-bones-by-jessica-minyard.html*
This was a book that I didn’t really have any expectations for. I hadn’t even read the synopsis since I requested to be part of the blog tour. So I was pleasantly surprised that it ended up so different than what I expected. There were even a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I’m not sure that I really liked Aurelia. She wasn’t very likeable, although she wasn’t cruel or mean. She was just like a normal person with good parts and bad parts.
There were many twists and turns in this book that surprised me. It’s pretty hard to surprise me because I read so much, I can usually spot a twist a mile away, and this book was enjoyable because I didn’t see them coming. However, I was not surprised by Aurelia’s mother being kind of a shady individual. The minute she showed up as alive, I knew that she was going to cause problems. She didn’t seem overly maternal, and far more interested in power and what Aurelia could do for her.
I feel like Aurelia is going to be much darker and harder in the next book. I can’t even be upset or not understand why. This girl has been through so much, and she has every right to be angry and want to destroy things. I hope she doesn’t, but I can see it happening.
The writing in places was stilted and choppy. It didn’t always flow together, but the plot and characters were well rounded. The few places where it didn’t flow right were pretty minimal considering all of the great things that this book has in it. It was pretty clear that this was a first novel, however it is a GREAT first novel! I was only going to give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars, but after writing the review I think it really deserves 4 stars. Recommended for people who love fantasy, romance, and surprises!
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2015/03/stones-and-finger-bones-by-jessica-minyard.html*
rickus90's review
DNF at 14%. No, I can't really connect with either the story nor the character. Will not bother finishing it.
booksandladders's review
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This review was originally posted on Books and Ladders
I love fantasy novels, especially ones that include magic. This one had the promise of both and while we only saw a little bit of magic, I am sure we will see more in the rest of the series. However, I was still a teensy bit disappointed with the book.
Aurelia was a great character -- sometimes. She was headstrong and knows how to play the political game of the kingdom, which will be very useful, especially in the next novel. However, she didn't question Rycen at all really and even though she was questioning him, she still let him take her away at various points without giving her actual answers. That confused me because (1) she is a princess and her father had just been murdered so she should not go off anywhere with some random guy just because he is hot and (2) he drugged and kidnapped her and she is just kind of like well that's cool where are we heading? It seemed farfetched to me that she wouldn't have put up more of a fight after she was in the woods considering how scrappy she was when Rycen was first in the process of kidnapping her. Otherwise, she was a good character and the only reason I enjoyed the story. I am excited to see how she will grow and how her magic will develop.
I was hoping for more though. More plot, more time spent developing characters, more everything but we didn't get it. There was a lot of foundation of what is to come, but it is basic building blocks and not much more. I feel like I missed out on something vital because there was no travelogue, which as much as I hate, would have been helpful here. It definitely would have helped explain the budding relationship between Rycen and Aurelia because it went from 0-100 real quick in my opinion because there was barely any mention of it throughout the novel.
There were some plot points that I don't think I really understood and I don't know if it was because I wasn't paying close enough attention or if they weren't explained. But I'm going to say it was the latter. The entire temple scene made zero sense to me because it felt really rushed. I wasn't quite sure how Kostadin appeared there and how he wasn't tied to Marel even though his "pet" was. All of the pieces to that puzzle are still extremely scattered to the point I don't even have the edges put together. The other thing that confused me was the bromance between Marel and Einar at the end of the novel since there was so much tension between them. I do hope Carra gets the hell out of dodge because she is not going to survive the tug between the two.
Overall: 3.5/5. Interesting start but choppy plot made it difficult to follow the progression of the story and what will happen next.
This review was originally posted on Books and Ladders
I love fantasy novels, especially ones that include magic. This one had the promise of both and while we only saw a little bit of magic, I am sure we will see more in the rest of the series. However, I was still a teensy bit disappointed with the book.
Aurelia was a great character -- sometimes. She was headstrong and knows how to play the political game of the kingdom, which will be very useful, especially in the next novel. However, she didn't question Rycen at all really and even though she was questioning him, she still let him take her away at various points without giving her actual answers. That confused me because (1) she is a princess and her father had just been murdered so she should not go off anywhere with some random guy just because he is hot and (2) he drugged and kidnapped her and she is just kind of like well that's cool where are we heading? It seemed farfetched to me that she wouldn't have put up more of a fight after she was in the woods considering how scrappy she was when Rycen was first in the process of kidnapping her. Otherwise, she was a good character and the only reason I enjoyed the story. I am excited to see how she will grow and how her magic will develop.
I was hoping for more though. More plot, more time spent developing characters, more everything but we didn't get it. There was a lot of foundation of what is to come, but it is basic building blocks and not much more. I feel like I missed out on something vital because there was no travelogue, which as much as I hate, would have been helpful here. It definitely would have helped explain the budding relationship between Rycen and Aurelia because it went from 0-100 real quick in my opinion because there was barely any mention of it throughout the novel.
There were some plot points that I don't think I really understood and I don't know if it was because I wasn't paying close enough attention or if they weren't explained. But I'm going to say it was the latter. The entire temple scene made zero sense to me because it felt really rushed. I wasn't quite sure how Kostadin appeared there and how he wasn't tied to Marel even though his "pet" was. All of the pieces to that puzzle are still extremely scattered to the point I don't even have the edges put together. The other thing that confused me was the bromance between Marel and Einar at the end of the novel since there was so much tension between them. I do hope Carra gets the hell out of dodge because she is not going to survive the tug between the two.
Overall: 3.5/5. Interesting start but choppy plot made it difficult to follow the progression of the story and what will happen next.
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