War of the Seasons, Book Two: The Half-Bloodby Janine K Spendlove
ISBN: 978-0983656746
$17.99 (paperback)
$7.99 (kindle)
About the book:
Six months after arriving in the world of Ailionora, Story finds herself once again on a quest; only this time it is not to save a dying race but the life of the elf she loves. Along the way, she must face the consequences of her previous choices and battle with enemies both old and new while she races against time.
This is the sequel to: War of the Seasons, Book One - The Human. You can read my review here.
My Thoughts:
I seem to be doing quite a few "series" type reviews this year. Which is great because these were ones that I got hooked on the first book and it's always fun to revisit the characters and worlds involved.
I seriously hesitated to add this review to Classic Children's Books and instead featuring it on GivingNSharing. Why? While the main character is now 18 (she was 17 in the original book) she is now no longer a "teen" in the way we are used to. The book involves Magic (both dark and white (is there such a thing?) and Story is very involved with a lover - although they aren't doing much more than heavy petting. She is now engaged, dealing with his possible death and basically she is having to make decisions about tricking the Sun Prince (Morrigann) and delivering him up to his sister for "punishment, death or worse".
Please note: This is NOT a Middle-Grade book - it's a better fit for Teens 16+ to adult.
I had more difficulty getting involved with this book. As you'll recall I managed to read the first book in a day (it's 380 some pages) and I got involved fast in the story and the events of the book. Book Two is a little different - I found it harder to get involved with the book until about 1/3 way through. It opens dealing with her relationship with Eirnin and their engagement, big changes in the Elf Kingdom, her learning how to sleepwalk and getting used to powers that she received in Book One. About 1/3 of the way in the book the action starts happening and Story has to make some tough decisions involving leaving Eirnin who is unconscious and unable to stop her, disobeying the Elf Queen and not really knowing who she can trust and choosing to free the Sun Prince - Morrigann. The decisions she makes at the beginning of her journey may mean her and her new friends (and some not so close friends) death. The action is fast moving, the writing very well written and you aren't left wondering what happened and reading it over and over to stay connected.
Read an excerpt
Just a note: I read this on my Kindle whereas I read the first book as a paperback. That could of been partly why I struggled with this book. I had a hard time connecting until quite a ways into the book. Please check out the first book War of the Seasons, Book One - The Human. I loved it & if you like a good fantasy story with lots of action you will like this one. From there decide if you want to go on to Book Two. Hmmm?
About the author:
Janine K. Spendlove is a KC-130 pilot in the United States Marine Corps. Her bestselling first novel, War of the Seasons, Book One: The Human, was published in June 2011 and her next novel, War of the Seasons, Book Two: The Half-blood, was released in June 2012. She’s also had several short stories published in various anthologies. A graduate from Brigham Young University in 1999 with a BA in History Teaching, she is an avid runner, enjoys knitting, playing Beatles tunes on her guitar, and spending time with her family. She resides with her husband and daughter in Washington, DC. She is currently at work on her next novel.
You can purchase both books on Amazon - either paperback (I strongly recommend) or Kindle.
War of the Seasons - The Human (Bk 1) - $13.99 (paperback) $4.99 (kindle)
War of the Seasons - The Half-Blood (Bk 2) - (paperback) $7.99 (kindle)
I was given a copy of War of the Seasons, Book Two - The Half-Blood
by Janine Spendlove to read & review on Classic Children's Books. I was not required to write a positive review and no money exchanged hands. This is my honest opinion. Thanks Janine!
