Read for: Requested Review/ Netgalley
Synopsis: "#1 New York Times bestselling author, P.C. Cast, brings us a new epic fantasy set in a world where humans, their animal allies, and the earth itself has been drastically changed. A world filled with beauty and danger and cruelty…
Mari is an Earth Walker, heir to the unique healing powers of her Clan; but she has cast her duties aside, until she is chosen by a special animal ally, altering her destiny forever. When a deadly attack tears her world apart, Mari reveals the strength of her powers and the forbidden secret of her dual nature as she embarks on a mission to save her people. It is not until Nik, the son of the leader from a rival, dominating clan strays across her path, that Mari experiences something she has never felt before…
Now, darkness is coming, and with it, a force, more terrible and destructive than the world has ever seen, leaving Mari to cast the shadows from the earth. By forming a tumultuous alliance with Nik, she must make herself ready. Ready to save her people. Ready to save herself and Nik. Ready to embrace her true destiny…and obliterate the forces that threaten to destroy them all."
My Review: I have really enjoyed Cast's books in the past so when this start of a new series came out I was excited to try it out. I admit that I really struggled with this one, and had to really take some time between reading it and writing this review. I love fantasy and have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember but this book took world building to a whole new level, it is set in a time several centuries after a major natural disaster but the world is unrecognizable. We are introduced to 4 different cultures with very complex beliefs, lifestyles and rituals. The story follows a few individuals from each society throughout the book as their individual stories progress and weave into each other. Due to so much world and character building, the plot lines are fairly simplistic, though I do really appreciate the relation between current events and those of the book, with the clashing of societies of perceived lifestyles and abilities. As a person who is horribly terrified of spiders (wolf spiders in particular) I would have appreciated a little more warning about the frightening roll they play in the book. This is a very long book that is very slow paced, it didn't pick up steam until the last 150 pages (of over 600) so it certainly isn't for everyone. I don't know if I would continue the series because it may take so long for the next book to come out but at the same time I hate to toss all the time it took to figure out that complex world.
Mari is an Earth Walker, heir to the unique healing powers of her Clan; but she has cast her duties aside, until she is chosen by a special animal ally, altering her destiny forever. When a deadly attack tears her world apart, Mari reveals the strength of her powers and the forbidden secret of her dual nature as she embarks on a mission to save her people. It is not until Nik, the son of the leader from a rival, dominating clan strays across her path, that Mari experiences something she has never felt before…
Now, darkness is coming, and with it, a force, more terrible and destructive than the world has ever seen, leaving Mari to cast the shadows from the earth. By forming a tumultuous alliance with Nik, she must make herself ready. Ready to save her people. Ready to save herself and Nik. Ready to embrace her true destiny…and obliterate the forces that threaten to destroy them all."
My Review: I have really enjoyed Cast's books in the past so when this start of a new series came out I was excited to try it out. I admit that I really struggled with this one, and had to really take some time between reading it and writing this review. I love fantasy and have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember but this book took world building to a whole new level, it is set in a time several centuries after a major natural disaster but the world is unrecognizable. We are introduced to 4 different cultures with very complex beliefs, lifestyles and rituals. The story follows a few individuals from each society throughout the book as their individual stories progress and weave into each other. Due to so much world and character building, the plot lines are fairly simplistic, though I do really appreciate the relation between current events and those of the book, with the clashing of societies of perceived lifestyles and abilities. As a person who is horribly terrified of spiders (wolf spiders in particular) I would have appreciated a little more warning about the frightening roll they play in the book. This is a very long book that is very slow paced, it didn't pick up steam until the last 150 pages (of over 600) so it certainly isn't for everyone. I don't know if I would continue the series because it may take so long for the next book to come out but at the same time I hate to toss all the time it took to figure out that complex world.
My Rating: Like I said above, I really struggled with how to review and rate this book, I do have an appreciation for vivid and beautiful world building but this was just too much at once. I give this one a rating of Two Paws.
I received Moon Chosen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
You can find out more about P.C. Cast and her work on her Goodreads Page or Website.
Moon Chosen was just released yesterday, you can obtain your own copy in print or digital format from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
Too much world building and set up isn't good but I know what you mean about not wanting to give up after all the investment.
ReplyDeleteI found it surprising since she has written so many fantasy series. I must admit it is a very complex world she built complete with several different cultures within it each with their own rituals, history and ways of life. I am sure that it has set up for a really great series but I will forget so many of the details by the time the next one comes out that it may not make sense (and I really don't want to have to go through this one again).
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