Showing posts with label sarah j. coleman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sarah j. coleman. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

The Wizard's Promise (Hanna Duology #1) by Cassandra Rose Clarke - Paul's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*


Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Goodreads

Title: The Wizard's Promise (Hanna Duology #1)

Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Cover Art: Sarah J. Coleman

Publication Date: May 6, 2014 (US/CAN) 

1 May 2014 (UK)

Ashley's Pre-Reading

Ashley's Review
My Pre-Reading

Cassandra's TOP TEN Wizards


Synopsis: All Hanna Euli wants is to become a proper witch – but unfortunately, she’s stuck as an apprentice to a grumpy fisherman. When their boat gets caught up in a mysterious storm and blown wildly off course, Hanna finds herself further away from home than she’s ever been before.


As she tries to get back, she learns there may be more to her apprentice master than she realized, especially when a mysterious, beautiful, and very non-human boy begins following her through the ocean, claiming that he needs Hanna’s help.




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Review: I really liked Cassandra Rose Clarke's other fantasy duology consisting of The Assassin's Curse and The Pirate's Wish. The world she created is full of interesting places and people. I love how the magic is such a mystery. In this first book in a new duology, magic is more at a forefront since the protagonist has some wind powers herself. I like the elemental nature of the magic and how complex it is. It's not a simple system. It's a system based on will and natural feel. It also uses many natural objects like bones and herbs. 

There are many allusions to the original duology, but it isn't necessary to have read it. The protagonist shares our favorite pirate princess's name, but goes by Hanna instead of Ananna. I liked all the references. Hanna shares little with Ananna other than her name. She isn't a pirate. Instead she is working as a fisherman's apprentice, guiding the winds to their advantage. Ananna unwillingly finds her way on an adventure away from home. 

I really enjoy an adventure on the high seas. Fantasy worlds that take place on island chairs are always so interesting. Clarke really did an excellent job world building, showing the differences in the different island cultures. I liked how common the people were. Royalty was only referenced. 

The Mists are such an interesting otherworldly force. I can't wait to see where Hanna's adventure takes her in defending her world. After this duology, I really hope Clarke continues writing in this world. It reminds me of the Avatar: The Last Airbender series and its sequel series, The Legend of Korra. 

I give this novel a 5/5 and highly recommend this series! The first duology gave me difficulties getting into at first with Ananna's unique vocabulary, but this whole series is definitely worth sticking with. 


--Paul

Saturday, April 26, 2014

The Wizard's Promise (Hanna Duology #1) by Cassandra Rose Clarke - Paul's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*


Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Goodreads

Title: The Wizard's Promise (Hanna Duology #1)

Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Cover Art: Sarah J. Coleman

Publication Date: May 6, 2014 (US/CAN) 1 May 2014 (UK)

Ashley's The Assassin's Curse Review
Ashley's The Pirate's Wish Review
Ashley's The Witch's Betrayal Review
Ashley's The Automaton's Treasure Review

Ashley's The Wizard's Promise Pre-Reading

Paul's The Assassin's Curse Review
Paul's The Pirate's Wish Review
Paul's The Witch's Betrayal Review


Synopsis: All Hanna Euli wants is to become a proper witch – but unfortunately, she’s stuck as an apprentice to a grumpy fisherman. When their boat gets caught up in a mysterious storm and blown wildly off course, Hanna finds herself further away from home than she’s ever been before.

As she tries to get back, she learns there may be more to her apprentice master than she realized, especially when a mysterious, beautiful, and very non-human boy begins following her through the ocean, claiming that he needs Hanna’s help.


Why?: I really enjoyed The Assassin's Curse and its sequel. I have read one of the short stories as well and I liked that too. My favorite part of that series is the world building. It is such a fantastically large and epic world! This book takes place in that same world so I am very excited to return to such a great place. 

Expectations: I'm expecting to learn even more about this world and travel to locations we may have only heard of in the prior series. It sounds like there will be more magic in this novel. I'm excited to see the magic system more established.  


Judging a book by its cover: I really liked the covers of the first series and this cover matches it in tone. It has a colder feel to it, so maybe we will be heading far North. The antler and skeletal face are creepy and intriguing.  



--Paul