almost 6 years ago
Lori Campbell
I have so many conflicting emotions swirling around inside me after finishing this story. Okay, so here we go:
While I was reading this story I found myself constantly thinking: when are they going to start this journey? I was tiring of reading about Finn cleaning his house and chopping veggies. The start of this adventure is very slow, with a few key build up moments sprinkled in that are completely essential for when this book REALLY takes off, in my opinion. Page 207. Up until that point what had really kept me interested was this lore that Martin so delicately crafted. I was completely fascinated by the Fianna race, I wanted to know more about their changes, about their god, about the prophesized Maiden. I found myself villainizing the human race and sypathizing with the Fianna. Martin does such a good job at really keeping you guessing. Sure, Finn and Adelaide were to find the Stag, but what happens when they find it? I had absolutely no clue where he was going to go with the story and boy did he deliver the shock value when you finally do figure out what's going on, the real antagonist hidden in the shadows the entire time.
As far as the supporting characters: Anna, Caleb, and Jay to be specific, I felt that they could have used a little more love. When Jay is killed I found that I was unable to empathize with Finn because of how little time we actually get to see Finn and Jay together. Finn reminisces several times on how enjoyable their childhood was together and how much Jay means to him but I feel as if it wasn't enough to envoke a powerful emotional reaction from the reader when he died. We needed more growth from the pair in present time. Anna and Caleb were better portrayed but there is a scene after Adelaide is separated from the two of them for an ample amount of time. As a reader I wanted to know what was happening, the last time we saw Caleb he was Feral, why was he now human again? What was going on with them? The scene that instead unfolded left me wanting more. I was however, just as emotionally effected as Adelaide when their moment finally came in the story. I just wanted to know the characters a bit better. I felt the other characters were all nicely developed. I kept wishing for Noah, Hazel, and Garths deaths. Niall's performance was shocking and riveting.
I did have to stop and take a moment to digest Finns motives as Martin doesn't come out and plainly speak them. I didn't dislike this as a thought invoking story is always welcome, but it is something to consider while reading. This is a story you should take your time with and think about as you read.
Although it was hard for me to connect with the two main characters in the beginning, I did find myself connecting with Adelaide about halfway through the book. I felt her pain as if it were my own.
Alright, now back to the fun stuff: page 207. Once I reached this point in the book I literally couldn't put it down. This spark lit inside me again just like it use to when I use to read all of the time. That fire that authors light inside you that makes you just zoom through the chapters because you can't stand not knowing what happens next. Jeremy did such an amazing job at painting such a beautiful picture of the Stag, it's literally something I hope to see in my dreams one day. The shocking decisions of Finn left me wanting to scream. I cannot stress how enjoyable this portion of the book was to read. The ending was a lot to take in, I had to talk about it out loud and ultimately reread the last chapter with the Stag in it to fully paint the entire picture in my head.
This book did leave on a rather frustrating cliffhanger leaving me angry, excited, upset. It is not a happy ending and I thoroughly look forward to the next book to answer some of the questions I'm left with.
Overall I think this is a book that is definitely worth the read, and while slow at the beginning, it gained momentum and definitely went out with a bang!
While I was reading this story I found myself constantly thinking: when are they going to start this journey? I was tiring of reading about Finn cleaning his house and chopping veggies. The start of this adventure is very slow, with a few key build up moments sprinkled in that are completely essential for when this book REALLY takes off, in my opinion. Page 207. Up until that point what had really kept me interested was this lore that Martin so delicately crafted. I was completely fascinated by the Fianna race, I wanted to know more about their changes, about their god, about the prophesized Maiden. I found myself villainizing the human race and sypathizing with the Fianna. Martin does such a good job at really keeping you guessing. Sure, Finn and Adelaide were to find the Stag, but what happens when they find it? I had absolutely no clue where he was going to go with the story and boy did he deliver the shock value when you finally do figure out what's going on, the real antagonist hidden in the shadows the entire time.
As far as the supporting characters: Anna, Caleb, and Jay to be specific, I felt that they could have used a little more love. When Jay is killed I found that I was unable to empathize with Finn because of how little time we actually get to see Finn and Jay together. Finn reminisces several times on how enjoyable their childhood was together and how much Jay means to him but I feel as if it wasn't enough to envoke a powerful emotional reaction from the reader when he died. We needed more growth from the pair in present time. Anna and Caleb were better portrayed but there is a scene after Adelaide is separated from the two of them for an ample amount of time. As a reader I wanted to know what was happening, the last time we saw Caleb he was Feral, why was he now human again? What was going on with them? The scene that instead unfolded left me wanting more. I was however, just as emotionally effected as Adelaide when their moment finally came in the story. I just wanted to know the characters a bit better. I felt the other characters were all nicely developed. I kept wishing for Noah, Hazel, and Garths deaths. Niall's performance was shocking and riveting.
I did have to stop and take a moment to digest Finns motives as Martin doesn't come out and plainly speak them. I didn't dislike this as a thought invoking story is always welcome, but it is something to consider while reading. This is a story you should take your time with and think about as you read.
Although it was hard for me to connect with the two main characters in the beginning, I did find myself connecting with Adelaide about halfway through the book. I felt her pain as if it were my own.
Alright, now back to the fun stuff: page 207. Once I reached this point in the book I literally couldn't put it down. This spark lit inside me again just like it use to when I use to read all of the time. That fire that authors light inside you that makes you just zoom through the chapters because you can't stand not knowing what happens next. Jeremy did such an amazing job at painting such a beautiful picture of the Stag, it's literally something I hope to see in my dreams one day. The shocking decisions of Finn left me wanting to scream. I cannot stress how enjoyable this portion of the book was to read. The ending was a lot to take in, I had to talk about it out loud and ultimately reread the last chapter with the Stag in it to fully paint the entire picture in my head.
This book did leave on a rather frustrating cliffhanger leaving me angry, excited, upset. It is not a happy ending and I thoroughly look forward to the next book to answer some of the questions I'm left with.
Overall I think this is a book that is definitely worth the read, and while slow at the beginning, it gained momentum and definitely went out with a bang!
