mothmans_library's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book, but throughout the entire novel, no matter what, i wanted to kill Alistair.
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review
4.0
Very exciting prequel to the Nightshade series. Of course, with a very strong female MC who knows how to fight and take care of herself
Full review can be found on my blog: (un)Conventional Bookviews.
Rift is the first book in the prequel series concerning the Nightshade universe. I was completely engrossed in this story, I loved Ember, as I usually love strong female protagonists. I also really liked to understand more about what happened during the Nightshade novels, the mythology, the hunger for power, the fight against evil, and the true companionship among the the guardians of the world.
Full review can be found on my blog: (un)Conventional Bookviews.
Rift is the first book in the prequel series concerning the Nightshade universe. I was completely engrossed in this story, I loved Ember, as I usually love strong female protagonists. I also really liked to understand more about what happened during the Nightshade novels, the mythology, the hunger for power, the fight against evil, and the true companionship among the the guardians of the world.
cvanders's review against another edition
1.0
I couldn't get through the first chapter. The plot was good, but I didn't like the wording.
erinarkin20's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. It mixes historical aspects with the paranormal. I think this is the second book that I intended to read much earlier than I did and found myself wondering what took me so long.
Ember is a 16 year old girl that is looking for a way to get away from the life she was born into. Her father is looking to marry her off to expand his power/control and all she wants is to get away. I really liked this character. She is tough, scrappy and smart but she still doubts herself and shows some flaws. I found myself completely invested in who she was and what was happening with her.
Alistair...at first I supported him but man... he got on my nerves at the end. I am curious to see what happens with him as I don't trust him or Eira AT ALL. Things are not going to go well (even though I'm not sure what the heck is going to happen) but I have a feeling she is going to do something to stab him in the back. Based on my updates, you may see that I really disliked her...
But I went off track there.
Barrow...love him. It is clear he struggles with his feelings for Ember. In my opinion he is the perfect mix of strong and silent yet once he gets past his struggle, he is passionate and not afraid to tell her he loves her. Can you tell...I love the romance/happy ending.
So - the characters were great! There were a lot but they all play a critical part to the progression of the story. Kael, Agnes (what's going on with her??), Lukasz, Eira, Barrow.
Overall - great book and if you enjoy a story that has a bit of mystery, some paranormal aspects, a great main character and broody love interest..this is the book for you. This will stay on my favorites list and I will probably come back to this if I have to wait too long for book 2.
Ember is a 16 year old girl that is looking for a way to get away from the life she was born into. Her father is looking to marry her off to expand his power/control and all she wants is to get away. I really liked this character. She is tough, scrappy and smart but she still doubts herself and shows some flaws. I found myself completely invested in who she was and what was happening with her.
Alistair...at first I supported him but man... he got on my nerves at the end. I am curious to see what happens with him as I don't trust him or Eira AT ALL. Things are not going to go well (even though I'm not sure what the heck is going to happen) but I have a feeling she is going to do something to stab him in the back. Based on my updates, you may see that I really disliked her...
But I went off track there.
Barrow...love him. It is clear he struggles with his feelings for Ember. In my opinion he is the perfect mix of strong and silent yet once he gets past his struggle, he is passionate and not afraid to tell her he loves her. Can you tell...I love the romance/happy ending.
So - the characters were great! There were a lot but they all play a critical part to the progression of the story. Kael, Agnes (what's going on with her??), Lukasz, Eira, Barrow.
Overall - great book and if you enjoy a story that has a bit of mystery, some paranormal aspects, a great main character and broody love interest..this is the book for you. This will stay on my favorites list and I will probably come back to this if I have to wait too long for book 2.
ashbunnybobbio's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mrshilton's review against another edition
5.0
I thought this book was incredible!! From the very beginning I was hooked!!! It's a little slow in some parts, but Cremer picks it right back up! Oh, and being an avid book reader, Allistair really pissed me off! You know how when you read as much as I do you become emotionally absorbed with the characters? Yeah well I was that way with the main character, Ember Morrow, and her friend Allistair really made me want to jump into the pages and beat him up! LOL!!! But, all in all I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense/romance/mythical beings/almost midevil times!!
bookishnicole's review against another edition
5.0
This book took me about a day to read. It was really easy to get pulled into Ember's world, and this strange society of Conatus. I sort of felt bad for Ember as she tried to fight to be who she wanted to be, wanting to be a warrior in Scotland and be a woman any time before the modern day was not easy. I loved that this book also tickled my history taste buds because it took place during the 1400s.
I really liked getting to know Barrow and and what Conatus was about. The concept of women being a part of theorganization was so forward thinking and great, I even loved that there were two women who sat on the head council as far as helping to make decisions. Granted it was a fictitious society, but I loved that they were that forward thinking, it was 100's of years before a woman could dream of such rights.
I loved the training and the way Ember got her weapons and seemed to earn her stripes working with Conatus. I also liked that Barrow tried not to favor her when he so clearly did. I loved the banter in the development of their relationship as both of them tried to deny their mutual attraction.
One thing that I was really glad about this book was the lack of a developed love triangle. This seems to happen in more books than not, and I'm so glad that although there was a sort of attempt at it by Alistair, but that got nipped in the bud. I'm really eager to see where that unfortunate situation is going to work itself out in the next book.
I'm really excited to read Rise, the next book in the series out in January. I'm also excited to see how its all going to relate when I finally do get to read the Nightshade series.
I really liked getting to know Barrow and and what Conatus was about. The concept of women being a part of theorganization was so forward thinking and great, I even loved that there were two women who sat on the head council as far as helping to make decisions. Granted it was a fictitious society, but I loved that they were that forward thinking, it was 100's of years before a woman could dream of such rights.
I loved the training and the way Ember got her weapons and seemed to earn her stripes working with Conatus. I also liked that Barrow tried not to favor her when he so clearly did. I loved the banter in the development of their relationship as both of them tried to deny their mutual attraction.
One thing that I was really glad about this book was the lack of a developed love triangle. This seems to happen in more books than not, and I'm so glad that although there was a sort of attempt at it by Alistair, but that got nipped in the bud. I'm really eager to see where that unfortunate situation is going to work itself out in the next book.
I'm really excited to read Rise, the next book in the series out in January. I'm also excited to see how its all going to relate when I finally do get to read the Nightshade series.
tehani's review
4.0
I was very surprised by this book - enjoyed it a lot, though I don't think it's perfect, but was particularly interested in it as a prequel to a best-selling contemporary urban fantasy series, because this is a different genre ENTIRELY, being basically historical fantasy. Set in a "real" historical world, with magic and demons thrown in. I really can't think of another example when an author has done this, so that was an interesting touch.
antidietleah's review against another edition
4.0
I hate to admit it but I really enjoy this type of book, though, I was wary about the era this was set in - I have little interest in the Middle Ages. This is the prequel series to the Nightshade series and delves into the history of the split of the Circle and we are introduced to Bosque Mar. The story revolves around the viewpoint of Ember, a 16-year-old noble's daughter that joins the Guards of Conatus and naturally, falls in love with her mentor while battling the evils of the world. Also, though it only plays a very minor role in the book, I must say that I am impressed with Cremer's ability to also include same-sex relationships in all of her books.
elva08's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
1.75