danyspike's review
3.0
[Disclaimer: The author provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review]
Ava Mara is just a carefree adolescent working at her family's Cafe until the day her brother is brutally murdered by an unknown man. The man was looking for an "Artifact" that is supposed to be in possession of Ava's family, but none of them knows anything about it. Seeking revenge and justice, Ava enters "The Order", a secret organization that may have some answers to what is really going on and how to find the man who murdered her brother and seriously injured her father.
This book is an adult dark fantasy. There are sex scenes and rape scenes, so keep that in mind in case you're not comfortable with those type of scenes. I don't mind reading rape scenes, but I did wonder what was the purpose of some of them in this case, other than just showing something gruesome. Related to that point, it would be a good idea to get an editor in the future, in order to delete or refocus some of the side stories and scenes that didn't seem to add anything to the plot and even made me stray from the main story, which was sad because it is a good story.
Ava, the main character, is childish, immature and not very smart, but what she lacks in wits she makes up for in bravery and loyalty and by the end of the book she grows quite a lot, which was a very good thing to read. As for the rest characters that formed the main group, they were all very diverse and mysterious. Some of them were dark and brooding and others were extremely cheerful and upbeat, which made for some good dialogues and fun interactions.
Although this is a debut novel, the author presents us with a complex story, with many different sides and angles. There were enemies, friends and sometimes people who were somewhere in between so you never really knew who to trust or when to trust them. Ava was faced with some hard situations and some impossible decisions, especially for someone completely untrained as her, and yet she faced them head on, so I trust she'll only get better as the story advances.
Three stars and congratulations on your first novel, C.J!
Ava Mara is just a carefree adolescent working at her family's Cafe until the day her brother is brutally murdered by an unknown man. The man was looking for an "Artifact" that is supposed to be in possession of Ava's family, but none of them knows anything about it. Seeking revenge and justice, Ava enters "The Order", a secret organization that may have some answers to what is really going on and how to find the man who murdered her brother and seriously injured her father.
This book is an adult dark fantasy. There are sex scenes and rape scenes, so keep that in mind in case you're not comfortable with those type of scenes. I don't mind reading rape scenes, but I did wonder what was the purpose of some of them in this case, other than just showing something gruesome. Related to that point, it would be a good idea to get an editor in the future, in order to delete or refocus some of the side stories and scenes that didn't seem to add anything to the plot and even made me stray from the main story, which was sad because it is a good story.
Ava, the main character, is childish, immature and not very smart, but what she lacks in wits she makes up for in bravery and loyalty and by the end of the book she grows quite a lot, which was a very good thing to read. As for the rest characters that formed the main group, they were all very diverse and mysterious. Some of them were dark and brooding and others were extremely cheerful and upbeat, which made for some good dialogues and fun interactions.
Although this is a debut novel, the author presents us with a complex story, with many different sides and angles. There were enemies, friends and sometimes people who were somewhere in between so you never really knew who to trust or when to trust them. Ava was faced with some hard situations and some impossible decisions, especially for someone completely untrained as her, and yet she faced them head on, so I trust she'll only get better as the story advances.
Three stars and congratulations on your first novel, C.J!
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