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tipshee's review against another edition
5.0
“I received a free copy of the book from the author/publisher for my honest opinion. I was in no way compensated for this review and all opinions are expressly my own”
At first glance, I was intrigued. The synopsis was enticing and the cover interesting. I really enjoyed the grainy look of the cover as apposed to the shiny one of other books of this genre. In my mind the grainy look of the cover foretold of a book, a story full of grit. The only thing from the cover that I could have done without was the font. I felt like it may have taken away from the beauty of the presentation. As for what you all really care about, the story itself I really, really, really, REALLY liked it. It was different and yet I felt like it may have come from the same universe of other Young Adult Books that I hold dear to my heart.
Once again, there are a lot of ‘I knew it’ moments and I really wanted to smack the main character Ally a couple of times but overall I really liked her character and enjoyed the story and its progression. Now I am all for the strong, feisty female leads but I found something endearing in Ally’s humanity and weakness even if she herself is not human. Her mistakes were real and though as a reader you might see them coming and find yourself angry at that please remember, as a young adult reader we see the signs while the character herself has been sheltered and takes things at face value.
Now I’ll admit that all was not perfect while reading this book. The beginning sounds really interesting in the synopsis and even has moments of Oh Mah Gawd but it was a bit on the slow side.... to read the full review please visit http://tipsyink.blogspot.com/2014/01/black-amaranth-vulcan-legacies-1-review.html
At first glance, I was intrigued. The synopsis was enticing and the cover interesting. I really enjoyed the grainy look of the cover as apposed to the shiny one of other books of this genre. In my mind the grainy look of the cover foretold of a book, a story full of grit. The only thing from the cover that I could have done without was the font. I felt like it may have taken away from the beauty of the presentation. As for what you all really care about, the story itself I really, really, really, REALLY liked it. It was different and yet I felt like it may have come from the same universe of other Young Adult Books that I hold dear to my heart.
Once again, there are a lot of ‘I knew it’ moments and I really wanted to smack the main character Ally a couple of times but overall I really liked her character and enjoyed the story and its progression. Now I am all for the strong, feisty female leads but I found something endearing in Ally’s humanity and weakness even if she herself is not human. Her mistakes were real and though as a reader you might see them coming and find yourself angry at that please remember, as a young adult reader we see the signs while the character herself has been sheltered and takes things at face value.
Now I’ll admit that all was not perfect while reading this book. The beginning sounds really interesting in the synopsis and even has moments of Oh Mah Gawd but it was a bit on the slow side.... to read the full review please visit http://tipsyink.blogspot.com/2014/01/black-amaranth-vulcan-legacies-1-review.html
pause_theframe's review against another edition
5.0
The Story
We've all got dreams. Some of us have plans to do something of brilliance and some of use just want to live a normal life, university, family, friends and maybe a few small adventures. Well, whilst we all may work toward the life we dream of, for some people it just isn't possible. Ally is one of those people.
Things start to take a turn for the worst, when Ally's uncle is a no show for her graduation. She has plans, running through her mind, that involve getting even by breaking a few rules and heading off to university, something her uncle wasn't too keen on.
However, Ally's plans of vengeance are put on hold, when her and her friends arrive at her house, prepping to grab party supplies and split,only to find her uncle being attacked by some thing.
Within minutes, Ally and her mates are rushing down a country road, hurtling toward an intertwined destiny they never thought possible. As the blades of her future are thrust into the ground, Ally begins to notice that her life is about to change, in ways she never imagined...is she ready for the challenge?
Follow Ally and her mates as they explore a world they never knew about, uncover secrets about Ally's family, Princess Bray-Bray (school popular girl and bully) and possible a few people close to them, whom they never expected. The real question is, will their bonds of friendship and love be enough to conquer the approaching evil?
What I Thought
I couldn't put this book down! The characters, the storyline, the pace, the detail, the crossovers between certain beliefs, fantasy and real life are written to perfection.
I found this book to be a great all-round book. It is perfect for many ages of readers, from teens/YA all the way through to adults. The lessons learned, by Ally, are those which appeal to and happen to all ages, really pulling you in and making you a part of the story. You find yourself relating to the feelings she has, as well as some of the deep feelings we see from the other characters. The drama is great for relating to teens and YA, while still having a mature tone to them.
I loved the pace of this book. There was never a dull moment, always sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting and wondering what would happen next, how would this affect 'the choice' and Ally? I found that though the pace was fast and entertaining, Hibbs was able to layer in the details needed to create rounded, realistic and deep characters.
The storyline was excellent, sticking to great fantasy writing and really incorporates in a favourite style, where real world beliefs/stories are accounted for in this fantasy world. The story also remains realistic, which is great. You close the back cover, having finished the last brilliant line, and half expect to walk outside and see Dave, Jessica or Ally.
OVERALL: I highly highly recommend this book. The writing style, depth, pace and story are brilliant. It is a book that will appeal to a wide age range, and I believe it is appropriate for early teens through to adult.
fallen_for_books30's review against another edition
5.0
The book started with Ally's uncle getting attacked and then the story began to search where her uncle was and who had attacked him who seemed supernatural with help of her twin friends and Micheal.
This book started out slow and I was really thinking should i leave it to read next time with all those mysteries and so many characters coming and there is no answer what actually Ally is. What is happening . But then the author surprised me and the story became interesting and I was going oon reading and the author really surprised me with the story which I never thought would have happened. I am still thinking what was that. There is secrets, shocking revelations about Blacksmith. A unique story about gypsies, heavenly warriors and their curse. The character Ally is strong and knows what she wants. She is rebellious and so very her age. I liked her from the start. Her need to know what she was, her past,her care for her friends and how very understanding she was. Yes,she did make mistakes related to her love life but i could understand.I never in my dream who have imagined how the story twisted and changed. The author has introduced a great plat to the readers. You have got to read this book. I can't tell you how shocked I still am with the ending. !!
This book started out slow and I was really thinking should i leave it to read next time with all those mysteries and so many characters coming and there is no answer what actually Ally is. What is happening . But then the author surprised me and the story became interesting and I was going oon reading and the author really surprised me with the story which I never thought would have happened. I am still thinking what was that. There is secrets, shocking revelations about Blacksmith. A unique story about gypsies, heavenly warriors and their curse. The character Ally is strong and knows what she wants. She is rebellious and so very her age. I liked her from the start. Her need to know what she was, her past,her care for her friends and how very understanding she was. Yes,she did make mistakes related to her love life but i could understand.I never in my dream who have imagined how the story twisted and changed. The author has introduced a great plat to the readers. You have got to read this book. I can't tell you how shocked I still am with the ending. !!
bookbriefs's review against another edition
3.0
**See this full review and more at http://bookbriefs.net**
Black Amaranth is a classic young adult paranormal storyline. Girl has lost her parents and has had secrets galore kept from her. Girl turns out to have some sort of powers and goes off to fulfill some sort of destiny/prophecy. It may be cliche, but it is a formula that works for me. I enjoy it because I like to see what the author can do with that basic plotline and how they can make it their own. I think Sasha Hibbs did a really good job creating interesting races of creatures and made a compelling history and story for them. Plus, there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing right up until the end.
I liked Ally and her gang of friends. I thought it was a little convenient and easy how everyone surrounding her ended up playing a role in her world, but overall it was interesting to see how they each fit in. I appreciated how inquisitive Ally was. She did not just stand for a simple explanation. She kept demanding until she got the answers she wanted, and she was smart enough to know to keep some pieces of information to herself. Too many times I see characters that are too trusting and a little naive. Ally was neither of those things. It was refreshing.
I loved Michael and the twins. I thought they were a great group of friends. I was on the fence about Marik for almost all of the story, and there were more than a few times that I wanted to kick Ally for her choices, but I will leave all of that for you to find out for yourself. I liked the various relationships, but everything was so obvious and in your face. Like with Eli, for instance. I would have liked a little bit more subtlety worked into his feelings. It would have made it seem more realistic to me. I hope that gets developed a bit more in the next book.
Because the world that Sasha Hibbs created is complex, and because we are seeing this through Ally's eyes and she is so new to all of this, parts of the book were pretty confusing. I think since we now know who most of the players are and what the creatures are, that won't be an issue in the next book. Even though I want to see some of the characters and relationships fleshed out a bit in the next book, the world and plot has grabbed my attention so much that I know I will be continuing the series. The ending of this book killed me! I did not see it coming at all, and I really have no idea how Ally will get herself out of this pickle. But I know one thing, I have to tune in to find out.
Black Amaranth is a classic young adult paranormal storyline. Girl has lost her parents and has had secrets galore kept from her. Girl turns out to have some sort of powers and goes off to fulfill some sort of destiny/prophecy. It may be cliche, but it is a formula that works for me. I enjoy it because I like to see what the author can do with that basic plotline and how they can make it their own. I think Sasha Hibbs did a really good job creating interesting races of creatures and made a compelling history and story for them. Plus, there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing right up until the end.
I liked Ally and her gang of friends. I thought it was a little convenient and easy how everyone surrounding her ended up playing a role in her world, but overall it was interesting to see how they each fit in. I appreciated how inquisitive Ally was. She did not just stand for a simple explanation. She kept demanding until she got the answers she wanted, and she was smart enough to know to keep some pieces of information to herself. Too many times I see characters that are too trusting and a little naive. Ally was neither of those things. It was refreshing.
I loved Michael and the twins. I thought they were a great group of friends. I was on the fence about Marik for almost all of the story, and there were more than a few times that I wanted to kick Ally for her choices, but I will leave all of that for you to find out for yourself. I liked the various relationships, but everything was so obvious and in your face. Like with Eli, for instance. I would have liked a little bit more subtlety worked into his feelings. It would have made it seem more realistic to me. I hope that gets developed a bit more in the next book.
Because the world that Sasha Hibbs created is complex, and because we are seeing this through Ally's eyes and she is so new to all of this, parts of the book were pretty confusing. I think since we now know who most of the players are and what the creatures are, that won't be an issue in the next book. Even though I want to see some of the characters and relationships fleshed out a bit in the next book, the world and plot has grabbed my attention so much that I know I will be continuing the series. The ending of this book killed me! I did not see it coming at all, and I really have no idea how Ally will get herself out of this pickle. But I know one thing, I have to tune in to find out.
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