Hey and welcome to my stop on The Forgotten Ones Blog Tour! Click here for the full tour schedule. I have a review for you today, so relax and enjoy! :D
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Title: The Forgotten Ones (The Danaan Trilogy #1)
Author: Laura Howard
Release Date: May 15, 2013
Pages: 197
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Paranormal
My Rating: 4 / 5
Blog Tour organized by: AToMR Tours
~ Synopsis ~
Allison O'Malley just graduated from college. Her life's plan is to get a job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She doesn't have room for friends or even Ethan, who clearly wants more.
When Allison's long-lost father shows up, he claims he can bring her mother back from the dark place her mind has sent her. He reveals legends of a race of people long forgotten, the Tuatha de Danaan, along with the truth about why he abandoned her mother.
~ My Review ~
I must admit the cover is what initially drew me to this story - it's gorgeous and now that I've read the book, I love it even more. I can't help that I have a huge affinity for purple! Once I looked beyond the cover to read the synopsis, I was interested to see that there would be a character with schizophrenia. It's always been such a mysterious disorder to me, and I wanted to see how it would be handled in fiction.
While Allison started out as a bit of a bland character for me, I did appreciate her determination to take care of her mother and the way she loved her no matter what. I wanted to argue with her about closing herself off to others, but I knew I'd do the same thing in a heartbeat. Allison doesn't believe she can have a life outside of working and taking care of her mother, but I believed there would be room for love with Ethan. I kept hoping she would be able to see that for herself, too.
I wasn't sure about Ethan at first. He seemed like a player in the beginning, and I questioned his intentions toward Allison; however, I warmed up to him. He ended up becoming a character I wanted to see happy. I felt the same hesitation towards Allison's father except even more so. I didn't trust him and felt the same as Allison in wanting to protect her mother from him. Where had he been all this time? Why did he suddenly show up now? Whatever you might be thinking, you won't guess the answers to those questions! You'll be surprised just as I was!
The plot explodes in the second half of the book, and this is really where Allison begins to shine. Not to say I didn't like her in the beginning because I did, but here I was able to see so much more of her personality. She became fierce, courageous, and just jumped from the pages. She came alive. Sometimes in books the reader is privy to information the main character doesn't know yet. In this case, I loved how the author chose to allow the reader to discover things along with Allison. I felt more connected to her that way.
Overall, with the colorful cast of characters, Irish lore, and the way in which the plot unfolds, I relished this book and am looking forward to the next in the trilogy.
~ Buy the Book ~
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
~ About the Author ~
Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn't until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.
~ Connect with the Author ~
That is quite a beautiful cover, although it strikes me as more of a romance than fantasy. I'm happy that her personality comes to life in the second half of the book. I'm not a fan of generic characters either, but sometimes it's hard to blossom when the plot constricts them. Fantastic review. Adding this to my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteHey Lizzy! I agree with you about the cover, and there is romance in there but not as a main focus in my opinion. I think she might have been lifeless in the beginning because she obviously wasn't happy and had resigned herself to not really participate in the positive aspects of life. Thanks so much! Glad you want to read it! :)
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