Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Arc Review: Rift by Andrea Cremer


Chronicling the rise of the Keepers, this is the stunning prequel to Andrea Cremer's internationally bestselling Nightshade trilogy!

Sixteen-year-old Ember Morrow is promised to a group called Conatus after one of their healers saves her mother's life. Once she arrives, Ember finds joy in wielding swords, learning magic, and fighting the encroaching darkness loose in the world. She also finds herself falling in love with her mentor, the dashing, brooding, and powerful Barrow Hess. When the knights realize Eira, one of their leaders, is dabbling in dark magic, Ember and Barrow must choose whether to follow Eira into the nether realm or to pledge their lives to destroying her and her kind.

This is going to be a good series; I think I like this one even more than the Nightshade series, maybe. Ember longs to be from under her father's watchful eye and hopes to have a life of her own choosing. She has no desire to be a wife to some rich aristocrat just to carry on the family name and wealth. It just so happens that when her mother was giving birth to her, things weren't going so well and they both almost died. Conatus agrees to save her in exchange for the daughter she bears, Ember. On the day she is supposed to leave her father tries everything to put a dent in her departure but no matter how hard he tries Ember is destined and determined to leave. Barrow, a member of the Guard at Conatus sent to retrieve her, proves to be a force that won't budge to the whims of her father via a very visually gruesome fight scene. Once Ember arrives she must go through at test to prove that she is on the right path, and this will truly decide her place in Conatus. However, her father is still persistent about her not being there, goodness this man is stubborn! 

The romance between Ember and Barrow is just right not too much, too soon but just enough heat to make it swoon-worthy. Alistair, her best friend from home is also a member of the Guard and he longs to be with Ember. The sparks fly when he sees that she is interested in Barrow. Ember she is strong, stubborn and fierce. She is a natural fighter with spirit and not one of those wimpy female leads but she is proactive. Alistair is a spineless weasel. Barrow is a fantastic fighter with a subtle strength to him. I like that he is more level minded and careful with Ember whereas Alistair is more aggressive, sneaky and single-minded. Though this book is not entirely about the romance but about the darkness that is infiltrating itself into the very hearts of the Guard own warriors.  

The writing is good and the plot is steadily paced. The narrative seems to follow the perspectives of Ember and Eira. Ember is trying to show that she is capable of being a valuable member at Conatus and Eira is not entirely satisfied with her position in the Circle, she longs for something more. It is interesting to see what lead to the events in Nightshade. Mostly, what works for me is the characters mainly Ember and Barrow, the scenes with them are my favorites. I recommend this to the readers of fantasy fiction and those that also like the Nightshade series.

*Received this book from Around the World Arc Tours*

11 comments:

  1. This is so great that you love it! I really like the way we see Nightshade's history, with magic, and the main characters seem so likable!

    Great review:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah, it's nice to be able to piece in the history about how things came about.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the review! I really want to start reading the Nightshade trilogy. It sounds pretty good. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm not sure if I'd like this or not but my youngest son's middle name is Ember so I love the name:) Thanks for the review!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm really looking forward to this book, especially after the Nightshade series which was amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love prequels, seeing how everything came together. Good review, can't wait to read this!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I bet I would love this series, but I'm knee deep in series at the moment. I (k)need (see what I did there?) to sit down and write out all the series I'm reading so I can catch up...then maybe I could start this one.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lol @Misty...I am right there with you on that but I am neck deep

    ReplyDelete
  9. i have not read either of these in the series yet but it looks good and you really seem to enjoy it. its on my tbr list but i was wavering on it. think i might have to move it up now ;)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I just put Rift on hold at my local library and I am excited about finally being able to go pick it up. I have been a little worried about reading this before Nightshade, but since it is a Prequel I don't know why I worry? Dummy. (Me, not you!). I think it will be okay, and after your review I am excited to check it out. Thank you much!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh I SOO want to read this book !! I really love the Nightshade series :) !
    PS : I'm in love with the design of your blog !

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...