THE LAST OF THE FIREDRAKES
Author: Farah Oomerbhoy
Publisher: Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Publication Date: August 15, 2015
Pages: 488
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
A fantastic adventure story that will transport you to a dazzling world of myth and magic.
16-year-old Aurora Darlington is an orphan. Mistreated by her adopted family and bullied at school, she dreams of running away and being free. But when she is kidnapped and dragged through a portal into a magical world, suddenly her old life doesn’t seem so bad. Avalonia is a dangerous land ruled by powerful mages and a cruel, selfish queen who will do anything to control all seven kingdoms—including killing anyone who stands in her way. Thrust headlong into this new, magical world, Aurora’s arrival sets plans in motion that threaten to destroy all she holds dear. With the help of a young fae, a magical pegasus, and a handsome mage, Aurora journeys across Avalonia to learn the truth about her past and unleash the power within herself. Kingdoms collide as a complicated web of political intrigue and ancient magic lead Aurora to unravel a shocking secret that will change her life forever.
Purchase Links:
Amazon | B&N | Apple | Kobo | Smashwords | Itasca Books | Goodreads
--
Review:
I thought this one was okay. It started off kind of slow and picked up a bit of pace as we went through the story. But I did think it had some hiccups along the way. Including the romance and the mid-break for "training."
I'm not even going to touch on the human world to fantasy land stuff with the abusive family because I wasn't a fan of it. It was jarring and unsettling (and very familiar...).
So first, let me start off by saying that I love fantasy books, especially ones where we get to see the person train and learn magic and they aren't extremely good at it but learn it over time. But it was a little odd to me that Aurora would be this important Princess and start being trained by her uncle only to then go onto a magical academy. And have no one recognize her. And the staff knows about her but doesn't give her extra lessons until after she "proves" herself? No there is no way that would happen. She is a princess, she should have been given those extra lessons right away. I also thought that it was just awkwardly placed in the story. There was no flow between being in one place to the next except that the author obviously wanted the story to go some place else.
I liked some of the characters though. I am intrigued with the side characters more than the main characters, but I am also glad that there doesn't seem to be a love triangle yet. I do hope that there isn't one. But the romance portion was just okay. I like Rafe and think he is a good character, well written. However, he isn't swoonworthy in my opinion. But maybe that is because I never really felt a connection to Aurora. I thought she was kind of bratty and stuck up and we never really bonded.
What redeemed this for me was the world building and the magic. The world is HUGE and I am so glad that a map was included because there are so many places and people that get discussed without ever really being introduced. We meet so many different people throughout the novel, especially at the Ball, and I was having a hard time keeping them straight. But the politics was thoroughly explained and I found myself wanting to know more about the ruling of the land and how the areas all intertwined. I also thought that a lot of this was well explained without having too many info-dumps. And the magic was well written. I mean, of course, Aurora has incredible magic that is far superior than everyone else, but I am excited to see how fae magic works. I am a sucker for well written magic, and I do think this was up there in terms of well written magic. Better than some that I have read.
Overall: 3/5 stars. The pacing was off, the romance was meh, and it was pretty predictable. But it was still okay.
I'm not even going to touch on the human world to fantasy land stuff with the abusive family because I wasn't a fan of it. It was jarring and unsettling (and very familiar...).
So first, let me start off by saying that I love fantasy books, especially ones where we get to see the person train and learn magic and they aren't extremely good at it but learn it over time. But it was a little odd to me that Aurora would be this important Princess and start being trained by her uncle only to then go onto a magical academy. And have no one recognize her. And the staff knows about her but doesn't give her extra lessons until after she "proves" herself? No there is no way that would happen. She is a princess, she should have been given those extra lessons right away. I also thought that it was just awkwardly placed in the story. There was no flow between being in one place to the next except that the author obviously wanted the story to go some place else.
I liked some of the characters though. I am intrigued with the side characters more than the main characters, but I am also glad that there doesn't seem to be a love triangle yet. I do hope that there isn't one. But the romance portion was just okay. I like Rafe and think he is a good character, well written. However, he isn't swoonworthy in my opinion. But maybe that is because I never really felt a connection to Aurora. I thought she was kind of bratty and stuck up and we never really bonded.
What redeemed this for me was the world building and the magic. The world is HUGE and I am so glad that a map was included because there are so many places and people that get discussed without ever really being introduced. We meet so many different people throughout the novel, especially at the Ball, and I was having a hard time keeping them straight. But the politics was thoroughly explained and I found myself wanting to know more about the ruling of the land and how the areas all intertwined. I also thought that a lot of this was well explained without having too many info-dumps. And the magic was well written. I mean, of course, Aurora has incredible magic that is far superior than everyone else, but I am excited to see how fae magic works. I am a sucker for well written magic, and I do think this was up there in terms of well written magic. Better than some that I have read.
Overall: 3/5 stars. The pacing was off, the romance was meh, and it was pretty predictable. But it was still okay.
--
About The Author:
For Farah Oomerbhoy, writing is a passion and reading her solace. She is a firm believer in the fantastic and magical, and often dreams of living in Narnia, Neverland, or the Enchanted Forest. Farah lives with her husband and three children in their family home in Mumbai, India. She has a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Mumbai. Farah's first novel, The Last of the Firedrakes, Book 1 of the Avalonia Chronicles will be published worldwide August 15th, 2015.
Website |Twitter |Instagram |Pinterest |Goodreads |Wattpad |Facebook
--
Follow The Tour:
August 14th – Reads All The Books – ReviewAugust 15th – Dizneeee's World of Books – Review / Guest PostAugust 15th – Melissa Martin's Reading List – Review / Top 5/10 PostAugust 17th – Ya Fiction Queen – Guest PostAugust 17th – Christine Abee – ReviewAugust 18th – Books, Stars, Writing. And Everything In Between – InterviewAugust 18th – EndlessReading – ReviewAugust 19th – Motif by Tanya – Author InterviewAugust 19th – Ramblings of a Perpetual New Girl – Review / Guest PostAugust 20th – Ramblings of a Perpetual New Girl – Review / Guest PostAugust 21st – Book Addict – Guest Post / Author InterviewAugust 21st – Author of The Not So Public Library – Review / InterviewAugust 24th – Miranda's Book Blog – Review / Guest PostAugust 25th – BookishFever – ReviewAugust 26th – The Reader and the Chef – Review / Top 5 or 10August 27th – The Power of Three Readers – PromoAugust 27th – Ashley Martinez – ReviewAugust 28th – Bookish – ReviewAugust 31st – The Renegade Zombie Reviews – Review / Author InterviewSeptember 1st – Beauty's Library – Review / Guest PostSeptember 2nd – Pixie Vixen Reviews – Character InterviewSeptember 3rd – Creatyvebooks – Review / Author InterviewSeptember 4th –September 7th – serenastone – Author InterviewSeptember 9th – Books and Ladders - ReviewSeptember 9th – Read with Royella – ReviewSeptember 10th – Reading with AngelaRenea – Review / Author InterviewSeptember 11th – Atomic Pirate Girl's Book Worm Booty – ReviewSeptember 11th – Triple T Tots tweens and teens – Review / TeasersSeptember 14th – Anything but Vanilla Book Blog – PlaylistSeptember 14th – Rockin' Book Reviews – Review
--
Giveaway:
Giveaway consists of a Kindle Fire HD 7 and a Firedrake Prize Pack.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
--
Event Hosted by:
Thank you for posting and participating!
ReplyDeleteAmy
Thank you for taking the time to review the book and participate in the tour. I really appreciate your support.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes
Farah
Открыв платформу gidra ссылка с задачами в соцсетях, очень просто взять неплохой заказ на реализацию элементарных приемов. Социальные сети уже давно стали результативным способом маркетинга в мировой сети. За вычетом площадок копирайта существует множество сайтов по работе в социалках.
ReplyDelete