Published: 1 August 2009
Publisher: Little Brown
Goodreads description:
An ancient prophecy divides two sisters-
One good...
One evil...
Who will prevail?
Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.
Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust.
They just know they can't trust each other.
One good...
One evil...
Who will prevail?
Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.
Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust.
They just know they can't trust each other.
My thoughts:
Maybe I was really dense, but I never realised this book was historical fiction. I started off thinking “wow, the dialogue is really bizarre” before it clicked that it was based in Victorian America. I wasn’t put off by this, just surprised.
I thought Lia was okay, a bit soft maybe, and Alice definitely scared me. I liked Sonia and Luisa most I think, they were good characters and I liked the role they played. I liked James and Lia’s relationship, but I definitely felt it was inappropriate for the time it was set in. A bit too modern really.
I found the plot to be a little confusing, I didn’t really fully understand the prophecy elements, and I honestly felt the author was trying to be a bit clever with the whole Samael and Samhain thing (especially as Samhain actually occurs on Halloween, and in this book it’s November 1st for some reason) It was very religious, but like more old religious, very jewish really, which I thought was an odd choice.
This book took me a while to read mainly because of the complexities but also because there was very little pace. There was no real sense of urgency involved, despite the dangerous circumstances. I definitely think that affected the way I read it.
The end was really quite tragic, it touched me more than I expected it too really. I’m not in any hurry to read the rest of the series, if I do it will be borrowed not bought. I have a feeling the pacing will pick up in the next book but I’m not desperate to find out.
I’d give this book a 3/5, if you enjoy historical fiction with an element of the paranormal and not a huge romantic storyline this book will definitely appeal to you.
I've been considering buying this one! Still not too sure, mostly because I just have so much to read at the moment!
ReplyDeleteGreat review as always :D
I have been seeing this pop up a lot on the blogs. Thanks for the heads up on the historical fiction. You also gave me a tip. I wrote a manuscript with a prophecy and I am on my way to make sure the details are clear!
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to read this one for ages, but I've seen a lot of mixed reviews, so I'm not too sure whether to buy it or not. I can see why the pacing would definitely affect the way you read it. Still, the premise sounds interesting - might try to find this one in the library! Thanks for the review :).
ReplyDeleteThis doesn't sound like a fit for me. I'm starting to wonder if I am easily confused.
ReplyDeleteI was also somewhat confused by the prophecy... it was all a little too vague, and I didn't like Lia much. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who thought it was so-so! Great review. :)
ReplyDeleteI nearly bought this one today but I think I might just try and borrow it from the library instead!
ReplyDeleteI was actually drawn to this one by the cover. It sounds okay, I'm going to give it a go. Thanks for the great review (:
ReplyDelete