Amber Smoke

Welcome back!  My computer decided to do updates overnight and closed out all my programs.  I guess it decided it did not like the review I was going to share with you today because it is gone (except for one sentence).  I will have to rewrite it and share it with you tomorrow.  If you enjoy paranormal novels for an older audience, try Deborah Harkness' All Souls Trilogy.  The first book is my favorite.  I hope she will put out a new books soon.  Other authors who write magical books are Sarah Addison Allen and Meena van Praag.  I just love their novels.

Amber Smoke by Kristin Cast is the first book in the Escaped series.  The Furies (Maiden, Crone, and Mother—the phases of women) lived in Tartarus.  They are the jailers who keep the evil (those who threatened to end humanity) contained.  But then the Maiden fell in love with Galen Argyris (he gave up his soul for his son).  Their true love (which was forbidden) has cast a curse over Tartarus (infected it) and prisoners have escaped.  Maiden goes to Hera for help.  Hera gives the Maiden a son, Alek who will be a warrior.  He need to bring back the prisoners that have escaped.  Alek will need to work with Eva.   Eva Kostas is a descendant of Pythia (first Oracle of Delphi).  The two need to work together to end the darkness/curse.   But first Alek needs to find Eva before the hunter does.  Can Eva and Alek complete their mission and save Tartarus?

I found Amber Smoke to be juvenile, flat, and cheesy (especially the romance between Alek and Eva).  The characters did not feel real (they were not developed or fleshed out).  They never came alive for me.  The dialogue is stilted and awkward.  I’m afraid I found the novel to be silly and just not for me.  It sounded like a good book, but I just did not enjoy the final product (I finished it though).  One scene that seemed especially ridiculous was when Eva and Alek find each other.  They have people chasing them and they need to move quickly (run), but they stop to share a kiss (they are about to be captured).  I found myself laughing.  I give Amber Smoke 2 out of 5 stars (did not like but good idea).   The worst part is the novel ends with a cliffhanger.  Normally, these would ensure I read the next book.   But in the case of this series, I will not be reading Scarlet Rain.  I believe this book will appeal more to a much younger audience (tweens maybe).

You can follow Kristin Cast on Amazon to get updates on her books.  I received a complimentary copy of Amber Smoke from NetGalley in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.

I hope all of you have a delightful evening.  I will return tomorrow to review Clock and Dagger by Julianne Holmes (as soon as I rewrite it). Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader