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Daughters of Saraqael #1
Becoming
Every three years, Amber Hopkins explodes. Okay, not a blown-to-smithereens explosion, but whatever it is always hurts like hell and leaves her life a shambles. She’s already worked her way through five foster placements, and she’s doing whatever she can to avoid getting blasted into a sixth.As her eighteenth birthday approaches and she feels the strange and powerful energy building, disaster looms. When the inevitable explosion occurs, her life gets its biggest shakeup yet. She’ll not only learn how her fellow foster and best friend, Gabriel, really feels about her, but she’ll discover that she isn’t really without family.To top it all off, she’ll finally find out why she’s having the power she isn’t entirely human.Amber must Become, transitioning to another plane of existence and risking the loss of the most important relationship she’s ever had. Her choice will impact the future of an entire race of beings, and will pit her against an enemy that will prey upon her doubt to try and take her very life.Kind of makes the explosions seem like a cakewalk.
260 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2011
161 people are currently reading
6068 people want to read
About the author
Raine Thomas
44 books983 followersRaine Thomas is the award-winning author of more than 20 bestselling romances spanning contemporary romance, Sci-Fi romance, and YA fantasy romance. She's a hopeless romantic with a background in the fields of mental health and wedding planning...two areas that intersect far more than one would think. She's also a book fiend, grammar nerd, and editing Red Queen, depending on who you ask.
Be sure to follow Raine on BookBub (https://www.bookbub.com/profile/raine...) to be among the first to learn of any sales, and hop over to her website for your first free read!
Be sure to follow Raine on BookBub (https://www.bookbub.com/profile/raine...) to be among the first to learn of any sales, and hop over to her website for your first free read!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews
November 19, 2011
Here's a book that will rock your world, make you smile, and keep you guessing. Where do I even begin?
From the first chapter I fell in love with the characters. They're real and likable and had me rooting for them the entire time! The love story between Amber and Gabriel (HOTTIE!) was especially touching. It was precious and delicate, but also honest and unbreakable. I smiled whenever they were together. I seriously did.
And the Estilorian world was wonderfully original. Filled with beautiful details that made my imagination just come to life! Such a refreshing take on paranormal realms.
The amazing characters, the incredible Estilorian Plane, and the many, MANY, surprising plot twists made this book the fantastic story it is! I can't wait to read Central, the next book in the series! :)
From the first chapter I fell in love with the characters. They're real and likable and had me rooting for them the entire time! The love story between Amber and Gabriel (HOTTIE!) was especially touching. It was precious and delicate, but also honest and unbreakable. I smiled whenever they were together. I seriously did.
And the Estilorian world was wonderfully original. Filled with beautiful details that made my imagination just come to life! Such a refreshing take on paranormal realms.
The amazing characters, the incredible Estilorian Plane, and the many, MANY, surprising plot twists made this book the fantastic story it is! I can't wait to read Central, the next book in the series! :)
February 17, 2012
I...there are not words for how boring I found this book. I wanted to like it. The cover is pretty, and the ratings are generally pretty good, and, hey, I'm always up for a good indie book! But dear God, this book reads like a teenager's fanfic.
Nothing happens. Nothing. The people who say otherwise are lying to you. The "bad guys" of this story don't even make a move until page 225. THE BOOK IS 250 PAGES. Everything else prior to that consists of Amber, our protagonist, making gooey eyes at the love of her life, Gabriel. Amber is apparently some kind of half-deity meant to ascend to higher plane or something (I started skimming, so sue me) and naturally, she is an inhumanly gorgeous Super Speshul Snowflake with hair down to her knees, wings, and a giant sword, who also heals people and shoots magic out of her hands. (Somewhat disturbingly, after she "ascends" to the higher plane, there is a brief mention to the fact that her physical body is left behind, and suddenly the book moves on like nothing happened. So her body is actually just left lying somewhere? THIS SEEMS LIKE AN IMPORTANT DETAIL.)
The writing itself isn't bad, except that it's constantly devoted to random shit nobody cares about. The clothes everyone is wearing, the lingerie our protagonist is wearing, whether or not people are wearing shoes and, if they are, what TYPE of shoe they are wearing--this goes on. for. pages. I'm actually being serious, as all of these details were covered extensively during various scenes.
So there you have it. I know some people must like this book, but I was not one of them. I find it alternately hilarious and ridiculous that this series apparently spans THREE NOVELS. I can only assume that the costume changes are plentiful to provide Ms. Thomas with that much writing material.
Nothing happens. Nothing. The people who say otherwise are lying to you. The "bad guys" of this story don't even make a move until page 225. THE BOOK IS 250 PAGES. Everything else prior to that consists of Amber, our protagonist, making gooey eyes at the love of her life, Gabriel. Amber is apparently some kind of half-deity meant to ascend to higher plane or something (I started skimming, so sue me) and naturally, she is an inhumanly gorgeous Super Speshul Snowflake with hair down to her knees, wings, and a giant sword, who also heals people and shoots magic out of her hands. (Somewhat disturbingly, after she "ascends" to the higher plane, there is a brief mention to the fact that her physical body is left behind, and suddenly the book moves on like nothing happened. So her body is actually just left lying somewhere? THIS SEEMS LIKE AN IMPORTANT DETAIL.)
The writing itself isn't bad, except that it's constantly devoted to random shit nobody cares about. The clothes everyone is wearing, the lingerie our protagonist is wearing, whether or not people are wearing shoes and, if they are, what TYPE of shoe they are wearing--this goes on. for. pages. I'm actually being serious, as all of these details were covered extensively during various scenes.
So there you have it. I know some people must like this book, but I was not one of them. I find it alternately hilarious and ridiculous that this series apparently spans THREE NOVELS. I can only assume that the costume changes are plentiful to provide Ms. Thomas with that much writing material.
March 10, 2012
I was approached by Raine Thomas to review the first book her in Daughters of Saraqael trilogy, Becoming. Overall, I felt it was a decent effort by an independent author. From the story's synopsis, it sounded like something truly unique so that piqued my interest -- and it WAS unique. The mythology Raine created in this book was unlike anything else I ever read. It had a tinge of sci-fi mixed in with fantasy with a lore that almost made it sound like the Estilorians were angels, and their different plane of existence could be construed as heaven.
I liked Amber well enough. At first, I had to admit that I rolled my eyes at the fact that she seemed totally clueless to fellow foster-child Garbriel's intentions. But she did quickly redeem herself as she seemed to gain more confidence as her relationship with Gabriel grew.
I adored Gabriel. He was the most strongly written character in my mind. Gabriel has harboured a protective and growing romantic interest in Amber since she came to live with him and Mrs. B. when they were both 12. Obviously, at 12, Gabriel didn't act on his romantic feelings for Amber, but he always knew she was for him. The depth of their feelings is more fully understood later in the story once we learn of their origins. They became best friends first, which I loved. Their relationship as 18 year-olds was adorable and loving.
Some of the complimentary cast of characters were strong, while others, perhaps, needed more development, or they were just dropped out of the story once they were no longer needed. I felt we got to know Olivia and Skye quite well but some of the others left me wanting to know more about them... especially Saraqael and his human love. We did learn a bit about them through Ini-herit's explaining Amber's history and through actual story flashbacks, which were clever, but I did want to know more... like what kind of man/Estilorian he was, why he loved her mother so much to go to such extremes. It just left me wanting a bit. Note: I have since found out that the author is releasing a prequel-style novella called Foretold, which will serve as Saraqael's story.
Again, while I felt that this story definitely had some strengths in some of its characters and uniqueness, it might have benefited from a bit of 'tightening up'. I felt the explanation of their origins was a bit long and overwhelming. I also found the different tiers/groupings of Estilorians sort of hard to remember and what was each of their significance, and why they were so significant to the story. Perhaps, dividing the Estilorians into three groupings rather than... I lost count... would have been easier on my memory.
I don't know if there was actually a strong plot by the truest definition. I think it was basically about a girl coming of age and learning the reasons behind her difficulties in life (and they were truly unlike anyone else's). There was an underlying theme of some of the 'bad' Estilorians wanting to rid the Estilorian plane of anything that resembled an abomination. This sort of simmered on the back-burner throughout the book until close to the end of this installment where there was the inevitable battle.
Overall, I feel the book has some merit and might appeal to some fantasy/sci-fi followers who are looking for something completely different from the mainstream supernatural genre. The story definitely held my interest but might have benefited from some 'polishing' for lack of a better word. A good effort by an up and coming author.
Finally, I'd like to thank the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.
March 21, 2012
Daughters of Seroquel follows Amber, a 17 year old foster child who lives with her guardian and “brother,” Gabriel. Amber is not a normal teenager, every three years she has an “incident,” which is best described as a surge of power with Amber at the apex. As Amber approaches her 18th birthday, she and Gabriel are on alert for her next incident as they have been getting stronger as she ages.
I am not giving away much but saying that Amber is not entirely human. It turns out Amber is a product of a human mother and an Estilorian father. What are Estilorians? They are powerful long-lived beings that used to roam the earth with humans but now live on a different plane of existence. Amber and her two sisters, the daughters of an Estilorian named Saraqael, have grown up on earth for their protection. While most of the Estilorians believe that the daughters of Saraqael are a miracle (Estilorians don’t really procreate, they just create), there is a subset, the Mercesti, who wants to see them dead.
Confused yet? I’m just getting started. The Estilorians are split up into factions or tribes based on their abilities (or not). There are Mercesti, Elphresti, Orculesti, Corgloresti, Waresti, Scultresti, Lekwuesti and Wymzesti. Of course since every time I saw the word Estilorians, I thought of Estonians, and several of these names sound like variations of common Polish names, I kept imagining a race of northern and eastern Europeans. Some of these factions are based on abilities, for example, the Orculesti are mind readers & communicators and the Wymzesti are prognostic. Some of them are not, the Mercesti are merely the group of Estilorians who think that the daughters of Saraqael should be killed. I had hard time making sense of this tribal division and an even harder time accepting that each faction has its own eye color and if for example, a Orculesti decides to become a Mercesti, his or her eye color would change to match the Mercesti.
Personally, I hate these complicated otherworldly societies. The Estilorian factions reminded me of many of the angel books I’ve read that classify angels into various groups (with almost equally annoying names) with different skill and powers. I know a lot of people like books with this type of set up, it just isn’t for me.
While I’m on a rant about the names – surely I can’t be the only person who thinks that Saraqael is awfully close in name to the anti-psychotic, Seraquel.
Amber and her two sisters eventually meet. Of the three of them, one is described as strong willed, responsible, loyal and a fighter, one as a caring, nature-loving intellectual and one as an outgoing free-spirit. I’ll bet you can’t guess which one of those three is the oldest and which is the youngest. The descriptions reminded me of the three Halliwell sisters from Charmed (before Paige replaced Pheobe).
Despite all my criticisms, I did not hate this book, I just didn’t like it. The story is very well paced and has the appropriate amount of action and suspense. The love story is believable and not forced at all. The characters are decently fleshed out, and despite my personal feelings towards the world-building, it is well done.
My only other criticism is broader than just this book – but I would like to know when, “better than her,” (or “than her” after any other comparative verb) became grammatically
acceptable.
I can definitely see why some like and even love this book, it just wasn’t for me and I won’t be reading the rest of the trilogy.
I am not giving away much but saying that Amber is not entirely human. It turns out Amber is a product of a human mother and an Estilorian father. What are Estilorians? They are powerful long-lived beings that used to roam the earth with humans but now live on a different plane of existence. Amber and her two sisters, the daughters of an Estilorian named Saraqael, have grown up on earth for their protection. While most of the Estilorians believe that the daughters of Saraqael are a miracle (Estilorians don’t really procreate, they just create), there is a subset, the Mercesti, who wants to see them dead.
Confused yet? I’m just getting started. The Estilorians are split up into factions or tribes based on their abilities (or not). There are Mercesti, Elphresti, Orculesti, Corgloresti, Waresti, Scultresti, Lekwuesti and Wymzesti. Of course since every time I saw the word Estilorians, I thought of Estonians, and several of these names sound like variations of common Polish names, I kept imagining a race of northern and eastern Europeans. Some of these factions are based on abilities, for example, the Orculesti are mind readers & communicators and the Wymzesti are prognostic. Some of them are not, the Mercesti are merely the group of Estilorians who think that the daughters of Saraqael should be killed. I had hard time making sense of this tribal division and an even harder time accepting that each faction has its own eye color and if for example, a Orculesti decides to become a Mercesti, his or her eye color would change to match the Mercesti.
Personally, I hate these complicated otherworldly societies. The Estilorian factions reminded me of many of the angel books I’ve read that classify angels into various groups (with almost equally annoying names) with different skill and powers. I know a lot of people like books with this type of set up, it just isn’t for me.
While I’m on a rant about the names – surely I can’t be the only person who thinks that Saraqael is awfully close in name to the anti-psychotic, Seraquel.
Amber and her two sisters eventually meet. Of the three of them, one is described as strong willed, responsible, loyal and a fighter, one as a caring, nature-loving intellectual and one as an outgoing free-spirit. I’ll bet you can’t guess which one of those three is the oldest and which is the youngest. The descriptions reminded me of the three Halliwell sisters from Charmed (before Paige replaced Pheobe).
Despite all my criticisms, I did not hate this book, I just didn’t like it. The story is very well paced and has the appropriate amount of action and suspense. The love story is believable and not forced at all. The characters are decently fleshed out, and despite my personal feelings towards the world-building, it is well done.
My only other criticism is broader than just this book – but I would like to know when, “better than her,” (or “than her” after any other comparative verb) became grammatically
acceptable.
I can definitely see why some like and even love this book, it just wasn’t for me and I won’t be reading the rest of the trilogy.
May 23, 2012
This book was all lead-up and introduction, and felt like it never really got off the ground. This is probably because it's the first book in a trilogy and the author *was* using it to introduce the characters and ideas. Unfortunately, that meant that there was very little non-trivial action, and a whole lot of flat description.
I felt like reading the book wasted my time - I didn't get any exciting descriptions, but there were too many descriptive words that distracted from a smooth flow. I didn't connect to the characters or understand how they grew, yet clearly they were growing in the author's eyes. She just didn't let me into their world - though it's clear she was trying, and thought she had succeeded.
Two things that really bothered me in the character development:
1) Gabriel's was very inconsistent.
2) Amber felt too much like a Mary Jane character. She was good at all the right things at all the right times, whether or not those things had been mentioned earlier. And, most bothersome, her emotional maturity didn't make sense - she was great at it all the time, without any real explanation of how that changed.
Ms Thomas's writing style is fine, but always leaves me wanting a little something more. This book however was much better in that regard than the preview of Defy that I read - I couldn't even finish the preview on that one. I can't quite put a finger on what I don't like, but I think the gist of it is that she writes like I do - straightforwardly, and without the inspired descriptions that make a truly great novelist. She goes in heavy on the adjectives, but they all just end up feeling like her high school teacher told her she needed 2 in every sentence so she made sure they were there - they don't add much, and (at least for me) often detracted from the flow and impact of the story. Oops!
I did like the very sweet, very chaste romance, though once again the descriptions and dialog were horribly cheesy. (I love the romantic side of romance stories, but don't particularly enjoy the bodice-ripper style.)
Readability: 4
Writing style: 3
World building: 4
Character development: 4
Enjoyed: 4
Learned something: 1
Personal appeal: 3
What I expected: 5
Edition read: 3 (Kindle edition had random words hyphenated in the middle as if they were expected to be broken across lines, but weren't.)
I felt like reading the book wasted my time - I didn't get any exciting descriptions, but there were too many descriptive words that distracted from a smooth flow. I didn't connect to the characters or understand how they grew, yet clearly they were growing in the author's eyes. She just didn't let me into their world - though it's clear she was trying, and thought she had succeeded.
Two things that really bothered me in the character development:
1) Gabriel's was very inconsistent.
2) Amber felt too much like a Mary Jane character. She was good at all the right things at all the right times, whether or not those things had been mentioned earlier. And, most bothersome, her emotional maturity didn't make sense - she was great at it all the time, without any real explanation of how that changed.
Ms Thomas's writing style is fine, but always leaves me wanting a little something more. This book however was much better in that regard than the preview of Defy that I read - I couldn't even finish the preview on that one. I can't quite put a finger on what I don't like, but I think the gist of it is that she writes like I do - straightforwardly, and without the inspired descriptions that make a truly great novelist. She goes in heavy on the adjectives, but they all just end up feeling like her high school teacher told her she needed 2 in every sentence so she made sure they were there - they don't add much, and (at least for me) often detracted from the flow and impact of the story. Oops!
I did like the very sweet, very chaste romance, though once again the descriptions and dialog were horribly cheesy. (I love the romantic side of romance stories, but don't particularly enjoy the bodice-ripper style.)
Readability: 4
Writing style: 3
World building: 4
Character development: 4
Enjoyed: 4
Learned something: 1
Personal appeal: 3
What I expected: 5
Edition read: 3 (Kindle edition had random words hyphenated in the middle as if they were expected to be broken across lines, but weren't.)
November 21, 2015
WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS IN PARTICULAR SECTIONS MARKED WITH A * AT THE BEGINNING AND A * AT THE END
omg amazing.
I don't know how many of u know about my reviews, but I only review really amazing books and .... OH MY GOD this is amazing
reasons why, for me, it stands out from other books:
1. the love <3
now, of course this book has love and a love interest, but it's not the same 'ach! just get on with t and get together' love as it happens soon into the book. for me, it is refreshing to read a book where there is no struggle to admit love, and/or more than one love interest.
while we are on the topic of love relationships...
2. in this book there is an even power balance
in most books, there is always one person who knows more about the situation or who just has more control over the relationship. in this book, I think the power balance is quite equal.
*3. the friendship between all
in this book, we learn that Amber is very closed off about her relationships, and who she trusts. this just makes the relationship between the sisters more amazing... having never met before, just finding out a lot about themselves, and in the end, moving, it is amazing how they stick together with an intangible connection.*
4. perfect speed
you know how you get those books that go WAY too fast for you to understand and keep up with, and then there are books that are so slow you just wanna skip to the end ad move on? well, this is right in the middle. it wasn't too fast that I had to keep flicking back, but it wasn't so slow that I skipped parts. I found it quite good and the perfect style for me
5. POV
well, since this book is in third person it works really well. you could tell who you were by the narration, eg. 'he was thinking about...' and it gave a good all-round opinion!
*6. paranormal
new creature - kinda. for me, they seemed to be a mix of fey and angel and witch. quite an interesting image, but it worked all the same :))*
final comment: IF U HAVENT ALREADY, READ!!
Reviewed: 17 December 2011
omg amazing.
I don't know how many of u know about my reviews, but I only review really amazing books and .... OH MY GOD this is amazing
reasons why, for me, it stands out from other books:
1. the love <3
now, of course this book has love and a love interest, but it's not the same 'ach! just get on with t and get together' love as it happens soon into the book. for me, it is refreshing to read a book where there is no struggle to admit love, and/or more than one love interest.
while we are on the topic of love relationships...
2. in this book there is an even power balance
in most books, there is always one person who knows more about the situation or who just has more control over the relationship. in this book, I think the power balance is quite equal.
*3. the friendship between all
in this book, we learn that Amber is very closed off about her relationships, and who she trusts. this just makes the relationship between the sisters more amazing... having never met before, just finding out a lot about themselves, and in the end, moving, it is amazing how they stick together with an intangible connection.*
4. perfect speed
you know how you get those books that go WAY too fast for you to understand and keep up with, and then there are books that are so slow you just wanna skip to the end ad move on? well, this is right in the middle. it wasn't too fast that I had to keep flicking back, but it wasn't so slow that I skipped parts. I found it quite good and the perfect style for me
5. POV
well, since this book is in third person it works really well. you could tell who you were by the narration, eg. 'he was thinking about...' and it gave a good all-round opinion!
*6. paranormal
new creature - kinda. for me, they seemed to be a mix of fey and angel and witch. quite an interesting image, but it worked all the same :))*
final comment: IF U HAVENT ALREADY, READ!!
Reviewed: 17 December 2011
December 29, 2023
Amber had a rough life, abandoned at 3 years old, passed from one foster home to another…until she found Mrs B and Gabriel. Sure we have all the teenage angst from Amber, but there is something different about her. She is only half human, having power surges that put others in danger. As she discovers who and what she is, meets people that can give her answers, I am drawn deeper into her world, curious to meet the others and see what dangers she will face as she will Become who she is meant to be. I love the characters and the battle she faced near the end of the book.
July 26, 2011
I was lucky to have the chance to read the first 3 chapters of Becoming before it was released (Thanks Raine!) and I was instantly hooked. I had to know what happened. I have been anxiously awaiting the release.
The world of the Estilorians is a world unlike any other. I have never read anything like this. From the very beginning (prologue, ahem) my heart was pounding. Amber is a young woman that is easy to relate to and root for. I immediately liked her and felt her feelings of loss, excitement, fear, doubt, joy and more. The life she has lived has been one of extreme loss and hardship. Her sarcastic humor and snarky attitude are tools she uses to protect herself. Her journey in Becoming is nothing short of remarkable. Gabriel is the type of guy that we all should be so lucky to have in our lives. His attention and love for Amber is endearing and sweet. I cannot imagine one without the other.
Raine Thomas has the incredible ability to paint this new world into our minds with the written word. I could see and feel it all. It is simply beautiful. As I type this I am longing to read Central, so I will close. I am so grateful that I have been able to “meet” Raine and be introduced to the Estilorians. I absolutely loved every word. Read Becoming for yourself and be prepared to enter a fantasy you’ve never even dreamed of.
Side note: I really want my own Gloresti *swoon*
The world of the Estilorians is a world unlike any other. I have never read anything like this. From the very beginning (prologue, ahem) my heart was pounding. Amber is a young woman that is easy to relate to and root for. I immediately liked her and felt her feelings of loss, excitement, fear, doubt, joy and more. The life she has lived has been one of extreme loss and hardship. Her sarcastic humor and snarky attitude are tools she uses to protect herself. Her journey in Becoming is nothing short of remarkable. Gabriel is the type of guy that we all should be so lucky to have in our lives. His attention and love for Amber is endearing and sweet. I cannot imagine one without the other.
Raine Thomas has the incredible ability to paint this new world into our minds with the written word. I could see and feel it all. It is simply beautiful. As I type this I am longing to read Central, so I will close. I am so grateful that I have been able to “meet” Raine and be introduced to the Estilorians. I absolutely loved every word. Read Becoming for yourself and be prepared to enter a fantasy you’ve never even dreamed of.
Side note: I really want my own Gloresti *swoon*
February 18, 2012
When it comes to Young Adult Fantasy, it really doesn't get better than Becoming. To say that I was blown away would be an understatement. I wasn't just blown away, I was swept away. I loved everything about Becoming. It was charming, fresh, innovative. World-building at it's finest. Truly, a beautifully crafted story with lovely characters, settings, raw emotion and a powerful message. In this book, love truly does conquer all. And I'm not only talking about romantic love, but love for one's self and for our fellow man. There is an underlying theme in this book that without respect, love and understanding, you really can't go anywhere in life. And I really loved it!
The romance in this story was incredibly refreshing. There are no love triangles. No instantaneous love. The love shared between the main characters, Amber and Gabriel, is a love that is nurtured overtime, grown out of mutual respect and admiration. They are friends first and fall in love later. The only hurdles in this love story are the personal insecurities and doubts of each character rooted in their complex backgrounds. The love in this story felt very real and it was very sweet. Amber -who is the female lead in this book- is a very strong young woman, who is unassuming and very funny. Her main struggle being her general distrust of others due to not having a stable home for most of her childhood and being moved across several foster care homes for most of her life. Gabriel, the male lead in this book, is more of a gentle spirit, strong but more comfortable around others. He is a true gentleman and really is the perfect balance to Amber's more distant nature. I loved that Amber and Gabriel felt very real, the dialogue for both of these characters was incredibly believable and truly authentic to how people sound like in their late teens.
When it comes to world-building, I thought that Becoming shined. Why? because it was really creative, intelligent, and complex. In Becoming instead of having angels, fairies, vampires, or wolves, we have a new type of being introduced to us. They are called The Estilorians. In this book, the humans are not aware of their existence; even though at some point in time, humans and Estilorians shared the world. The difference between the two being that Estilorians have a slight different appearance, special powers and react different to emotion while humans don't have any special powers and are more emotional beings. Eventually, The Estilorians have to separate themselves from the humans and become the stuff of what human myth and legend is based upon. And from here on, the book delves and centers itself around the myth about the daughters of Saraqael, an Estilorian and we soon discover new truths about our main characters, the Estilorian world and people, and their battles.
But above all, my favorite part of Becoming is it's study on emotion. Each character in the book has a very particular personality and struggle. Whether it is being too distrusting, too logical or too fearful and when you add the lack of emotion that characterize the Estilorians you have yourself a quite fascinating read on how the lack or excess of emotion can affect any culture (human or not). Also, I felt like this book centers around how dangerous the fear of the unknown can get. How it can devolve into cruelty, coldness and jealousy even. And considering how fleshed out each character in this book is, both primary and secondary characters, the reader soon finds themselves absolutely captivated and invested in each characters emotional struggle and journey to overcome what main issue plagues them.
I definitely can't wait to read about Olivia and Skye's journey in book two and three, in the Daughters of Saraqael series. Because like Amber and Gabriel, they were also quite interesting and lovely characters to read about it.
My advice: Read this book. It has everything you want in a Young Adult fantasy/romance novel. It is packed with adventure, love, creativity, insight, and humour. Becoming is truly captivating from start to finish.
My Rating: 5/5
The romance in this story was incredibly refreshing. There are no love triangles. No instantaneous love. The love shared between the main characters, Amber and Gabriel, is a love that is nurtured overtime, grown out of mutual respect and admiration. They are friends first and fall in love later. The only hurdles in this love story are the personal insecurities and doubts of each character rooted in their complex backgrounds. The love in this story felt very real and it was very sweet. Amber -who is the female lead in this book- is a very strong young woman, who is unassuming and very funny. Her main struggle being her general distrust of others due to not having a stable home for most of her childhood and being moved across several foster care homes for most of her life. Gabriel, the male lead in this book, is more of a gentle spirit, strong but more comfortable around others. He is a true gentleman and really is the perfect balance to Amber's more distant nature. I loved that Amber and Gabriel felt very real, the dialogue for both of these characters was incredibly believable and truly authentic to how people sound like in their late teens.
When it comes to world-building, I thought that Becoming shined. Why? because it was really creative, intelligent, and complex. In Becoming instead of having angels, fairies, vampires, or wolves, we have a new type of being introduced to us. They are called The Estilorians. In this book, the humans are not aware of their existence; even though at some point in time, humans and Estilorians shared the world. The difference between the two being that Estilorians have a slight different appearance, special powers and react different to emotion while humans don't have any special powers and are more emotional beings. Eventually, The Estilorians have to separate themselves from the humans and become the stuff of what human myth and legend is based upon. And from here on, the book delves and centers itself around the myth about the daughters of Saraqael, an Estilorian and we soon discover new truths about our main characters, the Estilorian world and people, and their battles.
But above all, my favorite part of Becoming is it's study on emotion. Each character in the book has a very particular personality and struggle. Whether it is being too distrusting, too logical or too fearful and when you add the lack of emotion that characterize the Estilorians you have yourself a quite fascinating read on how the lack or excess of emotion can affect any culture (human or not). Also, I felt like this book centers around how dangerous the fear of the unknown can get. How it can devolve into cruelty, coldness and jealousy even. And considering how fleshed out each character in this book is, both primary and secondary characters, the reader soon finds themselves absolutely captivated and invested in each characters emotional struggle and journey to overcome what main issue plagues them.
I definitely can't wait to read about Olivia and Skye's journey in book two and three, in the Daughters of Saraqael series. Because like Amber and Gabriel, they were also quite interesting and lovely characters to read about it.
My advice: Read this book. It has everything you want in a Young Adult fantasy/romance novel. It is packed with adventure, love, creativity, insight, and humour. Becoming is truly captivating from start to finish.
My Rating: 5/5
March 22, 2013
Becoming is quite the read! I have to say that I'm very satisfied with the way this book turned out. When I first started this book, it read like a contemporary, but towards the middle, as the paranormal elements were involved, I got a little confused. From there, I thought I was going to dislike the book. However, towards the end, it picked up immensely, and I grew to love it. The characters were fabulous the entire time though, bringing up my enjoyment level. Becoming is a unique supernatural romance story that I definitely recommend.
One of my favorite things about Becoming are the characters. Surprisingly enough, it's not the main character Amber that stands out for me (even if she is super sweet and awesome); it's the main character's love interest that catches the reader's attention. Gabriel is Amber's stepbrother, and has always been loving and protective towards Amber. He's always had a secret crush on her since they were tweens, and his undying love for her grows more after they find out about the Estilorian world. He reads like an angel for me, he is so sweet and just perfect. The fact that he is with Amber through the toughest of times is just adorable and it is never obsessive or creepy. Gabriel is a character that really shines in Becoming.
I also have to give tons of credit to Raine Thomas for creating such a different supernatural world! I have never read anything like Becoming, with the different planes and powers that the characters have. It's certainly unique and holds the readers interest easily. I'm thankful for the creativity, because the plot was mediocre in the beginning. I kind of just went along with the story, not thinking much of it. But the ending was very fast-paced and tension-filled! I needed to know what happened immediately.
There aren't many problems in this book at all; in fact, I only had one minor problem: the names of the Estilorian people were so confusing! I could never get their names straight since there were so many of them. Most of them turn out to be minor background characters, but still. I frequently had to go back and remind myself who was who. This problem detracted my enjoyment in the middle of the novel, but the main characters and plot made up for it in the end.
I am still pleased with the way this book turned out. If you're able to see past the confusion factor in Becoming, and you love yourself an extremely precious or tender romance and an incomparable supernatural element plot-line, I highly recommend this book! I have to say that I am surprised that I adored this book so much. The creativity of it all will make readers craving for more!
4 Teacups for Becoming!
*Thanks to Raine Thomas for providing me with a copy for review!*
THIS REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON A Reading Daydreamer:
http://a-reading-daydreamer.blogspot....
For more of my reviews, check out the blog:
One of my favorite things about Becoming are the characters. Surprisingly enough, it's not the main character Amber that stands out for me (even if she is super sweet and awesome); it's the main character's love interest that catches the reader's attention. Gabriel is Amber's stepbrother, and has always been loving and protective towards Amber. He's always had a secret crush on her since they were tweens, and his undying love for her grows more after they find out about the Estilorian world. He reads like an angel for me, he is so sweet and just perfect. The fact that he is with Amber through the toughest of times is just adorable and it is never obsessive or creepy. Gabriel is a character that really shines in Becoming.
I also have to give tons of credit to Raine Thomas for creating such a different supernatural world! I have never read anything like Becoming, with the different planes and powers that the characters have. It's certainly unique and holds the readers interest easily. I'm thankful for the creativity, because the plot was mediocre in the beginning. I kind of just went along with the story, not thinking much of it. But the ending was very fast-paced and tension-filled! I needed to know what happened immediately.
There aren't many problems in this book at all; in fact, I only had one minor problem: the names of the Estilorian people were so confusing! I could never get their names straight since there were so many of them. Most of them turn out to be minor background characters, but still. I frequently had to go back and remind myself who was who. This problem detracted my enjoyment in the middle of the novel, but the main characters and plot made up for it in the end.
I am still pleased with the way this book turned out. If you're able to see past the confusion factor in Becoming, and you love yourself an extremely precious or tender romance and an incomparable supernatural element plot-line, I highly recommend this book! I have to say that I am surprised that I adored this book so much. The creativity of it all will make readers craving for more!
4 Teacups for Becoming!
*Thanks to Raine Thomas for providing me with a copy for review!*
THIS REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON A Reading Daydreamer:
http://a-reading-daydreamer.blogspot....
For more of my reviews, check out the blog:
August 1, 2011
I have to say to start out, that I normally have a huge aversion to young adult fiction that is labeled to have a romance in it. My brain sort of has a mini seizure and I walk away going, no!
However, something drew me to this new book series. I found out about it following the author via twitter, followed the link to her website, read the synopsis to book one, and instantly I was sold.
No vampires, no werewolves, it was a totally new and fresh idea for my brain to savor and lap at slowly, and savor and then devour it did!
The beginning of the book opened a secret door into this new world featuring the Estilorians, a race that used to exist parallel to humans. Till of course humans fearing that which was different repelled the race. We enter this series with Amber and Gabriel as our books leads. Instantly I took a liking to our teenage heroine, she was moody and standoffish without being overwhelming. We see so many authors take this over the top. Gabriel is her best friend and of course they both secretly pine for one another.
It was expertly written out. There was no eye rolling, it was subtle, and easy the romance between these two. I could see it all in my head and it was making me smile. I was soon falling in love with the two leads.
The story develops on a slowly rising roller coaster that gives us little glimpses into the villain of this series. I found myself, of course far too curious about the villain (I have a thing for alpha males) and he of course had that alpha personna leaking from the page. However, as the story takes off and they enter the Estilorian plain I come to find a whole lot of alpha!
It was a book that captured my attention from the very beginning and by the end when the action and some trouble goes down I was weeping for Amber and Gabriel. I can only describe it as magic to read. So few young adult books give us something different and unique to enjoy. I enjoyed this one as much as some of my favorite adult fantasy series. Bless Raine Thomas for releasing all the books at the same time; I might have burst if I have to wait. I'm going to burst once I finish this series and have to wait for her next one!
However, something drew me to this new book series. I found out about it following the author via twitter, followed the link to her website, read the synopsis to book one, and instantly I was sold.
No vampires, no werewolves, it was a totally new and fresh idea for my brain to savor and lap at slowly, and savor and then devour it did!
The beginning of the book opened a secret door into this new world featuring the Estilorians, a race that used to exist parallel to humans. Till of course humans fearing that which was different repelled the race. We enter this series with Amber and Gabriel as our books leads. Instantly I took a liking to our teenage heroine, she was moody and standoffish without being overwhelming. We see so many authors take this over the top. Gabriel is her best friend and of course they both secretly pine for one another.
It was expertly written out. There was no eye rolling, it was subtle, and easy the romance between these two. I could see it all in my head and it was making me smile. I was soon falling in love with the two leads.
The story develops on a slowly rising roller coaster that gives us little glimpses into the villain of this series. I found myself, of course far too curious about the villain (I have a thing for alpha males) and he of course had that alpha personna leaking from the page. However, as the story takes off and they enter the Estilorian plain I come to find a whole lot of alpha!
It was a book that captured my attention from the very beginning and by the end when the action and some trouble goes down I was weeping for Amber and Gabriel. I can only describe it as magic to read. So few young adult books give us something different and unique to enjoy. I enjoyed this one as much as some of my favorite adult fantasy series. Bless Raine Thomas for releasing all the books at the same time; I might have burst if I have to wait. I'm going to burst once I finish this series and have to wait for her next one!
August 16, 2011
I was browsing Kindle books on Amazon one day when I found this. The cover is what I immediately fell in love with! It’s just quite stunning. Then, of course, I read the summary. It sounded different and really interesting. Finally I checked the book out on Goodreads to see what kind of reviews it was getting (it has an average rating of 4.6), which convinced me to read it.
I enjoyed the main characters in the book. Amber and Gabriel have a wonderful friendship that felt completely real. Their guardian, Mrs. B, was sweet and caring. I liked the first part of the book, where the focus is mainly on Amber’s struggles and her relationship with Gabriel. As we are introduced to the Estilorians, however, I began to struggle to finish it. I felt like the mythology behind the characters and their lives was confusing at times. The Estilorians are also a hard race to really like, at all, for me at least. I had trouble connecting and really caring about them. Amber’s sisters, Olivia & Skye, are somewhat better. Olivia probably had the most realistic attitude as they left their human lives behind. Skye….I hated the way she was written. She just felt like a wimpy little girl. If she hadn’t been described as older, I would have assumed she was 10-12 years old from her attitude and tone.
The story was written too fast. It felt somewhat choppy and rushed, and it does not flow like a good story should. Perhaps if it had been longer things could have been better explained and established. While there definitely were some elements of the book I enjoyed, overall it was not a good read. The book really felt as if it could have been an early draft to the story and not the final one. After all the rave reviews on Goodreads, I was expecting something much better. In the end I was very disappointed.
I enjoyed the main characters in the book. Amber and Gabriel have a wonderful friendship that felt completely real. Their guardian, Mrs. B, was sweet and caring. I liked the first part of the book, where the focus is mainly on Amber’s struggles and her relationship with Gabriel. As we are introduced to the Estilorians, however, I began to struggle to finish it. I felt like the mythology behind the characters and their lives was confusing at times. The Estilorians are also a hard race to really like, at all, for me at least. I had trouble connecting and really caring about them. Amber’s sisters, Olivia & Skye, are somewhat better. Olivia probably had the most realistic attitude as they left their human lives behind. Skye….I hated the way she was written. She just felt like a wimpy little girl. If she hadn’t been described as older, I would have assumed she was 10-12 years old from her attitude and tone.
The story was written too fast. It felt somewhat choppy and rushed, and it does not flow like a good story should. Perhaps if it had been longer things could have been better explained and established. While there definitely were some elements of the book I enjoyed, overall it was not a good read. The book really felt as if it could have been an early draft to the story and not the final one. After all the rave reviews on Goodreads, I was expecting something much better. In the end I was very disappointed.
August 3, 2012
The best part about Amber is that she's smart. She doesn't take forever to hem and haw about whether Gabriel is interested, she doesn't fret about the existence if the Estilorians. She just takes action which is awesome!
I had a little trouble with the world-building- it's very detailed and I kept forgetting the classes of Estilorians, but it didn't take away from the story. I also was told about a handy Estilorian chart on the authors website... How cool is that?! All in all a fabulous story with great characters- I truly love Amber and her sisters! Can't wait to read the next one, Central.
May 1, 2012
*Taken from my blog, OtherRealmReviews.blogspot.com, not edited for any other site*
First off, I want it known that this was already written a week ago, my loving fiance however, took the laptop and didn't know to NOT CLOSE THE TAB, so now.. (huge pout), I am re-writing my review, which isn't all bad, since I won't be in utter shock and writing, like the first time, BUT, I am doing it under protest. Protest, because Raine's new book, Defy, the first in the trilogy that follows the ones I am reviewing, was released today, and I haven't gotten to read it yet!
Alas, I knew I needed to write this, (and get it posted, the fiance WILL be home sometime tonight!) before reading the new one, as to not inadvertently review the new one, in this same group. For those to whom that sentence made sense, thank you for following my somewhat twisted thought processes, and for those to whom it did not make sense, my apologies.
Daughters of Saraquel.... omg. I don't have words, even a week, two weeks, and I suspect even six months from now, later. I just don't. Raine Thomas has proven I am NOT the only person in the world that thinks the way I do, lol, poor Raine, but her ability to make it clear to others, well, I envy it. She tells a story so rich, so intricate, and yet, still manages to NOT lose her reader. Something I am still working on.
The main characters exhibit the best humanity has to offer in terms of a desire to do right. Yes, I did intentionally word it that way, because that is pretty much how I view it. We can do right or wrong, and the girls constantly watch themselves to make sure which path they are traveling, a concept I think reaches far more than just myself and my son, judging by the other reviews. What I truly enjoy and what sets these apart from other fantasy novels based on good and evil, is that Raine allows the characters to ALL have both aspects, even those inherently evil ones, and allows you to see the struggles that we all endure as we walk our individual paths. I connected with some aspect of every single character, and I've never, in over 3000 books, and 38 years, encountered that. I empathized (read my first post, I am an empath) with every single character, including Aurora, the feline counterpart to Olivia.
I challenge anyone to read these books and NOT connect to the characters. I cannot imagine someone not finding at least ONE character that was so deeply like themselves, and yet, I can tell you, I saw aspects in ALL of them. Raine has such a clear understanding of humanity, our emotions, and how those emotions can lead the best of us, to do the worst of things, and vice-versa, that you cannot help but connect with her books, and her.
I have been so blessed, the night I was reading the first one, was a very hard night for me. I won't go into details, but I was seeking a distraction from reality, and even my favorite books (Marina's Tales, reviewed first in my blog) were not providing it. My eyes lit on Raine's books, and I decided to trust my instincts. I cannot tell you how glad I am that I did. I also wrote her a letter that night, going into more detail as to what I was trying to evade, and somehow, between her book, and my letter, I made the most valuable thing in the world... a new friendship. However, that didn't happen till I was done with the books, so nope, it's not because I care about Raine that I will crow about her books. That would have happened no matter her response to my letter. :)
There is no simple way to put it that will accurately reflect the quality of the writing. She has no typos, which I find in the big box books anyway, no grammatical issues, nothing of the technical problems that plague so many books.. but she DOES have everything that truly matters. There is a depth of passion, love, and sheer soul that she puts into her work that I see glimpses of in most writing, but rarely is it thrown out there for the world to judge. She puts 110% of herself into what she is writing, and I hope that I have accurately conveyed that.
On that note, as much as I LOVE talking about her books, I am dying to read one.. and mean it is actually starting to make me batty, so, I suggest, when you are done reading the Daughters of Saraquel's trilogy, that you go find "Defy", the story beyond it, and somehow, I already know, it's going to be on my kindle's favorites shelf along with it's predecessors. GO READ! :)
First off, I want it known that this was already written a week ago, my loving fiance however, took the laptop and didn't know to NOT CLOSE THE TAB, so now.. (huge pout), I am re-writing my review, which isn't all bad, since I won't be in utter shock and writing, like the first time, BUT, I am doing it under protest. Protest, because Raine's new book, Defy, the first in the trilogy that follows the ones I am reviewing, was released today, and I haven't gotten to read it yet!
Alas, I knew I needed to write this, (and get it posted, the fiance WILL be home sometime tonight!) before reading the new one, as to not inadvertently review the new one, in this same group. For those to whom that sentence made sense, thank you for following my somewhat twisted thought processes, and for those to whom it did not make sense, my apologies.
Daughters of Saraquel.... omg. I don't have words, even a week, two weeks, and I suspect even six months from now, later. I just don't. Raine Thomas has proven I am NOT the only person in the world that thinks the way I do, lol, poor Raine, but her ability to make it clear to others, well, I envy it. She tells a story so rich, so intricate, and yet, still manages to NOT lose her reader. Something I am still working on.
The main characters exhibit the best humanity has to offer in terms of a desire to do right. Yes, I did intentionally word it that way, because that is pretty much how I view it. We can do right or wrong, and the girls constantly watch themselves to make sure which path they are traveling, a concept I think reaches far more than just myself and my son, judging by the other reviews. What I truly enjoy and what sets these apart from other fantasy novels based on good and evil, is that Raine allows the characters to ALL have both aspects, even those inherently evil ones, and allows you to see the struggles that we all endure as we walk our individual paths. I connected with some aspect of every single character, and I've never, in over 3000 books, and 38 years, encountered that. I empathized (read my first post, I am an empath) with every single character, including Aurora, the feline counterpart to Olivia.
I challenge anyone to read these books and NOT connect to the characters. I cannot imagine someone not finding at least ONE character that was so deeply like themselves, and yet, I can tell you, I saw aspects in ALL of them. Raine has such a clear understanding of humanity, our emotions, and how those emotions can lead the best of us, to do the worst of things, and vice-versa, that you cannot help but connect with her books, and her.
I have been so blessed, the night I was reading the first one, was a very hard night for me. I won't go into details, but I was seeking a distraction from reality, and even my favorite books (Marina's Tales, reviewed first in my blog) were not providing it. My eyes lit on Raine's books, and I decided to trust my instincts. I cannot tell you how glad I am that I did. I also wrote her a letter that night, going into more detail as to what I was trying to evade, and somehow, between her book, and my letter, I made the most valuable thing in the world... a new friendship. However, that didn't happen till I was done with the books, so nope, it's not because I care about Raine that I will crow about her books. That would have happened no matter her response to my letter. :)
There is no simple way to put it that will accurately reflect the quality of the writing. She has no typos, which I find in the big box books anyway, no grammatical issues, nothing of the technical problems that plague so many books.. but she DOES have everything that truly matters. There is a depth of passion, love, and sheer soul that she puts into her work that I see glimpses of in most writing, but rarely is it thrown out there for the world to judge. She puts 110% of herself into what she is writing, and I hope that I have accurately conveyed that.
On that note, as much as I LOVE talking about her books, I am dying to read one.. and mean it is actually starting to make me batty, so, I suggest, when you are done reading the Daughters of Saraquel's trilogy, that you go find "Defy", the story beyond it, and somehow, I already know, it's going to be on my kindle's favorites shelf along with it's predecessors. GO READ! :)
April 10, 2012
Every three years, Amber Hopkins explodes. Okay, not a blown-to-smithereens explosion, but whatever it is always hurts like hell and leaves her life a shambles. She’s already worked her way through five foster placements, and she’s doing whatever she can to avoid getting blasted into a sixth.
As her eighteenth birthday approaches and she feels the strange and powerful energy building, disaster looms. When the inevitable explosion occurs, her life gets its biggest shakeup yet. She’ll not only learn how her fellow foster and best friend, Gabriel, really feels about her, but she’ll discover that she isn’t really without family.
To top it all off, she’ll finally find out why she’s having the power surges: she isn’t entirely human.
Amber must become, transitioning to another plane of existence and risking the loss of the most important relationship she’s ever had. Her choice will impact the future of an entire race of beings, and will pit her against an enemy that will prey upon her doubt to try and take her very life.
Kind of makes the explosions now seem like a cakewalk.
I love the cover of this book! It was on my recommend list and I just went straight to it. I think its beautiful. Oh I know you ‘can’t judge a book by its cover’ but it sure does help!
I could not picture what Amber and Gabriel looked like throughout the entire first half of the book. This there for left me feeling fairly unconnected towards them both. It was either my fault for not concentrating enough, or there was not a description there that had enough depth. I’m not sure which.
This now brings me on to the ‘not concentrating enough’ part. It took me till well within the second half of the book to feel the actually pull to carry on with it. I found myself very easily distracted. That very rely happens to me when reading. I even resorted to reading in the bath so there was no distractions around that could deter me.
The fact that Gabriel is only 18 and spoke like a 40 year old man really ticked me off sometimes. At times I thought it made the story feel cold... (Not quite sure how that is possible but that’s how I feel) and unbelievable. His old fashioned manners on the other hand, I had no problem with. Gosh, I wish a boy would come and open my car door for me.
Why oh why, is the girl in every book I read so innocent and self-loathing! In this book yeah I kind of get the fact that she has had a hard upbringing from having to move from different homes all the time, also the fact that she keeps ‘exploding’ doesn’t help. Still I just want a girl that remotely loves even some part of her, likes to shop like the average girl and can put on some makeup without making a deal out of it.
The saving grace and the only reason I got through the first half of the book was the romance between Amber and Gabriel. I’m not going deny it. I’m a girl that likes to read about a fire towards two people at their first glance. But I found myself loving the tenderness and understanding these two seemed to have for each other. I like that they were best friends first and then went into a relationship together.
And then all of a sudden, bam! Amber and Gabriel find out they are both not human and we are transported to another plane of existence. You find yourself in an entirely different type of world which is so original and well developed in comparison to the undetailed lives they lead in the human world. Maybe a little too detailed at times. I found myself being left behind on some of the smaller details. This did not however, keep me from understanding the story as a whole.
The addition of Amber’s sisters, Olivia and Skye made all the difference to the book with their little quirks. I loved Skye with her positive and relaxed attitude. Then there is the Olivia who is so logical and thinks that all things come down to science and maths. I also found myself liking Amber when she was around her two sisters. You see her allowing herself to care and connect with them both.
The only thing stopping me form loving this book instead of just liking it,was the begging. I can definitely say I will be reading the sequel.
As her eighteenth birthday approaches and she feels the strange and powerful energy building, disaster looms. When the inevitable explosion occurs, her life gets its biggest shakeup yet. She’ll not only learn how her fellow foster and best friend, Gabriel, really feels about her, but she’ll discover that she isn’t really without family.
To top it all off, she’ll finally find out why she’s having the power surges: she isn’t entirely human.
Amber must become, transitioning to another plane of existence and risking the loss of the most important relationship she’s ever had. Her choice will impact the future of an entire race of beings, and will pit her against an enemy that will prey upon her doubt to try and take her very life.
Kind of makes the explosions now seem like a cakewalk.
I love the cover of this book! It was on my recommend list and I just went straight to it. I think its beautiful. Oh I know you ‘can’t judge a book by its cover’ but it sure does help!
I could not picture what Amber and Gabriel looked like throughout the entire first half of the book. This there for left me feeling fairly unconnected towards them both. It was either my fault for not concentrating enough, or there was not a description there that had enough depth. I’m not sure which.
This now brings me on to the ‘not concentrating enough’ part. It took me till well within the second half of the book to feel the actually pull to carry on with it. I found myself very easily distracted. That very rely happens to me when reading. I even resorted to reading in the bath so there was no distractions around that could deter me.
The fact that Gabriel is only 18 and spoke like a 40 year old man really ticked me off sometimes. At times I thought it made the story feel cold... (Not quite sure how that is possible but that’s how I feel) and unbelievable. His old fashioned manners on the other hand, I had no problem with. Gosh, I wish a boy would come and open my car door for me.
Why oh why, is the girl in every book I read so innocent and self-loathing! In this book yeah I kind of get the fact that she has had a hard upbringing from having to move from different homes all the time, also the fact that she keeps ‘exploding’ doesn’t help. Still I just want a girl that remotely loves even some part of her, likes to shop like the average girl and can put on some makeup without making a deal out of it.
The saving grace and the only reason I got through the first half of the book was the romance between Amber and Gabriel. I’m not going deny it. I’m a girl that likes to read about a fire towards two people at their first glance. But I found myself loving the tenderness and understanding these two seemed to have for each other. I like that they were best friends first and then went into a relationship together.
And then all of a sudden, bam! Amber and Gabriel find out they are both not human and we are transported to another plane of existence. You find yourself in an entirely different type of world which is so original and well developed in comparison to the undetailed lives they lead in the human world. Maybe a little too detailed at times. I found myself being left behind on some of the smaller details. This did not however, keep me from understanding the story as a whole.
The addition of Amber’s sisters, Olivia and Skye made all the difference to the book with their little quirks. I loved Skye with her positive and relaxed attitude. Then there is the Olivia who is so logical and thinks that all things come down to science and maths. I also found myself liking Amber when she was around her two sisters. You see her allowing herself to care and connect with them both.
The only thing stopping me form loving this book instead of just liking it,was the begging. I can definitely say I will be reading the sequel.
September 9, 2013
To see my full review:
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
his is a very well written novel that takes place in two planes, or worlds, if you will. The beginning half of the novel centers around Amber and her life on the human plane as she gets ready for graduation and taking the next steps in her life. Thomas fleshes out her characters, Amber and Gabriel, during this time, making the reader fall in love with them as we get to know them on a deep level. Having grown up together in foster care, watching them thrive and fall in love was extremely gratifying, and I really enjoyed their characters. I especially love Gabriel. He’s a great male lead and Thomas does such a great job making him believable and real, just like she does with Amber. I loved both leads very much, though Gabe steals the show, in my opinion.
Now, whereas this novel begins on the human plane, it ends of the Estilorian plane, giving equal time to both “worlds,” though they’re not technically separate worlds, from what I understand. It’s more like equal existences in an alternate reality, if I understand correctly. But, regardless, the world building is epic! I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Estilorian place, and while I don’t necessarily understand everything about the plane because I’m not really scientific, I’ve believe I have good enough sense of it all based on what Thomas reveals through Ini-herit and the other characters during the transition period of the novel, and from the prequel, Prophecy, as well.
The ending of Becoming was a little rough for me as I was convinced that Thomas was going to do something drastic to the characters, and I nearly threw the book across the room in tears. However, rest assured, Thomas doesn’t do anything to the plot that isn’t needed, though that probably don’t assuage potential reader fears… just know the end it perfect.
I’m very excited to read the next novel in this series because I liked Amber’s sisters, but didn’t feel I learned enough about them individually as this novel focuses mainly on Amber. But, I believe Thomas has written this series to follow a different sister in each novel while still flowing in sequence, which is awesome! I first was introduced to this type of serial style by Brigid Kemmerer’s Elemental series, which follows a different brother in each book, yet spurring on the overall plot, and it’s an epic way to tell a story. Amber’s had her turn, and while we’ll still learn about her in the next segment, the focus will move to Olivia, which makes me really excited because she intrigues me.
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his is a very well written novel that takes place in two planes, or worlds, if you will. The beginning half of the novel centers around Amber and her life on the human plane as she gets ready for graduation and taking the next steps in her life. Thomas fleshes out her characters, Amber and Gabriel, during this time, making the reader fall in love with them as we get to know them on a deep level. Having grown up together in foster care, watching them thrive and fall in love was extremely gratifying, and I really enjoyed their characters. I especially love Gabriel. He’s a great male lead and Thomas does such a great job making him believable and real, just like she does with Amber. I loved both leads very much, though Gabe steals the show, in my opinion.
Now, whereas this novel begins on the human plane, it ends of the Estilorian plane, giving equal time to both “worlds,” though they’re not technically separate worlds, from what I understand. It’s more like equal existences in an alternate reality, if I understand correctly. But, regardless, the world building is epic! I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Estilorian place, and while I don’t necessarily understand everything about the plane because I’m not really scientific, I’ve believe I have good enough sense of it all based on what Thomas reveals through Ini-herit and the other characters during the transition period of the novel, and from the prequel, Prophecy, as well.
The ending of Becoming was a little rough for me as I was convinced that Thomas was going to do something drastic to the characters, and I nearly threw the book across the room in tears. However, rest assured, Thomas doesn’t do anything to the plot that isn’t needed, though that probably don’t assuage potential reader fears… just know the end it perfect.
I’m very excited to read the next novel in this series because I liked Amber’s sisters, but didn’t feel I learned enough about them individually as this novel focuses mainly on Amber. But, I believe Thomas has written this series to follow a different sister in each novel while still flowing in sequence, which is awesome! I first was introduced to this type of serial style by Brigid Kemmerer’s Elemental series, which follows a different brother in each book, yet spurring on the overall plot, and it’s an epic way to tell a story. Amber’s had her turn, and while we’ll still learn about her in the next segment, the focus will move to Olivia, which makes me really excited because she intrigues me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2011
Five stars! Sparkly, bright, golden, shimmery stars!
This book was epic! It was sweet! It was clean! And that all rounds out to a really amazing read!
The writing style, the characters, the plot! Oh I could go on for hours!
I'll summarize:
Raine Thomas? You are undoubtedly now in my top 5 favorite authors! That's pretty epic for me because not a lot of authors make it there. I have TONS of favorite books but I have scarce few authors that I agree with all their work and are comfortable recommending all of their books as a whole but I think Raine Thomas has made my list!
Becoming was such a beautiful book. What's beautiful about it you may ask? Well for one the way it's written. It's gripping, it's moving, and...it's real. Amber's fears? Insecurities? They were realistic. I could see how she had gotten them and they were justified. But more than that Raine Thomas found the careful balance between making her character real and making her annoying. Not that I'm trying to be mean but we've all read a book at some point or another where a character is conveying their problems and you can't help but find them a little whiny. This book was not that way. Amber was a strong, flawed, capable heroine. All the things that build a great novel and a great cast.
I was really able to relate to the characters, not really because we had a lo in common but because they were so clearly conveyed.
And Gabriel? Okay, one word girls: WOW. I want a Gloresti. Like really bad! Fellow book loving sisters: we have a new fictional boyfriend. Gabriel was so awesome! he was hot, he was sweet, he was the perfect gentleman, and totally in love with and protective of Amber! I adored him! You know what else I loved? That Amber and Gabriel were best friends. That they had history. With and without each other. That there was such a stroganoff foundation for their loe and such trust between them.
Skye and Olivia were fantastic too! I loved the byplay of them all. Especially to Ini-herit (I really don't know if I spelled his name right...). I found myself laughing really hard at parts of this book but at other parts I was in the edge of my seat or ready to cry. This book is truly a jewel and not to be missed. The plotline is amazing and the works Ms. Thomas created is one of mystery and wonder.
I loved this book and know that many many girls are destined to fall in love with it with me.
If you have yet to read this amazing book you need to go buy it eight now because I can pretty much guarantee that once you enter the world of Saraqael's daughters? You won't want to come back.
This book was epic! It was sweet! It was clean! And that all rounds out to a really amazing read!
The writing style, the characters, the plot! Oh I could go on for hours!
I'll summarize:
Raine Thomas? You are undoubtedly now in my top 5 favorite authors! That's pretty epic for me because not a lot of authors make it there. I have TONS of favorite books but I have scarce few authors that I agree with all their work and are comfortable recommending all of their books as a whole but I think Raine Thomas has made my list!
Becoming was such a beautiful book. What's beautiful about it you may ask? Well for one the way it's written. It's gripping, it's moving, and...it's real. Amber's fears? Insecurities? They were realistic. I could see how she had gotten them and they were justified. But more than that Raine Thomas found the careful balance between making her character real and making her annoying. Not that I'm trying to be mean but we've all read a book at some point or another where a character is conveying their problems and you can't help but find them a little whiny. This book was not that way. Amber was a strong, flawed, capable heroine. All the things that build a great novel and a great cast.
I was really able to relate to the characters, not really because we had a lo in common but because they were so clearly conveyed.
And Gabriel? Okay, one word girls: WOW. I want a Gloresti. Like really bad! Fellow book loving sisters: we have a new fictional boyfriend. Gabriel was so awesome! he was hot, he was sweet, he was the perfect gentleman, and totally in love with and protective of Amber! I adored him! You know what else I loved? That Amber and Gabriel were best friends. That they had history. With and without each other. That there was such a stroganoff foundation for their loe and such trust between them.
Skye and Olivia were fantastic too! I loved the byplay of them all. Especially to Ini-herit (I really don't know if I spelled his name right...). I found myself laughing really hard at parts of this book but at other parts I was in the edge of my seat or ready to cry. This book is truly a jewel and not to be missed. The plotline is amazing and the works Ms. Thomas created is one of mystery and wonder.
I loved this book and know that many many girls are destined to fall in love with it with me.
If you have yet to read this amazing book you need to go buy it eight now because I can pretty much guarantee that once you enter the world of Saraqael's daughters? You won't want to come back.
July 28, 2011
I discovered the author of Becoming, Raine Thomas, on twitter. After checking out her website, I was drawn to the beautiful cover of this book. I’d be lying if I said the cover didn’t get me interested. I am a sucker for YA books that deal with mythology, so I kept checking twitter and the author’s site for news of when the books would be released.
Luckily, I happened to be on Twitter when I noticed Raine’s tweets about her books being processed to be published just a couple days ago. I’m pretty sure that within about 10-15 minutes of Becoming being published, I bought it.
The book starts out with a little action and then you are introduced to Amber, one of the sisters and main character. Amber has been in many foster homes, which seems to happen about every three years, though that reason is explained throughout the book. Amber likes to fly under the radar and hates to stand out, but when her guardian (Mrs. B), the longest one she has had, tells her that she is taking her for a haircut as her graduation present, she can’t say no and risk hurting the closest thing she has had to a mother.
The seemingly simple haircut sparks a change in a relationship with her best friend. I immediately fell for the story between Amber and Gabriel, though I knew it couldn’t be simple. While on her long awaited graduation trip to Alaska, Amber discovers that she has sisters. The seemingly strange story of her heritage helps bring a dream she has been having into perspective.
Meeting the sisters and seeing their story unfold pulled me along as I wanted to see how things would turn out for them. There is action in pieces throughout the book leading up to a larger sequence. I really enjoyed the characters and how they interacted and handled some of the surprises along the way. I do wish there was more description about what the new plane looked like, but I feel this will be developed more in the other books since they take place in the Estilorian plane. There is just enough of the antagonist in the book to spark interest, knowing that this was not the last time we will hear about these characters.
If you are looking for a book with characters that are interesting, with a little mythology and angles thrown in, then I think you will enjoy this book. I had a hard time putting this book down, as my “just one more chapter” would turn into reading 5-10 more chapters. Becoming is the first in a trilogy that I can’t wait to finish.
Luckily, I happened to be on Twitter when I noticed Raine’s tweets about her books being processed to be published just a couple days ago. I’m pretty sure that within about 10-15 minutes of Becoming being published, I bought it.
The book starts out with a little action and then you are introduced to Amber, one of the sisters and main character. Amber has been in many foster homes, which seems to happen about every three years, though that reason is explained throughout the book. Amber likes to fly under the radar and hates to stand out, but when her guardian (Mrs. B), the longest one she has had, tells her that she is taking her for a haircut as her graduation present, she can’t say no and risk hurting the closest thing she has had to a mother.
The seemingly simple haircut sparks a change in a relationship with her best friend. I immediately fell for the story between Amber and Gabriel, though I knew it couldn’t be simple. While on her long awaited graduation trip to Alaska, Amber discovers that she has sisters. The seemingly strange story of her heritage helps bring a dream she has been having into perspective.
Meeting the sisters and seeing their story unfold pulled me along as I wanted to see how things would turn out for them. There is action in pieces throughout the book leading up to a larger sequence. I really enjoyed the characters and how they interacted and handled some of the surprises along the way. I do wish there was more description about what the new plane looked like, but I feel this will be developed more in the other books since they take place in the Estilorian plane. There is just enough of the antagonist in the book to spark interest, knowing that this was not the last time we will hear about these characters.
If you are looking for a book with characters that are interesting, with a little mythology and angles thrown in, then I think you will enjoy this book. I had a hard time putting this book down, as my “just one more chapter” would turn into reading 5-10 more chapters. Becoming is the first in a trilogy that I can’t wait to finish.
July 21, 2015
Wow. What a ride!
This book was totally different than any other. The world-building was very creative and completely magical.
The writing style was amazing. Beautiful and easy to read. And while I haven't had the best of experiences in reading multiple point of view books; it totally worked with me in this book. In fact, I loved it.
Amber is a really cool character. While she has a problem with letting people in, she wasn't rude or hateful towards them. In fact she's really nice and kind, but she doesn't trust people easily. She's been through a lot but she doesn't let herself wallow in her self-pity. I loved that about her.
Gabriel. What's not to love about this guy? My split lip wont heal because I'm always smiling or biting it because of him! He is so sweet, protective, good looking and rational. In one word: Dreamy.
Amber and Gabriel's relationship was really sweet and natural. It kept me swooning and sighing the whole time. But it made the pain in my lip worse. BEST KIND OF PAIN EVER!
I found the idea of Estilorians really engaging. While they look like perfection from the outside, they cant feel human emotions. So , it's up to the Sisters and Gabriel to teach them how. That point interests me more. How do you teach someone how to feel?
I just have two complaints about this book:-
1-This book is mainly centered on Amber, her sisters and Gabriel's journey to the Estilorian plane. That wasn't a big problem for me except that if that is the only focus of the book-Plus, giving the readers a basic understanding of Estilorians-in my opinion we should've got to see more into the characters human lives.
2-I didn't find the fact that once the Sisters and Gabriel got to the Estilorian plane, they knew exactly what to say and do, believable.
I would have written about Olivia and Skye-Amber's sisters-but since they each get a book, I thought I'd read more about each one to really get to know them.
This is a really great book, I can't wait to read the next two.
Full review on The Booklicker
This book was totally different than any other. The world-building was very creative and completely magical.
The writing style was amazing. Beautiful and easy to read. And while I haven't had the best of experiences in reading multiple point of view books; it totally worked with me in this book. In fact, I loved it.
Amber is a really cool character. While she has a problem with letting people in, she wasn't rude or hateful towards them. In fact she's really nice and kind, but she doesn't trust people easily. She's been through a lot but she doesn't let herself wallow in her self-pity. I loved that about her.
Gabriel. What's not to love about this guy? My split lip wont heal because I'm always smiling or biting it because of him! He is so sweet, protective, good looking and rational. In one word: Dreamy.
Amber and Gabriel's relationship was really sweet and natural. It kept me swooning and sighing the whole time. But it made the pain in my lip worse. BEST KIND OF PAIN EVER!
I found the idea of Estilorians really engaging. While they look like perfection from the outside, they cant feel human emotions. So , it's up to the Sisters and Gabriel to teach them how. That point interests me more. How do you teach someone how to feel?
I just have two complaints about this book:-
1-This book is mainly centered on Amber, her sisters and Gabriel's journey to the Estilorian plane. That wasn't a big problem for me except that if that is the only focus of the book-Plus, giving the readers a basic understanding of Estilorians-in my opinion we should've got to see more into the characters human lives.
2-I didn't find the fact that once the Sisters and Gabriel got to the Estilorian plane, they knew exactly what to say and do, believable.
I would have written about Olivia and Skye-Amber's sisters-but since they each get a book, I thought I'd read more about each one to really get to know them.
This is a really great book, I can't wait to read the next two.
Full review on The Booklicker
August 31, 2014
Damn me for judging a book by it's pretty, pretty cover...and description...and reviews.
But seriously, this actually had a lot of promise, and I didn't hate the characters, or the plot, I'm not even sure I can 100% put my finger on what I disliked about this book.
Amber is a seventeen year old living with her 5th foster family, but I guess 5th time's the charm, because she's been living with Mrs. B and Gabriel for 5 years, almost 6. She's nice, unique, knows what she likes, even if it doesn't impress anybody but Mrs. B and Gabriel. It's enough just having them on her side.
So, we start off with her in karate class, which she only seems to attend once in the book (I'm assuming, I only made it to 42%) despite that apparently being a big thing in her life and she's a black belt.
She has weird dreams and 'explodes' every three years. Her eyes turn gold occasionally and she can apparently heal, well she can heal Gabriel using her tongue and dry humping in front of strangers.
It was all a bit weird, and the story didn't flow as easily as it could have. And one ridiculously huge pet peeve was the name Ini-herit, it was like the author had literally no enthusiasm for creating names and made some up out of existing words like inherit. So after maybe the twentieth time of reading that name I put the book down, it was just too frustrating, the names, her powers, the 4 pages dedication to describing unimportant and inane things, I almost fell asleep.
So unfortunately I didn't finish it, I might return to in one day when I've hit a book slump and can't find anything new to read and review, but for now, I'll leave it at 42%
One other thing that niggled me, was that it felt more like it should have been book number 3, with her sisters finding her and approaching her (in possibly the creepiest way possible) it just felt like maybe we should have seen the sisters lives first, and how they found each other, slowly build the puzzle together, rather than start it at what felt like mid way through.
But seriously, this actually had a lot of promise, and I didn't hate the characters, or the plot, I'm not even sure I can 100% put my finger on what I disliked about this book.
Amber is a seventeen year old living with her 5th foster family, but I guess 5th time's the charm, because she's been living with Mrs. B and Gabriel for 5 years, almost 6. She's nice, unique, knows what she likes, even if it doesn't impress anybody but Mrs. B and Gabriel. It's enough just having them on her side.
So, we start off with her in karate class, which she only seems to attend once in the book (I'm assuming, I only made it to 42%) despite that apparently being a big thing in her life and she's a black belt.
She has weird dreams and 'explodes' every three years. Her eyes turn gold occasionally and she can apparently heal, well she can heal Gabriel using her tongue and dry humping in front of strangers.
It was all a bit weird, and the story didn't flow as easily as it could have. And one ridiculously huge pet peeve was the name Ini-herit, it was like the author had literally no enthusiasm for creating names and made some up out of existing words like inherit. So after maybe the twentieth time of reading that name I put the book down, it was just too frustrating, the names, her powers, the 4 pages dedication to describing unimportant and inane things, I almost fell asleep.
So unfortunately I didn't finish it, I might return to in one day when I've hit a book slump and can't find anything new to read and review, but for now, I'll leave it at 42%
One other thing that niggled me, was that it felt more like it should have been book number 3, with her sisters finding her and approaching her (in possibly the creepiest way possible) it just felt like maybe we should have seen the sisters lives first, and how they found each other, slowly build the puzzle together, rather than start it at what felt like mid way through.
August 30, 2018
This book was: amazing. It was a breath of fresh air, which I enjoyed immensely.
The plot was: incredible. I loved this book through and through. There's nothing for me to critique, not really.
The beginning was: intriguing and thought-inspiring. It might seem slow to some, but I love it just the way it is.
The middle was: lovely. It was so sweet, yet filled with intricacies, information and everything else that made this book fantastic.
The crescendo was: heartbreakingly good, horrible, breathtaking, awesome, sad etc. (I can go on...)
The finish/ending was: beautiful; there's no other word to describe it, but beautiful.
The characters were: excellently portrayed. Very dynamic, which made you care/trust/want to know and like the characters a lot.
The worldbuilding was: perfect. Just the way I want the worldbuilding to be; not too much of a nuisance, but not too little either so that you had to create the world by yourself (using your own imagination (dah..)) from scratch.
The language was: used brilliantly for the most part; although there were quite many "tiny" faults here and there. Usually that makes me furious when I notice those faults since English is my second language (since I'm Swedish), but I couldn't make myself be bothered. I just kept on reading, because the book as a whole was so, so good.
The themes represented in the book were: classic; but portrayed wonderfully.
Would I recommend this book? Yes/no? Why/why not? Yes. I would definitely recommend this book; because it's awesome in so many ways.
The plot was: incredible. I loved this book through and through. There's nothing for me to critique, not really.
The beginning was: intriguing and thought-inspiring. It might seem slow to some, but I love it just the way it is.
The middle was: lovely. It was so sweet, yet filled with intricacies, information and everything else that made this book fantastic.
The crescendo was: heartbreakingly good, horrible, breathtaking, awesome, sad etc. (I can go on...)
The finish/ending was: beautiful; there's no other word to describe it, but beautiful.
The characters were: excellently portrayed. Very dynamic, which made you care/trust/want to know and like the characters a lot.
The worldbuilding was: perfect. Just the way I want the worldbuilding to be; not too much of a nuisance, but not too little either so that you had to create the world by yourself (using your own imagination (dah..)) from scratch.
The language was: used brilliantly for the most part; although there were quite many "tiny" faults here and there. Usually that makes me furious when I notice those faults since English is my second language (since I'm Swedish), but I couldn't make myself be bothered. I just kept on reading, because the book as a whole was so, so good.
The themes represented in the book were: classic; but portrayed wonderfully.
Would I recommend this book? Yes/no? Why/why not? Yes. I would definitely recommend this book; because it's awesome in so many ways.
February 13, 2014
I keep finding authors who write stories that I absolutely love and must recommend to others. Raine Thomas is now among those authors for me.
Becoming pulled me in immediately and only got better as I continued to read. The story focuses on one of three sisters born in another dimension with gifts/powers they have yet to develop. Growing up as a foster child, passed from one person to the next, each time she experiences violent "surges" every three years, Amber, finally makes it to her final foster home. There she meets and becomes best friends with Gabriel, and learns to be loved by Ms. B, her foster mother. This is where the story begins. The story flies from here as she discovers more of who she really is, and who Gabriel is as well.
She and her sisters, Olivia and Skye, all meet about halfway through the book. They must travel back to their own dimensional plane to fully come into their powers and to begin to fulfill their destinies and what they were created for, as the "firstborn" of a new race of half human-half Gloresti. The closest thing I can compare this to is a half human-angel with supernatural powers. Though not really an angel created by God. The angel- like theme here is not biblical but interesting as Thomas creates her own world of super beings.
Book 1 ends with the true battle only just beginning, however, there is plenty of action leading up to the next book. And plenty of sweet romance. I just LOVE books that are a "clean read". I would recommend this book to all ages because of this. Can't wait to get into the next book!!
Becoming pulled me in immediately and only got better as I continued to read. The story focuses on one of three sisters born in another dimension with gifts/powers they have yet to develop. Growing up as a foster child, passed from one person to the next, each time she experiences violent "surges" every three years, Amber, finally makes it to her final foster home. There she meets and becomes best friends with Gabriel, and learns to be loved by Ms. B, her foster mother. This is where the story begins. The story flies from here as she discovers more of who she really is, and who Gabriel is as well.
She and her sisters, Olivia and Skye, all meet about halfway through the book. They must travel back to their own dimensional plane to fully come into their powers and to begin to fulfill their destinies and what they were created for, as the "firstborn" of a new race of half human-half Gloresti. The closest thing I can compare this to is a half human-angel with supernatural powers. Though not really an angel created by God. The angel- like theme here is not biblical but interesting as Thomas creates her own world of super beings.
Book 1 ends with the true battle only just beginning, however, there is plenty of action leading up to the next book. And plenty of sweet romance. I just LOVE books that are a "clean read". I would recommend this book to all ages because of this. Can't wait to get into the next book!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2012
I actually really enjoyed this book. The history of Amber's past and who she is was a really nice change in the paranormal genre. Although, as always, the first part was fairly slow moving. Eventually once we began to put the puzzle pieces together it all started to become more interesting.
Amber has grown up as a foster child her entire life. Every 3 years she has these "Incidents" where she begins to shake uncontrollably and nearly kills everyone around her. Because of this, she would be removed from her foster placements and on to the next. Finally she ended up in a home with a boy named Gabriel. At first I honestly didn't know what to think of him. As things progressed he became a huge part of Ambers life.
I love that this book was written in the POV of everyone. It wasn't soley based on one character and this was a really awesome change. To be in all characters heads was fantastic.
The story begins to unfold as Amber and Gabe go on a trip to Alaska where she ends up learning the truth about her surges and who she truly is. It was fascinating to say the least. How her and sisters came to be and how truly important the 3 of them really are. We learn that where they come from, feelings and emotions are not something that is used and bringing these half-human girls into their world introduces them to these emotions.
I wonder how that will turn out ;)
Amber has grown up as a foster child her entire life. Every 3 years she has these "Incidents" where she begins to shake uncontrollably and nearly kills everyone around her. Because of this, she would be removed from her foster placements and on to the next. Finally she ended up in a home with a boy named Gabriel. At first I honestly didn't know what to think of him. As things progressed he became a huge part of Ambers life.
I love that this book was written in the POV of everyone. It wasn't soley based on one character and this was a really awesome change. To be in all characters heads was fantastic.
The story begins to unfold as Amber and Gabe go on a trip to Alaska where she ends up learning the truth about her surges and who she truly is. It was fascinating to say the least. How her and sisters came to be and how truly important the 3 of them really are. We learn that where they come from, feelings and emotions are not something that is used and bringing these half-human girls into their world introduces them to these emotions.
I wonder how that will turn out ;)
January 6, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. It's the first in a series that I think I'll come to really like. I don't read a ton of sci-fi books but I thought this one was fun and really kept my interest all throughout. I really liked the main girl Amber, who was a tomboy type of character who spent the majority of the book coming into her own in all aspects of her life. I liked how she was able to over come her hardships and natural skepticism to accept her new life and all it afforded her. Her relationship with Gabriel was cute and even though I'm usually wary of bffs falling in love, I thought it worked for them especially once their connection was fully explained toward the end. Gabriel was a really sweet guy, he was so supportive and cared for Amber tremendously but it wasn't just for Amber, he was naturally an understanding and caring person.
I thought the secondary characters really shined as well, like Olivia and Sky, Amber's sisters. Each girl had an interesting personality and relationship with their Gloresti or protector that really made me want to get to know each of them better.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and even though some of the terminology was a bit difficult for me to grasp at times, I'm still looking forward to reading the next two books in the series. 4.5 stars
I thought the secondary characters really shined as well, like Olivia and Sky, Amber's sisters. Each girl had an interesting personality and relationship with their Gloresti or protector that really made me want to get to know each of them better.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and even though some of the terminology was a bit difficult for me to grasp at times, I'm still looking forward to reading the next two books in the series. 4.5 stars
August 30, 2017
Third read Aug 2017: what I really wanted to go back and reread was the Firstborn Trilogy that comes after this trilogy. I figured I would start at the beginning and have 6 books to enjoy. Bumped my rating up to 5 stars because I swear it gets better with every read. I think having a base knowledge increases the enjoyability. The love story between Gabriel and Amber is one I often think about and has become one of my favorites. Can't wait to read about James and Olivia in Central. I remember loving it!
second read Sept 2014: These characters have been on my mind lately and since my memory is blissfully bad I can go back and re-read stories as if its almost the first time. I have to say, having an inkling of what was going on and remembering just a touch of the world that Thomas created made it an easier read than the first time through. I have to bump my stars up to 4. This book is important because it sets the foundation for the rest to follow. I just finished book 2 Central and 3 Foretold and am on to the Firstborn trilogy (about the children of these first three books)and can honestly say they continue to get better.
first read Sept 2012: 3 stars. I liked it. I really liked the second half. I hear the next book is even better so I will keep reading.
second read Sept 2014: These characters have been on my mind lately and since my memory is blissfully bad I can go back and re-read stories as if its almost the first time. I have to say, having an inkling of what was going on and remembering just a touch of the world that Thomas created made it an easier read than the first time through. I have to bump my stars up to 4. This book is important because it sets the foundation for the rest to follow. I just finished book 2 Central and 3 Foretold and am on to the Firstborn trilogy (about the children of these first three books)and can honestly say they continue to get better.
first read Sept 2012: 3 stars. I liked it. I really liked the second half. I hear the next book is even better so I will keep reading.
June 22, 2013
This is the second time reading it, and my review went from five stars to four. It is not because I liked the story any less, but because of how many years it has been since I first read it, I have matured in my taste, and this book had a very 'teen' feel to it. I wouldn't care about recommending this book to a 12 year old because there is no content that would really be offensive.
One huge aspect to this book that was a bit upsetting was the overall developed/undeveloped feel to it. Yes, the book was a normal sized book, but nothing really starts happening until you are about 50% through. Not that the first half was bad, but it feels like you picked up a different book. That was a bit weird.
I totally would read the second book again, mainly because I loved the rest of the series so much, but I feel I will have the same reaction.
I would have also like a bit more literary devices used in the book. There was a bit of foreshadowing, but it was OBVIOUS fore-shadowing. You knew what was going to happen. Symbolism was there, but it too was under-developed.
Overall, it is a perfect fit for a reader in their younger teens. Not something I would classify as a YA book.
One huge aspect to this book that was a bit upsetting was the overall developed/undeveloped feel to it. Yes, the book was a normal sized book, but nothing really starts happening until you are about 50% through. Not that the first half was bad, but it feels like you picked up a different book. That was a bit weird.
I totally would read the second book again, mainly because I loved the rest of the series so much, but I feel I will have the same reaction.
I would have also like a bit more literary devices used in the book. There was a bit of foreshadowing, but it was OBVIOUS fore-shadowing. You knew what was going to happen. Symbolism was there, but it too was under-developed.
Overall, it is a perfect fit for a reader in their younger teens. Not something I would classify as a YA book.
April 19, 2012
Okay. This is going to be hard to review when I've already read the rest.
Well. I'll start with what I liked and what I dis-liked.
Dis-likes:
1) preeeeeeeeeeedictable love story. Seriously. Just no.
2) this is about all the books but, THEY ARE ALL THE FREAKIN' SAME. It's like " oh hey my sisters fell in-love with their guardians, ID BETTER DO THE SAME. " ugh. One was enough, two times tolerable. Three times? Nu-uh.
3) the other two sisters Skye and Olivia were kinda really annoying.
Likes!
1) the plot was different, no shitty lusting vampires or woodsy scented werewolves. No. They were something new. And that's always fun. 10/10 for originality!
2) Gabriel sounded like one fine piece of ass. Mind my um. Terminology. He was hardcore yet sweet and caring.
3) Amber wasn't all defenseless and damsel in distress like. She was a tough bitch and she knew what she wanted. She was adorbs.
So yeah, I loved this book. The other two got a bit repetitive, but hey. Never so bad I stopped reading them. I would suggest this book to read :)
Well. I'll start with what I liked and what I dis-liked.
Dis-likes:
1) preeeeeeeeeeedictable love story. Seriously. Just no.
2) this is about all the books but, THEY ARE ALL THE FREAKIN' SAME. It's like " oh hey my sisters fell in-love with their guardians, ID BETTER DO THE SAME. " ugh. One was enough, two times tolerable. Three times? Nu-uh.
3) the other two sisters Skye and Olivia were kinda really annoying.
Likes!
1) the plot was different, no shitty lusting vampires or woodsy scented werewolves. No. They were something new. And that's always fun. 10/10 for originality!
2) Gabriel sounded like one fine piece of ass. Mind my um. Terminology. He was hardcore yet sweet and caring.
3) Amber wasn't all defenseless and damsel in distress like. She was a tough bitch and she knew what she wanted. She was adorbs.
So yeah, I loved this book. The other two got a bit repetitive, but hey. Never so bad I stopped reading them. I would suggest this book to read :)
October 26, 2011
Loved it! This story has everything you're looking for in a YA Fantasy Novel. The action, adventure and love story are all fully developed.
Raine's way of creating the Estilorian plane was immaculate. Her details constantly overlapping so that there were no holes in this story. Her characters are real, they have flaws, and they used language from their age group. The love story in this book between Amber (awesomely strong woman power) and Gabriel (loving and super hot, I had a crush on this guy!) is realistic and believable. I have since read Central and Foretold, both worth picking up immediately! The plot twists in unexpected ways, and it makes it hard to put down. Warning have a weekend free, you're going to want to read them all.
Read this book, you won't be sorry.
Raine's way of creating the Estilorian plane was immaculate. Her details constantly overlapping so that there were no holes in this story. Her characters are real, they have flaws, and they used language from their age group. The love story in this book between Amber (awesomely strong woman power) and Gabriel (loving and super hot, I had a crush on this guy!) is realistic and believable. I have since read Central and Foretold, both worth picking up immediately! The plot twists in unexpected ways, and it makes it hard to put down. Warning have a weekend free, you're going to want to read them all.
Read this book, you won't be sorry.
January 13, 2013
Truly one of the best books, and series, I've read in years. I read close to 50 books a month, and I haven't been able to move on from this series (DofS and Firstborn) for a week - which is a record for me. (I read all six books in 4 days.) Heartstopping and honest, I loved the relationship between Gabriel and Amber. But that is only the beginning. Strong heroine and hero, burgeoning family relationships, paranormal mysteries, interesting powers, and a power hungry villain - yep, this book/series had it all for me. Buy this book, you won't regret it.
FYI, other books I like as much as this book: Insurgent, Reckless Magic, Significance, Slammed, Beyond the Veil, Waterfall, Fallen Eden, etc.
Parental note: This book is clean YA Paranormal.
FYI, other books I like as much as this book: Insurgent, Reckless Magic, Significance, Slammed, Beyond the Veil, Waterfall, Fallen Eden, etc.
Parental note: This book is clean YA Paranormal.
February 18, 2013
Interesting concept and fantasy setting (beings that can, with difficulty, travel between worlds). Touching and chaste romance between the two protagonists. And positive role models: intelligent, tough young woman and sensitive, caring guy. It's a good teen novel.
And that's it's weakness as well. The writing is trite and simplistic. The plot was completely predictable. Amber did this. Then Gabriel did that. Amber felt this. It got marginally better at the end with action in the other world, but overall I wouldn't recommend this to anybody older than my 15-year old daughter (and probably not to her).
And that's it's weakness as well. The writing is trite and simplistic. The plot was completely predictable. Amber did this. Then Gabriel did that. Amber felt this. It got marginally better at the end with action in the other world, but overall I wouldn't recommend this to anybody older than my 15-year old daughter (and probably not to her).
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