Spider Wars

Black Bead Chronicles #3

by J.D. Lakey

Winter is a time of quiet industry under the domes. At least it should be. Calamity is stalking the tribes of the high forests. The storms have killed too many of them, man and animal alike and now the bennelk warn of a new threat coming at them from out of the Wastes.Follow Blackwind Pack on their third adventure as Cheobawn and Connor use their wits and their Luck as they explore the wild world in which they live.

388 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2012

About the author

J.D. Lakey is an award-winning author of science fiction and fantasy stories. Her lyrical writing style and passionate connection to her characters pull you in and take you on an emotional journey of discovery in expertly-crafted worlds where futuristic technologies reside amidst primordial landscapes.

Her love of writing stemmed from growing up on a cattle ranch and farm under the endless star-filled Montana skies as far from civilization as anyone in the twentieth century could get. There, she explored the finer nuances of silence and the endless possibilities of the imagination. The shifting of fortunes finally granted her the time to gather all the stories and give them flesh. She currently lives in San Diego, California where she divides her time between her writing, commuting on the I-5 to her day job, and convincing her grandchildren that magic exists.

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Reviews

[Urša Sevšek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe J.D. Lakey has becoming one of my favourite authors.

[Nicci Carrera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the main character Cheobawn a lot and enjoy the vivid writing. Feels like the mystery of her birth of getting more clear. There's not much action in this book but a lot of set up, and I enjoyed it.

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever seen a slow-motion video of a flower unfolding from bud to full-blown? The deeper I get into this series the more that image comes to mind. Either that or matryoshka, the Russian nesting dolls - except they get smaller as you open them while the world of Cheobawn and her Pack just keeps expanding. Each successive book reveals more of the secrets, history, complex politics, relationships, mysteries, sentient species and other elements of Cheobawn's world that were hinted at in the earlier books, and each book is better than the last. In Spider Wars I missed the presence of Tam, Alain, and Megan, who at the age of twelve are now sequestered in the Temple for 100 days of training while Conner and Cheobawn take center stage. And like the previous books, the final chapter contains portents of things to come, which I can't wait to grab the next book and begin devouring.
Read these books, you won't regret it!

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a huge disappointment. It was not a terrible book, just rehashed material that didn't live up to the expectations of the first two books.

Rehash First Part:
In book one when we spent most of the book with young children braving Mother Nature/Father Bear Under the Mountain. It gave a chance for wonderful character development and plot set up. The first half of this book tries to repeat the feat, but taking an entire half a book to share material that should have been sorted out in just one chapter makes it a little long in the tooth, since it's already been done once in this series.

Rehash Second Part:
Are you familiar with the Ender Series by Orson Scott Card? Do you remember Book Three? Your memory should be shockingly refreshed after you come off this book. It's not quite cut-and-paste, but it certainly doesn't come off as fresh material for the reader. Sad.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through Goodreads. Even better than the first two. Loved it.

[Dinnl · Rating 4 out of 5]

well that wasn't what I expected at all. Quite a surprise turn in that one. Looking for book 4 (but I thought it was a trilogy?)

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admire the way these characters have grown over the past three books, and am curious to see where they go next. There's some big plots revealed in this one, stuff that was hinted at previously, and now you get a better look at the shape of it. The world is changing, and will change more--and Cheobawn is at the center of that change, sometimes caught in the current, other times soaring on the winds.
Strong, complex lead, fascinating world with some truly dangerous flora and fauna, and plenty of action and intrigue.