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Fractured Light #2
Fractured Soul
Llona will do whatever it takes to protect her newfound friends and home, but the dark plot that is threatening Lucent Academy, a school that’s supposed to be a safe place for Auras, may be too powerful for even Llona to defeat. This fast-paced tale of love, loyalty, and overcoming the darkness will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page!
335 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2013
54 people are currently reading
954 people want to read
About the author
Rachel McClellan
37 books545 followersRachel lives in New Hampshire, a place secretly known for its supernatural creatures. When she's not in her writing lair, she's partying with her husband and four children. Her love for storytelling began as a child when the moon first possessed the night. For when the lights went out, her imagination painted a whole new world. And what a scary world it was…
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
December 13, 2012
Wow. I started reading this morning, and I just couldn't put it down. Now to figure out how to write a non-spoiler review, when so much important stuff happens in this book.
********************************************
This book was a special treat for me! I was so excited to learn that McClellan was getting ready to publish the second book in this series- and even more excited when given the opportunity to review it.
I recommend this book because I really appreciate the originality of the premise. Llona's gift for manipulating light is a beautiful thing to contemplate, and is a lovely metaphor for the way in which we can bring each other joy.
Most of the characters from book 1 return, while several new ones add spice and intrigue. One of my favorite new characters is neither an aura nor a fury- you'll have to read to find out.
This volume picks up right where book 1 leaves off, with Llona and May settling into life at Lucent Academy. Llona quickly learns that she has been raised in a very different culture from her classmates, and social struggles ensue. A few catty teenage girls are the least of her problems, however. There's something evil in the woods surrounding the school, and Llona seems to be the only one to recognize the danger.
Llona spends much of this book feeling quite isolated, and as a result, she tries to handle several different big issues on her own, when she really needs to be asking for all the help she can get. While she's at it, she takes on a personal crusade to make life better for some of the others living at Lucent. All of this leads to a very dark feel- perfect, since Llona is struggling with a darkness within.
I especially enjoy reading strong female characters like Llona. I love seeing adolescents read about female characters who can and will take care of themselves, and who may even save a boy or two in the process. Llona doesn't shrink from danger, yet she isn't a perfect hero. Readers can identify with how she messes up, then has to find a way to make things right. It's a great example for our kids to read.
Rachel McClellan has earned a devoted reader in me! Her writing gets better with each book. Even her non-realistic characters are so very true to life. I will be adding all of her pubs to my wish list.
Be ready for an incredibly action-packed few pages, topped off by a heart-wrenching final scene. Then join me in my vigil for a beloved character. I'll be waiting with heart in hand for book 3 to arrive so I can find out whether I will rejoice or be crushed.
********************************************
This book was a special treat for me! I was so excited to learn that McClellan was getting ready to publish the second book in this series- and even more excited when given the opportunity to review it.
I recommend this book because I really appreciate the originality of the premise. Llona's gift for manipulating light is a beautiful thing to contemplate, and is a lovely metaphor for the way in which we can bring each other joy.
Most of the characters from book 1 return, while several new ones add spice and intrigue. One of my favorite new characters is neither an aura nor a fury- you'll have to read to find out.
This volume picks up right where book 1 leaves off, with Llona and May settling into life at Lucent Academy. Llona quickly learns that she has been raised in a very different culture from her classmates, and social struggles ensue. A few catty teenage girls are the least of her problems, however. There's something evil in the woods surrounding the school, and Llona seems to be the only one to recognize the danger.
Llona spends much of this book feeling quite isolated, and as a result, she tries to handle several different big issues on her own, when she really needs to be asking for all the help she can get. While she's at it, she takes on a personal crusade to make life better for some of the others living at Lucent. All of this leads to a very dark feel- perfect, since Llona is struggling with a darkness within.
I especially enjoy reading strong female characters like Llona. I love seeing adolescents read about female characters who can and will take care of themselves, and who may even save a boy or two in the process. Llona doesn't shrink from danger, yet she isn't a perfect hero. Readers can identify with how she messes up, then has to find a way to make things right. It's a great example for our kids to read.
Rachel McClellan has earned a devoted reader in me! Her writing gets better with each book. Even her non-realistic characters are so very true to life. I will be adding all of her pubs to my wish list.
Be ready for an incredibly action-packed few pages, topped off by a heart-wrenching final scene. Then join me in my vigil for a beloved character. I'll be waiting with heart in hand for book 3 to arrive so I can find out whether I will rejoice or be crushed.
February 6, 2013
Picking up where Fractured Light left off, Llona finds herself pushed into attending Lucent Academy at her aunt's request. Her fellow auras are about as exciting as ketchup on toast, brought up to believe that their power of light can only be used for good (never to defend oneself) and that competition is a bad thing (everyone must be equal, even taking turns to be the leader when running). Blah. No wonder Llona can't help but screw with the system a bit, not only trying to encourage competition, but constantly sneaking outside the school to run free. Unfortunately, every time she seems to leave, she runs into trouble, and once again finds herself having to use light to defend her life. But it's different this time. Llona actually wants to go looking for the Vykens that threaten her existence; she wants to use her power in the way her heritage forbids...because she doesn't wanna be weak anymore, waiting to just be picked off. But not only is the danger intensifying on the outskirts of the school, but inside as well, and convincing her Aunt Sophie that the Aura organization has been infiltrated all the way to the top, proves to be deadly impossible.
Ahh...I love this series. Besties Llona and May are back, and trying to figure out life with a bunch of girls that have been trained and isolated their whole life. May seems to slip in easily enough with the other Furies, but Llona finds it more difficult with the Auras. She feels trapped, and feels the need to escape most nights by jumping the walls of the school to go running. But she wasn't expecting to run into a Vyken that first night, and needing to fight for her life. But it was exhilarating! And something she almost began to crave, so she repeatedly disobeys the rules and warnings of the guardians protecting the school, and begins seeking out the Vykens that have been growing in numbers around her.
Fractured Soul brings new friends and new species, and a wicked reason for Llona's new urge to hunt. Christian's back too! Ahh, yummy, yummy, Christian. He manages to get assigned at the school to keep an eye on his favorite charge, and continues to pursue a forbidden relationship with Llona. She fights hard in the beginning, trying to obey some of the rules given to her upon entering the academy, but if someone like Christian was trying to break down your defensives, do you seriously think you'd say no forev.er? Not likely! And that ending... I almost died. Seriously Rachel, what the heck are you doing to us?!!!! Gah!
Pick it up peeps! And if you haven't read the Fractured Light, you need to catch up fast.
ARC provided by author/publisher for honest review.
Ahh...I love this series. Besties Llona and May are back, and trying to figure out life with a bunch of girls that have been trained and isolated their whole life. May seems to slip in easily enough with the other Furies, but Llona finds it more difficult with the Auras. She feels trapped, and feels the need to escape most nights by jumping the walls of the school to go running. But she wasn't expecting to run into a Vyken that first night, and needing to fight for her life. But it was exhilarating! And something she almost began to crave, so she repeatedly disobeys the rules and warnings of the guardians protecting the school, and begins seeking out the Vykens that have been growing in numbers around her.
Fractured Soul brings new friends and new species, and a wicked reason for Llona's new urge to hunt. Christian's back too! Ahh, yummy, yummy, Christian. He manages to get assigned at the school to keep an eye on his favorite charge, and continues to pursue a forbidden relationship with Llona. She fights hard in the beginning, trying to obey some of the rules given to her upon entering the academy, but if someone like Christian was trying to break down your defensives, do you seriously think you'd say no forev.er? Not likely! And that ending... I almost died. Seriously Rachel, what the heck are you doing to us?!!!! Gah!
Pick it up peeps! And if you haven't read the Fractured Light, you need to catch up fast.
ARC provided by author/publisher for honest review.
September 13, 2013
This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/
Thanks to Netgalley and Cedar Fort Inc. for giving me this book to review.
Llona is an Aura, a being of light, and after her friend is killed, and she is bitten by a Vyken, she is sent to Lucent Academy, a school for Aura’s and other magical races. The only other magical race that Llona knows of at Lucent Academy is Fury’s, like her friend May, who comes with her. There is also a training facility near Lucent’s for guardians, which Christian attends. However, Llona finds that not all is as it seems at Lucent’s, and with the help of Liam, a strange Vyken she meets whilst outside the academy’s grounds, and all of her friends, they try to discover what is going on, and find out that the mystery is deeper than it first seemed.
I was slightly confused by Fractured Soul book, as I did not read the first book in the series; however the book explains the main back story of the first book. I found this book to be quite good, however very like many other young adult books as it is set in a school. The pacing of this book is very good, and allows the reader to be dragged into the story line.
Writing about the characters is difficult with this book as I can’t say too much without giving away spoilers. Llona is a complicated character, who is a creature of the light, but battling the dark she received from the vyken bite. May is almost too nice, and very trusting, and comes across as too good.
In conclusion, Fractured Soul is a good book, with good pacing and varied characters, which I would recommend to people who enjoy the Vampire Academy series
Thanks to Netgalley and Cedar Fort Inc. for giving me this book to review.
Llona is an Aura, a being of light, and after her friend is killed, and she is bitten by a Vyken, she is sent to Lucent Academy, a school for Aura’s and other magical races. The only other magical race that Llona knows of at Lucent Academy is Fury’s, like her friend May, who comes with her. There is also a training facility near Lucent’s for guardians, which Christian attends. However, Llona finds that not all is as it seems at Lucent’s, and with the help of Liam, a strange Vyken she meets whilst outside the academy’s grounds, and all of her friends, they try to discover what is going on, and find out that the mystery is deeper than it first seemed.
I was slightly confused by Fractured Soul book, as I did not read the first book in the series; however the book explains the main back story of the first book. I found this book to be quite good, however very like many other young adult books as it is set in a school. The pacing of this book is very good, and allows the reader to be dragged into the story line.
Writing about the characters is difficult with this book as I can’t say too much without giving away spoilers. Llona is a complicated character, who is a creature of the light, but battling the dark she received from the vyken bite. May is almost too nice, and very trusting, and comes across as too good.
In conclusion, Fractured Soul is a good book, with good pacing and varied characters, which I would recommend to people who enjoy the Vampire Academy series
December 27, 2012
Rachel McClellan returns to the world she created with “Fractured Soul,” the amazing sequel to “Fractured Light.”
Relegated to attending the Lucent Academy, Llona tries to make the best of a bad situation. She makes new friends, she tries not to balk at the propaganda being passed off as education … but she’s beset by a gathering darkness. Along the way, we’re offered more glimpses into the shared history that McClellan teased us with in “Fractured Light,” and, as expected, McClellan does an awesome job with world building and characterization.
Altogether, “Fractured Soul” is a masterfully executed sequel--it's built upon the foundation laid by its predecessor, but instead of merely living up to expectations, it chooses to redefine them in creative and compelling ways: new characters threaten to outshine the old, tension and action are interwoven with exquisite skill, and the storyline is nothing short of inspired. Fans will clamor for the next book.
I highly recommend “Fractured Soul” to YA and paranormal fans.
Relegated to attending the Lucent Academy, Llona tries to make the best of a bad situation. She makes new friends, she tries not to balk at the propaganda being passed off as education … but she’s beset by a gathering darkness. Along the way, we’re offered more glimpses into the shared history that McClellan teased us with in “Fractured Light,” and, as expected, McClellan does an awesome job with world building and characterization.
Altogether, “Fractured Soul” is a masterfully executed sequel--it's built upon the foundation laid by its predecessor, but instead of merely living up to expectations, it chooses to redefine them in creative and compelling ways: new characters threaten to outshine the old, tension and action are interwoven with exquisite skill, and the storyline is nothing short of inspired. Fans will clamor for the next book.
I highly recommend “Fractured Soul” to YA and paranormal fans.
June 1, 2013
See this review and more on The Moonlight Library!
Fractured Soul (an adept name, too!) is the sequel to Fractured Light, and finds our resident Aura Llona Reese (an Aura is someone who is basically a descendent of Light itself, and they are good people and their purpose in life is to make others feel better) at Lucent Academy (I LOVE the school’s name!) to learn more about being an Aura and how to use her skills. Unfortunately, not everything is above the board at the school of light, and darkness and corruption lurk around every corner putting not only Llona and her guardian boyfriend Christian in danger, but the entire school as well.
On the surface, there is nothing wrong with McClellan’s writing. She has a firm grasp of the English language and there are no overt language mistakes that I can recall. The issue I have in and of itself is the storytelling skill. McClellan clearly has a strong plot, and great characters, but I never get a sense of urgency or danger. Llona is never really threatened because she’s just so amazingly kick-ass, but then all of a sudden for no reason in particular she’ll need rescuing. I understand that it presents a truth: that even the most amazing of people still need help sometimes – but it happens frequently, and in the end I was frustrated by this simple fact: when Llona fights, she’s awesome. Then she’ll become the underdog for no reason. Someone rescues her, and afterwards she’ll reflect how she nearly died. Yet I never actually felt that Llona was threatened. I never really felt that Llona was in danger. Her kick-ass-ness did not balance well with her helplessness, and although I can see what McClellan was trying to do, it didn’t work with me.
The other thing that I felt was flat was the fight scenes. When Llona fought one on one with an enemy, she was amazingly agile and super strong and could backflip and perform flying kicks with absolutely no training whatsoever. But at least the actual writing of the scene was balanced. When it was a group fight, the attention was not thoroughly spaced on the other characters and I often felt that the villains were just standing around, watching. In a scene where absolutely everyone is moving and everyone is fighting for their lives, I often felt that the focus was spent too long on one item or another, or the details were a deliberately vague “He fought well” kind of thing. The fight scenes often left me frustrated and wanting more. And also, Llona learns to do something relatively easily which none of the other Auras can do, and I just wish it had been a bit more dangerous for her…
Christian, on the other hand, was awesome. Oh, that ending. Kudos to McClellan for having the ovaries to do what so many other writers do not. Yes, I hated Christian in Fractured Light because he was a sexist misogynist dick head who pushed Llona around and refused to teach her how to fight. But that was because he was indoctrinated in this misogynistic society which declares that Auras, as females, are too weak to fight and handle the responsibility of killing someone, even if it is in their own defence. I never felt that McClellan was preaching this to me, because of course Llona wholeheartedly rejects this and demonstrates again and again just what an Aura is capable of, which I loved. And in this book Christian was a sweet, mature, supportive boyfriend who was always there for Llona even when she was pushing him away. Not my kind of swoon, but appreciated all the same.
While the book suffered from a few clichés (bitchy queen bee who hated Llona for no reason, Llona being a bit too special even in a school of special girls) and the bad guys really had quite poor motivation and only appeared as needed, there are good things about this book!
~NO LOVE TRIANGLE. (I shipped one, but it totally wasn’t real).
~Strong female friendship! Llona actually has friends outside of her boyfriend. And those friends are three-dimensional.
~AND ALSO. OH MY GOD THAT ENDING. I can’t spoil it for you but THANK YOU, RACHEL.
OK, so I don’t LOVE these books, and sometimes it’s so bad I just have to laugh, but I am entertained nonetheless. This book series is one of my guilty pleasures, and I for one am totally looking forward to yet another beautiful cover on Fractured Truth, which once again should be an awesome book because from the sneak peek at the back of this book it looks like Llona’s graduated from school and is going into some kind of espionage*…?
*May not be actual plot of Fractured Truth.
Thanks to Sweetwater Books and Netgalley for providing this advanced reader copy for an honest review.
Fractured Soul (an adept name, too!) is the sequel to Fractured Light, and finds our resident Aura Llona Reese (an Aura is someone who is basically a descendent of Light itself, and they are good people and their purpose in life is to make others feel better) at Lucent Academy (I LOVE the school’s name!) to learn more about being an Aura and how to use her skills. Unfortunately, not everything is above the board at the school of light, and darkness and corruption lurk around every corner putting not only Llona and her guardian boyfriend Christian in danger, but the entire school as well.
On the surface, there is nothing wrong with McClellan’s writing. She has a firm grasp of the English language and there are no overt language mistakes that I can recall. The issue I have in and of itself is the storytelling skill. McClellan clearly has a strong plot, and great characters, but I never get a sense of urgency or danger. Llona is never really threatened because she’s just so amazingly kick-ass, but then all of a sudden for no reason in particular she’ll need rescuing. I understand that it presents a truth: that even the most amazing of people still need help sometimes – but it happens frequently, and in the end I was frustrated by this simple fact: when Llona fights, she’s awesome. Then she’ll become the underdog for no reason. Someone rescues her, and afterwards she’ll reflect how she nearly died. Yet I never actually felt that Llona was threatened. I never really felt that Llona was in danger. Her kick-ass-ness did not balance well with her helplessness, and although I can see what McClellan was trying to do, it didn’t work with me.
The other thing that I felt was flat was the fight scenes. When Llona fought one on one with an enemy, she was amazingly agile and super strong and could backflip and perform flying kicks with absolutely no training whatsoever. But at least the actual writing of the scene was balanced. When it was a group fight, the attention was not thoroughly spaced on the other characters and I often felt that the villains were just standing around, watching. In a scene where absolutely everyone is moving and everyone is fighting for their lives, I often felt that the focus was spent too long on one item or another, or the details were a deliberately vague “He fought well” kind of thing. The fight scenes often left me frustrated and wanting more. And also, Llona learns to do something relatively easily which none of the other Auras can do, and I just wish it had been a bit more dangerous for her…
Christian, on the other hand, was awesome. Oh, that ending. Kudos to McClellan for having the ovaries to do what so many other writers do not. Yes, I hated Christian in Fractured Light because he was a sexist misogynist dick head who pushed Llona around and refused to teach her how to fight. But that was because he was indoctrinated in this misogynistic society which declares that Auras, as females, are too weak to fight and handle the responsibility of killing someone, even if it is in their own defence. I never felt that McClellan was preaching this to me, because of course Llona wholeheartedly rejects this and demonstrates again and again just what an Aura is capable of, which I loved. And in this book Christian was a sweet, mature, supportive boyfriend who was always there for Llona even when she was pushing him away. Not my kind of swoon, but appreciated all the same.
While the book suffered from a few clichés (bitchy queen bee who hated Llona for no reason, Llona being a bit too special even in a school of special girls) and the bad guys really had quite poor motivation and only appeared as needed, there are good things about this book!
~NO LOVE TRIANGLE. (I shipped one, but it totally wasn’t real).
~Strong female friendship! Llona actually has friends outside of her boyfriend. And those friends are three-dimensional.
~AND ALSO. OH MY GOD THAT ENDING. I can’t spoil it for you but THANK YOU, RACHEL.
OK, so I don’t LOVE these books, and sometimes it’s so bad I just have to laugh, but I am entertained nonetheless. This book series is one of my guilty pleasures, and I for one am totally looking forward to yet another beautiful cover on Fractured Truth, which once again should be an awesome book because from the sneak peek at the back of this book it looks like Llona’s graduated from school and is going into some kind of espionage*…?
*May not be actual plot of Fractured Truth.
Thanks to Sweetwater Books and Netgalley for providing this advanced reader copy for an honest review.
January 13, 2013
Here I am, going to fangirl for a little bit before I get into anything else. This book is amazing and so utterly heartbreaking that I am currently debating on ranting at the same time as fangirling. All I can really say is that the plot thickens a lot by the end of the book and I am craving the next book more than you can imagine.
Fractured Soul is the perfect title for this story. A lot of books you wonder why authors select that title above a different one and you can't seem to grasp what made this title better than another. Well, that isn't true for this novel. Throughout the story, you grapple with just how real that title comes into play. To have a fractured soul -- to be fractured at all -- would destroy a person and Llona battles with allowing herself to break in every way possible. I know that if I were her, I wouldn't have made it to the last chapter.
There is so much development for Llona and she is so strong that I long to be like her. Just like the first novel, she isn't hard to connect with and there is something very human in her weaknesses even if the typical person doesn't experience what she does. If I wasn't certain that she could handle everything thrown at her, I would definitely be tempted to pull her from the story and keep her safe. Is that possible? I don't care because I would find a way. Llona faces a lot of struggle, heartbreak, and happiness which puts you on an emotional roller coaster that you never want to get off. Her strength, which I going to continually praise, is awe-inspiring and her abilities as well as selflessness is something that I don't know if I could have. She is an amazing leader and friend, yet she battles with something darker, something more sinister.
Can I marry Christian? Despite my earlier questions about him as a love interest, he became one of my favorites by far. He has so much depth, so much loyalty, and so much love to him that makes me just want to hug him. Well that and keep him forever. Why can't there be a Christian in my life? Anyways, I love him. There is no doubt in my mind that he is a strong character and yet has a softer side that most men either shy away from showing or maintain instead of being strong.
All of the new characters introduced throughout the story were either someone who I want to be my best friend or someone I wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. There were a few that fit into both. May, oh May, I think we should be best friends. She is probably the greatest person ever, except for Llona who has skyrocketed a lot for me. I also fell in love with Tessa who is a brand new character to the story and the story definitely wouldn't have been the same without her.
If I wasn't so chicken, I would adamantly say that I want to be Llona and have her friends (and let's not forget Christian) but I honestly couldn't handle everything she goes through.
I am going to now sing praises for the epic bad guy(s). I can't even begin to tell you how much I love a well written bad guy, the type that sends chills down my spine and makes me think twice about going out at night. You, Rachel McClellan, will never be questioned about writing bad guys again. You blew my mind and showed me just how much darkness can hide even in the brightest of places. I think you even inadvertently created some less bad guys -- but still not good guys -- throughout the story and whether that was on purpose or not, I loved it. You made me question everything and everyone which is hard to do once I've formed an opinion.
I love this story. There is a lot of beauty to it's darkness and it was awesome in its heartbreaking way. Very few stories have made me so frustrated and I think Fractured Soul is definitely one of them.
The plot...
The characters...
The romance...
The world...
Why can't it be real?
I can without a doubt say that if you read the Fractured Light series, you will not be disappointed. It has everything you could possibly want in a story and leaves you craving more. If you haven't read Fractured Light, go read it because the world isn't complete without reading this series.
Fractured Soul is the perfect title for this story. A lot of books you wonder why authors select that title above a different one and you can't seem to grasp what made this title better than another. Well, that isn't true for this novel. Throughout the story, you grapple with just how real that title comes into play. To have a fractured soul -- to be fractured at all -- would destroy a person and Llona battles with allowing herself to break in every way possible. I know that if I were her, I wouldn't have made it to the last chapter.
There is so much development for Llona and she is so strong that I long to be like her. Just like the first novel, she isn't hard to connect with and there is something very human in her weaknesses even if the typical person doesn't experience what she does. If I wasn't certain that she could handle everything thrown at her, I would definitely be tempted to pull her from the story and keep her safe. Is that possible? I don't care because I would find a way. Llona faces a lot of struggle, heartbreak, and happiness which puts you on an emotional roller coaster that you never want to get off. Her strength, which I going to continually praise, is awe-inspiring and her abilities as well as selflessness is something that I don't know if I could have. She is an amazing leader and friend, yet she battles with something darker, something more sinister.
Can I marry Christian? Despite my earlier questions about him as a love interest, he became one of my favorites by far. He has so much depth, so much loyalty, and so much love to him that makes me just want to hug him. Well that and keep him forever. Why can't there be a Christian in my life? Anyways, I love him. There is no doubt in my mind that he is a strong character and yet has a softer side that most men either shy away from showing or maintain instead of being strong.
All of the new characters introduced throughout the story were either someone who I want to be my best friend or someone I wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. There were a few that fit into both. May, oh May, I think we should be best friends. She is probably the greatest person ever, except for Llona who has skyrocketed a lot for me. I also fell in love with Tessa who is a brand new character to the story and the story definitely wouldn't have been the same without her.
If I wasn't so chicken, I would adamantly say that I want to be Llona and have her friends (and let's not forget Christian) but I honestly couldn't handle everything she goes through.
I am going to now sing praises for the epic bad guy(s). I can't even begin to tell you how much I love a well written bad guy, the type that sends chills down my spine and makes me think twice about going out at night. You, Rachel McClellan, will never be questioned about writing bad guys again. You blew my mind and showed me just how much darkness can hide even in the brightest of places. I think you even inadvertently created some less bad guys -- but still not good guys -- throughout the story and whether that was on purpose or not, I loved it. You made me question everything and everyone which is hard to do once I've formed an opinion.
I love this story. There is a lot of beauty to it's darkness and it was awesome in its heartbreaking way. Very few stories have made me so frustrated and I think Fractured Soul is definitely one of them.
The plot...
The characters...
The romance...
The world...
Why can't it be real?
I can without a doubt say that if you read the Fractured Light series, you will not be disappointed. It has everything you could possibly want in a story and leaves you craving more. If you haven't read Fractured Light, go read it because the world isn't complete without reading this series.
December 3, 2015
(Originally posted on the blog)
When I read Fractured Light last year, I mentioned something about hoping for a sequel with more information about the Auras, the Guardians and the Vykens. Rachel McClellan has truly outdone herself with Fractured Soul, bringing a sophomore novel that's entertaining, informative and jam-packed with action and intrigue. Though it took me a while to remember the basics of this world, I definitely enjoyed joining Llona and her friends in another adventure.
There are a lot of changes in Llona's life in this book, which means that her character really does go through a difficult time dealing with everything. While I admire the tenacity and curiosity that have always been a part of who she is, I spent most of this one worrying about her. Not only is she forced to battle more evil, but she's even got things to think about when it comes to herself... and that forms a core part of this novel. The clever twist that McClellan uses when it comes to moving this story forward has a lot to do with Llona and is something that I personally think makes a lot of sense.
We're joined by a couple of old favorites in this book - Llona's best friend May and her Guardian Christian - and I love having them around. Both continue to support and care about Llona, and I love how they have never once wavered in their trust and love for her. However, I do think that Christian might have made some pretty interesting decisions in this book, and I'm not necessarily in agreement with all of them.
Apart from the old characters, we meet a few new ones who I wanted to give a shout out to, particularly Tessa, Dr. Hans and Liam. These three people become part of Llona's adventures at Lucent Academy in various capacities, and it was fascinating for me to learn more about them, what they knew and who they were.
What really drives this novel forward, in my opinion, is the plot. Things are a bit slow when Llona first arrives at Lucent Academy, mostly because we're forced to endure her daily experiences. (In case you were wondering, Lucent came across like a very old-fashioned boarding school for Auras). But as Llona starts to discover things, both about herself and about the school, a plot unfolds until something extremely evil is revealed. Though we don't necessarily finish the book knowing all the whys and hows, we are given enough information to know something awful is afoot and to justify the events that take place towards the book's latter half (and trust me, there are some traumatising moments in store).
Fractured Soul was a second book served up just the way I liked them - main character growth, interesting new characters and a massive evil plot. It was a pleasure to learn more about Llona, and to find reasons to root for her to succeed. It was also fun to meet even more new magical races in this world, and to witness some pretty awesome fight scenes. As the evil plot still isn't completely resolved, I look forward to reading the next book and finding out what Llona and her friends are going to do to save the day.
When I read Fractured Light last year, I mentioned something about hoping for a sequel with more information about the Auras, the Guardians and the Vykens. Rachel McClellan has truly outdone herself with Fractured Soul, bringing a sophomore novel that's entertaining, informative and jam-packed with action and intrigue. Though it took me a while to remember the basics of this world, I definitely enjoyed joining Llona and her friends in another adventure.
There are a lot of changes in Llona's life in this book, which means that her character really does go through a difficult time dealing with everything. While I admire the tenacity and curiosity that have always been a part of who she is, I spent most of this one worrying about her. Not only is she forced to battle more evil, but she's even got things to think about when it comes to herself... and that forms a core part of this novel. The clever twist that McClellan uses when it comes to moving this story forward has a lot to do with Llona and is something that I personally think makes a lot of sense.
We're joined by a couple of old favorites in this book - Llona's best friend May and her Guardian Christian - and I love having them around. Both continue to support and care about Llona, and I love how they have never once wavered in their trust and love for her. However, I do think that Christian might have made some pretty interesting decisions in this book, and I'm not necessarily in agreement with all of them.
Apart from the old characters, we meet a few new ones who I wanted to give a shout out to, particularly Tessa, Dr. Hans and Liam. These three people become part of Llona's adventures at Lucent Academy in various capacities, and it was fascinating for me to learn more about them, what they knew and who they were.
What really drives this novel forward, in my opinion, is the plot. Things are a bit slow when Llona first arrives at Lucent Academy, mostly because we're forced to endure her daily experiences. (In case you were wondering, Lucent came across like a very old-fashioned boarding school for Auras). But as Llona starts to discover things, both about herself and about the school, a plot unfolds until something extremely evil is revealed. Though we don't necessarily finish the book knowing all the whys and hows, we are given enough information to know something awful is afoot and to justify the events that take place towards the book's latter half (and trust me, there are some traumatising moments in store).
Fractured Soul was a second book served up just the way I liked them - main character growth, interesting new characters and a massive evil plot. It was a pleasure to learn more about Llona, and to find reasons to root for her to succeed. It was also fun to meet even more new magical races in this world, and to witness some pretty awesome fight scenes. As the evil plot still isn't completely resolved, I look forward to reading the next book and finding out what Llona and her friends are going to do to save the day.
March 12, 2013
This series is so good it has become one of my all time favourites. So different and so damn brilliant.
I knew before I started this book I was not going to be able to look away let alone put it down.
This series just gets better and better. I had some reservations obviously, after fractured light I just kept wondering how the author could possibly follow up to such an amazing first book, however there was no need to worry as this was just as good- you simply cannot compare the two. They are both ABSOLOUTLEY enamouring even though this one did rip out a piece of my bleeding heart.
Rachel's writing is perfection. She captures and holds you in her wonderland, I was submerged in each page in awe of her creation. The detail she puts into every inch of this book makes it simply the best.
We were promised a fast-paced tale of love, loyalty, and overcoming the darkness that will keep us on the edge of our seat until the last page, and boy that's what I got and more, so much more. By the last page I wasn't on the edge of my seat I was on the floor. When my eyes finished scanning that last page I was still there praying that that wasn't the last and begging for book 3.
This book is much more emotional than the first and much more fast paced if you can believe that.
Each character develops and comes so far, and new ones are introduced and old ones lost.
I can't put into words how I felt during every part of this book, my emotions were changing from one extreme to the other until I was in turmoil and I became an emotional wreck.
Liam, a new and epic addition to the series was the only one who could truly understand Llona and he is one of my favourite characters. He is a strong leader, fiercely loyal and very deadly. He also happens to be drop dead gorgeous- well in my head he is anyways.
Tess and Kiera along we're also kick-ass new characters in this book who I simply adored. They made me laugh more times than I care to count. They become Llona and Mays best friends and together they become the new MI team- Lucent's very own spies.
Tess is a lizard and helps the girls escape from some very tricky situations as she can make the, breathe underwater with her touch. May learns to hurl giant fireballs, and Llona helps Kiera use light as a weapon.
So as you can tell things heat up quite a lot in this book.
As for Christian.. Well I just can't bring myself to talk about him, except I will say that I will always love him and if this series has 20 books or even a 100 I will never forget him.
If you haven't read this series yet, I cannot tell you how much your missing out.
This was a mind-blowing sequel that didnt dissappoint... 5 stars seems not enough.
I knew before I started this book I was not going to be able to look away let alone put it down.
This series just gets better and better. I had some reservations obviously, after fractured light I just kept wondering how the author could possibly follow up to such an amazing first book, however there was no need to worry as this was just as good- you simply cannot compare the two. They are both ABSOLOUTLEY enamouring even though this one did rip out a piece of my bleeding heart.
Rachel's writing is perfection. She captures and holds you in her wonderland, I was submerged in each page in awe of her creation. The detail she puts into every inch of this book makes it simply the best.
We were promised a fast-paced tale of love, loyalty, and overcoming the darkness that will keep us on the edge of our seat until the last page, and boy that's what I got and more, so much more. By the last page I wasn't on the edge of my seat I was on the floor. When my eyes finished scanning that last page I was still there praying that that wasn't the last and begging for book 3.
This book is much more emotional than the first and much more fast paced if you can believe that.
Each character develops and comes so far, and new ones are introduced and old ones lost.
I can't put into words how I felt during every part of this book, my emotions were changing from one extreme to the other until I was in turmoil and I became an emotional wreck.
Liam, a new and epic addition to the series was the only one who could truly understand Llona and he is one of my favourite characters. He is a strong leader, fiercely loyal and very deadly. He also happens to be drop dead gorgeous- well in my head he is anyways.
Tess and Kiera along we're also kick-ass new characters in this book who I simply adored. They made me laugh more times than I care to count. They become Llona and Mays best friends and together they become the new MI team- Lucent's very own spies.
Tess is a lizard and helps the girls escape from some very tricky situations as she can make the, breathe underwater with her touch. May learns to hurl giant fireballs, and Llona helps Kiera use light as a weapon.
So as you can tell things heat up quite a lot in this book.
As for Christian.. Well I just can't bring myself to talk about him, except I will say that I will always love him and if this series has 20 books or even a 100 I will never forget him.
If you haven't read this series yet, I cannot tell you how much your missing out.
This was a mind-blowing sequel that didnt dissappoint... 5 stars seems not enough.
January 19, 2013
Fractured Soul is book 2 in the series by Rachel McClellan. Now I'm writing this a few days after reading because it took some time to…calm myself down. I'm one of those readers who gets seriously into books. I get all up in arms on the characters behalf, or for them, or anything that I feel is bad or giddy like a school girl for good things. People laugh at me while I read and I am okay with this. This book got me all worked up to say the least and as much as I want to blurt out a major spoiler I won't. So I will simply say be prepared and I suggest have tissues available.
We pick up with Llona and May arriving at Lucent Academy, the school for Auras. A safe place for them to learn the history of what they are, though May isn't an Aura they also have a few people like her there to help her as well. The school is a place for Auras to safely learn to use their abilities and how to make things beautiful and such. Llona is more interested in learning things she is way behind on, so she can get out of there. Plus after her attract keeping her Uncle safe seems like a good idea too. Though she learns that Light might make you good by natures but teenage girls are still teenage girls and they can be vicious. She fits in less in a school full of people like her than at a normal school. Her reputation has proceeded her. Then again with her new found darkness, she is different. Can she battle the darkness surrounding her, inside her, or will it destroy her light?
Now even though this book made me cry my eyes out it was a great read. Clearly I got invested in the characters and the story. We have some wonderful new characters to get to know as well as a new place. Some to like, some to hate, but that's the fun. We also get to see through Llonas eyes how things are for most Auras. She realizes that not only did their kind stop fighting, but they stopped taking care of themselves. Waited on by Lizens, creatures she'd never before heard of, and finds there is yet again more she did not know.
As she is at Lucent Llona stumbles into something evil, that maybe even she isn't strong enough to defeat. As with the other book I really liked the characters and story but also the way McClellan is able to weave in subplots that have larger and deeper meanings.
http://functioninginsanity.blogspot.c...
We pick up with Llona and May arriving at Lucent Academy, the school for Auras. A safe place for them to learn the history of what they are, though May isn't an Aura they also have a few people like her there to help her as well. The school is a place for Auras to safely learn to use their abilities and how to make things beautiful and such. Llona is more interested in learning things she is way behind on, so she can get out of there. Plus after her attract keeping her Uncle safe seems like a good idea too. Though she learns that Light might make you good by natures but teenage girls are still teenage girls and they can be vicious. She fits in less in a school full of people like her than at a normal school. Her reputation has proceeded her. Then again with her new found darkness, she is different. Can she battle the darkness surrounding her, inside her, or will it destroy her light?
Now even though this book made me cry my eyes out it was a great read. Clearly I got invested in the characters and the story. We have some wonderful new characters to get to know as well as a new place. Some to like, some to hate, but that's the fun. We also get to see through Llonas eyes how things are for most Auras. She realizes that not only did their kind stop fighting, but they stopped taking care of themselves. Waited on by Lizens, creatures she'd never before heard of, and finds there is yet again more she did not know.
As she is at Lucent Llona stumbles into something evil, that maybe even she isn't strong enough to defeat. As with the other book I really liked the characters and story but also the way McClellan is able to weave in subplots that have larger and deeper meanings.
http://functioninginsanity.blogspot.c...
May 7, 2013
Fractured Soul and Fractured Light - I love the Titles
Here’s a two-for-one review with no plot spoilers. These novels were quick reads and I had fun “buddy reading” with my niece Rachael Dredge. She is the target audience for these YA books since she is still an actual young adult and I’m more of a middle-aged young adult.
Rachael said, “The book ‘Fractured Light' is a clean, easy to read romantic novel with a twist. Fans of 'Twilight' and 'I am Number Four' will enjoy the book. Despite being predictable and hard to get into, it really picks up halfway in and gets you curious about where the series will head as a whole, introducing a mysterious magic system and a quest for self-knowledge. The main character herself, Llona, is nothing very eye-catching (another moody outcast), at least not until the end where she is put to the test.”
I responded with my view which was that the second book is better than the first book. You don’t need to read the first book to understand the second book, and McClellan doesn’t waste pages with too much back-story. There are fewer distracting descriptive phrases in ‘Fractured Light’ which lets the reader enjoy the story without halting the flow.
We get a little more information about Llona and the Auras. One of the questions we all want answered is revealed: “Why can’t I change my hair? It’s always the same. I can’t cut it or color it.” she asks the school nurse.
“It’s the Light in our DNA. It affects some of us physically, changing certain parts of our makeup.” She held up her left hand, revealing a sixth finger. I think Llona was happy to have beautiful white hair as her “Thing about us we would like to change” even before the lecture about having something we don’t like about our appearance.
As the exciting conclusion (I hoped) approached, I found myself willing to read longer in the final stretch. I also appreciated the G rating. Teenagers don’t always use offensive language or sleep with their very young boyfriend – and these characters don’t. It’s safe to give these books to a daughter, granddaughter or even a grandmother.
I will admit I had to find out how to pronounce Llona. It’s "eye-loh-nah" in the US and "ee-law-nuh” in Europe. After mispronouncing heroines named Hermoine and Esme, I wanted to be able to carry on a conversation with YA readers without completely embarrassing myself.
Here’s a two-for-one review with no plot spoilers. These novels were quick reads and I had fun “buddy reading” with my niece Rachael Dredge. She is the target audience for these YA books since she is still an actual young adult and I’m more of a middle-aged young adult.
Rachael said, “The book ‘Fractured Light' is a clean, easy to read romantic novel with a twist. Fans of 'Twilight' and 'I am Number Four' will enjoy the book. Despite being predictable and hard to get into, it really picks up halfway in and gets you curious about where the series will head as a whole, introducing a mysterious magic system and a quest for self-knowledge. The main character herself, Llona, is nothing very eye-catching (another moody outcast), at least not until the end where she is put to the test.”
I responded with my view which was that the second book is better than the first book. You don’t need to read the first book to understand the second book, and McClellan doesn’t waste pages with too much back-story. There are fewer distracting descriptive phrases in ‘Fractured Light’ which lets the reader enjoy the story without halting the flow.
We get a little more information about Llona and the Auras. One of the questions we all want answered is revealed: “Why can’t I change my hair? It’s always the same. I can’t cut it or color it.” she asks the school nurse.
“It’s the Light in our DNA. It affects some of us physically, changing certain parts of our makeup.” She held up her left hand, revealing a sixth finger. I think Llona was happy to have beautiful white hair as her “Thing about us we would like to change” even before the lecture about having something we don’t like about our appearance.
As the exciting conclusion (I hoped) approached, I found myself willing to read longer in the final stretch. I also appreciated the G rating. Teenagers don’t always use offensive language or sleep with their very young boyfriend – and these characters don’t. It’s safe to give these books to a daughter, granddaughter or even a grandmother.
I will admit I had to find out how to pronounce Llona. It’s "eye-loh-nah" in the US and "ee-law-nuh” in Europe. After mispronouncing heroines named Hermoine and Esme, I wanted to be able to carry on a conversation with YA readers without completely embarrassing myself.
December 16, 2012
Fractured Soul was an amazing sequel to Fractured Light! I think I enjoyed this installment better than the first :) It was darker than the first and there was some awesome new characters and different elements that came into play in this story. I highly recommend this series!
I loved this book. Since I read Fractured Light awhile ago my memory of book 1 was a little scarce, but once I got started reading Fractured Soul, things began falling into place and my memory came back. I really liked how this book is much darker than the first. The protagonist, Llona, is battling with some of her own inner demons on top of fighting the evil and trying to figure out the danger. I loved every moment of it :) Also, our guy Christian was there. OMG, that ending! But anyways, we also meet tons of other new characters in this installment. For instance, Liam. I loved him :) *ahem* Kinda more than Christian...
This book was action packed to the extreme. There were so many mysteries to try and figure out and so much danger and darkness overcoming characters that it kept you in suspense. This was a true PAGE TURNER! I could not put this book down. I can't wait to figure out what's going to happen in book 3, Fractured Truth, because the ending was unbelievable!
Thanks so much to Netgalley for a review copy of Fractured Soul. All thoughts are my honest opinion!
I loved this book. Since I read Fractured Light awhile ago my memory of book 1 was a little scarce, but once I got started reading Fractured Soul, things began falling into place and my memory came back. I really liked how this book is much darker than the first. The protagonist, Llona, is battling with some of her own inner demons on top of fighting the evil and trying to figure out the danger. I loved every moment of it :) Also, our guy Christian was there. OMG, that ending! But anyways, we also meet tons of other new characters in this installment. For instance, Liam. I loved him :) *ahem* Kinda more than Christian...
This book was action packed to the extreme. There were so many mysteries to try and figure out and so much danger and darkness overcoming characters that it kept you in suspense. This was a true PAGE TURNER! I could not put this book down. I can't wait to figure out what's going to happen in book 3, Fractured Truth, because the ending was unbelievable!
Thanks so much to Netgalley for a review copy of Fractured Soul. All thoughts are my honest opinion!
January 5, 2013
I received this from Netgalley as an ARC in exchange for my honest reader review.
I did not happen to read "Fractured Light" which was book one to this series. Happily, while it would give you a better initial understand of the Auras, Furies, Christian and Llona and May and Sophie, you don't have to. The book references the first, but with concise explanations instead of vague descriptions, resulting in quick information that enhances the current plot.
I was frustrated with the aunt, Sophie, and her insistence that Llona try to fit the mold. She does redeem herself a little by "admiring Llona's fire, very much like Llona's mother's fire and independent streak." Ultimately, Sophie dismisses Llona's concerns and doesn't listen and ends up a victim. How much of a victim is yet to be determined.
The ending...oh the ending! I won't say more on it.
Very readable, very fast paced, some really beautiful metaphors about choices in life and how we choose to react to factors/happenstances. A good read.
I did not happen to read "Fractured Light" which was book one to this series. Happily, while it would give you a better initial understand of the Auras, Furies, Christian and Llona and May and Sophie, you don't have to. The book references the first, but with concise explanations instead of vague descriptions, resulting in quick information that enhances the current plot.
I was frustrated with the aunt, Sophie, and her insistence that Llona try to fit the mold. She does redeem herself a little by "admiring Llona's fire, very much like Llona's mother's fire and independent streak." Ultimately, Sophie dismisses Llona's concerns and doesn't listen and ends up a victim. How much of a victim is yet to be determined.
The ending...oh the ending! I won't say more on it.
Very readable, very fast paced, some really beautiful metaphors about choices in life and how we choose to react to factors/happenstances. A good read.
November 14, 2012
When I read Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan, I was intrigued by the original story line and engaging writing. Fractured Soul picks up where Fractured Light left of and Llona is a strong heroine. I loved following her throughout the book as she learns more
about herself and her powers. Lucent Academy was not what I expected it to be. Instead of being a safe place for Llona to train, it is filled with clueless girls and leaders that don't want to face the truth of their existence. Full of heart pounding action, breathless romance, and killer drama, Fractured Soul by Rachael McClellan has it all, and I can't wait to read Fractured Truth!
about herself and her powers. Lucent Academy was not what I expected it to be. Instead of being a safe place for Llona to train, it is filled with clueless girls and leaders that don't want to face the truth of their existence. Full of heart pounding action, breathless romance, and killer drama, Fractured Soul by Rachael McClellan has it all, and I can't wait to read Fractured Truth!
April 15, 2013
Absolutely loved this... Just as good as the first!
McCellan continues on with the story from the last book exceptionally well. I was very eager to read this and dove straight in and I was not disappointed. I was pleasantly surprised actually, I didn't think this would be delivered as well as the first. I'm always skeptical when it comes to sequels. Expectations are raised after reading a good first instalment however all my doubts disappeared. This was amazing!
McCellan continues on with the story from the last book exceptionally well. I was very eager to read this and dove straight in and I was not disappointed. I was pleasantly surprised actually, I didn't think this would be delivered as well as the first. I'm always skeptical when it comes to sequels. Expectations are raised after reading a good first instalment however all my doubts disappeared. This was amazing!
May 16, 2014
I was able to read the manuscript to help edit it, and I must say, I couldn't put it down. Dishes piled up in the sink and laundry sat waiting to be folded until I was finished. A very easy, and fast-moving book with lots of action and intrigue.
December 26, 2012
Cannot wait for this one!!
September 5, 2017
Wow! Even better than first book!
I started by reading the Devil series, which I absolutely LOVED!! Didn't know about this series until after and had never read anything by this author...Now getting to read Llona's back story is truly incredible and now makes alot more sense! There's so much action, mystery, with a twist of good clean romance! Just can't get enough! Highly impressed,u don't wanna miss a word!
I started by reading the Devil series, which I absolutely LOVED!! Didn't know about this series until after and had never read anything by this author...Now getting to read Llona's back story is truly incredible and now makes alot more sense! There's so much action, mystery, with a twist of good clean romance! Just can't get enough! Highly impressed,u don't wanna miss a word!
October 31, 2018
Not a stand-alone.
I really liked this second book. There was a lot of suspense leading up to an action packed ending with a big cliffhanger.
I really liked this second book. There was a lot of suspense leading up to an action packed ending with a big cliffhanger.
December 28, 2018
I Love this series!
Makes me want to read the whole series over again.
Many great characters and sadness and love. You are made to feel everything! Five stars
Makes me want to read the whole series over again.
Many great characters and sadness and love. You are made to feel everything! Five stars
June 9, 2013
View the original review as part of the Fractured Soul blog tour and download the free bookmarks on my blog:
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ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY LOVE THIS BOOK!
This is the most enchanting series I have ever come across. With the first two books laid out flawlessly, the wait for Fractured Truth is unbearable. Every part of Fractured Soul is remarkable and an indescribable journey for us and for Llona. I found only one fault in this book (to my personal opinion is a slight one), but more of that to come....
We continue off from where Fractured Light ended. Llona is at Lucent Academy with May and we are staring to get familiar with the series again. From reading Fractured Light a while ago, I easily got into this book and back on track with the whats-what and whos-who.
Even though we know those like Llona, May and Christian, we see changes and developments in them as well as meet a whole new set of characters as well that we fall in love with. We see our old favourites go through major struggles and hardships and it tears at our seams, along with showing why we fell in love with these characters in the first place.
It's hard to write this bit without spoilers but I'll give a shot. In this book, Llona has the biggest struggles. We see her go through every change and every phase, as well as her thoughts and actions get us further inside her mind that make us connected with her and what could be called, her 'other side'. It is this inner struggle, what we love Llona even more and want her to overcome this. Her adventurous streak shows clearly again and we love this heroine and her strength and courage to do what's right as well as her plight to uncover the truth.
The pace is good, it picks up when needed to. In the bits where the pace picks up, we find that it doesn't go up by much, but it is enough to get our hearts pumping and butterflies out when called for. It's great, because just after something major happens and the pace slows down, we don't feel like the book is getting really really slow and find it hard to read. It's done in such a way that, you want to keep on reading and reading, even in the bits between all the action! (Although there is a lot of action in this one)
What I really love about this novel, is that we can't seem to guess what is going to happen next. We don't even have time to think about what is going to happen! But sometimes, I found that I guessed something, straight after reading it and then the next sentence revealed what was right, or wrong. This made me get a bigger reaction because of just being able to guess what is going to happen, then to be revealed a moment later.
Ok, so I spoke about the small downfall earlier. I know, this might not make much sense, but when you read Fractured Soul, you will understand what I am talking about. Here goes..... I wish that there was more of a development at the end with Christian. The emotion for Llona, didn't really give it much justice for what happened, I wanted to be able to be completely moved and emotional from this event, but the development of it just wasn't enough and there should have been more. In short, it didn't give the situation justice.
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ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY LOVE THIS BOOK!
This is the most enchanting series I have ever come across. With the first two books laid out flawlessly, the wait for Fractured Truth is unbearable. Every part of Fractured Soul is remarkable and an indescribable journey for us and for Llona. I found only one fault in this book (to my personal opinion is a slight one), but more of that to come....
We continue off from where Fractured Light ended. Llona is at Lucent Academy with May and we are staring to get familiar with the series again. From reading Fractured Light a while ago, I easily got into this book and back on track with the whats-what and whos-who.
Even though we know those like Llona, May and Christian, we see changes and developments in them as well as meet a whole new set of characters as well that we fall in love with. We see our old favourites go through major struggles and hardships and it tears at our seams, along with showing why we fell in love with these characters in the first place.
It's hard to write this bit without spoilers but I'll give a shot. In this book, Llona has the biggest struggles. We see her go through every change and every phase, as well as her thoughts and actions get us further inside her mind that make us connected with her and what could be called, her 'other side'. It is this inner struggle, what we love Llona even more and want her to overcome this. Her adventurous streak shows clearly again and we love this heroine and her strength and courage to do what's right as well as her plight to uncover the truth.
The pace is good, it picks up when needed to. In the bits where the pace picks up, we find that it doesn't go up by much, but it is enough to get our hearts pumping and butterflies out when called for. It's great, because just after something major happens and the pace slows down, we don't feel like the book is getting really really slow and find it hard to read. It's done in such a way that, you want to keep on reading and reading, even in the bits between all the action! (Although there is a lot of action in this one)
What I really love about this novel, is that we can't seem to guess what is going to happen next. We don't even have time to think about what is going to happen! But sometimes, I found that I guessed something, straight after reading it and then the next sentence revealed what was right, or wrong. This made me get a bigger reaction because of just being able to guess what is going to happen, then to be revealed a moment later.
Ok, so I spoke about the small downfall earlier. I know, this might not make much sense, but when you read Fractured Soul, you will understand what I am talking about. Here goes..... I wish that there was more of a development at the end with Christian. The emotion for Llona, didn't really give it much justice for what happened, I wanted to be able to be completely moved and emotional from this event, but the development of it just wasn't enough and there should have been more. In short, it didn't give the situation justice.
March 1, 2013
Fractured Soul picks up where Fractured Light leaves off. Llona and May have arrived at Lucent Academy, the school for Auras and Furies, where they will begin their training. The recent battle with the Vyken who killed Llona's mother is still fresh in her mind, and the bite she received when she fought him still seems fresh on her neck, though she still hasn't told anyone about it. Upon arrival at the academy, they are shown to their rooms. Llona says her room smells like blood, but no one else can smell it, which is very strange. That night, as Llona looks out her window, she finds herself drawn to the darkness, and she doesn't understand why. She sneaks outside of the wall surrounding the academy into the forest, where she runs into Jackson, one of the Guardians. They also run into a Vyken, which she ends up killing, and much to her surprise, Christian, her guardian and boyfriend, shows up, who was supposed to have been assigned elsewhere.
Llona gradually finds the darkness, the anger, and the desire to kill growing stronger within her, and she doesn't understand it, that is until she meets Liam, who has also been bitten by a Vyken. Liam helps her understand what she must do to overcome the darkness. She subsequently finds the diary of the girl who occupied the room she is staying in at the Academy, which provides answers, and even more questions to regarding what is going on. Meanwhile, she is trying to keep her relationship with Christian on the down low, which is hard. She is also fearful for his life, and what he will think of her if he finds out what she really is. As the story progresses, the conspiracy grows, and they soon discover that what is going on is so much bigger than just the school. As the mystery unravels further, Llona and her friends are shocked to discover the key players that are involved in the conspiracy. The story culminates in an epic battle between good and evil, and Llona must learn to fight with her light for good, or risk losing herself to the darkness forever.
This was an action-packed second installment in the Fractured Light Series, and kept my attention from beginning to end. I really came to love Llona in book one, and even more so in book two. She is quite the heroine. She fights many tough battles both within herself and with the Vyken, the greatest battle of all being with the grief and darkness that threatens to overwhelm her after the loss of a loved one. Llona learns more about the truth surrounding her mother, her family, and her past, and also must find the strength to face an uncertain future. I loved Christian also and was so glad to see him back in this installment. The romance between Christian and Llona was sweet and romantic. We also get to see May again, who is growing and learning more about her Fury powers, and we are introduced to some new characters as well. Tessa is a Lizen, who becomes a good friend to Llona and May, as does Kiera. Then there is Jackson, a Guardian, who is not what he seems, and Cyrus, who is supposed to be over all the Lucent Academies, but is he on the up and up?
Fractured Soul is filled with mystery, intrigue, conspiracy, romance, some epic battles, and then there is the paranormal element that Rachel McClellan has created, which is both fresh and creative. I found the story both entertaining and thrilling, experiencing both joy and sorrow with Llona. This is a great paranormal series that I have thoroughly enjoyed and would definitely recommend. I am really looking forward to reading Fractured Truth, the third book in the series.
Llona gradually finds the darkness, the anger, and the desire to kill growing stronger within her, and she doesn't understand it, that is until she meets Liam, who has also been bitten by a Vyken. Liam helps her understand what she must do to overcome the darkness. She subsequently finds the diary of the girl who occupied the room she is staying in at the Academy, which provides answers, and even more questions to regarding what is going on. Meanwhile, she is trying to keep her relationship with Christian on the down low, which is hard. She is also fearful for his life, and what he will think of her if he finds out what she really is. As the story progresses, the conspiracy grows, and they soon discover that what is going on is so much bigger than just the school. As the mystery unravels further, Llona and her friends are shocked to discover the key players that are involved in the conspiracy. The story culminates in an epic battle between good and evil, and Llona must learn to fight with her light for good, or risk losing herself to the darkness forever.
This was an action-packed second installment in the Fractured Light Series, and kept my attention from beginning to end. I really came to love Llona in book one, and even more so in book two. She is quite the heroine. She fights many tough battles both within herself and with the Vyken, the greatest battle of all being with the grief and darkness that threatens to overwhelm her after the loss of a loved one. Llona learns more about the truth surrounding her mother, her family, and her past, and also must find the strength to face an uncertain future. I loved Christian also and was so glad to see him back in this installment. The romance between Christian and Llona was sweet and romantic. We also get to see May again, who is growing and learning more about her Fury powers, and we are introduced to some new characters as well. Tessa is a Lizen, who becomes a good friend to Llona and May, as does Kiera. Then there is Jackson, a Guardian, who is not what he seems, and Cyrus, who is supposed to be over all the Lucent Academies, but is he on the up and up?
Fractured Soul is filled with mystery, intrigue, conspiracy, romance, some epic battles, and then there is the paranormal element that Rachel McClellan has created, which is both fresh and creative. I found the story both entertaining and thrilling, experiencing both joy and sorrow with Llona. This is a great paranormal series that I have thoroughly enjoyed and would definitely recommend. I am really looking forward to reading Fractured Truth, the third book in the series.
Want to read
May 18, 2013Review:
I was really excited to get to the next installment of this series. The first book's ending left many questions and I couldn't wait to see what happens next in Llona's life. I love the cover and the title of this book, it fits in with the first book and it also represents the story well. I really enjoyed the book, maybe even slightly more than the first book.
Long Story Short:
Llona has left her home, left Christian, and joined the other Auras at Lucent Academy. The only thing to keep Llona feeling good about the transition, May, her best friend, is going with her. She enters the academy with mix feelings and she doesn't get a warm welcoming from other students. She is behind in Aura history and many other things, and she hasn't quite been herself. She is restless, her senses are stronger, and she wants to fight. There is something going on, not just with her but with the school too. Vykens seem to be everywhere and it is very obvious that someone is hiding something.
My Thoughts:
This book was pretty darn cool. Action packed, full of suspense, and filled with surprises. I was glued from the beginning all the way to the end. The writing and the pacing flow nicely, and the plot awesome. The story continues pretty much exactly from where the first book ends. I love it when I don't miss any in betweens. I loved the characters too.
I think one of the things that really grabbed me with the second book is the way the book takes off instantly from the last book but is almost a new story, a new part of Llona's life. There was so much going on with the plot, and I knew from the very beginning something seemed off. There were lots of twists and secrets and betrayal, even more than the first book, that I couldn't put the book down.
Another thing I liked, the characters and the relationships. I love Llona, May, and Christian. They are all so great. I really think I could go on and on about their goodness all day, but I will keep it short.
Llona is a very strong character. She loves to fight her own battles, think on her own, and she doesn't take everything for what it seems. She questions and she finds answers. She does have her short comings, like now asking for help, but her strengths really do out do her weaknesses.
Christian is just smexy and charming and all boy. I really like him and love the part he plays in the story. He is a great love interest and his relationship with Llona is real and sweet and wonderful.
May is awesome! She is a wonderful friend, spunky, sweet, devoted, and just all around cool.
I think that the relationships, romantic, family, and friendship, in this book just add so much and they are done very right in my book.
The last thing I want to mention... the fight scenes, the action, all the butt kicking. I am not one who normally likes bunches of battles throughout my stories, but the scenes in this book are just right. I was able to follow along with what was happening, see it in my head, and cheer cheer cheer. I normally skim fight scenes, but in this book, I actually read them as slowly as possible (really hard when lots of action is going on) paid attention to the details, and enjoyed them.
In The End:
I really like this series, the second book just got better and I can't wait for the next installment. If you like modern fantasy, pick this series up!
I was really excited to get to the next installment of this series. The first book's ending left many questions and I couldn't wait to see what happens next in Llona's life. I love the cover and the title of this book, it fits in with the first book and it also represents the story well. I really enjoyed the book, maybe even slightly more than the first book.
Long Story Short:
Llona has left her home, left Christian, and joined the other Auras at Lucent Academy. The only thing to keep Llona feeling good about the transition, May, her best friend, is going with her. She enters the academy with mix feelings and she doesn't get a warm welcoming from other students. She is behind in Aura history and many other things, and she hasn't quite been herself. She is restless, her senses are stronger, and she wants to fight. There is something going on, not just with her but with the school too. Vykens seem to be everywhere and it is very obvious that someone is hiding something.
My Thoughts:
This book was pretty darn cool. Action packed, full of suspense, and filled with surprises. I was glued from the beginning all the way to the end. The writing and the pacing flow nicely, and the plot awesome. The story continues pretty much exactly from where the first book ends. I love it when I don't miss any in betweens. I loved the characters too.
I think one of the things that really grabbed me with the second book is the way the book takes off instantly from the last book but is almost a new story, a new part of Llona's life. There was so much going on with the plot, and I knew from the very beginning something seemed off. There were lots of twists and secrets and betrayal, even more than the first book, that I couldn't put the book down.
Another thing I liked, the characters and the relationships. I love Llona, May, and Christian. They are all so great. I really think I could go on and on about their goodness all day, but I will keep it short.
Llona is a very strong character. She loves to fight her own battles, think on her own, and she doesn't take everything for what it seems. She questions and she finds answers. She does have her short comings, like now asking for help, but her strengths really do out do her weaknesses.
Christian is just smexy and charming and all boy. I really like him and love the part he plays in the story. He is a great love interest and his relationship with Llona is real and sweet and wonderful.
May is awesome! She is a wonderful friend, spunky, sweet, devoted, and just all around cool.
I think that the relationships, romantic, family, and friendship, in this book just add so much and they are done very right in my book.
The last thing I want to mention... the fight scenes, the action, all the butt kicking. I am not one who normally likes bunches of battles throughout my stories, but the scenes in this book are just right. I was able to follow along with what was happening, see it in my head, and cheer cheer cheer. I normally skim fight scenes, but in this book, I actually read them as slowly as possible (really hard when lots of action is going on) paid attention to the details, and enjoyed them.
In The End:
I really like this series, the second book just got better and I can't wait for the next installment. If you like modern fantasy, pick this series up!
February 25, 2013
Sometimes readers, including me, approach a book that’s self-published or published by a small press with a certain amount of skepticism or even trepidation. That’s because there is so much dreck out there these days and finding the gems is not easy. Allow me to set your mind at rest—this is no schlock put out by a writer wannabe toiling away in her parent’s basement. Well, Rachel McClellan could be toiling away in a basement for all I know but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t belong to her parents ;) Anyway, there is much to love in this book and very little to be snooty about.
First, the construction. The author can write and she also has a very good editor. Grammar is good, typos are minimal, the language flows as it should and the ebook conversion (I read an e-ARC) is close to flawless, including some handwritten passages. The only hiccup is that, on occasion, two voices speak in the same paragraph. This occurs infrequently enough that I feel safe in saying it’s one of those ebook glitches that happen sometimes, not because the author and/or her editor don’t know better.
Then there’s the story. I have not read the first book and, most of the time, it doesn’t matter. That’s the case here; while I obviously don’t have the details of what went on in that book, the author offers just enough information that I felt up to speed very quickly. You should be aware, though, that spoilers of the first book are inevitable so don’t go getting a mad on with Ms. McClellan if you choose to start with this second book.
I really like this storyline, one of the most creative I’ve seen. A school for Auras and Furies with a side of Lizens? Very, very cool. I also like that this is not a school with a bunch of evil adults all bent on misusing the powers these girls possess. The author’s character development is strong and I really felt a connection with the main players, especially the four girls, Christian and Liam. Even Jake, whom we never actually see, is fleshed out enough to truly understand the bond between him and Llona. Oh, and thank you, Ms. McClellan, for painting the Vykens as the nasty, bloodthirsty, powerhungry creatures they are, not a sparkle in sight.
A note here—Fractured Soul is billed as a young adult paranormal romance but it also falls solidly into the mystery/suspense genre with the questions of who is behind the dark activities, what is the intent, will the good guys figure things out in time? Llona also shows herself to be a pretty decent lead detective (not to mention being kickbutt in general).
Are some things predictable? Yes. It was not hard to figure out who the ultimate bad guy was as soon as I met him and there were a few other events that were no surprise. There were also some “oh, cool!” moments (Arik and Aaron? Love ‘em!) and the motivations of some of the characters were in doubt until at least 4/5 of the way through. On the other hand, the ending is truly heartbreaking and, yet, still left me with a desire to know what comes next. I’ll be looking forward to Fractured Truth coming out a year from now and, in the meantime, I’ll get my fix by reading the first book, Fractured Light.
Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, February 2013.
First, the construction. The author can write and she also has a very good editor. Grammar is good, typos are minimal, the language flows as it should and the ebook conversion (I read an e-ARC) is close to flawless, including some handwritten passages. The only hiccup is that, on occasion, two voices speak in the same paragraph. This occurs infrequently enough that I feel safe in saying it’s one of those ebook glitches that happen sometimes, not because the author and/or her editor don’t know better.
Then there’s the story. I have not read the first book and, most of the time, it doesn’t matter. That’s the case here; while I obviously don’t have the details of what went on in that book, the author offers just enough information that I felt up to speed very quickly. You should be aware, though, that spoilers of the first book are inevitable so don’t go getting a mad on with Ms. McClellan if you choose to start with this second book.
I really like this storyline, one of the most creative I’ve seen. A school for Auras and Furies with a side of Lizens? Very, very cool. I also like that this is not a school with a bunch of evil adults all bent on misusing the powers these girls possess. The author’s character development is strong and I really felt a connection with the main players, especially the four girls, Christian and Liam. Even Jake, whom we never actually see, is fleshed out enough to truly understand the bond between him and Llona. Oh, and thank you, Ms. McClellan, for painting the Vykens as the nasty, bloodthirsty, powerhungry creatures they are, not a sparkle in sight.
A note here—Fractured Soul is billed as a young adult paranormal romance but it also falls solidly into the mystery/suspense genre with the questions of who is behind the dark activities, what is the intent, will the good guys figure things out in time? Llona also shows herself to be a pretty decent lead detective (not to mention being kickbutt in general).
Are some things predictable? Yes. It was not hard to figure out who the ultimate bad guy was as soon as I met him and there were a few other events that were no surprise. There were also some “oh, cool!” moments (Arik and Aaron? Love ‘em!) and the motivations of some of the characters were in doubt until at least 4/5 of the way through. On the other hand, the ending is truly heartbreaking and, yet, still left me with a desire to know what comes next. I’ll be looking forward to Fractured Truth coming out a year from now and, in the meantime, I’ll get my fix by reading the first book, Fractured Light.
Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, February 2013.
January 8, 2013
***Spoiler Alert - this is book 2 in the Fractured Light series, there may be spoilers for book one***
Fractured Soul is the second book in the fractured light series, and finds Ilona and May joining the Lucent Academy. Ilona is apprehensive about the school, and is worried about losing contact with Christian (her Guardian), but she's keen to meet the other aura's and excited for May to finally meet another fury. Things of course don't go well for Ilona, the aura's are meek and mild and have none of her vyken sensing abilities, they are a bit wet to be honest. Ilona starts to separate herself from the group, and they start to notice changes in her moods, she become bad tempered and mean, but she needs to sort it out because there is a threat to the school which none of them saw coming, and of course, Ilona is the only one who can fight it.
Fractured Light was met with a fair bit of criticism, and I was not expecting much from Fractured Soul, however it is definitely the better of the two books (lets hope book 3 gets even better). That is not to say it was great, it wasn't, but it was an improvement on book 1.
What was wrong with it? Lots. Firstly the you can't kill a vyken because your an Aura (read: girl) and too weak willed to cope with killing, you need to let the guardians (read: big strong men) kill for you. WTF?! SERIOUSLY, have I just walked into the 17th century? Has McCellan not heard of Buffy the Vampire Slayer?! This sexism is a running them, now I know that it has deeper roots (which I can't go into with out spoiling the book for you) but essentially, its sexism, pure and simple.
Then there's the whole Lizen (sp?) thing, a race of lizard people who are slaves for the Aura's and NO ONE seems to think this is wrong, except for the perfect, annoying, brattish Ilona of course. Ilona then takes it upon herself to 'free' the slaves, not once did she ask if they wanted to be free, nor did she consider any consequences to her actions. I'm not saying that the slaves were a good thing, but I cannot see how some one that is 'free' can act on their behalf without consulting them, surely that's as bad as those that presume they are happy to serve, ask the damn lizens what they want, then help THEM get it.
Then there is Ilona, one of the mist obnoxious, unlikable, brats in Ya fiction today, I cannot think of a nice thing to say about her, most of what happens in the book is her fault, and when its not her fault its made considerably worse by her. She has boys falling all over her and all she can do is witter about her blonde hair. GRRRRRRR.
There were some redeeming qualities, not may though, the last few chapters were good, fast paced and more interesting than the rest of the book, the final twist was totally unexpected, and a bit of a shock, I applaud McCellan for taking that route. May's character development was nice to see, she's becoming a strong person, and would be a better lead for the series than Ilona.
2.5 stars out of 5 (thank May and the last few chapters for those 2.5!)
February 8, 2013
In this, the second in a series about Auras and their nemesis Vykens (basically vampires who need the blood of Auras to keep themselves looking human), the main character Llona has moved to a school for Auras (a dying race who have the power to wield Light). Her parents are dead and her aunt is one of the heads of the school. She is told that she must stay away from the boy she loves because he is a Guardian, (one who protects an Aura) and if their relationship continues, he will most probably die. (I wasn't sure exactly why.)
The school teaches that the Auras are not capable of fighting to protect themselves, but Llona, who grew up outside the school (her mother was a rebel) knows this is untrue. She killed a Vyken at the end of the first book, Fractured Light. Now, going against the rules, she seeks them out in order to kill them and finds herself lusting after a fight in a way she never did before. Could it have something to do with the fact that the Vyken she killed managed to bite her first and his poison is spreading inside her, turning her into one of them? The Vyken's poison is like evil inside her and she must battle against it by using her light for good or she will become a Vyken herself. Hence the title fractured soul.
It doesn't take her long to discover that something is not right at the school. Why are there so many Vykens just outside the walls? And why is the Aura's blood bank being replaced with Vyken blood. The main thrust of the story is uncovering this mystery, and it's a good mystery. The stakes get higher as the story progresses and it builds to an exciting and unexpected conclusion. The plot is well structured and well paced and increases in complexity as the book draws to its conclusion. We are left well set up for the next in the series, one I look forward to reading.
I love the way the Auras use Light to calm others and, in Llona's case, to protect oneself. The descriptions of the use of the light are highly evocative and the fight sequences exciting. However, I didn't find this book as powerful as the first. I have a sense that the depth I felt in the first book is missing somehow, perhaps because the good and evil is so black and white. Such over simplification can give a story a slightly two dimensional character. This is a purely personal perspective, of course, and not a reflection on the actual writing which is well crafted, and we must remember that the book is written for a young adult audience.
Fractured Soul has all the elements we have come to expect in a YA paranormal fantasy - romance, battles to the death, strange creatures and people with amazing powers. The world is further developed here with the addition of new characters with different powers who are the last in their races, as well as another group of protectors with a wider responsibility than just protecting the Auras. I expect that these elements will come further into play in the next book.
All up, it's a good book for teen readers and the series is well worth following.
The school teaches that the Auras are not capable of fighting to protect themselves, but Llona, who grew up outside the school (her mother was a rebel) knows this is untrue. She killed a Vyken at the end of the first book, Fractured Light. Now, going against the rules, she seeks them out in order to kill them and finds herself lusting after a fight in a way she never did before. Could it have something to do with the fact that the Vyken she killed managed to bite her first and his poison is spreading inside her, turning her into one of them? The Vyken's poison is like evil inside her and she must battle against it by using her light for good or she will become a Vyken herself. Hence the title fractured soul.
It doesn't take her long to discover that something is not right at the school. Why are there so many Vykens just outside the walls? And why is the Aura's blood bank being replaced with Vyken blood. The main thrust of the story is uncovering this mystery, and it's a good mystery. The stakes get higher as the story progresses and it builds to an exciting and unexpected conclusion. The plot is well structured and well paced and increases in complexity as the book draws to its conclusion. We are left well set up for the next in the series, one I look forward to reading.
I love the way the Auras use Light to calm others and, in Llona's case, to protect oneself. The descriptions of the use of the light are highly evocative and the fight sequences exciting. However, I didn't find this book as powerful as the first. I have a sense that the depth I felt in the first book is missing somehow, perhaps because the good and evil is so black and white. Such over simplification can give a story a slightly two dimensional character. This is a purely personal perspective, of course, and not a reflection on the actual writing which is well crafted, and we must remember that the book is written for a young adult audience.
Fractured Soul has all the elements we have come to expect in a YA paranormal fantasy - romance, battles to the death, strange creatures and people with amazing powers. The world is further developed here with the addition of new characters with different powers who are the last in their races, as well as another group of protectors with a wider responsibility than just protecting the Auras. I expect that these elements will come further into play in the next book.
All up, it's a good book for teen readers and the series is well worth following.
February 24, 2013
(Rating: 4.5) Fractured Light was one of my favorite fantasy novels of 2012. I loved the fantastical world Rachel McClellan introduced, along with her sassy, independent heroine, Llona. Fractured Soul continues Llona's journey as she travels from her home in Utah to Lucent Academy, a special school for auras like herself, run by her Aunt Sophie. As soon as Llona enters her room, she smells blood, and the reader knows this book is going to pack a lot into it. Mystery, romance, action, and more action has made Fractured Soul an instant favorite for 2013.
Llona is a wonderful character. Flawed, feisty, skeptical, sarcastic, and strong--she reminds me of another beloved YA heroine of mine, Rose Hathaway, of the Vampire Academy series. Llona is adjusting to a new school and the new feelings and power developing inside her. After she killed her Vyken teacher in the first book, she carries his bite mark on her neck. Being bitten by a foul creature has its consequences as she soon learns. Her boyfriend and guardian, Christian, comes to the school, as Llona begins to see just how powerful she has become. On top of all of this, is themystery of the increased presence of Vykens in the woods surrounding the school and the reason why they are there.
There is a lot of action in this book and it's great seeing Llona fight Vykens while recognizing the growing darkness inside her for what it is. We also get to see the attributes we first loved about her: the way she cares for her friend, May, how she reaches out to the Lizens and befriends Tessa, the way her Aunt Sophie reminds her of her mother, her nightmares concerning Christian and why she doesn't want her feelings to jeopardize his survival, and her grim determination to show the other auras they can take control of their powers for good and create a better place for others.
Rachel McClellan's writing is stellar, again. Beautiful imagery, tight action scenes, fast paced, creating wonderful additions to her fantasy cannon of characters from the lizens to Liam, and a cool setting at Lucent Academy. There are the mysteries and revelations Llona deals with as well as the inner struggle of light against dark. I would recommend reading Fractured Light first in order to discover Llona's normal life before she finds out about the auras and vykens and to see how she meets Christian.
Fractured Soul features fantastical creatures, a kick ass complex heroine in Llona, and a romance to make readers swoon. After the ending (why Rachel McClellan? why do that your readers? lol), I simply cannot wait to see what the author has in store for us in the third book, Fractured Truth. Too bad we have to wait until next February to find out!
(http://www.readergirlsblog.com/2013/0...)
Llona is a wonderful character. Flawed, feisty, skeptical, sarcastic, and strong--she reminds me of another beloved YA heroine of mine, Rose Hathaway, of the Vampire Academy series. Llona is adjusting to a new school and the new feelings and power developing inside her. After she killed her Vyken teacher in the first book, she carries his bite mark on her neck. Being bitten by a foul creature has its consequences as she soon learns. Her boyfriend and guardian, Christian, comes to the school, as Llona begins to see just how powerful she has become. On top of all of this, is themystery of the increased presence of Vykens in the woods surrounding the school and the reason why they are there.
There is a lot of action in this book and it's great seeing Llona fight Vykens while recognizing the growing darkness inside her for what it is. We also get to see the attributes we first loved about her: the way she cares for her friend, May, how she reaches out to the Lizens and befriends Tessa, the way her Aunt Sophie reminds her of her mother, her nightmares concerning Christian and why she doesn't want her feelings to jeopardize his survival, and her grim determination to show the other auras they can take control of their powers for good and create a better place for others.
Rachel McClellan's writing is stellar, again. Beautiful imagery, tight action scenes, fast paced, creating wonderful additions to her fantasy cannon of characters from the lizens to Liam, and a cool setting at Lucent Academy. There are the mysteries and revelations Llona deals with as well as the inner struggle of light against dark. I would recommend reading Fractured Light first in order to discover Llona's normal life before she finds out about the auras and vykens and to see how she meets Christian.
Fractured Soul features fantastical creatures, a kick ass complex heroine in Llona, and a romance to make readers swoon. After the ending (why Rachel McClellan? why do that your readers? lol), I simply cannot wait to see what the author has in store for us in the third book, Fractured Truth. Too bad we have to wait until next February to find out!
(http://www.readergirlsblog.com/2013/0...)
April 24, 2013
GENRE: YA Fantasy
THEME: Romance, Urban Fantasy
RECEIVED: Tour
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
REVIEW:
As much as I loved the first book Fractured Light, I feel I was able to connect more to Llona in Fractured Soul. There was so much more happening with the plot that was wonderfully crafted by McClellan.
Fractured Soul once again follows Llona, a girl who is half guardian and half aura like her parents, who were tragically taken from her. She is now trying to adjust to a semi normal life at the Lucent Academy, but darkness is not far from her as the Vykens (vampire like) are growing and Llona will stop at nothing to protect her friends and school.
Llona is still strong as ever; she of course is nothing like the rest of the Aura’s at the academy. The Aura’s have been trained to never fight and live a peaceful life. But with the dangers of the Vyken’s, she tries so hard to convince her aunt Sophie about her concerns. But in the end her aunt only wants her to be like the rest of the girls, Llona will never be like them, as she seeks out the Vykens and wants to fight. After she killed the Vyken in the first book you can see a difference in her as she is seeking for a battle, you may question why she seems to have this hunger to fight.
This time the mystery is intensified as to why the numbers are growing among the Vykens and what is really happening at the Aura’s blood bank. I always love a little mystery and I felt it added a lot of suspense around all the battle scenes. In the end Llona always has help with her old friends May and love interest Christian, along with two new friends Liam and Tessa. Christian and Llona relationship may be forbidden especially in the eyes of her aunt, but they know that they mean too much to each other to deny it.
In the end I really enjoyed the action packed aspect, it was filled with romance and tension that will keep the readers wanting more and always questioning will good be able to stop evil. There is so much growth for Llona, I feel her character will always be the rebel to everyone who doesn’t understand what she has gone through. This was definitely a major step up from the first book with new creatures introduced, challenges for Llona besides the Vykens, and more protectors that I can’t wait to read more about. After the ending, which was a bit of a sucker punch but really made me wish the next book were out!
RECOMMENDATION:
This is a young adult book that you’ll never want to put down. Fans of Jennifer Esteps Mythos Academy series and Jennifer Armentrouts Covenant series will want to get their hands on Rachel McClellans Fractured Light.
THEME: Romance, Urban Fantasy
RECEIVED: Tour
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
REVIEW:
As much as I loved the first book Fractured Light, I feel I was able to connect more to Llona in Fractured Soul. There was so much more happening with the plot that was wonderfully crafted by McClellan.
Fractured Soul once again follows Llona, a girl who is half guardian and half aura like her parents, who were tragically taken from her. She is now trying to adjust to a semi normal life at the Lucent Academy, but darkness is not far from her as the Vykens (vampire like) are growing and Llona will stop at nothing to protect her friends and school.
Llona is still strong as ever; she of course is nothing like the rest of the Aura’s at the academy. The Aura’s have been trained to never fight and live a peaceful life. But with the dangers of the Vyken’s, she tries so hard to convince her aunt Sophie about her concerns. But in the end her aunt only wants her to be like the rest of the girls, Llona will never be like them, as she seeks out the Vykens and wants to fight. After she killed the Vyken in the first book you can see a difference in her as she is seeking for a battle, you may question why she seems to have this hunger to fight.
This time the mystery is intensified as to why the numbers are growing among the Vykens and what is really happening at the Aura’s blood bank. I always love a little mystery and I felt it added a lot of suspense around all the battle scenes. In the end Llona always has help with her old friends May and love interest Christian, along with two new friends Liam and Tessa. Christian and Llona relationship may be forbidden especially in the eyes of her aunt, but they know that they mean too much to each other to deny it.
In the end I really enjoyed the action packed aspect, it was filled with romance and tension that will keep the readers wanting more and always questioning will good be able to stop evil. There is so much growth for Llona, I feel her character will always be the rebel to everyone who doesn’t understand what she has gone through. This was definitely a major step up from the first book with new creatures introduced, challenges for Llona besides the Vykens, and more protectors that I can’t wait to read more about. After the ending, which was a bit of a sucker punch but really made me wish the next book were out!
RECOMMENDATION:
This is a young adult book that you’ll never want to put down. Fans of Jennifer Esteps Mythos Academy series and Jennifer Armentrouts Covenant series will want to get their hands on Rachel McClellans Fractured Light.
February 26, 2013
I am really loving this series so far and can definitely say I loved the second book way more then the first. Fractured Soul pretty much starts up where Fractured Light left off. Llona and May are at Lucent Academy and even though May is fitting in perfectly being a rare Fury and all, Llona is not. And I don't blame her for not fitting in, her fellow auras are pretty brainwashed and in need of some reality check.
The plot was actually more gripping then in the previous book, we still have the Vykens trying to kill the auras and feed off their blood but there are so many new twists in Fractured Soul I couldn't stop turning the pages.
Llona is also changing physically thanks to that bite she got from the Vyken in the previous book, she is a whole lot stronger and bad ass. We also meet these new creatures called Lizens who are practically the auras slaves in my opinion since they work for free for them and aren't treated all that great by the stuck up auras at the academy, one of them named Tessa ends up being a really great friend to Llona. We also meet a new character name Liam who is from what I can sum up about over a hundred years old or so anyways he has a pretty tortured soul which was interesting to get to know and I can see myself liking him to where I wouldn't mind if he ends up with Llona. Although don't worry there was no love triangle Llona's heart is all for Christian in this book.
I really give it to McClellan for having Llona grow so much as a character. I saw such a change in her from the first book all the way to the end of this second book. She has become such a strong person, even with all the death around her. Speaking of death I love McClellan for not being afraid to take such huge risks in her books like killing off a key character in the first book and in THIS one also except this time it was someone who I was not expecting at all, I mean from all the characters I just ...wow yea couldn't believe it..still having a hard time really. The ending is just downright heartbreaking, brutal, vicious you name it. All I know is I have to get my hands on the next book asap.
There was a lot of bloodshed and kick ass fighting in Fractured Soul, Llona is not a weak character by far along with her best friend May. I would love it if McCllelan did a novella of May or heck even a spin off after this series cause she is just as interesting of a character as Llona. Anyways this book was amazing and I highly recommend it if you haven't figured it out by now :)
The plot was actually more gripping then in the previous book, we still have the Vykens trying to kill the auras and feed off their blood but there are so many new twists in Fractured Soul I couldn't stop turning the pages.
Llona is also changing physically thanks to that bite she got from the Vyken in the previous book, she is a whole lot stronger and bad ass. We also meet these new creatures called Lizens who are practically the auras slaves in my opinion since they work for free for them and aren't treated all that great by the stuck up auras at the academy, one of them named Tessa ends up being a really great friend to Llona. We also meet a new character name Liam who is from what I can sum up about over a hundred years old or so anyways he has a pretty tortured soul which was interesting to get to know and I can see myself liking him to where I wouldn't mind if he ends up with Llona. Although don't worry there was no love triangle Llona's heart is all for Christian in this book.
I really give it to McClellan for having Llona grow so much as a character. I saw such a change in her from the first book all the way to the end of this second book. She has become such a strong person, even with all the death around her. Speaking of death I love McClellan for not being afraid to take such huge risks in her books like killing off a key character in the first book and in THIS one also except this time it was someone who I was not expecting at all, I mean from all the characters I just ...wow yea couldn't believe it..still having a hard time really. The ending is just downright heartbreaking, brutal, vicious you name it. All I know is I have to get my hands on the next book asap.
There was a lot of bloodshed and kick ass fighting in Fractured Soul, Llona is not a weak character by far along with her best friend May. I would love it if McCllelan did a novella of May or heck even a spin off after this series cause she is just as interesting of a character as Llona. Anyways this book was amazing and I highly recommend it if you haven't figured it out by now :)
February 25, 2013
My Thoughts:
In Fractured Soul Llona is at Lucent Academy, studying and learning about her Aura history. Because her Aura education is so behind she feels out of place and alone. She doesn’t like the way the other Aura’s behave and is having a hard time fitting in. I don’t want to say much more because I’m afraid I will spoil the book for you.
It had been 12 months since I read the first book, Fractured Light, and I had forgotten a lot of the story. After reading a few chapters all the details of the first book came back to me, but you really need to read the first book to understand what is going on.
The good news is that Fractured Soul doesn’t have second book syndrome. (When book one is awesome and book two is fire fodder) I think book two Fractured Soul is much better than book one. That being said I liked book one as well - the series is just getting stronger. (Read my thoughts on book one Fractured Light here.)
Fractured Soul had me so engrossed in the story I forgot it was dinner time and furthermore I didn’t care! I wanted to keep reading. I found myself needing to skip ahead in the story so I could satisfy the book hunger I was having. That gave me enough satisfaction that I could be a productive member of society and make some pancakes for dinner – a go to dinner for nights when I am engrossed in a good book.
What I liked:
That Llona made friends, fought for them and learned more about herself and her history as an Aura.
What I like MOST about this story is that it is a very good book AND it is clean. Free from swearing and sex. There is violence but nothing too graphic. Fractured Soul is about choosing good over evil and fighting for what you believe in until the very end.
I liked the introduction of new characters in Fractured Soul. They were not a distraction like some secondary characters can be, they enriched the story.
What I didn't like:
I liked it all.
Who would I recommend Fractured Soul to?
Anyone 14 and up that enjoys supernatural powers. While the Vyken are not vampires they are vampire like so vampire fans may enjoy this series.
My rating?
PG, like I said, no swearing no sex.
I give Fractured Soul five skulls. It is exciting, fast and doesn't have second book syndrome that most sequels have. Llona is an Auran Superhero who is battling the raging war of good verse evil in the world, and in her soul.
In Fractured Soul Llona is at Lucent Academy, studying and learning about her Aura history. Because her Aura education is so behind she feels out of place and alone. She doesn’t like the way the other Aura’s behave and is having a hard time fitting in. I don’t want to say much more because I’m afraid I will spoil the book for you.
It had been 12 months since I read the first book, Fractured Light, and I had forgotten a lot of the story. After reading a few chapters all the details of the first book came back to me, but you really need to read the first book to understand what is going on.
The good news is that Fractured Soul doesn’t have second book syndrome. (When book one is awesome and book two is fire fodder) I think book two Fractured Soul is much better than book one. That being said I liked book one as well - the series is just getting stronger. (Read my thoughts on book one Fractured Light here.)
Fractured Soul had me so engrossed in the story I forgot it was dinner time and furthermore I didn’t care! I wanted to keep reading. I found myself needing to skip ahead in the story so I could satisfy the book hunger I was having. That gave me enough satisfaction that I could be a productive member of society and make some pancakes for dinner – a go to dinner for nights when I am engrossed in a good book.
What I liked:
That Llona made friends, fought for them and learned more about herself and her history as an Aura.
What I like MOST about this story is that it is a very good book AND it is clean. Free from swearing and sex. There is violence but nothing too graphic. Fractured Soul is about choosing good over evil and fighting for what you believe in until the very end.
I liked the introduction of new characters in Fractured Soul. They were not a distraction like some secondary characters can be, they enriched the story.
What I didn't like:
I liked it all.
Who would I recommend Fractured Soul to?
Anyone 14 and up that enjoys supernatural powers. While the Vyken are not vampires they are vampire like so vampire fans may enjoy this series.
My rating?
PG, like I said, no swearing no sex.
I give Fractured Soul five skulls. It is exciting, fast and doesn't have second book syndrome that most sequels have. Llona is an Auran Superhero who is battling the raging war of good verse evil in the world, and in her soul.
February 1, 2013
Fractures Soul begins with Llona's first day at Lucent Academy and even though there's only a slight chance of things getting back to normal, Llona knows her life wouldn't ever be the same. Her plan is simple: to learn more about the nature and history of Aura, hone her abilities and get out of world the Auras has chosen to live in. However, she is yet unknown to the danger that threatens to wipe out Auras and it seems that trouble has followed Llona inside the protected walls of The Lucent Academy.
The stakes are higher especially when the ones responsible for the safety of Auras are willing to sacrifice it for personal gains. Llona has her own demons to deal with as darkness calls to her, a hunger lodged deep inside her and the smell of blood everywhere. It is no surprise when Llona plans to sneak out at night unable to get rid of her nightmares.
Llona craves destruction and her need to get rid of the energy buzzing inside of her leads her to Vykens present close to Lucent. Llona fights the blood battles despite warnings from Jackson, a Guardian. Christian also arrives but Sophia is against their relationship and makes it clear so. Despite the dangerous ground she is treading upon with him, Llona knows he means too much to her to lose him. Thus, she eventually takes Liam's offer to help the light within her come to life again.
Rebellious as ever, Llona has to overcome the difficulties she is faced with. Fractured Soul fits perfectly to Llona's state in this book as she tethers on the edge of darkness. Threats are given, secrets revealed and hearts are broken as it becomes clear that something big is going on. With the help of Christian, Liam, Tessa and May, Llona sets out to fight the danger, loving the thrill it offers to a showdown and another life-changing moment in Llona's life.
Will she ever find salvation and come to peace with herself? Fractured Soul shows a new side of Llona, but she is consistent with her rebellious streak which is what I love about her. This is one tough nut to break. Fractured Soul is a very satisfying continuation of the series and I'm more than looking forward to how it will end. Three cheers to Rachel McClellan for crafting a yet another brilliant story.
The stakes are higher especially when the ones responsible for the safety of Auras are willing to sacrifice it for personal gains. Llona has her own demons to deal with as darkness calls to her, a hunger lodged deep inside her and the smell of blood everywhere. It is no surprise when Llona plans to sneak out at night unable to get rid of her nightmares.
Llona craves destruction and her need to get rid of the energy buzzing inside of her leads her to Vykens present close to Lucent. Llona fights the blood battles despite warnings from Jackson, a Guardian. Christian also arrives but Sophia is against their relationship and makes it clear so. Despite the dangerous ground she is treading upon with him, Llona knows he means too much to her to lose him. Thus, she eventually takes Liam's offer to help the light within her come to life again.
Rebellious as ever, Llona has to overcome the difficulties she is faced with. Fractured Soul fits perfectly to Llona's state in this book as she tethers on the edge of darkness. Threats are given, secrets revealed and hearts are broken as it becomes clear that something big is going on. With the help of Christian, Liam, Tessa and May, Llona sets out to fight the danger, loving the thrill it offers to a showdown and another life-changing moment in Llona's life.
Will she ever find salvation and come to peace with herself? Fractured Soul shows a new side of Llona, but she is consistent with her rebellious streak which is what I love about her. This is one tough nut to break. Fractured Soul is a very satisfying continuation of the series and I'm more than looking forward to how it will end. Three cheers to Rachel McClellan for crafting a yet another brilliant story.
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