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Of Breakable Things #2
Of Delicate Pieces
Settling into her second year of death, Alex is ready to explore her limitless mind in an afterworld that changes each day, but she still isn’t resting in peace.
The ‘gifted’ are humans who see spirits and have the same extraordinary mental powers, though they aren’t considered equals. Centuries ago, Alex’s family led the movement to keep the living and dead separated, but the gifted believe Alex is a reincarnation of their slain civil leader. When they begin to break down the barriers that protect the city, the afterworld becomes dangerous and vulnerable to exposure. The living and dead both want to use Alex for their own gain, but what they don’t realize is that neither side will want her when they find out who she really is.
In the afterworld, nothing stays buried for long.
OF DELICATE PIECES is the follow-up to A. Lynden Rolland's OF BREAKABLE THINGS.
The ‘gifted’ are humans who see spirits and have the same extraordinary mental powers, though they aren’t considered equals. Centuries ago, Alex’s family led the movement to keep the living and dead separated, but the gifted believe Alex is a reincarnation of their slain civil leader. When they begin to break down the barriers that protect the city, the afterworld becomes dangerous and vulnerable to exposure. The living and dead both want to use Alex for their own gain, but what they don’t realize is that neither side will want her when they find out who she really is.
In the afterworld, nothing stays buried for long.
OF DELICATE PIECES is the follow-up to A. Lynden Rolland's OF BREAKABLE THINGS.
300 pages, Paperback
First published October 20, 2015
2 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
A. Lynden Rolland
3 books114 followersA. Lynden Rolland was born and raised in a picturesque town obsessed with boats and blue crabs. She has always been intrigued by the dramatic and the broken, compiling her eccentric tales of tragic characters in a weathered notebook she began to carry in grade school. She is a sports fanatic, a coffee addict, and a lover of Sauvignon Blanc and thunderstorms. When she isn’t hunched behind a laptop at her local bookstore, she can be found chasing her two vivacious children. She resides in Maryland with her husband and young sons.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 6, 2016
4.5 on my blog. I basically inhaled this book. I felt back at home with Alex and Chase. The magical workings in Rolland's spirit world are sublime. The complex imagery that pops out out of her head is, I think, what grabs me the most. One new character is BRILLIANT! I need to ruminate on this story even for this short Goodreads review because the book is so densely packed with all the good things. I do think that Alex and Chase's relationship is my favorite of all time. A truely satisfying sequel to one of my most loved books of 2014. I was approved for this eARC by the publisher in return for an honest review. As with the first book, I will be reviewing this one on my blog on Halloween day. Watch for the link.
January 26, 2016
Am I the only one hoping Alex will ditch Chase and give Jonas a chance?
August 9, 2017
3.5
I like the characters and all this detective play, certainly there was a huge amount of stuff to dig out. So many things were discovered right from the start to the very end. I think I wasn't really able to take my hands off the book because it was quite fast-paced and we get to see minor characters become more relevant this time.
However, I still have a bit of distaste related to the so few interventions of the Lasalle brothers. I mean, I don't know if I'm the only one, but I crave to see them more on the spotlight and to learn more of them. Maybe I'm delirious, but I see they have such a potential and it frustrates me that I don't get to read them around as much as I want to.
I like how the author handles all the Anovark and Havilah thing and how it turned out by the end of the book with the words delivered by Thea Frank.
Some thing I keep wondering about is Rae. I'll give you that this may be of low importance or simply irrelevant at all, but it's bugging me. If she is so old that she even learnt how to handle her emotions, how comes she doesn't talk? I mean, you can learn a lenguage only by being exposed to it enough time, but she doesn't speak. Also, she doesn't write. You may say it's a little girl and I'll tell you she's a little dead girl with hundreds of years on her back who knows a big deal about everything... And says no words? Writes no lines? I don't know if I skipped a page or I was distracted and didn't catch an explanation that might have been there. Whoever can shine a light on this, be welcome. Except if this is something going to be explored in the next book. Then okay, hust forget everything I said.
The exchanges -verbal, mental, emotional- between Alex and Chase are pure sugar candy material that made my eyes and hands sticky with all that sweetness. However, it's not something to be really focused on and this I appreciate. What I mean is that Alex and Chase's bond just is and that's about it. There is no questioning, no discussing or arguing over it. I don't know how to put it into words, but it's kind of I like how it is like just any other any element in the story and there's zero drama about it. Thought I'm quite sure that won't be the case next book, well played.
Generally good comments despite the few things I said above. A nice, fast-reading book with nice scenarios, lots of thrill and a quick guide about how to be and think like a dead person in Rolland's afterworld.
I like the characters and all this detective play, certainly there was a huge amount of stuff to dig out. So many things were discovered right from the start to the very end. I think I wasn't really able to take my hands off the book because it was quite fast-paced and we get to see minor characters become more relevant this time.
However, I still have a bit of distaste related to the so few interventions of the Lasalle brothers. I mean, I don't know if I'm the only one, but I crave to see them more on the spotlight and to learn more of them. Maybe I'm delirious, but I see they have such a potential and it frustrates me that I don't get to read them around as much as I want to.
I like how the author handles all the Anovark and Havilah thing and how it turned out by the end of the book with the words delivered by Thea Frank.
Some thing I keep wondering about is Rae. I'll give you that this may be of low importance or simply irrelevant at all, but it's bugging me. If she is so old that she even learnt how to handle her emotions, how comes she doesn't talk? I mean, you can learn a lenguage only by being exposed to it enough time, but she doesn't speak. Also, she doesn't write. You may say it's a little girl and I'll tell you she's a little dead girl with hundreds of years on her back who knows a big deal about everything... And says no words? Writes no lines? I don't know if I skipped a page or I was distracted and didn't catch an explanation that might have been there. Whoever can shine a light on this, be welcome. Except if this is something going to be explored in the next book. Then okay, hust forget everything I said.
The exchanges -verbal, mental, emotional- between Alex and Chase are pure sugar candy material that made my eyes and hands sticky with all that sweetness. However, it's not something to be really focused on and this I appreciate. What I mean is that Alex and Chase's bond just is and that's about it. There is no questioning, no discussing or arguing over it. I don't know how to put it into words, but it's kind of I like how it is like just any other any element in the story and there's zero drama about it. Thought I'm quite sure that won't be the case next book, well played.
Generally good comments despite the few things I said above. A nice, fast-reading book with nice scenarios, lots of thrill and a quick guide about how to be and think like a dead person in Rolland's afterworld.
November 4, 2015
This an other reviews can be found on Yellow, Green, and Read All Over!
After her first year in the afterlife, which was fraught with drama, trauma, and all things sinister, Alex is ready to begin her second year in Eidolon. She looks forward to exploring a world that changes in the blink of an eye, the new abilities afforded to her by her now-limitless mind, and, most of all, finally getting the opportunity, after 17 years of life and 1 year of death, to be with Chase the way she’s always wanted.
But, in novels, as in life, things are never as simple as they seem. After being attacked by a cult-like group of students nicknamed the “Eskers Kids” towards the end of her first year in the afterlife, Alex is somewhat of a celebrity. Add that to the fact that she holds an uncannily identical resemblance to Sephi, a woman long considered to be a hero among her fellow spirits, and Alex can’t get a moment of peace. For her own safety, Alex is only permitted to go certain places in her new world, putting a stop to her much-desired plans for exploration. However, if her fellow spirits ever found out who she really is, and who she really descends from, her safety could be at risk regardless of where she does or doesn’t go.
Holy frickin’ frijoles. I loved this book! I quite literally inhaled it in less than a day. I’m pretty sure I didn’t even break to breathe, much less eat. It was that good! I could have gone on for another 15 paragraphs just summarizing Of Delicate Pieces. It was so full of content from the major plot points to the minute intricacies, every single sentence felt important and mind-blowing. I consider it an acute form of sacrilege to compare anything to Harry Potter, BUT the world-building, the character-development, everything was so well done and so finely drawn in Of Delicate Pieces, that I’m not sure there is any other work that I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading that even shares the same breathing space. There was such a multitude of things in this novel that were so completely breath-takingly wonderful that I don’t even know where to start.
As with Of Breakable Things, one of the most beautiful components of this novel was the characters. Not only do we learn more about, and fall more in love with Alex and Chase, but we meet new characters as well. One of the new characters we are introduced to in Of Delicate Pieces is Rae. She’s cute, mute, and obscenely powerful. Rae, as a character, is a rare mix of “I just wanna squeeze her” and “she’s frickin’ scary” that is rarely found in literature, much less in a form that works on any kind of long-term basis as it does here. We also get to learn more about characters that would have been considered “minor” in the first book. Remember Liv? Alex’s weird friend from when she was alive? What about the “Jester Ghost” that lived in the woods in her hometown? In Of Delicate Pieces, they are given a backstory that breathes new life into them. In doing so, these minor characters become major entities, giving the reader even more to love!
Speaking of Liv and the Jester, although the world that Chase and Alex inhabit is technically in some alternate dimension of California, we do get to travel back to their hometown in Maryland. The revelations that come from this journey put so many other seemingly small tidbits into an earth-shattering context that will absolutely make your head spin. These revelations not only help the reader glean new understanding of Alex’s hometown and the entities that live there, but it introduces elements that are essential to the tumultuous history of both the living and the dead.
This history becomes a central plot point that directs not only a large part of this novel, but shines new light on the events of its predecessor as well. Throughout Of Delicate Pieces, we learn not only the history of the town in which Alex and Chase grew up, but how that history affects the world in which they currently live, and how Alex and her family played a major role not only in the world of the living, but the world of the dead. If there is one negative thing I could say about this novel, and admittedly, it’s a stretch, it’s the breadth of historical events and characters therein. For most readers, this would have only added to the wonderment of the story. I envy them. There were a lot of pieces that I had to read, re-read, and read again just to grasp what was being described. If science is my Achilles heel, history might actually break me. It’s something I hated with a fervor in school, and therefore have a hard time wrapping my head around now, be it the history of our world, or one that presides purely in the world of fiction.
All of that being said, I absolutely devoured this novel, just as much as I did with the first. I loved it to itty, bitty, teeny, tiny, “delicate” pieces and simply cannot wait to see what comes next!
After her first year in the afterlife, which was fraught with drama, trauma, and all things sinister, Alex is ready to begin her second year in Eidolon. She looks forward to exploring a world that changes in the blink of an eye, the new abilities afforded to her by her now-limitless mind, and, most of all, finally getting the opportunity, after 17 years of life and 1 year of death, to be with Chase the way she’s always wanted.
But, in novels, as in life, things are never as simple as they seem. After being attacked by a cult-like group of students nicknamed the “Eskers Kids” towards the end of her first year in the afterlife, Alex is somewhat of a celebrity. Add that to the fact that she holds an uncannily identical resemblance to Sephi, a woman long considered to be a hero among her fellow spirits, and Alex can’t get a moment of peace. For her own safety, Alex is only permitted to go certain places in her new world, putting a stop to her much-desired plans for exploration. However, if her fellow spirits ever found out who she really is, and who she really descends from, her safety could be at risk regardless of where she does or doesn’t go.
Holy frickin’ frijoles. I loved this book! I quite literally inhaled it in less than a day. I’m pretty sure I didn’t even break to breathe, much less eat. It was that good! I could have gone on for another 15 paragraphs just summarizing Of Delicate Pieces. It was so full of content from the major plot points to the minute intricacies, every single sentence felt important and mind-blowing. I consider it an acute form of sacrilege to compare anything to Harry Potter, BUT the world-building, the character-development, everything was so well done and so finely drawn in Of Delicate Pieces, that I’m not sure there is any other work that I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading that even shares the same breathing space. There was such a multitude of things in this novel that were so completely breath-takingly wonderful that I don’t even know where to start.
As with Of Breakable Things, one of the most beautiful components of this novel was the characters. Not only do we learn more about, and fall more in love with Alex and Chase, but we meet new characters as well. One of the new characters we are introduced to in Of Delicate Pieces is Rae. She’s cute, mute, and obscenely powerful. Rae, as a character, is a rare mix of “I just wanna squeeze her” and “she’s frickin’ scary” that is rarely found in literature, much less in a form that works on any kind of long-term basis as it does here. We also get to learn more about characters that would have been considered “minor” in the first book. Remember Liv? Alex’s weird friend from when she was alive? What about the “Jester Ghost” that lived in the woods in her hometown? In Of Delicate Pieces, they are given a backstory that breathes new life into them. In doing so, these minor characters become major entities, giving the reader even more to love!
Speaking of Liv and the Jester, although the world that Chase and Alex inhabit is technically in some alternate dimension of California, we do get to travel back to their hometown in Maryland. The revelations that come from this journey put so many other seemingly small tidbits into an earth-shattering context that will absolutely make your head spin. These revelations not only help the reader glean new understanding of Alex’s hometown and the entities that live there, but it introduces elements that are essential to the tumultuous history of both the living and the dead.
This history becomes a central plot point that directs not only a large part of this novel, but shines new light on the events of its predecessor as well. Throughout Of Delicate Pieces, we learn not only the history of the town in which Alex and Chase grew up, but how that history affects the world in which they currently live, and how Alex and her family played a major role not only in the world of the living, but the world of the dead. If there is one negative thing I could say about this novel, and admittedly, it’s a stretch, it’s the breadth of historical events and characters therein. For most readers, this would have only added to the wonderment of the story. I envy them. There were a lot of pieces that I had to read, re-read, and read again just to grasp what was being described. If science is my Achilles heel, history might actually break me. It’s something I hated with a fervor in school, and therefore have a hard time wrapping my head around now, be it the history of our world, or one that presides purely in the world of fiction.
All of that being said, I absolutely devoured this novel, just as much as I did with the first. I loved it to itty, bitty, teeny, tiny, “delicate” pieces and simply cannot wait to see what comes next!
November 7, 2015
Rating: 4 stars
Posted at Wonderland Novels here! There's also a giveaway!
A. Lynden Rolland's follow up to Of Breakable Things is another adventure into the land of the dead, into the world of Eidolon, where those who couldn't live to the fullest before they died, have a second chance. It's part romance, part mystery, and partially creepy, in an artistic way.
The sequel picks off some time after the incident surrounding Alex Ash, and her revelation that she looks like the prophetess and champion to the gifted, Sephi Anovark. The sequel also answers many of our questions and acts as a sort of world builder, in comparison to its fast-paced predecessor. We learn the discrimination and separation between the gifted - the bodied with special abilities, and the spiritual - the ghosts. We learn how the Lasalles died. We learn about Alex Ash's past and her family.
There are also many new characters that are introduced. Sigorny. Little Gossamer. Rae. And more. Sigorny is the Rita Skeeter of Eidolon, always looking for the hottest news. Rae remains a mystery, a quiet one at that, up until the end.
The romance between Alex and Chase is developing and growing - and it's adorable that he cares, and his protectiveness can't be seen as jealousy, because he also worries for his missing brother, Jonas, as well. Speaking of Jonas, I was wondering where he was! His POV was interesting to read, and it's nice to know his motives are in the right place.
The writing continues to be beautifully written, as always. Here are some of my favorite quotes.
There's a fine line between the want for purpose and the want for recognition.
Hate and love were the two most passionate emotions. If you take the time to hate something, it meant you secretly cared about it.
Your melancholy is misplaced. They're much more alive than you think. Save your pity for greater things.
One thing I can say is, it is a lot of information to process in 300 pages. It was also complicated to read, so in order to fully get this information, you had to read slowly. And carefully. For the most part, you're more or less confused about several things until the last chapter, which ties Alex's connection to Sephi very nicely! The whole plotline of Havilah and Anovark and Raive along with the gifted/spiritual conflict was intricate, and fun to read. Also the whole curse was cool and imaginative - It certainly is creepy to curse your enemies daughters' with your face.
My only qualms about this sequel, and they are relatively minor - The occasional "Alex is not used to being dead" thing. She's been dead for a year, and every time something magically happens she's apparently not used to the powers of being dead. But... she seemed pretty used to it in the 1st book. And, although you can take it either way, the lack of action in the book. Most of the book was used to world build and explain things, which is great. But I did miss the powers and abilities of the spirits in 1st book. The lessons were even a bit plainer than before, although Duvall's class did remind me of Potions/Prof. Snape!
So romance, curses, spirits and the bodied with powers similar to spirits - it's a read that works well with the season! I'd say it's a great Halloween read, but alas the holiday passed... Nevertheless, this spooky romance/mystery did not disappoint.
Posted at Wonderland Novels here! There's also a giveaway!
A. Lynden Rolland's follow up to Of Breakable Things is another adventure into the land of the dead, into the world of Eidolon, where those who couldn't live to the fullest before they died, have a second chance. It's part romance, part mystery, and partially creepy, in an artistic way.
The sequel picks off some time after the incident surrounding Alex Ash, and her revelation that she looks like the prophetess and champion to the gifted, Sephi Anovark. The sequel also answers many of our questions and acts as a sort of world builder, in comparison to its fast-paced predecessor. We learn the discrimination and separation between the gifted - the bodied with special abilities, and the spiritual - the ghosts. We learn how the Lasalles died. We learn about Alex Ash's past and her family.
There are also many new characters that are introduced. Sigorny. Little Gossamer. Rae. And more. Sigorny is the Rita Skeeter of Eidolon, always looking for the hottest news. Rae remains a mystery, a quiet one at that, up until the end.
The romance between Alex and Chase is developing and growing - and it's adorable that he cares, and his protectiveness can't be seen as jealousy, because he also worries for his missing brother, Jonas, as well. Speaking of Jonas, I was wondering where he was! His POV was interesting to read, and it's nice to know his motives are in the right place.
The writing continues to be beautifully written, as always. Here are some of my favorite quotes.
There's a fine line between the want for purpose and the want for recognition.
Hate and love were the two most passionate emotions. If you take the time to hate something, it meant you secretly cared about it.
Your melancholy is misplaced. They're much more alive than you think. Save your pity for greater things.
One thing I can say is, it is a lot of information to process in 300 pages. It was also complicated to read, so in order to fully get this information, you had to read slowly. And carefully. For the most part, you're more or less confused about several things until the last chapter, which ties Alex's connection to Sephi very nicely! The whole plotline of Havilah and Anovark and Raive along with the gifted/spiritual conflict was intricate, and fun to read. Also the whole curse was cool and imaginative - It certainly is creepy to curse your enemies daughters' with your face.
My only qualms about this sequel, and they are relatively minor - The occasional "Alex is not used to being dead" thing. She's been dead for a year, and every time something magically happens she's apparently not used to the powers of being dead. But... she seemed pretty used to it in the 1st book. And, although you can take it either way, the lack of action in the book. Most of the book was used to world build and explain things, which is great. But I did miss the powers and abilities of the spirits in 1st book. The lessons were even a bit plainer than before, although Duvall's class did remind me of Potions/Prof. Snape!
So romance, curses, spirits and the bodied with powers similar to spirits - it's a read that works well with the season! I'd say it's a great Halloween read, but alas the holiday passed... Nevertheless, this spooky romance/mystery did not disappoint.
November 6, 2015
I simply cannot say enough good things about this book, and the series as a whole. The world - the afterworld - that Amy has created is mind-blowing, intricate, complex, mysterious, thrilling, dangerous, comforting, haunting, epic, familiar, and unlike anything you’ve ever read before. I was stunned when I *finally* read the first book - I had one of those “WHY haven’t I read this sooner?!” moments - and I continued to be stunned in this book. The world-building is absolutely incredible, and I was truly blown away but just how intricately-plotted the series is. Amy’s writing is stellar; honestly, you’d think she had dozens of novels to her credit, not just TWO! I had to keep reminding myself throughout my reading of Of Breakable Things that this was her DEBUT, her very first novel - and Of Delicate Pieces only her second! Her dialogue is impeccable, and there is never a feeling of stiffness or a sense that the characters are speaking in a way that people would never speak in real life. The characters are all well-drawn and just feel so ...
real
. I loved Alex and was captivated by her story from the moment I met her in book one, and by the end of this second book I felt like I really knew (and cared about) all of the characters. I’m being honest when I say that I feel a sense of loss at being finished with them (for now!), and at having to step away from the incredible “afterworld of the mind” that Amy has created for us.
I simply have NO CONS to point out in this review of Of Delicate Pieces. It is absolutely incredible, and I couldn’t recommend this book more highly. This series has immediately become one of my all-time favorites, in part because of the flawless writing and in part because of the stunning and complex world-building and the intricate plot. I am in awe of Amy’s talent, which must be a combination of hard work and dedication and a pure, innate talent for writing. I will be singing the praises of this book and series far and wide for a long, long time. Thank you, Amy, for sharing your gift with us.
Thanks also to Month9Books and Chapter by Chapter for allowing me to take part in the review tour for this incredible book. I strongly encourage you to get your hands on this book (and the first, if you haven’t read it!; you’ll need to read them in order), immediately start reading, and open your mind to the possibilities of what you might see, if you will only look.
I simply have NO CONS to point out in this review of Of Delicate Pieces. It is absolutely incredible, and I couldn’t recommend this book more highly. This series has immediately become one of my all-time favorites, in part because of the flawless writing and in part because of the stunning and complex world-building and the intricate plot. I am in awe of Amy’s talent, which must be a combination of hard work and dedication and a pure, innate talent for writing. I will be singing the praises of this book and series far and wide for a long, long time. Thank you, Amy, for sharing your gift with us.
Thanks also to Month9Books and Chapter by Chapter for allowing me to take part in the review tour for this incredible book. I strongly encourage you to get your hands on this book (and the first, if you haven’t read it!; you’ll need to read them in order), immediately start reading, and open your mind to the possibilities of what you might see, if you will only look.
November 5, 2015
4.5
Read my full review here: https://chocomeiske.wordpress.com/201...
I absolutely loved and enjoyed every minute of this. Of Delicate Pieces is poignant, mysterious, suspenseful and a delightful read.
Read my full review here: https://chocomeiske.wordpress.com/201...
I absolutely loved and enjoyed every minute of this. Of Delicate Pieces is poignant, mysterious, suspenseful and a delightful read.
February 22, 2016
I fall more in love with these characters with every new book! The love story between Chase and Alex is like "The Notebook" for teenagers. I absolutely love their world!
January 18, 2016
Beautifully written. Complex story and characters, and excellent worldbuilding! This is one of my favorite reads this year!
March 31, 2016
I can't wait to read this!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews