In this third installment, Gabrielle finds herself living in one of the darkest times in American history, running a safe house for the Underground Railroad.
Arawn's done playing games. When he discovers Gabrielle's weakness he will stop at nothing to take her down. Gabrielle is going to have to use every ounce of her new power if she's going to survive.
"I don't think 5 stars is enough" -5 Star Review
"The battle/action scenes left me cringing" -4 Star Review
"The closeness of the characters draws you in and your there with them through every turn" - 5 Star Review
Zachary is a bow tie wearing, formal vest rocking, pocket watch using, sarcastic monster of a writer. Currently residing in Orlando, Florida, he spends his days working, writing and procrastinating.
Coupled with being an award winning author of Young Adult Fiction, Zach spends his days trying not to kill himself with lethal levels of caffeine.
Zach is the author of the Gabrielle series, a young adult fantasy with a paranormal-historical-time traveling twist (try saying that five times fast), and Webley and The World Machine, a Steampunk adventure with snarky yet loveable characters.
I have enjoyed this tale since the beginning, The Curious Tale of Gabrielle and in to Curiosity and The Hounds of Arawn. Time travel at its best... or maybe its worst considering what Gabrielle has gone/is going through. This time she awakes in the midst of the Civil War and is faced with the issue of slavery first hand. Arawn takes his pursuit of Gabrielle to the next level. And the twist at the end left me speechless!
Zachary Paul Chopchinski delivers with a steady paced flow and ease of reading, realism in the characters I could almost reach out and touch, continues excellent world building...I could smell the acrid smoke of burning Sluagh, and battle/action scenes that left me cringing.
This was a fun addition to a really unique series. I've mentioned before that time travel isn't always my thing, but this is yet another series where I think it works really well. I loved getting to see another era of history through Gabrielle's eyes.
For some reason, however, I had a really hard time getting into the story at first. I feel like the beginning was a tad slow. But after the first couple chapters, the pace picked up nicely. I do wish there had been a tiny bit more explanation for certain things, though, because I found myself a little confused at times. It didn't stop me from ripping through this book though!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had great characters, a unique and interesting world (or, I guess, worlds), and the writing was smooth and easy. If you haven't checked out the Gabrielle series yet, I'd definitely recommend giving them a read!
***This rating is tentative because I beta read this. Until I read the final version, this is my rating.
One of the coolest things about this series is the writing style. It doesn't matter what time period (it's a time travel-based story with a twist) it reads like the period it's set in and that feeling transports you as readily as if you had the ability to time travel yourself.
This edition of Gabrielle's journey deals with slavery and the horrific circumstances they suffered at the hands of racist plantation owners. Some of the stories are heartbreaking and will seriously leave you feeling chilled to the bone. Others are full of hope, perseverance, and love. Morrigan's words are moving-full of heart and raw honesty, of an unwavering and pure need to help those who have been persecuted, downtrodden, and tortured by their owners. There are beautiful words and great insight into the good that comes out of humanity in the face of true evil.
Gabrielle is different in this story. In some ways, she's so young and so tired, but who can blame her? She's suffered so much at the hands of an enemy she didn't exactly choose. All of her journeys are more traumatic than adventurous, but through them, she uncovers great truths about herself and she grows into a more compassionate and thoughtful person. Gabrielle is a heroine. She's imperfect. She gets anxiety, she's scared, she's overwhelmed, and yes, her emotions drag her through the mud, but this makes her so much more relatable.
There are a few twists that I didn't see coming and I was pleasantly surprised with the results.
The violence. OMG this is intense. There are so many epic fight scenes and the adrenaline is off the charts. If you're looking for a combination of heart, adventure, and action, definitely check this series out. Plus, the history!
Pacing was occasionally a little slow, but picked up as the story progressed.
If you've been following my reviews of the first two books in this series, then you should know I have really enjoyed them. But this book ROCKS! Holy Hera! There is something so intense about this installment. There were multiple times I wanted to grab Zach by his (adorable) trademark bow tie and shake the living snot outta him!
Each book has built in intensity, drama, and action. This version finds young Gabrielle inhabiting the body of a newly widowed woman in Civil War-torn North Carolina. Something about this period in American history has always tugged at my heartstrings, and this book's undercurrent tapped into that. But the main theme of Gabrielle & Morrigan saving souls from Arawn, and Arawn's relentless pursuit of Gabrielle, took on several new dimensions. Secrets are revealed, new threats against Gabrielle are unleashed (the sluagh! jeepers creepers!), and people close to Gabrielle pay the ultimate price in her quest.
I'm not kidding when I say there were moments in this book that forced me to put it down, walk away, and take a few deep breaths to calm down. I actually gasped "No!" in the middle of my kids' swim class, then had to apologize to the surrounding parents who, hearing the sheer panic in my voice, thought something bad happened in the pool. Whoops!
Yes, this is billed as a YA Fantasy series, but the emotions and overarching themes are something all readers will enjoy. I will be figuratively holding my breath for the fourth and final installment, due out this Fall.
Bravo Bow Tie Author! You knocked this one outta the park and have earned a fan for life.
**I won a paperback copy of this book in a Facebook event giveaway which I then chose to voluntarily review**
I really loved writing this book. I love history and am fascinated by the civil war. I really wanted to have the Underground Railroad be part of the subplot here because well...it's what I would have done had I been alive then. I would have done anything and everything to help free as many people as I could and in this, I feel myself in Morrigan.
This is really the climax of the series, Arawn finally gets a leg up on Gabrielle and Gabrielle finds out who Morrigan is. I think I really wanted to show the betrayal here. I must admit I called upon my wife to help me with a little bit of how Gabrielle would react to certain things, but that's because I wanted the reader to be able to completely relate to Gabrielle in this moment and to feel the same deep seeded betrayal that Gabrielle feels.
I definitely amped up the fight scenes, paranormal and all around action of this book. Although I originally intended The Gabrielle Series to be acceptable for all ages, as I wrote it, I just felt like I couldn't be authentic if I didn't bring it up a notch.
I've already started on book 4 and can't wait to see where Gabrielle takes me, because let's be honest, she's really the one in charge here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I wanted to love it. The story has some great themes and there are some great plot twists and ideas, they just don't fit together as a story. As a book it lacked the depth I wanted and the character development was very weak. I didn't care or believe the relationships in the book, they were too brief, quick and understated. It's such a shame, as an idea it's fantastic and that the only reason I managed to finish it.
Curiosity And The Sentients Obliations. The widowed wife of a North Carolina plantation owner, Gabrielle awakens in this life with a broken heart and a sharpened spirit. Living in one of the darkest times in American history, she finds herself running a safe house for the underground railroad during the American Civil War. In order to save a life, Gabrielle must make a sacrifice that could damn her host for eternity. A fantastic read with brilliant characters. I loved Gabrielle. I do hope there is more to come as I would like to know about Gabrielle's mother. 5*. This is a must read and I would highly recommend this book. Netgalley and weaponry co-op.
I loved this book just like the The closeness of the characters draws you in and your there with them through every turn. This story is chocked full of unique magical happenings. Its a truly great must read!
As I dry my tears wanting to Curl up and just lull myself to a calm space, I decided to write my review instead. To be quite honest with you I wish I could give it a higher rating as I don't think 5 stars is enough. A tale filled with action, violence, drama and yes even love, has been magnificently written.
The struggle Gabrielle faces in this period based book had me at the edge of my seat not once but many many times. The pace was fantastic and the storyline even better.
Zachary Paul Chopchinski is an extremely talented author. His style is classic and yet very unique. I am in awe of his new book, it is gripping stuff.
If you are looking for something out of the ordinary that will thrill, excite and grip you? Look no further, let the tale of Gabrielle transport you to times in history that will make you feel as if you are living it with them.
Book Title: Curiosity and The Sentient’s Oblation (Gabrielle Book 3) Book Author: Zachary Chopchinski Source: K.U. Rating: 5 stars Spoiler Alerts
The adventure continues. Gabrielle now questions her decisions. She didn’t think that there would be consequences that would touch too close to home.
What I liked –
Gabrielle is older once again. She gets to talk about her journey with Morrigan since the rules had changed. She’s also less held together and acts more like the child that she is. She lets two humans know about the gods and they get swarmed by evil creatures. She also gets to kill a man…not a monster like she got skilled at killing them. It was bound to happen. This story is more dark. So get ready for blood….and gruesome scenes.
Less typos than the previous book!
Nice choice of time in history.
I recommend to young adults who like paranormal fantasy, adventure, confused characters, and the past.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book is fantastic! Best of the series so far. The author really found his voice with this book; the characters feel like familiar, comfortable gloves, easy to slip into and take off with. The action is pretty much non-stop and Gabrielle is finally finding the answers to her long and perilous quest. I love the fluidity of the characters as they slide between lives. I love Gabrielle's tenacity and creative way of solving the problems thrown at her. And as always, I love that the author pulls no punches; the peril on this journey is real, there are consequences to every choice and that really highlights the instances where the characters make mistakes. I can't wait to see how this series ends!
I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book! While the previous books were a little slower, this one really picked up the action earlier on and the twists in this one, I never really knew what to expect. I'm really glad that I decided to stick with the series because I was not disappointed. I also really loved the way it ended. It's a great way to round out the series.
This was an interesting read, but a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes, with words missing as well. Getting annoyed that so many authors of YA want to put in same gender relationships. It might be more common and accepted, but doesn’t mean the majority want to read about it. Other than that, the story is interesting, no foul language and no M scenes. The characters are interesting for a quick afternoon read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
In this third installment, Chopchinski takes us back to the Civil War and the onward climbing battle between Gabrielle and Arawn starts to develop more. Each book keeps getting better and I love seeing the worlds come forward. A great addition to the tale and good for people who like to splice their action, history and mythology together!