The creature under the sink says you’re not human, and only a trip into time itself will show you the truth.
After a lackluster birthday party, Phoenix finds a strange creature hiding under her sink. Doing what any sensible person would do. She pokes it. And when that little guy wakes up, he rocks her world.
Phoenix isn’t human. The little guy under her sink just told her so. She’s actually a Traveller; a beautiful humanoid who moved through time on multi-coloured wings that filled the sky. So why is she here, sitting on the floor of her tiny apartment with a strange creature named Sid? Why doesn’t she remember any of this? And where are her wings?
Following Sid into time itself, Phoenix embarks on a wild adventure. If the Sirens don’t kill her, meeting a talking Yeti might. And ancient Egypt is amazing when it isn’t so ancient. Although she could do without all the snake-men chasing her. And through all this, the most terrifying man in her home world, a silver-skinned warrior named The Archer, is hunting her down.
Don’t worry, when the stuff really hits the fan, Phoenix isn’t afraid to swing her baseball bat at whatever is in her way. They say you can’t get blood from a stone, but maybe you can get wings? Either way, Phoenix sure as hell is going to try.
Can a city girl travel to ancient lands, do battle with fantastical creatures, and literally find her wings?
Get Torn from Stone for free today and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime.
2.5 stars When I began reading this, I had very high hopes: first, because the cover is really amazing, second because the story really seemes nice. The cover and the storyline still are lovely but I was undeniably disappointed. I know i have no real right to criticize (I obviously can't do any better than the author did), but i am still planning to. Not to look down on the book, that is not my intention at all but because I think the world depicted in this book has extraordinary potential and not just the world, the characters and the story too. I am disappointed because everything that makes me like reading is concentrated in the story (in a way I can't even say it made me hate reading or anything of the sort) but there was Something big lacking. I can't be precise about itbut I think it comes from the descriptions of the scènes and the way the whole thing was written. I mean it feels like it is not a story but a sumary of one. Phoenix (the heroine) describes the world in a really fresh manner that makes me want to read forever (that's the good point) but it is not immersive enough. For example, when she is tired, she says tired, there is absolutely no feelings involves, it's like she's a robot. Even speaking to yourself you don't often say it like that, you would maybe say " I feel like dying";"my legs are f**** noodles"; "i'm fantasizing about a bed right now"; etc ( those may be really bad examples but I'm not pretending to be a writer here). In the same way, when she meets Archer, I think it should have ended there , not gone on any longer so that the next book (I understand there is one) may focus a bit on them but NOOOOO. The end was crammed, feelings as tight as sardines, just a summary of what could have been extremely beautiful. It just felt like a rush to me. Again, I'm not saying that the book was bad, far from it, but I'm sure Something can be done about those things to make the book better, I mean it deserves it (it is a book with a strong story, suuuuuper interesting and a world building that's better than many a bookseller I have read). It either needs more wit, more humour or to make it darker, make the character even more confused, lost, make her FEEL THINGS (cause the story is pretty dark in fact).
In short I recommend the book but I still wish for these things to be taken into account and again, that's just to show I really expect a lot from this author in the future. I will definitely be checking out the other books in the series.
A book where every character is so, so impressed by this cool world the author has created. The rest of the story is one dimensional characters either doing uninteresting things for no reason, or doing improbable things to get to the next plot point. The main character's personality seems to correspond with the mood the author was in at the time of writing. A very awkward book. I loved to hate-read it.
I really liked this series by an honorary Canadian. It was a quick easy read which is especially nice when you’re just not in the mood for deep and heavy. The characters were fantastical but easily relatable and she did a great job of making you want to read the next to find out more. I actually emailed her (first time I’ve ever done that) to see when book 5 is coming out (early 2021). I’m a lover of a series and all things fantasy. Who knew my favorite characters would end up being a wimpy turned philosopher minion and a brain damaged, lovable gargoyle.
Got "bounty of ash " the second book in the series as a freebie and had to buy books one and three. While book two can be read by itself "torn from stone " sets the scene as to how Phoenix loses her wings and what caused her to be banished from the void . A great story of family, love,friendship, betrayal,magic and power among many different weird and wonderful creatures,some good some bad. Loved the book and will be reading more from this author in the future.
First time reading anything by Sarah Rockwood and I must say I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit it kept me hooked from the very beginning and now I am looking forward to the next book of this series because I have to know what happens to Phoenix. If you haven’t read any anything by Sarah Rockwood well try this book because there’s no harm in trying, I tried and I’m glad I did because I found a good story and different reality to sink into.
I really enjoyed this book. There are a spattering of grammar errors and weird word usage, but this is likely just a difference of language region. I was happy to find an offering of a free book download after signing up for her mailing list, I ended up with two books of the same series- book 2 "Bounty Ash" and a collection of stories about characters in the series "Tales from the Void". I have high hopes for these next two books.
An ok tale to enjoy while traveling, appropriate as the characters travel quite a bit here, thru realms. Follow along with the main character as she (re)discovers who and what she is and her place in the world(s). Some distracting typos, but that could be the version.