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Chronicles of The One #2
Кръв от кръвта
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Fantasy (2019)На пръв поглед – обикновено семейство с обикновен живот. Но отвъд мирните предели на фермата витаят невъобразими сили на мрак и светлина...
Тринайсетгодишната Фалън Суифт почти не познава предишния свят. След като Гибелта избива милиарди хора, градът, в който са живели родителите й, е в руини. Пътуването е опасно – зловещи банди, наричани Воини на безупречната добродетел, търсят следващата си жертва. Онези като Фалън, които притежават дарба, са преследвани. Вече не може да се скрие, че тя е Вестителката.
В тайнствено убежище в гората започва обучението й. Неин наставник е Малик, чиито умения са трупани с векове. Фалън изучава древните начини за изцеление и бой, среща елфи и феи и открива у себе си невероятни сили. А когато настъпи моментът, тя ще вземе меча и ще влезе в битка. Защото, докато порасне и се превърне в жена, светът вече никога няма да бъде цял.
Тринайсетгодишната Фалън Суифт почти не познава предишния свят. След като Гибелта избива милиарди хора, градът, в който са живели родителите й, е в руини. Пътуването е опасно – зловещи банди, наричани Воини на безупречната добродетел, търсят следващата си жертва. Онези като Фалън, които притежават дарба, са преследвани. Вече не може да се скрие, че тя е Вестителката.
В тайнствено убежище в гората започва обучението й. Неин наставник е Малик, чиито умения са трупани с векове. Фалън изучава древните начини за изцеление и бой, среща елфи и феи и открива у себе си невероятни сили. А когато настъпи моментът, тя ще вземе меча и ще влезе в битка. Защото, докато порасне и се превърне в жена, светът вече никога няма да бъде цял.
464 pages, Paperback
First published December 4, 2018
11671 people are currently reading
30939 people want to read
About the author
Nora Roberts
1,209 books59.6k followersNora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 -- The Becoming -- the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.
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November 30, 2018To all the people rating this book 1 star because Nora Roberts "PLAGIARISED" Tomi Adeyemi,
Nora Roberts is one of the most established ROMANCE authors for DECADES. She has written 100+ books and you're saying she COPIED Tomi Adeyemi's book Children of Blood and Bone??? It's laughable and embarrassing! These titles are common before Children of Blood and Bone exists.
Nora Roberts is a LEGEND. She can write any GENRE. Her books became my gateway to adult romance novels and I'll be forever thankful for that. Whether you like it or not, falsely accussing a veteran author can be your downfall. By the way, I applaud Ms. Roberts' response to this debacle. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 So classy!
Nora Roberts is one of the most established ROMANCE authors for DECADES. She has written 100+ books and you're saying she COPIED Tomi Adeyemi's book Children of Blood and Bone??? It's laughable and embarrassing! These titles are common before Children of Blood and Bone exists.
Nora Roberts is a LEGEND. She can write any GENRE. Her books became my gateway to adult romance novels and I'll be forever thankful for that. Whether you like it or not, falsely accussing a veteran author can be your downfall. By the way, I applaud Ms. Roberts' response to this debacle. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 So classy!
November 23, 2018
At last I found out what happened to Katie and Fred and the babies, and all the others who managed to survive book one and make it into this, the second book in the trilogy. Let's be perfectly clear you must read Year One before you read this book or large chunks of it will be meaningless.
Of Blood and Bone is very much a middle book. It does not have all the fear and horror of Year One but instead it builds up the central characters and prepares us for the main event which is still to come. There are moments of danger but the author spends most of the book enjoying herself with witches, fairies, and fantastic beasts, which suited me just fine.
A fun book, easy to read and definitely magical. Be prepared for something huge in book 3!
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Of Blood and Bone is very much a middle book. It does not have all the fear and horror of Year One but instead it builds up the central characters and prepares us for the main event which is still to come. There are moments of danger but the author spends most of the book enjoying herself with witches, fairies, and fantastic beasts, which suited me just fine.
A fun book, easy to read and definitely magical. Be prepared for something huge in book 3!
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
August 24, 2019
UPDATE: $2.99 Kindle US 8/24/19
I love the freaking end papers in this book! And I loved the story as well!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
I love the freaking end papers in this book! And I loved the story as well!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
November 28, 2019
November 2019: I still absolutely adore this. As with its predecessor, it just gets stronger upon rereading. I love that Nora dedicated an entire volume of this trilogy to the childhood and growth and training of The One. It's a great coming of age story that emphasizes how much hard work The One must put in before they are ready to lead the charge of light to save the world from the dark. Community and family remain important building blocks in Nora's world, and I love that she shows how the idyllic doesn't come easy, but demands effort from every member of the community. I love the magic here, and how light magic demands sacrifice and rewards those who put others before themselves. I also really love how much this is inspired by Irish mythology while still maintaining its originality. As with Year One, I'm keeping my original review untouched in its original state. Without further ado, here is what I thought of the book upon first reading it in December of 2018.
Original review:
I am completely blown away by Nora’s newest venture. Chronicles of the One is a perfect blending of post-apocalyptic dystopia and epic fantasy. The fact that Nora, after decades of writing romance laced with tendrils of the supernatural, would take such a giant leap into writing a radically different story, is commendable. The fact that she not only pulled it off by absolutely nailed it commands respect. She has mine.
Of Blood and Bone picks up a few years after the end of Year One. We see the One grow and learn and near their thirteenth year, when they must leave home and beginning their training in earnest. The training sequences and quests that the One must complete are the elements that reminded me so strongly of epic fantasy. Here, in the midst of rusting cars and cracked asphalt, we are shown a magic that is wild and mysterious and is somehow seamlessly joined to the broken world from which it sprang. While magic is almost an entity in its own right, those that use it learn and grow in their knowledge, which I always loving seeing in a novel.
As with all of Nora’s novels, the relationships are the backbone. She excels at creating families of both blood and choosing. I’m not going to get into any relationship in particular, because honestly any name I list is going to be a spoiler for the first book. (That’s why I refer to the One as “they” instead of assigning a gender, as even that is a bit of a spoiler). What I will say is that beauty arose from the ashes of Doom in the forms of families and communities. The bonds developed through shared trauma are oftentimes deeper and stronger and more enduring than their sunnier counterparts, and that depth is well demonstrated here.
Besides the radical genre shift, there is also one other difference in this novel as compared to the rest of Nora’s work: there’s not a single sex scene. There are a couple of steamy kisses, but that’s it. From someone who built her career on romance, I thought this exclusion was a pretty shocking decision, but it absolutely works with the story. This is due in part to the ages of the main characters, which was another kind of different narrative choice for Nora; while adults are around and play important supporting roles, kids are undoubtedly the stars. As with the first book, there was no central romance. However, in this book we can see the foundation of what looks to be an explosive romance playing out in the final installment.
I have no negatives at all in regards to this novel, and found it to be even stronger than the first installment of the series. My one and only complaint is that I have to wait until November 2019 to see how the story ends. I feel like this is a trilogy that can both draw in new fans who prefer fantasy to romance, as well as pushing current Nora fans out of their comfort zone into new genres. I can’t recommend it highly enough, and will be counting down the days until I can get my hands on The Rise of Magicks.
You can find this review and more at Novel Notions.
Original review:
I am completely blown away by Nora’s newest venture. Chronicles of the One is a perfect blending of post-apocalyptic dystopia and epic fantasy. The fact that Nora, after decades of writing romance laced with tendrils of the supernatural, would take such a giant leap into writing a radically different story, is commendable. The fact that she not only pulled it off by absolutely nailed it commands respect. She has mine.
Of Blood and Bone picks up a few years after the end of Year One. We see the One grow and learn and near their thirteenth year, when they must leave home and beginning their training in earnest. The training sequences and quests that the One must complete are the elements that reminded me so strongly of epic fantasy. Here, in the midst of rusting cars and cracked asphalt, we are shown a magic that is wild and mysterious and is somehow seamlessly joined to the broken world from which it sprang. While magic is almost an entity in its own right, those that use it learn and grow in their knowledge, which I always loving seeing in a novel.
As with all of Nora’s novels, the relationships are the backbone. She excels at creating families of both blood and choosing. I’m not going to get into any relationship in particular, because honestly any name I list is going to be a spoiler for the first book. (That’s why I refer to the One as “they” instead of assigning a gender, as even that is a bit of a spoiler). What I will say is that beauty arose from the ashes of Doom in the forms of families and communities. The bonds developed through shared trauma are oftentimes deeper and stronger and more enduring than their sunnier counterparts, and that depth is well demonstrated here.
Besides the radical genre shift, there is also one other difference in this novel as compared to the rest of Nora’s work: there’s not a single sex scene. There are a couple of steamy kisses, but that’s it. From someone who built her career on romance, I thought this exclusion was a pretty shocking decision, but it absolutely works with the story. This is due in part to the ages of the main characters, which was another kind of different narrative choice for Nora; while adults are around and play important supporting roles, kids are undoubtedly the stars. As with the first book, there was no central romance. However, in this book we can see the foundation of what looks to be an explosive romance playing out in the final installment.
I have no negatives at all in regards to this novel, and found it to be even stronger than the first installment of the series. My one and only complaint is that I have to wait until November 2019 to see how the story ends. I feel like this is a trilogy that can both draw in new fans who prefer fantasy to romance, as well as pushing current Nora fans out of their comfort zone into new genres. I can’t recommend it highly enough, and will be counting down the days until I can get my hands on The Rise of Magicks.
You can find this review and more at Novel Notions.
January 22, 2019
This series has a continuous story arc and the books cannot be read as standalones. If you haven’t read the first book, Year One, don’t start here.
The story resumes years after the last book where Lana’s child was identified as being The One and she escaped after the attack on New Hope. That child, Fallon Swift, is approaching her 13th birthday, the age when Mallick, “the visitor,” promised he’d return to the farm and take her away from her family for training. As that date looms closer, Fallon and her family make the most of their time together. Meanwhile, the residents of New Hope have created a viable city and formed close relationships as the country has not emerged from the apocalyptic effects of The Doom. Kate’s twins, Duncan and Antonia are now teenagers who have mastered their gifts for the benefit of the town and beyond and are vital to their continued development.
When I learned that Roberts was creating this series, I worried that she might not be able to pull this off. This story continues the excellence of the first, with minute attention to detail, lore and fantasy while keeping the focus in the realities of the present day. What’s also remarkable is how effectively the human condition is woven into the character development, clear lines between good and evil but also the acknowledgment that our natural human instincts don’t necessarily have us fall definitively in one or the other. It’s a very complicated, dangerous world but hope sits beside despair.
Most of the story is Fallon’s narrative but we do get others’ points of view exactly when I felt I needed them. Julia Whelan delivers such an outstanding performance I had to remind myself that she was the only narrator. She doesn’t resort to attempts at baritone for male voices and yet I recognized the gender every time. My decision to listen to this series was one of my better ones as she just makes a great story even better.
Fallon’s maturation and honing of her gifts, skills and temperament was more interesting than I’d imagined. I loved Mallick and how their relationship developed and shaped. I don’t want to divulge much more about the story but rest assured there’s plenty of excitement, intrigue, tension and even romance as she connects with New Hope. There’s one particular scene that can only be described as spectacular with a huge twist. I was left in a good but uneasy place and am excited about the final chapter to come in this fascinating tale.
(I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review)
The story resumes years after the last book where Lana’s child was identified as being The One and she escaped after the attack on New Hope. That child, Fallon Swift, is approaching her 13th birthday, the age when Mallick, “the visitor,” promised he’d return to the farm and take her away from her family for training. As that date looms closer, Fallon and her family make the most of their time together. Meanwhile, the residents of New Hope have created a viable city and formed close relationships as the country has not emerged from the apocalyptic effects of The Doom. Kate’s twins, Duncan and Antonia are now teenagers who have mastered their gifts for the benefit of the town and beyond and are vital to their continued development.
When I learned that Roberts was creating this series, I worried that she might not be able to pull this off. This story continues the excellence of the first, with minute attention to detail, lore and fantasy while keeping the focus in the realities of the present day. What’s also remarkable is how effectively the human condition is woven into the character development, clear lines between good and evil but also the acknowledgment that our natural human instincts don’t necessarily have us fall definitively in one or the other. It’s a very complicated, dangerous world but hope sits beside despair.
Most of the story is Fallon’s narrative but we do get others’ points of view exactly when I felt I needed them. Julia Whelan delivers such an outstanding performance I had to remind myself that she was the only narrator. She doesn’t resort to attempts at baritone for male voices and yet I recognized the gender every time. My decision to listen to this series was one of my better ones as she just makes a great story even better.
Fallon’s maturation and honing of her gifts, skills and temperament was more interesting than I’d imagined. I loved Mallick and how their relationship developed and shaped. I don’t want to divulge much more about the story but rest assured there’s plenty of excitement, intrigue, tension and even romance as she connects with New Hope. There’s one particular scene that can only be described as spectacular with a huge twist. I was left in a good but uneasy place and am excited about the final chapter to come in this fascinating tale.
(I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review)
October 16, 2024
4.5 stars
This book was AMAZING!!! Even better than the first - which doesn't happen often with sequels but the author delivered beyond anything I could have imagined. I was floored by it!!
I started this book in the afternoon and read it all the way through until midnight. No interruptions, just me enjoying an amazing reading experience.
And WOW - the feeling when I was done - can't be described than anything other than an epic BOOK HANGOVER!!! I wanted to read on. I needed more. I was far from being done with it.
Brilliant Nora Roberts!!!!
I devoured every word - E V E R Y single word!!
The thing I always love reading about is the journey, the preparation, the getting ready for something epic to come. A transformation of a sort. Besides Fallon's crucial learning period, with Malik, who by the way was a fantastic supporting character. Fallon's personal growth was palpable. She really stepped up and took her spot as The One with determination and conviction. It was fantastic how she understood and recognized what had to be done, and prepared accordingly.
I couldn't get enough of this book. And still, a day later, I can't stop thinking about this brilliantly plotted story. The crescendo is coming - I know it, I can feel it. The BIG altercation between light and darkness. The fight that might change everything. I just hope that Fallon Swift is ready when it happens. And honestly to God I want to read The Rise of Magicks RIGHT NOW!! I can't wait. Making me wait until November is torture!!
So yes, this book was beyond GOOD!!! The author delivered a masterful and suspenseful sequel, that is captivating and enchanting with its vibrant world building and wonderful characters. A story that needs to be read by everyone that loves romantic fantasy.
I refuse to be the only one with this book hangover - I need people to commiserate with. So, please read it!!!
___________________________________
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.
This book was AMAZING!!! Even better than the first - which doesn't happen often with sequels but the author delivered beyond anything I could have imagined. I was floored by it!!
I started this book in the afternoon and read it all the way through until midnight. No interruptions, just me enjoying an amazing reading experience.
And WOW - the feeling when I was done - can't be described than anything other than an epic BOOK HANGOVER!!! I wanted to read on. I needed more. I was far from being done with it.
Brilliant Nora Roberts!!!!
I devoured every word - E V E R Y single word!!
The thing I always love reading about is the journey, the preparation, the getting ready for something epic to come. A transformation of a sort. Besides Fallon's crucial learning period, with Malik, who by the way was a fantastic supporting character. Fallon's personal growth was palpable. She really stepped up and took her spot as The One with determination and conviction. It was fantastic how she understood and recognized what had to be done, and prepared accordingly.
I couldn't get enough of this book. And still, a day later, I can't stop thinking about this brilliantly plotted story. The crescendo is coming - I know it, I can feel it. The BIG altercation between light and darkness. The fight that might change everything. I just hope that Fallon Swift is ready when it happens. And honestly to God I want to read The Rise of Magicks RIGHT NOW!! I can't wait. Making me wait until November is torture!!
So yes, this book was beyond GOOD!!! The author delivered a masterful and suspenseful sequel, that is captivating and enchanting with its vibrant world building and wonderful characters. A story that needs to be read by everyone that loves romantic fantasy.
I refuse to be the only one with this book hangover - I need people to commiserate with. So, please read it!!!
___________________________________
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.
January 9, 2023
Amazing-sauce. Picking up in the years after “year one” where humankind now lives in a world where governments rise and fall within months, the good magical community, dark magical community, general government who want to lock magicals up, and those who hate magical people and want them exterminated fight for control of the land. Fun times!
It’s more than a decade after the events of “year one” and time for Fallon to be trained. Seeing what she and the other babies born in the community of New Hope had grown into in the new world was fun. Nora Roberts has a cool imagination. I particularly loved . This had just the right amount of romance and promises of what is to come in book three. I love this world and ate up every second I get to spend in its pages.
Trigger Warnings:
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
It’s more than a decade after the events of “year one” and time for Fallon to be trained. Seeing what she and the other babies born in the community of New Hope had grown into in the new world was fun. Nora Roberts has a cool imagination. I particularly loved . This had just the right amount of romance and promises of what is to come in book three. I love this world and ate up every second I get to spend in its pages.
Trigger Warnings:
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
December 8, 2018
Of Blood and Bone is ridiculous. It is a disappointment to book 1. The novel is unnecessarily long and its action scenes are too far apart.
Nora Roberts definitely didn't write Of Blood and Bone. The novel is poor, really poor. There is too many gibberish.
Few sentences were dedicated to the Uncanny, Purity warriors and the Raiders and that's a bad thing.
Fallon got an owl, Fallon got a wolf, Fallon got a horse, Fallon got a magical book. Fallon, Fallon, Fallon.
The two star rating I gave the novel is a miracle.
Nora Roberts should definitely put a lot of chaos, destruction and bad guys doing bad stuff in book 3.
Nora Roberts definitely didn't write Of Blood and Bone. The novel is poor, really poor. There is too many gibberish.
Few sentences were dedicated to the Uncanny, Purity warriors and the Raiders and that's a bad thing.
Fallon got an owl, Fallon got a wolf, Fallon got a horse, Fallon got a magical book. Fallon, Fallon, Fallon.
The two star rating I gave the novel is a miracle.
Nora Roberts should definitely put a lot of chaos, destruction and bad guys doing bad stuff in book 3.
December 6, 2018
Dreading, and knowing what she knew would happen on her thirteenth birthday, nevertheless when Mallick arrived on horseback to collect her Fallon Swift was shocked. Her parents were shocked, as were her brothers. But she was The One, and she had to learn to be The One – it would be two years before she would see her family again. Could she do it? Was she strong enough?
Although the Doom of thirteen years prior was over, the destruction and devastation of everything in the world was immense. The powers of darkness were strong; the evil gangs of Raiders and Purity Warriors hunted to kill. Fallon knew she had to learn all she could, and then more - and Mallick was the one to guide her. The community of New Hope was in her future – changing the world for the better also was. But it was the small shelter in the forest where she made friends with faeries, elves and shifters while training; where she completed her quests and earned the rewards, that showed her what she would become.
Of Blood and Bone is the 2nd in the Chronicles of the One trilogy by Nora Roberts, and WOW! Utterly breathtaking! The author is a gifted storyteller, and Of Blood and Bone shows her vast talents. Strong and well-crafted characters combined with spectacular writing left me wondering how I’ll wait for #3! And I know it’ll be well worth the wait! Highly recommended.
With thanks to Hachette AU for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Although the Doom of thirteen years prior was over, the destruction and devastation of everything in the world was immense. The powers of darkness were strong; the evil gangs of Raiders and Purity Warriors hunted to kill. Fallon knew she had to learn all she could, and then more - and Mallick was the one to guide her. The community of New Hope was in her future – changing the world for the better also was. But it was the small shelter in the forest where she made friends with faeries, elves and shifters while training; where she completed her quests and earned the rewards, that showed her what she would become.
Of Blood and Bone is the 2nd in the Chronicles of the One trilogy by Nora Roberts, and WOW! Utterly breathtaking! The author is a gifted storyteller, and Of Blood and Bone shows her vast talents. Strong and well-crafted characters combined with spectacular writing left me wondering how I’ll wait for #3! And I know it’ll be well worth the wait! Highly recommended.
With thanks to Hachette AU for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
May 4, 2018
If i could give this more than 5 stars I would! I had the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this book. This is book 2 of the Chronicles of the One. (If you didn't read the first book, you should do that before reading this one.) The story continues and gets darker, much more intense. As Fallon begins training for leadership and battle, she grows into a powerful young woman who knows what she must do to save the people she loves. Many parts of the story had me holding my breath, feeling so anxious to know what would happen next. This series is one of the best by Ms. Roberts. Great storytelling, mixed with lovely prose.
January 20, 2019
For me this was disappointing after the first book. In some ways it felt like 400 pages of filler leading up to about 10 pages of a mediocre battle. I'm not sure if it was too YA for me or if it relies on the much overdone "the one". And if all else fails, throw a bunch of powerful magick at the bad guy(s).
The potential romance between Duncan (who likes to play the field from a very early age) and Fallon felt forced and unappealing. I'm not sure if anyone liked the "You didn't say no." after each of the forced kisses. And the coming naked out of the shower seemed way inappropriate for the mid teens. I really missed the adult relationships that were developed in book 1.
I'm hoping the next book is more like the first one as this just felt like filler to make this a trilogy.
The potential romance between Duncan (who likes to play the field from a very early age) and Fallon felt forced and unappealing. I'm not sure if anyone liked the "You didn't say no." after each of the forced kisses. And the coming naked out of the shower seemed way inappropriate for the mid teens. I really missed the adult relationships that were developed in book 1.
I'm hoping the next book is more like the first one as this just felt like filler to make this a trilogy.
July 5, 2024
I loved this book even more than Book 1. I have recently read many books that didn't have the emotional connection I wanted with my characters. I was starting to think that it had something to do with my focus and audiobooks lately, but then I would come back and listen to some more of these discs, and I would be completely sucked in and thank Noa Roberts for making such relatable characters. She creates characters that you can emotionally connect to.
I loved Fallon's interaction with her brothers. Each character was completely realized and essential to the story as a whole. I wish I could have a whole series about the Fairie Grove creatures.
Also: ALICORN!!!!!!!! There is an ALICORN!!!! Is there any excuse not to read a book with an Alicorn in it? No! There is not!
When Fallon had to say goodbye, it was hard. I had tears. It was a very well-written scene.
Overall, I'm happy to see New Hope still matter and what the future holds.
Don't mess up the end Nora Roberts!!!
I loved Fallon's interaction with her brothers. Each character was completely realized and essential to the story as a whole. I wish I could have a whole series about the Fairie Grove creatures.
Also: ALICORN!!!!!!!! There is an ALICORN!!!! Is there any excuse not to read a book with an Alicorn in it? No! There is not!
When Fallon had to say goodbye, it was hard. I had tears. It was a very well-written scene.
Overall, I'm happy to see New Hope still matter and what the future holds.
Don't mess up the end Nora Roberts!!!
December 15, 2019
Of Blood and Bone was a nice addition to the Chronicles of The One.
The series is a battle against good vs evil. Light magic vs dark magic. This dystopian series is a new addition from well loved author, Nora Roberts.
Roberts tends to write romance but this is more of an urban fantasy series with a post-apocalyptic tale. She really went out of her comfort zone with this series and did a fantastic job with the characters and plot.
Of Blood and Bone should not be read without reading Year One first. This second book in the series is a coming of age story in how Fallon Swift developes her magical abilities along with fighting abilities.
She has to become the one that legend and visions have spoke about. Fallon has to develop the maturity and wisdom to lead an army along with the responsibility of staying true to her magic.
Roberts wrote the main character of Fallon Swift well. I felt for the young woman and the quest she has to accomplish. What a huge responsibility on the shoulders of such a young girl!
I'm really looking forward to finishing this series. I've been pleasantly surprised with how much I've enjoyed this plot, quest and forthcoming war that will take place in The Rise of Magicks. I'm really hoping Roberts nails the ending of this trilogy with a fantastic and epic finale!
Recommended to urban fantasy and dystopian lovers!
The series is a battle against good vs evil. Light magic vs dark magic. This dystopian series is a new addition from well loved author, Nora Roberts.
Roberts tends to write romance but this is more of an urban fantasy series with a post-apocalyptic tale. She really went out of her comfort zone with this series and did a fantastic job with the characters and plot.
Of Blood and Bone should not be read without reading Year One first. This second book in the series is a coming of age story in how Fallon Swift developes her magical abilities along with fighting abilities.
She has to become the one that legend and visions have spoke about. Fallon has to develop the maturity and wisdom to lead an army along with the responsibility of staying true to her magic.
Roberts wrote the main character of Fallon Swift well. I felt for the young woman and the quest she has to accomplish. What a huge responsibility on the shoulders of such a young girl!
I'm really looking forward to finishing this series. I've been pleasantly surprised with how much I've enjoyed this plot, quest and forthcoming war that will take place in The Rise of Magicks. I'm really hoping Roberts nails the ending of this trilogy with a fantastic and epic finale!
Recommended to urban fantasy and dystopian lovers!
January 5, 2019
Blerg.
I think I'm especially bummed because I liked the first one so much (the scene with the necromancer flying through the tunnel carrying a woman gave me delicious creepy-crawlies for two days), and paid for this one instead of waiting for the library to have it available.
To me it just read The One Beautiful Brilliant Amazing The One Fallon The One with Her Flying Unicorn and Magickal Animals and Unlimited Power Whom Everyone Loves The One The One The One. With her nice kind good smart helpful wonderful family and friends and the ugly mean hateful stinky Bad Guys.
If you can bilocate through time and space, shoot lightning bolts, morph nukes into daisies and everyone either fears or reveres you, it's hard to get too angsty about the Dreadful Challenge that must lie ahead.
Spent the last quarter either skimming or rolling my eyes.
So disappointed.
I think I'm especially bummed because I liked the first one so much (the scene with the necromancer flying through the tunnel carrying a woman gave me delicious creepy-crawlies for two days), and paid for this one instead of waiting for the library to have it available.
To me it just read The One Beautiful Brilliant Amazing The One Fallon The One with Her Flying Unicorn and Magickal Animals and Unlimited Power Whom Everyone Loves The One The One The One. With her nice kind good smart helpful wonderful family and friends and the ugly mean hateful stinky Bad Guys.
If you can bilocate through time and space, shoot lightning bolts, morph nukes into daisies and everyone either fears or reveres you, it's hard to get too angsty about the Dreadful Challenge that must lie ahead.
Spent the last quarter either skimming or rolling my eyes.
So disappointed.
November 8, 2018
I know that I am low man on the totem pole regarding this novel as it has gotten much well reviews but...................
Of Blood and Bone is a fantasy/dystopian novel book two in a trilogy. Although I did not read Book One, the prologue and first few chapters did well to acclimate me to the previous book so I felt this a good way to also introduce this as what could be a stand alone novel. For this point, Ms. Roberts did well.
The story revolves around Fallon, a soon to be 13 year old destined to train against evile forces. After two years of training (and after 260 pages of training - yawn) the story became tired, redundant and repetive. Filled with wizardry, magick (yep, that's how she spells it), faeries, magic manifestations and witches incantations, the book started up with a bit of spark but once I no longer felt compelled to pick up the book or lost interest in where the story was going, I knew it was time to put the book down.
If Ms. Roberts is aiming for a YA audience the book might be successful in my mind. With only 184 pages to go I had to put it down (446 pages in the book).
It immediately gave a likeness to The Hunger Games and other such dystopian titles. The characters seemed trite and surface only which only added to the weight of the book. It might just be a case of this genre being over-done. Thanks to A Likely STore Bookstore for the ARC but I have to place this book in my DNF catagory.
Of Blood and Bone is a fantasy/dystopian novel book two in a trilogy. Although I did not read Book One, the prologue and first few chapters did well to acclimate me to the previous book so I felt this a good way to also introduce this as what could be a stand alone novel. For this point, Ms. Roberts did well.
The story revolves around Fallon, a soon to be 13 year old destined to train against evile forces. After two years of training (and after 260 pages of training - yawn) the story became tired, redundant and repetive. Filled with wizardry, magick (yep, that's how she spells it), faeries, magic manifestations and witches incantations, the book started up with a bit of spark but once I no longer felt compelled to pick up the book or lost interest in where the story was going, I knew it was time to put the book down.
If Ms. Roberts is aiming for a YA audience the book might be successful in my mind. With only 184 pages to go I had to put it down (446 pages in the book).
It immediately gave a likeness to The Hunger Games and other such dystopian titles. The characters seemed trite and surface only which only added to the weight of the book. It might just be a case of this genre being over-done. Thanks to A Likely STore Bookstore for the ARC but I have to place this book in my DNF catagory.
January 11, 2019
It pains me to give a Nora Roberts book only 2 stars, but I really do not like the new direction she is going. So, I guess in that aspect I would maybe give the book, standing on its own, 3 stars, but am bumping it down to 2 when it is assessed against Nora's other works.
This book starts 13 years after the closing of the first book in the trilogy and covers roughly 3 years from that point forward. We return to The One, or Fallon Swift as her friends and family know her, who is now old enough to train with Mallick and prepare to....save the world? Defeat the darkness?
Herein lies my first issue. What is she fighting against? It is just the amorphous "all the bad things" kind of big bad and it just doesn't work for me. There needs to be a center to the badness that she is fighting against. Something to conquer. Something for us to root against.
She she trains and makes new friends, then reunites with some old friends. I like all of these people even though there are so freaking many of them it is hard to keep them all straight. But (issue #2) the people are never merged. It reads like three separate stories in one single book. (1) Fallon is with her family. No one else, just them. (2) Fallon trains with Mallick and meets people who live in the area. And it is just those characters. No family, no one else. (3) Fallon back with her family and then enter the characters from book one that are being woven back in, but now we have completely left Mallick and Crew. With barely a mention of them. It was jarring and could have been so much more compelling.
But, here come my big issues.
The First Big Issue: this is not a romance novel. It is not a contemporary romance. It is not a romantic suspense. It has none of the aspects that I love from a Nora novel. You know what this is? Young Adult paranormal romance. And I am not happy about it. I have no idea if Nora is just bored of writing adult romance, and I can see that after hundreds of books, but as a YA writer she is just average. She excels at writing adult romances with adult friendships and adult moments (and I mean like conversations and connections, not just sex). Here, the slight YA romance was awkward and weird. And, honestly, slightly sexual-assault-ish. I hate that Duncan always "jerked/roughly pulled" Fallon toward him and kissed her. And then said things like "well you didn't say no." Nice message. Or, that at the end when he jerked her toward him and kissed her without her indicating she really wanted to be kissed, he proceeded it with "I need this." Perfect, let's be sure to make it all about what HE needs even though she is unsure. It just rubbed me the wrong way.
The Second Big Issue: the writing was borderline bad. It was choppy and lacked the smooth writing that her other books have. She occasionally slips into choppy writing in previous books when she is writing magicks and she wants it to sound like an incantation or a trace. Fine, I get that. But this WHOLE BOOK was written that way. It was hard for me to follow, it was unclear who was speaking at times, and it did not create a compelling scene.
Sorry Nora Roberts, but if you are getting bored with writing then just stop. You have enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life. If you still feel like you have stories to tell then I hope you re-find your voice. Because I miss it.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest—probably more honest than they really wanted—review.
This book starts 13 years after the closing of the first book in the trilogy and covers roughly 3 years from that point forward. We return to The One, or Fallon Swift as her friends and family know her, who is now old enough to train with Mallick and prepare to....save the world? Defeat the darkness?
Herein lies my first issue. What is she fighting against? It is just the amorphous "all the bad things" kind of big bad and it just doesn't work for me. There needs to be a center to the badness that she is fighting against. Something to conquer. Something for us to root against.
She she trains and makes new friends, then reunites with some old friends. I like all of these people even though there are so freaking many of them it is hard to keep them all straight. But (issue #2) the people are never merged. It reads like three separate stories in one single book. (1) Fallon is with her family. No one else, just them. (2) Fallon trains with Mallick and meets people who live in the area. And it is just those characters. No family, no one else. (3) Fallon back with her family and then enter the characters from book one that are being woven back in, but now we have completely left Mallick and Crew. With barely a mention of them. It was jarring and could have been so much more compelling.
But, here come my big issues.
The First Big Issue: this is not a romance novel. It is not a contemporary romance. It is not a romantic suspense. It has none of the aspects that I love from a Nora novel. You know what this is? Young Adult paranormal romance. And I am not happy about it. I have no idea if Nora is just bored of writing adult romance, and I can see that after hundreds of books, but as a YA writer she is just average. She excels at writing adult romances with adult friendships and adult moments (and I mean like conversations and connections, not just sex). Here, the slight YA romance was awkward and weird. And, honestly, slightly sexual-assault-ish. I hate that Duncan always "jerked/roughly pulled" Fallon toward him and kissed her. And then said things like "well you didn't say no." Nice message. Or, that at the end when he jerked her toward him and kissed her without her indicating she really wanted to be kissed, he proceeded it with "I need this." Perfect, let's be sure to make it all about what HE needs even though she is unsure. It just rubbed me the wrong way.
The Second Big Issue: the writing was borderline bad. It was choppy and lacked the smooth writing that her other books have. She occasionally slips into choppy writing in previous books when she is writing magicks and she wants it to sound like an incantation or a trace. Fine, I get that. But this WHOLE BOOK was written that way. It was hard for me to follow, it was unclear who was speaking at times, and it did not create a compelling scene.
Sorry Nora Roberts, but if you are getting bored with writing then just stop. You have enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life. If you still feel like you have stories to tell then I hope you re-find your voice. Because I miss it.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest—probably more honest than they really wanted—review.
December 26, 2018
This one was of my most anticipated audiobooks and one of my favorite listens for 2018. Robert has really mixed things up, even if I still see pieces of her previous trilogies in this story.
I absolutely devoured the audio narrated by the talented Julia Whelan. Fans of Roberts paranormal trilogies will love the Chronicles of One. While the romantic elements is a salad served on the side, the prophecy, preparing and battles remind of those previous stories, only this is more. Roberts delivered a fantasy world with magic, magical creatures, good, evil, Celtic lore and more.
While Roberts does a good job of bringing the listener up to speed, I recommend listening to the series in the order of their release.
I loved the magic, the prophecies and the visions. Fallon’s training was one of my favorite aspects of the story from her quests to spell making. After the middle section of the story shares her return to her family and this section was the slowest for me. Once we began our journey again the pacing picked up as did the action.
Along the way we meet fairies, elves, and gifted animals. Fallon herself collects several animal companions. We see battles, reunions and the begins of a romance. Our heroine is young, but she persuades hundreds to follow her, and Roberts made me believe in the prophecy and in this young woman.
Agh now we have to wait a year for the next book. I for one cannot wait and hope that Whelan continues to narrate. She has become the voice of these characters and enhances the storyline.
This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
I absolutely devoured the audio narrated by the talented Julia Whelan. Fans of Roberts paranormal trilogies will love the Chronicles of One. While the romantic elements is a salad served on the side, the prophecy, preparing and battles remind of those previous stories, only this is more. Roberts delivered a fantasy world with magic, magical creatures, good, evil, Celtic lore and more.
While Roberts does a good job of bringing the listener up to speed, I recommend listening to the series in the order of their release.
I loved the magic, the prophecies and the visions. Fallon’s training was one of my favorite aspects of the story from her quests to spell making. After the middle section of the story shares her return to her family and this section was the slowest for me. Once we began our journey again the pacing picked up as did the action.
Along the way we meet fairies, elves, and gifted animals. Fallon herself collects several animal companions. We see battles, reunions and the begins of a romance. Our heroine is young, but she persuades hundreds to follow her, and Roberts made me believe in the prophecy and in this young woman.
Agh now we have to wait a year for the next book. I for one cannot wait and hope that Whelan continues to narrate. She has become the voice of these characters and enhances the storyline.
This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
December 6, 2018
Of Blood and Bone, the second novel of the Chronicles of The One trilogy, is another expertly crafted story from Nora Roberts, and although it's stated that it works as a standalone I feel that it is better to have read Year One first as you get a deeper understanding of the plot, characters and world. Year One was a superb start to this fantasy series, but this is even better. I have trouble getting my head around the fact that Ms Roberts is not only a romance writer, but she can create a fantastic and captivating dystopian world. The fast pace and excellent writing make it easy to be gripped from the first couple of pages, and the characters are very well developed with lots of detail being paid to each of them.
The story is a powerful and emotional one as you really care about what happens to the characters you've become invested in. Not only is the worldbuilding some of the best I've encountered this year, but its some of the best I've ever come across in the fantasy genre. The contrast between light and dark, good and evil is very well executed and provides some tension throughout the story. This is a character-driven novel/series which is reminiscent of Stephen King's The Stand, so those who enjoyed that book will definitely find a lot to love here. I am already eager to get my hands on the final instalment, but I guess I'll have to be patient given that it's still a year away. I'm sure it'll be worth the wait! I cannot recommend this highly enough.
Many thanks to Piatkus for an ARC
The story is a powerful and emotional one as you really care about what happens to the characters you've become invested in. Not only is the worldbuilding some of the best I've encountered this year, but its some of the best I've ever come across in the fantasy genre. The contrast between light and dark, good and evil is very well executed and provides some tension throughout the story. This is a character-driven novel/series which is reminiscent of Stephen King's The Stand, so those who enjoyed that book will definitely find a lot to love here. I am already eager to get my hands on the final instalment, but I guess I'll have to be patient given that it's still a year away. I'm sure it'll be worth the wait! I cannot recommend this highly enough.
Many thanks to Piatkus for an ARC
December 11, 2018
4 Stars!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟
If you enjoy Post-apocalyptic, Dystopian, Survival... you get all three with this series, but, you also get Fantasy!!! This is only my 3rd book by Nora Roberts so I don't have much to compare it to but ya'll,.... I just love this series so far! I know she usually writes Romance, but these are in a totally different league and there is something in it for everyone !!
What a fantastic follow up to Year One. It succeeds Year One and tells the story of the rise of The One. I adored all the characters in the first book and was so excited to jump back into this world to find out what has been going on with everyone. It did not disappoint. The characters are so well developed and the writing just makes you care what happens to them. I for one, am definitely invested in them and extremely sad I have to wait another year to see what happens in book 3.
This was very much a middle book. A lot of the world building and action takes place in book 1. In this one we follow Fallon as she trains for leadership and battle. Of course there are still some epic action scenes, but this one concentrates more on character development and builds up the plot for what's to come in book 3. It wasn't boring or slow - the pace was actually perfect and keeps you turning the pages. I personally could not put it down. I am pretty sure this type of book is my absolute favorite. Watching people start all over again and learn to survive in a world that's new is one of my favorite things!! It has a The Walking Dead type feel, only instead of zombies, certain people have magical abilities. So there is a real tug of war with light vs dark. I totally recommend Year One and Of Blood and Bone! These are adult books, but tend to read like a YA, especially this second one. I CANT WAIT FOR BOOK 3!!!
If you enjoy Post-apocalyptic, Dystopian, Survival... you get all three with this series, but, you also get Fantasy!!! This is only my 3rd book by Nora Roberts so I don't have much to compare it to but ya'll,.... I just love this series so far! I know she usually writes Romance, but these are in a totally different league and there is something in it for everyone !!
What a fantastic follow up to Year One. It succeeds Year One and tells the story of the rise of The One. I adored all the characters in the first book and was so excited to jump back into this world to find out what has been going on with everyone. It did not disappoint. The characters are so well developed and the writing just makes you care what happens to them. I for one, am definitely invested in them and extremely sad I have to wait another year to see what happens in book 3.
This was very much a middle book. A lot of the world building and action takes place in book 1. In this one we follow Fallon as she trains for leadership and battle. Of course there are still some epic action scenes, but this one concentrates more on character development and builds up the plot for what's to come in book 3. It wasn't boring or slow - the pace was actually perfect and keeps you turning the pages. I personally could not put it down. I am pretty sure this type of book is my absolute favorite. Watching people start all over again and learn to survive in a world that's new is one of my favorite things!! It has a The Walking Dead type feel, only instead of zombies, certain people have magical abilities. So there is a real tug of war with light vs dark. I totally recommend Year One and Of Blood and Bone! These are adult books, but tend to read like a YA, especially this second one. I CANT WAIT FOR BOOK 3!!!
September 1, 2020
En realidad es un 3,5 de 5.
Este libro se desarrolla 13 años después del final del primero. A lo largo de la trama vamos a poder ver cómo ha evolucionado el mundo durante todo este tiempo, tras esa pandemia que acabó con la mayoría de la población. Nos encontramos con una nueva sociedad que intenta sobrevivir y recuperar parte de lo que perdió tiempo atrás.
Tengo que decir que me ha gustado bastante esta segunda entrega, aunque es más lento que el primer libro. No ha llegado a niveles de aburrirme pero es una historia pausada que se centra en el desarrollo y la evolución de los personajes, sobre todo de la protagonista, Fallon. No es un libro de acción o giros. Es una historia lineal que nos va a permitir conocer mejor a los personajes y su nueva forma de vivir después de la masacre de hace años. Eso no quiere decir que sea malo o que no me haya gustado, porque sí lo ha hecho, me ha encantado ver cómo Fallon desarrollando sus poderes, o cómo han sido las vidas de todos los habitantes de ‘Nueva Esperanza’.
La narración es constante a lo largo de las páginas, como se diría: sin prisa pero sin pausa. Y a pesar de sus 500 páginas es un libro que se lee relativamente rápido.
Lo que más me ha gustado es esa mezcla algo extraña pero original entre fantasía y apocalipsis. Una mezcla que para mí funciona a la perfección. La autora ha conseguido crear su propio universo con lo mejor de ambos géneros. Del apocalíptico, esa búsqueda de sobrevivir y reconstruir todo lo que se perdió en "el fin del mundo". De la fantasía, la magia, brujas, criaturas fantásticas y hechiceros. A todo ello además le añadimos unos personajes bien construidos y una protagonista fuerte y valiente.
Este libro se desarrolla 13 años después del final del primero. A lo largo de la trama vamos a poder ver cómo ha evolucionado el mundo durante todo este tiempo, tras esa pandemia que acabó con la mayoría de la población. Nos encontramos con una nueva sociedad que intenta sobrevivir y recuperar parte de lo que perdió tiempo atrás.
Tengo que decir que me ha gustado bastante esta segunda entrega, aunque es más lento que el primer libro. No ha llegado a niveles de aburrirme pero es una historia pausada que se centra en el desarrollo y la evolución de los personajes, sobre todo de la protagonista, Fallon. No es un libro de acción o giros. Es una historia lineal que nos va a permitir conocer mejor a los personajes y su nueva forma de vivir después de la masacre de hace años. Eso no quiere decir que sea malo o que no me haya gustado, porque sí lo ha hecho, me ha encantado ver cómo Fallon desarrollando sus poderes, o cómo han sido las vidas de todos los habitantes de ‘Nueva Esperanza’.
La narración es constante a lo largo de las páginas, como se diría: sin prisa pero sin pausa. Y a pesar de sus 500 páginas es un libro que se lee relativamente rápido.
Lo que más me ha gustado es esa mezcla algo extraña pero original entre fantasía y apocalipsis. Una mezcla que para mí funciona a la perfección. La autora ha conseguido crear su propio universo con lo mejor de ambos géneros. Del apocalíptico, esa búsqueda de sobrevivir y reconstruir todo lo que se perdió en "el fin del mundo". De la fantasía, la magia, brujas, criaturas fantásticas y hechiceros. A todo ello además le añadimos unos personajes bien construidos y una protagonista fuerte y valiente.
March 15, 2020
Translation widget on the blog!!!
O aventură care te lasă cu dorința de a vedea deznodământul.
O carte plină de magie, o luptă continuă între Bine și Rău.
Volumul de față reprezintă povestea Alesei, povestea tinerei Fallon Swift odată cu împlinirea vârstei de 13 ani, antrenamentul și perfecționare ei, asumarea rolului pe care îl are în acest război intens între Lumină și Întuneric. O carte alertă, plină de suspans și pericole, magie și aventuri care mai de care mai neobișnuite.
Recenzia mea completă o găsiți aici:
https://justreadingmybooks.wordpress....
O aventură care te lasă cu dorința de a vedea deznodământul.
O carte plină de magie, o luptă continuă între Bine și Rău.
Volumul de față reprezintă povestea Alesei, povestea tinerei Fallon Swift odată cu împlinirea vârstei de 13 ani, antrenamentul și perfecționare ei, asumarea rolului pe care îl are în acest război intens între Lumină și Întuneric. O carte alertă, plină de suspans și pericole, magie și aventuri care mai de care mai neobișnuite.
Recenzia mea completă o găsiți aici:
https://justreadingmybooks.wordpress....
December 18, 2018
Must read series! (buddy read with Heather and Shannon)
February 21, 2020
Initial Thoughts
This was enjoyable! This is definitely a series that needs to be read in order since this book picks up a few years after the events of the first book. Fallon has grown up with her brothers on the farm surrounded by her parents, Lana and Simon. She is fated to be the one and must go off for two years to train with Mallick. I really enjoyed seeing her abilities grow as she trained for her fated role. There was plenty of excitement in this story and I loved that we got to catch up with the residents of New Hope. Julia Whelan did an amazing job with the narration.
Book source: Purchased
This was enjoyable! This is definitely a series that needs to be read in order since this book picks up a few years after the events of the first book. Fallon has grown up with her brothers on the farm surrounded by her parents, Lana and Simon. She is fated to be the one and must go off for two years to train with Mallick. I really enjoyed seeing her abilities grow as she trained for her fated role. There was plenty of excitement in this story and I loved that we got to catch up with the residents of New Hope. Julia Whelan did an amazing job with the narration.
Book source: Purchased
January 8, 2019
After weeks of trying to push through this one, I'm tapping out at 47%. Life is too short and there are plenty of good books to read.
Year One was a multithreaded opener to a potentially cool series. Her writing was well-paced and stayed out of the reader's way. I liked it.
After the most unnecessary (and atrocious) prologue I've ever laid eyes on, Of Blood and Bone quickly became an unimaginative YA novel with cringe-worthy prose that takes every opportunity to distract the reader from the story.
Initially, I liked the setup: a young magical girl, Fallon (who for some reason grew up knowing she's "THE ONE") has to leave home to get trained by some ancient wizard dude. Nora had the chance to craft a cool fantasy story, but instead offers us the most boring, uneventful series of quests and magical training I've ever read. Fallon simply wanders a forest and these amazingly rare spirit creatures just keep showing up and befriending her. Ugh. That's it. Imagine if Harry Potter just stumbled onto each of the 7 Horcruxes and snapped them in half. No, Rowling knew that a main character should have to search, struggle, and sacrifice to obtain such special goals.
Once the book shifted its focus to the town of New Hope, I found myself wanting to sharpen the edge of my Kindle and gouge my eyes out. What a trite set of 2D protagonists! And the worst part was that Nora focused on the ridiculously unbelievable YA characters. Emotionally-stable, conveniently-super-duper-powered, BATTLE-HARDENED 14 year olds? Who have nothing better to do in between the confusing action scenes than chat about crushes? Not for me.
For an author who's impressed me by her work-ethic and her productivity, I have to say this latest book seems like she decided to "phone it in". Or, as I suspected a few times, she let someone else write it and they slapped her name on the cover. Either way, I wish all the loyal Nora fans good luck, I'm glad you enjoyed it, but I'm moving on.
Year One was a multithreaded opener to a potentially cool series. Her writing was well-paced and stayed out of the reader's way. I liked it.
After the most unnecessary (and atrocious) prologue I've ever laid eyes on, Of Blood and Bone quickly became an unimaginative YA novel with cringe-worthy prose that takes every opportunity to distract the reader from the story.
Initially, I liked the setup: a young magical girl, Fallon (who for some reason grew up knowing she's "THE ONE") has to leave home to get trained by some ancient wizard dude. Nora had the chance to craft a cool fantasy story, but instead offers us the most boring, uneventful series of quests and magical training I've ever read. Fallon simply wanders a forest and these amazingly rare spirit creatures just keep showing up and befriending her. Ugh. That's it. Imagine if Harry Potter just stumbled onto each of the 7 Horcruxes and snapped them in half. No, Rowling knew that a main character should have to search, struggle, and sacrifice to obtain such special goals.
Once the book shifted its focus to the town of New Hope, I found myself wanting to sharpen the edge of my Kindle and gouge my eyes out. What a trite set of 2D protagonists! And the worst part was that Nora focused on the ridiculously unbelievable YA characters. Emotionally-stable, conveniently-super-duper-powered, BATTLE-HARDENED 14 year olds? Who have nothing better to do in between the confusing action scenes than chat about crushes? Not for me.
For an author who's impressed me by her work-ethic and her productivity, I have to say this latest book seems like she decided to "phone it in". Or, as I suspected a few times, she let someone else write it and they slapped her name on the cover. Either way, I wish all the loyal Nora fans good luck, I'm glad you enjoyed it, but I'm moving on.
January 4, 2019
Of Blood and Bone is the second book in the Chronicles of the One trilogy by popular American author, Nora Roberts. It follows on from Year One and there is virtually no recap, so readers are advised to start there. Lana Bingham knew from the moment her daughter was born that Fallon would have to make a choice at the age of thirteen. She had been raised as Simon Swift’s daughter, but the family knew that Max Fallon’s daughter was destined to be The One. And now, Year Fourteen after the Doom, Mallick is back to take Fallon away for training, if that is what she chooses.
In New Hope, life is settling down, with growing and making and caring all part of the mix, but also regular supply scavenging trips and raids on Purity Warrior strongholds to free prisoners and slaves. Their small community commonly takes in newcomers, and since the July massacre that killed Max and forced Lana to leave, security is taken seriously. So too, Arlys and Chuck consider their role in communicating the news, honest and true, as widely as possible via New Hope Broadcasting. But any complacency about their achievements will disappear when Fallon Swift makes known her plan.
Roberts has a real talent for creating characters that the reader is willing to invest in and care about, and it’s easy to credit Stephen King’s quote on the rear cover “I love Nora Roberts”: she effortlessly equals his power in storytelling. The characters and their interactions are at least as important as the plot, which certainly does have elements of predictability, but there’s also quite a shock at the end to make it really interesting. Book Three, The Rise of Magicks will be eagerly anticipated. Recommended!
In New Hope, life is settling down, with growing and making and caring all part of the mix, but also regular supply scavenging trips and raids on Purity Warrior strongholds to free prisoners and slaves. Their small community commonly takes in newcomers, and since the July massacre that killed Max and forced Lana to leave, security is taken seriously. So too, Arlys and Chuck consider their role in communicating the news, honest and true, as widely as possible via New Hope Broadcasting. But any complacency about their achievements will disappear when Fallon Swift makes known her plan.
Roberts has a real talent for creating characters that the reader is willing to invest in and care about, and it’s easy to credit Stephen King’s quote on the rear cover “I love Nora Roberts”: she effortlessly equals his power in storytelling. The characters and their interactions are at least as important as the plot, which certainly does have elements of predictability, but there’s also quite a shock at the end to make it really interesting. Book Three, The Rise of Magicks will be eagerly anticipated. Recommended!
November 30, 2019
Of Blood and Bone is a very different book from the first in the series. Taking place several years after Year One, this book focuses on Fallon's process of coming into her own. I liked the coming of age and training story, which does set everything up nicely for a big finish in the final book.
The characters in this book seemed more developed and nuanced this time around, which I appreciated. I'm hoping that continues in the final book, The Rise of Magicks.
The characters in this book seemed more developed and nuanced this time around, which I appreciated. I'm hoping that continues in the final book, The Rise of Magicks.
January 17, 2020
4.5 stars. Year One was recommended to me by one of my bookish best friends and if she tells me I’ll love a book, then I will. And I did! I love apocalyptic stories, which Year One was, mostly.
Of Blood and Bone is more of a fantasy/post-apocalyptic. I’m not usually a huge fan of fantasies consisting of fairies, witches, elves, etc. But... with that said, I’m loving this world that Nora Roberts created. I love the people, both the magicks and the NM!
This is a book about family, and community, and working together to rebuild after an apocalypse.
Book 2 was a bit like Hogwarts. It picks up 13 years after Year One. Fallon is the daughter of Lana and Max and is The One. She goes off to train for two years with a powerful witch (wizard?).
While she’s away, we also see what’s going on in New Hope (my favorite parts) and see what Katie’s children are up to.
This book switches back and forth between the two, Fallon and New Hope, and I loved it!
On to book 3, The Rise of Magicks.
Of Blood and Bone is more of a fantasy/post-apocalyptic. I’m not usually a huge fan of fantasies consisting of fairies, witches, elves, etc. But... with that said, I’m loving this world that Nora Roberts created. I love the people, both the magicks and the NM!
This is a book about family, and community, and working together to rebuild after an apocalypse.
Book 2 was a bit like Hogwarts. It picks up 13 years after Year One. Fallon is the daughter of Lana and Max and is The One. She goes off to train for two years with a powerful witch (wizard?).
While she’s away, we also see what’s going on in New Hope (my favorite parts) and see what Katie’s children are up to.
This book switches back and forth between the two, Fallon and New Hope, and I loved it!
On to book 3, The Rise of Magicks.
October 28, 2019
I’d originally given this installment five stars but, on further reflection,I've decided that this is actually a three-star read.
This was a very enjoyable story. That said, because this was a Nora Roberts novel, there was much about which to be annoyed.
First, the budding romance between Fallon and Duncan is problematic on several levels. On top of the promiscuous male/virginal girl trope, Roberts legitimates the notion of sexist derision and sexual violence as romantic.
Nora Roberts is, first and foremost, a romance writer. I knew going in that Fallon would end up with a protective male who would overrule her “whether she liked it or not” and go all macho bodyguard in situations that she, the armed and highly trained heroine, would have under control. I fully expect to skim these scenes in book three.
As is typical of a Nora Roberts romance, the male love interest is an asshole (soooo haawt!) and the female protagonist is off balance.
Duncan is dismissive of and disrespectful to Fallon throughout the entire book, from the "girl witch" barbs to the rapy "you didn't say no" comments after committing sexual battery.
More importantly, his “flashing” into her bedroom in the middle of the night and not even pretending to be apologetic about catching her naked is highly inappropriate. What does he do instead? He responds to her outrage and embarrassment by sneering and remarking that she’s no competition for the other naked girls he’s seen.
And I get that Nora Roberts’s "potential" couples typically hate and mistrust each other on sight, but his treatment of Fallon really grated, most especially because she'd saved everyone's life at least twice before.
Honestly, Edward Cullen is more respectful.
I immediately read his assholishness as jealousy and macho pride; he wants to be the big hero but he isn't. Worst still, the one who is destine to save everyone is a "girl witch." Waaaa; my masculinity hurts!
Second, in addition to being a soft, male worshiping twit, Lana Bingham/Fallon/Swift is an over-emotional and overbearing worry-wart of a parent whose hovering functions to undermine her daughter’s heroism.
One of the best things about Most authors’ (Ilona Andrews, J. K Rowling, PC Cast, etc.) treatment of YA warriors is that for the most part, they don’t write in helicopter parents who make rules and insert themselves where they have no business.
Lana’s (Simon, at least, gets it) refusal to allow her child to do a single thing alone goes beyond normal maternal concern and straight into crippling territory. She breathes down Fallon's neck and expects to be asked for permission every time she needs to take the necessary steps toward the battle for which she’d been preparing her entire life.
How does she expect Fallon to fight with any degree of confidence if she doesn’t trust her judgment or abilities? How does she expect things to turn out if she doesn’t encourage Fallon to trust them?
In fact, Fallon is much better suited for battle than her mother who, as she states her self in this and the previous book, quashed her gifts in favor of looking “pretty” for Max and being a domestic goddess for Simon.
Lana pitches a fit because Fallon "[underestimates]" her, but what Lana forgets is that she’s done nothing but model the defenseless, emotionally dependent homemaker for her. Fallon grew up watching Simon protecting her mother from everything from hurt feelings to worry.
Lana stayed home and cooked, gardened, and baked while Simon and others defended the Farm and nearby village from raiders and PWs.
Were I Fallon, I wouldn’t allow her within 100 feet of any kind of fighting, and I sure as hell wouldn’t run any of my decisions by her.
There just isn’t time to reassure Lana, answer 500 questions, or hear her list of rules; time is of the essence, and they have to move. She chose to bring her child into a ruined world and needs to buck up and deal with the danger that this child must face.
Going away and training with someone who wasn’t Lana was the best thing for Fallon because, had she stayed home, she might never have developed the necessary courage and self-confidence to lead her army into this very important battle.
don't get me wrong; I loved this book, but the Noraisms (Noraisms specifically meaning overprotective, high-handed people, long, drawn out apologies to people who deserve the treatment they get, a general inability or unwillingness to stand up for one’s self or protect one’s autonomy, and the low-grade perpetuation of rape culture) made me want to chew rusty nails.
Ultimately, I'm taking off one star for Duncan, and another for Lana.
The romance should have waited until book three, and Lana needed to A, prove her fitness for battle beyond the "I get so angry and protective that the power explodes" tricks and B, back the hehll off and allow her daughter to wield her power the way she saw fit.
This was a very enjoyable story. That said, because this was a Nora Roberts novel, there was much about which to be annoyed.
First, the budding romance between Fallon and Duncan is problematic on several levels. On top of the promiscuous male/virginal girl trope, Roberts legitimates the notion of sexist derision and sexual violence as romantic.
Nora Roberts is, first and foremost, a romance writer. I knew going in that Fallon would end up with a protective male who would overrule her “whether she liked it or not” and go all macho bodyguard in situations that she, the armed and highly trained heroine, would have under control. I fully expect to skim these scenes in book three.
As is typical of a Nora Roberts romance, the male love interest is an asshole (soooo haawt!) and the female protagonist is off balance.
Duncan is dismissive of and disrespectful to Fallon throughout the entire book, from the "girl witch" barbs to the rapy "you didn't say no" comments after committing sexual battery.
More importantly, his “flashing” into her bedroom in the middle of the night and not even pretending to be apologetic about catching her naked is highly inappropriate. What does he do instead? He responds to her outrage and embarrassment by sneering and remarking that she’s no competition for the other naked girls he’s seen.
And I get that Nora Roberts’s "potential" couples typically hate and mistrust each other on sight, but his treatment of Fallon really grated, most especially because she'd saved everyone's life at least twice before.
Honestly, Edward Cullen is more respectful.
I immediately read his assholishness as jealousy and macho pride; he wants to be the big hero but he isn't. Worst still, the one who is destine to save everyone is a "girl witch." Waaaa; my masculinity hurts!
Second, in addition to being a soft, male worshiping twit, Lana Bingham/Fallon/Swift is an over-emotional and overbearing worry-wart of a parent whose hovering functions to undermine her daughter’s heroism.
One of the best things about Most authors’ (Ilona Andrews, J. K Rowling, PC Cast, etc.) treatment of YA warriors is that for the most part, they don’t write in helicopter parents who make rules and insert themselves where they have no business.
Lana’s (Simon, at least, gets it) refusal to allow her child to do a single thing alone goes beyond normal maternal concern and straight into crippling territory. She breathes down Fallon's neck and expects to be asked for permission every time she needs to take the necessary steps toward the battle for which she’d been preparing her entire life.
How does she expect Fallon to fight with any degree of confidence if she doesn’t trust her judgment or abilities? How does she expect things to turn out if she doesn’t encourage Fallon to trust them?
In fact, Fallon is much better suited for battle than her mother who, as she states her self in this and the previous book, quashed her gifts in favor of looking “pretty” for Max and being a domestic goddess for Simon.
Lana pitches a fit because Fallon "[underestimates]" her, but what Lana forgets is that she’s done nothing but model the defenseless, emotionally dependent homemaker for her. Fallon grew up watching Simon protecting her mother from everything from hurt feelings to worry.
Lana stayed home and cooked, gardened, and baked while Simon and others defended the Farm and nearby village from raiders and PWs.
Were I Fallon, I wouldn’t allow her within 100 feet of any kind of fighting, and I sure as hell wouldn’t run any of my decisions by her.
There just isn’t time to reassure Lana, answer 500 questions, or hear her list of rules; time is of the essence, and they have to move. She chose to bring her child into a ruined world and needs to buck up and deal with the danger that this child must face.
Going away and training with someone who wasn’t Lana was the best thing for Fallon because, had she stayed home, she might never have developed the necessary courage and self-confidence to lead her army into this very important battle.
don't get me wrong; I loved this book, but the Noraisms (Noraisms specifically meaning overprotective, high-handed people, long, drawn out apologies to people who deserve the treatment they get, a general inability or unwillingness to stand up for one’s self or protect one’s autonomy, and the low-grade perpetuation of rape culture) made me want to chew rusty nails.
Ultimately, I'm taking off one star for Duncan, and another for Lana.
The romance should have waited until book three, and Lana needed to A, prove her fitness for battle beyond the "I get so angry and protective that the power explodes" tricks and B, back the hehll off and allow her daughter to wield her power the way she saw fit.
July 31, 2020
4'5 Estrellitas. Me ha gustado muchísimo y me ha mantenido toda la lectura en vilo, si no le pongo las 5 estrellas es porque me ha faltado más factor sorpresa, pero al igual que el primer libro, me ha encantado.
Antes de nada decir que "Sangre y Hueso" es muy distinto de "Año Uno". Esta vez no tenemos novela romántica al uso, ésta serie de Nora Roberts es de fantasía paranormal postapocalíptica. El primer libro fue la introducción de la serie, una introducción muy necesaria para mostrarnos el mundo antes de la heroína y también a algunos de sus personajes. "Año Uno" nos cuenta cómo empezó todo, la plaga que casi diezma a la humanidad, y como los pocos supervivientes han encontrado una salida al Juicio Final, e intentan normalizar su vida, pero entre toda esta debacle surgen humanos con poderes, hadas, faes, demonios, duendes, cambiantes, brujos, etc. Y la eterna lucha entre los seres de luz y de oscuridad.
"Sangre y Hueso" es el libro de formación de la Elegida, de Fallon, la esperanza de Max y Lana. Fallon se ha criado en una pacífica granja y ha vivido protegida durante sus primeros años; a pesar de todo siempre ha sabido quién era ella y a lo que estaba destinada a ser. Por eso al cumplir trece años, vuelve Mallick, ésa persona que apareció durante su alumbramiento y les dijo que su destino era adiestrar a la Elegida. Mallick se lleva con él a Fallon y durante dos años aprenderá todo lo que tiene que saber para ser la Elegida destinada a acabar con la Oscuridad que pobló el mundo tras el Juicio Final.
Por otro lado tendremos a los personajes que quedaron en Nueva Esperanza, si bien lamento que no hayan tenido tanto protagonismo como sí tuvieron en "Año Uno". Esta vez en Nueva Esperanza seremos participes de cómo ha evolucionado la comunidad y cómo otros de sus personajes toman importancia en la trama, como los mellizos de Katie, Duncan y Antonia, ahora casi adultos y reclutas de la milicia de Nueva Esperanza, dispuestos en cualquier misión de rescate para salvar a sobrenaturales como ellos.
El libro está genial, muy del estilo del primero y con un ritmo desbordante, pero como digo, me ha fallado el factor sorpresa, todo era muy esperado y tampoco ayuda que los personajes tengan tantas visiones y sepan lo que va a ocurrir, porque le quita emoción; aunque casi desde el principio podemos intuir que Nora Roberts va a introducir un romance entre Fallon y Duncan.
El final me ha gustado aunque me ha parecido algo breve, desde luego he acabado muy sarisfecha con el sentido de la justicia de Fallon, pues estaba esperando que ocurriera lo que ocurre desde el libro anterior. La pena, que Nora Roberts se ha dejado el plato fuerte para el final, o eso espero.
No puedo contar mucho más porque no quiero destripar el libro, pero leerlo ha sido una delicia pese a que han pasado muchos años entre el primero y el segundo y el mundo ha evolucionado. Lo que espero es no tardar demasiado en leer el tercero y último, al que tengo muchas, muchísimas ganas.
Antes de nada decir que "Sangre y Hueso" es muy distinto de "Año Uno". Esta vez no tenemos novela romántica al uso, ésta serie de Nora Roberts es de fantasía paranormal postapocalíptica. El primer libro fue la introducción de la serie, una introducción muy necesaria para mostrarnos el mundo antes de la heroína y también a algunos de sus personajes. "Año Uno" nos cuenta cómo empezó todo, la plaga que casi diezma a la humanidad, y como los pocos supervivientes han encontrado una salida al Juicio Final, e intentan normalizar su vida, pero entre toda esta debacle surgen humanos con poderes, hadas, faes, demonios, duendes, cambiantes, brujos, etc. Y la eterna lucha entre los seres de luz y de oscuridad.
"Sangre y Hueso" es el libro de formación de la Elegida, de Fallon, la esperanza de Max y Lana. Fallon se ha criado en una pacífica granja y ha vivido protegida durante sus primeros años; a pesar de todo siempre ha sabido quién era ella y a lo que estaba destinada a ser. Por eso al cumplir trece años, vuelve Mallick, ésa persona que apareció durante su alumbramiento y les dijo que su destino era adiestrar a la Elegida. Mallick se lleva con él a Fallon y durante dos años aprenderá todo lo que tiene que saber para ser la Elegida destinada a acabar con la Oscuridad que pobló el mundo tras el Juicio Final.
Por otro lado tendremos a los personajes que quedaron en Nueva Esperanza, si bien lamento que no hayan tenido tanto protagonismo como sí tuvieron en "Año Uno". Esta vez en Nueva Esperanza seremos participes de cómo ha evolucionado la comunidad y cómo otros de sus personajes toman importancia en la trama, como los mellizos de Katie, Duncan y Antonia, ahora casi adultos y reclutas de la milicia de Nueva Esperanza, dispuestos en cualquier misión de rescate para salvar a sobrenaturales como ellos.
El libro está genial, muy del estilo del primero y con un ritmo desbordante, pero como digo, me ha fallado el factor sorpresa, todo era muy esperado y tampoco ayuda que los personajes tengan tantas visiones y sepan lo que va a ocurrir, porque le quita emoción; aunque casi desde el principio podemos intuir que Nora Roberts va a introducir un romance entre Fallon y Duncan.
El final me ha gustado aunque me ha parecido algo breve, desde luego he acabado muy sarisfecha con el sentido de la justicia de Fallon, pues estaba esperando que ocurriera lo que ocurre desde el libro anterior. La pena, que Nora Roberts se ha dejado el plato fuerte para el final, o eso espero.
No puedo contar mucho más porque no quiero destripar el libro, pero leerlo ha sido una delicia pese a que han pasado muchos años entre el primero y el segundo y el mundo ha evolucionado. Lo que espero es no tardar demasiado en leer el tercero y último, al que tengo muchas, muchísimas ganas.
January 11, 2019
A classic tale of good versus evil. If you like a bit of magic this series might be for you.
Nora Roberts writes a good fantasy/magical book and I have read many of her series before. This is book two in a series of three books.
In book one - The Doom... the doom is a virus/plague that kills most of the people on the earth. Few escape the doom. Civilisation is crushed and mass panic ensures. Within a few months life on earth is not as we know it. Ancient magic is released, good and evil and the battle to take control of the earth begins. Only the toughest will survive and if they do survive what sort of earth will be left for them...
In book two (this book) -
The One... as prophecy has it The One will be able to fight all the evil in the world but at the moment The One is only a girl, who has been kept safe by her family. On her thirteenth birthday The One has to go and train for her role as defender of the earth. We follow The One as she prepares to become the most powerful magical leader. There are trials she undertakes and meetings with all kind of magical folk, faeries, wizards, elves, alicorns, and wolves.
The book is set in a post apocalyptic America. A terrifying war between uncanny's, purity warriors and humans is taking place. No where is safe. Some people have managed to build settlements but even they live in fear of raiders passing by and destroying their homes and them. Black crows circle the sky as a warning of evil and black lightening can sometimes be seen which means trouble ahead. People are trying to arm themselves against the evil, as well as struggling to stay alive in a world with little supplies and hardly any communication.
My feelings.
I wanted to like this book more than I actually did, which is disappointing because I really liked book one and had been waiting for this book all year. I felt that this story did not have enough action for me. I just expected a bit more. Maybe book three will be more exciting.
Quote.
"It's the nature of people, magickal and not, to wish for peace and march to war.
pg 70
Nora Roberts writes a good fantasy/magical book and I have read many of her series before. This is book two in a series of three books.
In book one - The Doom... the doom is a virus/plague that kills most of the people on the earth. Few escape the doom. Civilisation is crushed and mass panic ensures. Within a few months life on earth is not as we know it. Ancient magic is released, good and evil and the battle to take control of the earth begins. Only the toughest will survive and if they do survive what sort of earth will be left for them...
In book two (this book) -
The One... as prophecy has it The One will be able to fight all the evil in the world but at the moment The One is only a girl, who has been kept safe by her family. On her thirteenth birthday The One has to go and train for her role as defender of the earth. We follow The One as she prepares to become the most powerful magical leader. There are trials she undertakes and meetings with all kind of magical folk, faeries, wizards, elves, alicorns, and wolves.
The book is set in a post apocalyptic America. A terrifying war between uncanny's, purity warriors and humans is taking place. No where is safe. Some people have managed to build settlements but even they live in fear of raiders passing by and destroying their homes and them. Black crows circle the sky as a warning of evil and black lightening can sometimes be seen which means trouble ahead. People are trying to arm themselves against the evil, as well as struggling to stay alive in a world with little supplies and hardly any communication.
My feelings.
I wanted to like this book more than I actually did, which is disappointing because I really liked book one and had been waiting for this book all year. I felt that this story did not have enough action for me. I just expected a bit more. Maybe book three will be more exciting.
Quote.
"It's the nature of people, magickal and not, to wish for peace and march to war.
pg 70
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