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The Last Rite
An ancient being wreaks havoc in the life of a young girl who holds the secret to his waning power.
- GenresUrban FantasyFantasy
404 pages, Paperback
First published June 28, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 30, 2014
The Last Rite was surprisingly good. Surprising, in so far as I was expecting something of the Young Adult, Slightly Urban fantasy genre. Young Girl gets magical powers, craziness ensues. While that would, indeed, be a very brief description of the book, it would also be wholly inadequate.
The Book gave me memories of nothing less than [i]The Dark is Rising[/i]. IN that while it was about a young person gaining magical powers, it was less power fantasy and more exploration of the circumstances of youth and issues of power as they relate to 'coming of age'. The main character, Maggie, must content not just with the sudden emergence of these powers, but that they have attracted the attention of a dark force she calls the 'Burned Man' who seems intent on torturing her with bizarre mind games, as well as endangering people she has only peripheral acquaintance with to get whatever his mysterious objective is.
The book is thus a run through the gauntlet of these mind-games, and has a great deal of intensity to it. The 'tests' that Maggie and her friends are put through are emotionally gruelling for the reader along with the poor students, and it's a testament to the book how 'twisted' the feelings it evoked over the course of the reading were. All the characters were interestingly realized, and while the mysteries to the book are not bizarre revelations, the layers of misdirection, the lies within lies, the torturous games, all played very well to obfuscate those mysteries.
Over-all The Last Rite proved itself above what I had expected for it, and indeed above what I have come to expect for it's genre. That I compared it to a series I consider a near seminal classic is perhaps some of the highest praise I can heap on it. It definitely deserves a read, and I'll be curious as to the sequel.
The Book gave me memories of nothing less than [i]The Dark is Rising[/i]. IN that while it was about a young person gaining magical powers, it was less power fantasy and more exploration of the circumstances of youth and issues of power as they relate to 'coming of age'. The main character, Maggie, must content not just with the sudden emergence of these powers, but that they have attracted the attention of a dark force she calls the 'Burned Man' who seems intent on torturing her with bizarre mind games, as well as endangering people she has only peripheral acquaintance with to get whatever his mysterious objective is.
The book is thus a run through the gauntlet of these mind-games, and has a great deal of intensity to it. The 'tests' that Maggie and her friends are put through are emotionally gruelling for the reader along with the poor students, and it's a testament to the book how 'twisted' the feelings it evoked over the course of the reading were. All the characters were interestingly realized, and while the mysteries to the book are not bizarre revelations, the layers of misdirection, the lies within lies, the torturous games, all played very well to obfuscate those mysteries.
Over-all The Last Rite proved itself above what I had expected for it, and indeed above what I have come to expect for it's genre. That I compared it to a series I consider a near seminal classic is perhaps some of the highest praise I can heap on it. It definitely deserves a read, and I'll be curious as to the sequel.
September 2, 2013
The literacy scene if filled right now with pale imitations. Take a walk around the Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance - even teen books and you will be assaulted with a menagerie of werewolves, vampires and a wide variety of corrupt governments.
Which is all well and good, but a book is only as good as the story inside, the characters and the emotions all of the above express.
It's hard to feel that passion about a book when it's all been done before.
Which is why The Rite is such a rare gem! The book is a Supernatural thriller, but it takes the genre and flips it on its head. These are not your typical undead.
The main character is Maggie, a 13 year old girl who is a bit of a loner and book worm. (Who doesn't feel like a little bit of a freak when they are 13 years old?) She has a bit of a crush on a boy in her grade named Jason, but he doesn't really notice her.
At first glance, it seems like your typically teenage story.
Of course, that all changes when the adventure starts.
At its heart, The Rite is a coming of age story. Filled with twists, turns, some pretty awesome characterizations and a family of terrifying villains. From the soft opening to the gripping conclusion - there is nothing 'typical' about this book.
The best part is, it is original! It's incredibly refreshing to read a story that hasn't been done before.
If you're looking for an original, epic story to lose yourself into for a few days - read this.
You won't be disappointed.
Which is all well and good, but a book is only as good as the story inside, the characters and the emotions all of the above express.
It's hard to feel that passion about a book when it's all been done before.
Which is why The Rite is such a rare gem! The book is a Supernatural thriller, but it takes the genre and flips it on its head. These are not your typical undead.
The main character is Maggie, a 13 year old girl who is a bit of a loner and book worm. (Who doesn't feel like a little bit of a freak when they are 13 years old?) She has a bit of a crush on a boy in her grade named Jason, but he doesn't really notice her.
At first glance, it seems like your typically teenage story.
Of course, that all changes when the adventure starts.
At its heart, The Rite is a coming of age story. Filled with twists, turns, some pretty awesome characterizations and a family of terrifying villains. From the soft opening to the gripping conclusion - there is nothing 'typical' about this book.
The best part is, it is original! It's incredibly refreshing to read a story that hasn't been done before.
If you're looking for an original, epic story to lose yourself into for a few days - read this.
You won't be disappointed.
October 23, 2013
For a teenage reader, it's exceptionally hard to find a supernatural novel of any kind that doesn't allude to romance in the tag line. Even though most of these novels are great reads, they aren't quite focused on the readers who aren't interested in romance. Yeah, it's nice the heroine gets a boyfriend, but I'm a lot more interested in the powers she's getting.
Jen Frankel does a wonderful job of writing for this group, the one that gets so easily overlooked. The romance plot it does contain isn't distracting or really prominent, just a fact of the story as much as the supernatural elements are. And as many cliches as the beginning of the book might contain, they're shattered fairly quickly. The characters grow and suffer their hardships just like a group if teenagers would, not accepting everything instantly but taking time to work it out.
The villains are also extremely well fleshed out. Instead of being nothing but forces of evil and destruction, they're shown with actual motivations and emotions, something that really isn't seen very often. You aren't sure if you should cheer them on or wish forfeit downfall.
All in all, the Last Rite is an exceptional read that's a nice change from the clusters of romance books on the market.
Jen Frankel does a wonderful job of writing for this group, the one that gets so easily overlooked. The romance plot it does contain isn't distracting or really prominent, just a fact of the story as much as the supernatural elements are. And as many cliches as the beginning of the book might contain, they're shattered fairly quickly. The characters grow and suffer their hardships just like a group if teenagers would, not accepting everything instantly but taking time to work it out.
The villains are also extremely well fleshed out. Instead of being nothing but forces of evil and destruction, they're shown with actual motivations and emotions, something that really isn't seen very often. You aren't sure if you should cheer them on or wish forfeit downfall.
All in all, the Last Rite is an exceptional read that's a nice change from the clusters of romance books on the market.
December 13, 2013
When I first started this book, I found it difficult to get into. Something about the language didn't flow right. It seemed weird that the main character was 13 years old. I ended up putting it down and reading another book. Although, what I had read did interest me.
When I finally went back to it, I started over and this time it seemed a little easier. The more I got into it, the better it flowed. I'm wondering if maybe my first attempt was just a combination of exhaustion from a busy weekend and other things going on at the time. In any case, my second attempt had me addicted. I very much enjoyed this story. One big plus was that it didn't over explain things. Too many books seem to almost take a timeout from the story to explain a situation of give back story. This book explained things through the characters experiencing them or by recollection. Helped keep the flow of the story so that you didn't want to put the book down.
The concepts surrounding the magic used weren't unreasonable or too fantastic. Even the way the book ended seemed appropriate. There wasn't any points where I was like 'Seriously?!" Kudos to the author.
I look forward to what book two has to offer.
When I finally went back to it, I started over and this time it seemed a little easier. The more I got into it, the better it flowed. I'm wondering if maybe my first attempt was just a combination of exhaustion from a busy weekend and other things going on at the time. In any case, my second attempt had me addicted. I very much enjoyed this story. One big plus was that it didn't over explain things. Too many books seem to almost take a timeout from the story to explain a situation of give back story. This book explained things through the characters experiencing them or by recollection. Helped keep the flow of the story so that you didn't want to put the book down.
The concepts surrounding the magic used weren't unreasonable or too fantastic. Even the way the book ended seemed appropriate. There wasn't any points where I was like 'Seriously?!" Kudos to the author.
I look forward to what book two has to offer.
November 21, 2013
Jen Frankel really knocked it out of the park for me with this one. Wasn't sure what to expect; I haven't read very many horror fantasies involving blood rituals and magic and really creepy ancient dudes. I'm going to have to start reading more, now that I've seen how well it can be done.
Jen's writing style is a delight. Her way with words pulls you in, keeps you going, and makes you care. She's also a whiz with suspense. I found it very hard to put her novel down, but that's a pretty standard book review clichee. How about this - I couldn't wait to pick it up again. Style can make the difference between loving a book or hating it, or not even finishing it. After the first chapter, there was no doubt I would finish it, and soon.
Her characters are terrific, fully realized and interesting, especially her adult characters. And villains! Arabella was my favourite; playfully twisted and evil, her scenes were always a sick treat! The relationships the characters had to each other were also very convincing and real.
Good stuff all around. I look forward to The Red Ring with much anticipation!
Jen's writing style is a delight. Her way with words pulls you in, keeps you going, and makes you care. She's also a whiz with suspense. I found it very hard to put her novel down, but that's a pretty standard book review clichee. How about this - I couldn't wait to pick it up again. Style can make the difference between loving a book or hating it, or not even finishing it. After the first chapter, there was no doubt I would finish it, and soon.
Her characters are terrific, fully realized and interesting, especially her adult characters. And villains! Arabella was my favourite; playfully twisted and evil, her scenes were always a sick treat! The relationships the characters had to each other were also very convincing and real.
Good stuff all around. I look forward to The Red Ring with much anticipation!
January 31, 2014
Ok so I had difficulty getting through this one, the story did not grab my attention until about three quartes of the way through. There are several reasons for this. First is that I do not generally read stories of the supernatural, occult genre, although I do like the Harry Dresdan stories. Second, my life since picking up the novel at the Ottawa Geek Market has been very busy and as a result my reading cycle (if there is such a thing) has been off kilter. In otherwords, I kep t picking up reading a few pages and putting it down because of other distractions. The third and probably biggest factor was that I simply could not relate to the main character, an isolated and lonely 13 year old girl, who after all her experiences ends up probably even more isolated and lonely than at the start of the story.
All that said, I will probably pick up the second in the series because the story did eventually grab my attention and I want to see what the next chapter of Maggie's life becomes.
All that said, I will probably pick up the second in the series because the story did eventually grab my attention and I want to see what the next chapter of Maggie's life becomes.
August 28, 2014
This was an amazing book. It captured the reader's attention almost immediately and gives a truth for the anger that exists in young teens. As soon as I finished this book I wanted to continue the series ASAP because I look for what is in store for this set of characters 3 years later. *SPOILER ALERT* Maggie made a great sacrifice at the end giving up the friendships she made for a better cause not many people would be able to do that. *SPOILER ALERT OVER* It is a well written novel that I would gladly recommend to any reader especially if they enjoy the supernatural phenomena.
August 28, 2013
I read the 2012 edition, and found it to be very engaging. I found the characters well-drawn and believable. I especially enjoyed the dream sequences in which Maggie believes herself to be flying--very visceral in their descriptions of the sensations she experiences. The plot develops with plenty of twists and turns, building to an impressive climax. It really is a page turner!
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June 29, 2014After struggling with this for nearly 8 months, I'm giving up for now. Maybe it's just bad timing, and I'll need to pick it up and try again later, or maybe it's just not the book for me. I'll give it another shot at some point in the future, just in case.
July 29, 2011
This felt like a book I should like, but didn't. Sometimes the author's writing style convoluted the story.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews