A broken tradition When Layela Delamores gives birth to her first child, the ether immediately rejects what should be its only heir. A wave of destruction sweeps the ether races and sparks Solaria's ire and rebellion on Mirial. A hunted child A new heir rises to take the throne of Mirial, one who wields tainted ether. Unable to access the flow of ether, Layela is left with little choice but to flee Mirial, seeking answers that may no longer exist. A rebellion that threatens to topple the very fabric of the universe Layela is prepared to sacrifice everything to free herself and her daughter from the clutches of the First Star. But is she prepared to face her own past?
Marie Bilodeau is an award-winning science-fiction, fantasy and horror writer. She has been nominated four times for Canada's most prestigious science-fiction literary award, the Aurora Award, for both her novels and her short stories.
Marie is also a performing storyteller. She's told stories to a wide variety of audiences in theatre houses, tea shops, schools, bars and under disco balls. Find out more at www.mariebilodeau.com.
The lovely Marie Bilodeau released the second of her Destiny series and I was lucky enough to snag a copy at Ad Astra. Between working on my own writing and fighting a nasty case of con-crud I was finally able to finish it today.
So what do I think of it?
Destiny's Fall is good continuation of the series. I can see a greater maturity in Marie's writing style while it still retains her storytelling voice, and I can see growth in how the characters are portrayed. They're more vibrant in this book, have more of an individual voice rather than just being swept along in the admirably done narrative. This is especially true of Avienne, who is now definitely my favorite character of the series. (What can I say, I have a weakness for redheads.)
The issue I noticed in Destiny's Blood is still present in Destiny's Fall. It's far too short. The book just seems to be ramping up when it comes to a conclusion. Also, there were some things mentioned but characters, told to the reader, that I would have loved to have seen played out on the page. One part in particular is the implantation of a magic jewel that sounds like it would have been an awesome scene but we only get told about it later rather than actually seeing it happen.
There are so many tumultuous events this book that happen one after another that I was exhausted by the end. I'd love to see the characters having a chance to talk more, to have a chance to truly digest what just happened to them.
Based on what I've seen, I think Destiny's Fall could easily have been twice its current length without losing any of its impact. As I said about Destiny's Blood, if the worst thing I can say about a book is that it's too short then it can't be all that bad.
(Yes, I've ready some really long books/series that should have ended pages ago... cough... Wheel Of Time... cough)
Go check out Marie's site and look into getting a copy of your own.
I revceived this book as part of a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
Destiny's Fall carried off right where Destiny's blood left off, and was a pleasure to read. Bilodeau took the time to further develop each character, and the emotional rollercoaster they were on. The addition of Ardice to the family was well described, and the intorduction of potential male heirs was an unexpected twist. Excited to find out what the final book has in store!
Another novel in Marie Bilodeau's destiny series. This picks up where the last one left off, and you can see the story become deeper and more complex. More police states, more escapes, more prophesy.
This is one of the greastest books I ever readed.I wish that there was more in the book.I cant wait to see what this author will do.She just won over a reader.