Wintercraft by Jenna BurtenshawGenre: fantasy, YA
About Wintercraft:
Ten years ago Kate Winters' parents were taken by the High Council's wardens to help with the country's war effort. Now the wardens are back...and prisoners, including Kate's uncle Artemis, are taken south on the terrifying Night Train. Kate and her friend Edgar are hunted by a far more dangerous enemy. Silas Dane – the High Council's most feared man – recognises Kate as one of the Skilled; a rare group of people able to see through the veil between the living and the dead. His spirit was damaged by the High Council's experiments into the veil, and he's convinced that Kate can undo the damage and allow him to find peace. The knowledge Kate needs lies within Wintercraft – a book thought to be hidden deep beneath the graveyard city of Fume. But the Night of Souls, when the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, is just days away and the High Council have their own sinister plans for Kate and Wintercraft...Source: Info in the About Wintercraft was taken from the book's official website at http://www.wintercraft.co.uk/ on 17/04/2010.
Wilma's Review:
The story telling quality was compelling enough but just short of a masterpiece. The world building was good and I could clearly see in my mind's eye the streets of Albion. The character development is very, very good. Silas felt like a person to me instead of just a character from the pages, whom I can sympathize with. This is a fast-paced read which left me wanting more. I hope Ms. Burtenshaw would write the second book quickly :) Fans of Harry Potter would love this book! I would definitely recommend this book to fantasy readers!
Story telling quality = 4
Character building = 4
World building = 4
The story itself = 4
Pace = fast
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries
Book Link(s):
http://www.wintercraft.co.uk/
Great review. I should try this one.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the new header!
I love the new look!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! It's still the same blog template, I just tweaked it a little bit :)
ReplyDeleteThis does sound like a great read. I have just started seeing this book around the blogosphere and it has caught my eye. Thanks for the review on it.
ReplyDeleteI totally loved Wintercraft! It was something totally new. I'd never read anything like it before.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it too!
Melissa - thanks for stopping by. Hope you'll enjoy the book as much as Wilma and I do.
ReplyDeleteMary - Wintercraft is not the first story of this kind that I have read. I find that the world of Kate Winters is somewhat similar to Septimus's world of the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage. Both worlds even have a character named Silas in it. But Wilma loves it. I like it too but perhaps not as much as Wilma does.