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WHAT READERS SAID ABOUT A Shrouded spark
"In a world overrun by contemporary fantasy entertainment, this book is truly something new."
"Unlike most YA books on the market, this one has people of color, and they are written well, without any trope-driven coding or stereotypes."
I was lucky enough to get an arc of this book to review. It is my first book from this author that I’ve read. When I started this book it was about a girl who has some bad experiences in her life. But the more I read it was so much more than that. It is a fantasy novel that reveals there is more to Noni’s life than she ever anticipated. The people she meets along the way showed her things she never knew. As I got further along in the novel, I was so intrigued and curious at the same time. The characters drew you so much that you were waiting on everything conversation they had. Each scene was so descriptive that you felt like you were in it. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
A really wonderfully written and executed modern fantasy. The twists, storytelling and world building are amazingly done for a book that's less than 300 pages.
Noni, an 18-year-old girl living in Ohio, wakes up from a coma after being in a car crash. Her saviour Alex seems to keep popping up and helping to keep her alive. After one too many encounters, Alex reveals the thing that Noni never knew but as well felt: there was something different about her. With unimaginable power within, Noni needs to learn to control it and harness the power to her full potential. What she wasn't expecting, was all the half-truths and darkness that would follow.
I really enjoyed this story (if you can't tell from it being only one of my few 5* reads). Anglen does a wonderful job of having deep, interesting characters all with separate personalities. While the story follows Noni in third person, you get a full read on each person and their motivations. The side characters - aunt Deirdre, cousin Bee, Terrell, Eli, Ileana - are diverse and thought through. It doesn't feel as if any of them are filler characters, there to further Noni's plot and make her seem in one way or the other. While Terrell having a crush on her is obvious - and she having one back - it isn't a focus and their friendship shines through more than anything else. I am hoping the rest of the series isn't a thing with a love triangle!
The friendships throughout are done very well. I think the family bond between Bianca and Noni helps to strengthen their existing adult friendship. They grew up together, basically sisters, yet they're different people. They appreciate their differences and accept their flaws, but always care about each other. The conflict between them - given Noni is hiding such a HUGE secret - really does come from love and missing each other. Bee wants more time with her cousin and misses the old ways. It's such a realistic thing to come up within a fantasy setting. Usually, there's some comment about people being distant but no repercussions. This was a lovely change of pace and really highlighted the realistic world-building Anglen was getting to.
The language used throughout is phenomenal. The prose is perfect for the ages of the characters and the timeline the story is set in while the descriptions really do create an intense and vivid picture of the world. Anglen has a wonderful mastery of storytelling and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy.The story hooked me from the beginning to end. Character development and the writing style of the author really impressed me. Ms. Anglen did a great job in this book. I enjoyed this one so much.
This is an un-put-downable book for me, the flawless writing and the language, amazing. I'm not fan of high fantasy myself but this is a great book to get lost in another world. I'd recommend this book to everyone who loves Realism Fantasy.This story mainly follows Noni who is a normal teenager with a disastrous past. However, things get interesting once she experiences a near death accident. From then on her new journey begins filled with adventure, mysterious people and you are placed in a position which questions your beliefs in ancient mythology.
The plot initially doesn't reveal much, feels like a normal teenage girl with tantrums of her own. But as the story takes shape and many characters are introduced, plot widens, ancient history & magical aspects kick in. Its a treat to read. The language is easy and expressive. Many a times, without realizing I was Noni herself and was in her shoes and trying to understand what is happening around me. The story is crafted with utmost care and all aspects are very clear.Noni has a strong character point and yes, the main actress. She is surrounded by people of almost equal value. Some selective incidents are completely erased from her memory. It is strange. After meeting with that near death accident, her life takes a long turn. She encounters scary guys, fights mystical beings and all this drags her into unwanted attention by lot of people from different realms.... Alex is a strange, handsome young man who is Noni’s counterpart. Their friendship leads to lot of interesting actions and in-turn helps Noni in realizing who she really is. This journey is one of a kind and definitely has put a good foundation for book 2.
Finally, This is a 5* read for me. Easygoing and truly enjoyable story. Everyone should read this book. I do not have any qualms on any aspect of this book. A great read.
WHAT READERS SAID ABOUT A Shattered Truth
As a fan of reading, specifically fantasy novels, I entered this book worried the sequel would not live up to the first book but A Shattered Truth not only quelled my fears it exceeded my expectations. I didn't think it could get any better than A Shrouded Spark but Author, Breshea Anglen proved me wrong. The book opens with an introduction to Aisha which fresh off the first book seemed nerve-wracking because you were so invested in Noni's story and what would happen next, but you quickly become enveloped in Aisha's story to the point where Noni's reintroduction is almost bittersweet after growing such a fondness for Aisha. Thankfully the author does a great job of meshing their two stories while still making it clear they are different characters. While following Noni again you still get remnants of Aisha so you don't miss her but still enjoy both stories while maintaining Noni's personality and feelings.
Reading Aisha's story really helps you understand why Alex was so adamant about finding and protecting her and makes their love story even more powerful. Their scenes teleport me back to being a lovesick teenager with a crush. It was also great seeing why Noni is so naturally great with weaponry by seeing her history. I am not a princess nor a warrior but still found Aisha to be relatable. Going into part two and being reunited with Noni I appreciate her more as a character seeing how strong and powerful she is despite having no memory of her past life. Since book one you have wondered why Noni is so powerful and this book explains that plus more, even answering questions you have for other characters. I love the chemistry between characters, new and old and appreciated experiencing Noni navigate feelings she barely remembers. This book is full of action, emotion, romance and keeps you hanging onto every word. I appreciated the author's craft for setting a scene and creating characters. I saw people I knew in each character and when finished, could replay what I'd read clearly in my mind. I had many nights where I dreamed about what I'd read and what I envisioned would happen next.
While A Shattered Truth does a great job and answering and providing resolutions it still leaves you filled with intense emotion craving the next book. This was a great follow up to the sequel and I can't wait to see what's next in store for these characters!
After Noni's wild ride in the first book, we delve right back in with Noni and her friends. Noni finds herself and her friends lost in a jungle with no communication. The story takes you through many realms that have fantasy written all over them and I was totally there for it!
After the crazy and action filled first book, I thought that A Shattered Truth would be chiller. But that was absolutely not true! There were reappearances of my favorite characters like Aisha, and an equally (if not more) exciting adventure. This book was filled with world building and character development, which are always two big things for me! There are also elements of mystery and coming of age in the book that make it an even more enjoyable read! I highly recommend reading the first book as well because it will help you get a sense of all the characters more! All the characters were really relatable and I enjoyed delving more into them, especially Aisha because she has quite a significant part in this book!This is going to sound cheesy, but here is my honest review without any spoilers:
As an adult, reading YA fantasy has the potential to feel like you're being talked down by the narrator. I never felt like this was the case at any point, it's just straight-up a fantastic fantasy novel.
It's the second in a series, so I do recommend reading A Shrouded Spark first, but the two books have vastly different contents. I do love book 1, but I was hungry for more plot reading A Shattered Truth in a way that I haven't felt for probably a decade.
The fantasy world is beautifully crafted and it was so easy to have to words slip away and be replaced by the movie-in-your-head phenomenon that only happens when the author really knows what they're doing.
It's been a while since a read a fantasy novel that didn't feel formulaic, and this book really broke the mold here too. Sure, the main character is special BUT THAT'S WHY WE LOVE FANTASY.
I just couldn't put this book down. This sounds dramatic, but I feel like reading this healed my inner child. I stayed up past 2am just to read "one more chapter". I swear I haven't done that since at least high school.
I crave more of the lore that Anglen crafted for this world, it feels so natural that the creation story wouldn't be able to be picked out as "not real" in a lineup of stories about the beginning of everything from across the globe (not real as in crafted for a fantasy world, this is not the place for theological debate lol).
If you've made it this far, I can honestly day this is the easiest 5 stars I've ever given to a novel in my life. I can't wait to see what the author does with the series!