About the Book:Title: Sonora and the Eye of the Titans
Author: T.S. Hall
Publication date: January 14th 2017
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Synopsis:
The King is dead, and the capital city of Titanis has fallen. The world of Sonora is at war, and the only hope against the onslaught of the Titan army lies with the last royal descendant of Zeus, who is being covertly sheltered on Earth in the secluded mountain town of Sandy, Oregon.
Allora is a shy, intelligent sixteen-year-old, trying to get through the gauntlet of high school while coming to terms with her otherworldly origins. After getting into a fight at soccer tryouts, Allora’s emotions boil over, and her hands suddenly burst into flames. She has harnessed the power of hadrons at the highest level, but at extreme cost. The magical outburst projects an energy signature that is detected by a group of assassins tasked with killing Sonoran rebels.
To survive, Allora, Katie, Dax, and Tanner must find a powerful ancient artifact known as the Eye of the Titans. With the help of a guardian known as Sasquatch, they will have to fight off creatures, solve complex riddles, and navigate magical caverns, all while enduring advanced calculus, jealous girlfriends, and prom.
Author Bio:I’m a writer, skier, and wanderer. I grew up in Portland, Oregon, but currently live in the beautiful mountain resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho. I love history, mythology, and the fantastical interpretations that have been incorporated in my debut young adult urban fantasy series called Sonora.
Review:
Despite some flaws, Sonora and the Eye of the Titans was a good first start to Mr. Hall's new series. The novel has an overall interesting storyline and it truly keeps you engaged. You can very easily tell that the author has a creative mind, and knows how to write a fun fast-paced story. However, there were several things that kept me from giving this book a higher rating.
Overall, the plot was excellent and one that I greatly enjoyed. However, the book did seem a little choppy and was pretty slow in the beginning. The story definitely picks up about half way through the book, and from there on out, it's very fast paced and non-stop excitement. It did feel a little unoriginal at times but this could be because I've read a lot of fantasy novels, so things are bound to overlap. I did read this book in one sitting, and it was very obvious that there was a "flow" issue. There were a lot of gaps in the story, and again, this was especially prevalent in the beginning of the book. Personally, I think the choppiness came from the fact that this is the author's first novel, and I think that the story could have greatly benefited from having an editor go through and eliminate some of the gaps and the allowed the author to rework things a bit.
Don't let these few things discourage you though from reading! Because the second half of this book does a complete 180. For some this might not be desirable, but let me tell you, by the halfway point, the story (and the reading experience) changes. Whereas before, you struggled to connect to the characters, you begin to fully imagine these characters in your head, and feel as if you are right there next to them. Yes, the flow was still a little bit of an issue, but this improved as the story progressed. And while I said there was some unoriginal aspects to the novel, Mr. Hall does set himself apart from other fantasy novels in this second half. I did enjoy the interesting twists and turns that he threw in, and this helped the story move along at a quicker pace. There is exciting action, and I became excited to see how the novel would end!
Although there were some problems with this book, I did truly enjoy the story and am excited to check out the sequel! Keep in mind the couple things I mentioned, and you will easily find yourself a new favorite fantasy novel. There is some romance thrown in, but I did enjoy the fact that this book focused more on the fantasy/action elements (and I hope this is something that continues). The author sets up the next book perfectly, and I will definitely be continuing the series.
Happy reading :)
~Cassie
Thanks for hosting today! This sounds like a fun read! :)
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