January 20, 2019 | No Comments
Of Blood and Bone
by Nora Roberts
Date Published: December 4, 2018
Published By: St. Martin's Press
Page Count: 453
Publisher’s Description:
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the epic Year One returns with a new tale of terror and magic in a brand new world.
They look like an everyday family living an ordinary life. But beyond the edges of this peaceful farm, unimaginable forces of light and dark have been unleashed.
Fallon Swift, approaching her thirteenth birthday, barely knows the world that existed before—the city where her parents lived, now in ruins and reclaimed by nature since the Doom sickened and killed billions. Traveling anywhere is a danger, as vicious gangs of Raiders and fanatics called Purity Warriors search for their next victim. Those like Fallon, in possession of gifts, are hunted—and the time is coming when her true nature, her identity as The One, can no longer be hidden.
In a mysterious shelter in the forest, her training is about to begin under the guidance of Mallick, whose skills have been honed over centuries. She will learn the old ways of healing; study and spar; encounter faeries and elves and shifters; and find powers within herself she never imagined. And when the time is right, she will take up the sword, and fight. For until she grows into the woman she was born to be, the world outside will never be whole again.
My Star Rating:
My Review:
Of Blood and Bone by Nora Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book.
Second in series, I read the first book a few months ago and devoured it, and this one was just as good as the last.
It has the same format of following multiple different characters and locales, but the main focus is on Fallon Swift, the child born that was prophesied to save the world and deliver it from the darkness that has taken hold since the Doom killed off billions of the world’s population. Fallon is a Magick, and she must leave on her 13th birthday to spend 2 years in training with a great sorcerer to be ready for her great task when the time is right.
The characters in this series, whether human, magick, or even animal, are so real and either likable or loathsome, depending on which side they stand on. I liked that we got to actually see the time Fallon spent with Malek (possible misspelling – I listened to the audio book) instead of following other story lines during that time because I felt like there was so much of her not just learning how to fight or how to spell cast, but of how she grew into her role and how she earned the loyalties of key characters. I felt like her earning these loyalties and the way she did, was so important and really earned my respect for her integrity.
While this book did follow a 13 year old, it didn’t feel too YA for me. We still got to follow Lana, Simon, Arliss, Eddie, and the other folks in New Hope, plus some others, but it was more like how the next generation was coming up and stepping into their roles as part of this greater society of the good side. Even the younger generation of kids were doing their part, going out on raids to rescue people, learning their trades as healers, and whatnot.
Another 5 stars from me for keeping me excited to turn every page and keeping me wanting to know what happens next, wanting to get to know each character and what they bring to the table, and rooting for the good guys to get their foothold and fight the good fight to keep the evil at bay.
It feels like things are really ramping up for the next and final book, and I’ve already hit preorder for that one. Come on, November!