Sunday, December 17, 2017

Forgotten Violets by Martin Niewood


Meadow Noone is eighteen and unsure of what is happening.  Along with two friends, she was imprisoned in a cellar where unspeakable horror was the daily ration.  When the three escape, their only thought is to get far away.  As they run, they are captured by soldiers and taken to the nearby town of Thornbridge, where they are charged with a crime they know nothing of.

Desperate to free herself and banish the criminal acts attributed to her, the three align themselves with the ruling class of the town and go on a mission to help the townspeople.  When they return, they enjoy a brief minute of acclaim but more things are brewing.  There is a war with a neighboring town, and an internal group of terrorists whose loyalty could go to either side.  Meadow allows herself to become addicted to a strange fruit and those whose help she relies on seem to know more about her life and strange powers than she does herself.  Can Meadow discover the secrets of her own life and find a way forward?

This is a first novel by this author.  The story needed more explanation and the book should probably be longer in order for the author to build the world out so that the reader understands the setting and the plot.  The action is confusing as it seems like a montage of scenes that flash by with little explanation.  It appears that this may be the first of a series and if so, perhaps more explanation and fuller developed characters will come in the next book.  This book was written for the young adult fantasy market and its readers will come from those genres.


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