Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Review and Blog Tour Stop: The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard

Book & Author details:

The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard 
(The Danaan Trilogy #1) 
Publication date: April 30th 2013 
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Synopsis:
Allison O’Malley’s plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she’s been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison’s mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn’t trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother’s sanity.



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AUTHOR BIO
Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

Author Links:

My Review:

This was an awesome New Adult fantasy novel that had me hooked by the end. I loved the mythology of the Danaan and I’m eager to read the sequel to learn more about Allison’s heritage and her abilities.

The beginning was a little slow and this is one of those cases where I’m so glad I hung in there and decided to continue reading. Because by mid-point, I was hooked on the story and interested to see the connection Allison and her mother had to the fairy like creatures known as the Tuatha de Danaan.

The characters were likable and I thought it was touching how much Allison cared about her mom and was protective over her. She really only wants her mom well again and takes a lot of risks to help make this a reality, proving her courage.

I wasn’t crazy about the romance in the book, but I think Ethan could end up growing on me. He was a little wishy-washy and I much preferred Aodhan. I’m hoping he ends up as a romantic interest in the next book, he was very intriguing and I’d love to know more of his back-story.

The mythology was interesting and completely new to me. I thought the author did a good job making it easy to grasp the lore surrounding the Danaan. The names were tricky, but I appreciated the authenticity. Although it wasn’t a major cliffhanger ending, there is still so much more to be told about the Danaan.

I really liked this book and I’m impressed that it’s the author’s debut. I’ll be on the lookout for the follow-up when it releases later this year.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

I received this book as part of the tour from Xpresso Book Tours. 


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7 comments:

  1. I remember seeing this cover around a lot a little while ago and thought it looked pretty good. I'm glad you got over the slow pacing because the story sounds really good :) Great review!

    Janina @ Synchronized Reading

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  2. I love that there seems to have good family dynamics in this with Allison and her mom. That's often missing from YA books I find. Great review, Heather! :)

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  3. Thank you for being part of this tour Heather!! Your review means a lot to me!!

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  4. I really enjoyed this too! I agree, I wasn't a big fan of Ethan. But I feel like this is because we don't get too much of him, ya know? I liked Aodhan too and I hope to see more of him in the next book!

    Great review!

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  5. Aw, sorry to hear you weren't crazy about the romance but the characters themselves seems to make up

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  6. This looks really good. Love the idea of the storyline. My best friend's mom was schizophrenic (she has passed now) and I know how painful that is for the loved ones and I know personally how scary an episode can be to a teenager. I was the unintentional focus a couple of times when she would refuse her medicine.

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  7. Sounds like it's right up my alley :) I love story lines based in myth. I'd love to pick this one up!! Very lovely review, Heather. Thanks for sharing. WRITE ON!

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