Helpful Score: 3
Garet James is a down on her luck jewelry designer trying to make a living in the heart of New York City. Garet, on the edge of dispair because of her father's recent bad decisions, finds herself in the heart of what she thought was a normal antique store. Little did Garet know, walking into that store, would transform her life in more ways then she could ever imagine.
This book is about a woman's transformation from "plain jane" to a strong warrior. Garet has to figure out whom to trust, and if she should follow her heart or her brain. She makes many mistakes along the way and that is what I loved. She is definitely the imperfect warrior. She didn't want the job but she knows that she is the only one that can do it. Not only is it Garet's job to be a guardian between the mortal and otherworld but it was Garet's destiny. The job is also, what killed Garet's mother and because of her mother's death, Garet does not want to make the same mistake of running from her destiny as her mother did.
This book is slow moving but absolutely necessary. It is a telling of Garet's transformation and not an action packed adventure. There is action and there is romance, but the meat of the story is Garet learning her powers.
I really loved the book. No parts of the book bored me and I thought the author did a wonderful job of telling Garet's story.
This book is about a woman's transformation from "plain jane" to a strong warrior. Garet has to figure out whom to trust, and if she should follow her heart or her brain. She makes many mistakes along the way and that is what I loved. She is definitely the imperfect warrior. She didn't want the job but she knows that she is the only one that can do it. Not only is it Garet's job to be a guardian between the mortal and otherworld but it was Garet's destiny. The job is also, what killed Garet's mother and because of her mother's death, Garet does not want to make the same mistake of running from her destiny as her mother did.
This book is slow moving but absolutely necessary. It is a telling of Garet's transformation and not an action packed adventure. There is action and there is romance, but the meat of the story is Garet learning her powers.
I really loved the book. No parts of the book bored me and I thought the author did a wonderful job of telling Garet's story.
An enjoyable book. Well worth reading.
Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com
In life, an event can happen that will forever change you, maybe even the world. Such an event happens when Garet James stumbles into an antique shop and receives a mysterious metal box. When she makes the foolish mistake of opening it, all manner of misfortunes break loose.
That night the box is stolen. Soon, a hundred-year-old prophecy comes to light for her - and she's at the center of it.
By opening the box, she released a great evil upon the world, and she's the only one who can stop it. To end the evil, she will have to face something that has been a mystery for many years since her mother died - her true identity.
On her journey to save the world, she will have to face fey, vampires, and many other creatures heard of only in fairy tales and horror stories. With the fate of the world in her hands, who can she trust? Will she figure out her true identity and her role in the prophecy in time?
This is a great adventure for paranormal fans. The action is intense, and the mystery is spellbinding. The characters are well-developed; the plot is well-crafted. Those who like paranormal books, adventure, urban fantasy, and fate-of-the-world type stories will have a hard time putting down BLACK SWAN RISING.
In life, an event can happen that will forever change you, maybe even the world. Such an event happens when Garet James stumbles into an antique shop and receives a mysterious metal box. When she makes the foolish mistake of opening it, all manner of misfortunes break loose.
That night the box is stolen. Soon, a hundred-year-old prophecy comes to light for her - and she's at the center of it.
By opening the box, she released a great evil upon the world, and she's the only one who can stop it. To end the evil, she will have to face something that has been a mystery for many years since her mother died - her true identity.
On her journey to save the world, she will have to face fey, vampires, and many other creatures heard of only in fairy tales and horror stories. With the fate of the world in her hands, who can she trust? Will she figure out her true identity and her role in the prophecy in time?
This is a great adventure for paranormal fans. The action is intense, and the mystery is spellbinding. The characters are well-developed; the plot is well-crafted. Those who like paranormal books, adventure, urban fantasy, and fate-of-the-world type stories will have a hard time putting down BLACK SWAN RISING.
I have had this book on my TBR read pile for some time and was excited to read it. This is the first book in the Black Swan Rising trilogy. This book started out as an engaging urban fantasy mystery with a gloomy vibe to it. Initially I really liked the down to earth heroine and was fascinated as she tried to unravel the mysteries about her past.
Things went downhill in the second half of the book when our heroine meets Oberon. Oberon starts dragging Garet around the city to meet other fae who are supposed to train her. Garet is supposed to use her newfound powers to stop an old sorcerer from summoning demons to destroy the city. It sounds pretty neat but it just got really boring and convoluted.
I would say the first third of this book is 4 stars and the last two thirds are 3 stars. I struggled to finish it and ended up skimming the last few chapters.
Overall this is an okay urban fantasy book but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. It starts out with a unique and atmospheric mystery and then ends up very disjointed and flatout boring. I won't be continuing with the series.
Things went downhill in the second half of the book when our heroine meets Oberon. Oberon starts dragging Garet around the city to meet other fae who are supposed to train her. Garet is supposed to use her newfound powers to stop an old sorcerer from summoning demons to destroy the city. It sounds pretty neat but it just got really boring and convoluted.
I would say the first third of this book is 4 stars and the last two thirds are 3 stars. I struggled to finish it and ended up skimming the last few chapters.
Overall this is an okay urban fantasy book but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. It starts out with a unique and atmospheric mystery and then ends up very disjointed and flatout boring. I won't be continuing with the series.
NOT the Kryon/Lee Carroll. THIS Lee Carroll is pseudonym of novelist Carol Goodman and her poet husband Lee Slonimsky
