Do you know that feeling of reading a book quite well in advance of release date and then when you next think about it, release day is almost there now and you need to write a review??
Well, that's exactly what happened to me with the book I'm featuring on this week's Friday Reads! I was beyond lucky to get an ARC of this one back in October and read it right away, and now March 8th is nearly here and a review must be written! (And writing it is making me itch to re-read it, cannot wait for my finished copy!).
The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I adore Wendy Higgins since I first read Sweet Evil, quite a while ago, before it was even picked up to be the trilogy we all know and love, and when she announced that her new book would be a fantasy duology I was super excited and not even the fact that it was a fairy tale retelling (yep, I'm not overly fond of those) made me doubt that I'd love it! And as always Wendy didn't disappoint!
The Great Hunt is a retelling of The Singing Bone, one of the Grimm Brother's tale that I haven't read before (I'm quite curious to read it now) and so I cannot say how much it was changed or taken from it, but I absolutely loved how Wendy wove the story with a certain fairy tale feeling but gave it her own flair!
There is so much tension on this book! First of all with the monster murdering people and no one feeling safe, then with the hunt going on, the civil unrest and the romance development... I had to take a breather while reading now and then because it really got intense at times!
I really liked how Princess Aerity was loved and happy with her family and how she found herself in a less than ideal position and although she was unhappy and angry she also felt that she had to do her duty to her kingdom & help however she could, even if it meant sacrificing her own future happiness. I really loved her less formal side and her silk aerial abilities!
Paxton is a bit of a play on the broody and distant boy and not entirely your usual fairy tale hero, and I loved that he had his secrets but that risked everything to help rid his people of the monster's danger. I loved how ready he was to work with other hunters to try and kill the monster and was not all about the glory.
We do get more than a few surprises and twists along the book, and that combined with all the tension building up during the book makes for an absolute page turner that ends in quite an awful cliffhanger (of the emotional kind, just not a death) that leaves you pinning for the next book and for me the wait is even worse because lucky me I read this book in October 2015 and the next book doesn't bloody well come out till 2017!! *wails & whimpers in despair*
Very much deserved 5 stars to this one. Highly recommended if you love retellings and if you don't? Give this one a try, it'll surprise you for sure!
View all my reviews
Well, that's exactly what happened to me with the book I'm featuring on this week's Friday Reads! I was beyond lucky to get an ARC of this one back in October and read it right away, and now March 8th is nearly here and a review must be written! (And writing it is making me itch to re-read it, cannot wait for my finished copy!).
The Great Hunt by Wendy HigginsMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I adore Wendy Higgins since I first read Sweet Evil, quite a while ago, before it was even picked up to be the trilogy we all know and love, and when she announced that her new book would be a fantasy duology I was super excited and not even the fact that it was a fairy tale retelling (yep, I'm not overly fond of those) made me doubt that I'd love it! And as always Wendy didn't disappoint!
The Great Hunt is a retelling of The Singing Bone, one of the Grimm Brother's tale that I haven't read before (I'm quite curious to read it now) and so I cannot say how much it was changed or taken from it, but I absolutely loved how Wendy wove the story with a certain fairy tale feeling but gave it her own flair!
There is so much tension on this book! First of all with the monster murdering people and no one feeling safe, then with the hunt going on, the civil unrest and the romance development... I had to take a breather while reading now and then because it really got intense at times!
I really liked how Princess Aerity was loved and happy with her family and how she found herself in a less than ideal position and although she was unhappy and angry she also felt that she had to do her duty to her kingdom & help however she could, even if it meant sacrificing her own future happiness. I really loved her less formal side and her silk aerial abilities!
Paxton is a bit of a play on the broody and distant boy and not entirely your usual fairy tale hero, and I loved that he had his secrets but that risked everything to help rid his people of the monster's danger. I loved how ready he was to work with other hunters to try and kill the monster and was not all about the glory.
We do get more than a few surprises and twists along the book, and that combined with all the tension building up during the book makes for an absolute page turner that ends in quite an awful cliffhanger (of the emotional kind, just not a death) that leaves you pinning for the next book and for me the wait is even worse because lucky me I read this book in October 2015 and the next book doesn't bloody well come out till 2017!! *wails & whimpers in despair*
Very much deserved 5 stars to this one. Highly recommended if you love retellings and if you don't? Give this one a try, it'll surprise you for sure!
View all my reviews
So, funny enough, a variant of this story exists and it is one of my favorite Child Ballads. Its' called The Two Sisters and it's about an older sister who kills the younger out of jealousy and when her body floats down the river, the Miller picks it up, makes a violin out of her bones, etc... and of course the song tells of her murder. I had no idea this book was based on this story - so cool!
ReplyDeleteKate @ Ex Libris
Intriguing! I think I read a story about an instrument made with someone's bones (seriously who thinks that's a good idea tho??) telling of the murder of the deceseaded, but I never knew it was a version of The Singing Bone!
DeleteOOoh nice! I remember not being intrigued by Wendy's first series after a mix of reviews. It made me too hesitant to read it. But this one!! This one I can sooo get behind because I really enjoy fairy tale retellings. I know I've read this one at some point, The Singing Bone as I've read all of Grimm's tales, but it's been too long. I might pull that one out and read it before reading this one!
ReplyDeleteAnd I totally understand your pain for reading ARCs and then being delayed with the next one! I've been there! Just not with this one! My latest agony is waiting for the final book is Bree Despain's Into the Dark trilogy. I read the second book as an ARC probably in 2014, it released in 2015, and then her publishing house closed and for a looong time (some months, but still agonizing long) there was no idea if the third book would be coming out. Thankfully it is! Sometime this year, later though, but it's a relief because that second book had a HUGE cliffhanger!! I was screaming at my kindle when I read it!! And yeah...I'm basically itching for that final book now! So I've gone totally off topic, but yes, I totally understand your pain!! Dive into the TBR pile and try to forget about the wait, and at least now we are in 2016, so the wait is less than what it was in October! :D ....probably not helpful! ;) But I will commiserate with you in waiting once I get to read this one!
Great review!! :D
YES!! You totally understand my pain Jessica!! BAD cliffhangers and then MOREEEE than a year in between is a killer!
DeleteAnd in that case of yours, not even knowing if the book will ever be published??? That's the worst!!
Aw :D I'm so glad you liked this book so much Pili. <3 YAY! You make it seem so interesting. I'm not going to read it, but a bit curious even so :) Looks pretty. But ack, I'm sorry you must wait so long for book two o.O I haaate waiting too. It sucks, lol :) Gorgeous review sweet girl. <3
ReplyDeleteThank you dear, the long wait definitely SUCKS!! *HUGS* I hope you're having a good weekend!
DeleteI am not familiar with The Singing Bone, either. I will have to go and check that out myself. Happy to hear you enjoyed this book even though it was a fairytale retelling. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I need to finally get myself the newest translation of the Grimm Brother's stories!!
DeleteI really enjoyed this book and that ending nearly killed me. I have no idea how I'm going to be able to wait until we get the next book. However, I believe it's only a 2 book series, but I could be making that up?
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy you loved it!!
Agreed! The wait till be grueling! We should start a support group! And I think you are right and this one is a duology only.
DeleteYAY for five stars! That ending hurt so badly but I LOVED this book too. I'd not been familiar with the tale that Higgins based this book on, but I was - and am - totally intrigued. A retelling well-written by Higgins, and a beautiful story. Heartbreaking too. Hmph.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, lovely review, Pili!
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
Yes, that ending was so damned cruel!! I need book 2 noooooooooow!!
DeleteOooh I actually didn't realise this one was a retelling, but it sounds like it was done really well. The Princess's abilities and the monster and tension here sound totally up my alley. Lovely review Pili!
ReplyDelete