1.12.2012 | Thursday

Ravenstoke

category: Book Reviews
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Ravenstoketitle: Ravenstroke
author: Augusta Blythe
series: Universe Unbound #2
published: 4 December 2011
publisher: self-published
genre(s): fantasy, romance
pages: 229
source: bought
format: eBook
buy/shelve it: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads

rating: five-stars | series rating: five-stars

the blurb

In WINTERBORNE, Loie and Mia's seventeenth birthdays brought more drama and surprises than they ever expected. Now, in Ravenstoke, they are adjusting to the aftermath and struggling to keep those newfound powers in check. When Andreas is called away to England under mysterious circumstances, a new guy is sent to Salcey Ridge in his place. Cian is smarmy and cocksure and Loie wants nothing more than to unleash a hellhound on him. Unfortunately, Cian isn't the only complication in their lives as the girls must also contend with the reappearance of Mr. Winterborne himself and Loie's most dreaded fear of all - a part in the school musical. Can the girls survive the rest of junior year unscathed?


my review

Ravenstoke is the second in Augusta Blythe’s Universe Unbound series, and I love it just as much as I did the first.  One of the things I like most about these books is that the author doesn’t follow the typical YA formula of “boy meets girl, boy gets girl” with all of the attending angst.  There is all of that, but done in a refreshing way that doesn’t always end in the ways you think it will.  It keeps the story refreshing and interesting and absolutely engaging.  Once I began, I didn’t put it down until I finished it!

The story picks up soon after the first book, Winterborne, ends with Loie and Mia struggling to fit in their new roles in life.  Secrets have been exposed that have caused them to have to completely reassess their lives.  There is so much to this story:  heartbreak, sadness, loss, fear, distrust, love of all kinds.  The plot is just as much a story of relationships (Mia and Loie, Loie and Andreas, Mia and Andreas, Loie and Cian, Loie and her father, Loie and her mother) as it is about the paranormal themes.  The characters, whether you loved them or hated them, were entirely believable and made the story as much as anything else.  There is less full-on action than in the first novel, but so much took place in this that the series progressed by leaps and bounds.

Definitely a must read, after Winterborne.

About Augusta Blythe

I am an American author living across the pond in England. I love to travel, although my destinations seem to be more Disney-centric ever since my cherubs popped into existence. I did manage to entice them once to Bruges with the promise of all-you-can-eat waffles, hot chocolate and mussels. Even though my self-publishing journey began in 2011, I’ve been writing since childhood and am thrilled to finally have an outlet for my stories. My current obsessions include Game of Thrones (books and TV show) and Lindt’s dark chocolate with caramel. My pet peeves are Cockney rhyming slang and when people say ‘liberry,’ ‘birfday,’ and ‘Valentime’s Day.’

Feel free to complete this form if you want to get in touch! No promises that I will respond – I’m busy trying to get your next book out. I’m not George RR Martin, people!

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