Blog Tour: Arrow of the Mist



Arrow of the Mist
(Arrow of the Mist #1)
by Christina Mercer
YA Fantasy
March 21st 2013




Goodreads Summary:
Terror strikes the Celtic inspired kingdom of Nemetona when barbed roots breach the veil of a forbidden land and poison woodsmen, including 15-year-old Lia’s beloved father. Lia and three others embark on a quest to the forbidden land of Brume to gather ingredients for the cure. But after her elder kinsman is attacked and poisoned, she and her cousin, Wynn, are forced to finish the quest on their own.

Lia relies on her powerful herbal wisdom and the memorized pages of her late grandmother’s Grimoire for guidance through a land of soul-hungry shades, trickster creatures, and uncovered truths about the origin of Brume and her family’s unexpected ties to it. The deeper they trek into the land, the stronger Lia’s untapped gift as a tree mage unfolds. When she discovers the enchanted root’s maker, it forces her to question everything about who she is and what is her destiny. Ultimately she must make a terrible choice: keep fighting to save her father and the people of the lands or join with the power behind the deadly roots to help nature start anew.


My Review:
I really love reading in the Fantasy genre. I have read all types of books, from slow to action-packed, from quest types to war types, from fighting for your old love to your first , from light to dark, and in both the YA and Adult genres. Some authors I have read include Juliet Marillier, Sharon Shinn, Leigh Bardugo, Sherwood Smith, Cinda Williams Chima, Rae Carson, and there are many more. My point is that there are a lot of different types of Fantasy novels. This one, to me, was a steady-paced quest, similar to some of Juliet Marillier's books. There was some urgency. The country is being attacked and people are dying - people the main characters are very close to. However, the urgency is more in the background and the story carries on with occasional reminders. There definitely was a climax and it did build to it, but it was more at a consistent and slow pace. I didn't have a problem with this and still read the book over two days. However, some may expect to be picking up a page-turner and this is not that type of book.

I really liked the characters. Lia is intelligent, sweet, loyal, and still untested. Wynn is steady, quick with a sword and his wit, and would do anything to protect and help his family. I also liked Lia's love interest. Their moments were sweet and suited to their ages (Lia is only 15 and he is a little older). This could fit in both Middle Grade and YA because the romance was a minor part of the story. For me, I would have liked to have seen more of it and maybe have had him travel with Lia instead of her cousin so that their relationship could develop more, not that I didn't like Wynn or didn't like him on the journey as he difinitely plays his part. Maybe that will happen in further books. I'll just have to wait and see.

As I said previously, the plot is steady. You know that there are things that Lia and Wynn have to find and figure out before they will face their enemy. It takes a while to get there, but that's okay. I enjoyed the ride. I did like that the author lets the characters stumble here and there. She didn't make everything unbelievably hard or easy, so it made it feel a little more real to me. I do wish she would have included a map as I would have like to referenced it once in a while, plus maps are just cool. :)

Overall, this was a really enjoyable read! I also appreciated that it was clean, so it's something I can recommend to my family and friends. I love the cover as well! If you enjoy Fantasy or have read Juliet Marillier's Wildwood or Sevenwaters' series, I would recommend picking this up.

Content: Clean
Source: Received review copy from tour host, which did not affect the opinions shared in my review in any way.


Book Trailer




About the Author

Christina Mercer writes fiction in addition to mothering two young adults, a pack of large dogs, and about 100,000 honeybees. Her varied interests prompted her to study creative writing, earn her official degree in Accounting, become a CPA, acquire a certificate in Herbal Studies, and keep honeybees. She took Writer’s Best in Show at the 2012 SCBWI CA North/Central Regional Conference and was a semi-finalist in the 2010 Amazon Breakout Novel Award Contest. You can find her at her website or working as the Reviews Director at Indie-Visible.

You can find Christina here:




Giveaway

One U.S. winner will receive an Arrow of the Mist ebook and bookmark.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This review is of a book I was given for free by an author, tour host, or publisher, or through NetGalley or Edelweiss. This in no way influences the opinions shared in my review. You may see my complete policy on the sidebar and on my policies page.

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