Thursday, November 2, 2017

Review: The Space Between by Susan Rooke with Giveaway




The Space Between:
 The Prophesy of Faeries
 by Susan Rooke
Fantasy, Fairy Tale
Holynok Press
September 12, 2017
452 pages
Format available for review: ebook (mobi, ePub, PDF)
Tour dates: Oct 23 to Nov 17, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 (For some violence. There is no sex or bad language)



Mellis, a courageous and resourceful young woman, is kidnapped from the human world and taken to the Space Between by a tribe of faeries called the Penitents. Because of guilt over an ancient sin committed by their angel ancestors against the Maker, the Penitents have cursed themselves with grotesque physical disfigurements. Mellis can help them reunite with the Maker and find their way back to redemption, but she would need to give up the life she's always known to remain in the Space Between.

As she struggles with this heart-wrenching decision, one of the Penitents, bent on revenge, commits a gruesome attack against the tribe, and they learn he has taken Satan--the Maker's greatest enemy--as his ally. All in the Space Between are facing grave danger. Will a long-awaited act of vengeance save them?

Susan Rooke builds a rich and fantastical world of angels and demons, monsters, faeries and dragons. Abounding with spirituality and humanity, this faery tale for adults has a cast of vivid characters you won't soon forget.

To follow the blog tour and read reviews, please visit Susan Rooke's page on iRead Book Tours.

MY TIDBITS

With a mixture of fantasy and all things Heaven and Earth, this tale combines the stories of several characters into an intricate, twisting plot.

Mellis was enjoying the day in the park with her dog, when two strangers sweep her away to another world. Here, the inhabitants live a luxurious life but carry deformities. They are kind to her, very much so, but are harboring a secret. She must make a choice: she can return to Earth or she can sacrifice herself to save the odd folk. But both choices hold more than they first appear to.

The book opens with a prologue of someone falling through worlds and, what almost appears to be, eternity. It's not mentioned who or why, which sets a lovely mystery before Mellis comes into the picture. But this someone isn't left to for the reader to discover later on. Rather, the book divides between the tale of, at first, two individuals, and later, intertwines the fate of even more characters. While Mellis has a familiar beginning, a everyday woman taken into a mysterious realm, this 'someone' from the prologue is left in a sort of uncertain haze. The chapters flip-flop between the two, letting the two stories develop beside each other with only a hint of possessing an intertwined fate. It's alluring, draws in, and keeps the tale interesting, but, on the other hand, it's confusing too. Especially since it later becomes clear that the two stories are working on completely different timelines.

The story grabs and even when some spots lean toward the slow direction, it's hard to put the book down. I did find myself skimming some areas, while others were so intriguing that I wanted to read them again. There's something about this book that demands to be loved. There are stumbles in logic and pacing at times, but it's hard not to forgive those and keep reading on. 

The characters are vivid, and it's impossible not to feel for them. Each one has their burden to bear, and each has qualities which shine through. The author does an amazing job at bringing every single person and creature to life with its own personality and tale, while keeping the plot running along. There are unexpected twists, plenty of them. These aren't thrown in with generic style but sail right in as if they truly belong, while adding layers of complexity. It is impossible to guess where the whole thing is going, even though Mellis is wrapped up in the 'heroine of prophecy' fate. 

There is romance, and it packs uncertainty, longing and the question of whether it exists or not. This is well done and demonstrates the weakness of the heart in so many ways—not necessarily through the main characters, but even in the sub-plots. 

Summed up, this is a difficult book to review. It is marvelous in so many ways but very confusing at times. Fantasy friends who are looking for a completely new type of tale will enjoy this one, and those who love to get lost in characters should definitely give this one a try. It's an interesting start to a very complex series, and I can't wait to see where it goes next.

Although this book is rated PG-13, there are rather graphic and gruesome moments of violence, which are not suitable for younger readers. These mold into the story well but can be disturbing to sensitive readers. 








And here she is. . .



Susan Rooke is a Pushcart-nominated poet and author of the forthcoming The Space Between Series. Her short stories and poems have appeared in publications such as The Christian Science Monitor and The Twilight Zone Magazine, among many others. She resides on a square of green, peaceful country not far from Austin, Texas, with her husband Glen, who runs a small cattle operation while Rooke writes fiction about angels and demons, monsters, faeries and dragons. Look for her fantasy novel, The Space Between: The Prophecy of Faeries on Amazon.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Twitter ~ facebook





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2 comments:

Susan Rooke said...

Thank you so much for reading my book and writing that wonderful review!

Sandra Watts said...

Thanks for hosting. This looks really good.