Friday, August 30, 2013

(Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway) The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard


Release date: April 30, 2013
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Pages: 197
Format: Egalley
Source: Provided for review for tour
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon
Allison O’Malley’s plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she’s been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison’s mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn’t trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother’s sanity.
I've been really excited to read The Forgotten Ones for a long time, so when the opportunity to participate in a tour for the novel came up, I jumped at the chance! I'd immediately been drawn in by the ridiculously pretty cover, but the description hooked me. I love stories of Irish myth but I've not read many books that incorporate it. Lucky for us, The Forgotten Ones doesn't just rely on outward appeal, though it's there in spades. It is a wholly appealing and quick read that has a genuine sense of wonder.

The beginning of the book was really appealing in that it didn't begin and dive quickly into the fantasy element. Instead it took time to establish Allison's world and those important to her. So when fantastic things began to happen, there was this wonderful foundation. I was completely afraid that--with its short length--I'd not be able to keep track of everything that was going to happen, especially when it came to names. But Laura does a great job of making the workings of the Danaan understandable and not overwhelming, even as you're given heaps of information in less than two hundred pages.

Also, I'm all about romance, but I LOVED how light the touch of it was here. In the beginning, it seems that that is Allison's focus, but the moment there are bigger things to worry about, those become her concern. She's not so intent on a boy that she's able to ignore other problems, and I loved that. I'm excited to see more romance, but it's so refreshing to see it treated in such a way.

As for complaints? I saw a couple of instances where I might have edited a bit, but in general the writing was fantastic. My only complaint is really that I would've liked a better established world of the Danaan, which I think really arises from how short a time Allison spends there. I never got a full grasp on that world and I think establishing that in the first book would have been a good idea, even if it required the book to be a bit longer. But, this is something that can easily be expounded upon in a later book.

All in all, while The Forgotten Ones follows a general pattern of books involving the fae, it is nonetheless a great read. With an Irish twist, it is a very quick adventure that will keep you interested and itching for its sequel--I know I am. :)

About the author:

Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.
For the tour, 5 ebook copies of The Forgotten Ones are being given away, along with a $25 Amazon giftcard, and the giveaway is INTERNATIONAL! Enter below, y'all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
And if you'd like to follow the tour for The Forgotten Ones, check out the tour page at Xpresso Book Tours!

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