Book thirty-two: Hawksong

Hawksong* (2003)
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Rating: 1.75/5**

This book was frustrating for the complete opposite reason number thirty-one was: it had a good idea for a plot, but was let down by the writing.

Two distinct shape shifter species – the avain’s and the serpiente’s – have been at war for as long as anyone can remember. The future leaders of both species – Danica and Zane are determined to end the conflict no matter what the personal cost.

This book has an interesting premise. It has a kind of star-crossed lovers thing going on, only without the love. Danica and Zane decide that they must marry – or whatever the crazy equivalent words were in this book – against their families wishes to secure peace.

The writing style was overly formal, to the point were sentences seemed to be written backward. A couple of times I actually had to pause, read the sentence a few times, re-order it so I could make sense of it, then move on.

It also suffered from the fact that the hook – them getting married for their cause – did occur until almost three quarters of the way in. The fact is, we know they are going to get married (the back of the book pretty much told me so), so why make me struggle through all that just to get to what I wanted to read about.

Another thing that I found frustrating was the lack of explanation of the world. I mean, I don’t like to sit there and read a thousand words of explanation (or God forbid a glossary) before I can understand enough to start reading, but I did find this very confusing at times. I think this might be because there was an earlier series in the same world? I’m not sure.

Atwater-Rhodes published her first novel at fourteen and this one at nineteen. I do wonder how her writing has changed (and perhaps improved) since the first in the series and the most recent. But if this is an indication of the quality, I don’t think I could be bothered to find out.

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* Finished 20/4

** When I was looking for a picture of the cover, I found a couple of reviews of people who really, really liked it. I mean, I knew before I read it there were people who liked it – I had bought it after I read someone’s recommendation somewhere – I just didn’t realise they liked it that much. One person even wrote something to the effect that this was the best book they’d ever read.

This always makes me wonder if I’ve been too harsh. Or was maybe too tired, or too cranky, or too something when I read it. But then again, this is just my opinion right? I shouldn’t doubt it, but I do admit it changes from day to day.