Review: The Singing by Alison Croggon

Title: The Singing

Author: Alison Croggon

Series: The Books of Pellinor #4

Publisher: Walker 

Publication date: September 1st 2008

Format: Paperback | 496 pages

Genre: YA | Fantasy 

Goodreads

In a desperate race against the Dark, Maerad must solve the final Riddle of the Treesong. Only then will the Nameless One be defeated and peace restored to the Seven Kingdoms. But Maerad only holds the key to half the riddle - her long-lost brother, Hem, has the other.

After an epic confrontation with the Landrost, Maerad and her mentor, Cadvan of Lirigon, embark on a perilous journey to find him. But the dark grows ever more powerful - will brother and sister reach one another in time or will all be lost in a final, apocalyptic battle?

My thoughts:

This was by far my favourite book out of the entire 'Books of Pellinor' series and for quite a few reasons.

 

This book features both Hem, Maerad and the rest of the gang I've grown to know and love as they fight to finish their quest of defeating Sharma or the 'Nameless One'. The plot of this book, which is kind of typical for the last book in any series, isn't as complicated as the previous books if only because all the secrets have been revealed and all that's left to do is get on with it and get rid of the evil plaguing the land. Of course it sounds simple when I put it like that but it proves to be a little bit more complicated since Hem and Maerad start off with hundreds of miles between them and have to race to get back together before it's too late.

 

For me, Cadvan and Maerad really stole the show in this book. I love Hem and all but I feel so much closer to Maerad and Cadvan since they've been there since the beginning of the series. I feel that they've been through so much more on their journeys and grown so close together that I can't help but get excited every time they come into play in the story. The couple were so nice to read about - more so than in the other books - the fact that they really care about each other and are so anxious about each others safety is really apparent the entire way throughout the book. It added a really refreshing element to the book - something different to novels focusing more on romance that can end up lacking a great plot.

 

 The plot was more straight forward than previous books but it made the read no less intense. I couldn't stop turning the pages and every time I had to put the book down, it would constantly be playing on my mind. I counted down the seconds until I could pick it up again. The fact that this is the last book only added to the suspense for me since I had no idea in what direction the story would go in the end. I have to say, I'm more than a little upset that it's over.

 

Overall I found this to be a fantastic read. I definitely recommend this entire series for those of you who haven't read it already, especially for fans of the fantasy genre. 

 

My rating: 10/10

 

Alison Croggon:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter

 

The Books of Pellinor:

1. The Gift
2. The Riddle
3. The Crow
4. The Singing

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong Review (Book#4 in the SS reading challenge)

Summary (Goodreads):

Ever since her parents were killed in a car accident when she was five, Elena Michaels has longed for a normal family life. Smart, beautiful and engaged to be married, Elena hopes to fulfill that dream when disaster strikes. Not only has her fiancé lied about his secret life as a werewolf, but he's made her one too. She has no choice but to join him at Stonehaven, the upstate New York home of an elite pack of werewolves.


In an attempt to breakaway, she moves to Toronto to lead a normal life. Working as a journalist, Elena now lives with her new architect boyfriend, works out in the basement gym of their high-rise apartment, lunches with girlfriends from the office, and once a week, at four in the morning runs naked and furred through a downtown Toronto ravine, ripping out the throats of her animal prey. But when a band of outlaw werewolves threatens the Stonehaven Pack, Elena's feral instincts drive her back there to join the defense. What follows is a war for territory, for pride, and ultimately for Elena herself.


After being bitten and changed by who she thought to be her human boyfriend, Elena moves to the city to try and live life as humanly as possible.

But when Jeremy, Alpha of the Pack, calls Elena asking for her help Elena has to obey and is thrust back into the life she had previously tried to get away from.

I love Elena's character, she's so relatable to a lot of girls out there I think, trying to be a part of a normal society; trying to fit in and trying to gain more respect as a woman more than anything.

Clay was the perfect bad boy! I loved how he always knew he was wrong whenever he made a mistake and always held himself and no-one else accountable for it, and yet he doesn't regret a thing. I also liked Clay's past which was explained just a tiny bit in this story. It was very...inventive. It made me laugh at times and also made me realise why Clay is the way he is which is what I think Kelley was going for.

Elena and Clay's relationship was different to say the least. Normally I hate it when I don't know where a couple stand with each other in a book but this one was contrary to my normal thoughts on this particular matter. They were perfect together and yet, Elena still hadn't forgiven Clay for what he had done but he still remained loyal to her and waited even if he didn't expect her forgiveness. It just fits somehow...

As for the plot; it was brilliant. The story line was great, as was the pace and flow of the book.

Kelley Armstrong I take my (figurative) hat off to you!!!

My Rating: 10/10!

Author: Kelley Armstrong 

Publisher: Plume