If there's one thing that you can count on me for, it's that I will probably be late. And in that same vein, I am only about a year and a half late for my review of Fade (The Ragnarök Prophesies, #1) by A.K. Morgen. I'm telling you, it's a good thing I was pregnant for 9 months of that, or she might have gotten mad at me. Nonetheless, I have finally finished my review just in time to participate in her book review tour. Well, by just in time, I, of course, mean right in the nick of time and by the skin of my teeth.
Anyway, here is my review.
I had a feeling that this book was going to be absolutely wonderful; as I am very close with the author and have had the pleasure of reading many of her works before Fade. So I was really looking forward to this book.
As the debut book for A.K. Morgen, what a way to break out into the published world. I believe that A.K. Morgen has set the bar fairly high for her subsequent works.
First, the positives. A.K. Morgen's writing style is beautiful and drew me into the story quickly and fully. I dreaded the moments where I had to put the book down – like when I had to do some work or pay a bill. I also love the new perspective on mythology that A.K. Morgen took with this tale. Norse mythology just doesn't get as much coverage as other mythologies, and the author does a good job of grabbing your attention to correct that. The story itself is gripping with just the right balance between mythology and romance. I love the fact that the main characters are not flawless goody-goodies sent on a quest to save the world, but rather they are strong and vulnerable all at the same time. And, as someone who is sick and tired of the skid marks left on the world of literature by works such as Twilight, I love that this is not an easily predictable storytelling.
There were a few negatives. First, the beginning of the book had very familiar rings to it. A young girl suffers through the loss of a parent and is forced to move in with her father, meets a strange young man and becomes obsessed with finding out his truth while he does everything in his power to hide the truth from it. A.K. Morgen does a brilliant job of doing this, but that doesn't change the fact that it's been done before. Also, the idea of an insta-romance doesn't settle well with me — at least not in a story where there are so many twists and secrets. There is no offer of a foundation other than the two are drawn to each other, which is a little unsettling. Thankfully, this wasn't completely overdone and did not take away from the entire storyline.
All in all, the positives of this book far outweigh the negatives. A.K. Morgen has done a wonderful job of bringing Arionna and Dace to life. I look forward to reading the next books in the series.
Star Rating: 5 out of 5
You can also read this review on Goodreads and at Amazon.
Buy Fade (The Ragnarok Prophesies #1) on Amazon