4.5 stars
I recieved a free copy of Altaica through Netgalley.
After I started reading to review, I wasn't finding a lot of worthwhile books *cough* Talented *cough*. Then, I decided to read Altaica since it looked interesting enough, and I hadn't read a real fantasy for a while (A Lonely Magic doesn't count, it was more supernatural).
I started reading, and the book immediately earned one star for the action-packed opening. I was engaged right away! From there, the action never stopped once.
But I'm forgetting my neutral summary. Okay, here it is: Isaura lives in a fantasy world, and her home is being invaded. She and many others escape, and -
Screw the summary. There's too much to write about.
First, the action: never stopped once, never failed to keep me interested. Just when you think it's over, something else happens! I loved that! This was the first or second book ever to do that for me!
Second, the characters: waaaaay too developed for a debut book, in a good way. Their personalities were so real: there's Isaura, strong but struggling against racism, there's Pio, the innocent, energetic youngster, there's Elena, the jealous b****, trying not to hate Isaura, but struggling, too...you get the idea. Even Ratilal had a personality other than 'ultimate evil guy'. He was smart...
I also loved the world idea - I have never encountered Asena or animal connections before!
And finally, some fangirling:
(view spoiler)
And when (view spoiler)...if Tracy Joyce can keep that writing style up, the feels will destroy me if something terrible happens.
For me, a five-star book must contain a powerful message. Altaica came close, but it wasn't quite there:
~Isaura wasn't really a big part of the second half of the book
~The fact that she is Hill Clan is mentioned once, but never again
Other than those small complaints, I adored Altaica. GIVE ME ASENA BLESSED NOW!!!!!!
To see the spoilers, go to this link
