Book Review: Lodestone: The World of Ice and Stars

Lodestone
Book Two:  The World of Ice and Stars

By:  Mark Whiteway

Publisher:  VBW Publishing

Publish Date:  August 2010

Format:  Paperback 306pgs, Trade size

Genre:  Fantasy, YA Fantasy

Series:  2nd book in Lodestone series; 1st book ~ Lodestone Book 1: The Sea of Storms

Recommendation:  For YA Fantasy readers, Yes.  This one digs a lot deeper into the plot and broadens the world.  You have to see where they go!

Book Synopsis:
The desperate race to save a world continues!  Washed up on a desolate shore on the far side of the world along with the Chandara, Boxx, Shann must try to uncover the truth about the fate of her companions, while searching for a vital artifact hidden by an ancient civilization.

First Sentence:
What is this place?  Shann's heart beat like that of a tiny bird caught in a snare.

My Thoughts and Summary:
As at the end of The Sea of Storms, Shann wakes to beautiful and strange stars in the sky on a foreign coast, all only heard of in ancient stories, with only Boxx.  This new land is hard to believe.  Shann finds herself in a more technically bound world with metal boxes people ride around in and flying boxes as well.  Shann needs to find the rest of her friends as they have another piece of the important puzzle to stop the Prophet from destroying their world.  But when time passes by with no luck in finding them she sets off with her new scientist friend to find the Chandara of this world to help her get the machine she needs.  Mean while the others of her crew are fighting their sadness at the loss of Shann and Boxx they try to find the remaining Chandara of this world as well, to see if one of them can be the "key" in replacement of Boxx.  And to learn what they need to do to get the one and only weapon to save their kind.  All will have to over come great challenges to complete their dire mission.

This book builds the suspense more in the underlining plot of the books.  I enjoyed the unfolding of what is going on here in the world.  We get further into the story and what is fueling the agendas of the Prophet and who or what he is.  Nice.  And what... well, the lodestones of course.

Here the world is developed greatly too!  This is a Young Adult fantasy read with a touch of time difference of thousands of years through communicating, and new planet setting.  There's computers and technology in this side of the world.  Almost a blend of time travel and science fiction with fantasy here.  Nicely blended together.  Here we learn more history of both sides of the world, and why they don't know of each other, other than ancient stories.  The graphics of the world as a whole here is explained and scientifically made sense.  Then the new side of the world we are visiting has much more scientific background and uses.  This is where we learn more about the lodestone and its abilities.  We even get a touch of humans in this world of Kelanni's.

I felt closer to the characters in this book as well.  I could feel the frustration of Shann when no one believed her when she told she was from the other side of the great barrier.  And I have seen a great growth in Keris.  The group separates for a short time in this book, either by accident or intentionally.  And the characters get their chance to shine.  Even in the great test they need to take in the end of the book.  I really like how this shows the growth of the characters; emotionally and mentally.

I liked in the end how the challenges the characters had to undergo related back to the first book, and even brought back questions and concerns I had for the characters then.  I'm thinking the author is going to touch on these in the next book and I'm looking forward to it.


I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.

This book qualifies for my Speculative Fiction Challenge hosted by Floor to Ceiling Books, and YA Reading Challenge hosted by Jamie Loves YA.