Book Review: The Crucible of Dawn

Lodestone
Book 3:  The Crucible of Dawn

By:  Mark Whiteway

Publisher:  VBW Publishing

Publish Date:  August 9, 2011

Format:  Paperback 387pgs, trade size

Genre:  YA Fantasy

Series:  3rd book in Lodestone series; 1st Book ~ The Sea of Storms, 2nd Book ~ The World of Ice and Stars

Recommendation:  To finish off and know how things are handled with the four components.

Book Synopsis:
Having finally secured the four components of Annata's ancient device, ten Kelanni, together with the enigmatic Chandara Boxx, set sail for the Island of Helice in order to neutralize the human weapon designed to eradicate the planet's indigenous life and to give them control over lodestone - the most powerful substance in the universe.  After fending off an attack from an immense sea creature, the party is attacked by human flying machines.  Shann and Rael, two of the four component carriers, are lost somewhere on the island, their fate unknown.  Will the Kelanni be able to reach the human weapon and disarm it?  With time against them, they must battle to overcome internal conflicts and, along the way, uncover shocking new truths about themselves; about their enemies, the humans; and about the strange creature Boxx, whose ultimate purpose yet remains a mystery.

First Sentence:
"I don' like the look o' them there clouds."

My Thoughts and Summary:
We start with two men, brothers, who are lodestone hunters, sorry, prospectors now according to the Directorate's change.  There is a storm coming in and they race to a large spot they believe to be lodestone, only to find a body ~ a hu-man body, McCann.  Our crew is back, after the trials, which now has put relationships in a new light and brought back old worries and feelings in which each needs to work through.  They are on their way to the island the humans were banished to so many years ago, to disable the hu-man weapon with the components they received.  But, will the hu-mans do as they are thought too?  Or will more tribulations come about and they will have to figure out how to handle it.  Could one of their own turn on them, or is something else going on?

I feel like there is a science and physics at work here with the lodestone.  It is neat to think on the lodestone uses and abilities.

I liked the first two books of this series.  Meeting the characters and getting to know them, through their trials and tribulations.  And they are all present here.  However, this book I was a little slow at reading.  I blame my mood at the time, I don't think it was what I was needing.  As there was action here, and the characters came across strange new things in this amazing world, I was a little bored.  I'm sorry.  And one of the characters kind of irritated me.  I know, she is created that way, and it's not the only excuse for my feelings of the book.  She is just as she should be, and for where she came from.

If you like reading alien worlds where humans invade and they fight back, this very well could be a good read for you.  Or even for a young reader who hasn't read a lot of human invasions yet. 

This book is very good for young readers as well, as it's geared toward the young readers for no bad language our sexual content.  Their is friendships, strong and changing for them to read of.


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

Who? What? Where? (54)

Who are you with? Where are you at? What's happening?

Share with us just a little bit of what is happening in the book you are reading, right where you are now.

Just a tiny taste of what's happening, remember try to not give spoilers of the book.

(This is a new meme I'm going to try and will tweak as I go. And please don't laugh at my lame attempt at drawing. ;D )


Well, I'm in the same book as last week.  Yes, I've had not a good week in reading.  But I'll share where that is...

I'm with Alondo, away from camp and the "helping" hu-mans, talking through the emerald stone glowing in the center of the Speaker Ring.  Oliah is across the great barrier, a huge stormy sea.  Alondo is telling her their plans, and hoping to be home soon.  Oliah has told of things at home, and that she loves him.

Lodestone:
Book 3:  The Crucible of Dawn
By:  Mark Whiteway

Teaser Tuesday (106)

Teaser Tuesday

is a weekly event

Sponsored by MizB of Should be Reading

Here's how it works:

Grab the book you are currently reading (anything at all)

Open the book to any random page.

Share 2 teaser sentences from anywhere on the page

Please Make Sure They Are Not Spoilers!

(Don't Give Too Much Away)

Just enough to pique our interests

This Week:

She watched as the two of them stepped through, tiny lights buzzing and flashing around them like insects.  On the other side, Keris removed the bracelet from Boxx and tossed it towards Shann.

Lodestone:
Book 3:
The Crucible of Dawn
By:  Mark Whiteway
130pg

Who? What? Where? (53)

Who are you with? Where are you at? What's happening?

Share with us just a little bit of what is happening in the book you are reading, right where you are now.

Just a tiny taste of what's happening, remember try to not give spoilers of the book.

(This is a new meme I'm going to try and will tweak as I go. And please don't laugh at my lame attempt at drawing. ;D )

I'm standing with Lyall and Keris on the ship deck, watching Shann as she is hit with the giant tentacle of some sea creature we can't see.  She is having some strange vision from it.  I'm not sure if this is going to be a good thing or a bad thing.

Lodestone: Book 3
The Crucible of Dawn
By:  Mark Whiteway

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.

Who? What? Where? (26)

Who are you with? Where are you at? What's happening?

Share with us just a little bit of what is happening in the book you are reading, right where you are now.

Just a tiny taste of what's happening, remember try to not give spoilers of the book.

(This is a new meme I'm going to try and will tweak as I go. And please don't laugh at my lame attempt at drawing. ;D )

I'm moving this post from Thursdays to Wednesdays as I have another idea for Thursdays.

I'm flying over the lands of this new world with Keris in our flying cloaks trying to find the Chandara that the people here believe are lost to this side of the world.  But thinking about that flying avionic that came by, which we hide from.  I don't know when that one that attacked us and out friends earlier will be back.

Lodestone

Book Two: The World of Ice and Stars

By:  Mark Whiteway

Teaser Tuesday (81)

Teaser Tuesday

is a weekly event

Sponsored by MizB of Should be Reading

Here's how it works:

Grab the book you are currently reading (anything at all)

Open the book to any random page.

Share 2 teaser sentences from anywhere on the page

Please Make Sure They Are Not Spoilers!

(Don't Give Too Much Away)

Just enough to pique our interests

This Week:

The machine was coming up behind them again.  Keris shoved to one side, pushing all three of them to the ground.  A bolt of lightning struck the ground near her feet, flinging dirt over her.

Lodestone

Book Two: The World of Ice and Stars

By:  Mark Whiteway

68 pg

Book Review: Lodestone: The Sea of Storms

Lodestone
Book One: The Sea of Storms

By:  Mark Whiteway

Publisher:  VCW Publishing

Publish Date:  April 2010

Format:  Paperback, Trade 6" X 9", 278 pgs

Genre:  Fantasy, Young Adult

Series:  1st book in the Lodestone Series

Recommendation: Yes, young adult fantasy reading with a little science mixed in with it.

Book Synopsis:
Alli-Kar, a white-hole portal from another universe, rains meteoroids onto the surface of the planet Kelanni. But the so-called "lodestones" behave according to different physical laws, transforming Kelanni's society.

With the aid of the fearsome Keltar in their flying cloaks, the Kelanni are being put to forced labor to mine the lodestones.

Shann, an orphan with a fiery disposition, witnesses a battle between a Keltar and a stranger bearing a similar flying cloak. She tracks down the stranger, learning of the technology behind the Keltars' power and joining him on a mission to free the slaves and cut off their supply of lodestones.

Meanwhile Keris, a Keltar, is sent on a mission to track down the rebels. She is attacked by a flying creature and saved by the enigmatic Chandara. At their Great Tree, she learns that a mysterious "Prophet" is out to destroy the Kelanni people. Their only hope is a powerful instrument hidden in the distant past.

Pursued by Keltar, the party will encounter bizarre creatures, ancient technologies and terrifying dangers. Finally, they must seek to cross a massive storm barrier in order to reach the other side of their world, where a world-shaking revelation awaits.

First Sentence:
It was early in the afternoon, when Kal first saw the flying rock.

My Review and Summary:
Hastily aiding a strange man who flew into town and seemed to want to help the people taken as 'tributes' to work in the Prophet's deadly desert, Shann finds she is now in the middle of the dispute between the strange man pretending to be a Keltar and the Keltar taking the people.  Shann goes on the run to escape the mean Keltar and his soldiers.  Shann finds new friends along the path of a wondrous journey of the past asking for help from the future.  With the help of her new friends and lodestones Shann learns a budding strength she didn't realize she had, and how to fly like the Keltar.  If all work together; Shann, Lyall, Alondo, and Keltar Keris and her new friend Boxx, the fate of all Kelanni just might be safe in their hands.

In this book Mark, the author, creates a world with three suns, bright colors, and people with tails.  With the help of Lodestones and the science behind them there are a select few who are granted permission to us this ability to fly through the air.  The world created here is all together new.  There are times in the world I wanted a little more description to give a better visual in my mind, but I did enjoy the details given to the lodestone science used by the Keltar.

The story starts right in with the characters meeting, which is a nice start.  At times in the beginning I found it to be a little rough but the story quickly picks up and runs.  I liked the characters and the way they matched up.  You do have your one odd man out, but this is a nice touch to have a character you like, but not completely trust.

The story takes you on a journey with these characters through this new world.  The story isn't completely new to the fantasy world but the characters and new world make it a fun and interesting journey.  There were a few little surprises I really enjoyed too.  Like, you might want to watch Alondo.  The ending of the story is a cliffhanger ending.  I wanted to keep going and see what happens to the world and characters along with the new world they where going to.  But, that will have to be the next book (which is currently out).

This is definitely a book I would recommend to your sprouting fantasy readers.  I think they would enjoy the journey and the neat things they do.  This is a fun read.  The end result of the lodestone science is similar to the results of Brandon Sanderson's metal usage in the Mistborn series.  Completely different sciences and rules but close to the same results, in flying that is.

I will definitely be looking for the second book in this series to follow up with the characters.


I received this book from the author for review.

This book qualifies for the YA Reading Challenge hosted by For The Love of YA.

Who? What? Where? (3)

Who are you with?  Where are you at?  What's happening?

Share with us just a little bit of what is happening in the book you are reading, right where you are now. 

Just a tiny taste of what's happening, remember try to not give spoilers of the book.

(This is a new meme I'm going to try and will tweak as I go. And please don't laugh at my lame attempt at drawing. ;D )

I'm camped with Lyall and Alondo, trying to snatch a little bit of sleep out here in the blazing hot Southern Desert.  But worried about Shann.  She was sent into that compound of Gort to rally the 'tributes' and we weren't able to do anything.  We have to get her out of there.

Lodestone
Book One: The Sea of Storms
By Mark Whiteway

Teaser Tuesday (59)

Teaser Tuesday

is a weekly event

Sponsored by MizB of Should be Reading

Here's how it works:

Grab the book you are currently reading (anything at all)

Open the book to any random page.

Share 2 teaser sentences from anywhere on the page

Please Make Sure They Are Not Spoilers!

(Don't Give Too Much Away)

Just enough to pique our interests

This Week:

Shann picked them up and did so.  There was a strong repulsive force between them, getting stronger the closer she brought them together.  She frowned again.  "I can't do it."

Lodestone

Book One: The Sea of Storms

By Mark Whiteway

pg 35