Publisher: FogInk
Publication Date: June 23, 2014
Source: Received from FogInk Press in exchange for an honest review. This in no way effects my review or opinions of the book.
Rating:
Goodreads Synopsis:
“Hope is never gone, but it can be eaten alive.”
A quest to save hope.
A kingdom under a spell.
A wizard in training.
A gargoyle with a sweet tooth.
The sequel to The Orphanage of Miracles is filled with engaging characters, magic, adventure, and unusual circumstance. It’s a story that will both entertain and inspire the reader.
Kelsey, a strong-willed and high spirited young girl, embarks upon another adventurous quest - this time to save hope, which is being stolen from the orchard. While the kingdom is still under the spell of the evil sorcerer who distorts reality in order to gain control, the king begins training someone who he believes can ultimately defeat the sorcerer: a young boy named Nicholas. Revisit some of your favorite characters or meet them for the first time in this volume.
Review:
When I finished reading The Orphanage of Miracles I could not shut up about it, it was whimsy and enchanting from the beginning to the end, so when I started tweeting about it, I was thrilled to get a message from FogInk telling me they would send me the next book in the series...
I put off reading this one until closer to the release date because I had the feeling I was going to feel the same way...and luckily I was correct. Netfzger has a way with forming an enthralling world for the reader to walk through with the characters and there are so many things to love.
In The Orchard of Hope, we follow two story lines much like in the first book. Kelsey is on another adventure while Nicolas is in the castle training to be a sorcerer, what makes this book just as good as the first is the development and growth of the characters in between the two books and shared with the reader in the beginning of this one. Kelsey is just as stubborn but learning to be mindful of others; Nicolas is learning that there is more around than what meets the eye; and Maggie another character from the last book, has been cast as a girly-girl in they eyes of Kelsey at least, but becomes a wonderful asset to the adventure regardless of lacking the experience with them.
Again we learn lessons throughout the book of acceptance, asking for help when you need it, honesty, being present, using knowledge or power for good versus evil, all those fun things and more.
I love that these books take the idea of invisible things and make them objects that need creating or saving...that element alone is the main reason I enjoy these books. There is depth that as a reader of any age you can really delve into.
There are also very funny bits, like a talking gargoyle who loves to eat - he was my favorite this time around.
Overall, I think this great cast of characters and the wonderful adventure scenes which alternate with the woes of learning, make this story fun for all ages and if it leads to chats about how one might create miracles or save hope I think that is great too... Beautifully written and a book that I will definitely be sharing with people.
I love it when a sequel ends up being just as good if not better than the first. It's so rare for me too I have the hardest time with sequels. This sounds like a fun adventure series too. I like how character driven it seems and the mix of humor is always a good thing for me ;)
ReplyDeleteI was super impressed with this one, especially because I LOVED the first book so much, I was scared to read this one - so happy how it turned out. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteSounds unique and fantastical. Who can't resist this?!
ReplyDeleteRight?! It is a wonderful series< i highly recommend it.
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