Monday, March 10, 2014

Black Amaranth by Sasha Hibbs {Review}

*Received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Book Blurb~
Eighteen-year-old Ally Watson arrives home from high school graduation, more than a little annoyed that her Uncle Argyle—Ally’s legal guardian and only surviving relative—didn’t even bother showing up. But instead of berating him for his forgetfulness, Ally finds him in a life-or-death battle with a monster. Argyle manages to kill the creature, and gives Ally a parcel containing a destiny she never knew existed.

Ally, along with her best friends Michael, Jessica, and David, hurry to Georgia to uncover the truth of Uncle Argyle’s secrets, and the meaning of the mysterious marks that Ally bears. Are the marks related to the blacksmith mythology of her ancestors? Who are these heavenly warriors who show up in the oddest of places? And will an ancient gypsy curse destroy the very things Ally fights to save?

Black Amaranth: a simple flower, a symbol with an ancient legacy, a conduit for prophecy…while faith and hope are essential to the journey, Ally soon discovers that love is the most powerful force of all.


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My Review

Everything about Ally's life is thrown upside down the day she graduates high school. Oh sure things are supposed to be different, but not this different. There aren't supposed to be monsters and demons, but that is exactly what she finds. And as the only person she has known as a father is ripped away from her by darkness, she learns that her life is meant for something very different.

On the night that Ally graduated high school she wanted to see the face of her Uncle Argyle, the only father she had ever known, but he was nowhere in sight. When she goes home with her friends she finds him locked in battle with a necrosapien. Only she doesn't know what that is. During the battle Uncle Argyle gives her very cryptic instructions that is supposed to lead her to safety and answers.

Ally does exactly as she is instructed and finds herself swallowed by a world that she absolutely doesn't understand. There are seraphs, vampires, and demons. And the more Ally uncovers about this strange new world, the more questions she has. It seems with every answer comes new questions and new oppositions. 

Questions about who she really is, who her family really was, the life she is meant to live and all the choices that she is mean to make. Her life is in complete unbalance as she tries to piece the puzzle together in time to save herself, friends and her uncle. There is so much to learn in so little time and so much rests on her shoulders.

With all the questions that surface for Ally, the questions add another layer to the story, another piece to what can sometimes be an overwhelming puzzle, but keep reading and you will be rewarded.

The main characters of the story were truly enjoyable and gave a fun depth to the story. They helped make it come alive and kept the story grounded as layer upon layer was thrust upon me. The story of Black Amaranth has a lot of characters, which at times is good, but can also be a little confusing and in a story rich in facts and history sometimes it is a little hard to keep it all straight. With the main characters being developed, deep and rich, the side characters often fell a little flat and didn't really add much to the story for me other than my frustration at not getting my answers. 

Overall, I enjoyed the story of Ally and her displaced friends. I enjoyed the magic, the history and the way everything intertwined together to weave a story that was incredibly full of mystery. Black Amaranth is a story that is very layered and will definitely take you on a magical adventure. Everything comes together nicely at the end giving you just enough of an ending to drive you mad with wanting to know what happens next. One thing is for sure, this is definitely not the same old story, so the ending was definitely hard to predict. Black Amaranth is a story that you simply have to experience for yourself. 


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