Set fourteen years after The Doom’, we find thirteen year old Fallon, being taken away from her family for a period of two years to be trained in the skills necessary to claim the mantle of leadership as ‘The One’, the person who will rise and use their power and strength to bring all groups together. In the first part of the book we follow Fallon as she learns not only how to use her skills most effectively, but more importantly how to use them for the good and not for revenge. Meanwhile in New Hope, the settlement that we met in the first book, things have become normalised, with growing, making and caring all part of the mix, alongside regular scavenging trips and raids on Purity Warrior strongholds to free prisoners and slaves.
Surviving an apocalyptic disaster is a very popular theme among today’s authors. Books like ‘The Stand by Stephen King; The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham and even The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins tell the stories of human frailty against disease and oppression but also ultimately the strength of will to survive and carry on, overcoming evil in whatever form and prevailing.
Nora Roberts is a consummate story teller and in this book two of her latest trilogy she has carried on those skills to great effect. Her characters are likeable, have character flaws which mean we can relate to their frustrations and forgive them their mistakes. If you haven’t read book one yet, my advice is to start there. It will give you a better understanding of who all the main characters are and where they fit into the story. I look forward to reading the third and final part of the trilogy, hopefully out at the end of this year.
Reviewed by Fiona Frost
Catalogue link: Of Blood and Bone
No comments:
Post a Comment