I enjoyed this book, it was a not-quite-fairytale fantasy with some clever moments (the silver box, John Dee, and some of the fairies), except...{Spoiler Alert}...............The main character, Garet, falls in love with a vampire immediately after he bites her. Garet doesn't question this sudden love, even when it's revealed that one of her long-time best friends has been carrying a torch for her. The apparent reason for this love-at-first-bite is that she and the vampire, Will, are soul mates who meet each other over and over in successive rebirths. Right. The book would have been way better if the vampire-love-interest storyline had been 86'd (in fact, I won't be reading the other books because of it.) After a bad meeting regarding her father's debts that he's managed to rack up, and the fate of their gallery, Garet gets caught in the rain wandering around the city, ducking in to a shop doorway for cover. What she finds in the shop is a mysterious silver box, with a seal on it that matches the ring her mother gave her. Offered a thousand dollars to open it, she can't say no. But when it's stolen along with all the paintings in the gallery later that night, and her father is suspected of orchestrating the theft money, Garet is thrown in to a world within the world she knew. Turns out she's the latest in a long line of women from her family who are Watch Tower's, guarding the worlds. Turns out the man who gave her the box is John Dee...yes that John Dee, and he's opened the box releasing the demons Despair and Discord in to NYC. She has mere days left to get the box back and close it before the Demon's become permanent residents. Along the way, she meets Will, a vampire who was in love with one of her ancestors and became a vampire to be with her, they are destined to keep finding each other in each life, and Will has now found Garet. But does he want the box? And why? Garet is thrown in to the world of the fey, hanging out with Oberon among others, along with dragons and goblins and brownies. But will Garet succeed in getting the box back? Was her mothers death an accident? Can she resist Will's charms? Lately it seems that every time I pick up a YA book, I strike gold. This book is no exception. It's very unique to every other YA out there, it's a kind of take on the Swan Princess, or at least one aspect of the story is that may be explored in another installment. There's lots of very rich myths and legends and stories told to us in the book, and I love a good myth and legend! The plot is very intricate, and is woven with so many different threads, and with so many plot twists you'll never see coming. The characters where all different and vibrant and jumped off the page, written very believably. The characters are all very dimensional, there's more to some of them than meets the eye, you're never sure who to trust, and you're left trying to work out each characters motivation. Garet is the kind of protagonist I like, she isn't a damsel in distress, she takes it in her stride and gets stuff done. Black Swan Rising is full of magic, and magical creatures described amazingly, you can picture them so clearly, and they jump out at you. The quality of the stories, and creatures in this book is amazing, and totally enthralling. They're all so richly described, and explained. The prose is very atmospheric, and very cinematic, you're transported to the world created by the authors, and you get sucked in. The book was very fast paced, and very hard to put down. You're right there with Garet the whole time as she makes her discoveries and comes to terms with it all. You never know what's coming at you next. A totally unique YA book, featuring an intricate plot, rich storytelling, and full of enthralling magic. I utterly loved it and can't wait to start reading the others!
What do You think about Černá Labuť Vzlétá (2010)?
Interesting. A quick read, a bit too simplistic but it kept my attention from beginning to end.
—Hdhd
