Book Review: One If: A Virago Fantasy
Hello Book Lovers!
Are you ready for more book review time? I hope so, because that’s what you’re getting, haha!
This time I read One If: A Virago Fantasy by Carol B. Allen.
I bought this book after seeing my good friend Teri Polen’s review (by the way, check out Teri’s work, she is SO talented!) and reading the blurb.
Who doesn’t love some fantasy, right?
Alright, on to the review!
Blurb:
When Parker Kittridge, a quirky science student from New York City, is lured to her terrace by a frisky hummingbird, she slips and plunges 18 stories to the street and awakens in Spyridon, a planet destroyed by climate change and locked in civil war. Parker quickly discovers she is not alone. Two other teens have also been kidnapped. They must join forces if they have any chance to return to Earth.
The teens struggle for survival is fierce: murders, deceptions, power plays, love triangles and magical fantasy elements make this a high-stakes, coming-of-age adventure pitted against a race with time.
GoodReads
The Review:
DNF @ 16%
Unfortunately, I did not finish this book and stopped at 16%.
This was my first time reading this author’s work, and I simply wasn’t having enough fun with this journey to continue on.
In a nutshell, this book is about a number of teens that are transported to another world where they are asked to help save a world in turmoil. Parker and the other teens must make a huge decision. Save this strange world or leave the seemingly peaceful inhabitants to their doomed fate.
Overall, I felt that I didn’t really connect with this book from the start.
I wanted to like the characters, but they fell flat for me. It’s a given that young adults can be pretty simple sometimes, but I prefer my characters to have some depth, even from the beginning. I just wasn’t feeling that from Parker, Edison, or Henley. Their conversations, while mildly entertaining, felt a bit shallow. It also felt a bit too convenient that Parker knew so much about birds.
The concept was very interesting to me, as I am a lover of anything that reminds me of Wizard of Oz or travelling to parallel Earths.
I think it was the execution of the plot that left me wanting more. Once the teens are transported to this other world, they are given a choice to help save the world or not. However, nothing has really been explained to them at that point in time, so I found it very confusing. If you transported me to a strange world and immediately asked me to save you without being given any explanation, I’m definitely going to say no to you.
Tied to that point is the characters’ decisions to stay and help. It simply didn’t make enough sense to me given that they don’t really know anything about the world. I think maybe if they were able to glean some information first that would’ve made much more sense.
For these reasons, this book didn’t work for me. While I can’t recommend it to others, it may be the right book for you if you give it a chance.
That’s a Wrap!
Thanks for stopping by, and happy reading!
Have you read this book before? What did you think? Do you have a book recommendation similar to this one? Feel free to share in the comments!
If you’d like to see other reviews of mine, feel free to check out the book review section of my blog or my GoodReads. You can also follow my GoodReads reviews here. There are some great binge-worthy books on there!
Have a great day!
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