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The Secrets of Solace by Jaleigh Johnson: Review and Giveaway!

Tuesday, March 8, 2016
From Jaleigh Johnson, the acclaimed author of The Mark of the Dragonfly, comes another thrilling adventure in the magical world of Solace.
    Lina Winterbock lives in the mountain strongholds of Solace. She’s an apprentice to the archivists, the wise men and women whose lives are dedicated to cataloging, studying, and preserving the objects that mysteriously fall from the sky in the scrap towns.
    Lina should be spending her days with books, but the Iron War has changed everything. The strongholds are now a refuge, and the people Lina once counted on no longer have time for her, so she spends her days exploring the hidden tunnels and passages of her home. The strongholds are vast and old, with twisting paths, forgotten rooms, and collapsed chambers, some of them containing objects that have been lost and forgotten even by the archivists.
    And in one of the forgotten chambers, Lina discovers a secret.
    Hidden deep in a cavern is a half-buried airship like nothing she has ever seen before. She’s determined to dig it out and restore it. But Lina needs help, and she doesn’t know anyone she can trust with her secret.
    Then she meets Ozben, a mysterious boy who has a secret of his own—a secret that’s so dangerous it could change the course of the Iron War and the world of Solace forever. 

Goodreads Summary

It's hard to imagine living in a world with constant war.  Lina and Ozben both must live there and find ways to deal with their reality.  Ozben is the hidden "spare" prince and Lina is a potential archivist-to-be.  In her wanderings, Lina comes up Ozben and the pair strike up a friendship (yes, just a friendship...not every young adult girl/boy relationship has to have romance!).  Lina has a goal and the determination to fix an older airship and Ozben fears for his life.  Helping Lina with her airship allows him to think about something else for a change.  

Lina's character appeared nice enough and interested me, but there were lots of time that I didn't feel connected to her.  I did feel more "in her head" as the story went on, but I wouldn't have minded thinking of her as a friend and not just a character in the book.  I felt bad for Ozben.  I wouldn't want to be someone's pawn or chess piece.  I liked how the two developed such a solid friendship and utilized their friendship to help each other through difficult times.  Much of the book focused on the airship.  I did enjoy the air of mystery surrounding the airship, but I wouldn't have minded learning more about the characters and the war.  Overall, this book was an exciting and fun read and ideal for teen readers.

3 1/2 Stars

GIVEAWAY:

Pleas leave a comment with your email for a chance to win a copy of this great book!  





JALEIGH JOHNSON is a lifelong reader, gamer, and moviegoer. She loves nothing better than to escape into fictional worlds and take part in fantastic adventures. She lives and writes in the wilds of the Midwest, but you can visit her online atjaleighjohnson.com or on Twitter at @JaleighJohnson.


This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

6 comments:

  1. aparajita said...:

    A new find. I did not know of this book. It sounds so amazing with all those steampunk elements. Great review :)

    My email-id - aparajita_19@hotmail.com

    Aparajita @Le' Grande Codex

  1. love this author she is very talented thanks for the chance to win wheatley_jan@hotmail.com

  1. A magical world indeed.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

  1. Even if the characters are not the most like-able, it still sounds like a really good story. I'd like to give it a try, thanks for the chance to win a copy. crs(at)codedivasites(dot)com

  1. thanks for the chance to win love jaeligh wheatley_jan@hotmail.com

  1. bison61 said...:

    half-buried airship that sounds exciting my granddaughter would enjoy this book

    tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com