Thursday 26 April 2012

#95 Book Review: Winter's Light

Winter's Light (Winter Saga #2)
Release Date: May 1st 2012
Author: M.J Hearle
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Source: Publisher for Review
Format: Paperback
Where to Buy: Fishpond
More Info: Goodreads
Summary from Goodreads:
Blake is gone.

He sacrificed himself to save Winter, leaving her alone, unprotected... hunted.

An ancient enemy is rising, but Winter is no longer the innocent girl who was fated to die at Pilgrim's Lament. She will not wait to be saved. She will do what she must to survive, even accept an unsavoury alliance with those who destroyed her love.

In the gathering darkness, the enemy of an enemy is not always a friend, and Winter must find the strength to stand alone and fight for the one she loves. For she is the key to unlocking the secrets beyond the veil of shadows.

And she is Blake's only hope.
My review:

Cover:
I love the snowy theme of the cover and the girl's white dress. The white theme makes Winter's red hair and the title's red font stand out!
4 Forget-Me-Not flowers for the cover!
Story:
  
Is Blake gone forever?


It's been 3 months since Blake sacrificed himself to save Winter's life. Winter has graduated from high school. Winter's life is never the same since she met Blake in Pilgrim's Lament. Winter longs for Blake and yearns for him through the lodestone Blake gave her. She unexpectedly attracts other Demori who are nothing like Blake. One day, Winter is suddenly struck by the idea that Blake might still be alive after the lodestone gives her a sight of Blake suffering in a room. Winter is now determined to do one thing, to save Blake no matter what it takes...


I really enjoyed M.J Hearle's debut novel, Winter's Shadow and was really excited for the sequel, Winter's Light. By the time I finished reading Winter's Light, I was very impressed with how enjoyable the sequel was. It was even better than the first book. Before I started Winter's Light, I was hoping that Blake would somehow appear in the story plot even after what happened at the end of Winter's Shadow. He did appear in Winter's Light, but in ways I never thought of. I really loved how M.J explained more of the world of Winter's Shadow. The book is still written from Winter's POV but the book is not completely written from Winter's POV. There are chapters where it's a story about the Key and the portal. There are also excerpts of Blake's diary which I really enjoyed reading about. I'm really glad that I can read excerpts of Blake's diary because it makes me feel as if he's still in the story. The story plot was very exciting and I loved how things are further explained and everything seems to connect now. Winter's Light is absolutely well-written and the ending made me really dying to get the third book. I can't believe it ended that way!


Characters:
Winter is a very strong-willed character who I really adore. I love how she never stops loving Blake and tries to save him and see him again. Sam is also a great character. I didn't like him in Winter's Shadow because he wanted to kill Blake but he changed and helped Winter a lot in this book. I found Jasmine quite an annoying character. I didn't like how she was not supportive of Winter and did not believe her until the middle part of the book where she finally became the best friend Winter needed. I also love the new characters introduced in this book such as Magdalene, Yuri, Elena who are a part of the Banes and each have their own secrets. What surprised me most was the entrance of Ariman in this book. It was definitely unexpected but makes the story even more exciting! I really missed Blake and I hope that he appears more in Book 3!


Overall:
Winter's Light is a gorgeous sequel to Winter's Shadow, bringing you a story of Winter's struggles, love and hope for Blake. This well-written story will once again pull you into the enthralling world of Demori. If you love Winter's Shadow, you will definitely want to read Winter's Light because the sequel is even better!
5 Forget-Me-Not flowers for Winter's Light!
Thank you Pan Macmillan Australia for the review copy!

PS: Come back tomorrow for an author interview with M.J about Winter's Light!

Check out the book trailer!

14 comments:

  1. Great review I've been wanting to read this series but the books are really hard to find in Canada unless i'm willing to pay like over 20$ for it. I'll read them vicariously through you and your reviews! :P

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  2. Awesome review, Celine! I haven't read the first book but I really want to start this series now after reading your review! It sounds great and I'm especially glad to hear Winter doesn't give up...Nothing frustrates me more than when a main character is too quick to brush away something significant. Plus the cover is gorgeous too, so that's always an added bonus. :D

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  3. Ahh! Yes! That ending. While it makes me shout, "Nooooo!" because the sequel is so far away, it has made me SUPER excited to read what happens next :D I loved how Ariman came into the story aswell. Such a cool twist! Your review pretty much captures all my thoughts on this. I SO enjoyed it and how everything got ramped up even more, which sets things up for an awesome book 3.

    Awesome review, Celine!

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  4. I want to read this series. I remember Brodie talking about this series a few times and now I'm all curious. I really like strong-willed heroines as much as I like more frail characters. But I do like that she's so determined and persistent.

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  5. Ohhh so that's how we get to still see Blake! Interesting. Cannot wait to read this. Thanks for reviewing! Jasmine's the best friend, right? I didn't like her that much in SHADOW... :| Anyway, I was also impressed by Hearle's debut. I'm glad this one didn't disappoint you!

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  6. Great review Celine, I read the first book Winter's Shadow but it didn't really work out for me, but I'm glad you're having so much fun with the series! :)

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  7. This one sounds really good and the cover really stands out - love it! I don't think these books are published over here, but I might try to track them down on fishpond. :)

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  8. Haven't read the first book yet but I love the covers and storyline and totally want to check it out soon! I skimmed through your review because I need to read book one first! Thanks for bringing the series to my attention, Celine :)

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  9. Ohhh, I've always wished that I could have a super-cool name-that-is-also-a-word, and I LOVE Winter's! x) (If I ever have kids, I'm planning on naming them after fruits: Blueberry, Kiwi, Peach... you know it LOL!) And it sounds like this is such a NEED NEED NEED book, Celine! I've yet to pick up the first book yet, but one of my kryptonites are five star books by bloggers I love, so OF COURSE I'll be looking forward to this one! ;)

    Amazing review, Celine! <3

    P.S. WILL BE BACK TOMORROW :') <3

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  10. EEP!! How come you always read and review books I haven't read, but somehow you always convince me to read the book?? This sounds like a story I'm going to fall in love with, especially since the heroine's name is so pretty (Winter!). Now I just have to find the first book of this series! :)

    I ADORE your review, Celine! <3

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  11. It really seems like a good series. Will give it a try. :)
    Great review, Celine!

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  12. Why haent these books been release in North America? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY??? Poor of us, Canadian souls sniff!! not fait!
    I love when sequels are better than the previous books. sniff!Amazing review my dear! I want these books so badly now sniff!
    ^.^ have an awesome day...night..whatever it is over there XDD

    Dazzling Reads

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  13. Hi Celine! Just skimmed your review (because I'll just start reading the series in the next few weeks.) But wow, from the sound of your review, I know I'll enjoy this one. :) Great review!

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  14. Ooooh, I don't know how these books stayed off my radar for so long, but CELINE! THEY SOUND AMAZING! And how rare is it that a second book surpasses the first! SO glad you loved it!!!

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