Friday, July 29, 2011

Feast by Merrie Destefano



Title/Author: Feast by Merrie Destefano
Publisher/Date published: HarperVoyager, July 1st 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "Halloween is a bad time to return to the woods...
Madeline MacFaddin ("Mad Mac" to fans of her bestselling magical stories) spent blissful childhood summers in Ticonderoga Falls. And this is where she wants to be now that her adult life is falling apart. The dense surrounding forest holds many memories, some joyous, some tantalizingly only half-remembered. And she's always believed there was something living in these wooded hills.
But Maddie doesn't remember the dark parts — and knows nothing of the mountain legend that holds the area's terrified residents captive. She has no recollection of Ash, the strange and magnificent creature who once saved her life as a child, even though it is the destiny of his kind to prey upon humanity. And soon it will be the harvest ... the time to feast.
Once again Maddie's dreams — and her soul — are in grave danger. But magic runs deep during harvest. Even a spinner of enchanted tales has wondrous powers of her own..."

I just realised I'd never read Urban Fantasy before. Or, at least, I think I haven't. And I have to say, I don't think it's really my genre.

I did however enjoy this book. It was really different from what I usually read. I tend to lean more towards paranormal romance or fantasy. The Darklings, as the beings who sort of eat dreams to survive, are pretty interesting. Starting this novel, I did feel like I'd missed something. Like this was the second book in the series and everybody else already knows all about Darklings and their powers and such, cause very little information is provided. I still feel like I don't really understand them and that is a bit frustrating.

The POV switches from chapter to chapter and though everyone has their distinctive voice, sometimes it was a bit hard to keep up. Even the 'bad guy' gets chapters from his POV and I really appreciated that. The switching did mean I didn't connect so well to Maddie, but it was enough for me to enjoy the story.

My favourite character was probably Samwise, Maddie's dog. He is AWESOME! Seriously, he turns into a werebeast after biting one of the Darklings and he's just so cool. And adorable. Well, maybe not when he's a werebeast, but he only turns huge monster to protect Maddie and her son, so it's all good.

I didn't really get the actions of the Darklings sometimes, there was an attack on Maddie (the one where Samwise bites a Darkling) that I couldn't understand and the reaction to it all of the people living in the town was also not really normal. And I still don't know why exactly the Hunt was being held and GAH! I have so many questions left and it doesn't really look like this is part of a series...

But I did enjoy this story for what it was, confusing and all. Though I don't think I'll be starting to read much Urban Fantasy, I think it's just not my genre. Still: enjoyable book! And brownie points for having an adorable dog in it.

My rating: 3 stars

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