by Rita Stradling
Synopsis:
In Domengrad, there are rules all must live by: Fear the Gods. Worship the Magicians. Forsake the Iconoclasts.
To Annabelle Klein, the rules laid down by the Magicians are the mere ramblings of stuffy old men. As far as she’s concerned, the historic Iconoclasts, heretics who nearly destroyed the Magicians so long ago, are nothing but myth. She has much more important matters to worry about.
Heiress to a manor mortgaged down to its candlesticks and betrothed to her loathsome cousin, sixteen-year-old Annabelle doubts the gods could forsake her more.
Then Annabelle is informed of her parents’ sudden and simultaneous deaths, and all of the pigment drips out of her skin and hair, leaving her colorless. Within moments, Annabelle is invisible and forgotten by all who know her.
Living like a wraith in her own home, Annabelle discovers that to regain her color she must solve the mystery behind her parents’ murders and her strange transformation.
Meanwhile, hundreds of the Magicians’ monks, with their all-black eyes and conjoined minds, have usurped control of Annabelle’s family manor. An Iconoclast is rumored to be about—a person who they claim goes unseen, unheard, and lost to memory, yet is the greatest threat to all of Domengrad. For the first time in a hundred years, the monks plan to unleash the dire wolves of old.
Their only target: Annabelle.
My Thoughts:
***I recieved an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an Honest review***
I gave this book 4 stars. In short this book was everything I had hoped Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Leviathan would be. Similar premise, but completely different payoff.
The first book by this author that I read was Ensnared which came out earlier this year. I loved that book so much that I couldn't help but want more. This book did not disappoint. Rita Stradling is quickly becoming a must read author. This book confirmed that I did in fact enjoy the authors story telling.
There were parts of the world building that I didn't entirely understand. I wish it had been a little more clear, but they were minor and didn't really change my enjoyment level. The story itself didn't exactly have the ending I desired, but I could tell it was heading in a better direction. I really hope there is a next book though.
Anthony was a character I wanted to hate so much. He was cowardly and full of treachery, but at the same time he was human. He wanted things he couldn't have and was completely miserable because of it which made him act out. I found it nearly impossible to actually dislike the man.
I spent a lot of time trying to figure out which century this was in. I know it wasn't this century and I'm almost positive it wasn't in the 20th century. I don't even know if it was in an alternate reality. If it was Urban Fantasy or just plain fantasy that was based off of the western world.
The plot, characters, and setting all added up to make a weird hybrid of Clockwork Angel, Furthermore, and Invisibility. I don't even know how else to put it. It has a very unique feeling to it that just drags you in. The backstory tied everything about this story together. It had a mix of gods and their offspring, along with a past that reminded me a bit of The Queen of the Tearling. I'm making all these connections between different books but that really doesn't show you the whole picture.
Annabelle really grows as a person in this book. It was nice to see her go from a naive lady of the court to a little less naive woman who could hold her own. She cared so strongly about those important to her and was willing to do so much for them that she really grew on me. After her parents death she was lucky enough to have people around her who took her under their wings. The author did a very good job with her.
What I didn't like was there were some bit of information that, if you missed them for some reason it would make everything very confusing. What I did like was that the author would restate these things so that you could understand it better if you did for some reason miss it the first time. I found that incredibly helpful.
Overall, it was an amazing read. I loved the characters and the I love the authors writing style. There will hopefully be another book after this because I need to know more, but standing on it's own this book was definitely worth the read.
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