Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collections
Publication
Margaret K. McElderry Books (2016), 432 pages
Description
Joanna and Rafi are on the run, trying to protect the kingdom of Santarem from rogue Keepers.
User reviews
LibraryThing member DarkFaerieTales
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: The perfect ending to an amazing series. I had high expectations for this one after loving the first book so much and I was not disappointed! All high fantasy fans must pick this duology up ASAP!
Opening Sentence: Millions of tiny feet stampeded
The Review:
Welcome to the captivating kingdom of Santarem where an epic story is about to be told! Johanna Von Arlo is a beautiful girl that was born to be a performer. She comes from a family of performers that travels the kingdom along with a group of other performers. But tragedy strikes the Van Arlo family and they are forced to leave the only home they have ever known. To try and feed her family, Johanna takes a job as an entertainer for the infuriating and very attractive Lord Rafael DeSilva. While in his employment she quickly learns that there is a lot of truth to the stories she weaves and some of those stories might actually be about her!
Jacare is a keeper and he has sworn to protect his homeland at all costs. For hundreds of years the keepers have separated themselves from the mortals who worship them because the last time they interacted with humans there was a very bloody war. At the end of the war there was a magical wall constructed that keep the keepers safe, and more importantly, it kept them a secret from the mortals. But the barrier is starting to weaken and the only way to restore it is to find the lost princess that is the heir to a dead kingdom. Jacare gathers a small group to go in search of the princess and hopefully they find her before it is too late because they aren’t the only ones hunting her!
There is a pretty large cast of characters and we get to be in most of their heads at one point or another. Because there are so many crucial characters to the story, I’m going to only talk briefly about each one and give a short introduction.
First up you meet the MC Johanna who is totally amazing. She is spunky, sweet, caring, and very smart. I love how positive she always was even when she was put in a very dire situation. She is definitely resourceful and she is pretty good at getting what she wants. She can be very stubborn at times and she has a hard time accepting help form others. I loved that she was flawed, yet perfect at the same time. She is one of those characters you can’t help but love and she is so easy to connect with.
Rafi is getting ready to become the next Duke of his land and he is nowhere near ready for that! Because of his situation he is very uptight and he feels very inadequate. At first he comes across as a jerk, but in reality he is a very nice guy with a kind heart and good sense of humor. He wants to be the best Duke possible and even though he has a lot of shortcomings he is someone you can admire and respect. I love the interaction between him and Johanna, it’s cute and full of witty banter!
Dom is Rafi’s younger brother and he definitely brings a lot of the humor to the story. He’s adventurous, confident, loyal, and just an all-around great guy. At times you wonder if he takes anything seriously, but his goofiness really adds to his overall charm. I instantly loved Dom and can’t wait to see more of him.
Jacare is a very interesting character that has a lot of secrets. He is kind, loyal and very stubborn. In many ways I feel like his character is still a mystery. There is still so much to learn about him and his past, which leaves me very intrigued to see where his story goes in book two.
Out of all of the characters, I think that Pira might be my favorite. She is an amazing warrior and has a pretty cool magical talent. But what I loved best about her is that she is still just a girl with girly insecurities. Sure, she is a fierce warrior but at the end of the day she is someone I can easily relate to.
The final character is Leao! He is eighteen years old but in the land of the keepers that is extremely young. He definitely has very little life experience but it was really fun to watch him learn. He is a sweet kid and I loved watching him grown and start to become a great man!
The Storyspinner is an epic high fantasy that swept me away. The pacing was spot on, the romance was subtle but perfect, the plot was intriguing, and the world was captivating. I loved the entire cast of characters. Normally I struggle if the first book is told from multiple points of view, but Wallace did a wonderful job making me love and care about each and every single character. The story is pretty complicated because there’s so much going on but I never felt lost or confused. Wallace’s writing was beautiful and so easy to get lost in. She really knows how to tell a very entertaining story. There was a mild cliffhanger at the end of the book, but it only left me wanting to read the second book that much more. If you can’t tell by my raving review, I loved everything about this book and can’t recommend it enough to anyone that is looking for a great story!
Notable Scene:
“I need you to pretend that you care for me.”
His mouth went dry with her nearness, but he mustered a quick, “No.”
“Would it really be so awful?” She leaned close, her lips curving in a tempting grin. “I’ll share every bit of information I discover that pertains to Santiago.”
“No.”
“And,” she said as she pulled the bottle from his hand and took a swig of her own. “I’ll help you catch your spy.”
FTC Advisory: Simon and Schuster provided me with a copy of The Skylighter. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: The perfect ending to an amazing series. I had high expectations for this one after loving the first book so much and I was not disappointed! All high fantasy fans must pick this duology up ASAP!
Opening Sentence: Millions of tiny feet stampeded
Show More
over Pira’s skin, under her shirt, through her hair, into her nose.The Review:
Welcome to the captivating kingdom of Santarem where an epic story is about to be told! Johanna Von Arlo is a beautiful girl that was born to be a performer. She comes from a family of performers that travels the kingdom along with a group of other performers. But tragedy strikes the Van Arlo family and they are forced to leave the only home they have ever known. To try and feed her family, Johanna takes a job as an entertainer for the infuriating and very attractive Lord Rafael DeSilva. While in his employment she quickly learns that there is a lot of truth to the stories she weaves and some of those stories might actually be about her!
Jacare is a keeper and he has sworn to protect his homeland at all costs. For hundreds of years the keepers have separated themselves from the mortals who worship them because the last time they interacted with humans there was a very bloody war. At the end of the war there was a magical wall constructed that keep the keepers safe, and more importantly, it kept them a secret from the mortals. But the barrier is starting to weaken and the only way to restore it is to find the lost princess that is the heir to a dead kingdom. Jacare gathers a small group to go in search of the princess and hopefully they find her before it is too late because they aren’t the only ones hunting her!
There is a pretty large cast of characters and we get to be in most of their heads at one point or another. Because there are so many crucial characters to the story, I’m going to only talk briefly about each one and give a short introduction.
First up you meet the MC Johanna who is totally amazing. She is spunky, sweet, caring, and very smart. I love how positive she always was even when she was put in a very dire situation. She is definitely resourceful and she is pretty good at getting what she wants. She can be very stubborn at times and she has a hard time accepting help form others. I loved that she was flawed, yet perfect at the same time. She is one of those characters you can’t help but love and she is so easy to connect with.
Rafi is getting ready to become the next Duke of his land and he is nowhere near ready for that! Because of his situation he is very uptight and he feels very inadequate. At first he comes across as a jerk, but in reality he is a very nice guy with a kind heart and good sense of humor. He wants to be the best Duke possible and even though he has a lot of shortcomings he is someone you can admire and respect. I love the interaction between him and Johanna, it’s cute and full of witty banter!
Dom is Rafi’s younger brother and he definitely brings a lot of the humor to the story. He’s adventurous, confident, loyal, and just an all-around great guy. At times you wonder if he takes anything seriously, but his goofiness really adds to his overall charm. I instantly loved Dom and can’t wait to see more of him.
Jacare is a very interesting character that has a lot of secrets. He is kind, loyal and very stubborn. In many ways I feel like his character is still a mystery. There is still so much to learn about him and his past, which leaves me very intrigued to see where his story goes in book two.
Out of all of the characters, I think that Pira might be my favorite. She is an amazing warrior and has a pretty cool magical talent. But what I loved best about her is that she is still just a girl with girly insecurities. Sure, she is a fierce warrior but at the end of the day she is someone I can easily relate to.
The final character is Leao! He is eighteen years old but in the land of the keepers that is extremely young. He definitely has very little life experience but it was really fun to watch him learn. He is a sweet kid and I loved watching him grown and start to become a great man!
The Storyspinner is an epic high fantasy that swept me away. The pacing was spot on, the romance was subtle but perfect, the plot was intriguing, and the world was captivating. I loved the entire cast of characters. Normally I struggle if the first book is told from multiple points of view, but Wallace did a wonderful job making me love and care about each and every single character. The story is pretty complicated because there’s so much going on but I never felt lost or confused. Wallace’s writing was beautiful and so easy to get lost in. She really knows how to tell a very entertaining story. There was a mild cliffhanger at the end of the book, but it only left me wanting to read the second book that much more. If you can’t tell by my raving review, I loved everything about this book and can’t recommend it enough to anyone that is looking for a great story!
Notable Scene:
“I need you to pretend that you care for me.”
His mouth went dry with her nearness, but he mustered a quick, “No.”
“Would it really be so awful?” She leaned close, her lips curving in a tempting grin. “I’ll share every bit of information I discover that pertains to Santiago.”
“No.”
“And,” she said as she pulled the bottle from his hand and took a swig of her own. “I’ll help you catch your spy.”
FTC Advisory: Simon and Schuster provided me with a copy of The Skylighter. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
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Language
Original language
English
Physical description
432 p.; 5.5 inches
ISBN
1481405683 / 9781481405683
Local notes
As the duchys of Santarem descend into war over the throne, Johanna relies more than ever on the advice of her handsome companion, Lord Rafael DeSilva. But Rafi is a duke too, and his people come first.
Ex-library.
Ex-library.