Wintercraft
Wintercraft (Book 1)by Jenna Burtenshaw
Ten years ago Kate Winters' parents were taken by the High Council's wardens to help with the country's war effort. Now the wardens are back...and prisoners, including Kate's uncle Artemis, are taken south on the terrifying Night Train. Kate and her friend Edgar are hunted by a far more dangerous enemy. Silas Dane -- the High Council's most feared man -- recognises Kate as one of the Skilled; a rare group of people able to see through the veil between the living and the dead. His spirit was damaged by the High Council's experiments into the veil, and he's convinced that Kate can undo the damage and allow him to find peace. The knowledge Kate needs lies within Wintercraft -- a book thought to be hidden deep beneath the graveyard city of Fume. But the Night of Souls, when the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, is just days away and the High Council have their own sinister plans for Kate and Wintercraft. To help Artemis, Edgar and herself, Kate must honour her pact with a murderer and come face to face with the true nature of death. (goodreads.com)
If you're looking for a MG/YA epic fantasy type story, then Wintercraft is just what you need. I was intrigued by the plot and although I did find my mind wandering at times during some of the description, this book was an entertaining read and satisfied my fantasy bug. Paranormal books are ok and all, but I will always choose a pure fantasy read over a paranormal one. I don't like to be reminded of real life as I read, I like to discover new worlds and ideas.The story is told in third person point of view, which at times threw me off only because I can't remember when the last time I read a non-first person POV was and as soon as I was seeing things from another character's eyes I had to back up and figure out when that happened. Heh. I am easily confused when I read. Shush.Kate was a strong character and seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. Edgar was irritating to me and was one of those characters that had the task of always saying "there's no time to explain" or "I'll explain later" or "you don't need to know this now" whenever he was asked a question by Kate. I find that VERY annoying in books. So many stories could be better if only the characters weren't left in the dark the entire time when there is honestly no reason not to take 30 seconds and explain things. Especially with all the time wasted on saying that things can't be explained YET.My favourite character? Silas. He starts off all creepy but throughout the book I can feel him starting to care about Kate even if he doesn't show it or think he is. There's a sort of bond that forms between the two of them that I liked.The pages are packed with words and ideas. This isn't a simple, fast read. The descriptions are complex and meaty and the city of Fume is like nothing I have ever imagined before. I was not expecting the art of Wintercraft to be about death and spirits, I was expecting something more elemental I think due to the "winter" part of the name. I was pleasantly surprised by the originality of the fantasy and of the world.I wasn't certain how the book was going to end and I am happy with the way it did. I am also happy that it took me so long to finally buy this from the Book Depository because the second book is due out in April of this year and I don't have to wait as long for it having just finished book one now. Yay!Wintercraft