Rook (Allie's War #1)

Aug 05, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

J.C. Andrijeski introduces us to an intersting character in a complex world that is just 3 steps away from our own. Here we have two races--humans and seers who co-exist in an uneasy truce. The heroine may just be the person to lead to the destruction of the truce and the world as we know it.

I read the book as taking riffs on Buddhism and saviour mythology and basically turning them all on their head. Sumptuous setting makes the read compelling. A little romance thrown in, just whets the appeti...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Laura Ware rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A sprawling epic fantasy, Rook introduces the reader to Allie, a young woman who learns that not only is she a member of the mysterious race of seers that populate the earth, she is special - a "bridge" that will somehow bring about war and the end of the world as we know it. Weaving an alternate history into the narritive, J. C. Andrijeski spins a tale that's hard to put down. I'm looking forward to the next book!

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Dec 17, 2011 SM Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read. This. Book. It's Avatar to the 200th degree. Maybe better.

I rarely give 5 star reviews, but JC Andrijeski spins one hell of a stellar story. Why this book isn't sitting on a NY Times bestseller list, I have no idea. I've read The Help. I've read the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, I've read the whole agonizing Twilight thing - and I say Rook should be right up there on the big lists with the big 6 in publishing.

It's the kind of book that's hard to put down even for a minute, and hell...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Majanka rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian, fantasy, romance

Read my review on my website.

Allie Taylor has spent her entire life thinking she was human, but she’s about to find out that she’s not. In a world where Seers, human-like creatures with amazing abilities and the power to communicate with each other on a different level called The Barrier, are sold as slaves and forced to work for humans or are part of one of the few Seer Clans still existing, that’s terrible news to deal with. And like that isn’t worse enough, she also learns that she’s The Bri...more Read my review on my website.

Allie Taylor has spent her entire life thinking she was human, but she’s about to find out that she’s not. In a world where Seers, human-like creatures with amazing abilities and the power to communicate with each other on a different level called The Barrier, are sold as slaves and forced to work for humans or are part of one of the few Seer Clans still existing, that’s terrible news to deal with. And like that isn’t worse enough, she also learns that she’s The Bridge, and according to what all other seers believe, she’s going to destroy the world. Allie realizes that her life, and the life of her new love interest Revik, might be in danger as she is now the number one target of the Rooks – a rogue seer group refusing to blend in with the seers working for humans – and of the human authorities, who want nothing more than to get their hands on one of the most powerful seers currently alive.

Rook, the first novel in the Allie’s War series, is quite the adventure to read. At first, the new world J.C. Andrijeski creates seems very unfamiliar, and it takes some getting used to, but once you get past that, you know that you’re in one of the most memorable, astonishing and original books currently out there. The world we are introduced to in this novel, is very much alike our own, but with the addition of a new race of creatures called seers, who were discovered in Asia in the early 1900s. Although the seers are far more powerful than humans, since they can communicate on a different thought-level called The Barrier, and some of them possess even more impressive qualities – like telekinesis or the ability to influence other people’s thoughts – they are treated like second-rate citizens. Some of them are sold as sex-slaves to expensive whorehouses, while others work for wealthy families who can afford their own seer, and thus gain even more power for themselves. The ones who are not bound by the rules of human society, are organised in the few remaining clans. But there is also a significant group of seers who are not pleased with the current world order, and who have gone rogue, calling themselves Rooks and operating in a pyramid-like structure on The Barrier.

As you may have noticed from my short introduction, Rook is nothing like other science-fiction/alternative universe novels out there. The world J.C. Andrijeski creates is original, entertaining and quite complicated – it took me a while to actually grasp the entire concept of it. The complexity of this world might scare potential readers, but once everything clicks into place, the amount of world-building done in this novel and the originality of the concepts introduced are really amazing and impressive, and it should not scare you away from reading this novel.

Allie is an interesting character, with a lot of depth and personality. In the beginning of this novel, she is still convinced of her own humanity, although there were some events during her childhood that occasionally made her question that. But when she is being stalked by Revik, a fellow seer, and he tells her of her own seer-heritage, everything seemingly clicks into place – but that doesn’t mean that it still doesn’t scare Allile tremendously. She is forced to leave her entire life behind, and to run away from Terrian, a seer who wants to make her become part of the Rook organisation. J.C. Andrijeski describes Allie’s growth as a character, from a person in the dark about her own history, heritage to a person trying to find out what this seer-thing actually means to The Bridge, the person capable of destroying the world. The evolution in her personality happens slowly and gradually, and is remarkably well written to say the least. I liked Allie’s personality. She is determined, strong, intelligent and willing to acknowledge her own failures and flaws, and to deal with them. I could easily relate to her and found that I really enjoyed reading her thoughts and opinions.

The other main characters, Revik – the good guy, the love interest – and Terrian – the bad guy – are equally as interesting and entertaining, although they both have very distinct personalities. It’s obvious from the start that the two of them have some history together, and I thought their interactions with each other were some of the most interesting scenes in this novel. Terrian makes an excellent bad guy as he is practically the representation of all the things we deem evil in this world. The fact that he has multiple bodies he can operate, makes him a very interesting opponent as well. I also liked Revik’s personality, with his moods switching quickly between happy, relaxed and cheerful and angry, confused and sad. Whereas Allie is more of a balanced person, I thought Revik’s moody personality made an excellent addition to that. I also liked the two of them together, as an item, since it somehow seemed very fitting.

But more even than the impressive world-building and the interesting, well-thought-through characters, I thorougly enjoyed the storyline. Starting off right in the middle of the action, only to bounce back to explain a couple of things and then right away get into the action again. The storyline is very original, as in the entire concept of the novel, and it’s filled with more backstabbing betrayal, twist and turns than I even thought possible. By the end, Allie hardly knows who to trust anymore besides herself – if she can even trust herself, being The Bridge and destroying the world and all – and she even questions the loyalty of the people she loves most: Revik, her own brother and her closest friend. While the world around them seems to be crashing down, the characters are forced to find strength and courage within themselves to do the impossible. The contrast between Allie’s relatively safe, human environment we meet her in at first, and the dire circumstances she finds herself in by the end of Rook is enormous. The storyline never gets predictable, and always mantains the fast pace and level of intensity we see from the start, and even when it slows down for a minute to explain something about Allie’s world, or to create some romance between characters, it never loses that intensity.

Another strong point of this novel was that Allie, although she is The Bridge and supposedly the destroyer of the world, doesn’t seem like an overpowered character at all. A lot of authors fall into the trap that they want their main character to be a part of a prophecy, or to have some amazing purpose in this life, and end up making them overpowered compared to the other characters, which makes them unbelievable, people can no longer relate to them and they become boring. Luckily for us readers, J.C. Andrijeski does not fall for that trap, which makes Rook an even more impressive book to read.

If I had to say one bad thing about Rook, then it would be its complexity. That’s the only reason why I rated this book a 4 and not a 5, and also the reason why I think the other novels in the series might be even better than this one – less explaining to do, more action and adventures. As I already stated, the world the author creates is very complex, multi-layered, and it takes a lot of explaining before the reader actually gets used to it, or grasps the concept. That might scare off potential readers, but I personally believe that the action-packed adventure and the entertaining characters this novel provides, more than make up for that. And after all, everyone knows that if you want an original storyline with an original setting, that it’s obvious there will be some explenation needed. It’s a sacrifice we have to make for originality, and it’s one I gladly make.

Rook is an excellent science-fiction/fantasy novel with an amazing storyline, strong characters and the most impressive display of world-building I have seen in a while. If you’re tired of reading fantasy novels with the same old concept over and over again, then you will definately find Rook innovating, remarkable and highly entertaining. And even if you’re happy with the way most contemporary fantasy novels work nowadays, then I think you’ll still find Rook to be a very entertaining novel in the genre, and one of the most well-written ones. Don’t hesitate to read this book: it will definately NOT dissapoint you.

Rook is the first book in the Allie’s War series, the second book being Shield, and the third Sword. I cannot wait to read the second part of this series, and to read more about Allie’s adventures.(less)

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Aug 23, 2011 Terry Hayman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first book of a cool new series that creates a fully-fleshed-out alternate Earth with mind-blowing myths, physical and spiritual laws so that the reader can invest and believe in the characters and events. The concepts of creatures living dual lives simultaneously in both the physical and non-physical (kind of) realms is complicated but there's so much fast action and emotional conflict that you get dragged through the tough bits, confident it will all make sense eventually. It's a b...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Terry Hayman rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book of a cool new series that creates a fully-fleshed-out alternate Earth with mind-blowing myths, physical and spiritual laws so that the reader can invest and believe in the characters and events. The concepts of creatures living dual lives simultaneously in both the physical and non-physical (kind of) realms is complicated but there's so much fast action and emotional conflict that you get dragged through the tough bits, confident it will all make sense eventually. It's a b...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rook, the first novel in the Allie’s War series, is quite the adventure to read. At first, the new world J.C. Andrijeski creates seems very unfamiliar, and it takes some getting used to, but once you get past that, you know that you’re in one of the most memorable, astonishing and original books currently out there. The world we are introduced to in this novel, is very much alike our own, but with the addition of a new race of creatures called seers, who were discovered in Asia in the early 1900...more Rook, the first novel in the Allie’s War series, is quite the adventure to read. At first, the new world J.C. Andrijeski creates seems very unfamiliar, and it takes some getting used to, but once you get past that, you know that you’re in one of the most memorable, astonishing and original books currently out there. The world we are introduced to in this novel, is very much alike our own, but with the addition of a new race of creatures called seers, who were discovered in Asia in the early 1900s. Although the seers are far more powerful than humans, since they can communicate on a different thought-level called The Barrier, and some of them possess even more impressive qualities – like telekinesis or the ability to influence other people’s thoughts – they are treated like second-rate citizens. Some of them are sold as sex-slaves to expensive whorehouses, while others work for wealthy families who can afford their own seer, and thus gain even more power for themselves. The ones who are not bound by the rules of human society, are organised in the few remaining clans. But there is also a significant group of seers who are not pleased with the current world order, and who have gone rogue, calling themselves Rooks and operating in a pyramid-like structure on The Barrier.
As you may have noticed from my short introduction, Rook is nothing like other science-fiction/alternative universe novels out there. The world J.C. Andrijeski creates is original, entertaining and quite complicated – it took me a while to actually grasp the entire concept of it. The complexity of this world might scare potential readers, but once everything clicks into place, the amount of world-building done in this novel and the originality of the concepts introduced are really amazing and impressive, and it should not scare you away from reading this novel.
Allie is an interesting character, with a lot of depth and personality. In the beginning of this novel, she is still convinced of her own humanity, although there were some events during her childhood that occasionally made her question that. But when she is being stalked by Revik, a fellow seer, and he tells her of her own seer-heritage, everything seemingly clicks into place – but that doesn’t mean that it still doesn’t scare Allile tremendously. She is forced to leave her entire life behind, and to run away from Terrian, a seer who wants to make her become part of the Rook organisation. J.C. Andrijeski describes Allie’s growth as a character, from a person in the dark about her own history, heritage to a person trying to find out what this seer-thing actually means to The Bridge, the person capable of destroying the world. The evolution in her personality happens slowly and gradually, and is remarkably well written to say the least. I liked Allie’s personality. She is determined, strong, intelligent and willing to acknowledge her own failures and flaws, and to deal with them. I could easily relate to her and found that I really enjoyed reading her thoughts and opinions.
The other main characters, Revik – the good guy, the love interest – and Terrian – the bad guy – are equally as interesting and entertaining, although they both have very distinct personalities. It’s obvious from the start that the two of them have some history together, and I thought their interactions with each other were some of the most interesting scenes in this novel. Terrian makes an excellent bad guy as he is practically the representation of all the things we deem evil in this world. The fact that he has multiple bodies he can operate, makes him a very interesting opponent as well. I also liked Revik’s personality, with his moods switching quickly between happy, relaxed and cheerful and angry, confused and sad. Whereas Allie is more of a balanced person, I thought Revik’s moody personality made an excellent addition to that. I also liked the two of them together, as an item, since it somehow seemed very fitting. At times I just wished I could reach in the book and smack them both(: stop being so stubborn the both of you! Phew there I got that off my chest(:
But more even than the impressive world-building and the interesting, well-thought-through characters, I thorougly enjoyed the storyline. Starting off right in the middle of the action, only to bounce back to explain a couple of things and then right away get into the action again. The storyline is very original, as in the entire concept of the novel, and it’s filled with more backstabbing betrayal, twist and turns than I even thought possible.

By the end, Allie hardly knows who to trust anymore besides herself – if she can even trust herself, being The Bridge and destroying the world and all – and she even questions the loyalty of the people she loves most: Revik, her own brother and her closest friend. While the world around them seems to be crashing down, the characters are forced to find strength and courage within themselves to do the impossible. The contrast between Allie’s relatively safe, human environment we meet her in at first, and the dire circumstances she finds herself in by the end of Rook is enormous. The storyline never gets predictable, and always mantains the fast pace and level of intensity we see from the start, and even when it slows down for a minute to explain something about Allie’s world, or to create some romance between characters, it never loses that intensity.
Another strong point of this novel was that Allie, although she is The Bridge and supposedly the destroyer of the world, doesn’t seem like an overpowered character at all. A lot of authors fall into the trap that they want their main character to be a part of a prophecy, or to have some amazing purpose in this life, and end up making them overpowered compared to the other characters, which makes them unbelievable, people can no longer relate to them and they become boring. Luckily for us readers, J.C. Andrijeski does not fall for that trap, which makes Rook an even more impressive book to read.
If I had to say one bad thing about Rook, then it would be its complexity. That’s the only reason why I rated this book a 4 and not a 5, and also the reason why I think the other novels in the series might be even better than this one – less explaining to do, more action and adventures.

Rook is an excellent science-fiction/fantasy novel with an amazing storyline, strong characters and the most impressive display of world-building I have seen in a while. If you’re tired of reading fantasy novels with the same old concept over and over again, then you will definately find Rook innovating, remarkable and highly entertaining. And even if you’re happy with the way most contemporary fantasy novels work nowadays, then I think you’ll still find Rook to be a very entertaining novel in the genre, and one of the most well-written ones. Don’t hesitate to read this book: it will definately NOT dissapoint you.
I am off to read the rest of the series now.
This was R2R book review and another hit!

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May 27, 2011 M.l. Sawyer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“28-year-old San Francisco native, Allie Taylor, at least thought she was human. But when she meets her first real seer, a race of human-like beings discovered in the 1900s, he tells her that not only is she a seer, like him, but that all the other seers believe she's going to end the world. Unfortunately, no matter what she does, everything that happens after that only seems to prove him right.”

Rook, Allie’s War: Book one by J C Andrijeski is an interesting tale. Set in an alternate reality fu...more “28-year-old San Francisco native, Allie Taylor, at least thought she was human. But when she meets her first real seer, a race of human-like beings discovered in the 1900s, he tells her that not only is she a seer, like him, but that all the other seers believe she's going to end the world. Unfortunately, no matter what she does, everything that happens after that only seems to prove him right.”

Rook, Allie’s War: Book one by J C Andrijeski is an interesting tale. Set in an alternate reality future, this is a world that has grown up with two species – humans and seers. Seers have the ability to read minds among other things and their lives are strictly controlled by the government. Allie is a not so ordinary waitress – currently wearing a tracking bracelet for violence committed against her ex boyfriends new partner. She also has the uncanny ability to attract strange people, stalkers of all shapes and descriptions.

From working in the diner she is soon transported into a world of intrigue, action and violence. The Seer world is completely different to what the majority of the human population has been lead to believe and even more shocking… she is one of them.

I started reading this book and soon found that I could not put it down. The action is well written, the characters fairly unique in their personalities and the alternate world is portrayed in great detail. It has been some time since I have been dragged into a tale so fully that all I want to do is keep reading. A few downfalls for me though were the occasional long descriptions of the barrier and the alternate world of light. I found myself almost skipping through these at times to get back into the story. The very occasional word missing / grammatical issue made me pause in some points of the story but other than that it is a fantastic read.

J C Andrijeski can be found at www.jcandrijeski.com and this book can be purchased from www.smashwords.com A highly recommended story well worth the purchase!

To view this review and more http://mlsawyer.weebly.com/blog.html
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Jan 17, 2012 A.B. Shepherd rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read all my reviews on my website at: http://abshepherdsreinventedreader.bl...

J.C. Andrijeski weaves a modern day fantasy world that is both similar and very different from our own. In this world Alli - a 28 year old woman who has been raised as, and believes she is, human learns that she is much more than that. She is The Bridge. The catalyst of a world war.

This novel is fairly long at over 400 pages, but it doesn't feel it. It is high-energy, past-paced action, combined with pure fantasy. It i...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Chrystle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, indiebookshelf, paranormal-romance

http://theindiebookshelf.blogspot.com...

Wow. This is an amazingly intense urban fantasy. I sit here trying to wrap my brain around it and it’s almost inconceivable. This world is beyond fascinating and my review will do it no justice.

Imagine a modern day San Francisco where two races coexist in what seems to be an uneasy truce. Humans and seers live amongst each other with the understanding that they are different, yet have adapted to a unique lifestyle that appears to meet both race’s needs. H...more http://theindiebookshelf.blogspot.com...

Wow. This is an amazingly intense urban fantasy. I sit here trying to wrap my brain around it and it’s almost inconceivable. This world is beyond fascinating and my review will do it no justice.

Imagine a modern day San Francisco where two races coexist in what seems to be an uneasy truce. Humans and seers live amongst each other with the understanding that they are different, yet have adapted to a unique lifestyle that appears to meet both race’s needs. Here we are introduced to our kickass heroine, Allie. Raised as human, she believes herself to be…but she is different. Allie is the Bridge, the being known by the seers as the one person who can put an end to the truce. As she comes into her new role we are introduced to Revik, her rough-around-the-edges bodyguard. He seems to have her best interests in mind, but he has secrets. Lots of secrets. Their whirlwind relationship it was kept this story as riveting as it was.

This story is so fast-paced and high energy that I felt as if I were smack dab in the middle of an fantasy/action movie. I experience scenario after scenario that directly threatened our heroine’s life. Revik has his work cut out for him as attempts to keep her from those of the seer race that wish to own her, dominate her and breed her.

This book harnesses the epic battle of good vs. evil in a manner that has the reader guessing which characters they can truly trust. The story is long and involved, but worth the read. Each page will have you anxiously awaiting the next until you devour the book in its entirety. The storyline continuously evolves to the point that you cannot catch your breath. There is no “filler” in this book. Every detail of the story line is well-played and adds to the overall amazing feel of the book. Get ready to be emotionally attached to some amazing characters in an out-of-this-world scenario. If you are a fan of fantasy or paranormal romance, you must read this! But beware; you’ll immediately want to dive into the next installment. This is the first in a 5 book series so black out a week or so of your summer and start reading!

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Feb 08, 2012 Sally rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: indie, read-2012

Rook is the introduction to a war between Seers and Humans. Seers are trying to empower humans and become the most powerful race in the modern world. Alyson Taylor who thought she was human soon discovers that she is anything but and when she is taught about the new world by her bodyguard and companion, Revik, she soon realises that she is more involved in the Seers' plans to destroy humanity that she thought possible. Seers see Allie as the bridge to lead them to win the war and none of them ca...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Jill rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: r2r

First off, my two stars are not a comment on how well the book was written or that it's bad. I just didn't like it that well. I'm saying this because I think that the book is well-written and the story may appeal to some.

I had a really hard time getting into it. In fact, it was a chore to read for me. I didn't like the supernatural creatures; I never got a real feel for what their mumbo-jumbo was, and I didn't like them very well. All the barrier idea and the lights and all that stuff going on...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: para-romance

Rook by JC Andrijeski was a fascinating read that shouldn’t be passed up. In fact, after I finished this book I gave my husband sad puppy eyes until he bought the next three books in the series for me. The concept of good vs. evil, degrees of the same, along with moral quandaries are not new in novels. However, JC Andrijeski took these time-tested questions and turned them on their head in a new captivating and exciting way. The characters have amazing depth and flaws that make them easy to fall...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Jessica(WonderlandReviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is the type of book where you are brought right into the story and unable to let go from the very beggining. I know I was hooked right from the start and considering I was one of the states hit hard with the string of Tornado's this week, it was a good thing.
Rook, had enough fast paced car chases, hiding out, conspiracy's and complex story lines that it kept my thoughts well away from the destruction and the sense of helplessness that settled in.
The charachters were rich and complex,...more

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Feb 22, 2012 Mia Searles rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

JC Andrijeski has taken me on one hell of a ride with her first book in an ongoing series called Rook: Allie's War #1. I have so much to say but am trying to find the words to express how I feel about this story. So let's start with the positives.

First and foremost, Rook: Allie's War #1 is set in a completely fresh, wholly unique world. Andrijeski doesn't take any shortcuts-- the world building is intricate and complex. Not only are we introduced to an alternate Earth where the physical reside,...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Kriss Morton rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One word, WOW. I realize that is pretty base, but this book was a complete surprise. Being the prolific reader that I am there is so much I want to say about how thrilled I am about this book and series! The proses are lyrical and the style adds to the story itself since it is a mystical journey of "becoming".

The novel is an epic/alternate historical/fantasy story. Yep it is definitely a mouthful alright. I thought long and hard about it, read a bunch of reviews, which some even put into the you...more One word, WOW. I realize that is pretty base, but this book was a complete surprise. Being the prolific reader that I am there is so much I want to say about how thrilled I am about this book and series! The proses are lyrical and the style adds to the story itself since it is a mystical journey of "becoming".

The novel is an epic/alternate historical/fantasy story. Yep it is definitely a mouthful alright. I thought long and hard about it, read a bunch of reviews, which some even put into the young adult category (which I completely disagree with) and could only come to this, which of course I am not even sure it works there!

On the surface it is a story about a 28-year-old woman, Allie Taylor, who after being found under a bridge in San Francisco and adopted grew leading a pretty typical San Franciscan life. Her world is tight-knit with a brother whom she adores, a great BFF who keeps her on her toes, a despondent mother whom she loves despite everything and her deceased father who she misses so hard it hurts. On her days off she sketches and draws. Her sketches are of many things, except for a particular thematic image, one she cannot shake from her mind no matter how many times she draws it. One that will become something unimaginable cataclysmic for our girl Allie. At work she is a typical waitress who struggles not to drop your order or screw up the coffee mater. Serving up Diner fare to the regulars and even a few stalkers, one who ends up becoming someone entwined in her journey of discovery of who and what she really is.

With epic car chases, hiding out with prostitutes, Nazi sympathizers (or are they?) and even a moment straight out of Titanic! The world J.C. created is wrought with the fear of otherness , xenophobia to the nth power, and plots within plots. People seem to be living in constant fear using avatars instead of their images on the television, even the U.S. President! (but there is a very good reason he does! Wanna know why? OH Sweetie, I don't do spoilers!) Big brother has a whole new meaning when you have to prove you are human with a Capital H! Giving blood at check points, having identification cards, it reminded me a little of the world from Dark Angel, minus the post apocalyptic aspects and the fact that Seers are really another race, not genetically enhanced humans, in fact they are a pretty amazing race! Oh and the fact that this is not pop culture, this is epic and mind-blowing!

The xenophobia of the race of Seers is frightening. Countries segregate the seers into camps and enslaved, treated as pets because of what one their own did that brought about a catalyst (A commonality Allie shares!) of fear and change in the world conscience, driving many of them to segregated camps and into hiding. With J.C. including an alternate Third Reich history along with the xenophobia made the Fisher-Price Sociologist inside of me prop my glasses at the end of my nose, get out a note pad and start analyzing the different plot lines.

It is never what it seems, even when Allie thinks she is getting the hang of things she learns more that keeps her, and use as readers completely on our toes. I read this as slow as I could to savor the experience. It was just so good I wanted it to last forever. I wanted to learn along with Allie and she discovers the metaphysical world of her race, as she discovers love and romance that is truly out of this world and as she embraces reality in the devastating aspects and meanings about who and what she is.

The world-build's complexity, the dystopia and darkness of the story drew the cheerleader in me out. With many authors protagonists with prophesied destinies the characters tend written and built up into this perfect untouchable individual. But not with Allie. J.C. wrote her to her own woman, an extraordinary young woman yes, but an individual with her own mind. Allie would eat her coffee beans whole and spend all day drawing if she could. She doesn't accept her moirai and does her best to maintain her own path, instead of some 900 year old Seer who is doing his level best to push her along his version of what he believes is her destiny. The characters are rich and full of depth, her writing is poetic and allows you to bond with the characters on a level that not many authors have achieved(less)

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Feb 27, 2012 Jessa Callaver rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Redfield meets Tolle meets "The Matrix" and "Star Wars" - those were my initial thoughts and impressions of Book One of Rook (Allie's War). Perhaps in part because as I read I realized how visually stunning this book could be as a film.

Taking us years into the future, we first meet our heroine, one Alyson Taylor, staring down the barrel of policemen's guns, a shard of glass fashioned as a weapon in one hand. From there, both she and the reader are forced to abandon all concepts of reality as the...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Lisa Imparato rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rook by JC Andrijeski ended up being a very great book to read. At first I was lost and confused. It was hard to follow along at times because the author went into such descriptive stuff about things I had no clue what was going on. About half way through the book things started to make sense and got very very interesting! The story itself is very unique, which I loved.

This book is a book I would recommend someone to read. In the beginning it is confusing but once the story picks up to where thi...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Melissa Rheinlander rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hooked from the first sentence!! What an interesting unique read!! JC does a wonderful job of drawing you and making you hang on every word... turning the pages as fast as you can!! You quickly become invested in Allie's story and this amazing world that JC has created for her and the other great characters that maintain the storyline. There are lots of different elements (politics, humanity, other dimensions) in this world that keep you holding on for the ride! This is a great fantasy read and...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Zoe Saadia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Two wonderful weeks spent in another world!

I had wonderful time, spending my past two weeks in another world created by JC Andrijeski.

The story of Allie, who thought herself a regular human and whose destination pounced on her completely unexpected, hurled me into this colorful world of different rules of light and movement, a parallel world of beauty and danger.
Along with Allie, I got to discover this place that had nothing to do with anything she happened to experience and I happened to read...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Futuristic, Dystopian, SF

Recommended to Mallory Anne-Marie by: Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy

Shelves: april-2012-reads

An action-packed, thrill-soaked beginning catapults readers into the story, and quickly we learn that the setting is very unusual indeed. Yes, characters act as we normally would expect of human behavior-but this is not the ordinary, routine, Earth in which most of us live. This reader would have liked to have a little more background in world-building of the society before jumping right in, but I cannot fault author Andrijeski’s fast-paced, suspense-building, and tossing her protagonist smack i...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For concept and original race design of the seers--I'd rate a 4.5 if not an outright 5. The sense of the background mythology is also very strong. However, in terms of delivering that amazing creativity in a way I felt was completely accessible, I feel more of a 2. Rook was a surprisingly challenging read for me and most of that had to do with the way the seers are portrayed/explained. Or perhaps, more accurately, not explained. Andrijeski includes massive amounts of vivid detail regarding the B...more For concept and original race design of the seers--I'd rate a 4.5 if not an outright 5. The sense of the background mythology is also very strong. However, in terms of delivering that amazing creativity in a way I felt was completely accessible, I feel more of a 2. Rook was a surprisingly challenging read for me and most of that had to do with the way the seers are portrayed/explained. Or perhaps, more accurately, not explained. Andrijeski includes massive amounts of vivid detail regarding the Barrier--this sort of other dimension that seers have access to/half exist in--and how it connects everything, but on practical seer culture (for example just where/how women and men are valued in the society and what their rights/laws are) is painfully lacking. I could never tell where Allie stood in their culture, as a woman or as the Bridge and, for me, that was incredibly frustrating. I got the strong sense that it's all there--it doesn't feel like she left it out or the world is incomplete--but I do feel like neither the reader, nor Allie, really has any real insight or understanding to it. If that was the intent, it succeeded spectacularly. For me, however, it made the race feel very alien, like they didn't belong or weren't originally from Earth, even though seers predate humans. It's an odd juxtaposition when she works spends so much time explaining how seer lights interact and how things work in the Barrier (and why humans will never really get it) to have the mundane things so neglected.

Andrijeski's character building was also odd. On one hand, Jon and Cass really interest me, I'm curious about Revik and his past, and Allie I liked a lot at first, but less as it went on. With Revik, I got to the point where I just wanted to shake him for being such a tight-lipped jerk. His reticence throughout the bulk of the book is forgivable only because at the very end he finally seems to get his head out of his rear. Allie started out as a strong and vibrant character for me, but seemed to just sort of be lost in all the stress and confusion of learning she's a seer and the Bridge. The spunky girl who takes random stalkers in stride just seemed to be snuffed out by the trauma she runs into, so by the end of the book I was far more interested in Jon and Cass then the main characters. Where Allie seems to be eclipsed by everything that happened to her, I felt Jon and Cass grew from it.

Overall, fantastic premise, but I think I'd rather read a summary to find out how it all ends then fight my way through details and omissions.(less)

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Apr 19, 2012 April rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: r2r

J.C. Andrijeski creates an interesting world of seers. At first, I felt a little lost when the seer world known as the barrier was described. It was such a different concept it took my mind a while to understand. When I did understand...WOW is all I could say. The characters seemed realistic with their flaws. The main character, Alley, was a strong character, who showed growth throughout the book. What can I say about Revik? I loved him. He was dedicated to protecting Allie and confused about hi...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Scott Rhine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Allie's being adopted and cheating boyfriend are the least of her problems. After a few unusual experiences, Allie finds out she's a seer--an important one. But she doesn't find out the rules before organizations of immortal aliens are fighting over her. She has to learn how to perceive many levels of reality, reminiscent of "Night Watch," and adjust her world view. The psionic, physical, and romantic action never stop.
If you liked the powers in the movies "Push", "the Hidden", or the long car c...more

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Apr 21, 2012 SarahSmith rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I received this as part of a Goodreads group Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Fanatics: Read to Review giveaway. Overall I liked this book, but it was somewhat frustrating to read. The plot was very interesting and original, but the delivery was a bit overwhelmingly jumpy. I found the story hard to follow in parts due to the switching first person narrator.

All in all, the characters were charming and the plot was very interesting and despite any complaints about delivery I was extremely engr...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Tricia Kristufek rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviews, recommended

The clouds enveloped my mind, leaving nothing but silence.

Allie Taylor has spend 28 years thinking she was human and, despite being adopted, leading a normal life. She holds down a job as a waitress, working with her best friend, Cass, and has a good relationship with her brother, Jon. Even though she takes care of her mother ever since her father died, her life was more mundane than anything. Except for the drawings and images that she can't get out of her mind. And the Mono Man, who she finds...more

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Aug 13, 2011 iamjenai rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The government has discovered another species, called the seers. They look humans only with super powers. The government is using them as weapons in wars, when not fighting they are treated as slaves wearing collars like dogs.

I actually am not sure how to rate this book. I am in between rating this 2-star or 4-star. 4-star mainly because I enjoyed the story especially the main characters Allie and Revik along with the secondary characters Cass and Jon. I am considering 2-star because as soon as...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed the premise of this book sci fi is not my usual genre but it took no time to get into the book. I have to admit. I am still confused about the seers , rooks, why the nazis were involved... Some of it just didn't gel maybe I'm not versed enough in the genre....

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Apr 28, 2013 Mandy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You know, this one leaves me conflicted. Good enough to have read it all and bought the second but lots of weaknesses. But still - good enough. (But a warning - 1300 pages!!)

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Apr 24, 2012 Anne rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nook

Thanks to R2R for giving me the opportunity to read this. I was excited about reading it. I usually enjoy a well thought out, complicated book with a good plot line. This book was all of those things. However, for some reason, I found it very hard to get into and confusing. The concepts of creatures living dual lives simultaneously is something that should have been intriguing, but I did not feel it this time. I can see its story appealing to people, unfortunately I could not connect with the ch...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Creative Reviews: Review Request for Urban Fantasy / Paranormal Romance (Book 1 in a series)	15	37	Feb 03, 2012 01:49pm
Goodreads Librari...: Title and Series Help	5	73	Oct 12, 2011 09:13pm

title link	preview: Rook
avg rating	preview: Rook Goodreads rating: 3.68 (50 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10763924-rook?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327314487l/10763924.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10763924-rook?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Rook by J.C. Andrijeski[/url]

Rook (Allie's War #1)

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Rook (Allie's War #1)

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