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The Stolen Child
There are roads that are not on any map. There are worlds beyond our own, where cities hang between the clouds and Guildships sail on steam and lightning.
There is a girl living on the streets of London, hunted by ruthless mercenaries and a boy made of shadows and smoke.
There is a place beyond the furthest edge of the Dreaming, where the Lady of The Falling Leaves is calling her home.
And there is a secret, buried in the heart of Rachael's city, that will change our world forever.
The Stolen Child is a breathtaking young adult adventure that takes the reader from industrial chaos of modern London to the vast and impossible world of the Borderlands, a world of flying ships, floating cities, magical automata, and ancient wonders. Drawn together from across distant worlds by events that were set in motion before either of them was born, two young women discover a strange connection, and a friendship that will change their lives.
There is a girl living on the streets of London, hunted by ruthless mercenaries and a boy made of shadows and smoke.
There is a place beyond the furthest edge of the Dreaming, where the Lady of The Falling Leaves is calling her home.
And there is a secret, buried in the heart of Rachael's city, that will change our world forever.
The Stolen Child is a breathtaking young adult adventure that takes the reader from industrial chaos of modern London to the vast and impossible world of the Borderlands, a world of flying ships, floating cities, magical automata, and ancient wonders. Drawn together from across distant worlds by events that were set in motion before either of them was born, two young women discover a strange connection, and a friendship that will change their lives.
404 pages, ebook
Published December 11, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 17, 2015
Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of this book by the author, Peter Brunton, for an honest review
……Woah.
If I may be so bold to say…move over The Mortal Instruments, because I think The Stolen Child might have just blown you out of the YA/Fantasy realm and thrown you into the “too much romance, not enough badass” section of the bookshelf. This book has literally robbed me of my acceptance of living in this ordinary world we call reality, and thinking that it was enough for me to escape into made up stories once and awhile. Have you guys ever read a book and thought “well shit, that’s the end for me”, because now you know you are never going to be able to find another book that even SLIGHTLY compares to the majestic wonder that you have just finished? The Stolen Child, is that book and that series.
“There are roads that are not on any map. Pathways between worlds that anyone could walk if they only knew the way. A turning in the middle of a field. A crack between two stones that didn’t seem to be there a moment before. A course plotted by stars that can only be seen when the moon is right.”
-http://exilesthestolenchild.com/about...
Rachael has been dealing with strange vivid dreams and hallucinations all her life. Not only did this cause turmoil for her parents who thought her to be insane, it led her to be homeless and on her own in the street of London. One day Rachael starts to notice that she is being watched, and soon she is being chased by men who seem to only want to bring her harm. Luckily she is rescued by a mysterious boy named Justin, who claims to protect her and keep her safe. But Rachael doesn’t know what she needs to be kept safe from and why she is being followed, until Justin tells her that he was sent by Rachael’s birth mother to bring her home to a world that she can only believe to be made up.
Arsha has lived in the Borderlands all her life. For her, traveling to multiple worlds with her father in a flying ship called The Triskelion is normal. As the daughter of an explorer and archaeologist, Arsha has become accustomed to adventure and new places. But one day Arsha’s father tells his crew that they must leave immediately for a mission that is of the up-most importance, but remains highly secretive about the reasoning. Unable to contain her curiosity, Arsha steals her father’s sending stone (an advanced version of communication, or phone) so that she might be able to find a clue to where they are headed. In the sending stone, Arsha watches a correspondence between her father and a woman from the Chamber of Foresight who explains a vision she has seen about a girl in London. In her vision, she sees a girl named Rachael and Arsha standing together with their hands intertwined and a “seed” is opened in London which could cause horrendous destruction. Soon, Arsha and Rachael’s life start to combine as the two girls try to figure out who they can and cannot trust, and what the connection they share really is.
I know I know. Those are two LONG paragraphs for a description on this book, but trust me, I haven’t even covered more than a few pages there. This book is something so incredibly SPECIAL, I cannot even contain my excitement and already growing obsession! This book literally has EVERYTHING I LOVE IN A BOOK! The author has a fantastic and expressive writing style that makes the reader think they are watching a movie in their head. After just the first chapter, I was already thinking to myself that this book was written so descriptively that it could be a screenplay for a movie…and MY OH MY would this be one kick-ass movie. Peter Brunton has done a perfect job of creating a world that every reader can lose themselves in, and he has done an even more amazing job of describing and executing it in a flawless manner. Not only has he created TWO strong lead female characters, but he gives their characters natural flaws that make them seem more human and realistic. The characters of Rachael and Arsha are literally yin and yang, darkness and light, sugar and spice. The connection that these two share is fascinating, and their story proves to be highly entertaining and intense.
As I am sure you can guess, this is a VERY difficult book to describe without giving the entire story away. I would love to give a little bit more insight to what this is about, but I think this review could give you enough information to jump-start your interest. This story is full of adventure and twists in modern day themes with a fantastical steampunk spin. This is in the YA genre, but don’t let that lead you into thinking that this book is overpowered with romance…because it isn’t! I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy and adventure books, or anyone that wants to appreciate great writing and storytelling.
……Woah.
If I may be so bold to say…move over The Mortal Instruments, because I think The Stolen Child might have just blown you out of the YA/Fantasy realm and thrown you into the “too much romance, not enough badass” section of the bookshelf. This book has literally robbed me of my acceptance of living in this ordinary world we call reality, and thinking that it was enough for me to escape into made up stories once and awhile. Have you guys ever read a book and thought “well shit, that’s the end for me”, because now you know you are never going to be able to find another book that even SLIGHTLY compares to the majestic wonder that you have just finished? The Stolen Child, is that book and that series.
“There are roads that are not on any map. Pathways between worlds that anyone could walk if they only knew the way. A turning in the middle of a field. A crack between two stones that didn’t seem to be there a moment before. A course plotted by stars that can only be seen when the moon is right.”
-http://exilesthestolenchild.com/about...
Rachael has been dealing with strange vivid dreams and hallucinations all her life. Not only did this cause turmoil for her parents who thought her to be insane, it led her to be homeless and on her own in the street of London. One day Rachael starts to notice that she is being watched, and soon she is being chased by men who seem to only want to bring her harm. Luckily she is rescued by a mysterious boy named Justin, who claims to protect her and keep her safe. But Rachael doesn’t know what she needs to be kept safe from and why she is being followed, until Justin tells her that he was sent by Rachael’s birth mother to bring her home to a world that she can only believe to be made up.
Arsha has lived in the Borderlands all her life. For her, traveling to multiple worlds with her father in a flying ship called The Triskelion is normal. As the daughter of an explorer and archaeologist, Arsha has become accustomed to adventure and new places. But one day Arsha’s father tells his crew that they must leave immediately for a mission that is of the up-most importance, but remains highly secretive about the reasoning. Unable to contain her curiosity, Arsha steals her father’s sending stone (an advanced version of communication, or phone) so that she might be able to find a clue to where they are headed. In the sending stone, Arsha watches a correspondence between her father and a woman from the Chamber of Foresight who explains a vision she has seen about a girl in London. In her vision, she sees a girl named Rachael and Arsha standing together with their hands intertwined and a “seed” is opened in London which could cause horrendous destruction. Soon, Arsha and Rachael’s life start to combine as the two girls try to figure out who they can and cannot trust, and what the connection they share really is.
I know I know. Those are two LONG paragraphs for a description on this book, but trust me, I haven’t even covered more than a few pages there. This book is something so incredibly SPECIAL, I cannot even contain my excitement and already growing obsession! This book literally has EVERYTHING I LOVE IN A BOOK! The author has a fantastic and expressive writing style that makes the reader think they are watching a movie in their head. After just the first chapter, I was already thinking to myself that this book was written so descriptively that it could be a screenplay for a movie…and MY OH MY would this be one kick-ass movie. Peter Brunton has done a perfect job of creating a world that every reader can lose themselves in, and he has done an even more amazing job of describing and executing it in a flawless manner. Not only has he created TWO strong lead female characters, but he gives their characters natural flaws that make them seem more human and realistic. The characters of Rachael and Arsha are literally yin and yang, darkness and light, sugar and spice. The connection that these two share is fascinating, and their story proves to be highly entertaining and intense.
As I am sure you can guess, this is a VERY difficult book to describe without giving the entire story away. I would love to give a little bit more insight to what this is about, but I think this review could give you enough information to jump-start your interest. This story is full of adventure and twists in modern day themes with a fantastical steampunk spin. This is in the YA genre, but don’t let that lead you into thinking that this book is overpowered with romance…because it isn’t! I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy and adventure books, or anyone that wants to appreciate great writing and storytelling.
October 15, 2020
A Copy of this book was provided to me by the Author in exchange for an honest review.
The blurb: "There are roads that are not on any map. There are worlds beyond our own, where cities hang between the clouds and Guildships sail on steam and lightning.
There is a girl living on the streets of London, hunted by ruthless mercenaries and a boy made of shadows and smoke.
There is a place beyond the furthest edge of the Dreaming, where the Lady of The Falling Leaves is calling her home.
And there is a secret, buried in the heart of Rachael's city, that will change our world forever.
The Stolen Child is a breathtaking young adult adventure that takes the reader from industrial chaos of modern London to the vast and impossible world of the Borderlands, a world of flying ships, floating cities, magical automata, and ancient wonders. Drawn together from across distant worlds by events that were set in motion before either of them was born, two young women discover a strange connection, and a friendship that will change their lives."
This is a hard one to pin down for me. And there is a funny story to how I got a hold of this book. I use Reddit a lot both at home and work. I browse tons of subreddits on various topics. One of those was Star Citizen, and I ended up mentioning in a thread that I had started reviewing books. Then the author of this one contacted me, and here we are.
Strange places to get review copies. But I digress.
This is the story of two girls: Rachel, a homeless runaway living in London and Arsha, a girl living in the Borderlands, outside of our known reality and connected to a multitude of places via the Ways. You could get all that from the blurb, but the story is really hard to define, genre-wise. It has elements of Urban Fantasy, regular Fantasy, and a dash of what I can only call Steampunk, although its more like A Vanishing Glow as its magical tech not steam based (They use caged Lightning to power their airships, and the only magic they wield has to do with Fate).
First lets discuss the good aspects of the story. Firstly, it ENDS. That's right, no cliffhanger, no poor ending. There is a solid ending that ties up everything about the primary conflict and story, and then leaves a door open for the inevitable sequel. Considering he calls this Book 1 its safe to assume there will be more adventures with Arsha and Rachel. Secondly, the world building is solid and the author is actually pretty solid at "show don't tell". He doesn't drown you in exposition but instead focuses on the characters and story, letting the world build itself in your mind based on what is going on around everyone. And he does it well. Not perfectly, by any stretch. But well enough that it kept me turning pages and wanting to see where things went.
Also the world of the Borderlands is interesting to say the least. I want to know more about the Borderlands and how its structured, who the Guild really is and the various peoples of the world.
Now for a bit of the bad. And this is a personal issue rather then a technical one.
I cannot, for the life of me, stand Teen Angst. This book is a Young Adult novel. And its a solidly written one. But Rachel is a ball of angst and rage and issues. And it makes her, for me at least, unlikable. Arsha also frequently gets into fits of angst and "my life is terrible!"
Thing is, they have legitimate reasons FOR this angst. It makes sense in the context of the story. But I am not a huge fan of it, on a personal level. For Arsha, its not too frequent, but for Rachel? That girl is broken. She has had a terrible life and it shows. She has massive issues involving trust, and constantly tries to be strong and run from her problems. Every time someone tries to help she basically bites the hand that feeds, and it gets frustrating at times for me because I start to scream in my head "YOU IDIOT CHILD STOP BEING A NARDMUFFIN!"
Oh and there were a couple of grammar and spelling issues, but sadly I forgot to mark them down in order to send em to the author. Nothing major, and not really frequent. In a 400 page book I can recall 3 errors roughly.
Overall, this is a solid debut from a new author, and if you are interesting in a strange blend of Urban Fantasy and Magical Tech/Steampunk, you should give this a read. I rate this a 3/5. For me, it was pretty average at the end, but it was still a good story. And I am curious to see where it goes.
The blurb: "There are roads that are not on any map. There are worlds beyond our own, where cities hang between the clouds and Guildships sail on steam and lightning.
There is a girl living on the streets of London, hunted by ruthless mercenaries and a boy made of shadows and smoke.
There is a place beyond the furthest edge of the Dreaming, where the Lady of The Falling Leaves is calling her home.
And there is a secret, buried in the heart of Rachael's city, that will change our world forever.
The Stolen Child is a breathtaking young adult adventure that takes the reader from industrial chaos of modern London to the vast and impossible world of the Borderlands, a world of flying ships, floating cities, magical automata, and ancient wonders. Drawn together from across distant worlds by events that were set in motion before either of them was born, two young women discover a strange connection, and a friendship that will change their lives."
This is a hard one to pin down for me. And there is a funny story to how I got a hold of this book. I use Reddit a lot both at home and work. I browse tons of subreddits on various topics. One of those was Star Citizen, and I ended up mentioning in a thread that I had started reviewing books. Then the author of this one contacted me, and here we are.
Strange places to get review copies. But I digress.
This is the story of two girls: Rachel, a homeless runaway living in London and Arsha, a girl living in the Borderlands, outside of our known reality and connected to a multitude of places via the Ways. You could get all that from the blurb, but the story is really hard to define, genre-wise. It has elements of Urban Fantasy, regular Fantasy, and a dash of what I can only call Steampunk, although its more like A Vanishing Glow as its magical tech not steam based (They use caged Lightning to power their airships, and the only magic they wield has to do with Fate).
First lets discuss the good aspects of the story. Firstly, it ENDS. That's right, no cliffhanger, no poor ending. There is a solid ending that ties up everything about the primary conflict and story, and then leaves a door open for the inevitable sequel. Considering he calls this Book 1 its safe to assume there will be more adventures with Arsha and Rachel. Secondly, the world building is solid and the author is actually pretty solid at "show don't tell". He doesn't drown you in exposition but instead focuses on the characters and story, letting the world build itself in your mind based on what is going on around everyone. And he does it well. Not perfectly, by any stretch. But well enough that it kept me turning pages and wanting to see where things went.
Also the world of the Borderlands is interesting to say the least. I want to know more about the Borderlands and how its structured, who the Guild really is and the various peoples of the world.
Now for a bit of the bad. And this is a personal issue rather then a technical one.
I cannot, for the life of me, stand Teen Angst. This book is a Young Adult novel. And its a solidly written one. But Rachel is a ball of angst and rage and issues. And it makes her, for me at least, unlikable. Arsha also frequently gets into fits of angst and "my life is terrible!"
Thing is, they have legitimate reasons FOR this angst. It makes sense in the context of the story. But I am not a huge fan of it, on a personal level. For Arsha, its not too frequent, but for Rachel? That girl is broken. She has had a terrible life and it shows. She has massive issues involving trust, and constantly tries to be strong and run from her problems. Every time someone tries to help she basically bites the hand that feeds, and it gets frustrating at times for me because I start to scream in my head "YOU IDIOT CHILD STOP BEING A NARDMUFFIN!"
Oh and there were a couple of grammar and spelling issues, but sadly I forgot to mark them down in order to send em to the author. Nothing major, and not really frequent. In a 400 page book I can recall 3 errors roughly.
Overall, this is a solid debut from a new author, and if you are interesting in a strange blend of Urban Fantasy and Magical Tech/Steampunk, you should give this a read. I rate this a 3/5. For me, it was pretty average at the end, but it was still a good story. And I am curious to see where it goes.
January 3, 2018
Stardust meats the Mortal Engines. A brilliant YA novel that I for one can't wait to read the next one. Some fantasy books take a lot of effort to get into, this one sweeps you into the worlds easily. Couldn't put it down :D
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews