12/28/2019

Of Blood And Bone by Nora Roberts

Not sure why this trilogy so far isn´t able to thrill me. Yes, I kind of enjoyed reading it, and, yes, the story somehow knew how to keep me within the pages, but else? Either the style the author shows with this trilogy isn´t really mine or I am missing something that actually IS Nora Roberts for me: pure romance. 

Of Blood And Bone*

by Nora Roberts
Chronicles Of The One #2
Publisher St. Martin´s Press on December 4, 2018
Genre Dystopia
Pages 453
Format Hardcover
Source Purchased
Goodreads
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It looks like an ordinary life, an everyday family: chores to be done, squabbling at the dinner table, a basketball game or a swim in the nearby stream. But beyond the edges of this peaceful farm, the world has changed. Fallon Swift has two loving parents, but her true father died long ago, in what was known as the New Hope Massacre. The distant city where her mother once dabbled casually in the craft has been in ruins for years, reclaimed by nature, desolate since the Doom descended and billions grew sick and died. Traveling anywhere now is a danger, as vicious gangs of Raiders and fanatics called “Purity Warriors” search for their next victim. Those like Fallon, in possession of gifts, are hunted – and as her thirteenth birthday looms, her true nature, her identity as The One, can no longer be hidden. Now the time has come for Fallon to walk away from her home, into a mysterious shelter in the forest where her training can begin. Under the guidance of Mallick, whose skills have been honed over centuries, she will complete three quests: She will learn the old ways of healing and find powers within herself that she never imagined. And when the time is right, she will take up the sword and fight. For until she grows into the woman she was born to be, the world outside will never be whole again. The people of New Hope are still standing, clinging to survival – but under constant threat from the darkness. In the fragments of her visions, she can see them, trying to defeat the suffering and injustice. She cannot yet join the battle. For two years, in the idyllic hideaway of their cottage, she must study and spar with her mentor, and come to understand the forces of the light, the magicks of faerie and elf and shifter. But the time is coming when she must face the darkness, too – for the sake of the family she left behind, and all those who have placed their hope and faith in The One.

Story

After living a happy and peaceful life with her family, Fallon has now to go and learn everything she needs to learn to do what she has to do as The One. It is not easy for her to leave her family behind, but she also knows that she has to do it and that something is waiting for her, she never expected to be there and that she will find something that will help her.

Style

This novel is not like all the other books Nora Roberts has ever written. This time, Fallon stays in the focus. The reader sees how she lived with her family, how she grew up and that life after the cruel massacre in New Hope has changed life entirely. But I also have to say that I am not as thrilled about this trilogy as all the other Nora Roberts fans I´ve met over the years. There is not much romance in here to find, or at least not in the way I expect when reading a Nora Roberts book. Good, this is more set in the dystopian genre, but still. Nonetheless, I somehow enjoyed reading this second book of The One. It was kind of nice to see how Fallon grew up, how she developed and used her ability, and how she sees the world.

Characters

Fallon is after her training with Mallick ready to do what destiny has chosen her to be. And she does it in a very unique way. She is a down to earth kind of girl, sees things in a different way, and force is something she does not see as the only option. Trust and loyalty are what she wanted, and she gets it.

And when she finally meets Duncan and starts to realize what role he plays in her life, she is more than willing to do what she has to do, but on her own terms.

Conclusion

This isn´t the usual Nora Roberts novel you might expect when you know the author from her other work. And yes, it took me some pages to get into this and see some sort of reading pleasure in it. But in the end, I am not as thrilled as her other fans. Yes, the story is different from her other work, and yes, I had some pleasure reading how Fallon became what she was meant to become. On the other hand, I prefer the pure romance Nora Roberts is famous for and Of Blood and Bone is not like those novels. Read for yourself and judge for yourself.

Happy reading

*I read the German edition new release by Heyne on August 12, 2019

Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts, born in Silver Spring, Maryland, is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels. During the now-famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write. It was there that a career was born. Several manuscripts and rejections later, her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by Silhouette in 1981. Having spent her life surrounded by men, Ms. Roberts has a fairly good view of the workings of the male mind, which is a constant delight to her readers. It was, she’s been quoted as saying, a choice between figuring men out or running away screaming. Nora is a member of several writers groups and has won countless awards from her colleagues and the publishing industry. Recently The New Yorker called her “America’s favorite novelist.” She is also the author of the bestselling futuristic suspense series written under the pen name J. D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

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