The Sanctum Book One:
The Girl
Review:
The Girl was a great urban fantasy and I would most definitely continue reading The Sanctum series.
I'm going to state up front that what I disliked the most about this book was the cover! (So superficial I know) It just doesn't give you the feel of the story that lies within its pages.
Madhuri Blaylock does an excellent job of building a world within our world. A world of magic and creatures we like to believe exist only within the pages of our books. A world that needs to be controlled, that needs order, and answers to one organization, The Sanctum.
The Sanctum's corruption and interpretation of prophecy seem to mirror what is going on within governments around the world today. With fear powering their every move and centuries of corruption within the organization they make sweeping decrees that soldiers follow blindly, trusting that they would never be misled by their rulers.
Dev is a wonderful and strong female character. She has been hurt and there are places inside her that are broken because of the actions of others. Instead of accepting it and her apparent fate she chooses to stand up and fight. To expose the evil and corruption of the ancient organization that is hunting her to the death.
Wyatt Clayworth's strong character goes through the process of disillusionment, showing readers to question everything. To think for yourself and question the motives behind orders.
The Girl is a wonderful fantasy novel with a message. Your enemies are people too. They think and feel. They have families they love. They are not monsters. And if you accept that this is true you must question why an organization is so intent on destroying others. What do they fear so much? Usually it is the loss of power and control.
The Girl is easy to get lost in and I am looking forward to the next installment of the book. I can't wait to see what lies ahead for Dev and Wyatt.
Rating: ****/*****
BUY LINKS
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book-one-madhuri-blaylock/1117481594?ean=2940148892908
Madhuri Blaylock
Madhuri Blaylock is a lawyer by day, writer and avid shoe and
dress buyer at all other times. She lives in Jersey City, but her heart remains
firmly planted in Brooklyn via Snellville, Georgia. Her husband, Henry, is also
a lawyer, and only a lawyer because he actually likes being a lawyer (go
figure), probably always wanted to be a lawyer and is really, really good at
all things lawyerly. He's also pretty hot.
She’s got a big kid, Miss Sydney, and a little kid, the one and only Dash. They're awesome and fierce and supremely cool and able to make her laugh at the strangest things. She would love to add a dog, some chickens, a goat and a burro to this crew. Everyone needs a burro.
Some of her favorites, in no particular order: ice cream, Kill Bill, four-inch heels, Matt Damon, tattoos, Laini Taylor, scotch on the rocks, The Sanctum trilogy, random office supplies, Martha's Vineyard, "The Girl" aka my Mini, Rihanna, Doc Martens, tulips, photo booths and dancing like a fool.
One day she plans to grow up. Right now, she’s enjoying the adventure.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesanctumtrilogy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MadhuriBlaylock
Blog: http://madhuriblaylock.wordpress.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7323620.Madhuri_Blaylock
GIVEAWAY
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Madhuri Blaylock is a lawyer by day, writer and avid shoe and
dress buyer at all other times. She lives in Jersey City, but her heart remains
firmly planted in Brooklyn via Snellville, Georgia. Her husband, Henry, is also
a lawyer, and only a lawyer because he actually likes being a lawyer (go
figure), probably always wanted to be a lawyer and is really, really good at
all things lawyerly. He's also pretty hot. She’s got a big kid, Miss Sydney, and a little kid, the one and only Dash. They're awesome and fierce and supremely cool and able to make her laugh at the strangest things. She would love to add a dog, some chickens, a goat and a burro to this crew. Everyone needs a burro.
Some of her favorites, in no particular order: ice cream, Kill Bill, four-inch heels, Matt Damon, tattoos, Laini Taylor, scotch on the rocks, The Sanctum trilogy, random office supplies, Martha's Vineyard, "The Girl" aka my Mini, Rihanna, Doc Martens, tulips, photo booths and dancing like a fool.
One day she plans to grow up. Right now, she’s enjoying the adventure.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesanctumtrilogy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MadhuriBlaylock
Blog: http://madhuriblaylock.wordpress.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7323620.Madhuri_Blaylock
Thanks so, so very much for THE GIRL tour stop. I'm really glad you enjoyed the read. My book cover is quite the topic of conversation, with some folks loving it (I think one reviewer might have liked it better than my book!) and others not really feeling it. I love it (obviously) but totally respect the fact that not everyone is going to agree with me. Just out of curiosity, what do you think the cover should have looked like?
ReplyDeleteI would have liked to see a cover with dev looking all fierce abd bass but also mystical and beautiful :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting and I hear what you're saying, but I tend to shy away from such cover art because I don't want to push my idea of Dev onto anyone else. In my head, I know exactly what she looks like and, in fact, have a drawing. But I think the abstract cover leaves more to the reader's imagination. (But just so you know, a few others reviewers have wished for a different cover, one going so far as to say she would never pick up the book had she not received it as a review copy)
ReplyDelete