Review by Nebulakitsune -- Chasing Dreams by Claire Youmans
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Nebulakitsune
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- Latest Review: Chasing Dreams by Claire Youmans
Review by Nebulakitsune -- Chasing Dreams by Claire Youmans
[Following is a volunteer review of "Chasing Dreams" by Claire Youmans.]
If you have finished reading the first book in this series and thought it was an okay read and are contemplating on reading the second book, it's worth the read. Chasing Dreams: The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy Book 2 by Claire Youmans is such an improvement from the first one that I was blown away by it. Going back home in this Japan era fantasy, the two bird siblings, Azuki the Toki-Girl and Shota the Sparrow-Boy, are forced to retreat their home they had just returned to because of an oncoming war. Traveling with a monk named Yuta they set out to the city where Lord Eitaro is stationed so they may keep their names in the record book and stay as humans. Along the way they also find what the foreign Westerners are looking for and meeting new friends that help them in their travels, along with friends from the past that have impeccable timing. Then there are the enemies in the sky that are after Azuki. Will she ever catch a break in this world that only wants her for her feathers?
What about this book was better than the first that kept my interest, let's start with the writing style. Compared to the first book the writing has improved so much I almost thought someone else wrote it. It was such a streamline read that I was able to follow the plot without any confusion on where they were at or what was going on around them. Then the pacing of this book was the perfect amount of slow when needed and fast when it got to those more intense parts. Then there was the detail to the world around them, from the forest and rivers to the towns and cities they visited. It was so nice to be able to visualize where they were at and not questioning it. Then the character development was good and not to heavy handed just enough to see that these two children were growing and learning with what was thrown at them. Plus, the side story this time around was not dominating half the book, it was nice to read just about the children's adventure.
There was very little I disliked about this book. They could have written the chapters to just be a little longer but for a young reader book this was a better read then the first one. I will say that when they were speaking with each other with their minds it was hard to differentiate between that and when they were speaking aloud. If they were in an italic font that would be easier to see that they were thinking and not speaking aloud to each other.
I would give this book a 4/4 because after reading the first one and not being very impressed to reading this second book in the series I was, again, blown away. How this story started to how it ended was such a fun story to follow that I was thinking about it in my off time. Especially when one of their friends came back into the story and I was very concerned because of the situation they were in, I wanted to know what happened.
This book was a much better read than the first book in many different aspects. I would defiantly recommend that a person should read this book. They should also read the one prior, so they know who everyone is and what is going on, but this one is defiantly for a young reader who wants to give this series a try. If the first book didn't catch their interest, then this one will. I hope the next book in this series is the same because I have fallen in love with these two children and just want to see them achieve their dreams.
******
Chasing Dreams
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
If you have finished reading the first book in this series and thought it was an okay read and are contemplating on reading the second book, it's worth the read. Chasing Dreams: The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy Book 2 by Claire Youmans is such an improvement from the first one that I was blown away by it. Going back home in this Japan era fantasy, the two bird siblings, Azuki the Toki-Girl and Shota the Sparrow-Boy, are forced to retreat their home they had just returned to because of an oncoming war. Traveling with a monk named Yuta they set out to the city where Lord Eitaro is stationed so they may keep their names in the record book and stay as humans. Along the way they also find what the foreign Westerners are looking for and meeting new friends that help them in their travels, along with friends from the past that have impeccable timing. Then there are the enemies in the sky that are after Azuki. Will she ever catch a break in this world that only wants her for her feathers?
What about this book was better than the first that kept my interest, let's start with the writing style. Compared to the first book the writing has improved so much I almost thought someone else wrote it. It was such a streamline read that I was able to follow the plot without any confusion on where they were at or what was going on around them. Then the pacing of this book was the perfect amount of slow when needed and fast when it got to those more intense parts. Then there was the detail to the world around them, from the forest and rivers to the towns and cities they visited. It was so nice to be able to visualize where they were at and not questioning it. Then the character development was good and not to heavy handed just enough to see that these two children were growing and learning with what was thrown at them. Plus, the side story this time around was not dominating half the book, it was nice to read just about the children's adventure.
There was very little I disliked about this book. They could have written the chapters to just be a little longer but for a young reader book this was a better read then the first one. I will say that when they were speaking with each other with their minds it was hard to differentiate between that and when they were speaking aloud. If they were in an italic font that would be easier to see that they were thinking and not speaking aloud to each other.
I would give this book a 4/4 because after reading the first one and not being very impressed to reading this second book in the series I was, again, blown away. How this story started to how it ended was such a fun story to follow that I was thinking about it in my off time. Especially when one of their friends came back into the story and I was very concerned because of the situation they were in, I wanted to know what happened.
This book was a much better read than the first book in many different aspects. I would defiantly recommend that a person should read this book. They should also read the one prior, so they know who everyone is and what is going on, but this one is defiantly for a young reader who wants to give this series a try. If the first book didn't catch their interest, then this one will. I hope the next book in this series is the same because I have fallen in love with these two children and just want to see them achieve their dreams.
******
Chasing Dreams
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: Chasing Dreams by Claire Youmans
