Title: Black swan rising.
Author: Lee Carroll.
Pages: 400.
Published:
November 1st 2010.
Publisher: Bantam.
Sort: Part one of
‘Black swan rising.’
Source: Netgalley & Publisher.
When New York City jewellery designer Garet James stumbles into a strange
antiques shop in her neighbourhood, her life is about to be turned upside down.
John Dee, the enigmatic shopkeeper, commissions her to open a vintage silver box
for a generous sum of money. Oddly, the symbol of a swan on the box exactly
matches the ring given to her by her deceased mother. Garet can’t believe her
luck and this eerie coincidence until she opens the box and otherworldly things
start happening.. That evening, the precious silver box is stolen. When Garet
begins to investigate, she learns that she has been pulled into a prophecy that
is hundreds of years old, and opening the box has unleashed an evil force onto
the streets of Manhattan and the world at large. Does Garet possess the power to
reclaim the box and defeat this devastating force?
Rating:
Garet James is twenty-six and lives with her father Roman. He has some debts
and she is trying hard to help him. She makes jewellery and one day, she
stumbles into a strange shop. John Dee knows about her and he asks her to help
him to open a silver box. He will give her a nice sum of money. Garet is
intrigued by the symbol of a swan; it resembles the swan from her ring. She
feels like it means something, but strange things happen when she opens the box.
That evening, the box is stolen and her father is shot.
That’s how Will Hughes comes into her life and he isn’t just some person. His
past is entangled with Garet’s past. He opens a whole new world for her and
Garet finds out that she has an important role. Her mother was one of the
Watchers and it’s Garet’s job to find John Dee. He is planning to destroy the
world with the box; he is now able to call out the demons of Despair and
Discord. Together with the attractive Will and famous Oberon, she is trying to
track down John Dee’s hiding place before it is too late.
I liked
Garet. Her life is turned upside down, but she doesn’t whine about it. She takes
things as they are and she is pretty kick-ass. There is something special
running through her veins and she learns some great tricks by visiting legends,
like
Melusine. It was fun
to see how some of these mythical creatures are supposed to be entwined with our
lives. I loved their background stories. The other characters play a small role
and I didn’t really connect with them, but I appreciated their input in Garet’s
life.
The world-building is good. We slowly unravel the situation and
there was enough information to understand what is going on, without getting
boring. There is a constant pace that worked very well with the story and the
writing-style was fine.
The thing that bothered me is a minor spoiler so you will have to see for
yourself, but it has to do with the developing feelings between Garet and Will.
It went a bit too fast for my taste, despite the explanation about their special
bond. Also the fact that Garet is willing to do something for him while she
doesn’t know him so long, was strange in my eyes. I guess I just didn’t see the
sparks between them, but I hope that it will develop in the sequel - a book I
will definitely read, because I want to see how this is going to continue.
Title: The Grimm Diaries Prequel volume 1 – 6
These are the Dutch editions I got. I love these covers! I have now six of his books in this edition and they look so pretty on the shelves. 
Title: Eve.
