Amber Smoke: The Escaped by Kristin Cast

Amber Smoke by Kristin Cast
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

One big problem with having a wildly successful series is trying to move on and move forward. This is how I feel about Amber Smoke. Kristin Cast co-wrote the wildly successful House of Night series with her mom, P. C. Cast. Being I'm a huge HoN fan, I had to give Kristin Cast's solo project a try. Although I enjoyed the book, I'm not truly committed...yet. Amber Smoke: The Escaped lays the groundwork for this new series. It begins in the depths of the Underworld known as Tartarus where the Furies watch over the souls of the worst of the worst. The Furies are represented as Maiden, Mother and Crone. Maiden falls for one of the convicted who is a good man taking the place of his not-so-good son. As love enters Tartarus, it leaves a curse and a child. As son of the Furies, it's Alek's task to collect all the souls the curse has freed from Tartarus and return them. He must find the descendant of the Oracle of Pythia and combine strengths to make this happen. How easy is it to find and convince a young mortal woman that she is needed to save the mortal realm? That's quite a task Alek has!

I thought Amber Smoke: The Escaped by Kristin Cast was a pretty good read. It didn't knock my socks off, but I am intrigued. I think the storyline gave a good foundation for further books. The characters were believable yet still needed more depth which will probably come in future books. I was a little confused with Alek. In some parts of the story he's definitely clued in to mortal life and then in other parts he seems rather confused. I really liked the plot twist with Bill. Not wanting to spoil anything, but it was way smooth how Eva's mom was concerned about his sudden changes and then we find out why! Although we did find out Bill's deal, the whole scene somehow was a bit odd. I'm not sure how to explain it. Nonetheless, I was captivated and never once had the desire to stop reading. I'm really looking forward to book two Scarlet Rain coming out May 2016.

Do I recommend Amber Smoke? Sure, if fantasy/paranormal is a genre you like. It's a pretty good mix of the modern world and Greek mythology. I really think that Amber Smoke has the makings for a highly enjoyable series. Get a copy today before book two comes out in May 2016!

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