Review: Slumber by Samantha Young



Slumber


Title: Slumber
Author: Samantha Young
Published: May 2011
Series: Chronicles of The Fade

A sleeping beauty may be the damsel in distress, but her White Knight? Why her rather un-knightish best friend of course. And the White Knight’s White Knight? Well… none other than her reluctant mortal enemy…

When Haydyn falls victim to the mysterious Sleeping Disease, the world of Phaedra is thrown into Chaos.

Rogan, Haydyn’s best friend and handmaiden, is the only one who can save her. Together, with the Royal Guard and their young Captain, Wolfe Stovia, Rogan must set off across the provinces to find the Somna Plant that will wake Haydyn from her dying sleep.

Beset on all sides by the chaos, Rogan tumbles into a dark world of kidnapping, prejudice, betrayal and love… a journey that will change her forever, and a journey that will change their world forever, if she does not retrieve the cure.

First Line: “When I was a child the world smelled of summer”

Last Line: “…I woke up too.”

Fave Line: “His declaration of love made me bold.”

Slumber is the first installation of the Chronicles of the fade by Samantha Young, and my first review for The Midnight Readers! I don’t think I could have started on a more fantastic book.

I was hooked from the first line, “When I was a child the world smelled of summer” what a brilliant first line! We meet Rogan the protagonist of the Story in the Prologue, where she begins to introduce us to the world of Phaedra. She tells us the story of her people known as mage, magical beings who decide to fade as one into Paradise to avoid war with Mankind. This Paradise was named Phaedra by the Dyzvati, a clan of magical evokers who had the ability to lull the people and land to peace. For this reason they were chosen as the Royal family, to rule over the land which was split into six provinces and divided between the different groups of Mage; The Dravilec – Healers, The Glava – Psychics and The Azyl – Seekers.

 I must admit I found all the new language difficult to grasp at first, I found myself constantly referring back to the index of terms to remind myself of who was who and what was what. However Young helps you along with the index of terms and by re explaining certain aspects, by the time I reached Chapter two I was fine.

Rogan is a brilliant protagonist you go through a rollercoaster ride of emotions with her, she experiences great loss and pain in the first few pages, she is torn from her family and forced to travel across Phaedra to help protect the Princezna Haydyn. The story fast forwards eight years and Rogan and Haydyn are now best friends, and Haydyn has fallen victim to the Somna also known as the sleeping disease. Rogan must set forth on a quest across Phaedra to seek out the Somna plant with her magical powers.

Rogan must be accompanied on her quest by Captain Wolfe Stovia, strikingly tall, with silky chestnut hair and olive skin (mmmm ‘shivers’). I loved Rogan and Wolfe’s relationship in this book, their initial hatred blossoms into something more! The arguments and quips between Rogan and Wolfe kept me hooked, mainly because I could see what was going on, however it takes Rogan quite a while to figure things out.

Rogan meets many people on her quest, some stuck in my memory more than others, the most important being L. L saves Rogan towards the end of the book from a horrible situation. The girls bond very quickly and I fell in love with the rough L, I was so happy to learn that the next book in the series will be centred on her story; I can’t wait till it is released!

Young is a brilliant author, and I will be buying everything she has written so far on my kindle! I loved her characters and I loved the picture she painted in my head. She deals with some heavy subjects in this book including murder, abuse and sexual assault; however they are handled with great care and attention.

5 of 5 Stars! Why? Because I have literally spent the last three days recommending this book to anyone who would listen! Rogan’s story is one of friendship, Bravery and love. I could not put this book down and when I did I was counting the minutes till I could pick it up again.

Helen