Review based on ARC

((bounces excitedly in her seat))

I IMpatiently awaited the arrival of Treadwell's second novel, Anarchy. I mean. Impatiently. I regularly google searched and scoured websites looking for a hidden contest to get an early copy. And my efforts were rewarded! Thank you NetGalley!

I have often thought about Advent since I finished reading it and reviewed it. It was a chance finding... a book I picked up from the library on a whim. And I loved it. And I gave it 4 stars and I've often wondered if... perhaps I shouldn't have rated it higher? Any book that makes me think so much about it.... but I haven't changed that review because, well, because I believe the review that lands on my review is the best review from me - contemporaneous and not hindsight-affected.

Nevertheless, I looked for Anarchy with eagerness. And it did not disappoint. Treadwell just writes a beautiful story - it feels like actual literature - but then there's the fantastical element. This is where we broach my actual favorite genre... magical realism. (well, okay, it's tied with gothic literature). And Treadwell does it well.

Here is an author who does the interweaving of three stories - a type of story-telling that seems to be heavily used of late. But he did it well. He does it all well. He sets up a story that is foggy and etherial and forces its reader to be patient... and forces its reader to slow down and enjoy it.

And I did. I'm just not going to say more about the actual plot and goings on. I will say, read Advent first. If you HATE advent, I highly doubt you'll like Anarchy. If you HATE magical realism and fantasy, just don't try it. But if you're willing to give it a shot, these are the books that deserve your efforts.

FOUR AND A HALF of five stars (on the high end, though, so 5 stars on sites w/o half ratings)

This and other reviews can be found at AllBookReviewer.blogspot.com ( )

http://tamaranth.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/201445-anarchy-james-treadwell.html ( )

Review based on ARC

((bounces excitedly in her seat))

I IMpatiently awaited the arrival of Treadwell's second novel, Anarchy. I mean. Impatiently. I regularly google searched and scoured websites looking for a hidden contest to get an early copy. And my efforts were rewarded! Thank you NetGalley!

I have often thought about Advent since I finished reading it and reviewed it. It was a chance finding... a book I picked up from the library on a whim. And I loved it. And I gave it 4 stars and I've often wondered if... perhaps I shouldn't have rated it higher? Any book that makes me think so much about it.... but I haven't changed that review because, well, because I believe the review that lands on my review is the best review from me - contemporaneous and not hindsight-affected.

Nevertheless, I looked for Anarchy with eagerness. And it did not disappoint. Treadwell just writes a beautiful story - it feels like actual literature - but then there's the fantastical element. This is where we broach my actual favorite genre... magical realism. (well, okay, it's tied with gothic literature). And Treadwell does it well.

Here is an author who does the interweaving of three stories - a type of story-telling that seems to be heavily used of late. But he did it well. He does it all well. He sets up a story that is foggy and etherial and forces its reader to be patient... and forces its reader to slow down and enjoy it.

And I did. I'm just not going to say more about the actual plot and goings on. I will say, read Advent first. If you HATE advent, I highly doubt you'll like Anarchy. If you HATE magical realism and fantasy, just don't try it. But if you're willing to give it a shot, these are the books that deserve your efforts.

FOUR AND A HALF of five stars.

This and other reviews can be found at AllBookReviewer.blogspot.com ( )

I continue to adore this series. The structural trick in this one was very neat: bookended by a new major character, but jumping back in time to follow the old ones up to the point where they meet her. I cannot wait for book three. ( )

The second book in the Advent Trilogy, Anarchy tells the tales of three very different women whose lives intersect in a world where the veil between the possible and the impossible has been torn asunder.

Anarchy is a beautifully written fantasy book with an ethereal, literary quality to it. The descriptions create haunting and detailed imagery and the characters are deep and well-rounded. Foreshadowing is used well, keeping the reader on edge and instilling an awful sense of foreboding.

The plot is slow going and the thing I found to be the most off-putting was plodding along in one of the slowly building stories, finally getting to an attention grabbing spot, and then veering away from that story and going into one of the other two. This got very frustrating. It’s interesting to note, however, that my journey reading this book cleverly mirrored those of the protagonists: slowly moving toward a destination, thinking I’m getting somewhere only to experience a setback and finding myself at almost square one again, and finally finally getting near where I want to be, only to be dismayed at the reality of it when I get there.

I learned the hard way that this is not really a standalone story. I jumped into this book blind, having not read the first in the trilogy, and I never quite found my footing. Nonetheless, the book was intriguing and I find myself wanting to read the one that comes before it to see if my understanding of the events laid out becomes any clearer.

I would recommend this book to fantasy lovers who like their reads to have a more literary flair and a dash or two of surrealism, but highly suggest reading Advent first – as I should have done.

*I received a free ARC of this book to review. ( )