Publication date: November 5, 2012 by Center One Books
Source: Author via TLC Book Tours for an honest review
Synopsis:
Fourteen year-old Trotter was still just trying to get the hang of the demi-godding business when the apocalypse began. In a world where the gods have withdrawn from humanity, leaving mortals bitter toward magic, she finds herself torn between the human and the goddess in her. As the world begins to fade away and she becomes the prime suspect, her search to determine the cause and prove her innocence ends up revolving around a mysterious little girl named Alice. Then Trotter discovers that not all of the gods had been as distant as they seemed…
Now, with everyone against her and the gods fighting amongst themselves, Trotter is on her own to save her world and stop a spiteful god from using Alice to destroy everything.
My Take:
After reading a brief description of Alice Will be Ashley Chappell, I thought it sounded interesting and I really like the premise of the book. What I found pleasantly surprising about the book was that while the description is accurate, it doesn't really begin to explain all that the book is about. It is about Trotter as she tries to prove she isn't the cause of the world fading but it is also about the nature of gods and reality and creation and destruction and imagination and love.
I really enjoyed the world building and the humorous explanations for how the gods behave and the repercussions of their actions - if they bothered to notice. I loved the explanations for how their world got to be the way it is and how the gods think about their creations and themselves. The politics were interesting and fitting for the story.
Trotter is funny and her companion, Prowler, a talking cat who used to be a human is even funnier. I found the back stories of the characters we meet to be just as interesting as the main story line. I thought the goddess, Ursula, was great -- I loved her story line about how a god or goddess might change or adapt to what her followers expected or wanted. I thought the explanation was amusing and a bit sad, but a great demonstration of how a deity might change. Aside from Trotter, my favorite characters have to be the Baron and his captain Carmony. The Baron's story line is touching and heartbreaking, but I loved him and his devotion to Alice. Carmony proves himself worthy of the Baron's trust and really stands out in the crisis that comes as the world is fading away.
Alice Will is a book that I can easily recommend - in fact, I am handing to book off to my daughter to read next. The story is fast paced and the world is amazing and the descriptions of that world are fun and vibrant. The story is fun but also thoughtful and full of emotion and ideas. I quite enjoyed it.
About Ashley Chappell
Ms. Chappell currently resides in Huntsville, AL with the love of her
life. During her writing time her cats sometimes share her lap with her
computer, should they choose to allow the usurpation at all. When not
writing, reviewing, or burying her nose in one of her well-worn Terry
Pratchett or Neil Gaiman novels, she can be found sailing with her
fiancé on their boat ‘Dupracity’ (Fans of Kurt Vonnegut will want to ask
her what that means!).Find out more about Ashley at her website, connect with her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, and see what she’s pinning on Pinterest.
Ashley’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, March 04, 2014: Offbeat Vegabond – Alice WillWednesday, March 05, 2014: Book Marks the Spot – Alice Will and Tilt
Thursday, March 06, 2014: A Book Geek – Alice Will
Monday, March 10, 2014: Bibliophilia, Please – Alice Will
Thursday, March 13, 2014: Pingwing’s Bookshelf – Alice Will
Monday, March 17, 2014: Peeking Between the Pages – Alice Will
Tuesday, March 18, 2014: The Reader’s Hollow - Alice Will
Tuesday, March 18, 2014: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom - Alice Will and Tilt
Wednesday, March 19, 2014: Books Without Any Pictures – Alice Will
Thursday, March 20, 2014: The Reader’s Hollow – Tilt
Monday, March 24, 2014: Peeking Between the Pages – Tilt
Tuesday, March 25, 2014: A Dream Within a Dream - Alice Will and Tilt
Wednesday, March 26, 2014: Allodoxophobia: The Fear of Opinions - Alice Will and Tilt
Tuesday, April 01, 2014: Books, Books Everywhere! - Alice Will
Wednesday, April 02, 2014: Books, Books Everywhere! - Tilt
Wednesday, April 02, 2014: Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile – Alice Will
Thursday, April 03, 2014: The Written World - Alice Will and Tilt
Landi, thank you so much for that amazing and thoughtful review! I have to admit, there's a part of me that always feared I included too much back story while I was writing Alice, but even when I tried to put on my most brutal editor face I just couldn't make myself take much of it out.
ReplyDeleteYou also picked out my favorite goddess! Ursula is the one member of that pantheon that I felt a truly personal connection with, possibly because I started with her at her most vulnerable. I have a goal to one day see her in cosplay at a convention. I’ll make the armor myself if I have to! ;-) And while neither she nor Carmony have a role in the second book, both feature heavily in the final book of the series (which I’m writing now alongside my NA Urban Fantasy project). Carmony’s is a story I’ve been wanting to finish for a very long time, especially since his was truly just beginning when we left him in Alice.
Thank you again so very much for the time you took to read and share your thoughts on Alice; seeing that you’ll be passing it to your daughter really made me smile! :-)
I hope your daughter enjoys this book as much as you did! I'm always looking for books like this to recommend to my son.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour. I'm featuring your review on TLC's Facebook page today.
I really love it when I read a book that I can recommend to my kids - and be pretty sure they will love it too!
ReplyDelete