While some of the books I review on my site are furnished by the publishers, authors, or publicists for the purpose of review all of my reviews are truthful, honest, and my sincere opinion.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Review: The Sara Chronicles Book Three: The Return

Thanks to Reader Spoils and the author for letting me review this one.



About the Book

Braccus had invaded Sara's mind to destroy her.
What he had failed to consider was, as he did so, he had also made himself vulnerable to her...
A golden-haired girl named Sara lies in a deep sleep. It has been four years since the evil Braccus entered her mind, making it impossible to communicate with her friends without pain and nausea; worse, she was absorbing the powers of other children when she came in contact with them. Sara had been afraid and alone when Olie, her good friend and mentor, stepped in to ease her suffering with a sleeping spell.
Many changes have occurred while Sara has been comatose. Some of the members of her small, gifted group of friends-drawn together by their special abilities-have changed and, in some cases, moved on without her. Braccus is still causing trouble and attempting to gain control of the worlds, but Sara has become more powerful and unpredictable while in her sleep state. What powers will she wield when she awakes, and how will Sara deal with becoming a young woman left behind by the world she knew?

For more information about The Sara Chronicles: Book Three please visit L. Hughes' blog.

As always you can purchase a copy of The Sara Chronicles from my Amazon Store.

My Review

This book picks up shortly after book two. Sara's in a "coma" until they can figure out how to wake her without harming her and trying to release Braccus' hold on her spirit. Her friends have continued to grow up and strengthen their abilities all the while their friend sleeps without knowledge that the world around her has gone on without her.

As Sara is in her sleep-like state we're taken into her mind to see where she has been spending her time. The world created for her by her friends is beautiful and full of mystery but Braccus is still in her mind and as she explores this world Braccus' control makes it a bit scary too. It's a true representation that good and evil are all around us. Even in the most beautiful places there is still evil lurking waiting for the moment to strike.

Sara becomes a bit unpredictable in this book. As the story progresses she's doing things that she normally wouldn't do and having feelings that are irregular for her. Most of this stems from the fact that she's been gone for so long that even though she's changed physically her mind is still where it was when she was put into her slumber. The way Sara deals with all these changes is pretty normal. I can't imagine the emotions that  I would experience upon waking up after so long. I think Sara handles herself quite well given all the changes that have occurred with her friends and her world.

This book was written very well. The world created by Hughes both in Sara's mind and the world she returns to are beautiful. The ugliness of Braccus' creatures is described so well that the contrast between the beauty of the world around them is quite vivid. I had a much better picture of this world and all its faucets reading this book than I did with book two. While it's still the same story, the same characters, and the same locations I had a much better connection with this book than with the last one. It's as if the story progressed the ideas Hughes wanted to share were much more concise. I didn't feel as if I was missing anything. And the dialogue was much better with this book.

I'm very drawn into this series now. The characters, new and old, have a place in my life now and I can't wait to see how their journey ends. What I like most about these books is that they've both ended with some finality, but yet there's so much left unanswered that I can't wait to get my hands on the next one to see where the story is going to go.

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