Author: Alethea Kontis
Series: Woodcutter Sisters, Book 2
Publisher: Harcourt
ISBN: 9780544056770
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
In order to have a point of reference, I went out and bought "Enchanted" before I began reading "Hero." Interesting as "Enchanted" was, the wordiness and lack of action bogged the story down. Like its predecessor, the sequel has some of the same weaknesses. Despite them, Saturday's story surpassed her sister's.
What made "Hero" better was the fact that you were not overburdened with so many cast of characters. With the back story already set up in "Enchanted", this allowed for the focus to be mainly on Saturday and Peregrine. Personally, I like Saturday. She took no guff from anybody. Being the tomboy and being normal in her magical family, her struggles to be something more was something everyone can understand. On the other, Peregrine was an okay hero. He was interesting but his sense of honor was too much even though he loved Saturday. I found his chimera friend to have more personality. :\
The beginning easily drew readers in as we return to the Woodcutter's world. The middle was a little low key but easily crescendo into a action-packed ending. Luckily, there wasn't lot of focus on the witch, who was kind of annoying, until the finale. The ending was perfect and nicely segued to a possible sequel. The romance was slightly lacking but considering the circumstances, it was understandable. The chapters swapped back and forth between their third person's point-of-view. This was not a lighthearted affair and can be pretty dark. The writing was well done but its wordiness and length can make this a rather dry read. I've found myself reading and stopping. Reading and stopping after Saturday wound up in the witch's mountain. The story got a little monotonous at that juncture. So if you are expecting something enthralling, proceed with caution.
If you enjoyed the first Woodcutter novel, you will most likely enjoy Saturday's tale. For those new to the series, it's not necessary to read the first book but there is some back story that you will be missing for the first and last's parts of the book. For the fairy tale lover, there was a lot of little hidden references that will definitely fun to pick out. All in all, if you are looking for a fairy tale with a strong heroine, with a smidgen of romance, magic galore, adventure and an eclectic cast of characters, look no further. But for me, one read was good enough. However, I will be looking forward to the next book.
Note: I received this ARC from the Amazon Vine program for an honest review.
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