Rook
Sharon Cameron’s Rook is a standalone novel. Many years in the future, solar radiation destroyed modern technology. Soon after, catastrophic events hit and many perished. Centuries later, many countries of the world have banned the use of technology, citing humanity’s dependence on it as a weakness. The world has reverted to a version of the 18th century that lacks guns. Now, what was once Paris, is reverting to one of the biggest events in its 18th century history, the French Revolution. Many are being unfairly arrested and taken to the guillotine. Seeing this injustice the mysterious Red Rook sneaks into prison, helps prisoners escape, and leaves behind a single red-tipped rook feather. Meanwhile, across the sea, in what was once England, Sophia is being forced to marry the wealthy Rene Hasard. Both discover that there is more to the other than meets the eye and find themselves trapped in a complex game of trust and loyalty.
Sophia is a reckless protagonist. Like many female leads, she is strong and smart. She is bilingual, agile, and great with a sword, but she has a soft spot for those less fortunate than her. Over the course of this book, Sophia must overcome many obstacles and it would be understandable if she spent a lot of time grieving. Oddly, she quickly forgot about her troubles as she fell in love. She started out the book as a level-headed and talented young lady, but ended the book a hopeless romantic.
Rook was a decent book. This book is a heist novel. This means that the book spends at a long time leading up to an explosive finale, but it also means the middle of the book can get very boring very quicky. Some books fill this time with complex and interesting subplots. Unfortunately, Rook does not do this. It starts off interesting, but the entire middle of the book drags on endlessly. It went on forever, building the characters through a pointless love triangle and boring subplots. Thankfully, the climax was action packed and interesting, but it slowed down for a comprehensive but boring ending. The book had a very interesting setting. The book was set centuries in the future, yet portrayed an 18th century lifestyle. It was very interesting to have a dystopian novel set in Paris, especially since Europe rarely mentioned in American dystopian novels. Sadly, the setting was poorly constructed. It is extremely hard to imagine that after centuries, these post-apocalyptic people are still afraid of technology. The book mentions other countries that are using technology, but makes no attempt to describe them, nor does it accurately describe the Sunken City’s (Paris) place in the world. It is also hard to believe that after so many years, sexism has reared its ugly head again. Sophia is blatantly underestimated because of her sex and is forced into an arranged marriage in order to save her family. She is also incapable of inheriting her family fortune because she is a gitl. Another annoying thing is the limited explanation of Armageddon. The books makes many references to the people who lived before technology was destroyed, but does very little to describe how the people made such a drastic change in lifestyle. I give this 454 page book 4 stars.
Sophia is a reckless protagonist. Like many female leads, she is strong and smart. She is bilingual, agile, and great with a sword, but she has a soft spot for those less fortunate than her. Over the course of this book, Sophia must overcome many obstacles and it would be understandable if she spent a lot of time grieving. Oddly, she quickly forgot about her troubles as she fell in love. She started out the book as a level-headed and talented young lady, but ended the book a hopeless romantic.
Rook was a decent book. This book is a heist novel. This means that the book spends at a long time leading up to an explosive finale, but it also means the middle of the book can get very boring very quicky. Some books fill this time with complex and interesting subplots. Unfortunately, Rook does not do this. It starts off interesting, but the entire middle of the book drags on endlessly. It went on forever, building the characters through a pointless love triangle and boring subplots. Thankfully, the climax was action packed and interesting, but it slowed down for a comprehensive but boring ending. The book had a very interesting setting. The book was set centuries in the future, yet portrayed an 18th century lifestyle. It was very interesting to have a dystopian novel set in Paris, especially since Europe rarely mentioned in American dystopian novels. Sadly, the setting was poorly constructed. It is extremely hard to imagine that after centuries, these post-apocalyptic people are still afraid of technology. The book mentions other countries that are using technology, but makes no attempt to describe them, nor does it accurately describe the Sunken City’s (Paris) place in the world. It is also hard to believe that after so many years, sexism has reared its ugly head again. Sophia is blatantly underestimated because of her sex and is forced into an arranged marriage in order to save her family. She is also incapable of inheriting her family fortune because she is a gitl. Another annoying thing is the limited explanation of Armageddon. The books makes many references to the people who lived before technology was destroyed, but does very little to describe how the people made such a drastic change in lifestyle. I give this 454 page book 4 stars.