October 10, 2012

Review: Shards of History by Rebecca Roland

Title: Shard of History
Author: Rebecca Roland
Published: August 21, 2012
Publisher: World Weaver Press
Format: eBook

Like all the Taakwa people, Malia fears the fierce winged creatures known as Jeguduns who live in the cliffs surrounding her valley. When the river dries up and Malia is forced to scavenge farther from the village than normal, she discovers a Jegudun, injured and in need of help.

Malia’s existence — her status as clan mother in training, her marriage, her very life — is threatened by her choice to befriend the Jegudun. But she’s the only Taakwa who knows the truth: that the threat to her people is much bigger and much more malicious than they ever knew. Lurking on the edge of the valley is an Outsider army seeking to plunder and destroy the Taakwa, and it’s only a matter of time before the Outsiders find a way through the magic that protects the valley.

Shards of History has to be one of the most beautifully written novels I have ever read - both visually and metaphorically. Rebecca Roland has the ability to capture you with her stunning descriptions of the world surrounding the Taakwa people, Jegudun creatures and yes, even some dragons.

Our protagonist, Malia, is a strong-willed, selfless, courageous and unyielding woman - so, needless to say, I love her! She comes from a village where typical gender roles are reversed and women have all the power; especially Malia, who is training to become a Clan Mother. In the very first scene, where we wtiness Malia putting her husband in his place - you feel an instant admiration for her character.

In a nutshell that will never do the book justice, Malia goes on a mission to prove to her people that the Jeguduns are not the evil creatures they think they are. What you have are your classic themes of judging books by their covers, forbidden friendships, and forgiveness, but done in a completely refreshing way. Malia has a long way to go to convince her village that decades of history is all wrong, but she never gives up. So many times along the way, in the face of countless obstacles, Malia could just forget the entire thing; she could go home, live happily as a Clan Mother and forget all about the Jeguduns. But that is never an option in her mind.

Again, Rebecca Roland does such an amazing job of creating a character that is so rich in history, so relentless in her quest, and so authentic in her courage, that I am in complete awe of her skills as a writer.

Throughout the novel, there is war and bloodshed, magic in friendship, love and trust.  It's suspenseful, entrapping, and simply.....well, let's just say that Shards of History reminds us of why we love books in the first place.

5 out of 5 stars!

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12 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great book. I would love to read it! Thanks for the review :)

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  2. Shards of History sounds amazing to me! I need to pick this book up! I'm pretty curious about Jegudun creatures after reading your review :D

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  3. What a beautiful story. I hadn't heard for this before. Great review and cover!
    Artemis

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  4. I hadn't heard of this book so thanks for the review. It sounds really amazing. I need to add this to my tbr list.

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  5. Umm. wow. I seriously need to check this book out. Your review convinced me!!!

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  6. First of all, that is one gorgeous cover! Second of all, it sounds like an amazing book! Thanks for the review! I definitely need to pick this one up.

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  7. Wow, awesome review!!! I will definitely be adding this to my list :)

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  8. Wow, awesome review!! I will definitely be adding this to my list :)

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  9. Thanks for the review, it does sound like a really interesting book as the herione fights to prove prejudices and sterotypes wrong. Thanks for sharing

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  10. This sounds really intriguing, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this :)

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  11. thanks for the review. Sounds like a great book!

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  12. Sounds very intriguing. I'll make sure to read this one.

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