Blog Tour; : The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard

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Title: The Forgotten Ones
Author: Laura Howard
Publisher: Finding Bliss PublishingPublishing Date: April 30th 2013
Pages: 177
Genre: NA Contemporary Fantasy
Series: The Danaan Trilogy #1
Source: Kindle Edition provided by Itching For Books

  

Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

I discovered this book when I received the sign up for the blog tour. The cover caught my eye right away and the synopsis sounded really good,  I did enjoy the read. The book was very short but it had a pretty full story. 

Allison is 21 years old and is doing everything she can to take over the responsibility of taking care of her mentally ill mother. She had learned to separate everything in her life so that this is her sole purpose. She goes to work she comes home, she rarely gets out of the house. 

Alison's mother has had schizophrenia since she can remember and her father has never been in her life. She knows his name and she knows what he looked like when he and her mother met. One day her father turns up at her doorstep and Alison's life takes a wide turn; her mother disappears and the truth about her heritage comes to light. 

The book was really good, full of action, suspense, and even a little romance. I didn't really know what to expect when I started the book and it surprised me many times. The book starts off with a real contemporary feel. Alison has some family issues that she spends her time taking care of. Once Allison's father enters the picture the book turns to fantasy. The transition was really smooth and didn't interrupt the story at all, in fact it added to the story. The writing was easy and very fast paced, very short read and didn't take any time at all to get through to the end. The book is NA with the characters age and maturity but the book reads much like a YA.

I liked the characters, I do wish  I connected to them a bit more, but in the end they were very likable. Allison is a strong character, very independent, responsible, and caring. This isn't something I am used to of course with all the YA I read and it was a very nice change. She was hardened throughout most of the book. She took her responsibilities very serious and needed to learn to live just a little, enjoy life. It was a bit surprising for her character when she took in the reality of her family history. I think that if the book would have been a bit longer, it would have been more in her character to shy away from the truth. 

I liked the story, it was a classic fae story with a bit more historical feel. The only real complaint I have, I got a little little lost with all the Danaan haging out. There were many of them with very odd names and I got a bit confused with who was who and remembering it for later on. Other than that the story was pretty cool. 

The ending wasn't an ending so I do need to get to the next installment and I am really curious to see where the story goes. 

It was a good fast read. Some minor issues but not enough to deter me. 

Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

Official Links: laurahoward78.blogspot.com | @laurahoward78

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