ARC Review: Obsidian and Stars by Julie Eshbaugh

Title: Obsidian and Stars Series: Ivory and Bone #2 Written by: Julie Eshbaugh Published: June 13, 2017 by Harper Teen (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: In the sequel to Ivory and Bone—the prehistoric fantasy novel that New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman described as a “richly crafted world of life-and-death stakes”—the story shifts to Mya’s viewpoint as vengeful adversaries force her to flee the life she once knew.  After surviving the chaotic battle that erupted after Lo and the Bosha clan attacked, now Mya is looking ahead to her future with Kol. All the things that once felt so uncertain are finally falling into place. But the same night as Kol and Mya’s betrothal announcement, Mya’s brother Chev reveals his plan to marry his youngest sister Lees to his friend Morsk. The only way to avoid this terrible turn of events, Morsk informs Mya when he corners her later, is for Mya to take Lees’ place and marry him herself.  Refusing to marry anyone other than her beloved, and in an effort to protect her sister, Mya runs away to a secret island with Lees. And though it seems like the safest place to hide until things back home blow over, Mya soon realizes she’s been followed. Lurking deep in the recesses of this dangerous place are rivals from Mya’s past whose thirst for revenge exceeds all reason.  With the lives of her loved ones on the line, Mya must make a move before the enemies of her past become the undoing of her future..

*** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher for the blog tour. This fact has not changed my opinion. ***

I really liked Ivory and Bone so I was really excited to read the next book and find out what happened in the next installment. And this was just a good a piece of historical fiction, full of drama and adventure.

My favorite thing about this book was my favorite thing about the the first book, the setting. This is a book set in prehistoric times. It such a fascinating period and makes a brilliant location for a book. Julie Eshbaugh has definitely done a heck of a lot of research when it comes to the period and it shows in this book. The setting really comes alive in this book with incredible descriptions and just an all around compelling world.

But the other great side effect of the setting of this book is the effect it has on the plot. The setting makes for an incredibly dramatic plot full of action and adventure. There's a lot of drama built in with a setting where you are struggling to survive and that is exactly what this book is about. I wasn't sure where this book was going to go after a Pride and Prejudice retelling but it took to story in an interesting direction. There were daring escapes, thrilling battles, near death experiences, actual deaths, and all kinds of thrilling moments. It had me on the edge of my seat and I loved it.

My only problem however was with the pacing. It was a very action packed book but I definitely had ebbs and flows. I read it pretty quickly as it built to an interesting conclusion but I don't know that it had much cohesion. It just sort of had a bunch of drama and then a big finish that I knew was going to end up happening much quicker that t actually did. I wish t had more of a specific and cohesive story to it but that's really my only gripe.

Because I did also really like the characters here. I think having Mya take the lead here was a perfect decision. Mya was the most compelling character in the first book and having this one from her perspective made me enjoy It a lot. She's a tough, smart, and resourceful character that I really enjoy. I also liked that this book sort of plays with gender norms here by making Mya the hero and the one who saves the day. But Kol too is an ingesting character. He's just as tough and resourceful but he shows an incredible amount of vulnerability and resilience. Their romance was really great as well. It's subtle and a great slowburn with a very satisfying ending.

That's a great way to explain this book, satisfying. I know the author originally planned a trilogy but ended making a duology. And I think that was a great decision. This was a fantastic read with a unique and incredible setting, a plot full of action and adventure, and likable and engaging characters.

I give Obsidian and Stars by Julie Eshbaugh 9 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy/Borrow. I definitely recommend this book to fans of historical fiction but even if you are more of fantasy or dystopia fan give it a try. It's thoroughly compelling and very satisfying.

Have you read Obsidian and Stars? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Obsidian and Stars Blog Tour: Guest Post with Julie Eshbaugh and Giveaway

Hi Everyone, 

I am so excited to be on the blog tour for this book. I really like Ivory and Bone. I thought it was a super creative concept and a thrilling read. I love me some historical fiction and the fact that this series is set during prehistory (more on that later) makes it so unique and I loved that. So when I saw that Fantastic Flying Book Tours was doing this one I knew I had to be a part of it. But enough about me, let's get to the good stuff.

Obsidian and Stars

(Ivory and Bone #2)
byJulie Eshbaugh
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: June 13, 2017
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Synopsis:

After surviving the chaotic battle that erupted after Lo and the Bosha clan attacked, now Mya is looking ahead toher future with Kol. All the things that once felt so uncertain are finally falling into place. But the same night as Kol and Mya’s betrothal announcement, Mya’s brother Chev reveals his plan to marry his youngest sister Lees to his friend Morsk. The only way to avoid this terrible turn of events, Morsk informs Mya when hecorners her later, is for Mya to take Lees’ place and marry him herself.

Refusing to marry anyone other than her beloved, and inaneffort to protect her sister, Mya runs away to a secret island with Lees. And though it seems like the safest place to hide until things back home blow over, Mya soon realizes she’s been followed. Lurking deep inthe recesses of this dangerous place are rivals from Mya’s past whose thirst for revenge exceeds all reason.

With the lives of her loved ones on the line, Mya must make a move before the enemies of her past become the undoing of her future.

Hi Julie, thanks so much for being on the blog today. I'm so excited to ask you about Obsidian and Stars. I loved Ivory and Bone, and one of my favorite things about it was the setting.What inspired you to set a book during the prehistoric time period? 

Thank for having me on the blog today, Cassi!

I love this question. The truth is, the idea to set a story in prehistory didn’t come tome all at once. There was no big “ ah-ha!” moment. Instead, it came to me in little pieces, over a long period of time.

It all started at the Museum of London. I was visiting London for the first time, and I found myself standing in front of an animated display of the city as if I were looking down on it from above. The view started in the present day, with all the city of London’s streets and neighborhoods laid out below, and rolled back through time—through the Victorian era, through the Middle Ages, until we were looking down on that same spot of land along the Thames thousands of years ago. It showed a forest with herds moving through the trees. Then, smoke began to rise from the ground—the smoke of hearth fires. The thought of people living in that wilderness tens of thousands of years ago fascinated me. How did they live? Who did they love? What did they aspire to? These questions would not leave my mind.

I went home and sketched out some ideas for a story and tucked them away.

A few years later, I read an article about recent archaeological discoveries, and how new information was changing the way scientists thought about the first Americans. The article talked about the latest theories—that the earliest people to come to North America traveled along the coast from Eastern Asia, using boats. I dug into some nonfiction, most notably First Peoples in a New World: Colonizing Ice Age America by David J. Meltzer. This book talked about the struggles and obstacles that these first Americans would have faced, including a specific threat that this vast, open wilderness would have presented to small, far-flung clans—the threat of dying out if they failed to connect with other clans and find spouses.

These ideas turned in my mind and led to the plot and characters of IVORY AND BONE and OBSIDIAN AND STARS. But it took a long time! I just found myself thinking about these people and daydreaming about their lives, until I knew I had to write their story.

Thanks again for having me on the blog today! This was such a fun question to answer!

Thanks so much for being here, Julie! That is totally fascinating. I also think about what a location was like when it was first inhabited so this is totally up my alley. And I don't think I've heard about that article. I remember seeing something about how Early Americas traveled here but I had always heard it was from a land bridge from Asia but the boats along the coast makes a lot of sense. Now I want to look into it more. Thanks again!

Julie Eshbaugh is the author of Ivory and Bone (HarperCollins, 2016). She used to have trouble staying in one spot, having lived in places as varied as Utah, France, and New York City. Julie eventually returned home to the Philadelphia area, where she now lives with her husband, son, cat and dog. Her favorite moments are when the unexpected happens and she cheers loudest when the pitcher gets a hit.

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Book Review: Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh

Title: Ivory and Bone Series: Ivory and Bone #1 Written by: Julie Eshbaugh Published: June 7, 2016 by HarperTeen (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: A prehistoric fantasy—with allusions to Pride and Prejudice.  Hunting, gathering, and keeping his family safe—that’s the life seventeen-year-old Kol knows. Then bold, enigmatic Mya arrives from the south with her family, and Kol is captivated. He wants her to like and trust him, but any hopes of impressing her are ruined when he makes a careless—and nearly grave—mistake. However, there’s something more to Mya’s cool disdain…a history wrought with loss that comes to light when another clan arrives. With them is Lo, an enemy from Mya’s past who Mya swears has ulterior motives.  As Kol gets to know Lo, tensions between Mya and Lo escalate until violence erupts. Faced with shattering losses, Kol is forced to question every person he’s trusted. One thing is for sure: this was a war that Mya or Lo—Kol doesn’t know which—had been planning all along.

This book was everything I wanted it to be. A fascinating world with a prehistoric setting, a plot full of adventure and drama, and a great hate to love romance. One of the things I love about this book was the world and the setting.

What initially interested me in this book was the fact that it has a prehistoric setting and it was absolutely fantastic. You can tell that the author did her research into the way of life for people during that era. It made for a really unique historical fiction novel. But the setting also made for a plot that was full of drama and adventure. It was not an easy time for people as they were just starting to build societies and having to contend with challenges from the world around them in both the elements and the creatures they encountered. The book was full of action with mammoth hunts, treks across treacherous landscapes, and warring tribes. It really built to a fantastic conclusion that had me on the edge of my seat.

But the basis of this story is also one of the things that made it so interesting and creative. This is a gender bent Pride and Prejudice retelling. I know how crazy that sounds in a prehistoric setting but it worked so well. It wasn't a perfect retelling but there were so many elements of the original story that I recognized. On top of that I really liked the twist the author put on the story. I actually kind of hope that the other books in the series take on different Austen novels because I think the concept was so cool.

Plus being a Pride and Prejudice retelling this book also had a great hate to love romance. The romance wasn't my favorite thing in the books, but I do think it added an interesting layer especially when it came to the Austenian elements. I didn't really feel the swoons with the romance but I liked that t was a slowburn based on misunderstandings and then overcoming obstacles together leading to stronger feelings. Plus there were some good moments on conflict between the characters.

But on the note of the characters, while I liked them, they didn't leap off the page for me. They were interesting enough but I think they could have been a little bit more complex, especially Kol. He was an okay MC, strong and determined but he didn't make a lasting impression on me. You would think that he would be the most realized but he wasn't really for me. That may have been Mya, actually. We see everything through Kol so at first Mya seems standoffish and sullen but simultaneously tough and smart. Then as the book develops she had the character development I would have expected from Kol. While the characters were likable, I would have liked a little bit more on the characterizations.

It was also an interesting narrative style. The book is told in a not quite first-person, not quite second person style. The main character Kol is telling a story to and about the other main character, Mya. So he talks about I and you which gives it an interesting feel. Sometimes you almost forget that he's talking about Mya and think that you actually are a part of the story. It felt a little strange at times but really helps immerse you in the story.

On the whole, Ivory and Bone was a good read. One of the more creative books I have read in a long time. But how can you not be with a prehistoric gender-bent Pride and Prejudice retelling.

I give Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh 9 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy/Borrow. This book is worth your time and energy. It was completely creative and completely compelling. I would definitely recommend this to P and P fans, historical fiction fans, or to anyone looking for something new.

Have you read Ivory and Bone? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!