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The Holders 9781908844422 Books

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The Holders 9781908844422 Books

This review, as well as many more, can also be found on my blog, The Baking Bookworm (thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca)

Author: Julianna Scott
Genre: Young Adult (YA), supernatural
Type: e-book, Advanced Reading Copy (ARC)
Series: 1st book in The Holders series
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Publishing Date: March 5, 2013
First Line: "The moment I saw Ryland's silhouette in the window of our old tree house, I knew something was wrong."

My Thoughts: This was a good start to a new YA series. It has an interesting premise regarding supernatural powers and set in beautiful Ireland. The addition of Ireland's Celtic mythology, history and the beautiful Gaelic language set this book apart for me.

One of the things that had me wanting to get my hands on this book was the overall premise. I think it was because it had a very X-Men feel to it. Surprisingly, the major similarities didn't put me off but made me want to read this book even more. In The Holders we have a boarding school for 'special' kids set up by a brilliant and talented man, Jocelyn (ie. Professor X). In the past, Jocelyn knew a man Darragh (the Magneto of the book) who felt that the supernatural powers that were granted to these special few by the Irish gods should be used to gain power over mere mortals. Jocelyn vehemently disagrees and there lies the main conundrum. Very X-men, good vs evil, mutant versus mortal, right?

As I said, I don't have a problem with the X-Men similarities (which kind of surprised me). But ... if you're going to do a supernatural book I expect to see a lot of supernatural powers in the book. Unfortunately I felt like we just got a little hint at the powers that some of these Holders possess. I think that witnessing some of the powers that the Holders had would have helped me understand their world at St Brigid's better. This book was rather meek in showcasing the unique powers that these Holders possessed.

As for the characters? While I did like Becca and Alex as main characters it was a certain secondary character who stood out and made me want to keep reading. My favourite has to be Jocelyn, the rather mysterious headmaster of St Brigid's. We're given a glimpse into who he is but I'm really looking forward to seeing where his storyline goes (as well as learning more about his history). And yes, Jocelyn is a male. I will freely admit that I had never heard of using Jocelyn as a male name before (and was a little confused when he was first introduced) but apparently Jocelyn was originally a male name. Huh. Learned somethin' new.

While Becca and Alex were good main characters there were a few things that irked me a bit about them. Becca, for all her graduating high school at the age of 15, didn't come off as all that smart or mature. She seemed to be very obsessed with her little brother, Ryland and put off when he finally found a place and friends who accepted him.

Alex, while a very likable character, was a much more innocent leading man than I was expecting but I will admit that he balanced Becca's character well. While their relationship progressed rather quickly, I did find it sweet and I 'got' their connection. I appreciate the fact that Ms Scott didn't allow their relationship to overpower the storyline or become too saccharine/cheesy.

While Becca and Alex's relationship was well written my favourite relationship (and I feel the most authentic) was Becca's relationship with Jocelyn. I liked that it was very rocky and I look forward to seeing how their relationship progresses as the overall story unfolds in future books.

Overall, the story flowed very well and I think that's what helped keep my attention even though the story was rather predictable. Would I have liked more drama and action in the storyline? Yes, definitely. I do like to be on the edge of my seat with this kind of read and wasn't quite there until the very end of the book.

As you can see I kind of went back and forth with this book. I liked parts of it, enjoyed reading the book overall but there were some weaker spots as well. Ms Scott has written an intriguing first book of her series and while I feel this book lacked in a couple of areas I am interested enough to see where she'll be taking her characters in future books.

Note: My sincere thanks to Angry Robot and NetGalley for providing me with this complimentary e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3.5/5 stars


Tags : The Holders on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers.,The Holders,Strange Chemistry,1908844426

The Holders 9781908844422 Books Reviews

Can I just say that the song “Holding Out for a Hero” sung by Bonnie Tyler for the Footloose (1984) soundtrack is actually a pretty good representation of this book? And in several ways.

Ryland has been able to hear voices most of his childhood, and more than once, it has almost had him thrown into a psychiatric center. Becca, his over-protective older sister, has made it her job the past few years to make sure that doesn’t happen. When two strangers come to offer Ryland a chance to learn more about his ability and how to control it at a private school in Ireland for those with abilities like his, she is skeptical, but decides to go along.

Along the the way, the two discover that Ryland is a “holder”, coming from a long bloodline of people who were gifted with abilities. They also learn that their father, who disappeared shortly after Ryland’s birth without so much as a goodbye, is the leader of the school Ryland is to attend.

Going to the school brings several changes to both Becca and Ryland. As Ryland finds a place where he can fit in and not have to worry about his abilities hurting anyone or being hurt himself, his dependency on Becca’s protection decreases, leaving her feeling unwanted and unneeded. She finally has a chance to live her life for herself.

About the time that she realizes she can finally go to college without worrying about her brother, she discovers more about the history of the holders and the one they are hoping will save them from destruction.

This book is awesome. Filled with intrigue, romance and adventure, it’s a tale for everyone. Becca will do anything and everything it takes to protect her brother, and has left nothing for herself. She’s skipped going to college a couple of years so that she could be there if he needed her, and only recently took a job because her mother insisted it. She allows Ryland to go to the Ireland only if she can go as well and make sure he’s fine in his new situation.

I fell in love with the characters as well as the storyline. It was easy to see how Becca had sacrificed so much for Ryland and her devotion to continue doing so at the risk of losing any kind of life and friendship of her own. Top it off with the surprise three quarters of the way through the book about the holders and their “savior”, and this book is grade-A-awesome!
This review, as well as many more, can also be found on my blog, The Baking Bookworm (thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca)

Author Julianna Scott
Genre Young Adult (YA), supernatural
Type e-book, Advanced Reading Copy (ARC)
Series 1st book in The Holders series
Source NetGalley
Publisher Strange Chemistry
Publishing Date March 5, 2013
First Line "The moment I saw Ryland's silhouette in the window of our old tree house, I knew something was wrong."

My Thoughts This was a good start to a new YA series. It has an interesting premise regarding supernatural powers and set in beautiful Ireland. The addition of Ireland's Celtic mythology, history and the beautiful Gaelic language set this book apart for me.

One of the things that had me wanting to get my hands on this book was the overall premise. I think it was because it had a very X-Men feel to it. Surprisingly, the major similarities didn't put me off but made me want to read this book even more. In The Holders we have a boarding school for 'special' kids set up by a brilliant and talented man, Jocelyn (ie. Professor X). In the past, Jocelyn knew a man Darragh (the Magneto of the book) who felt that the supernatural powers that were granted to these special few by the Irish gods should be used to gain power over mere mortals. Jocelyn vehemently disagrees and there lies the main conundrum. Very X-men, good vs evil, mutant versus mortal, right?

As I said, I don't have a problem with the X-Men similarities (which kind of surprised me). But ... if you're going to do a supernatural book I expect to see a lot of supernatural powers in the book. Unfortunately I felt like we just got a little hint at the powers that some of these Holders possess. I think that witnessing some of the powers that the Holders had would have helped me understand their world at St Brigid's better. This book was rather meek in showcasing the unique powers that these Holders possessed.

As for the characters? While I did like Becca and Alex as main characters it was a certain secondary character who stood out and made me want to keep reading. My favourite has to be Jocelyn, the rather mysterious headmaster of St Brigid's. We're given a glimpse into who he is but I'm really looking forward to seeing where his storyline goes (as well as learning more about his history). And yes, Jocelyn is a male. I will freely admit that I had never heard of using Jocelyn as a male name before (and was a little confused when he was first introduced) but apparently Jocelyn was originally a male name. Huh. Learned somethin' new.

While Becca and Alex were good main characters there were a few things that irked me a bit about them. Becca, for all her graduating high school at the age of 15, didn't come off as all that smart or mature. She seemed to be very obsessed with her little brother, Ryland and put off when he finally found a place and friends who accepted him.

Alex, while a very likable character, was a much more innocent leading man than I was expecting but I will admit that he balanced Becca's character well. While their relationship progressed rather quickly, I did find it sweet and I 'got' their connection. I appreciate the fact that Ms Scott didn't allow their relationship to overpower the storyline or become too saccharine/cheesy.

While Becca and Alex's relationship was well written my favourite relationship (and I feel the most authentic) was Becca's relationship with Jocelyn. I liked that it was very rocky and I look forward to seeing how their relationship progresses as the overall story unfolds in future books.

Overall, the story flowed very well and I think that's what helped keep my attention even though the story was rather predictable. Would I have liked more drama and action in the storyline? Yes, definitely. I do like to be on the edge of my seat with this kind of read and wasn't quite there until the very end of the book.

As you can see I kind of went back and forth with this book. I liked parts of it, enjoyed reading the book overall but there were some weaker spots as well. Ms Scott has written an intriguing first book of her series and while I feel this book lacked in a couple of areas I am interested enough to see where she'll be taking her characters in future books.

Note My sincere thanks to Angry Robot and NetGalley for providing me with this complimentary e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating 3.5/5 stars