In the Serpent's Coils (Hallowmere, Bk 1)
Author:
Genres: Children's Books, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Children's Books, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Paperback
Helpful Score: 1
In the Serpent's Coils is the first book of the Hallowmere series, my most recent forray into fantasy novels with truly cheesy cover art.
Although I read Tiffany Trent's debut in record time, I had the feeling throughout that I'd somehow traveled this road before. Maybe it's just that when you get stuck on a specific genre (and I'll admit, I've read quite a few books along this same vein lately), they all seem to run together. But this book reminded me so strongly of Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle books, it was sometimes confusing.
In this introduction to the Hallowmere series, we meet the young heroine, Corrine. The novel opens with Corrine awakening from the augue (swamp fever) in post-Civil War Washington DC. Her father never returned from serving the Union army, and her battlefield nurse mother has died of the same disease that sickened Corrine. Orphaned, she is sent to live with her estranged uncle William, who informs the 16-year-old that he has no use or affection for children, and basically to stay out of his way.
Corrine is a curious and bright girl, so she quickly gets herself into trouble by meddling in Uncle Williams affairs and losing a precious artifact. As punishment, she is promptly sent away to a reformatory school for young ladies south of the Mason-Dixon line. More prison than school, her new home is filled with less-than-friendly classmates, strange teachers and haunting visions and dreams that begin almost immediately upon her arrival. Corrine spends this first book of the series learning about the history of the war with the Fae, her role in the battle against the unhallowed and of the Fairy Prince's strange fascination with her.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I wouldn't call it a must-read. I plan to read the rest of the series (because I happen to have them on-hand), but I'm not BURNING to know what happens next. I'd call In the Serpent's Coils a pleasant -- if somewhat predictable -- journey over familiar literary territory. Fans of Libba Bray or Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series will enjoy Trent's take on the "friends under the hill", and if nothing else, it's a quick read that doesn't require a lot of brainpower. Sometimes, that's the formula for the perfect literary escape!
Although I read Tiffany Trent's debut in record time, I had the feeling throughout that I'd somehow traveled this road before. Maybe it's just that when you get stuck on a specific genre (and I'll admit, I've read quite a few books along this same vein lately), they all seem to run together. But this book reminded me so strongly of Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle books, it was sometimes confusing.
In this introduction to the Hallowmere series, we meet the young heroine, Corrine. The novel opens with Corrine awakening from the augue (swamp fever) in post-Civil War Washington DC. Her father never returned from serving the Union army, and her battlefield nurse mother has died of the same disease that sickened Corrine. Orphaned, she is sent to live with her estranged uncle William, who informs the 16-year-old that he has no use or affection for children, and basically to stay out of his way.
Corrine is a curious and bright girl, so she quickly gets herself into trouble by meddling in Uncle Williams affairs and losing a precious artifact. As punishment, she is promptly sent away to a reformatory school for young ladies south of the Mason-Dixon line. More prison than school, her new home is filled with less-than-friendly classmates, strange teachers and haunting visions and dreams that begin almost immediately upon her arrival. Corrine spends this first book of the series learning about the history of the war with the Fae, her role in the battle against the unhallowed and of the Fairy Prince's strange fascination with her.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I wouldn't call it a must-read. I plan to read the rest of the series (because I happen to have them on-hand), but I'm not BURNING to know what happens next. I'd call In the Serpent's Coils a pleasant -- if somewhat predictable -- journey over familiar literary territory. Fans of Libba Bray or Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series will enjoy Trent's take on the "friends under the hill", and if nothing else, it's a quick read that doesn't require a lot of brainpower. Sometimes, that's the formula for the perfect literary escape!
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