Weeping for Raven: Inducing the Calm

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Author(s)

Mel L. Kinder

Publisher Name

Black Rose Writing

Genre(s)

Fantasy

Age Range

13+

Release Date

September 01, 2011

ISBN13

9781612960524

ISBN10 or ASIN

"If I were dreaming would I know?" 18-year-old Gwen asks herself after regaining consciousness in a world similar to her own. Her new identity earns her a life on the run alongside the intriguing Rook Dresden. As if running from hunters wasn't challenging enough she must also battle herself against falling in love in a world she may soon leave behind forever.

User reviews

2 reviews

Overall rating

4.8

Writing Style

4.5(2)

Plot

5.0(2)

Characters

5.0(1)

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A(0)

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Please, Mel, May I have more?

December 02, 2012

Overall rating

4.5

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Let me begin this review by saying I can’t wait to read the rest of Mel L Kinder’s trilogy!

Description: In a parallel world where the sun casts darkness, and the moon casts daylight, a population of parasitic predators-wardlows-is on the rise threatening to corrupt the perfect world. Or are they? 18-year-old Gwen wakes to find she doesn’t recognize her own reflection. Questioning her sanity she sets out to find answers alongside the incredibly intriguing Rook Dresden.Gwen’s secret endangers the lives of those around her as she fills the shoes of Alexa Murdock in an epic struggle against all odds; evading the hunters, escaping the slippery clenches of death, and preventing activation of the prism cell. Inducing the Calm, book one in the Weeping for Raven trilogy is an emotional roller coaster with edge-of-your-seat action, and an escape to an extraordinary alternate reality.

Gwen Penn has awakened in an alternate universe. Everything is “somewhat” the same but, at the same time, just a bit off-kilter. Day is night, night is day and her “kind” is hunted down to keep society pure.

I was swept up into the story from page 1 and grabbed by the suspense and excitement. The romance that blossoms between Gwen and Rook is sweet and helps to hold the story together but, it’s really secondary to the tension created by the masterful telling of Gwen’s adventures of learning how to elude the invisible forces tracking her, adapting to her new surroundings and attempting to learn how to combat the “cleansing” of this strange new world.

The single fly in the ointment is the editing. The beautiful character development and plot building are somewhat diminished by the herky-jerky feel of the narrative, verb tense errors and awkward sentence construction. Despite these minor impediments, the story compelled me to continue reading as I became increasingly involved in cheering Gwen and Rook on to a successful conclusion.

Editing notwithstanding, I thoroughly enjoyed Weeping For Raven and have rated it 4 Stars. Now, I’m antsy for the next book in the trilogy!

Good Points

Compelling narrative, character development and plot.

Jim Wright

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A journey through the imagination of a very talented author.

November 02, 2012

Overall rating

5.0

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Wonderful characterisation for a fantasy novel.

Good Points

Gwen Penn is an 18 year old student who awakens in another girl’s body in what appears to be some kind of alternate version of her own world. There she meets Rook Dresden, with whom she begins to feel an immediate and irresistible attraction.
We follow Gwen as she struggles to make sense of her bizarre surroundings, all the while trying to conceal her bewilderment from Rook.
Everything in this world is familiar, but utterly different. Here darkness falls when the sun rises. Daylight comes from the moon. Inhabitants draw their energy from “sunshade”, rather than from the consumption of food.
And then there are the wardlows, the terrible pariahs of this world. And what is the strange, invisible force that seems to be stalking Gwen?
Mel Kinder is such a skilled writer that nowhere does this strange universe seem in any way implausible. The struggles of Gwen to understand and blend in with this alien environment are drawn with the same deft touch. However, it's in the growing relationship between Gwen and Rook that Mel really comes into her own. She has such a fine eye for the subtleties of human attraction that even an oldie like me was just swept along by it all. Not to mention taken back more years than I care to remember.
This is one of many passages that stood out for me:-
Rook seemed to have just the right amount of humor, chivalry, sweetness, and sarcasm. Like a mixed drink made just to her taste - intoxicating just the same.
This isn’t just a wonderful, feel-good book, this is a journey through the imagination of a very talented author.
I look forward to the next book in the series.

Bob Atkinson