Book Review: The Silver Sickle by Ellie Ann

Synopsis:

The end of humanity will come through the Silver Sickle . . .

Farissa lives every moment with reckless abandon, for it may be her last. Any day now, the alien goddesses will harvest her and take her to the mysterious Silver Sickle, never to return. She’s accepted that. What she can’t accept is this new idea of freedom Zel has planted in her head. She’d give almost anything to be with Zel, but how can she run from her destiny if it means putting the whole kingdom in danger?

Everyone in the desert kingdom believes the goddesses are immortal, but Zel has invented a way to kill them. Now all he has to do is convince Farissa to run away with him and plant a seed of hope in her heart that she’s not destined to die. Little does he know that one seed of hope could change the course of the future.

Amazon:

About the Author:

Ellie Ann is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of science fiction, comics, and thrillers.

I was born in the jungles of Thailand, was raised in a small farming village in Iowa, lived in the middle of a Texan desert, and now abide in the Ozarks.
I like writing fairy tales, tall tales, thrillers, science fiction, and am seriously interested in transmedia storytelling.

I’m a creative editor for Stonehouse Ink. I’m a producer of interactive books at Noble Beast.

Come say hi! I don’t bite. Unless I’ve been turned into a zombie.

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My Review:

This is one of those books that reminds you how precious it is when someone comes up with a new idea, rather than re-spinning an idea already out there. The Silver Sickle reads like an epic high fantasy mixed with dystopia, but has those all important elements of steampunk.

I really enjoyed it, my only criticism (and this is just something quite random!) is that there is a killing machine in the book called the Wagon Wheel and every time I read this I couldn’t help but snigger as in the UK this is a well-known chocolate mallow cookie treat (sometimes with jam) This of course is something that the author would never have known about, being from another country – but it did kind of take the edge of scare factor for me.

From a writer’s perspective, it was third person and head hopped a lot and I’d have personally had preferred it to say with Farissa – I think as a character she was in the most danger and I’d have liked that excitement as a constant. I always struggle with this way of story telling – and, like I said before, I find it hard to get lost in a story when the perspective changes from chapter to chapter – although really, that’s just me.

The front cover is very clinical and doesn’t really capture the essence of the book – I’d have preferred to see something more epic – as it really has to compete in a varied and over-crowded market.

Overall, I’d give the Silver Sickle 4 out of 5 stars – A great read that should be on your summer list.