Title: Copper Reign (Heartstone Collection #1)
Author: Angela Hartley
Genre: New Adult | Fantasy | Romance
Publisher: 48fourteen
Publication Date: September 15, 2015
Format: Digital
Source: ReadIndie
The tale of Sinauf was a secret nineteen-year-old Nina Douglas’ ancestors kept hidden for generations. But after six-hundred years of concealment, their protection has failed, bringing Nina’s fate into light, and revealing an inescapable truth.
The dark god of legend is real.
Caught in an ancient war still raging in the modern world, Nina is confronted with Sinauf—the embodiment of all she fears and desires. Like a moth drawn to a deadly flame, Nina must resist the seductive charm of an alluring monster, or prepare for the destruction of an entire universe.
Temptation is known by many names, and he is coming for her (goodreads).
Promises of enchanting Native American mythology quickly turns into a story we've all heard before.
Plot: Nina is half Native American (not too sure if a specific ethnic group was identified) and has the ability to Walk like her mother before her. This is all explained by a surprising amount of info dump in the first two or three chapters. That immediately pulled me from the story because I felt lectured as soon as I opened the book. After a bit of a time jump, we get to the true dilemma of the novel - Sinauf. There isn't much to explore in the novel since this is a shorter book, there is a lot that felt rushed through to get to the desired ending. I managed to read this one in one setting but ended up flipping through some passages because I never felt connected.
My biggest disappointment with this book comes from its focus on Native American mythology. I was interested as first, I love mythology of all cultures, but I thought that the author found a sneaky way to incorporate Native American mythology into European mythology which was a disservice.
Characters: Nina is "not like other girls" as our male lead tells us immediately. She seems pretty ordinary to me besides hunted by an ancient creature. The characters were all flat and I thought that their attributes were explained rather than demonstrated. They also fit nicely into the YA/NA stereotypical boxes that we've seen in these age groups.
Worldbuilding: While the plot suffered from info dump, there was no focus on the world whatsoever. In the first few chapters, Nina moves around a bit and neither landscape is distinguishable. I think, in this case, that the author was more focused on her story and the romance than she was in making a believable world.
Short N Sweet: Copper Reign is a generic European myth wearing a Native American cover.
Labels: #readindie, 2 stars, angela hartley, book review, copper reign, review
Title: Copper Reign (Heartstone Collection #1)
