The Book Landers: Blog Tour + Review: The Blue Woods

Title: The Blue Woods

Author: Nicole Maggi

Genre: YA Fantasy

Book Blurb:

The Night Battles ascend in THE BLUE WOODS, the exhilarating conclusion to the Twin Willows Trilogy.

Sixteen-year-old Alessia Jacobs wants to go to college someday like her friends. She wishes for a chance at a normal relationship with Jonah. But normal is never an option for a Benandante like Alessia, who has sworn to protect the magic in the world from the Malandanti . . . especially when Jonah is on the opposite side of the deadly struggle. When the war comes to a head, lives will be lost, love will be gained, and Alessia will risk everything to save the people she loves and destroy the Malandanti once and for all.

Review:

I will straight up admit I have not read the first two books in the Twin Willows Trilogy, but that did not in any way hinder my enjoyment of reading The Blue Woods by Nicole Maggi. Maggi skillfully weaves in tid bits of relevant information from the previous novels into The Blue Woods so that newcomers can piece together what is going on and enjoy the ride.

The story is told from multiple POVs, and each character's voice was very distinct and refreshing, which I enjoyed. Alessia, one of the protagonists, was a relatable character that will have readers cheering for her the whole way. Watching her character mature through the highs and lows of life was a satisfying experience. The other POV, Bree's, offers the viewpoint from a slightly older/mature (not sure if Bree is actually older than Alessia, but I keep on getting the sense she is from the way she behaves and thinks) character. Bree and Alessia's contrasting personalities made for great reading dynamics.

Other characters worth mentioning include Jonah and Cal. Jonah is Alessia's boyfriend--unfortunately, they're kind of caught in the star-crossed-lovers relationship. Alessia and Bree's quest to free Jonah from his ties to the Malandanti (aka the enemy) often conflicts with the what's best for the rest of the team; as a result, tensions rise as Alessia struggles to discover where her loyalty lies: to the Benadante or to Jonah. And Cal . . . gosh, Cal is such an adorable goofball, haha. So basically, imagine one of those overly energetic and adorable puppies that just want to please everyone. Got that? Okay, now double the enthusiasm/energy by 10 and you have a pretty good picture of Cal. Plus he's SMART. (Nice, good looking, and intelligent--can we ask for any more from a guy?)

The plot moved along at a good clipping pace. There was really no slow parts, though I did think there were a couple scenes that could be trimmed out since they kind of felt like "filling" scenes. Though, there was a really good plot twist/character reveal involving Nerina and why she is against turning Jonah from a Malandanti into a Benadante (I won't say any more as not to spoil it, but let's just say I did NOT see that coming). At one point in the book, I did feel like the story had become somewhat of a cat-and-mouse chase . . . like we were cycling through the Malandanti and the Benadante losing and gaining different magical sites. This probably lasted for a few chapters and was broken by the Final Battle at the Waterfall.

The one thing that I had the biggest quip with was the (imho) excessive use of the word "freaking". I know that this was most likely one of Alessia's character trait, but for some reason it bugged me, haha.

Over all The Blue Woods was a solid read; if you're looking for a urban fantasy, particularly one involving shape shifters, then The Twin Willows trilogy is worth checking out! Oh, and before I sign out for the night, can please take a moment to admire the gorgeous cover art? Cheers and happy readings!

Rating:

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About the Author

Nicole was born in the suburbs of upstate New York, and began writing poems about unicorns and rainbows at a very early age. She detoured into acting, earned a BFA from Emerson College, and moved to NYC where she performed in lots of off-off-off-Broadway Shakespeare. After a decade of schlepping groceries on the subway, she and her husband hightailed it to sunny Los Angeles, where they now reside, surrounded by fruit trees, with their young daughter and two oddball cats. She is also the author of THE TWIN WILLOWS TRILOGY, published by Medallion Press. The first book, WINTER FALLS, is available now.