[Gabrielle’s Reviews]: The Bright & The Pale

Seventeen-year-old Valeria is one of the only survivors of the freeze, a dark magical hold Knnot Mountain unleashed over her village. Everyone, including her family, is trapped in an unbreakable sheet of ice. Ever since, she’s been on the run from the Czar, who is determined to imprison any who managed to escape. Valeria finds refuge with the Thieves Guild, doing odd jobs with her best friend Alik, the only piece of home she has left.

That is, until he is brutally murdered.

A year later, she discovers Alik is alive and being held against his will. To buy his freedom, she must lead a group of cutthroats and thieves on a perilous expedition to the very mountain that claimed her family. Only something sinister slumbers in the heart of Knnot.

And it has waited years for release.

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Going into reading this book, I had pretty neutral expectations. As an avid YA reader, it takes a lot for me to be surprised with books in the genre. I had hopes that something crazy and different and unexpected would happen as I read, and to be honest I was a little disappointed.

For about the first 100 pages, I really disliked the book. There was nothing special, and everything that happened I saw coming a million miles away. Predictable isn’t a bad thing, but when you read as much as I do, it can become repetitive. But seeing as the book originally caught my attention as being something different than anything I had read before, I kept going.

After about 100 pages though, it picked up. I became a little more interested, it wasn’t a ton of work to make myself read it, and all in all I enjoyed what I was reading. The adventure was something different from what I’ve read before, and I enjoyed getting to know most of the characters during the brutal journey they were making. Unlike what Alik and Valeria say, the middle part wasn’t the hardest part of the journey.

Sadly, this uptick in interest didn’t last as the book came to a close. The “big reveal” about why Valeria survived was something I called back around page 99. It was difficult to feel connected with the characters so by the end, I wasn’t upset that the second book has not yet been released, and that is one of my measures for if I liked a book or not. If I’m not upset to no longer be with the characters, then I tend to not have liked the book as much. And I fall in love with book characters pretty easily. So take that as you may.

All in all, it was not a bad book by any means. No, it wasn’t perfect, but honestly, what book is? Yes, it was predictable. But the plot did surprise me at times, just not where I feel the author was intending to be surprising. It had unique aspects that made me feel involved in the world and understanding of the character’s actions.

Gabrielle

Hey everyone! I’m Gabrielle, a full time college student that tries to make sure I get reading time every day (even when I should be studying). I’m currently studying biochemistry and molecular biology, but am about to graduate so hopefully my days will soon be free for all the books I can dream of.

When I’m not reading or studying, I am usually binging a TV series and cross stitching, or playing video games (right now I’m on a Minecraft and Stardew Valley kick).

I hope my reviews help you find your next favorite book, and maybe even better, your next book boyfriend!