I have received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.
Plants are dying in a zone in rural Arizona, except for the ones on Adan Drengle’s property. Adan’s neighbors start inquiring about this, and Adan will have to reveal his and his parents’ secret. Adan communes with the land in a very special and symbiotic way, which enables the plants and Adan to interchange energy and thoughts. Soon after Adan discovers another secret about his deceased parents, and will have to start a long journey in order to save the land.
This story is based on a unique concept. McFadden has written a tale with lots of imagination and great detail. This attention to small details makes the story a bit slow paced at times, but the listener is able to clearly view the surroundings of the characters. Adan’s character is well developed but I felt the rest of characters quite flat, including some important ones. It was difficult to connect to them.
Reading other reviews I had great expectations about this novel, but there were things that did not work very well for me. I had the impression that we were missing some important background information. We are told about Adan and his parents, but not a lot more than a couple of details. It is true that Adan himself did not know a lot more, but I find this to be just an excuse for a poor world development.
I also had issues ‘believing’ in the bad guy. We do not know a lot about him, just that Adan’s parents were chasing him and that he is pure evil. I think depicting a character as completely good or bad does not help to make them realistic, and this failed for me here.
Jack de Golia delivered a quite captivating narration, and his voice range is very ample, making clear distinctions among the character’s voices. I found some of them a bit too much on the theatrical side, but that is just a personal preference. I like different but subtle voices.
It was an enjoyable and well written book and it had definitely original premises.
Available at Amazon/Audible
My name is Elena. Since I was a little child I loved science fiction and fantasy, and I can’t resist a good novel. In 2015, while wait I started to listen to audiobooks and I discovered the pleasure in being able to read while doing my daily tasks, so there’s always an audiobook playing on my phone. If you see me with my Bluetooth headphones on, please be gentle, I get easily startled.
I live with my boyfriend, which I met during my six-year stay in Belgium, four cockatiels, eight lovebirds, and a hamster in Madrid, Spain; and I like to spend my free time knitting and sewing while listening to audiobooks.
