Customer Reviews

The Shaktra (Sequel to Alosha)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Being a long time fan of the author, and not being hugely impressed with Alosha, I went into The Shaktra with mixed feelings but within the first chapter any hesitation or worry, was gone. This novel hooks the reader from the first couple pages and had me emmersed in the story for the next few days. To call this trilogy fantasy is belittling. The Shaktra merges familiar Pike themes murder, mystery, the supernatural, religion and brings in the new elements of fantasy which is something that creates a world unlike any this reader has experienced before. The ending, though quick, leaves you wanting more and I have no doubt that this novel will big a big seller. I would, however, not recommend it to young children as this particular novel, comparred to Alosha, is more violent and complex.

This book is a great follow up to Alosha. Luckily, i waited until this was released before i read my copy of Alosha, so it was still fresh in my memory. My advice to anyone who read Alosha and wants to read this book is, DO NOT read the description of this book on the insided cover. I did not read it until after i read the book, and i am really glad that i did not because it practically gives away the whole plot of this book two of the trilogy. This book has quite a few plot twists and its an exciting book. It is very fun to watch Ali evolve, and keeps you wondering just how powerful she really is and will become.
Any long time reader of Pike's may enjoy this good simply because it is so different from his earlier novels, while this isn't necessarily a good thing, its nice to see him trying new things. I have read all of this adults novels, and have been reading Pike's books since 1994, and I am 22 years old now. But im digressing. The book is an excellent read, and I would definitely recommend that you read Alosha first. Also I am a guy, so don't be fooled if someone tells you this is a book for young girls. I enjoyed Alosha, and greatly enjoyed The Shaktra... Keep an eye out for The Yanti in the future.... and when the hell is "The Seedling" gonna come out? Well thanks for reading, and i hope this review was helpful. 4 out of 5 stars.

The Shaktra was a great sequel to Alosha. The first book took awhile to warm up to, but one Pike gets started, he's on fire. The book was hard to put down! Had to keep reading until I reached the end! Great twists and turns and interesting dual story lines. Was glad I had The Yanti to keep the reading going! Would definitely recommend to any Christopher Pike Fan. He develops his own mythology that only he can pull off.

I have to say the first half of the book was dissapointing, but the book slowly redeemed itself with the second half, with alot of unexpected things happening and plot changes.

The author has said things like "They were halfway there when the attack came" leaving the event unexciting and expected, where as he could have made it come as a surprise. Pike did this 4-5 times.
He really made alot of the descriptions of some "creatures" or "monsters" sound like a 3rd grade boy would create (saying they had jelly fish legs, an eye where the mouth should be & vise versa, crab claws, oozing blue-green liquid from the mouth, etc.)

Despite these things, I think the ending left a perfect beginning for the 3rd book and his characters were great. If you've read Alosha, you will probably like this book.

This book arrived quickly and looked like it was just purchased from a book store. It was also set at a very good price, considering it is a hard cover. Thank you for the great service!

WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NOT READ "ALOSHA" DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW.
In "The Shaktra", Ali travels into the elemental kingdom looking for her mom. Meanwhile, Steve and Cindy try to gather more information about the Shaktra in a nearby town. Ali makes some new friends and learns more about her identity and powers as the fairy queen.
It's a good bridge book between the first part and what I assume will be the final battle in "The Yanti." It has it's own plot with enough loose ends to entice one to pick up the next immediately after reading the last page. The juvenile writing style didn't bother me as much in this book as the last. Possibly the writing has gotten better, or possibly the storyline is so intense and suspenseful that one doesn't take much notice of the actual words. Whichever, this was quite a decent book.

Title: The Shaktra by Christopher Pike

Pages: 334.

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 3 years.

Days spent reading it: 3 days.

Why I read it: After reading Alosha, I almost decided not to continue this trilogy. I was a little disappointed. However, my desire to complete things got the better of me, and I picked up The Shaktra as originally intended.

Brief review: The Shaktra is the second book in the Alosha trilogy. I was disappointed in the first book, but was quite surprised by the second. I'm not sure what the difference was, but Shaktra exceeded my expectations.

The story moves along a bit quicker I think, and the images in the book are more unique and memorable than in the first book. For instance there are these great creatures in the book called scabs, which are like jellyfish that float in the air and suck the brains out of their victims. That's awesome in my book. Although Pike draws out some of the basic questions of the book through the whole book (like who or what is the Shaktra?), he does move the plot along.

One thing that was kind of odd was how little Pike used some of the main characters from the first book in this book. A troll and leprechaun are constant traveling companions of Ali, but they do very little besides whimper and complain in this book. I mean, come on, you have a freakin' troll in your entourage, use it!

But overall, this book delivers in a way that the first book in the trilogy did not. And for me, that is huge. Most trilogies that start great have trouble in the middle section, this book wobbled a little, but was more solid than its origins.

Favorite quote: "And it was a great treat to hear a troll giggling, because he sounded like he was about to throw up."

Stars: 4 out of 5.

Final Word: Unexpected.

This series begins with a promising young adult novel and evolves into an increasingly complex, philosophical and perceptive adult-level series.

This is where the series pick up its pace. Very exhilirating read, this one.

This book is great. The whole trylogy is fantastic. It is not only a fascinating story but if you read it carefully its a deep spiritual expierence. Harry Potter is nothing against it!!!