9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Slithering Disapointment, October 23, 2004
Snakecharm, a book I have been waiting 4 ever to read was actually not very charming. In fact it is a major failure as a sequel to Hawksong. Atwater-Rhodes expands the reader's knowledge of Danica and Zane's world very little, by only introducing the falcons and their strict culture. Despite Atwater-Rhodes constantly describing their power, the falcons seemed only like bossy and stuck-up avians to me and Syfka got boring real fast. When it comes to the characters, Atwater-Rhodes failed to develop her main ones. Danica who was the narrator of Hawksong became unimportant and vague in Snakecharm. Zane, the narrator, was hard for me to connect with. Even though seeing the world through his eyes was interesting, I liked him better when I didn't know what was on his mind. This book also lacked the romance that Hawksong had. All the romance is sweet, but expected and even predictable. Romance wasn't the only thing Atwater-Rhodes neglected but the plot as well. The storyline which seemed so interesting at first, became stupid after a while and the little surprises made me want to stop reading all together. I found myself skipping pages to get past the boring parts (something I never did in any of her other books). The end of Snakecharm is rushed and ends rather abruptly which was not very satisfying to say the least. Overall, the book was a disapointment. Atwater-Rhodes could have done better. The main characters were distant, the falcons boring, and the story was so frustrating just to read, that I began to wish she had continued with vampires.
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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Shapeshifters Return, October 18, 2004
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes welcomes us back into her world of shapeshifters in this second volume of the planned Kiesha'Ra series. First off, if you haven't read Hawksong (the first volume), you will be lost in the second volume. While there are brief references to that book in this novel, Snakecharm introduces us to a new clan and characters, but also lacks the power of it's predecessor.
In Snakecharm, Zane takes the driver's wheel and guides us into the newlywed's life with his pair bond Danica. Both the lands of the hawks and the snakes are at peace (with a few bumps), but this is all put on a string when Syfka, a powerful falcon from Ahnmik (home of her people), warns Zane and Danica of a wanted falcon is in their land. And to make matters worse, Danica is pregnant with their first child, which could upset the balance of the hawks and the snakes.
The plot offers a more gripping, mature and dark tone than Hawksong. To me, it offers a more reality-based peice than Atwater-Rhodes last offering (Hawksong was Romeo and Juliet without the climatic death of the main characters). Also, it's nice to see old characters return and with a whole new outlook on their ever-changing world. Zane's first-person narrative offers a new face too, but it seems Atwater-Rhodes needs some more experience writting for a main male character. While she has proven great success with her main female characters, Zane's P.O.V. is often crossing the line between first/third person and this tends to leave the reader wandering around with no guidence.
Along with her weak male narrator, Atwater-Rhodes also treads into familar problems once more. She offers her readers a fantasical world, but she only gives you the tip of the iceberg. Some areas could use vast improvement, but mostly this makes the novel fast-paced, leaving no time for the reader to take nessarry information in. Another problem she also presents is the odd arrangement of characters. Atwater-Rhodes often adds characters "for the sake of addition characters", meaning compact and over-stuffed scenes.
Speaking of characters, I find the use of Normal and RPG-Style names within the same setting quite annoying. This makes the story not really believeible. If Atwater-Rhodes is desperately trying to create a fantasy setting, adding names like "Besty" makes me think that she isn't trying. One other complaint I offer is the issue of quickie romances. The budding romance between Kel and Rei is sloppily added in out of the blue. This, along with the trademark forced ending, is poorly done. Speaking of Rei, that name is Japanese and it is (I believe) a female name. To me, this name doesn't suit her male character very well (if you want to name a seemingly-weak male character, try Pip).
All in all, Snakecharm is an OK follow-up to Hawksong. I will still continue to read the rest of Atwater-Rhodes' series. The idea of the supposed encounter with the wolf shapeshifters and a new court is very promising, along with the birth of Zane and Danica's child. In adding my two cents to the ever-growing complaint about the new size and price of Snakecharm, I like the larger format. It makes reading the book easier, but I don't agree that $14.95 should be the publisher's recommended price. If the book was much longer (the total number of pages for Snakecharm is 167), then this price would suit just fine. Amazon's price (or if you have a discount at a bookstore), is much more fitting.
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