Customer Reviews

Snakecharm: The Kiesha'ra: Volume Two

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

If you're like me, you were anxious to find out what happened with Zane and Danica after the events of "Hawksong." Once again, we are thrust into the world of the serpiente and the avians. Zane tells the story from his point of view, unlike the first book where Danica was the storyteller.

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes does not disappoint her readers. This book is just as amazing as her previous ones. I recommend it to anyone who enjoyed "Hawksong."

Continue the series with:
Book 3 Falcondance: The Kiesha'ra: Volume Three (Kiesha'ra)
Book 4 Wolfcry: The Kiesha'ra: Volume Four
Book 5 Wyvernhail: The Kiesha'ra: Volume Five


Or if you'd like to read more of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, I greatly recommend her vampire themed stories. Her first book was published when she was only 14, and I think I enjoyed this series even more than the Kiesha'ra ones. The nice thing about these is that they do not necessarily have to be read together or in order as most feature new characters, though they do take place in the same universe and often mention characters from previous books.

Book 1 In the Forests of the Night
Book 2 Demon in My View
Book 3 Shattered Mirror
Book 4 Midnight Predator (Den of Shadows)
Book 5 Persistence of Memory (Den of Shadows)
Book 6 Token of Darkness (Den of Shadows)
Book 7 All Just Glass

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.

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes has created a world based on the idea that an author shouldn't have to describe every single facet of an imaginary world to give the reader fulfillment. She describes only as much as the reader needs to understand the story while at the same time leaving room for future story expansion.
That being said, I have to say that this story comfortably continues the story of Zane and Danica and introduces falcon characters to expand the world introduced in Hawksong. Also, toward the end she lightens the slightly grim mood with the characters' hope in the future Wyvern's Court. It seems the overall mood of the series gradually lightens throughout the first two books of the series and shows the regrowth of a society long-torn by war.
Atwater-Rhodes tells a fine tale for either children or adults.

Let me first of all say that I LOVED Hawksong! It was amaizingly good, and brightened my summer. So imagine my delight when I found out there was going to be a sequel.
I thought Snakecharm was good, but not quite as good as Hawksong. I liked Zane's narrative style, but felt that all of a sudden, he and Danica seemed like they were fifty years old. It just didn't have the same charm, and it didn't seem like they had the same passion for their lives as they had in the first. Maybe it was because this volume focused more politics than the two themseleves, but it just wasn't as good.

I was rather insecure about the reviews but I finished Snakecharm in a night and it's very good.
As a narrator, Zane's voice is warm and it drags you in, and through his eyes you get a new persepctive on the things you met in Hawksong.
I liked the plot, it held a few surprises.
And I advice to read carefully for the alot of hits and questions arrise for the third part in the series...

I concider it every bit as good as Hawksong, perhaps funier since the mood is lighter.

Snake Charm, the sequel to Hawk Song follows Zane the King of the Serpentine and his personal struggles with his relationship with his queen and her people. His queen is Danica Shadre, the Queen of the Avians, and their arranged marriage turned out for the best, even with the tough start, the two nations came together, and their relationship turned into love. Though even with all these glorious things, hatred still remains in some of the people, and assassinations are attempted, and Zane's unborn child is in danger.
Snake Charm was a great follow up to Hawk Song. Switching over from Danica's view in Hawk Song to Zane's views in Snake Charm was difficult at first, I was still sucked into his mind and the story unfolded beautifully. A perfect follow up to Hawk Song, I enjoyed Snake Charm thoroughly.

i am a little surprised by this book because i am having a hard time getting through it because i am so bored with it. i agree with a lot of the comments in the previous reviews, so i won't repeat them. also.. why did they make the book larger.. for me that was part of the charm of her books was that smaller size. i loved it. i hope she goes back to writing books about earlier topics in her series. if she had started out with the latest books i probably would NOT buy her books. but because the first ones were so good...story wise and how they were written.. i kept following her work. i'm not sure i will buy falcon dance.. maybe.. depends if i get through this one. also.. for anyone who enjoys her writing topics.. try a series called SWEEP ... i liked those you might too.

Well, I'll be honest here, this book is not as good as the first one (Hawksong). Don't get me wrong, I gave it a four star rating because it is still a decent book worth reading, but it just has some flaws compared to the first.

The story folows Zane as the narrator this time, and continues the story of the union of his and Danica's peoples. Syfka, from the powerful falcon shapeshifter race, arrives to try to find a missing falcon criminal, whom she believes is hiding in their midst. In addition, Danica finds out she is pregnant with a hybrid child (not a spoiler, it says this already in the book's synopsis). Anyway, some things happen (not going to give it away) and then Zane and Danica decide to create a mixed Wyvern's Court, where both peoples can join together in a single community. Basically, that's the gist of the whole story.

There are two flaws with this book. Firstly, the plot winds here and there, and alot of things happen, but it doesn't really feel like anything profound or important takes place by the end of it. In other words, it kind of leaves you with a feeling of "what happened and was it important?" Not to say that the book doesn't entertain, it does, I just wished it had been a little bit MORE interesting. I certainly couldn't imagine someone who had not read the first book to find it interesting (nor would they understand what was going on anyway). Oh well, I guess the other books in the series will answer more of my questions.

My other complaint, and this one is fairly important, is that the narration feels poor. Zane is supposed to be narrating this book, but you don't ever feel like his personality is showing through. It's almost like he feels distant and uninvolved in the actual goings-on. I mean, you know it's him on a logical level, but otherwise, it feels like anyone from a maid to a member of the kitchen staff could be speaking. This is rather baffling since the author had done such a good job of giving him a personality in the previous book. I really don't know what happened. The plot will distract you from this problem while you're reading, but it still feels somewhat jarring.

Anyway, despite those flaws, this is still worth a read if you liked the first book.

P.S. To anyone who's wondering about this: Yes, you need to read Hawksong first or you'll have no idea what's going on. In fact, if you're planning to read the whole Kiesha'ra series, you'd better do it in order. As for Amelia's other books that aren't part of this series (i.e. her vampire books), this rule doesn't apply. Anyway, happy reading!

she comes up with such creative story lines and creative unique titles that make you want to pick it up and give it more thought, since this book i have read all of her other books! and i love them all!!!