Review ‘Dust’ by Sarah Daltry

“I was once the type of person who was impressed by
starlight; the type of person who would dance beneath glass ceilings and let
the world swim in its loveliness. The sky reminds me of the parties we used to
throw – parties like the one last night. The memories bring back the trill of
harps and endless ripples of satisfied laughter. Now, though, when I try to
recall what I felt, all I hear is screaming.”

In a world ravaged by war and oppressive forces of evil,
a princess must fight to claim her bloodright and save her people.

When the princess, Alondra, falls for the beautiful,
blue eyes of a hooded stranger, it awakens in her a taste for freedom and an
escape from her duty.

But her parents have other plans; they have a kingdom to
protect and Alondra must marry to ensure the peace between nations. Only what
happens when your parents choose a cold-hearted assassin as your betrothed?

As lies, illusions, and long hidden vendettas
surface, the princess has to confront a very secret history. One that makes her
realize that she not only risks losing her liberty, but also everything she has
known and loved.

I
received an ARC copy of ‘Dust’ by Sarah Daltry a little while ago in exchange
for my honest review. I read the book description and I immediately found
myself interested in this story.  I love
fantasy stories and this one seemed to be my kind of book.

In ‘Dust’
we meet Alondra, a spoiled princess who doesn’t want to do anything all to
serious and involving responsibilities. When Alondra’s parents decide to
arrange a marriage for her with an assassin called Seamon, Alondra is furious.
Unfortunately for Alondra she is the only one who can take over the throne and
now it’s time for her to take her responsibility.  Soon after the engagement party Alondra’s
world changes forever. Her home is attacked and before Alondra can comprehend
what is happening, she and Seamon are forced to save their world. There are a
lot of secrets and now everyone is depending on Alondra to save their world.

When I
first started reading ‘Dust’ I was immediately pulled into Alondra’s world.
There is a lot happening and I really felt for the strong hearted girl when she
found out her parents arranged a marriage. Although I at first thought of
Alondra as a spoiled princess, I soon found myself liking this princess who
just wants to enjoy life while she still can. She is young and forced to live a
life she never asked for. I kind of couldn’t dislike her after I figured that
out.

This is
definitely a book where a lot of things are happening and you really need to
pay attention. I liked the fast paced writing but that also meant I found this
book a little hard to read after an exhausting day.

What I
found a little frustrating about this book was that there are a lot of
different parts. I would be completely drawn into the story and then suddenly
it said ‘Part Two’ etc. Every time I just lost my reading vibe. I didn’t feel
like all these different parts where necessary and it somehow made it a little
hard for me to get back into the story immediately.

Although
I liked this story I found the ending a little too much. There is a lot of
magic happening and a lot of talk about different worlds and the ending just wasn’t
really my thing. I was a little disappointed by it to be honest. I just think
there was a lot of information at the end and it just somehow made it a little confusing
for me.

But
overall I think this book was definitely a nice read. If you like fantasy books
and stories about princesses and wars. This is definitely a book for you 😉

Sarah Daltry is a varied author, known best for the
contemporary New Adult series, ‘Flowering’, a six-title series that explores
the complexities of relationships, including how we survive the damage from our
pasts with the support of those who love us. Although the books are no longer
in print, they are being rewritten and redeveloped for future publication.

As a former English teacher and YA library coordinator, Sarah has always loved
Young Adult literature and ‘Dust’, an epic fantasy novel where romance blends
with the blood and grit of war, is her second official foray into YA, following
the gamer geek romantic comedy, ‘Backward Compatible’. Most of Sarah’s work is
about teens and college students, as it’s what she knows well.

Sarah’s passion in life is writing – weaving tales of magic and beauty. The
modern and vast social networking world is an alternative universe that she
makes infrequent trips to, but when she does, readers will find her attentive,
friendly and happy to discuss the magic of stories and reading. Please stop by
and say hello anywhere Sarah is online! 

Sarah has moved back and forth between independent and traditional publishing.
Her first novel, ‘Bitter Fruits’, is with Escape, an imprint of Harlequin
Australia, and she signed with Little Bird Publishing in the spring of 2014.

Sarah has also written ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,’ a reimagining of
one of her favorite poems in a contemporary setting.

She is an obsessive Anglophile who spends more time watching BBC TV than any
human being should, as well as a hardcore gamer and sarcastic nerd. 

Source: http://www.amazon.com/Sarah-Daltry/e/B00BVV0F5W

For more information about ‘Dust’
and Sarah Daltry please visit her website,
Goodreads,
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