Book Review: Spark

Spark by Alice Broadway

“A walk through the woods is never just a walk a walk through the woods.”

─ Alice Broadway

 

“I try not to be brought back to earth, but the floating feeling of being above and around everything has gone, and there is nothing to do but go on.

─ Alice Broadway

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Book Information

Title: Spark (Ink Trilogy Book #2)

Author: Alice Broadway

Publisher: Scholastic Press, New York

ISBN 978-1-338-35599-4

Genre: YA Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Folk Tales, Fables, Fairy Tales

Ages: 14 +

309 pages

 

Book Summary:

Leora is considered a traitor after her reckless conduct at the naming ceremony. She is called before the mayor with an ultimatum – possible redemption by becoming a spy or face the consequences of going against him. To make the situation worse not only will Leora suffer, but all the friends and family she has will suffer for her actions. The meeting did little to ease her fears. It did confirm that Mayor Longsight felt she was a threat that needed brought under control.

Leora accepts her fate of being banished and sent to live among the blanks in their settlement, Featherstone pretending to be a refugee, one of them while spying. The deception is troubling, yet maybe this will provide the opportunity to learn about her parents, where she comes from.

Leora discovers the unexpected in Featherstone, the truth isn’t always as clear as you believe. Her entire life she was raised with stories of the history of the marked in Saintstone and the blanks in Featherstone. As she learns more about the blanks, she begins to question which stories are true and who the real monsters are.

As the deceptions worsen, and tensions rise, Leora finds herself on both sides of an impending war facing the choice of which half she must betray.

Book Rating   3.5/5

Spark is the story about a girl who finds she knows nothing about who she really is. In a world that is divided into the marked and the blanks, Leora finds she is an anomially as she is both. Leora grew up in Saintstone, a community of the marked separated and protected from the settlement of the blanks, Featherstone. The people from each community did not interact and haven’t since the historically split of two sisters.

Leora like other children learned the tales and warnings of the stories of the sisters. Yet these stories like many other things Leora grew up learning and knowing as the truth in Saintstone begin to unravel with a simple discovery of the people who raised her are not her parents. Leora discovers her mother is a blank.

Small actions lead to consequences and possible answers to questions. Leora is banished and sent to spy on the blanks in Featherstone or she and those she cares about will suffer. The deception weighs heavily on her shoulders as she becomes part of the community and learns that there are two sides to the truth, and sometimes it is difficult to know which is right.

I liked the way Broadway used fables, and fairy tales of the history of the blanks and marked to show how the truth the people of a community are raised with are skewed to their perspective. The stories depict similarities between the communities while being different, showing two separate truths without the complete truth. Leora is thrown in as a person of both communities who is either the catalyst for their destruction or savior.

My only complaint would be that I didn’t realize this book was a sequel in part of a trilogy when I purchased it. The book does stand well on its’ own, but there are references, of course to Leora’s actions at the naming ceremony that led to the events in the book. So I spent some moments hoping that Broadway would go into more detail about Leora’s past. After finishing Spark I discovered there was a previous book that I am hoping will delve into those areas more. I intend to read the other two books in the trilogy.

For those of you who are also concerned with the appearance of a book, I found a pleasant surprise when I removed the paper jacket to read the book. The cover has a very nice red foiled design. I will be putting the paper jacket back on before placing on the shelf, but am slightly disappointed to cover up the foiled cover art.

The other books in the Ink Trilogy are Ink (Book #1) and Scar (Book #3).

To find more information about Alice Broadway, her books, and book tours visit her site:

https://www.alice-broadway.com/

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