The Unfinished Song: Taboo

There are some authors that haven't made it big for whatever reason, but are still extremely talented, and Tara Maya is one of them.  I'm not sure why a major publisher hasn't picked up her books, but they are really good, and I'm not very easy to please!

Taboo is the second novel in what looks to be quite a long series.  The two books I've read so far have been fairly short, but have left me really wanting more.  This one didn't end on quite as much of a cliffhanger as the first, but it's definitely not a satisfying, loose-end tying up ending. 

I love the world that Tara Maya has created here.  There are different regions, and each region seems to have their own speciality or magic.  It's a pretty complex world, and to try to go into explaining anything would take awhile, so instead I'll just say read the book, and you'll see.  The world-building is very unique, and is unlike anything I've read before.

The characters are written in such a way that you really root for them and want good things for them, but there are also times when you want to shake them and say "wake up!"  It can be a little frustrating at times.  Dindi seems to be the main character, and she's quite likable, but she's hardly the focal point of the story.  There's a lot going on here, and as such, you never get a chance to get bored.  If you're a fantasy fan, definitely give this series a try, starting with The Unfinished Song: Initiate.



Book Details

Title: The Unfinished Song: Taboo

Author: Tara Maya

Genre: fantasy

Why I Read It: review copy from the author, liked the first one

Grade: A (excellent)

Review: The Unfinished Song: Initiate

A DETERMINED GIRL...
Dindi can't do anything right, maybe because she spends more time dancing with pixies than doing her chores. Her clan hopes to marry her off and settle her down, but she dreams of becoming a Tavaedi, one of the powerful warrior-dancers whose secret magics are revealed only to those who pass a mysterious Test during the Initiation ceremony. The problem? No-one in Dindi's clan has ever passed the Test. Her grandmother died trying. But Dindi has a plan.

AN EXILED WARRIOR...
Kavio is the most powerful warrior-dancer in Faearth, but when he is exiled from the tribehold for a crime he didn't commit, he decides to shed his old life. If roving cannibals and hexers don't kill him first, this is his chance to escape the shadow of his father's wars and his mother's curse. But when he rescues a young Initiate girl, he finds himself drawn into as deadly a plot as any he left behind. He must decide whether to walk away or fight for her... assuming she would even accept the help of an exile.

 

I'm a little surprised at how much I like this one.  That's not to say I expected it to be bad, just didn't expect it to be as good as it was.  The first portion of the novel was a mix of infodumping and not enough information.  I know, that's a contradiction, but I felt like we were given a lot of information right up front, but maybe not the right information.  Or maybe a glossary of terms would have been helpful.

 

But once I got past that, I was swept away in the story.  I loved how the fairies were weaved into the story, but not as main characters.  They were just a part of the world.  I liked how what at first seemed to be separate stories all came together and intersected.  The characters were written in such a way that I really cared what happened to them.  There were enough characters to keep things interesting, but not so many that I couldn't remember who was who. 

 

I quite liked the setting and worldbuilding.  As I mentioned before, I liked how the fairies were used in the story.  I actually wish the story would have been a little longer so the author could have expanded on certain things in the story that were a little unclear to me.  I'm hopeful that things will become more fleshed out and clear in the following books.  According to the author's website, the books are actually one story, split into twelve short novels, so that explains things a bit.

 

One drawback was that the story ended on quite the cliffhanger, and I hate that.  I hate having to wait to find out what happens.  I was definitely left wanting more at the end.  I would for sure recommend this one, as I felt that the story and the characters were very memorable.  This is an author I'll be following, and a book I'd actually re-read.

 

Book Details

Title: Initiate: The Unfinished Song, Book One (Volume 1)

Author: Tara Maya

Genre: fantasy

Page Count: 188

Publishing Info: December 2010, Misque

Why I Read It: review copy from author in e-book form

Grade: B+ (very good)

Cover Thoughts: The cover is gorgeous.  I really like it.