| Title | : | Redemption (Hearts of Stone, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0738730742 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780738730745 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 360 |
| Publication | : | First published September 1, 2012 |
Redemption (Hearts of Stone, #1) Reviews
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Read this back when it was just a Word document. Very unique and interesting, and uses something I don't see often in the paranormal world—gargoyles.
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Book Review originally published here:
http://www.iheartreading.net/mini-rev...
Gargoyles! It’s the first time I’ve read a YA paranormal focusing on gargoyles. The plot was intriguing, the characters were fun too. However, while the novel starts off with a bang, offering all these refreshing elements, it goes downhill fast. By the end, the main characters becomes whiny and needy, and I didn’t like her all that much. A decent novel all the same, but not one of my favorites. -
This sounds amazing! Gargoyles? Definitely something new.
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This was yet another young-adult supernatural tale that started off quite strongly - with several unique elements - and then faltered midway, ending with disappointment and relief that it was over. Much like how I felt reading The Demon Catchers of Milan, Launier's Redemption is a novel that starts off so well and then manages to squander all that potential in favor of the same old same old things seen so often in the in the YA/PNR genre: a stalkerish love interest, a focus on wishy washy romance angles and storylines, a slow-moving plot, and a main character who became so needy I couldn't stand her by the end. For a novel that started out with a bang and unique concepts, it went out with a cliched whimper. I'd rate the first 60ish pages higher than the rest - possibly a 3 or a 3.5, but this novel went downhill fast and a 2/5 rating is the fairest I can be, when looking back at this occasionally fun but ultimately unmemorable novel. By the end, I felt no enthusiasm reading Redemption - it was more like a chore that I had to finish rather than one I wanted to.
My problems with the novel started to rear their head before I was a third of the way through the 360-page book. Things that were working for this novel: unique paranormal beings (Gargoyles! The only other books I've read with them as a fixture are Karen Duvall's Knight's Curse series!), an unexplored and fresh mythology (Mohawk Native American legends and themes), and a fun, atmospheric location (Montreal!) to go with. Things that were NOT working: the dual narrative that switches too much, the loads of exposition, and the clunky, and often quite cheesy, dialogue between all the characters, romantic or otherwise. The alternating first-person POVs changed so often - occasionally after two or three pages, or even on the same page, that it made for a lot of head-jumping and frustration. It does help a little that the dual narratives sound nothing alike - modern and feisty Aude reads quite differently than the stone-hearted Guillaume, but it's too much too often.
The author can create atmosphere, but her ability is limited elsewhere. The story at the heart of Redemption is nothing new for all its original trappings, and the flashbacks interposed are hardly smooth - they're awkward, and jarring to the already-stuttering flow of the narrative, and do little to add to the overall plot of the novel. They came off as either exposition, filler, too short to have any impact, or are just plain annoying. I wanted to care about Aude, Guillaume, his "brothers", the bandmates - but I just couldn't relate to any of them, nor root for them as they fight their way through some truly obvious foreshadowing and clunky dialogue. The flat presentation of the characters, the hackneyed writing and plot, the multitude of convenient plot devices, the lack of subtlety or nuance in any form -- all served to distance me more and more from the novel itself and become more and more critical as the pages slowly kept turning.
Ultimately, Redemption came off as pretty formulaic for all its early promise of originality; cliched, and predictable. A few good ideas, a few funny lines lost in all the cheese, were not enough to keep me a fan of this novel. The series will continue, and I assume will garner its own particular brand of fans, but I am not and will not be one of them. -
Can time really heal all wounds? Probably...unless you're stuck in stone with nothing but your thoughts to haunt you for seventy years.
For the past seventy years, Guillaume, his father and his two brothers have perched atop the four corners of a church in Montreal as stone gargoyles. At one point they were able to shift into human and gargoyle-like forms, but since the death of the witch they protected, their essence faded away and they turned into stone, alive in spirit and forced to watch life as it passes them by. Marguerite's family long held a deal with Guillaume's family - protect the witches and they will feed the gargoyles the essence necessary to keep them alive. Marguerite was the last in their line, and with her went the ability to keep Guillaume's family alive. That is, until the night Aude passes by and is attacked by three guys. Almost seemingly possessed, Aude chants a foreign tongue and the gargoyles break free from their prison.
But their release is only temporary. Without a witch to transfer essence over to them, they'll fade back into stone once again. Determined to learn why Aude was able to break them free and transfer a little energy their way, Guillaume nudges his way into her life, even though she's dead set against it. But Aude can't deny the fact that she keeps hearing tribal drums and chanting in her head, and she keeps getting attacked by various creatures. Not to mention the dead birds that fall around her and the mutant animals that always skitter across her path. When she learns these are the signs of a prophecy that hits a little too close to home, she's more than willing to learn what a few gargoyles may have to say in the matter. In order to have any chance of survival, she'll have to trust the gargoyles, and they in turn, her.
Something fresh and original that Redemption has going for it, besides the supernatural gargoyles, is Aude being able to manipulate and transfer the very essence of our being. It's similar to what I read in Fractured Light, but instead of harnessing Light, Aude is able to drain however much of our life's essence as she chooses and share as she sees fit. But as awesome as that is, she's as vulnerable as any other human, and therefore, can strike a bargain with supernatural creatures to protect her mortality. And a little love on the side? Why not, since the gargoyles can choose to age with their partner, only to return to the young age of seventeen all over again. How cool is that?
Aude is definitely a reluctant hero, and Guillaume a tortured soul, so they spend half of the novel refusing to bend for the other, which can be a little frustrating for those hoping for some romance. And the story's a little slow after that first big bang, even with a couple of attacks on her life, but the real action looms toward the last quarter, so stick it out.
ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley. -
I was really excited about reading this book because, after werewolves, gargoyles are my muber one thing! There are just so few books out their about gargoyles so I consider it a treat when I come across one. Unfortunately, I haven't come across one that completely hits the spot, so to speak. Though I enjoyed Redemption, I thought the characters could have been more ...endearing and the story was a little too slow for my tastes. It starts off more slow than intriguing and stays that way for a lot of the story. I enjoyed the action in parts and the last third of the book was packed with a pucnch. I think if the entire story had been infused with that same excitment and intrigue, I would have enjoyed it overall instead of in parts. As for the characters, though I wasn't particularly smitten by any of them, I thought they were interesting enough to keep me invested and realistically flawed. It took me a while to realy click with them, but once I did, I really wanted to see how things would work out for them. I liked the switching viewpoints because it allowed me to get to know more about each character and what made them tick. Overall, Redemption is a simple read that has heart and a lot of potential. There was a quality to the story that made me want to keep reading despite the lull in certain parts. It's not fast paced, but I think if you like gargoyles and a bit of mystery, you'll like this well enough.
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3.5 stars.
Firstly, a thanks to Flux Books and Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book.
Redemption is one of those novels that haunt you with excellent, puzzling questions. With an action filled beginning and a hope filled ending, there is no better story about magic and love.
Aude...Aude loves music, is part Native American and accidentally turned several stone gargoyles into teenage boys. And that summarizes the first three pages of the book.
Guillaume was one of said gargoyles. He is incredibly(sexy) protective and, can you guess, ends up completely falling in love! But with who? Bet you can't guess!
Guillaume and Aude take turns narrating. In some books this doesn't work very well but I think in this case it was perfect. It allowed us to see what Guillaume knew and felt and also to see Aude's strength and confusions. (In this book, Guillaume made the things clear for what Aude didn't understand. That make sense?)
Did I enjoy Redemption? It was a fun little novel that I would recommend out to others, but only in a few cases. I felt that the story had three or four major things happen and that the rest of the time lacked excitement that would have been needed to make it interesting. Or more interesting. I felt that other then Aude and Guillaume, the characters were a little flat. Aude's best friends seemed stereotypical, and Aude herself at times did as well.
Overall, though, I enjoyed it. A good, simple read. -
One word: Gargoyles
Well, okay, a few more: FINALLY a paranormal romance I actually like.
Plus: It's set in Montreal, where I lived for 2 years. <3 -
The inclusion of gargoyles is interesting in a market saturated with other types of paranormal creatures, and it's neat that the book alternates between Guillaume and Aude's POVs. However, the characters were flat. I felt like I was reading another teen paranormal story (with the teen trying ot figure out their abilities while simultaneously preventing a large-scale disaster).
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Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.
Quick & Dirty: A gothic love story with the potential to become an interesting series.
Opening Sentence: Humanity wandered by, the way it always had.
The Review:
Redemption is a gargoyle love story with some potential. As a teenager I would have probably fell in love with this book but as an adult not quite so much. Aude, pronounced “Ode” but everyone calls her “Odd” is a musically talented young woman who is looking forward to a future in music with her band. She is basically a loner, her only two friends are her bandmates who have just recently begun dating. Her dating bandmates have her believeing her band will fall apart and with the new tension she doesn’t believe she can confide in her friends about the strange things happening to her.
An attack on Aude ultimately releases Guillaume and his gargoyle brothers from stone. The gargoyles can turn from stone to human flesh but to do that they have to rely on essence fed to them by an essentialist (basically a witch). It has been over 70 years since Guillaume has been in human form, the last essentialist he knew died, and he can’t help but follow Aude to find out what power she holds. It doesn’t take him long to confront her but he knows he is going to slowly have to gain her trust if he wants to find out why she was able to bring him back to flesh.
Aude is being followed by Guillaume almost wherever she goes, she isn’t a huge fan of it but then she begins to be attacked by a stone man. A few times she relies on Guillaume to save her but she does save herself a couple times too when he isn’t around. Aude and Guillaume begin to unravel a prophecy about the destruction of Montreal and they have to figure out how to keep it from happening.
I liked Aude most of the time and I really enjoyed her enthusiasm for music but I felt she was way too stubborn at times. She didn’t want to listen to people and when her friend finally gave her a wakeup call about who was really destroying the band, she begin to trust in other people. Now Guillaume is a different story, I really liked him at first but when as his backstory was revealed there was just something about his character that I couldn’t quite feel for. And for having no emotions he was certainly quite selfish. As for Aude and Guillaume’s relationship, I was rooting for it off and on. (I would add more but I feel like I’d be spoilery about it.)
The setting for Redemption is the Montreal, Quebec, Canada and Veronique Launier pays close attention to detail about the buildings of that city, past and present, and how they affect the story. The atmosphere to the story has a bit of a gothic feel with little twists of humor.
Redemption jumps back and forth between Aude and Guillaume’s point of views. It is easy to know who is speaking since it is labeled at the beginning of every chapter. I had a few issues with the plot, mainly at the end of the book. I did have to read the end fight scene twice because after I read it the first time, I couldn’t remember what just had happened and why the following scene was like it was.
Overall, I think Redemption has some potential to be a good series. I like the originality to the gargoyles and their backstory. There is also a interesting set up to a Persian gargoyle that I would love to read more about and learn his story. He definitely added some extra conflict to Aude’s feelings and I’d like to see where it goes. As of right now, I can’t find any information on a sequel except for Goodreads listing Redemption as part of a series.
Notable Scene:
Finally, I felt the bitter wind against my bare skin and I knelt beside her. Her eyes were closed again. I made a small gagging sound as I tried to swallow past a lump in my throat. Her eyes opened a slit and she watched me, her breath rasping. In my imagination, I saw the corners of her lips raise slightly at the sight of me. I knew this wasn’t real but it was enough to pierce through the walls I’d kept up for centuries.
Here she was, this girl I’d come to love, dying in an alley, and it was my fault. I stroked her hair as I choked back a scream. I wasn’t meant to feel. This is what happened when I went against my nature. First Marguerite and now Aude. I was responsible for both. Instead of protecting them, I had to watch them both die.
“Guil … ” Her words sounded like a dry cough.
“Shhhh, don’t speak.” I put my finger on her lips in a gesture for silence.
“Don’t … ” She let out a couple of broken breaths before continuing. “ … cry.”
It took me a while to understand what she meant. Tears streamed down my cheeks, I wiped at them ith the back of my hand.
Whatever light was still in her eyes dimmed slightly.
“No! You can’t die on me! You can’t abandon me like she did.” Like she abandoned all of us. My heart was so heavy I thought it would fall out of my chest. It hurt.
“Hang on. I need to get help.”
“Please … ” She made a small sound and her eyes rolled a little. She closed them and I saw the tears streaking down her cheeks to mix with the blood and dirt that covered her face. “Please stay.”
FTC Advisory: Flux provided me with a copy of Redemption. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. -
Ini keren sih. Novel fantasi pertama yang bisa diterima otak bebal yang satu ini wkwk. Cuma mungkin agak kurang di bagian actionnya. Kecepetan :( enggak berasa
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What a terrific first novel, by a Canadian author! Though not being from Montreal, I have to say it captured the essence (pun intended) of what I experienced in my few visits to family, in Montreal,
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I thought this one was ok. It's going to be hard finding book 2. I hope I will someday be able to get it.
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Kurang seru sih menurutku. Sinopsisnya menarik tapi alur ceritanya biasa aja ☹️ gak ada adegan atau klimaks yang mengejutkan.
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Kisah tentang seorang cewek keturunan penyihir yang jatuh cinta pada "penjaganya" sendiri yang notabene adalah seorang gargoyle, patung batu yang bisa berubah menjadi manusia dan dapat hidup abadi.
Review lengkapnya disini yaaaa:
http://www.adrianadian.com/2017/03/re... -
REDEMPTION (Hearts of Stone #1) by Veronique Launier
GOODREADS BLURB: Guillaume: For five hundred years I've existed as a gargoyle. Perched atop an old Montreal church, I've watched idly as humanity wanders by. With the witch Marguerite gone, there is no one left to protect, nothing to care about. I never planned to feel again. But then a girl released me from my stone restraints, allowing me to return as a seventeen-year-old human boy. I must find out all I can about this girl's power . . .
REDEMPTION is the first storyline (September 8, 2012 release) in Veronique Launier’s new Hearts of Stone series-Four gargoyles whose life essences have been frozen for 500 years in stone only to be released from their prisons by a young woman with power that even she is not aware. Aude Vanier is a 16year old girl still in high school hoping to make it big with her band the Lucid Pill and while her friends Patrick and Lucy continue to brush her off, Aude soon realizes that something is different than it was the night before. Danger seems to follow Aude wherever she goes. The world is changing and Aude is at the center of it all.
Escape was her only option as Aude Vanier found herself on the run, in the streets of Montreal from a group of strangers she never knew. And the beautiful and haunting Native drums and chanting only intensified her need to escape. And the mysterious voices in her head led her to believe she had been hallucinating the entire event. But a second attack in less than two days has her senses on alert when she is told that she can force the prophecy-The Prophecy of the Seventh Generation.
Guillaume De Rouen and his ‘brothers’ (Garnier, Vincent and Antoine) were free but Guillaume’s curiosity meant he needed to find the young girl as soon as possible and Antoine’s concern meant shelter and money. Their recent release following 70 years of captivity was fraught with anxiety and stress, which lent to personal attacks and mistrust. With no one to protect-no witch to guard-their lives were without purpose and power. To survive in the present they would need to find an Essentialist to help replenish their essence but not knowing where to look would put the friends in a fight for survival.
Guillaume’s quest to learn more about Aude will figure prominently throughout the story. Her power and ability to chant and call the drums is something that concerns them both. But Aude’s visit to a Native Shaman would reveal more to Guillaume then he could ever had imagined-A connection to the past- a connection to the witch. But when a sudden gig for Lucid Pill is next on the horizon for Aude, Guillaume is sure that it is one of the many omens and warnings that are currently following Aude. An ancient Gargoyle is looking for Aude and Aude will soon discover that she is not quite human.
Following the revelation about her familiar roots, Aude continues to encounter varying ominous warnings. But when Guillaume finds Aude beaten and near death, he blames himself for not protecting the young woman with whom he has fallen in love. And Aude believes that his love has been misplaced for another. Aude needs the Gargoyle’s protection as much as they need her to survive. Only Aude will find herself the unwilling sacrifice that heralds the prophecy’s foretelling and one of their friends will die.
Throughout the novel there is told a story-a history of the DeRouen family- of Alice and Mary, of Marguerite and the love that she shared with Garnier and Guillaume 70 years before. Of the curse and the essence and the gargoyles of stone, and how they had come to be over 800 years ago. The history of the witch and the gargoyle and their symbiotic relationship is the premise of the storyline told.
REDEMPTION is an interesting novel. As the first storyline in the Hearts of Stone series the copious amount of background information is almost overwhelming. A family of gargoyles hoping to find their familiars is interwoven with native lore and fables. The relationship between Aude and Guillaume starts out of necessity for one, but by the end of the book, there is love for both. And Aude’s link to the gargoyles will be as close as blood when a familial connection is revealed.
Copy supplied by netgalley.
see all of my reviews at:thereadingcafe.com -
Guillaume has watched humans pass by below his perch for centuries. Without a witch to grant them essence, he and his ‘brothers’ are stuck in their stone gargoyle forms. But then Aude comes along and somehow frees them. Strange things start happening to Aude; first she’s attacked by a terra cota man, and then she hears drums and the voice of a young man inside her head! Aude think she’s going crazy, but the reality is more unbelievable. Her heritage and powers are awakening, and she might be the answer to Guillaume’s troubles.
Veronique Launier weaves history, myth, and magic in this haunting tale about gargoyles and a girl who can reanimate them.
I was a big fan of the Gargoyles cartoon way back then, so when I read about this book I immediately wanted to read it. The use of gargoyles is one that hasn’t been used in YA fiction—at least not that I know of—and I was really excited. I’m happy to report that the Gargoyles were my favorite part! The way they changed, the way their magic worked, their stories, etc. A gargoyle’s sustenance is something called essence, which is life energy that only a witch can transfer to them. Since their witch died, they’ve been stuck in stone for a long time until Aude comes a de-stones them. This simple fact kept me turning the pages, even when my excitement disappeared because of the main characters.
Aude wasn’t the most likable heroine. She’s stubborn which I like, but she says certain off-hand comments that make her come off as selfish and bitchy. Her Mom was really messed up in the romance/relationship department and Aude turns out to be that way too. So though I understood where Aude’s attitude was coming from that still didn’t make it any easier to read. I thought she came off as very indecisive, one moment she wants her friend to ask her what’s wrong, the next she’s annoyed that her friend has asked her something personal. Aude’s friends start off as being inconsiderate, but by the end, I kind of sided with them. Aude is obsessed with their band Lucid Pill, and is furious at them for being a couple, because she says they’ll destroy the band by being together. What kind of friend is that?
Guillaume was a slightly better character to read, but sadly, he suffers from the same indecisive and bitchy streak as Aude. One min he wants to talk about Marguerite, the next he doesn’t, one min he loves his family, the next he’s being an ass to them. I didn’t really love Guillaume as a romantic interest either. His connection to Aude just wasn’t enough to endear him to me. Plus, there were certain things he did and said to her that made him a complete jerk.
Actually, now that I think on it, I liked the secondary characters more than the primary ones. Aude’s friends, Lucy and Patrick, were great (except for that first incident) and the gargoyles, Garnier, Antoine, and Vincent, were all interesting and engaging. I wanted to get to know more about each of them!
Aside from the characters, another thing that kept throwing me off was the switch of tense. The story from two point of views, Aude and Guillaume, and Aude’s POV is told in present tense, while Gullaume’s is told in past tense. My mind kept being bumped out of the story because of this. I couldn’t help it.
The ending was a rush, but a bit random too with no foreshadowing the events that occurred. I kept checking the percentage on my kindle. When it reached 95%, things still kept occurring I would have liked for things to have been more spread out. I do have to give big kudos to Launier for choosing a supernatural beastie that isn’t popular this day and coming up with a whole concept and reason for it. This novel had potential to be great, if only that action had been spread out evenly, and the characters hadn’t been that hard to swallow.
*Arc copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley* -
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*I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for a review*
WARNING THERE MAY BE SOME SPOLIERS (NOT HUGE ONES) IN THIS REVIEW.
This book had a lot of potential I liked the idea of a fantasy romance book about gargoyles. I thought it sounded fresh and new, but unfortunately it was the same as half the YA books out there. It focuses on a girl who is a bit plain and a bit of a loner. She has undependable friends and a mother that she has to look after. Despite appearances the girl is the key to the future/special/etc. There is also a bizarrely attractive boy with a dark past who is strangely drawn to the loner girl. He stalks her, protects her, etc, etc. I have been here a million times before and am getting a little bored of it to be honest.
Another issue I had was with the world building. I thought the whole thing has a suitably dark atmosphere but there was not enough description of detail to really bring this world alive for me. Everything felt a bit bland and I just couldn’t engage or visualize the world as I should.
By far the biggest problem I had with this book is Aude, the main female character. I just couldn’t stand her. She was irritable and flew off the handle over everything. She is in a band with her two best friends who happen to be dating. Aude is seriously angry about them dating not because she is jealous but because of the band. In Aude’s world the band come before everything. It is irrational and kind of bizarre. Her band mates (who like I mentioned are in a serious and committed relationship) have sex for the first time and Aude goes berserk! She tells her friends that doing that was a mistake and they shouldn’t have done it. Why? Because of the band! Honestly I wanted to slap her. I just do not know how I was supposed to like and support her.
I started making a list, as I was reading of some of the things Aude did that annoyed me. Eventually I quit the list because it got too long. Here are some of the things from my list.
* She gets attacked by a group of men, she tells nobody what happened.
When she gets attacked some weird stuff happens (hearing drums, chanting in a foreign language, birds falling dead from the sky.) when she gets home she is not really concerned that she got attacked or that these bizarre things happened. Her main concern is to find out what kind of drums it was that she heard so she can use them in the band.
* She gets attacked again and again she tells no-one.
* She gets annoyed at people for being mean to her after she has been upset even though she hasn’t told them she has been attacked.
* After being attacked the second times instead of getting help or going home she goes to work as though nothing has happened.
* She is a little paranoid after being attacked twice but is concerned that being paranoid about it might mean she has mental issues.
* She is not attracted to Guillaume but mentions how attractive he is all the time.
* She can’t do anything about the people attacking her, and doesn’t have time to worry about all that because she has real life to worry about, which is of course, band stuff.
* She dances in music stores to music in her head.
I will stop there, you get what I mean. I felt quite sorry for Guillaume for being lumped with her. Despite his stalker tendencies he is quite an interesting character, he has a good story and background. But unfortunately everything good in this book is swallowed by all the bad.
This is not a series I will be continuing. I liked the idea but it failed to come together for me. -
Review Posted on Reading Lark 8/1/12:
http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2012/...
I was so excited going into this one; it sounded like such a creative idea. Witches, Gargoyles, and a Native American prophecy equal a lot of potential in my mind. I have long been compelled by a well done witch tale and I have to give Veronique Launier bonus points for making her witches different from the traditional ones. Her variety wield essence rather than spells. In addition, I don't think I've ever read a YA book (that doesn't mean they don't exist out there somewhere) that featured Gargoyles as main characters. Finally, after living in the Pacific Northwest for two years and teaching Native students, I am drawn to anything with Native lore (fictional or otherwise) attached to the plot. There aren't many stories which feature Native characters so I'm always excited to find a novel that uses a rich tribal culture. There was so much potential for this to become one of my favorites of 2012, but sadly it missed the mark.
One of my biggest complaints with this one is the pacing. Some trivial moments seemed to drag on forever while really crucial components happened in the blink of an eye. From a reader's standpoint, this was frustrating and really kept me from enjoying the story more. Knowing that this is Launier's first novel gives me hope that the future books in the series will be a bit more polished in this regard.
While I found the lore in this book to be fascinating and unlike anything else I have ever read, I was disappointed that releasing this information occurred in info dumps instead of more gradually. Characters would sit down to have conversations and just say everything. Some readers might enjoy this sort of thing, but I prefer to learn the lore behind stories in a more authentic way. I did feel like this started to happen some with the introduction of the journal, but it was a bit too little too late.
My last major issue concerned some inconsistencies in the text. Keep in mind I was reading an ARC - so perhaps these issues will be resolved before the book comes out in final print next month. One major example of this is when Guillaume leaves Aude alone in a graveyard in the middle of the night after he's spent virtually the entire novel talking about how important it is that she be protected. It made no sense to me. There were also other little moments like that from time to time that just made me shake my head. There were also a few instances where things didn't seem to be connected in logical ways.
Another minor thing that really irked me is that Aude is obsessed with chai (as am I) but she kept calling it coffee when it is NOT coffee - it is a type of tea.
In spite of my criticisms, I did enjoy this one. It was refreshing to see something enter the YA paranormal realm that felt new and exciting. I loved the Gargoyles and the prophecy. There is so much potential lurking here and I would certainly encourage YA paranormal junkies to dive into this one.
My reaction to this book was in part due to the fact that I had such high expectations. I think if I had known what pitfalls to expect, I would have appreciated the reading experience more. It is obvious how much creativity and research went into this book. I just wish the execution had been a little smoother.
One Last Gripe: Some of the dialogue didn't sound realistic.
My Favorite Thing About This Book: The connection between the witches and gargoyles
First Sentence: Humanity wondered by, the way it always had.
Favorite Character: Aude
Least Favorite Character: Stan -
Redemption by Veronique Launier
ARC received by Flux Books via Netgalley
Release Date: 9-8-2012
Reviewed by: Middle Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say: An twisted tale with a new paranormal creature
Redemption started off with a bang, capturing my attention right away. In the first few pages, Aude is attacked and somehow manages to awaken Guillaume and his family from the form they have been stuck in for 70 years. From this part I was intrigued and couldn’t wait to read more, however, from this first bang, things began to slow down.
I had to push myself through the middle of the book in order to finish. It was slow going, and there were many parts that needed to more action. There were small bits of action (mainly more attacks) throughout the middle of the novel, but they started and were over very quickly, and they didn’t seem to add the spice the novel needed. Perhaps if there had been more romance, it wouldn’t have been so slow.
It did pick up again near the end and I found myself, once again, interested to see how the story was going to unfold. The end was fun and interesting, and it set things up for the next installment in the series. Had the rest of the story had the same bang as the beginning and end, it would have been a great book.
I did like the idea that Guillaume was a gargoyle. It was completely unique, and I really enjoyed the parts that dug into his history and the history of the witches that created him. I wish there had been more because these parts were the only things that kept me going through the middle of the book. Guillaume is broken and he feels like he can’t love someone. Watching him grow and discover himself was one of the better parts of this book.
I liked Aude—she’s spunky and self-aware, but I found it difficult to read about her when she was letting her mom get into her head. Her mother is, in my opinion, broken beyond repair and her views about men and life are rubbing off on Aude. Her mother really frustrated me, and I wanted Aude to stand up for herself and let her mother know that life isn’t that bad.
There were times when the prose was tight and poetic, but at other times it seemed forced and bland. One of my favorite quotes in the book echoed the shattered lives of Guillaume and Aude: “Because things fall apart, that’s what they do. There’s no such thing as happily ever after.” I really loved this line because it was heartfelt, and for the characters, it held so much truth. I wanted more of this type of prose and revelation. Again, hopefully the next book will be written more fluently.
The romance was sweet near the end, but there was so much lost in the middle because each of them were denying their feelings. It wasn’t angsty, either. It was just flat—I wanted to see more spark. I wanted to see a moment where Guillaume grabs Aude and presses her against the wall with a breath-taking kiss. But, that moment never came. If this romance is going to help the story, it must be more pronounced and steamy in the next book.
Overall, I found the idea of gargoyles to be unique and interesting, and I truly did want to know more about them. However, the slow-paced action really made it difficult for me to want to move forward. The characters were different and at times, fun. I am curious about what the future holds for them, but am I curious enough to read the sequel? Right now, I just don’t know. -
This review originally appeared
HERE on my blog, My Life is a Notebook.
Yeah, you heard that right, this book is about GARGOYLES. Awesomesauce, right? Well, that was what I thought when I saw that there description on NetGalley and decided it could be the answer to my prayers for uniqueness. And you know what?
It kinda was.
Reading about something as new and exciting to me as gargoyles was amazing. I don’t know about you, but in a market saturated with vampires, angels and–coming soon!–mermaids, I just couldn’t take it anymore. (Trends bother me SO MUCH, but I digress.) Anyways. Launier has certainly done her homework in her world building. She sets it up, she lays it out and she’s got an answer for everything. There are no plot holes here. The magic is also pretty awesome, because you’re working with gargoyles, French witches and Native American shaman. I don’t know about you, but *I* have never seen that combination before. Yet somehow Launier manages to connect it all.
However, the new type of world also does this book a disservice. You see, it’s almost like Launier feels she needs to spend so much time setting up her world that … nothing else happens. Until the last fourth of the book (or less!) I was becoming more and more bored about the outpouring of exposition on the magic system, gargoyles and even the family history surrounding almost all of the major characters. I’m not an exposition type of girl. I like to be given answers, but I prefer they happen around the action, not the other way around. Yes, to be fair, there WAS other stuff going on around the exposition, but just not enough for me.
The characters also fell a little flat for me. There are four gargoyles, neither of which seemed to be very different from the others, and Aude’s best friends were rather stereotypical. Aude herself just frustrated me, especially when she proved unwilling for CHAPTERS to find out more about her strange powers and why people were attacking her. I’m sorry, but if people were after me and there was Mohawk chanting in my head, I’d want to know!
In the last fourth of the book, though, things HAPPENED–and I mean they HAPPENED. Multiple things HAPPENED. The problem I had was that they happened too quickly, and they felt mashed together. Some things just didn’t make sense, and–worse–a lot of them just kinda resolved themselves in a snap. There was so much potential in that section that I felt disappointed.
Don’t get me wrong: I adored this world. I even liked that I was able to immerse myself so far into it. But the exposition got to be a bit much, and wasn’t really carried off by interesting characters. The last part of the book had a ridiculous amount of things happening, but a few of them just seemed to resolve themselves abruptly. All and all, though, I’d be curious to read the next book (as it seems to be set up for). There cannot possibly any more exposition anywhere within this story unless they bring in a whole new round of characters, which means that there would just be STORY. Done right, Launier has a fantastic idea here with great potential. I could see a second book easily becoming a four star or more if she applies the energy from the last fourth of Redemption over the whole manuscript. -
Aude, called 'Odd' by her friends, thinks that she is abnormal to begin with. All she wants is to stay in the background of life, except when she's on stage with her band Lucid Pill. But then she is attacked twice in one week and her life begins to spiral out of control, shifting her priorities. It might be important to finally find out who her Father was after all...and maybe puzzle out why she might have a connection to an ancient Mohawk prophecy that seems to fortell the apocalypse. Guillame was a gargoyle for over five hundred years. But only for the last seventy have he and his brothers been on top of a church in Montreal, forced to watch the world pass them by. Once able to shift between human and gargoyle the end of the family line of their charge, witch Margeurite, put an end to that ability. Marguerite's family had a bargain with Guillame's - protection in exchange for the essence that kept the gragoyles alive. Then Aude is attacked near their church and chants some words, bringing them to life again. But without a witch of Margeurite's line to give them essence, the boys will become gragoyles again soon. Determined to find out why Aude was able to wake them, Guillame insinuates himself into Aude's life to get the answers. But Aude is hearing tribal drums and having odd encounters that point to her involvement in a prophecy. The gargoyles aren't the only ones interested in her and it will take some team work to make sure that they all make it out alive - starting with Aude and Guillame trusting each other. I thought that I had read almost every type of supernatural fiction humanly possible. Then I saw this book and the word GARGOYLES in the description and flipped out!!! I was super excited to read something so out of the common way. Plus, the connection to Mohawk culture completely sold me, because I love anything Native and always have. Aude is stubborn, a little bit selfish but totally full of heart and love for her Mom and her friends. Guillame has lived a long life with plenty of mistakes, but he still has something in him that is heroic and redeemable. My main complaint would be the slow-build, but that is understandable considering it's the first in a series. I liked the double point-of-view, because it let me see things from Aude AND Guillame's perspectives which fleshed out the story considerably. The major conflict was with the Terra Cotta Man and it felt resolved too easily, but I can see the makings of a superb villain in Vincent. It will be interesting to see where Launier goes with it. The romance wasn't immediate which was a nice change from most YA paranormal books. The shock of Aude's heritage was pretty interesting as well. I should have seen it coming but didn't. I am really excited and highly recommend this for anyone looking for something fresh and original.
VERDICT: 4/5
*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is September 8th, 2012.* -
For some reason I thought this was a book about a girl who was a gargoyle – serves me right for requesting a review copy of a book after only glancing at the blurb. So it took me a while to figure out that the gargoyle in question was a guy – and that a girl had woken him from a seventy year old sleep. Intriguing premise, but I think there was a lot of potential in this book that went unexplored, and not only did it end up being like all the other YA romances out there, it was kind of boring.
The lady in question, Aube, likes to go by the nickname Odd and proudly lives up to it. Except that the traits that are meant to make her seem eccentric but likeable – like Luna Lovegood – end up alienating the reader and making her extremely inacessible. She has an interesting home life – her mother skips from one relationship to another and Aube even comments, very early on, that she may as well accept money for what she does. Not the kind of thing a normal person says about their mother, but at least Aube is honest, right? Aube is obsessed with the band she is in with her two best friends, who have recently progressed their friendship into a relationship. Except Aube, being the self-centred little so-and-so she is, is convinced that the relationship will go nowhere and ruin the band.
Guillaume is a completely different story – he stalks Aube, buys her things she covets, puts her in danger – the usual YA hero type! I really can’t see what Aube sees in him. She continually points out she is not interested in him, but then waxes lyrical about how gorgeous he and his ‘brothers’ are. One of the things I like about Guillaume (man that’s a mouthful yeah?) is that he has an awesome family. His ‘brothers’ and ‘father’ are there for him whenever he needs them, and even though he and his best friend have some bad blood between them because of a lady, it’s still very sweet.
It was the story that failed to grab me though – the gargoyle angle could have been so much more interesting, complex and well executed. Instead it fell flat. The mythology wasn’t clearly explained, things just seemed to conveniently happen, and even the obstacles the group faced throughout the story seemed contrived. I read through it all, but I lost interest fairly early on and kept reading because I wanted to know more about the gargoyles and Aube’s connection to Marguerite.
I didn’t enjoy Redemption as much as I had hoped, and probably won’t be reading the sequels. I just have no emotional investment in the story or the characters. If you want to try a YA paranormal novel with a difference, then I’d suggest that you try this book – and I hope you enjoy it more than me.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.
You can read more of my reviews at
Speculating on SpecFic. -
Just when you thought the world of supernatural fiction couldn't get any better. Along comes authoress Veronique Launier and her deliciously haunting tale, Redemption.
Tired of the run of the mill fare of were with a side of vamp and a zombie chaser?
How about Gargoyles?
That's right...
Gargoyles.
Not just any old gargoyles will do, you say?
Well, I've got a whole family of hot French gargoyles living in Canada.
Ooooh la la...right?
Guillaume and Aude are both characters that you will want to get to know from the start.
Guillaume because he is a gargoyle that has just been awakened from a very long stent in stone and you may be just a little curious as to what it is that he plans to to do with his freedom.
Aude (pronounced ode) because she was the one that possessed the 'energy' that perked up "old stone butt".
As it turns out, his waking up and her powers are just the tips of a very large and very multifaceted literary iceberg involving:
1. A lost legacy of witchy powers (Aude)
2. A misplaced guilt for the loss of a love (Guillaume)
3. A deep love of music (both)
4. Dysfunctional family units (both)
5. A destiny that has a lot to do with SAVING THE WORLD (both)
You see...
While the two of them are following each other around trying to figure each other and themselves out. There are some other people trying to kidnap Aude and kill Guillaume and his family. The author does a great job of keeping you guessing on who they are and what the want until all the other pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place. So there will be no spoilers here.
That is not to say that the love affair with this book is not without its share of struggles.
There is the afore mentioned lost love named Marguerite that you may get a litttttttle tired of Guillaume whining about, but hang in there. There is a good reason for it, although you will have to make it through most of the book to get to the WTF moment that explains it all.
There is so much going on in this book that once you pick it up, there is no way that you can put it down until you are done.
This is a very enjoyable read that can stand alone, but that thankfully does.not.
Yes...there will be more gargoyle-licious goodness!
Ohhhhh joy!
P.S. As if all the other reasons are not more than enough to send to running to buy this book. You will be over joyed to know that it is written from both Guillaume's and Aude's point of view!
That's right dual POV's !
Want more reviews:
WTF Are You Reading? -
This is an ARC and will be published in September 2012.
Redemption combines Native American and French Canadian cultures in a paranormal way. Guillaume (no idea how to pronounce this name) is a gargoyle, but not in the sense that we know gargoyles. Apparently hundreds of years ago a tradition began where witches “made” gargoyles to protect them. In exchange for their protection, the witches kept the gargoyles alive by providing them with an “essence”.
Guillaume and his “dad” and two “brothers” were awakened by Odd. Her real name is Aude, pronounced Ode. Guillaume follows her to get to know her and find out how she awakened him. They become close friends and through a Native American water drumming class are able to find a Shaman who is able to answer lots of their questions.
There are some great twists and turns in this book. I’m not sure if it’s a stand alone or the first in a trilogy. The book ended in a way that left it open for either one. I liked how Odd accepted her role in the book with an amazing amount of grace. It was like all her questions about herself were finally answered. She almost seemed relieved. Once she was able to let go of herself, she really opened up to her heritage. I liked Guillaume, but would have liked to learn more about him as a person/gargoyle throughout history instead of one instance they kept focusing on, but if it’s a trilogy maybe we’ll get more of him.
Some technical criticism: I know this is an ARC, but it didn’t say uncorrected proof. I found tons of grammatical errors in this book. At one point, Kateri’s name is spelled wrong. “Alright” is not academically accepted and it is used in this book hundreds of times. The uses of “I” vs “me” need to be evaluated throughout the book as well. There were several times they were used incorrectly. I think with a couple of good grammar edits, the book will be much better. Because I am a self proclaimed grammar witch, grammatical mistakes jump out at me and I have a hard time enjoying the story.
I would recommend this book to students who enjoy paranormal and Native American history. It took several chapters to connect with the characters, so I will have to encourage students to keep reading through that because the book gets much better midway through and until the end. -
(2.5 Stars) This arc was provided to me by netgalley.com
I truly wanted to love "Redemption;" unfortunately, the plot did not live up to its' potential. Aude Vanier is a 16 year old teenage girl living in Montreal with her flighty mother. While walking in the city to meet up with some friends and fellow band mates, Aude is attacked by what seems to be a stone monster. In her head she begins hearing drums and chanting. The monster runs away as she feels a slight earthquake tremble. What she does not realize is that her actions reanimated four gargoyles sitting on a boarded up former cathedral.
Guillaume de Rouen is a gargoyle. He and his fellow brethen have awaken from a seventy year sleep. They have noticed the movement and actions of humans over the years but have ceased to be concerned with the day to day human drones. Then, they are awakened by a teenage girl named Aude. They realize they will not exist very long in their weakened state unless they are fed with the essence of a witch. However, how can this happen when all of the bloodlines for the de Rouen witches have died out?
Guillaume is determined to locate Aude and find out more about her. What he discovers is she is part Iroquois Indian and she may be a witch. She is unaware of the existence of gargoyles and witchcraft so she is suspect of what he really wants. Together they will discover that Montreal is doomed to burn if the ancient Iroquois prophecy is activated.
I've always been fascinated by gargoyles and was truly looking forward to reading this book. However, the writing was disjointed and although the plot was complex at times, there was a lack of depth in the writing. My biggest complaint is that gargoyles are traditionally associated with French-European architecture and myths; so, why then mix it with Iroquois folklore? It would have been much more compelling staying true to the original origins. The author did pay tribute to the 'Rouen' area of Europe where it is said to be the origin of the legend. This book just did not have the action, suspense or wow power most successful YA books seem to have. I did not dislike it, I just did not love it. At this point, I am confident I will not be reading any more books in the series. -
3.5-4 Stars!
The synopsis of this book piqued my interest right away, I mean, gargoyles that come to life? Pretty darn different and I am always looking for something different in the YA genre. So of course I had to give this one a try to see what it was all about.
It started off pretty well, we jump right into the story and right away I could tell this was going to be something fun and something definitely different.
I really enjoyed how the narrative jumped back and forth between the two main characters, Aude (aka Odd) and Guillaume. It doesn't always work in some books but it was handled pretty nicely in this one and seemed to work. And strangely enough, I found myself really liking reading from Guillaume's POV more than Aude's. His character was pretty mysterious and charming and I just wanted more of his story. I wanted to know why he was a gargoyle and I knew he hadn't always been one and I just knew there was a really great story behind it all.
I will admit though, that after those first few pages, the story got a little slow for me but I kept reading on hoping that it would pick back up again. Thankfully by about chapter 16 things did start to pick up again. In fact, a lot of the story started to finally really unfold.
We start to learn more about Guil, about the curse, about Aude and her heritage, about the strange drumming and chanting and very slowly Guil's past starts to be revealed as well.
After learning more about Guil's past, I have to say, I liked him even more. He was so tortured and broken and yet, he learned to really care about someone and to even learn what love really is. He was a great character.
I really love the take on witches and essence in this and about how the gargoyles came about, I don't want to give anything away but it really was a creative concept, very original.
All of the brother were loveable, I really enjoyed Garnier's character as well and I hope we get more of him in the next book because I would really love to learn more about him and to see him get a happily ever after too.
This really does promise to be a great series. I can't wait to see what the author does with the next book. -
What drew me to this book was that it was about Gargoyles, something that we have not seen much of (if at all) in young adult. Add a 17 year old boy that was trapped in stone, and I could not wait to read Redemption and started it the day that I was approved on Netgalley.
The first 75% of the book, I kept waiting for something to happen. I was hoping for explanations. Every time I thought we were going to learn something, it turned out the character changed it's mind about explaining things. I spent most of the book confused and by the time the book was over, half of my questions weren't even answered! This kept my from fully enjoying the book. I also think my issue was that from the synopsis, I was expecting a different kind of story. I assumed Guillaume was a regular teenage boy and 500 years ago was cursed to become a gargoyle. Nope, not the case. Him and his brothers are over 500 years old (or it could be 800-I'm not sure if that was a mistake on the ARC or not) and choose to become stone monsters. I can't really tell you why, because I am still trying to figure that at. Also, Guillaume is a master at the piano. He was amazing at it even before he became immortal. Pianos didn't even exist 500 (or 800) years ago?
I did like Aude though. She was pretty cool and had a very interesting background. I liked how accepting she was of everything that Guillaume told her. I enjoyed Guillaume and Aude together. I thought they were very sweet and I liked when they were being all cute with each other. Sometimes the two of them had stupid moments though, like when Guillaume left Aude at the cemetery at night because he got emo over an old girlfriend. Dude, monsters are after your current girlfriend!!! Why the hell would you leave her alone, at night, in a cemetery??? Idiot.
I have to say though that I loved the setting of Redemption! Set in Montreal, Canada, I really had a feel for the streets and the buildings. I loved the descriptions and I felt like I was there!
Overall, the fact that there were too many things left unanswered really turned me off. had so much potential and I am really disappointed that I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted too. -
Like any fantasy lover, I'm a huge fan of the classic creatures. Fairies, vampires, werewolves, mermaids, etc. But sometimes I crave something more. Something that's a little outside of the box, something that hasn't been done to death or become a crazy fad. Something that will make me marvel. Redemption's Gargoyles offered that to me. Yes, you read that right, GARGOYLES.
For a girl who has taken several mythology classes, I just can't seem to get away from the stuff. I'm addicted I tell you, and even more so addicted to folklore, this was a great read. I love books that tie in to lesser known mythology. Now, don't get me wrong, the Greek stuff is great but everyone knows about those myths to some extent. I love to be surprised. I love to learn something new. I like obscure bits of folklore and Redemption is that. And with the Iroquois! [I'm a huge fan of Native American / Indigneous Peoples mythology in particular. I blame my completely awesome professor.] Now, I'm not sure how much of it is out of Veronique Launier's imagination and how much is true folklore as I'm not well versed in the mythology at play but I LOVED IT. And I especially love the fact that it makes me want to hit the books, and maybe Google, to find out what is what. I want to know more. I want to learn. And this book makes me want to do it.
The cast of Redemption was interesting to say the least. I especially enjoyed clueless Aude, and truly she was clueless and naive about some of the funniest things. But I think we all are. Its easy to be blind to what is right in front of you. And her stubbornness. And how wary she is of new people. Especially strange ones that seem to be stalking you. And I LOVED the Gargoyles, I really want to learn more about them all and their own backstories. The little bits and pieces were enough to bait me but I want it all, and I sincerely hope the next book delivers.
Overall I found myself liking this book and the change of pace that its' Gargoyles brought to it. I'm eager to see/read what Veronique Launier comes up with next for this crazy eclectic cast and would definitely recommend this to readers craving something a little different in their line-up.
