First off I received this book free. To be honest I might not have read it if it hadn't been free. Mostly because it is just a bit out of my usual favorite genre. I really loved this story because it made me very angry and I'll explain that. I purchased a copy afterward, on amazon, because the story and the author deserve that much.
This book reminds me of all those old classic favorites of mine which also are a bit away from my favorite genre. It's reminiscent of Charles Dickens in its richly described atmosphere and well told characterizations. It has the mystery and intrigue of many of my favorite Alexander Dumas. Except, K.J. Colt's style is her own.
I have no idea of what the era of the story is. All I know is that its a time of backward benighted people who treat all illness as some sort of curse caused by witches and devils. And, Adenine is caught up into it with a heart of gold and the innocence of a child.
The reader is introduce to the story through a series of events seen through Adenine's eyes. Not only is this the way that K.J. Colt has chosen to tell the story, I'll venture a wager that it was the way the story chose to be told. First person is not always easy and has to be mastered in order to come out well at the other end. K.J. does this. It's always too easy to slip into making the story sound like a shopping list or laundry list when doing first person and I never once felt that way. Instead we are brought right into the world of Adenine without any unnecessary overhead.
What this does for the story is it creates a series of mysteries that will unfold as Adenine is able to discern them. And this is where I got angry. It's always a triumph when what you read takes you out of your comfort zone, which is what Concealed Power does. It's even more of a feat when it can move the reader with real emotion.
I was angry that these things were happening to Adenine. Disturbed that her parent left her with her uncle when her uncle was in such a shattered state and that it all led to disaster. Distraught that it seemed that Adenine was being treated poorly even by her parents. And very confused and distressed that she had been blinded and that I wasn't sure, but it seemed her parents were actively responsible for this.
I Can tell you that at that point I resolved that K.J. Colt had better have some good reasons for all these thing to have to happen to this poor little girl of 11 years.
Adenine lives with her father Adronian and mother Capacia in a sheltered life because she has some rare Death Plague that will infect anyone she comes in contact with. She watches life from her window while her parent run their shop Mystoria. On occasion her favorite Uncle, Garrad, takes care of her and sneaks her out of the house at night to visit his shack. Her life seems like a bad enough life as it is, it's about to explode into something worse.
Adenine will lose her sight and half her family and when what's left is too sick to care for her, Adenine has to venture into the world she's been kept from. She's about to discover her life has been a lie and she's going to have to grow up quickly to be able to take care of herself in a world that may be set to reject her.
K.J. Colt delivers but it takes quite some time, almost half way through the story for the reader to begin to get some answers. I can't agree with much of what her parents have done and it seems there are quite a number of other characters in the story who, for various reasons, will eventually agree with that assessment.
The important thing is that this story evokes emotion and delivers a well paced story with moments of the mundane contrasting the trials and tribulations that confront Adenine. The heartbreak and thankfully some of the joy.
This book is for anyone who loves Fantasy fiction and has enjoyed many of the classics of yesterdays authors. It has a well built world of specific customs and values that, though often frustrating, make perfect sense for this story. This is a great story for anyone who doesn't mind being jerked out of their comfort zone for few moments to set the stage for the rest of the story.
The best part is that you don't have to agree with how the characters act because there will always be another character within the story who will agree with you about that even if that character has some disagreeable qualities. And the actions for these characters make perfect sense within the story for the character no matter how frustrated or angry it makes you.
I like a story that makes me think and love the one that makes me feel.
J.L. Dobias
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