Hello all :3! As you can see from the nifty banner above, I'm part of Hannah Clark's Uncovering Cobbogoth Blog Tour with Book Nerd Tours, and today I'll be sharing my thoughts on the novel.
If you want to check out the other stops and/or check out the schedule, just click the banner :). (Told you it was nifty.)
Enjoy!
Synopsis:
When she turns to neighbor and only friend James Riley for help, she realizes that not only is their bitter-sweet past haunting her every step, but James is keeping dangerous secrets. Can Norah discover what they are before its too late to share her own?
*I received a PDF copy from Cedar Fort in exchange for an honest and fair review.*
Uncovering Cobbogoth is a tale of delightful creativity, an immersion into a world where myths—particularly Icelandic myths—aren't actually myths, but reality. Its potential is truly staggering.
If you aren't familiar with Celtic/Icelandic mythology (or uh...any mythology...sort of like me...), don't shy away from giving
Uncovering Cobbogoth a chance; it's a neat story, and you might enjoy
it more than you thought you would.
Impressions:
The beginning was a little bumpy. The
pacing was a bit slower than I wanted it to be, the 'suspense' and
'mystery' were often more aggravating than intriguing, and some
scenes were just plain confusing. In fact, one of the greatest
challenges Uncovering Cobbogoth largely failed to overcome was
that of 'extraneous sceneage'.
There were several scenes overrun
with details that neared the entertainment level of uber boring
and that had (seemingly) no significant connection to the plot. They could've been obliterated from the novel, and it would be just fine. Another thing I took issue with was the
flashbacks.
The. Many. Flashbacks. -_-
As I hinted at above so eloquently,
flashbacks were used too often for my taste. Worse, I felt that they
weren't really worth reading half the time because they were
extraneous and/or boring. When I first started getting into the novel
I was interested in them—like maybe the first three or four. But I
wasn't feeling it for the next ten or so.
By the time I reached the middle it got pretty good, though—the pacing
evened out, the flashbacks dissipated almost entirely, and the plot
was fairly gripping (if predictable in some parts if you were paying
attention).
As for the characters, I generally
enjoyed them and found them relateable. The one character I couldn't
seem to get along with was, ironically, Norah. I really wanted to like this
protagonist because she had so much to offer, but I ended up liking
her potential character more than her actual character.
...Yeah, it was
kind of weird...
I think the author tried to make some
of Norah's quirks and abilities come out in a kind of literary slow
blossom (though only somewhat effectively), so I don't want to spoil
by giving them away—part of the fun is in figuring them out as time
progresses, right?—but I will say that Norah was given a strange
combination of traits that made her unusually fascinating, and there
was so much potential. So much.
But I quickly discovered Norah was not
going to be a character that I could connect with deeply. Or like.
(And thus the gap between potential and reality widened.)
I'll be frank: characters who land
themselves in stupid situations because the author seemingly needs a
next step and it needs to be somewhat plausible? Not flattering. I
find it difficult to relate to and/or respect a character that has a
brain but struggles to use it too often. Norah does have moments of
brilliance, but given how people describe her (gifted, bright/smart),
I expected her to act more in accordance with such descriptions than
she did.
Overall, Uncovering Cobbogoth is a fun
read, even if a bit melodramatic on occasion. I loved the ideas and
the imagination behind the creation of this world; it's brilliant.
Honestly. Although I was expecting more out of this work because of
its vast potential, I'm still happy to have read it—both as a
reader and as a writer—and I recommend it to those who particularly
enjoy tales with mythological origins/flair.
Final Verdict:
Hannah L. Clark lives with her husband and their son in the Rocky Mountains. She has always known she would be a storyteller. In 2006 she graduated from Utah Valley University with a bachelor’s degree in English, and immediately began writing Uncovering Cobbogoth.
Hannah loves running, mythology, laughing, soulful bluegrass music, and growing things. Like her heroine, Norah, she is slightly inclined to believe that trees have souls.
To learn more about Hannah and the Cobbogoth series, visit www.cobbogoth.com.
| Website |
About the Illustrator:
Rebekah G. Shakespear lives with her husband and two sons in Texas. She received a double degree in Graphic-Web and Print Design from Henry Ford Community College in Michigan.
Bekah loves being a mom, photography, illustrating, refinishing furniture, organizing and being related to the author, for whom she has held a long abiding love and admiration for since before Hannah was even born.
Giveaway:
1 Winner will receive a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card+a pair of Woven Gemstone Ear Cuffs from Heather Jordan Jewelry.
Open Internationally. Must be 13+ to enter.
**Apologies to BNT and Hannah Clark for failing to have the correct tour banner at the time of the original post and for not putting up the giveaway on the original post!**
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