{ The Obsidian Blade by Pete Hautman }

The Obsidian Blade by Pete Hautman
April 10th, 2012 by Candlewick Press
Source: NetGalley
Format: ARC ebook



From Goodreads:

The first time his father disappeared, Tucker Feye had just turned thirteen. The Reverend Feye simply climbed on the roof to fix a shingle, let out a scream, and vanished — only to walk up the driveway an hour later, looking older and worn, with a strange girl named Lahlia in tow. In the months that followed, Tucker watched his father grow distant and his once loving mother slide into madness. But then both of his parents disappear.

Now in the care of his wild Uncle Kosh, Tucker begins to suspect that the disks of shimmering air he keeps seeing — one right on top of the roof — hold the answer to restoring his family. And when he dares to step into one, he's launched on a time-twisting journey — from a small Midwestern town to a futuristic hospital run by digitally augmented healers, from the death of an ancient prophet to a forest at the end of time. Inevitably, Tucker's actions alter the past and future, changing his world forever.

Kicking off a riveting sci-fi trilogy, National Book Award winner Pete Hautman plunges us into a world where time is a tool — and the question is, who will control it?

My Review:

The Obsidian Blade is one of those books that after you close the cover, you have to sit in silence for a moment. You have to let it all sink in. What the heck did I just read? This was a wild and wacky ride. In the beginning, I found myself a little bored. It took a bit for the meat of the story to really take hold. When it finally did, I was happily drawn in. Then there were times that I was a little put off and times where I was down right confused and lost! I know. You are asking yourself...then why the 4 star rating? Even though, I felt slightly uncomfortable and confused at times? I really did enjoy this book.

I am very passionate about character driven books. And while our main character, Tucker, may not have been super strong at times, overall I found him to be an enjoyable voice to this story. Aside from Tucker, however, there are a few of the secondary characters that I just loved and can't wait to see more of in future instalments. First off was Tucker's Uncle Kosh. He added a lot of humor and depth to this story. He comes off as this big tough guy, but you can see deep down he is a softy at heart, and especially when it comes to his nephew. This is a developing relationship that I hope continues in future books. The other character that I loved, was Lahlia. Lahlia grows tremendously throughout this book and I love where she is at the end. She has grown into this super strong,determined young woman. I think she is going to be an awesome force of kick-buttness(is that a word)in this series and can not wait to see where book two takes her and Tucker.

I know a lot of people tend to get put off by the whole time-travel thing. And I will be honest and say that at times I was a bit confused as to how and where the characters were at a few points in the story. However, I still love the whole time travel theme. It fascinates me. Truly. It is total madness. But so very cool.

The only real negative thing I can really say about this book was the whole religious aspect. And that really is just a person thing. I just found it a bit too 'preachy' at times. Not really in a bible thumping aspect, but...well, I can't really explain. I just felt uncomfortable at times. Perhaps it was just the mix of the time travel madness and the religion together...I don't know.

In the end, I would definitely recommend, The Obsidian Blade. Author Pete Hautman did a fine job of keeping my interest enough to keep those pages turning and making me anxious for book two.

And on a side note? Don't you just love that cover? Love it!

Rating: 4 stars