Altar of Reality

ALTAR OF REALITY was a fun read. It was very easy to follow along to and the world was interesting and engaging.

Madeline has seizures and when they happen she finds herself in an alternate world where everyone she knows is, but they have all led a very different life. I connected with Madeline's struggle to keep each world where it belonged. It's hard to see someone you love acting like a totally different person in one world then have to face them in the other. She had a hard time with that and I could totally see where her struggles were coming from.

I wasn't crazy about the whole love triangle aspect of ALTAR OF REALITY. It was awkward and I didn't think she fit with either brother. Then enters a third love interest. She seemed to like him, but I'm not sure it was genuine on his end. I don't have a huge draw to any of them.

I look forward to seeing what Madeline will do next, she has a lot of inner conflict to deal with. She has a big heart, but I don't know if that big heart will get her in trouble or lead her towards where she should be.

* This book was provided free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very good book. I couldn't put it down. The characters and the world that have been created are great. It has some great twists and turns. Readers will be drawn into the story from the first page.

I really liked the author's idea to have the main character change her reality when suffering through epileptic seizures. This was a fast read and one I think students will enjoy reading!

Verdict: A romance novel with dystopian on the side.

Madeline jumps between a hectic teen life and a post apocalyptic reality every time she has a seizure. It’s a fantastic idea but I’ll give you two warnings about the novel before you start: the romance-drama is high and this isn’t a standalone novel. If I had read it with those expectations it would have been five stars without a second thought whereas now I’m tempted to put 4.5 because I find fences rather comfortable at times.

Madeline has strength to her character but she can’t control her seizures. This means that her friends and family watch her like a popcorn kernel in the microwave, waiting for the seizures to burst out of her. Despite this, she comes across as a very capable damsel who doesn’t give up.

The other characters are pretty smart and diverse. They are aware of their flaws but can’t help themselves, and nothing feels more real than characters that mess up despite their best intentions.

The first half of the book has a heavy emphasis on the love triangle... well, pyramid might be more accurate description, although as soon as Madeline crossed into the other reality, I had no idea what shape her relationship web resembled. With a dystopian novel, I want to know about the world just as much as the characters. But after a snippet of the post-apocalyptic environment, we go back to the love enneagram. The romance is highly saturated in this novel, and while I wanted a few more drops of dystopian world stirred in, I soon realised that I had to change gears to enjoy the unexpected genre domination.

That’s not to say I didn’t find the testosterone spurred fights engaging. The love dodecahedron was certainly well executed and even took me by surprise in a few places. Some might find Madeline’s boy issues trivial considering what was happening in reality number screwed, but I still wasn’t putting the book down any time soon.

Two of the love interests are gifted to us before the book begins so we don’t get to see why they fell for Madeline. As more boys seem to trip up over her, I started to wonder what type of plumage this girl is waving around to attract just about anyone who lays eyes on her – but there’s more going on than meets the eye, thankfully. That said, this girl is truly blessed with all the family and friends who can’t imagine their lives without her. She’s also prized by the Lord Commander in the dystopian reality, although I have a feeling there’s more to it than currently mentioned.

The world building is more atmospheric than specific. I know what happened, but not why, how, or who. It quickly became apparent that the dystopian elements aren’t the main focus of the first book, and that just makes me want the sequel more. I also appreciated how author avoids info dumping and piling on the exposition, and instead focuses on a gripping story.

The ending is a bit cheeky. I like book 1 to be a story in its own right so that I can choose whether to continue with the series or not. This story has no sense of completion and will leave you gripping to the side of Dover’s white cliffs as you patiently wait for the next instalment.

So I had a few niggles but this is still a brilliant book and I’m now awaiting the sequel. I can tell this book won’t be for everyone, but I enjoyed it a lot so I think it deserves every star.