I fell in love with C.S. Marks' writing when I discovered her booth at the 2014 Chicago Comic Con. My boyfriend had dragged me all over the exhibition, and at a fleeting glance I saw a woman with elf ears and a small animatronic stuffed horse. It was at that moment that I knew, I must meet this woman. However, before I could escape my boyfriend, he dragged me off to some other booth and I lost sight of this mysterious elven woman with the animatronic pony. Towards the end of a very long day my boyfriend finally asked if I had seen anything. I told him of the woman but I had seen so many tables I had forgotten where I'd seen hers. He agreed that we could take a quick look for it, and I proceeded to literally drag him around the entire convention center just to locate this one table. It was worth it! I bought the entire Elfhunter trilogy, and from page one I was hooked.
When I heard that she was going to be the 2015 Chicago Comic Con, I made sure to look up what table she was going to be at so I could find her and get her newest book. Which I did, and I loved it, just like the rest of her books. I rated it a 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. Though let's be real, if I could I would have rated it much higher, because it is that good.
C.S. Marks doesn't just write an adventure, she takes you on a journey. Her characters come to life on the page. You begin to feel such empathy for these characters. You laugh at their jokes, and then find yourself crying along with their heartbreaks. As they struggle you feel their inner turmoil. You become a member of the Company. C.S. Marks is like a spider who spins a complex and emotional web that just tangles you up and spins you deeper into her world.
In Outcaste, we are joined by the original company from the Elfhunter trilogy (which I will write a separate review for at a later time), with some surprising new additions. Set 20 years after the end of Ravenshade (Elfhunter Trilogy #3), Outcaste is the tale of a new group of people trying to find their place in a world where they are hunted by both the Light and the Dark simply because they are misunderstood. You see their struggles to establish themselves as a society, while constantly having to hide. You experience them building a community without any real experience and minimal guidance. It's very savages-to-kings, in that they go from so little to so much, changing and growing as individuals as well as a whole entity.
I feel like this book speaks volumes. It is so very relevant and relatable in today's society. We as a society are on the brink of something great, something extraordinary. We have already seen such a change in acceptance. This book is exactly that. It is about taking prejudices and destroying them. It is about how everyone has the ability to change, to learn, and to grow.
Unlike the Elfhunter trilogy, this book is not so much about a physical journey, as it is about an emotional and moral one. Marks manages to make the reader see the discovery of the Outcastes from everyone's point of view; as well as the slow progression of both sides gaining trust in the other. It is a beautiful and thought-provoking tale.
It's hard to really review the book without giving too much away. It's one of those books that I feel you have to experience for yourself. This is a beautiful story that is so well written. I truly cannot rave enough about this book. I recommend everyone read it. I suggest reading the Elfhunter trilogy first to get a better understanding of the Company. Seriously, read them. Read them now. Especially fans of The Lord of the Rings.
You can buy her books here. You can also read more about C.S. Marks on her Goodreads page. Or you can check out her website or find her on Facebook.
Now that I am done completely fangirling over how absolutely brilliant C.S. Marks is (for now at least), I can get on to some updates. So, my current read is Eon by Alison Goodman. Still only about 25 pages in, it's been a busy week, but I'm hoping to be about halfway done by the end of the week. My goal is to read about a book a week. I'm a little behind that right now, but I did read 2 books last week, so I think I'll be okay. I want to read 20 books before the end of 2015. So far I've read 7, so I'm almost halfway there. (According to Goodreads I'm 7 books behind schedule, but I think I can do it.)
I also want to add more fun stuff to this blog, besides just book reviews, so stay tuned for those. If you have any ideas, please comment and share them! Also if there are any books you think I should read, please comment with those as well.
Thanks for stopping by. Until next time, happy reading!
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