Blog Tour: The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard (Review + Giveaway)

About The Author

Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

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Review
Title: The Forgotten Ones
Author: Laura Howard
Publisher: Amazon
Released: April 28th 2013
Pages: 197 (Kindle)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

I'd had my eye on The Forgotten Ones for a while, so when I was given the opportunity to join in on the blog tour, I jumped right in. The folklore genre is constantly growing on me - there is something I love about the beauty and majestic energy surrounding it. The Forgotten Ones was no exception to this, and from beginning to end, Howard swept me up into the world of the Tuatha de Danaan.

Ever since she can remember, Allison's mother has suffered from schizophrenia. Determined to get to grad school and find a good job so she can support her mother, Allison doesn't have time for a romantic relationship with Ethan, the hot boy next door. But maybe this isn't the only option she has? Out of the blue her father reappears, and with him the promise that he can restore Allison's mother to how she used to be. Suddenly, Allison finds herself tossed head-first into the land of the Tuatha de Danaan, otherwise known as faeries. However, not all of them are as nice as they first seem, and very soon, Allison won't be the only one in danger.

The novel is just under 200 pages, so I was aware that Howard had a lot to cram in to such short space, especially for a novel with fantasy elements. But I actually thought she managed this quite well. She explained who the Tuatha de Danaan were very well and quite easily for how complicated the idea was, and I didn't find myself lost at any point.

The character of Allison was incredibly reserved, which sometimes borderlined on annoying, and I was unable to properly connect with her. As the reader, I wanted more between her and Ethan, and although there was chemistry, Howard didn't do a lot of it. I'm really hoping that in the next book there is a lot more interaction between them, and that Allison is less dull.

Although the concept was amazing, I wanted more depth. It was quite short as I said, so I can understand that not as much could transfer across. But I wanted more, just like how I wanted more from Allison and Ethan's relationship.

Overall I did enjoy this novel, but if I had to describe my feelings towards it with one word, that word would be more. I needed more, consistently throughout it. For such an amazing concept, it felt like there was a barrier between the story and the reader, which didn't enable me to connect with it as much as I'd have liked. However, I have high hopes for this series, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Howard comes up with next.
Rating: 3/5

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