Book Review: The Gleaning by Heidi R. Kling

The Gleaning (Spellspinners of Melas County #2) by Heidi R. Kling
Series: Spellspinners of Melas County #2
Published On: January 11, 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Source: For Review

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The Short, Sweet, and Spoiler-Free Blurb:

In the second installment of the Spellspinners saga, Lily’s worldview is rocked by fear, mistrust, and heartbreak, as she deals with the fallout from the night of her enchantment. Someone powerful is determined to keep her and Logan apart. But who? And why?

The Gleaning is about a witch and warlock who are supposed to be enemies instead of lovers.  Lily and Logan have been raised to fight each other to keep a balance between their light and dark magic.  I loved how this was action-packed right from the start. It picks up right where the last one left off. We get to know the characters a lot more in this book which is something I felt like was missing from the first book. I loved Logan’s back story and I felt it added a lot to his character. The romance in this book was just plain adorable.

I liked the long flashback scene that goes back to the 1800s. Even though it distracted me a little from the plot since I couldn’t see at first how the two were related, I thought it was very entertaining to read. The flashback reminded me a lot of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare because of the dashing, romantic characters and the setting from the past.

I loved the choices in this book. As you are reading along, you get to make choices as to where you think the plot should go. Both choices had a lot of scenes that were similar even though the plot moves in two directions. I loved them both, but I have a personal favorite (choice 1 if you are wondering!). It was an addicting read with some delightful Alice and Wonderland references. I thought this was a great addition to witch mythology.

Content Rating: Medium, for some swearing and a suggestive scene.

I received this book for review from the publisher, Coliloquy, in exchange for an honest review. I was not told what to say, I was not paid to write this review and all the opinions expressed are my own.  I read an Advanced Reading Copy for this review.

About Heidi R. Kling

When not penning novels, Heidi contributes short stories and essays to teen lit anthologies such as Truth & Dare, The First Time, A Visitor’s Guide to Mystic Falls, and Two & Twenty Dark Tales, and feeding her ravenous appetite for unputdownable books, addicting TV dramas and Thin Mints. After earning her MFA in Writing for Children from the New School in New York City, Heidi returned to her native Californian where she lives with her husband and two children, right over the coastal mountains from the sea.

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