Consuming Worlds: The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard Blog Tour {Review & Giveaway}

Welcome to my stop on the Forgotten Ones Blog Tour! I am very happy to be a part of the tour for Laura Howard on her debut novel! Today I give you my review of the book, character bio's, and a Giveaway! Please enjoy!

Title: The Forgotten Ones

Author: Laura Howard

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

Tour Host: Lady Amber's Tours

Book Synopsis:

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 received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Helpful Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Blog

My Review:

The Forgotten Ones is a story that starts off as the tale of a young woman, sacrificing her freedom, her future and fun for the sake of her sick mother. To Allison, Elizabeth has been a stranger, trapped within her own mind, the prisoner of schizophrenia or so everyone thought. But Allison begins having weird dreams that tell a different story and when her long lost father shows up, her life takes a turn for the strange. Now she is forced to trust a man that she has never known and accept a world she never knew existed in order to save both her mother and the man that stole her heart when she was only but a girl.

The Forgotten Ones was a fast read that quickly swept me up in visions, hallucinations and tales of friendship and love. When you first start this story you are certain that you will be getting a story of love and a troubled and sick young mother, but eventually you realize that you are getting a fantasy full of faeries and magic.

As the story unfolds Laura Howard slowly and deliberately lays groundwork for the fantasy story that is to be told. And I love how she slowly weaves the story of fantasy into the original story of struggle and loneliness. This is not a story that you expect and I really have to say that it was an absolute delight to discover that so much more lay beneath the pages of The Forgotten Ones.

If I had any complaint about this book it would be that it was too short. If that is even a complaint at all. However, there were times where I felt that the story could do with more detail and information. I felt that the story often felt rushed because it was so fast paced.

Other than that, I truly enjoyed the story of The Forgotten Ones and found myself only wanting more. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick read full of fantasy and love.

Character Bio's

Allison O’Malley- Private, introverted 21 year-old at the beginning of The Forgotten Ones. She has a very focused plan to take care of her mother and wants no outside distractions.

Elizabeth O’Malley- Once a happy healthy woman. Since having her daughter, Allison, she has developed psychosis that is diagnosed as schizophrenia. Now she is mostly despondent, but has paranoid episodes on a fairly regular basis.

Nicole Mercier- Allison’s 20 year-old cousin. They live next door to each other, so they are very close. Nicole tries to get Allison to live a little, but Allison just wants to focus on work and school.

Ethan Magliaro- Has been chasing after Allison for many years, mostly in a teasing way. Lately he has become more persistent and Allison finds it more and more difficult to refuse his pursuit.

He is the town of Stoneville’s playboy, and Allison thinks it would be a mistake to let herself fall for him.

Liam McKeown- Allison’s Irish father. She doesn’t meet him until just before her 22nd birthday. He begs Allison to understand that he’s been unwillingly kept from her mother for all this time.

Niamh- Shows up in Stoneville with Liam. Allison thinks she can hear her voice in her mind. This makes Allison worry that she’s becoming mentally ill like her mother.

Aodhan O’Donnell- Allison goes to Aodhan for help. He is a soldier, strong and huge. Also very intimidating.

Author Bio:

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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