Path Unchosen (Daughter's of Ravenwood #1) by Kim Cleary
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy
Publisher: Raven's Lair Publishing
Pages: 338
Format: eBook
Source: Review Copy for Tour
Goodreads • Amazon
When eighteen-year-old Judy Hudson discovers she’s a necromancer and sees first-hand the pain her powers can cause the dead, she just wants to deny who she is. The zombie plague is long over. She wants to find a more normal life, but that’s a challenge when a beautiful otherworldly man, who claims to be her guardian, saves her life.
Judy tries to set right the harm she inflicted on a spirit she raised, but new zombies attack—zombies raised from among the long-time dead. Someone else just like her is out there, and he’s not trying to set anything right. To save her own life, and protect the innocent inhabitants of the nearby town who’ve become her friends, Judy has to figure out who’s raising the dead and why. She must also learn to control the darkness inside her—a seductive darkness that promises her power beyond her wildest dreams.
The premise of this book was intriguing to me. It's like a combination of all the supernatural lore I love to read about: zombies, witches, ghosts. All rolled into one. These have always been some of my favorite subjects, and so I was excited to read this book. It was definitely ambitious and, as a result, sometimes overly complicated an convoluted. There were just so many elements, at times too many.
Another thing I struggled with was the feeling that, rather than reading about a post-zombie-apocalypse world, it felt like a historical fiction. This is a result of the lack of technology and supernatural elements that feel older. While it's not a bad thing in any way, I tend to not be a huge fan of historical fiction, so I was a bit disappointed.
Judy herself was interesting for the complete mystery surrounding her. Other than that, there wasn't a lot to her, and while she learned some things about her past, it wasn't as much as I wanted. Relationships between the characters were more complex and absorbing, but it still wasn't a well-developed element.
With all that said, the essence of the plot was enjoyable. We follow Judy as she learns about herself and searches to find the person behind raising the zombies terrorizing the town. The mystery, though not hard to guess at, was an entertaining progression.
Overall, I liked the story. The romance subplots didn't do much for me (which is very rare) and certain aspects felt dragged while others were sped-through, but it was still a good story for ghost and zombie novel fans.
Check out the other stop on the tour here!
Giveaway!
Kim writes urban fantasy for anyone who longs to discover they are extraordinary. She writes about hopefulness and determination, and about heroes who push through extraordinary situations and obstacles, one step at a time. Magical friends and gorgeous guys help, or hinder, in one adventure after another.
When not writing, revising, or thinking about writing, Kim gardens, plays with her dog, chats on social media, catches up with friends or cooks an Indian feast. She is a member of Writers Victoria, Romance Writers of Australia, The Alliance of Independent Authors, and a certified chocoholic.
Kim grew up in Birmingham, UK, studied medieval history and psychology at Adelaide University in South Australia and has worked all over Australia and in London. She now lives with her husband and an adorable Cocker Spaniel in Melbourne, Australia.
Great review, Emily. I like the zombies aspect of the book. It sounds like it has a lot on its plate, though. That can often but a hit or miss. I'm glad you still liked it overall despite your qualms with it :)
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