Today I’m taking part in the blog tour for The Abdication. My review is written with thanks to Zoe O’Farrell for inviting me on the tour and to the publisher for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

The town of Unity sits perched on the edge of a yawning ravine where, long ago, a charisma of angels provided spiritual succour to a fledgeling human race. Then mankind was granted the gift of free will and had to find its own way, albeit with the guidance of the angels. The people’s first conscious act was to make an exodus from Unity. They built a rope bridge across the ravine and founded the town of Topeth. For a time, the union between the people of Topeth and the angels of Unity was one of mutual benefit. After that early spring advance, there had been a torrid decline in which mankind’s development resembled a crumpled, fading autumnal leaf.

Following the promptings of an inner voice, Tula, a young woman from the city, trudges into Topeth. Her quest is to abide with the angels and thereby discover the right and proper exercise of free will. To do that, she has to cross the bridge – and overcome her vertigo. Topeth is in upheaval; the townsfolk blame the death of a child on dust from the nearby copper mines. The priests have convinced them that a horde of devils have thrown the angels out of Unity and now occupy the bridge, possessing anyone who trespasses on it. Then there’s the heinous Temple of Moloch!

The Abdication is the story of Tula’s endeavour to step upon the path of a destiny far greater than she could ever have imagined.

Review:

The Abdication is not my usual type of read, but I really enjoyed Newland’s writing style. It’s very descriptive so I found it easy to picture the world which he has created and I became immersed in it very quickly, reading the novel in less than 24 hours. 

The characters in The Abdication really struck a chord with me. I enjoyed learning about them and their history in Topeth. I found myself able to sympathise especially well with the central character, Tula, and quickly became interested in her story. There are some twists along the way and I wanted to know what would happen to her. 

There are several scenes of conflict in The Abdication and I enjoyed the tension these brought with them. The dialogue, especially, indicated fractious relationships between various characters and I was easily drawn into their arguments, eager to see how it would be resolved.

The Abdication is available from Amazon.

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