Tag Archives: fantasy

Book Review: Backyard Dragons (Spirit Knights Book 2) by Lee French

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Backyard Dragons (Spirit Knights Book 2) by Lee French

A Fantasy Novel published by Clockwork Dragon (03/11/16)

Summary:

“Everything about her was different from every other Knight. She had a different build, a different weapon, a different sprite, and different challenges.” (Kindle Locations 2034-2035).

Claire is a Spirit Knight and even though she still isn’t accepted by everyone in the male-dominated group, she wants to show them that she is really a Knight. After she gets a dragon as her sprite and has won a weapon from the Heart of the castle, Claire is ready to begin training. But, before she can truly prepare, things start to go wrong. There are mysterious things going on and Claire and Justin must figure out what’s going on before it’s too late.

Keywords:

Spirit Knight, Fantasy, POV Change, Fighting, Responsibility, Unsafe, Strange Things, Horse, Trust, Hope, Death, Problems, Taking Charge, Discovery, Personal Sprite, Dragon, Friendship, Family

My Review:

I found the pacing good, the tension good and storytelling solid, but there were a few characteristics of this book I didn’t like. Justin felt almost like a villain when he was supposed to be supportive of Claire. There were a few scenes where his thoughts about his family were less than positive and that made me uncomfortable. I thought he was supposed to be the hero passing the torch to the new girl? I believe that there are outside forces that influence how he perceives the things he loves, but I wish he had remained the underdog hero instead of the villain’s assistant. Justin is your average knight, but even so, he was easily manipulated and seemed to get caught in the simplest of traps that Claire was able to figure out immediately! How can one be a Spirit Knight, when one is so easily undone! This did let Claire be the hero and this is her story. I did like that there were average knights like Justin and that he tries to be valiant, that he tries hard all the time.

I liked most everything about Claire. The scenes between her and the Heart of the castle were awesome! I loved how in every situation she found herself in, she didn’t give up, even if she had no real weapon. She wasn’t afraid to use her fists!

Dragons. Super cool. I liked how the dragon actually had his own backstory and personality.

I found the twist of the main plot to be obvious. The clues were so good that I guessed what was going to happen quickly. All new information led directly to this obvious ending, which was still satisfying even though I knew it was coming. It was the logical ending.

This novel was published by Clockwork Dragon on March 11th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.00

Links for more information:

Lee French on Facebook

Lee French on Twitter

Goodreads

Book Review: Broken Promise (The Broken Ones Book 3) by Jen Wylie

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Broken Promise (The Broken Ones Book 3) by Jen Wylie

A Low Fantasy/Fiction Novel published by Untold Press (09/07/14)

Summary:

“There was nothing quite like the rush of a good fight.” (Kindle Location 15776).
“…what you see isn’t always the truth.” (Kindle Locations 15859-15860).

After dropping Prince off in Rivenward to heal and potentially never to see again, Aro’s next move is to see about the Were King, get ready to help the Fey, and find a nice place to stay for the winter. What Aro realizes is that the Were King is more upset at them for forming a Pack and that staying holed up for the winter in another town will bring all sorts of other problems for her.

Keywords:

Fighting, War, Tension, Female Protagonist, Tragedy, Romance, Love, Friendship, Loyalty, Family, Travel, Escape, Protection, Lies, Danger, Death, Grief, Training, Addiction, Killer

My Review:

As a series, there were small things I didn’t care for, like Aro’s instant love and devotion to Kei, how she kept dying and being brought back to life, and the constant travel in book two. I still thought this was an excellent series (thus far) and I loved the emotion the author brought to the stories and characters. There were so many excellent and well done things to like. For example, Aro herself was a wonderfully crafted character who grew and changed in every book. The story developed throughout and the plot was well conceived as a whole and within each book. The story, Aro’s story, was mesmerizing. I wanted and still want more from her and her story. The inter-character relationships and dialogue was also quite well done and realistic.

The pacing in this third book was just as well done as in book one. There was a good blend of action, tension, and fighting with buildup, learning, travel, and character interaction.

I absolutely loved Roan and was so pleased that the author added him in organically and tied him back to previous information. Roan was multifaceted, just like Aro and her pack members.

The fantasy in this book continues to be relevant, not over the top, and well integrated into the plot and story. I very much look forward to book four in the Broken Ones series by Jen Wylie.

This novel was published by Untold Press September 7th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 4.00

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Jen Wylie’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: Broken Prince (The Broken Ones Book 2) by Jen Wylie

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Broken Prince (The Broken Ones Book 2) by Jen Wylie

A Low Fantasy/Fiction Novel published by Untold Press (01/16/14)

Summary:

“Whatever would happen, would happen. She couldn’t change anything.” (Kindle Location 5765).
“I… Sometimes I can do things I shouldn’t be able to.” (Kindle Locations 5570-5571).

After deciding to take Prince back to his home and holing up in a small town over the winter, Aro, Bo, Cain, Prince, and Kei are back on the road. Stopping in a town to re-supply they are under siege again. Getting separated in the escape from the city, Aro finds a new friend to add to her family, but time is running out for Prince and Aro will stop at nothing to save him. She will go so far as to anger the King of the Were and upset the Elves. Aro’s one goal is to get Prince back to Rivenward and the healing safety of his own realm. Or will she be blinded by her own feelings for Prince?

Keywords:

Fighting, War, Tension, Female Protagonist, Tragedy, Romance, Love, Friendship, Loyalty, Family, Travel, Escape, Protection, Lies, Danger, Death, Grief, Training, Travel

My Review:

The opening of this second book in the series parallels that of book one, but the stakes are much higher. There are more characters in Aro’s family and though her brothers were family to her in book one, the reader understands how important all the characters are in the start of Broken Prince. There is more for Aro to lose, more to break her down.

The pacing of book two was not as enticing as the pacing in book one. Book two was more focused on Aro’s pack traveling toward the Elven realm and the confusion that Aro, Prince, and Kei’s emotions caused during that journey. The pacing became somewhat stagnant and not as varied as the first book though the story and the ticking time bomb with Prince held my attention. The question of Aro’s happiness and Prince making up his mind kept the reader focused and kept up the tension throughout this second book.

The overall plot grew within this book, building up the tension with the “prophecy” and Damon had more of a role (interfering Dragos!). The author played with prophecy, fate and free will as well as control versus helplessness. Aro was much more in control and much more helpless to things outside her control than ever before! Aro has grown as a character even more in this book, rising to ever increasing challenges. She was also fighting more against her own anger than despair at helplessness. But the recurrence of the environment and outside forces against Aro became rather repetitive.

This novel was published by Untold Press January 16th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 4.00

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Jen Wylie’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: Broken Aro (The Broken Ones Book 1) by Jen Wylie

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Broken Aro (The Broken Ones Book 1) by Jen Wylie

A Low Fantasy/Fiction Novel published by Untold Press (09/14/12)

Summary:

“Aro, you must understand things always have a price.” (Page 106).

Aro grew up with many brothers in a town where even she was trained to fight. She will have to grow up fast when their city is attacked and fighting won’t be enough. After getting taken by slavers, survival takes on an entirely different meaning. The only way out is to escape and the only way to escape is to make friends with the strangers chained in the ship with her.

 

Keywords:

Fighting, War, Tension, Female Protagonist, Tragedy, Romance, Love, Friendship, Loyalty, Family, Travel, Escape, Ship, Slavers, Protection, Lies, Danger, Sickness, Death, Grief

My Review:

After the immediate tension and action of the beginning of the book, the pacing settled into a natural rhythm. There was intrigue. There was heartbreak. There was a girl who wanted to prove herself but when push came to shove it wasn’t enough. She couldn’t keep those she loved from disaster.

I wanted to dislike this book. Aro was so capable (in her own head) but so helpless when it mattered in the first few pages. She was a damsel in distress. She became instantly devoted to her love triangle. She cried. A lot.

It was the story and the tension that pulled me along. Aro had so much room to grow in this book. And she does. She grows throughout this book, in good ways and sad ways. Tragedy has a way of doing that to people. Aro was brave. Aro was amazing. Aro was not the damsel in distress she seemed at first.

The love triangle was not what it seemed at first either. The only part that still has me baffled is how much Aro gravitated toward Kei and how fast this devotion took hold of her. I was glad that the romance/love triangle did not dominate this book. There was a good balance of romance, personal reflection and growth, action, and story/plot.

This is a great book for people who want to dip their toes into fantasy, who want a well told story, or who want a female heroine who they can relate to (even in a fantastical setting, and who want the essence of a love triangle without being overwhelmed with a teen romance.

This novel was published by Untold Press September 14th, 2012 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Jen Wylie’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: Fantasy of Fire (The Tainted Accords Book 3) by Kelly St. Clare

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Fantasy of Fire (The Tainted Accords Book 3) by Kelly St. Clare

A Fantasy Novel published by Kelly St Clare (01/14/16)

Summary:

“One of the best qualities you possess is a desire to be your strongest self.” (Kindle location 1855).

“Bad times sometimes call for dramatic change.” (Kindle location 2544).

Olina is still in the thick of it, with her Frost personality, her Olina self, and the person she presented to the Ire. She’s pulled in multiple directions, but remains true in wanting to help those around her. Can she be a ruler with mixed blood and will the people accept her are questions she must answer. Her mother has sent an army to Glacium and to prevent a slaughter Olina must help the Bruma, Solati enemy. But this isn’t the only issue, there is unrest between the outer and inner rings on Glacium and Olina must get to the bottom of it before civil war threatens to tear Glacium from the inside out before the Solati army even cross the Great Staircase.

 

Keywords:

Fighting, adventure, action, fantasy, sexual themes, friendship, fantasy, love, loyalty, brother, fear, rulers, power, intimidation, female main character, kick butt female, strategy, traitor, war, advisor

 

My Review:

I would never recommend reading books out of order in a series but St. Clare does a phenomenal job of expertly summarizing everything important that happened in the first two books so that we could get right into the thick of Olina’s/Frost’s story in this third book. She doesn’t leave me confused and forgetful of all the political and romantic actions that happened in previous books in this series.

I continue to fall in love with Olina and her strength. She really shows her mettle in this third book and everything she does is well thought out in regards to those around her. Olina continues to be kick butt and tough. She can hold her own, even with problems that are global and messy. She is presented with complex and politically difficult problems where the best solutions won’t please all. She is presented with her past and the possibility of a future. She really becomes a true leader in this book. She has some great lines and a wonderful speech in the middle during the big reveal scene that was so engaging. She also helpfully summarizes the previous action from books one and two during this speech, cementing in the reader’s mind what was going on from her perspective and how it affects those close to her. Olina really becomes a truly great character in this book.

The pacing and action of this book was excellent. There was much more balance between action and contemplation and between dialogue and narration that book two did not have. Book three really shows the finesse that St. Clare has developed through the Tainted Accords series and I can’t wait for book four.

This novel was published by Kelly St Clare on January 14th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

Links for more information:

Kelly St. Clare’s Website

Facebook

Goodreads

Book Review: Faery Swap by Susan Kaye Quinn

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Faery Swap by Susan Kaye Quinn

A Middle Grade Fantasy Novel published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform (12/16/13)

Summary:

Finn is the protective older brother, but he can no longer protect his little sister when he’s tricked into the Otherworld by a faery Prince. Zaneyr doesn’t mind humans and performs the soulswap with Finn with little remorse because his plans are to save the human species. Zaneyr is in up to his elbows and the human world is much more complicated than he thought, but his father wants to merge the faery world with the human world and Zaneyr will stop at nothing to keep that from happening. Zaneyr is a warrior but with Finn consumed with getting his body back from the faery, things just got a bit more complicated.

Keywords:

Soul Swap, Exchange, Otherworld, Faery, Dimensional Energy, Warrior, Separation, Body, Self, Other Creatures, Power, Spell, Wand, Two Worlds, Tricked, Friendship, Loyalty, Brothers

My Review:

This book was fun to read, surprisingly fun to read as an adult since it’s marketed for a middle-grade crowd. It had more intent and attempted violence and evil than I would have thought for a typical middle-grade novel, more like a young adult novel actually.

The genre was also not quite a typical fairy fantasy because there were wizards and spells and wands. This book had everything! There were even creatures that were different. The fantasy world was separate from the human world and action took place in both. There was world building but it wasn’t off-putting because much of the action and the beginning of the novel took place in the close to reality human world.

There was only one true female but only because it’s about someone else, she isn’t a strong female type or a damsel in distress. Her character could almost also be another boy, she isn’t gender stereotyped into a female corner.

This book covered a lot in its longer than you would expect for a middle grade novel pages. There was a glimpse at friendship and family dynamics and loyalty as well as grief and emotional turmoil over loss and perceived loss of loved ones.

I liked Finn just as much as I liked Zaneyr and even though the faery boy was doing something seemingly wrong by soul swapping with Finn, I understood and was able to sympathize with his motives later on.

This novel was published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform on December 16th, 2013 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Susan Kaye Quinn’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: Siren by Jennifer Melzer

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Siren by Jennifer Melzer

A Romance/Fantasy/Paranormal Novel published by Dragon’s Gold (01/05/2015)

 

Summary:

Siren Talbot is in love with Carver and thinks he’s about to propose after more than two years of being in a relationship. When the night is over, she is left with a haphazard memory and a box that she thinks contains the ring, but no Carver. He disappeared. Siren falls apart at his abrupt absence and is only able to get through it when she meets Patrick. This new man charms his way into her life and lends her support when she needs it and they grow quite fond of each other. When he proposes, she accepts and they are married, but she can never quite let go of Carver… For three years she hasn’t opened the ring box, but when she’s finally ready to let the past go, the box has mysteriously vanished. There is only one culprit this time: Patrick.

 

Keywords:

 Relationships, bad boyfriends, secrets, magic, depression, moving on, romance, love, future, locked away, disappear, second chances, bad magic, evil

My Review:

I didn’t realize this was a romance story. Most of the story was taken up by the romance and Siren pining for Carver and loving Patrick etc. etc. This book was mostly romance with a bit of fantasy thrown in, so if that’s your thing, then go for it. I wasn’t as pleased with the mix. I thought there could have been a lot edited out as the story dragged in many places and the emotions Siren was feeling were repeated over and over again.

The story begins with a high tension scene that makes the slow pace afterward seem even slower. It takes about half the book for the second (and real) inciting action to take place. The opening scene was like a faux inciting incident and seemed unbalanced in the context of the story’s pacing and plot. Quite a bit of editing could have taken place after this first scene, as we are shown Siren pining and grieving and then recovering painfully slow. The author takes too much time with the aftermath of Carver’s disappearance. We get the point already, move on to the real meat of the story please.

I thought the story focused on Siren, but it seemed that she was just a vehicle through which Carver’s and Patrick’s stories could take place. I didn’t like Siren. She was whiny and easily manipulated. She was constantly doubting her own emotions and just going along with whatever was presented to her. She didn’t have much of her own personality until the middle of the book, where the real story begins. The fact that Siren wouldn’t open the ring box for so very, very long makes me dislike her even more. Siren and the other characters would have been more relatable had there been no magic involved, but because there is a paranormal side to the novel, nothing seemed remotely likely and you will have to suspend your belief if you want to really get into this story.

This novel was published by Dragon’s Gold 01/05/2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.25

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Jennifer Melzer’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: Flower’s Fang by Madison Keller

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Flower’s Fang by Madison Keller

An Urban Fantasy Novel published by Hundeliebe Publishing (09/13/14)

Summary:

Arara of the Jegera is bullied by her own people because she’s different. She’s a runt and has longer fur and better mind talking abilities. She plans on heading North after the ceremonial hunt with her year’s kin but when the Prince of the flower kin – Se’ls – comes to watch the hunt, things start to go awry for Arara. Prince Se’ls just wants to find a Jegera to form a Sedyu-bond with but hasn’t felt any connection to any of the candidates until he sees Arara. Sel’s and Arara are tied together by more than a potential Sedyu-bond when something is threatening the Empire and they must fight together to survive and help everyone else.

 

Keywords:

Flower-like people, dog-like people, power struggle, underdog, magic, secrets, standing up, fighting back, legends, prophecy, leadership, emotional, assassins, dark magic, empire, prince, bonding, runt, misfit, skills

 

My Review:

The worldbuilding in this story was amazing and different, but not too complicated. You can easily imagine the world, although the flower-Kin and Jegera may be a bit harder to visualize than a human. I really enjoyed the different types of characters in this world and their names and details. The Kwaso and Yaka were neat and unusual. The Jegera were the furred creatures with the unqiue ability to talk in each other’s heads using a ‘gefir.’ I really liked the concept of a gefir and the fact that some Jegera were better at it than others. The Kin were flower-like people with sap for blood and petals for good looks and vines that they wrapped up much like long hair.

The main characters in this story, however, left me quite wanting. Se’ls and Arara are both emerging ‘adults’ in their cultures, but they are amazingly childish. They both easily display every emotion they are feeling and whine and cry at the drop of a hat. They act like children, think like children, and cry like children. This book’s characters were more appropriate to a middle grade novel in the way they acted.

Arara’s main reason to leave her home town was tied into her apparent musical skill, however, after the first couple of chapters she leaves this behind and apparently doesn’t care any more about music or her wish to write music. The author forgets all about Arara’s musical ability in light of her other adventures and never comes back to this trait.

Kerka’s character baffled me. He wasn’t bad enough to be a bad guy and he never quite redeemed himself either. He wasn’t enough of a character to be bad or good or to have a turnaround moment.

I loved the fantasy elements in this book and absolutely adore the cover art but felt like there was a lot lacking in the characters.

This novel was published by Hundeliebe Publishing on September 13th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.25

Links for more information:

Madison Keller’s Website

Goodreads

Madison Keller on Facebook

Seattle Specific Saturdays: AFK Renton Multi-Author Event Must Read! Today!

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I love finding new local authors and Jeffrey Cook has set up another great AFK event you simply must check out! For more information, see the flyer below or visit the event’s facebook page here.

 

jeffs-afk-event-promo

Book Review: The Keepsake: An Empress Chronicles Book (The Empress Chronicles 2)

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The Keepsake: An Empress Chronicles Book (The Empress Chronicles 2)

A Fantasy Novel published by Words in a Hurry (09/21/2015)

Summary:

“The way I see it, you can choose love or you can choose control. Not both” (The Keepsake by Suzy Vitello).

The Empress Chronicles continues with the twining stories of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria from 150 years in the past and Liz from present day Oregon. They are connected through the keepsakes: a diary and three lockets. Empress Elisabeth, affectionately known as Sisi, has accepted her fate to wed the emperor and give up on her previous crushed romance. Liz knows that history is not kind to Sisi and writes in the diary, telling Sisi not to marry the emperor. Sisi, at first doesn’t understand, but gradually comes to believe both in the diary’s ability to cross time and the advice that Liz of Port Land gives her. Meanwhile, in present day, Liz has her own issues to contend with but can’t let go of the diary or in her unfailing faith in the fact that she could help Sisi and change history forever.

 

Keywords:

Teens, Drama, Finding Yourself, Disorders, OCD, Family, Fitting In, Love, Adventure, Connecting, Engaging with the World, Brave, Giving In, Trickery, Gossip

 

My Review:

It took a while to get back into the second book of the Empress Chronicles, as the story of the Keepsake continues right where the Empress Chronicles leaves off. Since I had read book one quite a while ago, I had trouble catching up with what was going on in book two, but all the characters I enjoyed were there and all their interesting personality quirks were still in full force. Liz was still very much held down by her OCD, but in a different way. Now she was aware of when it was affecting her and she was trying to overcome her own quirks so that she could ‘engage’ with the world. Sisi is still as dramatic as she was in book one.

Half the book, I felt like Sisi slowed down any action that was happening in the book. In her time, the past, not much happened to a young lady and most of the plot was brought out through gossip and intrigue. Liz, in her modern times, was much more interesting than Siis, at least for the first half and rising action of the story. When Liz decides to intervene in a big way, that’s when both Sisi’s life and Liz’s life jump into action and the story really gets cooking.

I loved all the details regarding the past and all the interesting details regarding Willow and her chosen lifestyle. Willow’s Kombucha-goat cheese farm-lifestyle was fascinating to get a good look at, especially from Liz’s point of view. Sisi’s lifestyle, that of someone in the upper class, in old Austria, was also very fascinating.

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this story in exchange for my honest review.

This novel was published by Words in a Hurry 09/21/2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Suzy Vitello’s Blog