Tag Archives: fantasy

Book Review: Dragons In Pieces (Maze Beset) (Volume 1) by Lee French

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Dragons In Pieces (Maze Beset) (Volume 1) by Lee French

A Fantasy Novel published by Emily French (6/30/13)

 

Summary:

“Yes, it is a little disturbing to realize the only thing really preventing you from taking whatever you want is your own commitment to morality.” (Pages 153-154).

Bobby didn’t really have much going for him, but when the feds picked him up for a crime he didn’t commit, he used his upbringing to calm himself. Southern boys are polite, that is, until he was accused of being a terrorist, locked away, and experimented on like a lab rat. After discovering an unusual ability and meeting others with similar eery eyes, Bobby joins together with them to escape. But they find a list with more names then their own, and they can’t leave anyone to go through the hell they went through as lab rats, even if only for several days, and they make it their mission to save all the almond shaped eyed superheroes.

Keywords:

Dragons, Superheroes, Fighting, Powerful, Government, Experiment, Testing, Survival, Friendship, Vampire, Helping Others

 

My Review:

Dragons in Pieces starts with a focus on Bobby. He seems normal. He acts normal. He talks normal. He does normal youth-ish type things. There is a key difference, though, as Bobby is a Southern boy and he was never well off. He is quick to anger when something sparks the Southern Gentleman in him. His story starts when he takes it upon himself to tell off his mother’s boss and punches him right in the face. He is cooling off when he’s picked up as a terrorist. They must be wrong, Bobby didn’t do anything, just punched one guy.

Waking up hours or days later, Bobby doesn’t know, he is confronted by something quite unusual. Bobby and three others were being experimented on like lab rats and it won’t take long for Bobby and them to figure out why. They have super powers.

I loved Bobby. He had so much character, even if all that he said and did weren’t the best choices or the most smart decisions. Bobby has Southern charm and it’s apparent he has a Southern upbringing and grew up quite different than I did and I found him fascinating for these differences. It’s downright adorable that Bobby says “Heckbiscuits” as a curse word and tries to do what his momma done told him about being polite and how to handle himself in social situations. Bobby is rough around the edges but an extremely likeable main character.

The story was also fascinating and the choices Lee French made for the super powers was interesting. French gives is interesting characters, a compelling story, and a hint at something more going on than Bobby and his friends know.

This novel was published by Emily French on June 30th, 2013 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

 

Links for more information:

Lee French on Facebook

Lee French on Twitter

Goodreads

Book Review: Bound by Duty (Bound Series Book 1) by Stormy Smith

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Bound by Duty (Bound Series Book 1) by Stormy Smith

A Contemporary YA Fantasy/Romance Novel published by Perfect Storm Publishing, LLC  (07/23/2014)

 

Summary:

Since she was born, Amelia has been promised to the Prince, the son of evil Queen Julia. Amelia herself is no Princess, but she is an Elder, one with magical abilities. Her father never wanted her to practice her magic or to leave the safety of their home, to wait out the years until she turned twenty one and had to fulfill her promise to wed the prince. All Amelia thinks she wants is a few years of normalcy, so she leaves home and safety to go to college. At first she only has one human friend, Bethany, but then she meets Aidan. He is gorgeous, but she holds back, knowing she is not free to choose for love. Still, Aidan relentlessly pursues her until she can no longer say no. Amelia’s life has changed so much since she left home, but there are quite a few more surprises ahead for her.

Keywords:

 Magic, Mage, Family, Secrets, Loyalty, Prince, Queen, Evil, Promises, Mate, Best Friend, Brother, MMA, Power, Animages

My Review:

 

Amelia, Micah and Cole keep important and relevant information from each other for apparently no other reason than a “feeling.” This does create plot items, but ultimately doesn’t feel real.

I want to love the main character but at best she was likeable. She was easily overpowered by her own anger and inner magic. She was often selfish to the point of putting others at risk. She didn’t have much of a chance in this book to show if she was romantic or nice (except when she was guilted into remembering she had a best friend etc. and to be nice). She wasn’t mean or cruel, per se, but she wasn’t overwhelmingly friendly. This ties into the boy girl romance aspect I roll my eyes at in most books with a romance. Why does Aidan like her, why does he persist in trying to win her over? Subsequently why does Amelia like Aidan, only because he chose her? There isn’t anything special about him, other than the fact that he likes her, or is there? The author hints and drops clues as to the effect under the skin that Aidan has on Ame, his effect on her magic, the intense way she feels. Still, it was too much love at first sight for me.

My favorite character was Bethany. She was the most interesting of the bunch, and human at that. Bethany was a southern belle, a pageant queen, a beauty prone to mild forms of drama. I can just imagine her being so lively and animated and stealing the spotlight for this book.

Amelia’s story about how she wants to be normal is the main story, but she is also part of a greater and more intriguing story that she is a large part of.

This novel was published by Perfect Storm Publishing, LLC  07/23/2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating: 4.0

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Stormy Smith’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: The Badlings by Ksenia Anske

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The Badlings by Ksenia Anske

A YA Fantasy Novel published by Ksenia Anske(07/07/15)

 

Summary:

Bells, Grand, Peacock and Rusty fall into a book, but not just any book, the Book of Dead Pages AKA Mad Tome. Within Mad Tome reside all the pages that people didn’t finish reading and all the characters who are tired of continuously playing out those pages over and over again. Bells and her friends discover a world of books that have ulterior motives. Are these Badling children here by accident or were they lured into this imaginative world for another purpose? But hey, since books aren’t ‘real’ and Mad Tome is just a collection of pages torn out of other books they should be able to escape easily, right? After hopping through quite a number of stories and meeting quite a number of characters Bells and her buddies will discover that it’s not as easy to escape after all.

 

Keywords:

Books, Rude Children, Badlings, Goodlings, Morbid Thoughts, Imagination, Doughnuts, Alice in Wonderland, Snow Queen, A Little Prince, Bluebeard, Masque of the Red Death, Sinbad, flying mattresses, Jungle Book, Don Quixote, Dracula, The Little Black Hen.

 

My Review:

Rusty and I both like doughnuts. Bells and I both don’t how to pick our fights as we choose to battle every time. Grand and I both ramble on when people don’t necessarily want to listen anymore. Sometimes I just want to be noticed, like Peacock. Ksenia Anske builds characters that may be completely different from her readers, but they always have something you can hold onto as a characteristic you can relate to. Which is good, because sometimes her storylines become entirely peculiar.

Anske is a bit like Louis Sachar in that her characters are young and whiny and whimsical. Anske is a bit like Neil Gaiman in that she crafts a story that has creative rhyme and reason to the imaginative twists. Anske is a bit like Lewis Carroll in that the reader can’t quite tell what is real and what is false. In The Badlings, Ksenia Anske gives me some of what I longed for in the Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. The Badlings is young adult and references books I’ve actually read, unlike Eyre Affair with its snooty books for adults.
The Badlings began with a neat little twist, like a less sinister (or so I thought) Jumanji that was all about books! Four kids find an object (a book) and it does something completely out of the ordinary (pulls them in). From there Anske does things a little bit differently. I appreciated the fact that there is a subtle theme for holding books sacred and that you shouldn’t just throw them here or there and that you MUST FINISH THEM or be regarded as a Badling. Everybody should strive to be a Goodling.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys the whimsical imagination of Neil Gaiman or appreciates books.

This novel was published by Ksenia Anske July 7th, 2015 and is available on Ksenia Anske’s Website here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

 

Links for more information:

Ksenia Anske’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: Silent Circle (Volume 1) by Cassandra Larsen

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Silent Circle (Volume 1) by Cassandra Larsen

A YA Fantasy/Paranormal Novel published by Cassandra Larsen (08/21/2014)

 

Summary:

“We can‘t change what we are, but we can practice to get more control over what we do.” (Page 126)

Emerson is your average teenage girl. She’s got a hot boyfriend. She has a few good friends. She goes to the local high school, dressing like everyone else, partying like everyone else. On her seventeenth birthday, however, everything changes when she gains her powers. Em can’t believe that she’s a witch, but after some of her awesome abilities are revealed, she realizes there’s something going on that even her mother never told her about. That’s because her mom died when she was fourteen, before she had a chance to explain to Em who she really was. Em’s life is further complicated when her boyfriend Sebastian catches her with the local quiet boy Caiden, but hey, it’s not what you think!

 

Keywords:

Witches, Spells, Rivalry, Friendship, Loyalty, Mistakes, Teenage Drinking, Parties, Gossip, Secrets, Revenge, Death, Teen Drama, Strength, Running from Problems, Teen Issues,

 

My Review:

I like how Em is portrayed as a very normal and down to earth teen girl, albeit with her own troubles and chips on her shoulder, but those make her interesting and mysterious. Em is part of her own ‘it’ crowd but not the most popular. She’s not the model student or the model popular. She’s interesting but not really different from the norm. She fits in, until her 17th birthday when everything changes.

Larsen keeps up the intrigue throughout the book, hinting and foreshadowing that greater things are afoot and will be revealed in time. Em has just found out she’s a witch and less than a week later is having to make choices she’d never thought she’d have to make and letting people help her when she’s decided that she is self-sufficient and independent. It’s difficult for her to learn to accept the help and community of being a part of something.

I like how Em already has a boyfriend and the entire book is not a sappy falling in love romance. It’s about Em and how she has to fight to figure out what she believes in and figure out what is the truth and how she fits into this new world of witches and powers beyond belief.

The teens are realistic to a fault. You grow to love them while at the same time despising them for acting like teenagers! Rowdy drinking, bad decisions, and forgetting how they affect other people. Definitely teenage behavior. They are snarky and sarcastic and blow up in anger over little things, but they will also surprise you with their fortitude and their willingness to try. Em may have anger issues, but she is motivated to learn to control herself. That is a character trait that is really one to look up to, how many of us can say that?

The hint of a relationship between Em and Caiden, like all the gossip wants to point out, is just barely there and I hope it develops more in book two, but alas we also like Sebastian and don’t want to see him drop off! I’m interested to see how Larsen will develop the relationships and romance in the second book.

This novel was published by Cassandra Larsen 08/21/2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Facebook

Book Review: Evolution: HEX (The Evolution Series Book 3) by S.A. Huchton

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Evolution: HEX (The Evolution Series Book 3) by S.A. Huchton

A Sci-Fi/Fantasy/New Adult Novel published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (07/05/14)

 

Summary:

“The line between enemy and ally wasn’t a line at all; it was a fuzzy, ever-shifting radius of complexity and situational dependency. (Page 34).

In this final installment in the Evolution Series, Candace must once again be strong in her convictions and in her abilities and relationships to get through tough times and save the day. She was kidnapped at the end of Book Two and now is imprisoned in enemy territory. Not everything she has been told about Hex and Dr. Ferdinand are true, but is everything she knows and has been told about the ANGEL project and the SAGES true as well? It will take Candace all her strength to fight this one last battle and to figure out who the enemy really is.

 

Keywords:

Genetic Manipulation, Superheroes, Comic Books, Books, Tough, instability, romance, love, hormones, leader, kick-butt female, sex, fighting, training, good guys, testing, banter

My Review:

I love it when a third book in a trilogy comes with enough resolution to leave the reader satisfied with the overall story, but also contains its own plot within the grander plot. Huchton delivers on both fronts. There was a grand climax and a thorough resolution with a surprise ending that, when looking back, was all but inevitable due to events in this third book.

Huchton’s plot throughout this series was a bit lumpy in pace in that the first book was like a standalone novel and the second novel continued many subplots, but the overarching series plot was introduced indirectly in the second book and fully revealed in this final book. The big picture was at last revealed in the final book and leaves both Candace and the reader wondering what is the truth and who is the enemy?

Questions of morals and enemy lines blurring make for the most interesting plot complications in the Evolution Series, and especially in this third book.

The relationship between Jackson and Candace takes a deep hit and the emotional suspense is so hard to take. Huchton really knows how to write a heart throbbing romance with deeply emotional characters who really feel for each other and their love is palpable and rich.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. on July 5th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

 

Links for more information:

Starla Huchton’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: Evolution: SAGE (The Evolution Series Book 2) by S.A. Huchton

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Evolution: SAGE (The Evolution Series Book 2) by S.A. Huchton

A Sci-Fi/Fantasy/New Adult Novel published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (05/04/14)

 

Summary:

“If you don’t give people a chance to be better, they never will be.” (Page 375).

Evolution Sage picks up right where Evolution Angel leaves off, with a depressed and devastated Candace for what happened and what she did to Adrian. For weeks she gives up on everything, purposeless and wracked with guilt. It isn’t until Jackson makes a comment to her about moving on or giving up and she is given a new purpose by the facility that she is finally ready to move ahead with her life. A new threat lies on the horizon and this enemy has been around for a long time, just now making their move. It is up to the ANGELS to get ready for this new, stronger enemy and they will turn to a higher level of experimentation to improve their already super hero super powers, but what will the consequences be this time?

 

Keywords:

Genetic Manipulation, Superheroes, Comic Books, Books, Tough, instability, romance, love, hormones, leader, kick-butt female, sex, fighting, training, good guys, testing, banter, Hard Decisions

My Review:

The more I read, the more I fall in love with the characters. I absolutely adore and look up to Candace. She’s not afraid to say that she’s wrong or being too anything: too hard, too harsh, or too emotional. She has the ability to self-analyze and adapt. She harnesses her ability and hones her skills, discovers new things about herself and her abilities. When SAGE begins, a new level of herself is opened up and she explores even more new possibilities for her weapon even as she’s haunted by the power she used on Adrian in Evolution Angel.

Jackson. Swoon. He was the bad boy attitude problem, snarky comment, easily angered boy from Evolution Angel. Now that Adrian is no longer in the picture he gets to have his day. All along I’m sure Starla had great plans for Jackson, she was just biding her time and building him up as a person. Jackson is the real romantic fantasy. He is flawed and angry. He has a past that is terrible and hangs over his personality. He cares for Candace, but tries to hide his feelings for her. He is rude at times, but is extremely polite when he needs to be a gentleman. He is also insanely good looking and every time Candace gets too close to him,  she can feel him and knows that she wants him.

The relationship between Jackson and Candace gets its day in book two of the Evolution Series and it’s a wonder to behold. Starla built up this relationship from the first time they saw each other, when they hated one another. “I’ve hated you for a long time. I hated you for making me want someone. I hated you for being with Adrian. I hated you for what you dissolved into after he was gone. I couldn’t stand it, Candace. No one thought I was worth helping, and I believed it. And then you helped me, for no other reason except that you could. You caught me in almost every lie I’ve ever told you. You challenge everything I say. You took everything I thought was true and turned it upside down.” (Pages 249-250).

Jackson and Candace are so emotionally charged when they’re together, so destructive, so powerful, and I could go on and on. The best romances are the ones that happen within a story that already has a powerful plot.

Starla has built a powerful, mesmerizing plot full of characters that are emotionally appealing and fascinating to watch. Candace is tough and rational, but also very prone to feeling sad or weak when everything is against her. She is so real, even as she can control a person through her connection to the water in their veins. I love how she stands by her convictions and sticks to her morals when making decisions and weighing the pros and cons before making a tough decision.
My only critique for this book was that the ending is abrupt and right in the middle of action. Thank goodness book three is already available.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. on May 4th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

 

Links for more information:

Starla Huchton’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: Evolution: Angel (The Evolution) (Volume 1) by S.A. Huchton

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Evolution: Angel (The Evolution) (Volume 1) by S.A. Huchton

A Sci-Fi/Fantasy/New Adult Novel published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (02/25/14)

 

Summary:

“Knowing what came with great power and experiencing that weight was so vastly different you couldn’t even see the other side of the chasm between them. (Page 241).”

From the very first moment that Candace Bristol and her cousin Gabe saw the ANGELs in action, they knew they wanted to join the project and become two of the world’s superheroes. Fast forward four years when Gabe is already in training and Candace has just sent in her application. Not everyone gets accepted and not everyone can make it because it takes special genetics and a special comportment to be able to make it as an ANGEL.

When Candace is accepted, she is elated and she knows that there will be more going on than she has researched about the ANGELs. When she gets to the training grounds she is overwhelmed by some of the aspects of the project, but she steps up as a leader.

 

Keywords:

Genetic Manipulation, Superheroes, Comic Books, Books, Tough, instability, romance, love, hormones, leader, kick-butt female, sex, fighting, training, good guys, testing, banter

My Review:

Every girl wants a comic book hero to look up to and wish to have their powers. What we get are an assortment of men with superpowers and women who look pretty in skintight clothes with lame powers. What Huchton does in her superhero series is give us a real kick-butt female with real superpowers. Huchton has diverse characters that look and act different and have unique personalities.

Candace is a strong Alpha personality. She’s very curious, very go getter, very nothing gets in her way. She’s an open, up front person who does what she wants to do, says what she thinks, and doesn’t let anyone get her down. She is already a super hero inside. She sees the good in people and makes sure they don’t get away with their nonsense when they’re up to no good.

Adrian is the unassuming librarian with the sexy baritone voice. There was something in his past that gives him a chip on his shoulder and he has trouble thinking he is worth the love and effort of others.

Gabe is Candace’s older cousin and comic relief in the story. They continuously banter and at first Gabe tries to look out for her, but she is too independent and stubborn to let that fly. She would rather fall on her own, then be helped along.

Jackson is the troubled bad boy with an attitude problem. Does he secretly have a thing for Candace? Not going to tell you! “I think he could possibly be motivated to work with others on a team. While he’s abrasive and not a little trying on my patience, I don’t think he’s unsympathetic to others and he knows not to cross certain boundaries. If he’s here at all, it’s because it was his choice, isn’t it?”) (Page 86).

There’s also Ella, Candace’s friend and fellow trainee, True from the first wave of ANGELS, and Hector, etc. There was such a range of characters to get to know and love.

I thought the raging hormones bit was overplayed, but it did add a sense of hilarity, brusqueness, and urgency to the ANGEL’s actions.

The ending was so emotional and so devastating and left me itching for book two. Starla Huchton is a genius and a beautiful story-crafter and this series is a great one to read.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. on Feburary 25th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.00

 

Links for more information:

Starla Huchton’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: Girls Can’t Be Knights by Lee French

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Girls Can’t Be Knights by Lee French

A Fantasy Novel published by Myrddin Publishing (06/12/15)

 

Summary:

“There’s no law that says a girl can’t be a Knight.” (Page 250).

Claire doesn’t let bullies get her down, she fights back. On school grounds fighting is cause for suspension, but that didn’t stop her from beating up the bully. She will probably be known for beating up a guy, but she won’t know because she’s not allowed to go back to school until her suspension is over. In the meantime, Claire is suddenly a target of all the neighborhood animals and at her wits end when a cat tries to claw off her face Justin arrives. He is a Knight. Literally. A knight. But he’s happily married with children, still, he must protect Claire from forces she never knew existed.

Keywords:

 Spirit Knight, Fantasy, POV Change, Fighting, Responsibility, Unsafe, Group Home, Fire, Orphan, Adoption, Strange Things, Horse, Trust, Hope, Death, Memories, Problems

My Review:

The juxtaposition of Justin’s viewpoint and thoughts and Claire’s perspective and thoughts gives the book a rich variety in flavor as the two characters are very different. Justin is a young father of two girls. He only learned to be a father through a mentor and sometimes doesn’t always understand Claire. He wants to protect Claire and doesn’t mind killing Ur-phasms, hitting innocent people over the head, or stealing hats. Claire, on the other hand, doesn’t think too hard before taking action, is out to protect herself even when she isn’t always able, and follows the law until it would lead to her harm. She also doesn’t always understand Justin.

Claire fights at school and sticks up for herself, even when it gets her in trouble, yet when she’s faced with real problems and life or death fights, she wishes her knight would save her. After the first few times when he doesn’t immediately come to save her, she realizes she still must rely on herself to get out of the sticky situation, but still, her plans don’t always work out. Finally the knight saves her, but through her struggles to figure out what really happened to her father and what the heck a Spirit Knight is, she will learn that she actually can save herself.

Kids bully Claire at school. Adults tell her what to do and what not to do. The system dictates where she lives and who she lives with. And everyone who knows about the Knights tells her that Girls Can’t Be Knights. Every time. Sometimes they say it incredulously, because it’s never happened before while sometimes they say it disdainfully because they can’t comprehend a change in the familiar, a girl knight. Claire is convinced that she can be a knight and is glad to have been chosen. It gives her life a purpose.

Overall the story was interesting and fun to read while speeding along at a rapid pace. The concepts French introduced were intriguing and I loved her play on gender. If there is a second book I would love to see more on how the only girl who is a knight fits into a world of male knights.

This novel was published by Myrddin Publishing on June 12th, 2015 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: Hourglass by Pauline C. Harris

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Hourglass by Pauline C. Harris

A YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi Novel published by Fire and Ice Young Adult Books (03/11/15)

 

Summary:

“A planet isn’t big enough for me. I need space and stars and nothing for light-years around.” (Kindle Locations 312-313).
“You know, it’s a shame. Growing up. I bet you regret it now.” (Kindle Location 1632).

Jude “Judy” Sprocket hates planets. She has to get off Earth. When her dad dies and wills her his ship “Hourglass” she decides to take it and get out of there. There is only one problem. She’s only 17 and without an adult present cannot legally take off. Her crew is full of underage and excited kids. Jacob Holden is her chief engineer at 16. Angelica Rivers is the Assistant Engineer and Salvager. Gregory Miller is a Salvager. Jacobson Keith is a salvager. Sylvia Smith is the medic. Judy is the Captain.

Nothing will stand in the way of the stubborn captain, they are pirates after all, and they don’t exactly follow the rules. Not far from Earth, though, they encounter an uncharted planet. There is no way a planet this close to Earth would remain unknown, but the crew disregards any common sense they might have regarding an unmarked planet, and set down to investigate. Then all nightmares break loose.

 

Keywords:

 Space, travel, teens, kids in charge, Captain, exploration, nightmares, unknown past, sinister planet, leadership, friendship, loyalty, pirates, salvagers, dangerous, haunting past, vague memories

 

My Review:

I loved the concept of this book. Harris cleverly disguised the connection of the book to a well-known children’s story, but brought this connection to light in her before chapter quotes. Her usage of elements of the well-known story was intriguing and kept me hooked and searching for more similarities. But, this story was unique and all its own, even with the comparison story and similarities present.

The idea that there are space pirates who steal unwanted floating space junk is cool, especially when it is considered illegal. Harris took the hilarity of regulation and ridiculous government rules into space. Harris basically extrapolated what we know about travel and Earth and regulations and applied it to space.

Harris kept up the tension and intrigue throughout the novel and kept her twists and turns within the realm of possibility. The story was exciting and the descriptions were great. Judy was a good, solid main character with her own set of flaws and fears, but she had backbone when it counted.

The book also had an uncanny ability to translate the sense of creepiness, horror and dread the characters felt at times.

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

This novel was published by Fire and Ice Young Adult Books March 11th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Twitter

Book Review: Foul is Fair (Fair Folk Chronicles) (Volume 1) by Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins

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Foul is Fair (Fair Folk Chronicles) (Volume 1) by Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins

A YA Fantasy Novel published through Amazon Digital Services (05/15/15)

 

Summary:

“You Hawaiian lawn gnome people are very strange.” (Kindle Location 2314).

Megan has known Lani for quite some time, but she never knew Lani was different. In fact, Megan never knew that she herself was different. Both girls are only half human. While Lani lives with both her parents, Megan’s dad has been absent for most of her life. When she finds out her dad is in trouble, though, she jumps at the chance to help save him. Aided by the pixie Ashling and her Crow, Cassia, and eventually a real live almost-knight, the girls set off on their quest – only to be interrupted by the politics in faerie land. They must first appease the faerie leader before saving Megan’s dad, but they find out that he didn’t just accidentally get himself into the mess he’s in, he was set up! A full on political war with all sorts of odd creatures rages and Megan must figure out what to do and in the process figure out who she is and what she wants to be.

 

Keywords:

 Faerie, politics, high fantasy, world building, mis-appearances, war, strangeness, magic, distinctions, evil, pixie, butterflies, knight, quest, heroines, queens, dancing, music

 

My Review:

 Megan has ADHD. The whole book is one big batch of ADHD and to someone who has never had anything like ADHD it is very peculiar. The books that mimic the thing they are talking about are rare and sometimes hard to follow. In Foul is Fair, the writing style, dialogue, and descriptions are written in the style of ADHD. The feeling one gets while reading this book is that thoughts are somewhat scattered and random. Many of the plot points and motivations seem random. Even from the beginning you are plunged into the story without too much of a foothold before the action ramps up and takes away running with you. It is very different to be reading a book like this. If this is how Megan and others with ADHD feel and interpret the world, boy do I get it now.

This book, as it is the first in a fantasy series, takes a lot of time to build up the world and the political scene. Faerie land is complex and so are the creatures. If fantasy with lots of different creatures and different types of relationships and a complex other-universe with its own laws and guidelines is your thing, you will love the Fae Chronicles. I’m more of a character lover than a complex fantasy world lover.

Megan and Lani were characters I enjoyed. They were both very different from each other and somewhat unique as characters. Megan personified ADHD, but she was also artistic and musically inclined. Lani was some interesting ethnic mix and her family, being openly (to each other) faerie inclined, were super odd and fascinating.

This novel was published through Amazon Digital Services May 5th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.50

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Jeffrey Cook on FreeValley Publishing

Jeffrey Cook’s Facebook