This is a good “introduction to fantasy” novel, and also great for anyone who is a little bit younger. It’s not as dark as fantasy can often become and contains a world that is both interesting and unique.
I know a few people who are either not particularly good readers, or don’t usually go for fantasy, who enjoyed this book.
3.75 Stars
The moment Ivan stumbled upon a clearing in the dense Carpathian forest, his life was forever changed. Atop a pedestal encircled by fallen leaves, the beautiful princess Katerina lay still as death. But beneath the foliage a malevolent presence stirred and sent the ten-year-old Ivan scrambling for the safety of Cousin Marek’s farm.
Now, years later, Ivan is an American graduate student, engaged to be married. Yet he cannot forget that long-ago day in the forest–or convince himself it was merely a frightened boy’s fantasy. Compelled to return to his native land, Ivan finds the clearing just as he left it.
This time he does not run. This time he awakens the beauty with a kiss . . . and steps into a world that vanished a thousand years ago.
A rich tapestry of clashing worlds and cultures, Enchantment is a powerfully original novel of a love and destiny that transcend centuries . . . and the dark force that stalks them across the ages.”
When I first found this novel by the author of Ender’s Game
Don’t expect it to be your traditional fairytale, and definitely don’t expect it to be your usual fantasy story – it is as unique a story as I have come to expect from Card. There’s a little bit of time travel, a little bit of sleeping beauty, with evil villains and heroes who simply try to do the best they can – and altogether it forms a story that is as entertaining as you could hope for.
/5
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Thren Felhorn is the greatest assassin of his time. Marshalling the thieves’ guilds under his control, he declares war against the Trifect, an allegiance of wealthy and powerful nobles. His son, Aaron, has been groomed since birth to be his heir. Sent to kill the daughter of a priest, Aaron instead risks his own life to protect her from the wrath of his guild. In doing so, he glimpses a world beyond poison, daggers, and the iron control of his father.
Originally I had intended to read this book, write the review, and be done with it. Then I read the book, and neglected the review because I was far too busy reading the second book in the series.
Good sign don’t you think?
I found this book extremely well written with engaging action scenes and intriguing characters. There is a lot of switching back and forth between events and characters, but I didn’t have the slightest hint of trouble following along.
The book is a bloody one, you need to know that upfront – if you can’t get past that kind of thing, don’t read it.
If you can handle that, and like fantasy novels – then read it. And once you’re done, read the second one!
I also greatly enjoyed the second book, though perhaps a fraction less than the first. Through no fault of the author, one must be somewhat better than the other, it’s just the way it works.
I had never heard of David Dalglish before I discovered these two books, but you can rest assured that I will be reading more of his books in the future, including the currently un-released third, and final book in this series.
/5
Buy the Book on:
Smashwords (Multiple formats)
Amazon (Kindle)
Barns and Noble (Nook)
Becky is Chris’ fourteen-year-old daughter, a girl who overcame enormous challenges in her early years to become a vibrant, vital young woman. Her parents’ divorce has left its mark, though, most significantly in her relationship with her father. Once, they told remarkable stories together. Now, they barely speak. Emotional detachment from Chris is not Becky’s biggest concern, though.
Miea is the young queen of a fantasy land that Becky and Chris created when Becky was little – a fantasy land that has developed a life of its own. Miea knows nothing of Becky and Chris. She only knows that her beautiful kingdom – a place of remarkably varied flora, dignified and distinctive fauna, and an ecology that works in symphonic majesty – is in terrible, maybe fatal trouble. At the most challenging junctures of their lives, Becky and Miea discover each other and Miea shares this discovery with Chris. For Becky, it is nearly inconceivable that a place she created has come into existence. For Miea, it is nearly inconceivable that a child created her land. For Chris, it is beyond inconceivable that he is again sharing something important in his daughter’s life. For all of them, it as though a world of opportunity has opened up before them.
Together, they need to uncover a secret. The secret to why these worlds have joined at this moment. The secret to their purpose. The secret to the future. It is a secret that, when discovered, will redefine imagination for all of them. Blue is a novel of trial and hope, invention and rediscovery.”
I haven’t read a book that leaves me feeling this satisfied at the end in a long time.
This book is incredible – it effortlessly transported me back to the days when my father used to put me to bed and tell me a story of his own making. It brought back those feelings and how much I loved that time we spent together and the magic of his imagination.
/5
Being trapped in a bedroom with a woman is a grand thing. Being trapped in hundreds of bedrooms over two thousand years isn’t. And being cursed into a book as a love-slave for eternity can ruin even a Spartan warrior’s day.
As a love-slave, I know everything about women. How to touch them, how to savor them, and most of all, how to pleasure them. But when I was summoned to fulfill Grace Alexander’s sexual fantasies, I found the first woman in history who saw me as a man with a tormented past. She alone bothered to take me out of the bedroom and onto the world. She taught me to love again.
But I was not born to love. I was cursed to walk eternity alone. As a general, I had long ago accepted my sentence. Yet now I have found Grace–the one thing my wounded heart cannot survive without. Sure, love can heal all wounds, but can it break a two-thousand-year-old curse?
Julian of Macedon”
I hadn’t planned on writing another romance review for a while – unfortunately I couldn’t review any of the other books I read this past week. As such I chose to reread this lovely novel by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
She is definitely one of the leaders in the paranormal romance genre; her novels feature a fabulously unique setting and her style of writing makes for an enjoyable read.
The content is explicit but it is not over the top and the story beyond the romance is what makes the books worth reading. This series (of which Fantasy Lover
This book is an easy introduction to the more complex story-line that the rest of this series reveals. If you like paranormal romance and enjoy mythology – I would utterly recommend reading this book.
/5
The next book of the Dark-Hunter series is: Night Pleasures
The Hobbit is the prequel to the well known, now made into a movie, Lord of the Rings. While I did enjoy the trilogy, I did find them a bit long and somewhat hard to finish – and since I am an extremely quick reader I can completely understand why people have problems reading them.
The Hobbit was nothing like that. For starters it is just one book, one adventure and more or less of average length. It tells the tale of Bilbo Baggins, his adventure and how he found ‘the one ring’.
Unlike Lord of the Rings, the ‘one ring that rules them all’ is more of an aside in this book, and not at all the main story. The main story is about a dragon – and it’s fabulous. If you have never read anything by Tolkien, start with this one. If you have – read this one anyway!
4.5 Stars!
Then she meets his brother, Peter. His eyes pierce through her, and she can barely breathe when he’s around. Even though he can’t stand the sight of her, she’s drawn to him.
But falling for two very different guys isn’t even the worst of her problems. Jack and Peter are vampires, and Alice finds herself caught between love and her own blood…”
After hearing so much about her for the last month I had no choice but to purchase one of Amanda Hocking’s novels and give her a try.
My Blood Approves is an easy read, though I found the beginning too slow. It is a paranormal romance with a focus on vampires. The story doesn’t even come close to ending with the first book as nothing is resolved, however that simply means that if I want to find out what happens – I’ll have to get the next one as well.
I’m very undecided how I feel about the story and the style of writing, I found it to be a little lacking in most departments. I’m hoping that the next books have a little bit more depth and character development – that being said, since I plan on reading them at some point, the story is interesting enough to make me curious what happens next.
/5
Find My Blood Approves on Kindle
A great series by Mercedes Lackey is the Dragon Jousters series. Featuring a fine example of her world creating abilities, these books had me captivated from the first page.
The first book focuses on the story of Vetch, a young and mistreated serf – because he is young there is no romantic element in this story. This gives you time to fall in love with the characters and really get to know them.
They may not contain as much action as some of her other books, but nevertheless the stories are unique and captivating. I heartily recommend them!
Alta: Joust #2
Sanctuary: Joust #3
Aerie: Joust #4
Joust: five potions
Series: four potions
/5
The Xanth Novels, of which this is the first, are very prolific and seem to gain new additions nearly overnight.
I won’t go so far as to say that I have read all of them, but I have definitely read my fair share. Some I enjoyed more than others, and this one just happened to be my least favorite.
It is an interesting story, and I love the world that Piers Anthony has created for his novels. This particular storyline seems a little harder to get into than many of the others. Perhaps I am biased because I unknowingly started in the middle of the series and by the time I finally got back to this one it was old news.
All that being said I would still recommend it if you are looking for a lengthy, entertaining and pun filled fantasy series to read. My personal favorites in this series are a few stories in, but it is worth the time to get there! If you hate puns, don’t bother looking at these books because they are filled with punny treasures. You’ll also find goblins, harpies, demons and of course ogres.
3 Stars.
#2 Source of Magic
#3 Castle Roogna
#4 Centaur Aisle
#5 Ogre, Ogre
#6 Night Mare
#7 Dragon on a Pedestal
#8 Crewel Lye
#9 Golem in the Gears
Oh no, that’s not even close to being all of them, but if you’re interested it’s enough to get you started!
“In the land of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, if you can’t carry out your legendary role, life is no fairy tale….Now, instead of sleeping in the chimney, she has to deal with arrogant, stuffed-shirt princes who keep trying to rise above their place in the tale. And there’s one in particular who needs to be dealt with….
Sometimes a fairy godmother’s work is never done….”
I‘m a big fan of Mercedes Lackey; I’ve read so many of her novels that I’ve started to lose track. This was the first ‘Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms’ book that I read however, and I gotta say — I absolutely love the twist on the classic fairy tale. In fact, it is less of a twist and rather a completely unique story that brings back the feelings from when you were a kid and were tempted to kiss all the frogs you saw – just in case.
/5
One Good Knight
Fortune’s Fool
The Snow Queen
The Sleeping Beauty
On a side note you can find Mercedes Lackey on Twitter – @mercedeslackey, as far as I know it is a real account, but if I’m wrong, please feel free to let me know!
