I really enjoyed this one. There are definitely slow parts but overall, the pace keeps up. It does have romance, slow to burn - and I believe this is I really enjoyed this one. There are definitely slow parts but overall, the pace keeps up. It does have romance, slow to burn - and I believe this is a trilogy so we shall see where the author takes us. But a well done book! I wish more people would try this series...more
I found the first half to be fun and exciting - and the second half SO boring. I'm not even in the mood to start the third book at this point. I found the first half to be fun and exciting - and the second half SO boring. I'm not even in the mood to start the third book at this point. ...more
I wanted to read this before I started the Netflix series. This had a lot of twists and a good set-up for the rest of the trilogy. I feel that we haveI wanted to read this before I started the Netflix series. This had a lot of twists and a good set-up for the rest of the trilogy. I feel that we have much more to learn about the darkling, and I'm here for it. I hope Mal doesn't become the HEA...(why am I rooting for the bad guy?????)
Anyway - on to book two.
My kindle copy ended at 58% which is really odd. ...more
I really liked the set-up but eventually I got bored. I needed more wickedness, or more action or more - something. The romance/chemistry is okay but I really liked the set-up but eventually I got bored. I needed more wickedness, or more action or more - something. The romance/chemistry is okay but it wasn't enough to hold my attention.
While I thought book one was a bit slow, after reading this book, I appreciate the author allowing the reader to take their time to get to know her chWhile I thought book one was a bit slow, after reading this book, I appreciate the author allowing the reader to take their time to get to know her characters. She didn't rush us. And then she gives us book two where the reader is taken on a journey!! Once I reached the halfway point I couldn't put it down. And I fell even harder in love with the characters. I'm INVESTED. On to book three........more
This one started slow for me - I actually set it down for a while. But I picked it back up and the second half flew by. Finally things are getting undThis one started slow for me - I actually set it down for a while. But I picked it back up and the second half flew by. Finally things are getting underway and secrets are being told. Love this heroine. (and strangely I like Dorian better than Chaol....which I would have not guesses after book one)
I found the first two books in this series a little slow. And at the end of book two, when we learn Celaena is to leave Chaol and Dorian - I expected I found the first two books in this series a little slow. And at the end of book two, when we learn Celaena is to leave Chaol and Dorian - I expected not to like this book at all.
But I LOVED it. I loved Rowan. I LOVED Manon so, so much. Her relationship with her broken, runt of a dragon thing = <3
Their flaws and brutality are so well done. I could not put this book down.
Reread 4/21 - I would give it 3 stars on the reread. I was a little bored. I've never finished this series so doing a reread - I think I remember it gReread 4/21 - I would give it 3 stars on the reread. I was a little bored. I've never finished this series so doing a reread - I think I remember it getting much better. We shall see.
A little slow to start and clunky sometimes but by the end I really feel invested in the heroine (and Chaol...who am I kidding?)
I have high hopes for this series. Onto book two...
(Rhys, from her Court trilogy will be VERY hard to beat ;)...more
I read this a month or so ago but GR didn't record it. Truly loved this series. I adored the entire crew. I read this a month or so ago but GR didn't record it. Truly loved this series. I adored the entire crew. ...more
I was going to give this four solid stars, but then at the 70% mark (when we get to 'under the mountain') things get amazing and I just LOVED it and II was going to give this four solid stars, but then at the 70% mark (when we get to 'under the mountain') things get amazing and I just LOVED it and I'm giving it five stars.
And everyone that I've spoke to about this series is telling me book two will blow me away. Squeak!!!
I love all the characters. (Especially Rhys - don't even tell me what happens with him!!!!!)
Last year I really enjoyed The Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon. I think fantasy romance, if done well, can be so captivating and enchanting. I greatlLast year I really enjoyed The Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon. I think fantasy romance, if done well, can be so captivating and enchanting. I greatly anticipated this book, especially when I learned Kjell (hero’s brother from book one) would be the star. And to note, this can be read as a stand alone.
That all said, this one lagged for me and I don’t think I truly fell in love with the heroine.
In this world, some humans are Gifted – some can change shape into an animal, some can see the future, some can heal. In the past, using “gifts” was illegal and those gifted would be put to death – but all that changed after book one. The previous hero, the king, has now made gifting legal and wants those gifted to be welcomed with open arms and come out of hiding. While that is all well and good near the kingdom where it can be enforced, those reclusive villages have not yet changed practice. Sasha, our heroine, can see glimpses of the future and tries to keep this to herself, but when she sees people in her village getting sick and dying, she tells the elders they need to be prepared. Sasha is a slave and has no memory of her childhood or how she really became a slave. When her owner dies, and the town blames Sasha for the sickness, she flees. And promptly falls off a high ledge.
Kjell is the brother of the king, and would much prefer to be out on the battlefield killing things, than sitting on a throne ruling people. Kjell as a warrior has much respect, and his men follow his every command. Out with his men hunting large, violent bird creatures, he sees an unconscious woman on the ground. Severely injured, he knows he could heal her, but he usually saves that gift for people he actually loves and cares about. But he is drawn to Sasha and decides to save her life. When she comes to, she recognizes him from visions she has had, and pledges her life to him. Kjell does not want a servant, or anyone following him around, but Sasha is determined to be his. He reluctantly agrees to bring her back to his castle and find employment for her….and along the way, feelings develop.
When they get back to the castle, it’s about at the halfway mark of the book, and I really think the first half drags. Maybe not “drag” is the right word – but predictable. Sasha sees visions along the way, and they have to respond to them to stay safe. Kjell tries to keep Sasha at a distance, but all the while she enthralls his men with stories, and eventually catches his ear too.
Then there is a very big twist at the halfway mark and things pick up. I don’t want to say anything about the second half of the book due to spoilers, but the action is better. But by the end, I had a hard time with the romance in this one. I couldn’t find that spark of passion between them. Their first kiss and then their quick rush into the “I love you” unfolds without much sexual tension. Not to say there is no passion to be found in this book. When Kjell realizes he loves her, it’s a very moving scene:
He kissed her, taking her to the floor because he was too overcome to stand, clinging to her body because he was too undone to go slow. The storm pounding in his limbs and in his belly began to build in his heart, seeping through his skin and gathering in the corners of his eyes. He wanted to weep. It was the strangest sensation, the most puzzling reaction he’d ever experienced. He wanted to lay his head on Sasha’s chest and weep.
I love that! But the build up to that scene didn’t really match that intense tone. It was all very rushed. Sasha fell a bit flat for me too. I don’t know if we truly get to know her personality. Her gift of seeing the future is interesting, but Sasha herself didn’t do a lot for me.
I’ll definitely keep an eye out for another book from this author, but this one didn’t wow me.
When Angela, who reviews at Fiction Vixen, told me to read this book, I immediately purchased it. It’s been a while since IA bird cannot wield a sword
When Angela, who reviews at Fiction Vixen, told me to read this book, I immediately purchased it. It’s been a while since I’ve read a good fantasy and this author was unknown to me. Short review: I loved it.
This is a land where people who have gifts – whether they can change into an animal, or heal, or use words to make things happen – these gifted people are outlawed, and if their gifts are revealed, the punishment is death. Our heroine Lark has a gift – she is called a teller.
She was a Teller, and her words were magic. She spoke and the words became life. Reality. Truth.
She can use words to make objects move, or to make people move – basically words to suggest events to happen. She is powerful and when she is young, her mother protects her and is killed for it. Before she dies she whispers to Lark:
Swallow, Daughter, pull them in, those words that sit upon your lips. Lock them deep inside your soul, hide them ‘til they’ve time to grow. Close your mouth upon the power, curse not, cure not, ‘til the hour. You won’t speak and you won’t tell, you won’t call on heav’n or hell. You will learn and you will thrive. Silence, Daughter. Stay alive.
From this time on, Lark no longer has the ability to speak. Her mother’s dying wish was to keep her young daughter safe. Further safeguarding her, she curses her father that if Lark dies, so does he. Her father has his sights set to be the future king…but his fear of his daughter weighs heavily upon him.
Time goes on and Lark grows up, and a new beast is terrorizing the land. Called Volgar, they are beastly bird men who can violently wipe out entire villages. The current king, Tiras, has his hands full with fighting these creatures, and calls upon Lark’s father for reinforcements. To make sure he actually helps, Tiras captures Lark, and promises to return her once her father gives Tiras soldiers to fight the Volgar. Tiras drags Lark back to his lands and castle.
Lark is not happy to be his prisoner, although there is no love lost between her and her father. At the kingdom, Lark starts to realize something is off and very wrong with the king. While they start as enemies, Tiras starts to become very intrigued with Lark. Her father never taught her how to read or write, something she craves so much. When Tiras takes the time to teach her, although she can’t speak, she has words now. New words – and that means new power with those words. The joy when she learns how to spell words is striking.
The maid gasped when she brought my supper, but the king looked at her with haughty dismissal, and she bowed and stuttered and left the room with great haste. She obviously told the rest of the servants, because no one scolded me or tried to wash our words away.
He spent the day with me, and when he left, I wandered from one word to the next, touching them, saying them in my mind. As I did, I was unable to stop the moisture that rose in my eyes and slipped down my cheeks. It was the happiest day of my life.
Along with learning these new words, some people, including Tiras, can hear what she says in her mind. Tiras realizes she can fight the Volgar just by using unspoken words in her head. His capture of a young lady turns out to be his sword. As they fall in love, Lark worries all he really wants from her are her words, and is his affection genuine?
I don’t want to give away too much of the story, as there is a big piece about the king that goes straight into spoiler territory. But I will tell you this is a really well done fantasy romance. Lark is such a strong girl, for not having a voice. After she learns to read, it unlocks a new ability…. one that I hesitate to really go into. She is a young woman who has so much power, but worries what that power brings. Does she want to be a killing machine for the Volgar? Is she only in Tiras’s good graces because he likes to manipulate her power?
“What do you want, Lark?” He asked again, and his inner elegy was so deafening it pierced my walls. There was something he was hiding from me, something I had not figured out.
I want to be wanted.
He stiffened, and I realized I had let him hear. I had let him in. Just a bit. He was so close, and my need was loud.
“I want you,” he said, his voice sharp.
You don’t want me. You need me. I am of use. It isn’t the same thing.
I love that she is naive yet not willing to learn and to adjust. She thirsts for knowledge and can stand up for herself against people at his court who are master of manipulation. Their love story is slow to burn but ends up being romantic and super sweet.
Kjell, Tiras’s second in command also holds a special place in my heart. His gruffness and steadfast loyalty to Tiras is done so well in this book.
This is the first I’ve read by this author and I loved her voice. I can’t wait to read more.
I get nervous when someone I know - whether it be from twitter, or a blogger - writes their first book and asks me to review it. I've never met AmandaI get nervous when someone I know - whether it be from twitter, or a blogger - writes their first book and asks me to review it. I've never met Amanda Ryan in person, but we do talk on twitter occasionally about books. When she emailed me with this review request, I got a little sweaty. But I thought - what the heck - if I don't like the book, I'll tell her and the world won't end.
But a crazy thing happened - I really liked it.
Our heroine is Lia and she is called a Keeper. In this world there are Magicians and Keepers - and the one needs the other:
Magic was not inherently bestowed to a magician, but instead channeled by a Keeper, a person trained in the art of runes and the history of magic. Keepers were the pool and Magicians were the siphon, and when a Keeper was bound to a Magician it was a partnership for life.
I will say, the weakest part of this book is this relationship. I needed a little more information or depth about both magicians and keepers. I got the concept, but I could have used more details. I understood the role of the keeper, but I didn't understand magicians as well. What their power was and how that affected the people around them - made me scratch my head a little bit. The head of the land, aka the head of the Keepers and magicians, is called The Royal, and she is all-powerful and a little crazy. We'll get back to her later.
Back to the set up, Lia was raised in a brothel and owned by a horrible man. She has been able to keep the secret that she is a powerful Keeper from this horrible man, but she knows that won't last forever. Her friends and her decide to escape and make a run for it. During their escape, they are caught by our hero, Ilyas. He is the Royal's Right Hand and assassin - and he tells Lia she has to turn around and go back to being a servant. Lia is stubborn and clever though and eventually bargains for her and two others to stay with Ilyas, and the rest are set free.
Ilyas isn't going to send her back to the horrible man, though. He needs help finding a magical book that was stolen from the Royal, and he wants Lia to help him. Ilyas eventually learns her secret and together they go on the hunt for the book, both slowly trusting the other and eventually caring for one another too.
I love the dynamic between Ilyas and Lia. Ilyas is intense, severe and a mystery. Lia fears him at first, as he is an assassin but she is no wilting flower. Growing up on her own in a brothel, she knows how to handle herself. She speaks up for herself and isn't afraid to challenge Ilyas. Told all in Lia's point of view, you can tell Ilyas is enchanted with her even though he won't admit it or show it. He comes off as controlling and assertive, to make sure she knows who is the boss. I love when authors do this. This author conveys so much meaning from Ilyas without ever hearing his thoughts. His aloofness yet secret lust came off so sexy.
I adored Lia too. She is a fighter and never gives up. Her slow journey to loving Ilyas is sweet. There is a lot of adventure and Ilyas and Lia go on the hunt for this missing book - I never felt the story slow down.
I do have a complaint - the very, very end of the book, Lia takes an action that disappointed me. There is 100% a HEA, but there was a bump at the end to get there and I didn't like that bump. I was so happy and smiling and then this bump happens and it put a damper on it. I still enjoyed this book a lot, just didn't like the bump! *kicks the bump*
This author has a really nice voice. If you are in the mood for a fantasy/paranormal romance, check this on out. It's also available on Kindle Unlimited.
When I saw that this debut author was the winner of the 2015 So You Think You Can Write contest sponsored by Harlequin, I was excited to try it. I alsWhen I saw that this debut author was the winner of the 2015 So You Think You Can Write contest sponsored by Harlequin, I was excited to try it. I also love to try fantasy romance and this one seemed to fit the bill. I initially loved the world and the heroine - but by the end of the book, I had many frustrations.
Evony is our heroine and she is an Amazzi warrior. She comes from a land full of warriors and she is very skilled at combat and an amazing archer. Wanting to provide children to her people, she is on the hunt for a stud -- she isn't too concerned about finding a lifemate, as long as she can find a man who is both physically and mentally approved to give her a healthy child.
Everyone in the world is loyal to the mighty Emperor Galen. He has conquered all lands and tales are told about how power-mad he is and how beastly his nature can be. With this knowledge and gossip floating through her mind, Evony is summoned by the Emperor, as is one woman from every land, to go through a series of tests - after which, Galen will choose his bride. It's like a fantasy version of the television show, The Bachelor. Galen does need a bride, but he is also searching for those who want to rebel against him.
Evony arrives along with all the other women and immediately gets put to her first test - they have one hour to find an object that best represents what an empress should be. The field is then narrowed to twenty...contestants... and the story goes on from here. More tests for the women, both physical and theory and Evony finally meets the brutal, scary Galen who actually turns out to be a lovely gentleman. I think it would have been more fun if Galen did posses a more big and scary personality at first - to see how Evony handled him. But he is actually quite calm and sometimes I forgot he is the man who conquered the entire world.
At first, I loved Evony. She is bad ass, kick ass - any type of ass you can think off. She is a warrior and she is mature and level-headed and I thought she would start as a great foe/partner to the fierce Galen. But as the story progresses, Evony excels at everything. Every test - whether physical or mental, she has answers for. I wanted her to succeed, obviously, but she had zero faults. So it made the competition with the other women null and void, because she was obviously the clear winner from the start. She had to remind people all the time that she was an Amazzi warrior, if they ever threw doubt her way. Another frustration is that I got a little bored by the competition. It just didn't go anywhere. Evony would always be superior and the story would go in a circle around this theme.
My biggest frustration though is the romance. Quite quickly, Galen realizes that Evony can be a big asset to him, and smartly so. He wants to get to the bottom of why his sister was killed. He brought in a girl from each noble family to see if he could "smoke out those who plotted against him, as well as give him leverage against them." He notices how smart and capable Evony is and asks her to be his eyes and ears around the other women when he can't be there. She felt like an adviser to him, and then they start making out. It felt awkward to me. This is only told in Evony's point of view so I don't know the intimate thoughts Galen was having, but Evony was not having very intimate thoughts about him. There chemistry was great as adviser/advisee, but not great as romantic lovers. There was no sexual tension and even when the "I love you" came it didn't feel right at all.
If the romance had been really strong - I think I could have let the other stuff that bothered me go.
So yes, I've dumped on this one a bit but at the same time, that foundation for a fun fantasy is there. The world is there, and Evony had a chance to be a really cool heroine. It just missed the mark for me.
To gain everything and lose everything in the space of a moment. That is the fate of all princes destined for the throne.
I'm going to writSpoiler Free
To gain everything and lose everything in the space of a moment. That is the fate of all princes destined for the throne.
I'm going to write this review spoiler free, because to spoil anything about this book would be a true disservice. This will probably be the most non-review I've ever written. Let me also say, you can not just jump into this series with book three. You must read the first two, and trust me you want to.
Back in March of 2013 some twitter friends told me I must read Captive Prince Volumes one and two. I did, and I fell in love with Damen, Laurent, the world and author. At that time, Volumes one and two were self published - the entire series started as a free online fiction serial. What she wrote turned into something amazing. I read the first two parts and I was blown away. Maybe not so much with Volume one, but Volume two took my breath away. The twists and turns. The romance. The end. I gasped. This author knows how to build suspense until you can't stand it, and then she throws in a twist that makes you flail.
Then we heard news that Penguin bought the series - we all cheered, and then realized the wait for book three would be torture (book two ends on a big cliffhanger). Formerly known as Captive Prince Volume one and two, the books are now titled, Captive Prince and Prince's Gambit.
And now Kings Rising is here. And oh....my....god. It starts exactly where book two ends. We all know how book two ends. *hold me*
Like I said, I'm not giving anything away - except to say - it's absolutely fantastic. It made me smile. It made me read between my fingers when I got super stressed (super stressed y'all). I laughed. I swooned.
"What?" Damen was smiling
"You're very," said Laurent, and then, flushing, "attractive."
"Really," said Damen, in a rich, warm voice.
"Yes," said Laurent.
Oh, my dear awkward Laurent.
This author does such an amazing job with these two guys I can't even deal with it. Damen - a natural-born warrior, forced to be a slave to a man whose brother he killed in battle. Stripped of his lands and his family. And Laurent - who everyone underestimates but can out-manuever anyone. A mastermind to beat all others. Always planning, always manipulating.
And as we see in book two, these two unlikely fellas fall for each other. They have this passion that is almost too much to bear. Laurent, so in control and icy - and Damen, full of heat and emotion.
I almost didn't survive reading this. Almost. (I may be just a little attached to these characters).
More twists, more adventure, more heartache. A truly great end to an amazing journey.
This series deals with very dark tones - slavery, non-consensual sex, violence. It's not for everyone. But if you try this and you feel yourself falling in love with Damen and Laurent, hold on tight. This author will make you laugh and smile all the while quietly weaving a web of plot twists that will have you freaking out.
Loading...
