Compelling story in a richly detailed world
927028
Of all the Kindle First books I've read, this is my favorite so far and I eagerly await the next installments. The story itself makes a good read and the two protagonists are engaging and likeable. But what really set this book apart is the richly detailed, painstakingly constructed world the author created. Moreover, the details of this world are revealed in a that's almost aggravating tantalizing: the author doesn't just explain everything up front but gradually pulls the curtain back on different aspects of it over the course of the book. You read about historical events mentioned in passing in the same way Alec Guinness' Obi Wan Kenobi mentions the Clone Wars - something in the past that is such a part of this world's present that EVERYONE knows about it, aside from us readers who need to piece it together. Frankly the world in which the novel is set is a work of art in its own right.

This genre is far from my normal reading but I found this book thoroughly engrossing and immensely entertaining. If you're even just curious about fantasy I think you'll probably like it too.
671143
Scott Hawkins has written a story that blends brutality, savagery, madness, beauty, compassion, self-sacrifice, duty, courage, friendship and wisdom in one book.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book to others.

A couple of things to note.

First, it is somewhat narratively complex, and requires careful reading, especially in the first half as the world of The Library at Mount Char is built. I missed a key aspect of the main character early in the story and then almost convinced myself there was a huge logic hole about half way through, but given that everything else was so good, I couldn't believe it, so I searched back through the story for what I must have missed - and found it.

Second, it sometimes describes very brutal and savage acts. If you are put off by violence and gore, probably not a good book for you. If on the otherhand, you don't have to look away, the violence is very well contexted by the overall meaning of the story and is not the least bit gratuitous.

The story stands alone and is a stunning work of imagination.

Awesome.
4936879
When Naaba spots Asha in a clearing and frees her from bondage, little does he know that the two of them will join others in an epic journey of adventure. Their small group flees the chaos brought about by an overly ambitious, ruthless leader. But they soon find themselves mired in a different, but no less perilous, struggle to survive as they cross an ocean from one continent to another.

Kathleen Rollins uses wonderfully descriptive language in writing this adventure filled story full of interesting characters. The most interesting character for me was the storyteller, Dashona. In following her stories, as well as those told by others in their traveling band, one can't help but realize that storytelling has been of great importance to humanity for a very long time.

To call this book solely an adventure tale would not be accurate. This author's work takes on the complex dualities found in mankind and in nature itself  and does so within compelling, beautifully rendered settings.
4785202
This story takes place in an old world where medieval tradition slams into the progression of aesthetic technology. A world of strong metropolis's and unexplored mythical frontiers. A word of the esoteric, of secrets, and of danger.

It is in this well thought out and engaging world that we find the tale of two heroes on their own quests who find common cause when they discover an evil to vile to ignore.

Stinson does a great job of creatively mapping out a story that is wrought with lovable characters, vile creatures, and a world that is dense and diverse. Smooth writing makes for getting a good grasp from the first page and engaging storytelling keeps the reader moving from chapter to chapter without wanting to put the book down.
3433290
Gorgeous language and compelling details make this novel a world you enter rather than read. Maddy, the young protagonist, is posing as the younger sister to her young mother when they move to the small town of Reliance, Illinois so that her mother can get married. Estranged from her mother's new family, Maddy enters the household of Rose Warner, who is the wealthy daughter of the town's founder. Maddy becomes part servant and part pupil to the eccentric Rose, and gets embroiled in the undercover distribution of birth control. There are a lot of issues raised in the novel, from women's rights to social justice. The cast of secondary characters is outstanding, and the plot includes murder, illegitimate children, romantic love, and, of course both reliance and self-reliance. Volmer is an excellent writer, and I often just stopped to admire a turn of phrase or interesting detail. I highly recommend this novel.
4452894
This was an absorbing fantasy with a satisfying end that should appeal to readers of the genre who seek a moving, ticking plot. From the beginning you are thrown into Garrisons rich world and the lives and machinations of his diverse characters. Introspection and background relevant to the story are dealt to the reader when they become relevant, so no long info-dumps that can be the death of fantasy novels.

The story is told from 6 different POVs (I think Im counting correctly) which makes for an intricate read of interlacing motivations and schemes. Although the twists and turns might be somewhat confusing in the beginning given the number of POVs and the richness of the world and shared pasts of several of the characters, the novel slowly grows and delights you with its complexity. Be warned, you might weep for some of your favorite characters as Garrison plays with them like a cat with a mouse. You might also end up highlighting many of the beautifully written sentences. Highly recommended!
4853972
Elaenorh by Vanessa Kittle is a fascinating blend of fantasy, hard sci-fi, and Irish mythology, which imagines a world of Faerie hidden (perhaps) beneath the green hills of Ireland, the emerald isle - and what a world it is. The story follows Elaenorh, at once a library student and a lost Calean trying to find her way home. Elaenorh is quickly embroiled in mystery as she begins to discover her powers and purpose. The idea of the evil cee meeran, who are alien parasites on humanity, being responsible for pain and suffering in the world is not a new one, but the execution is fresh and chilling. In the context of Irish mythology it is unlike anything I had read before.

The style is richly told and full of atmosphere, and ably supports and ratchets up the tension which develops as we wonder what will happen when the cee meeran invade the hidden Calean world. The author's use of light and colour in describing the detail of the world is particularly noteworthy, drawing on her background as a poet. Elaenorh's character is well drawn and likable - I thought her a bit too much of a mouse, at first, but as she comes into her heritage this quickly changes. Drawing a 1000 year-old character is not without its challenges and I felt in a few places the transition of character was a little rough, for example, from the library student finding her way in the new world to a brave adventurer willing to risk it all.

I'd liken the pace of this story to a smooth-flowing river running over hidden boulders. The action is not much to the foreground except in a few battle scenes; the real story is about Elaenorh's journey home. There is however a stark transition between the more fantasy-focussed elements of Book 1 and the sci-fi tale of Book 2. Some readers may find this jarring. I found it excellent. Suddenly the reader is invited to view the cee meeran problem from a wholly different perspective and we dive into a much wider tapestry as Elaenorh's inner drive takes her into mortal peril at the edge of the solar system, and beyond. The technical details of her spaceflight are flawlessly handled.

I don't know if you've ever read a book and wanted to change the ending? Well, the ending was perfect, but just before that, in the climactic scene [spoiler alert] I found the final journey home too easy and the cee meeran who invaded the Calean world already overcome, having died out during her journey through the solar system. I would have wanted a big, all-guns-blazing final battle or a final task or problem for Elaenorh to overcome, but instead the author chose to wrap up, in my opinion, too abruptly. I felt a little robbed of the payoff I expected from a story which develops so well over 95% of the book. [End spoiler] This for me was the deciding factor between 5 and 4 stars.

Would I recommend this book? Oh yes. For the sheer beauty and atmosphere of some of the passages, an unequivocal yes! Would I change the ending? Well, that's not up to me. I thank Vanessa for the opportunity to read and review her work.
2447617
A wonderful book full of complex characters. This book provides a lot insight into the lost or homeless fragments of our society. We are much more complex than many think, and this book captures the rich and complex world that some homeless or outcast Americans live in. The writing is rich and detailed, the story strong and the characters deep and believable.
4071480
Some stories stick with you: the themes and ideas behind them are so compelling that they change the way you look at your own world, the characters are so rich and real that they linger in your head after you close the book - you can imagine their lives going on without you.  Black Ships is one of those books.

Black Ships is a retelling of the Aeneid, the story of Aeneas, the last prince of Troy, and his search to find a home for the survivors of the Trojan war (it's also the origin story of the Roman empire).  Like the Iliad and the Odyssey, the Aeneid is very much a story of men doing manly things - having adventures, fighting battles, and encountering bewitching women who attempt to lure them away from their destiny.

Graham's novel takes those events and gives them a different spin.  The narrator of Black Ships is a woman, an oracle and a priestess of the Lady of the Dead (Persephone, in her role as Hades' wife) and the story is as much about the relationships and the domestic details as it is about the epic events described the Aeneid.  Gull's role as priestess gives her a unique and liminal position - she acts as Aeneas' close adviser and thus gets to participate in events that the other women are excluded from, but as a woman, she also gives us a perspective on the ordinary women's lives and concerns.

This shift in perspective is indicative of Graham's more personal and historical approach to the mythical source material.  The characters are more fully fleshed out, their emotional lives more richly detailed than in the original.  Graham has also re-interpreted some of the events to bring them more closely in accordance with the historical record while maintaining their thematic and narrative significance.

Graham's approach creates a sense of immediacy and engagement with the characters while never ignoring the larger, epic aspects of the story.  She also deals respectfully with the spiritual component which is so critical to the Greek and Roman myths; the passages in which the characters deal with the gods are some of the most effective and awe-inspiring in the book.  There are also tantalizing hints of a larger story in which the characters are connected across time and space, that they have been together in previous lives and will be together again.
804776
This inventive, expansive, and exciting story takes place in 12,000 BC Africa. There are two main characters here: Naaba, an exiled troublemaker, and Asha, an imprisoned woman he frees. Together, Asha and Naaba navigate multiple difficult situations full of deceptively welcoming communities and warring villages.
My reading preferences have more often than not leaned toward modern tales with familiar settings, which made Misfits and Heroes such a breath of fresh air. Despite my lack of knowledge here, the vivid descriptions provided me with an intricate picture of how this time period was. The author organically introduced the world as opposed to clumsy dumps of information as with other books tasked with explaining complex or foreign settings. While the period and setting are obviously drastically different than today, it still remains remarkably relatable because at its core, its a story about two seemingly unexceptional people forced into a completely exceptional set of experiences.
The author states a significant interest in ancient culture and the opulence of it all, and that is all clearly on display. Her passion and expertise clearly shine through as someone that intimately knows her subject like only few can. Sometimes books like this can focus too much on the setting and neglect the development of a cohesive story, but this is not the case with Misfits and Heroes. The plot and characters stand alone as deep, multi-faceted subjects, that make this book a true pleasure to read.
4216306
A wonderful story woven in a beautiful, descriptive realm. From the start you can see Bethany Adams is taking her time, building her magical eleven world and drawing you in with a tale spun with mystery and intrigue. The premise is one that I would love to read more about in the next books and the characters are realistically flawed, likeable and believable. Adams has created a strong female lead that is independent, well-developed and modern; one that shows bravery and tenacity as she navigates through this new, unknown world. The story is well written and enjoyable.
2275022
Lantamyra: A Tapestry of Fantasy is a wonderful novel that combines aspects of both sci-fi and fantasy seamlessly. Waterwyk has created a fantastical world that is utterly believable and completely compelling.

Despite the many fantastical elements in the novel, the rich backstory, of Lantamyra, meticulously crafted by Waterwyk, makes the novel very immersive and convincing. Elements such as dragons, crystalsheaths, vortexes, and metacloths are all flawlessly incorporated into the narrative.

Waterwyk excels at writing imagery. The world of Lantamyra came alive in my mind because of her carefully crafted details.
"On the other side of the river, apple orchards stretched over the gently rolling hills. Beyond the orchards were farmsteads with newly plowed fields, and in the distance, the Hearthstone Mountains cut a jagged black line against the clear blue sky." (pg. 81)

I was most impressed with the diversity, and sheer number of strong female characters, a rarity in the fantasty/sci-fi genres. Lantamyra is filled with wonderfully rich characters, and their complex and intriguing relationships are what make the story so compelling.

This is a fantasy novel for those who enjoy intelligent, character-driven storytelling. It is a wonderful story to read by yourself, or with someone you love.
4383460
A rich fantasy world somewhat lacking in tension. The Wheel is a hundred-year sacred map that can dangerously change the world if a part is done wrong-and one part has suddenly turned dark with its own mind. Evil is loose in the land of the Celestial Empire, and at the climactic moment...the heroes discuss philosophy! The story is a bit like a mystery, the Opponent unknown and only a slow accumulation of odd happenings and attacks to reveal its awesome dimensions or vague purpose, let alone a way to defeat it. Of course, in Well's strange and beautifully created irrigated world, the reader cannot see for herself the tears in the cultural fabric and must wait for them to be pointed out, a deliciously drawn out process here. A hidden theme of the story is betrayal, in several guises, the last most surprising of all.
One of the features I liked about Well's Celestial Empire is that its magic is an integral but limited part of the ordering of that world, yet individuals cannot throw magic around willy-nilly and, in fact, only high-level priests are supposed to be able to do so. There are some menacing conjurations, to be sure, but none of the flash and smash of some fantasy magics. The scenes of stone cold wind people are eerie and almost terrifying.
The main characters, Maskell the errant nun-wizard of the Infinite Destroyer of Evil and her quick-love Rian, are both in fact highly logical in their detecting, one mystical in the Celestial frame, the other a highly observant and objective outlander whose only other skill is his swordplay. They are attractive and interesting, but too single-minded and consistent to draw me in.
2018466
This book is a joy to read. It has a richly detailed world with characters so distinctly drawn that you feel as if you've met them all in person, and plot twists that keep you entertained to the last page. It's a remarkable debut, and I can't wait to see what the next books in the series bring.
2939233
In the far distant future after the destruction of Earth, a social experiment called the Complex, is a series of life supported domes on a planet in a far-flung solar system. Humans and Metas elect to go there with the proviso they will co-exist peacefully. In exchange for their cooperation, at the end of their allotted time, the participants receive enough money to see them comfortably through many years.

Wezlei, a human and ex space pirate, volunteers for a stint at the Complex, in expectation of the money that would allow himself and his mother to enjoy a much better life. He has a profitable business there as a botanist and herbalist, making healing salves and also selling more ominous items. Wezlei, however, has another darker and more powerful incentive for coming to the Complex. Tariq. And Aerwen.

The Dryad are one of the meta races, and Wezlei didn't know much more than that about them, but when he saw a beautiful, obviously distressed and physically abused Dryad held prisoner by Tariq, he felt compelled to do something, regardless of the danger. Tariq has eyes and ears everywhere so Wezlei and Aerwen must be extra vigilant at all times.

A departure in genre for Sarah Cradit but a very engaging and imaginative story nonetheless, with terrific world building. The narrative gives a good sense of the characters considering the kindle version is just 100 pages.  Wezlei and Aerwen are sympathetic and likeable and I was rooting for them, especially given the opening chapter. Tariq is the hateful villain I just wanted to see brought to his knees.

I volunteered to read and review The last Dryad, based on an advanced reader copy of the book supplied by the author/publisher.
4142029
From the beginning, I was plunged excitedly into a cannot-put-down, do-not-want it to end fantasy tale. The story itself is quite thrilling, an intricately woven one that portrays a girl with ordinary teenage issues suddenly being catapulted into an intriguing, perilous adventure involving a griffin and a being from a twin world.

The story is quite exhilarating throughout, with zesty dialogues between characters and vivid descriptions of people, places and things. Several segments were so skillfully written that there was a strong sense that I was there, in the story itself. There is a harmonious flow throughout the story as it moved me to and fro, from Frankies rich, zesty day-to-day life situations into the perils undertaken with the griffin and his companion.

I found Frankie to be an engaging and fascinating character. She is not cast as one of the cool kids at school. Frankie appears to be rather ordinary; a girl who is struggling to maneuver through the throes of middle adolescence towards adulthood. I was delightfully engaged during the segments involving Frankies encounters and foibles at her school. Her discoveries about friendship and enemies, and the humanness of teachers, brought me back into memories of my own teenage years.

There was for me an element of complexity that added psychological depth to the story, flowing beneath the storyline itself. I resonated deeply with the authors ability to script Frankies coming-of-age maturity, as evidenced by her reactions to ordinary yet often intense life events; they are in counterpoint to the daring challenges that she takes on with new friends, those other-worldly beings.

One of the most moving scenes for me related to an unexpected, fascinating purpose for Frankies encounter: her ability to call forth a griffin from this parallel universe ends up serving her familys tragic circumstances in a unique mysterious way.

There are exhilarating scenes involving flight and deeply moving ones that relate to mystery. I consider the writing to be masterful; the story to be extraordinary.
2826526
This is  a tale with such complexity and depth that to peel back each every layer would only leave you salivating for the next chapter/installment. I love books with strong female characters who endure and overcome extremely challenging even tragic obstacles. Olina is that character, a protagonist after my own heart. Her courage, power and strength of spirit, humorous and brutal honest are a breath of fresh air from pretentious uptight female characters who are in or about to be in a position of royalty.  I also like the way the characters Kedrick and Olina complement each other even though they are very different and from opposite worlds makes their love affair rare and pure displaying the authentic essence of their romance and strong bond. They have an intellectual intercourse between them that is not readily done or focused upon in most books, particularly in sci-fi/fantasy, which I look for, rather the typical romance set up which is boring and trite. This is not and piques my interest, which is not easy to do.  The contrast between the "hot" and "cold" worlds is well-crafted with insight into every depth of the story drawing the reader so deeply into both worlds simultaneously yet separately therefore making them complement each other and intensifying the visceral effect onto the reader. Every extremely vivid description of every scene was intoxicating and enthralling.