Wonderful story by a new voice in fantasy
594001
Matt Campbell's Spirit Summoner (The Chosen of the Light), book I, is a grand adventure.  It follows Darr, a spirit summoner, as he learns there is more to his "gift" than just an annoying and useless connection to the spirit world.  He's been chosen to help keep the world from devolving into chaos once more.

Along the way he is presented with those who would see him fail, and those who would help him.  Campbell weaves the story around the family issues we all have and yet presents those simple actions and interactions in a way that makes the characters larger than life, and the choices Darr must make have you wondering what will happen next.

The fantasy elements are familiar, yet, not cliche.  Any fantasy lover will want to read ths one more than once.

This is a great start to a fantasy epic.  I am looking forward to reading the next book.
50678
This story revisits the old tale of Beauty and the Beast, and it does it quite well. I have never read a book by Hunter before, but I very much enjoyed the way she was able to bring her characters to life by giving them depth, and clearly conveyed their inner self. I love fantasy stories that are able to take you away to another world for a while, which can be quite handy in relieving stress. Hunter does an excellent job building a world you can immerse yourself in. Even if this is not your preferred genre, give it a try. It's well-written, enjoyable, and a retelling that might surprise you.

I received this book in exchange for reading it and reviewing it. I found it quite enjoyable and will look for more titles from this author!
4782593
This story is incredibly well honed, and beautifully paced. Every word paints a picture of it's world, and leaves you wanting to hear more about it an the characters that live in it. It's also a fantasy story where the magical elements are there to highlight why normal people and their everyday interactions are so interesting.
4009563
This story was pure magic, I really loved this story. I am a huge fan of fantasy and The Grotto Under the Tree ticked every box of what I would expect in a fantasy story, including magical creatures and action throughout the story. This story reminded me of Narnia in some ways, which made me enjoy it even more.

The writing was captivating and really draws you in. I think readers of any age would enjoy this story. I loved the way the story ends, but was a little sad it ended, I loved it so much I just wanted to keep on reading.

I fell in love with this new world in a matter of pages and I fell in love with the characters as well. As the reader, you get transported from our world into a whole new world. I enjoyed this world that Theo created and could just get lost there for hours. This is a story that I could read over and over again and still enjoy. Everyone should pick this up for a quick fantasy story.

Reviewed by Lauren Currie for The Bookish Blog
1453553
Brightly Woven is a wonderful new YA fantasy from bright fiction newcomer Alexandra Bracken. I honestly didn't know what to expect when I picked it up -I knew that it was YA, but I admit that I was expecting something more attuned to romance or more in the vein of the popular YA paranormal genre. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised.

Brightly Woven takes place in a vivid new world filled with rouge wizards, powerful magic and a mysterious land steeped in myth. Young Sydelle lives in the land's arid deserts, where she enjoys weaving. After ten years of drought, a strange wizard named North brings rain, but also whisks Sydelle away and enlists her as his apprentice. Sydelle finds that North is filled with secret intentions and that her own destiny is far more than she ever could have imagined.

Though seemingly cliche, Bracken injects the plot with a freshness that made it easy to float from page to page. Naturally, this was helped by the fact that she is an absolutely fabulous writer -the words just seem to flow easily across the page, the characters are drawn effortlessly and the mythology and plot are well-woven. I guess my only tiny criticism is the fact that it's a little slow getting to the action and revealing the secrets, but becomes explosive near the end, and feels a little too simple, almost like a short story.

Great for fans of Robin McKinley, Tamora Pierce or Kristin Cashore.
2740135
I found this book to be a truly refreshing read. It breaks free from so many of the bindings that modern fantasy suffers from and takes the reader back to what first drew them to reading good fantasy in the first place. This is a journey to another time and place and Kvothe is a fascinating hero. The style and tale continually hint at a much larger and more detailed world and story than that which can be contained in this book. I for one hope that when the trilogy is complete, there are still stories left untold and mysteries in the world that Kvothe and the other characters inhabit. "The Name of the Wind" was everything I was looking for and more. I read a number of reviews and had my hopes high and it was so nice to have my expectations exceeded by a book for the first time in a long time.

To compare this to any other story or Rothfuss to any other author I've read would be cliche, at best.  Like the best stories, it combines a number of elements that are familiar and that's okay as long as, the story you are reading reminds you of these others but, doesn't suffer through the comparison. "The Name of the Wind" doesn't suffer from comparing it to some of the greats in fantasy.

I found the dialogue incredibly clever and at times genuinely hilarious. The character development was tremendous and the story was told in the finest fashion. It leaves the reader wanting more as it goes along and savoring every page as it nears its conclusion. Really, good story telling at its finest and one of the very best that I've read in a long, long time. I can't wait for "Wise Man's Fear" because Day One will be a tough one to follow!
2314093
I was looking for my next fantasy fix in Amazon, when I stumbled upon the Name of the Wind. I'm glad I did. Just an excellent read and very well written. Too often, I feel the quality of writing in fantasy books is overlooked for plot and the details of the world. Not here. As many have said far more eloquently than I, the writing is very readable and does not detract from the story. Being a music lover, I particularly enjoyed his descriptions of music. Wonderful.

As for the story itself, how creative to use the first person perspective to tell a story. I loved it. And the jumping back and forth from present to past was quite effective as well. You are drawn deeper and deeper into the story with this parallel structure. It forces you to keep on reading to unravel all these questions that pop up. I really see the book as several small mysteries. Who is Kvothe, why is he here in the present, what is his past, what is his motivation? What is going on in the present? What and who are the Chandrian? Ahhh, so many questions to be answered.

Another unique aspect of this book, is its gritty reality in dealing with wealth and status. How often does a fantasy character deal with money? Almost never! And yet this is something everybody can relate to in the "real" world. Rothfuss deals with it perfectly in his world and makes it a tool for commentary. Excellent!

This is not to say that the book is perfect. I agree with many of the reviewers that certain sub-plots were a little overdone. Dialogue is better than most fantasies, but still a little unbelievable. Besides Tolkien, I have yet to find a fantasy book whose dialogue is completely believable even in the context of the fantasy world. But these are trivial shortcomings in an otherwise fine read.

Bottom line is that I am eagerly anticipating the Wise Man's Fear and highly recommend this book for all you fantasy aficionados out there.
2927252
What a wonderful story by a master story teller.  If you are a Sanderson fan this is a great addition, if you are wondering if you might be then this is a fantastic beginning, and if you have never heard of him let this be your introduction.  In this short story Sanderson captures a new culture with the palpable weight of depth and history.  The characters feel real and you find yourself sympathizing with people on both sides of coin.  Well worth the few dollars it costs.
4972747
I really enjoyed this book. I was drawn into the story by the narrator's unique voice.  The story is reality-based yet strangely magical. At the start it is unclear where the story is going, but by the end all of the pieces fit together. I plan to read more by this author.
856566
I really loved this book! As a fantasy fan, I read a lot of mediocre stories that could almost be fill in the blanks. This is so not one of those! The characters are well written and the back story is highly original and still hasn't completely come to light. The lead character is a great heroine, especially for girls who don't necessarily fit into standard societal molds. Her trials feel so real and her triumphs bring joy to this readers heart.
795715
If you read one fantasy book this year PLEASE make it this one.
I saw a lot of people raving over this story and when it appeared on my recommendations, I decided to get myself the audio version from Audible and delve right in to Karou's world. And I am SO glad I did. As with most audio books it has taken me a while to reach the end of this book, but now that I have: I have to say that 12.5 hours was NOT enough. I'm so glad there are sequels!!!
Daughter of Smoke and Bone is an epic story of fantastic beasts, an incredible war and an epic, mysterious love story that just keeps unfolding, showing you more hidden gems of amazing writing and talented storytelling in every single chapter. Characterisation is superb: even the characters that I hate, I still had to love their creation and existence (Thiago for one). The human and non-human characters are all so relatable and perfectly described so that I could picture the whole adventure really clearly in my mind.
I know from experience that this book can come off looking like just another YA fantasy love story from the outside, but once you're inside this story it's a whole 'nother thing! This book is a whole world to step into that you'll never want to leave: beautiful, joyous, tragic and so powerful that I'll be thinking about Karou, Brimstone and Akiva for a very long time to come! I can't wait to get some more storytelling from Laini Taylor - she is a writer to love for the rest of your life.
4196026
I was intrigued by the cover of this book when I stumbled across it on Amazon, so I clicked to find out more.  What I immediately noticed was a lot of really great reviews, so out of curiosity, I downloaded the sample (which is a very lengthy sample, I was happy to discover).  Within minutes, I was completely captivated by this truly amazing coming-of-age fantasy tale.

This book exceeded my expectations in every way - from the fantastic cover artwork, the maps and sketches, the clean, confident writing style, the amazingly rich storytelling and world-building, the depth of the characters, the believable dialogue, and the complex plot system.  This story reminded me just a little of Anthony Ryan's very successful "Bloodsong", another coming-of-age tale about a young boy with some very dark, heavy issues with his father, but "Dawn of Wonder" is wildly adventurous, sprinkled with enough fun and humor to balance out all the darkness, and it resonated with something far deeper in me than Bloodsong did, which is saying a lot.

The writing is super clean and a breeze to read - a style very much like Jonathan Stroud (author of the Bartimaeus books) - which makes it easy for the reader to just enjoy the story rather than slog through a lot of clutter and repetitive nonsense.  The Kindle version was about as polished and error-free as I've ever seen, which I greatly appreciated, especially coming from a new, independent writer.

Overall, I was really "wowed" with this book from beginning to end and I'm anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.  I predict Jonathan Renshaw is going to be a name you'll be seeing quite a lot of in the future.  If this highly talented author is this great right out of the gate with his first novel, I can only imagine how much success is awaiting his future in fantasy writing.  Very highly recommend for all ages.
228121
You know that feeling you had when you were first introduced to the Wheel of Time series and you got to the end of the first book and realized it needed a sequel and you had this panicky half second of wondering if the next book was already written or if you had to wait forever before it came out?  Yeah? Well, when you get to the end of the Song of the Summer King, it's kinda like that.  And I love that feeling myself, even though there is a wait involved.  Because it means there is more good fantasy waiting out there for me to dive into and sink my literary teeth in.

The author has done this amazing job of creating a believable world that feels like it has history and time and legends of its own.  There are mysteries to uncover and people groups to learn by heart.  Except there aren't any actual people.  Humans, I mean.  It's a world of furry and feathery folk.  But they are sentient beings and deal with doubts and prejudices and love and hate.  All the good stuff.

I admit, I do love a story where the hero doesn't know yet that he IS a hero.  Where the story itself begins to reveal and develop the character arc.  I really enjoyed getting to know Shard and especially getting to know his back story as he learns it himself.  I liked the family that is revealed to him throughout the story (the Nightwing is my hero) and if I was a little impatient with Shard's slowness in coming to terms with himself, it only shows how caught up I was with him, and how much I wanted him to rise to be who everyone else was wanting him to rise to be.  Is that a spoiler?  Oh dear, I hope not.

Anyway, this is a great fantasy story in the tradition of Watership Down (only I didn't LIKE Watership Down) and Redwall in that it has an entire cast of animal characters.  It is a delightful read and I suggest you begin it with plenty of time on your hands because you will not want to put it down.  Awesome read!
430125
I first read "Crown of Darkness," a short story prequel to Valcoria published on the Curiosity Quills website. It was a wonderful short story, beautifully written, with heart-wrenching characters and an intriguing world where magic and technology are cleverly entwined. I requested an ARC in advance of the April re-release of Valcoria in exchange for an honest review. I lament that it has taken me so many months to finish the book and write this review, because it really is a wonderful read!

This story has an epic feel, with a lot of characters and a rich, complex plot. In Jason's universe, Medieval magic and advanced fantasy technology drive a classic battle between the forces of good and evil. The fates of the various Valcorian kingdoms of mankind are at stake.

My favorite character was Yuiv. He started at the lowest point in almost every way, and grew the most in every way over the course of the story. It was wonderful to watch him learn and grow stronger morally, and in particular to journey with him as he discovered supernatural powers for good that he never knew he had. Great character.

Interesting plot. The magic-technology combination was extremely creative. There was action, romance, suspense. Great storytelling. I highly recommend this book to fantasy readers.
4460818
I read alot of fantasy from lots of different authors but the thing that struck my first about Volinette's Song was the way Mr Hengst doesn't just ask you to imagine the world he has created, his words flow in such a way that it's almost like he's taking you in and giving you a personal guided tour. Usually I find myself picking books apart and over analysing things but with this, it made me feel comftable enough to sit back and enjoy every page. The characters I found well developed, with some bearing virtues all should strive towards. The story delivered and keeps you wanting to turn the page, until the awful moment you find yourself at the end of the book. A most welcome addition to my Kindle, I can only hope Mr Hengst is writing more while I catch up on his previous novels!
4940909
(Purchased on Smashwords.)

As the review title said, I did not want to stop reading this story. After the least interruption, I was back reading it again. I loved this story. I don't write reviews for just any book. For me to read a story, it must first of all be decently written; not perfectly, just decently. Then it has to have characters I want to stick with. After that, if the author wove the tale about those characters in an engaging manner, I'll finish reading. But to leave a review, I have to at least see something done with a story that isn't typical, such as an unexpected take on a theme, or a twist that left my mouth dropping open, or basically just awesome writing that really engaged me in the lives of the characters--writing that made me want to read an old theme like it was new again. The best writers can take the oldest idea and make you feel like you're walking the path for the first time.

This story has all of that. If I could give it a six star review, I would.

Underneath the fantasy story of a girl who is dragged into the world of the fae unwillingly, you discover a deeper story of soullessness, of lost compassion, of love abandoned as something useless. This is a story of what happens when you lose your spiritual roots, when you decide status is more important than what is right. It's about the selfish decisions and lack of empathy that lead to warfare. It's about the outsider looking at the powers in control of her life and deciding it's just not right.

I really, really loved this book. Fantasy can entertain, but it an also explore really tough themes in the most brilliant, illuminating manner, and this one does that. Very much hoping for more from this author.
4802030
I just finished reading Sounding Waters, the debut fantasy novel from B.T. Hoskins, and loved it. If you've read and enjoyed any of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea books, then I believe you'll enjoy Sounding Waters. That's not to say that the storylines are similar. Mrs. Hoskins has created a unique world populated with memorable characters that are all her own. But her writing style and development of the story resembles the tone and pace of Earthsea books 2-4. And that, in my mind, is a (very) good thing.

One thing I really enjoyed about Sounding Waters was my inability to guess what would happen next. Each time I thought I'd figured out some of the mysteries present in the book, a new twist would occur that would cause me to reassess what I'd read so far. These creative (and logical) surprises continue all the way until the final page of the book. I'm not going to say anything more because part of the fun of this book was in learning about the story as it occurred.

In closing, if you enjoy well-written fantasy, then you really need to order or download a copy of Sounding Waters today!