Review: The Golden Dynasty by Kristen Ashley

 

The Golden Dynasty

(Fantasyland #2)

by Kristen Ashley

Okay...wow...just wow.

*takes deep breath*

I need a moment to process this book. It had me on an emotional roller coaster! One minute I was happy and awwing my way through the book, the next I wanted to find a large piece of wood and practice my golf swing on a certain sexy King's head! Crazy.

The Golden Dynasty is the second book in the Fantasyland series and although set in the first world as the first book, it can be read as a standalone without any difficulties. Circe wakes up in a pen filled with other women, something she definitely did NOT expect to happen when she went to bed in Seattle last night. But as the day continues her it are gets worse and worse, she realises she is not in her world anymore but has some how ended up in this savage world, a world where she is now part of the Wife Hunt, a hunt where warriors will chase her down in the woods and once they have her, rape her and claim her for his wife. However, Circe has caught the eye of the king, Lahn, the biggest and strongest of the warriors and escape seems unlikely.

Is anyone here a Game of Thrones fan? I am, and this book reminded me of all the Khal Drogo and Daenerys parts. Circe has come to what seems to her a savage tribe of warriors and has been claimed as wife by their king, they don't speak the same language and their cultures vastly differ. Circe does not have it easy, and sometimes this book isn't easy to read, and Lahn isn't an easy character to like.

There is rape in this book. It doesn't go in to detail, it is a fade to black scene, it isn't even a "forced seduction" although that does make a few brief appearances as well, there is out and out rape in this book perpetrated by the hero. In fact the hero does a few despicable things and the fact that by the end of the book I really liked him either makes KA a great story teller or me a little bit crazy, I am going for the former. Because Lahn did have his moments, moments where he was the perfect man, said and meant all the right things, but with a culture that is so different in brutal and violent ways he did things that sometimes I found hard to tolerate. Circe has got to be one of the few heroines that despite how it all turned out in the end, that I never thought to myself, "I wish I was her".

But, that makes I sound like I didn't like this book, which is so very very wrong, this is one of my favourite books I have read this year. I liked that it wasn't your straight love story and it made me feel a little uncomfortable, I will remember and be thinking about this book now, even though I have read the last page.

Savage, beautiful, brutal, heart warming all these adjectives describe this book, and it is definitely one of my favourite Kristen Ashley reads.

 

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Masques by Patricia Briggs

3.5 Feathers

Masques

by Patricia Briggs

(Sianim # 1)

I want to mention a couple of things before I start getting into the story of this book.  I read the revised version that Ms. Briggs re-released in 2011, not the original version of the book.  This book is really more fantasy than urban fantasy, so it's good to make the distinction with readers.  Now here's what I thought of Masques.

The first thing that I loved was the intro that Ms. Briggs did telling the reader a bit of the story of how she came to work on this book again and re-release it.  It does seem like a project that was dear to her heart, as it was her first real book published, and the old issues had become a bit of a treasure to find.  For us new Briggs fans it was a nice visit into a completely different world than what I'm used to reading by this author.

I'm not really big on fantasy books but this one had an element of connection that worked really well.  Who?  Aralorn and Wolf.  She's a mercenary and she happens to rescue Wolf from certain death.  From that point on they've been emotionally attached and he will go with her and cross her path when she needs him most.

Aralorn is also a shapeshifter and works as a spy as well as a mercenary.  She is assigned with spying on a sorcerer.  Amidst the spying and the inevitable war, Alanorn and Wolf learn more about each other.  I loved their banter and their easy companionship.  They felt effortless together.

I did feel the writing was a bit choppy and the scenes changed a bit abruptly at times, but it didn't take away from enjoying the story.  I am looking forward to Wolfsbane.

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Fire Study by Maria V Snyder

Fire Study

by Maria V Snyder

(Study Trilogy #3)

3.5 Feathers

This is the final installment in the Study series, and Yelena is up against her most powerful opponent yet. A Fire Warper, a magician that resides in the Underworld and feeds off of souls. Soon the Council is Sitia is compromised and Yelena and her band of friends and allies must find away to stop this new power from taking over and causing war between Ixia and Sitia.

I found myself having trouble getting into this book, both Poison Study and Magic Study I enjoyed, espcially Posion Study, but this book didn't suck me in the same way those first two did. I think this may have stemmed from a sense of disbelieve, but with this story I found myself skeptical. No one is as talented as Yelena, she is the most powerful magician, most powerful fighter etc etc and I found it a bit wearing that she more or less overcame everything almost single handedly. It was unrealistic and I felt no tension or sense of danger as I was just waiting for Yelena to perk up with one of her many talents and save everyone.

But, the book was still enjoyable and over all I thought the series was fantastic, I liked the world that had been created and the characters within it. This is well worth a read if you are looking for a fantasy read with some lovable characters and an interesting new world to explore.

Overall I give this series:

 

Review: Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

Magic Study

by Maria V Snyder

Study Series # 2

4.5 Feathers

Yelena has been banished from Ixia after having discovered that she has forbidden magical abilities and now heads to Sitia to be trained in their academy. She is also meeting her real family for the first time since she was kidnapped when she was 6, but the reunion isn't as perfect as she hoped when she sees the resentment her brother holds for her. Meanwhile a killer has been stalking Sitia, torturing and raping young girls, and it looks like Yelena may be next on his list of victims.

I liked this book, but for some reason I didn't enjoy it as much as the first Poison Study. However, this didn't stop me from devouring the pages! I think what diminished my enjoyment of this story was that it got too bogged down with different plot elements, I think too much was added. Although nothing was left unresolved everything seemed rushed and there was very little detail in her explanations. For example, when Yelena and her brother reconcile, there was only a page spent on this despite the fact that it had been a theme throughout the book.

But despite feeling a little rushed, I did like it, it introduced some new characters such as Kiki, Yelena's horse and Cahil Ixia who is supposedly the dead King of Ixia's nephew and is desparate to win back his crown and wrestle Ixia away from Commander Ambrose.

I am greatly looking forward to the next and final book in the trilogy to see how everything is resolved. 

Review: Poison Study by Maria V Snyder

Poison Study

by Maria V Snyder

Study Series #1

Yelena is about to be executed but is unexpectedly offereed a choice; become the Commander of Ixia's food taster or hang for her crime. Yelena decides to be the new food taster a position with a very short and painful life expectancy, especially when the Commanders chief of security tricks her into taking a poison for which he is the only one with an antidote. But momentous times are approaching and Yelena suspects there's a plot to murder the Commender that ties in with her horrific past.

I am not in general a fan of YA books...but I really loved this. It was a great book, it wasn't as intricate and heavy as some fantasy series making it almost seem like fantasy-lite, but this also made it a very easy read, as it wasn't bogged down by lots of complicated new politics and magic. But this didn't make it any less interesting and I really liked the main character of Yelena, and her sometimes-mentor-sometimes-friend-or-more Valek, an infamous assassin, and the man who poisoned her.

The story in this draws you straight in and although I thought it was obvious what was happening I was still completely absorbed in the plot. The world was also quite intriguing, Ixia is under a military dictatorship almost, everyone has a uniform and is assigned a life time job once their skills have been assesed, but although there are obvious problems with that kind of society I found myself reluctantly liking the Commander much as Yelena does.

There was a little bit of romance, which I really enjoyed, watching their relationship change from almost enemy to lovers was as enjoyable as the main story. As it's a YA book, and not a romance, all sex is fade to black or done with vague eupemisms, which is fine I was just glad they finally got together. I also liked Janto and Ari, Yelena's self defense teachers, they added some humour to the books.

This book was great it had some fantastic characters and ideas, and it kept me glued to the pages and I cannot wait to find out what happens next.

Review: Touch of Power by Maria V Snyder

Touch of Power

Healer #1

by Maria V Snyder

Avry of Kazan is tired of running. After being on the run for the last 3 years she is almost relieved when she is caught, as a Healer she is hated by almost the whole population of the Fifteen Realms, blamed for a plague that killed millions of people. But the night before her execution help comes from unexpected quarters as she is rescued but then taken prisoner by Kerrick and his loyal gang of men, only he doesn't want to hand her in for gold, he wants her to heal his Prince.

I am in two minds about this book on one hand it was a great read, it had a great adventure, a likable heroine, a band of merry men and the exaspsrating yet sexy Kerrick. The story was interesting and the new world that Snyder has created had some unique elements. However, there stems the problem, its uniqueness. I have read this book before, only it is called Poison Study, this book reminds me so much of the Study series, especially the relationship between Kerrick and Avry, it seemed like she had gotten Posion Study out changed the name of the characters and the places, scrambled things around a little and voila! You have Touch of Power.

Having said that I did enjoy Posion Study so therefore I also enjoyed this book. Yelena Avry was smart and resourceful and I admired her strength of will, and I loved the relationships the other characters had with one another, especially the band of men that Kerrick led, the banter between them often had me grinning, they were like a family.

The fantasy setting was also good, I liked the world the Snyder is building up, after being ravaged by Plague the world is slowly beginning to right itself and there are massive power struggles going on to see who will end up King of the land, unfortunatley for Avry, she has walked straight into these struggles and is now in the centre of it all. But the power plays and manuvering of the various factions is what has kept this book interesting.

This is a great read and if you liked her Study series or Graceling then this is the book for you.

Review: Lady of Light and Shadows by C.L. Wilson

Lady of Light and Shadows (Tairen Soul #2)

by C.L. Wilson

Fantasy Romance

As the nobles of Celeria foolishly contemplate opening borders for the traitorous Eld, Rain must find a way to show that the Eld are still as evil as they were 1000 years ago and keep his soul mate Ellie safe. Ellysetta also has her own battles to face as she discovers her origins that have the power to turn her truemate Rain away from her.

This series just gets better and better!

Rain and Ellysetta are fast becoming one of my favourite romantic couples. What I like about their romance is that although it is a fated-to-be-mated plot line, they still have doubts Ellie based in her insecurity about who she is and Rain through his past experience of love the consequences of which scorched the world. So, although they are soul mates I like the slow build up of trust between them and watching Ellie's feeling going from hero-worship and fear to something deeper. Having said that, the first two books are set over 10 days, it just feels much longer from all the events that happen to them!

Not only do Rain and Ellie make these books for me, but the secondary characters in this also come to vivid life from C.L. Wilson's fantastic writing. Ellie's quintet, her parents, the King & Queen they all have a role to play and Wilson manages to wrangle all sorts of emotions from you in this book through them.

As well as the romance between Rain and Ellie and teh character, what also draws me to this series is the pending war between the Eld and the Fey. I can't wait to see what happens next, this book gives you a lot more details on the Mage's activities and I can't wait to see what happens next. I am particually looking forward to see how Ellie is meant to heal the Tairen.

This is a great series a blend of romance and adventure, magic and swords and I can't wait to start on the next one.

Favourite Quote

They could not fight. They could not win. But with each moment left for them to live, they could love. That was the greatest gift the gods could ever give, and it was worth the price they would have to pay.

Review: Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson

Lord of the Fading Lands (Tairen Soul #1)

by C.L. Wilson

Fantasy Romance

This book just proves adage "Don't judge a book by its cover," the cover may look like your teenage sister has just got hold of photoshop for the first time but what is inside was fantastic. I really wish I had started reading it when I first bought it at the beginning of the year, instead it has been languishing in my kindle.

Set in a fantasy world full of the Fey, dark mages and magic, Lord of the Fading Lands introduces us to Ellysetta Baristini the adopted daughter of a master woodcarver and considered plain, awkward and more then a little strange by most. Ellie is fascinated by the Fey and their King, Rain Tairen Soul but never expects to see him in anything but poetry and art, but he is visiting Celiera for the first time in a thousand years as he hears his one true mates cry of pain and is determined to find her.

This book had a mixture of two of my favourite genres fantasy and romance, I really enjoyed it. The writing was fantastic and drew me effortlessly into the world the C.L. Wilson has created. It is a fantasy world with a medieval feel to it with kings and queens and magic in it, it also revealed enough of the history to give you the feel of the world without bogging you down in too much detail.

But what has made me like this book most was the characters of Ellie and Rain. I am not normally a fan of books with Fey in them I tend to avoid them and leave the Fey for YA readers and make a grab for shifters and vamps instead, but Rain may just change my mind. He's mad, bad and a little crazy but you have got to love a guy who raises a woodcarvers daughter to Queen of the Fey and daring any one to say differently. The character I liked most though was Ellie, I could feel her bewilderment and uncertainty at her sudden rise in life and I admired her courage for just getting on with it with no moaning.

What was also fantastic was the growing storyline about the rise of the dark Eld mages who are slowly taking over Celiera through an insidous and silent campaign of fear and corruption, I can't wait to read the next book to see what happens next.

This was a great read which I had trouble putting down a good mixture of fantasy and romance that I have feeling is going to be one of my new favourite series.

Review: Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings

Pawn of Prophecy (The Belgariad #1)

by David Eddings

Fantasy



You may be wondering where you are, we don't often read books that don't have a heavy romance element or a huge smut factor, 'cos it is time to face the facts us girls at UTC are huge pervs, anything male and naked and we are there panting with our gush buckets! BUT I do love a good fantasy book and I have lost track of the amount of times I have read this fantasy series in particular! So much so that I have worn out two copies and so decided to buy a kindle version that way I can't ruin it! I didn't like the kindle cover though so I am sticking with the cover that I had on my original copy.

Garion is just a simple Sendarian farm boy, happy under the watchful gaze of Aunt Pol he has no idea the events of both the past and present will soon come and sweep him out of his cozy life and have him travelling with a diverse range of characters to lands he has only heard of of and meeting people from old legends, some who are a lot closer then he expected.

I love these books, they seem to have the pretty standard fantasy plot of magic, swords and an epic quest, but after reading through a lot of fantasy that is out I can say that this is one of the best. I think what makes it stand out from the crowd of sword wielding, magic flinging fantasies is the characters and how realized the world is. The characters in this are well drawn and have always stuck with me and reading this book (yet again) is liking walking into the pub and greeting old friends, even secondary characters are memorable. My favourite is Prince Kheldar or Silk, he is a liar, thief and a spy and one of my favourite characters ever. As for the world everything is well planned out and you can see the history in it culimnating in to present day events.

This series is also a little bit of a coming of age story for out hero Garion, only 14 at the beginning of this series he is flung from his comfortable world where no one is quite what they seem. I really like Garion, as with most main characters he isn't always the most interesting character, but in a book of diverse and interesting characters he is a good character to see this new world though as it is told from his POV (but it isn't first person)

So if you are new to fantasy I recommend this one to start as it eases you in slowly and if you like fantasy then I recommend you read this!

David Eddings actually died in 2009 at the early age of 77 which is a really sad for the book world as he has produced some really good series, the Belgariad being my favourite.