Reading Fanatic Reviews
FantasyDragon Prey by Hannah Steenbock
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
Dragon Prey*
Dragons Aren’t All Cute and Cuddly
This book is a part of a greater universe called Cloud Lands, but I have not read any of the others of this series/universe. In fact, this is the first book by this author that I have read. Let me say right off the bat that you don’t have to have read any other books in this universe to understand this one. I enjoy fantasy and don’t read straight-up fantasy as often as I would like. I think fantasy is such a complex genre, and oftentimes independent authors don’t do it well; so I have been turned off by it at times at my favorite book review sites.
I am so glad that I was drawn to give this one a try. It is so well written. The descriptions and depictions of what is happening make you feel like you are there. The author pulled me right into the story with a dramatic event; I love that. The characters, particularly Sidren and Kreysha, were complex and well drawn. The danger to Sidren and her people, as suggested by the title, was palpable and kept me turning the pages. I found myself intrigued by Sidren and Kreysha’s evolving relationship and Kreysha’s interactions with the members of Sidren’s clan. The author has created a complex world and complex characters here, but she makes it feel realistic. Sidren and members of the clan react in completely relatable human ways, which doesn’t always happen in fantasy. I like the way that the author demonized only some dragons, subtly bringing up the concept of prejudice. This book is full of action; it will keep you turning the pages to see what will happen. This is a delightful introduction to this author and this universe. It won’t be my only foray.
Rolf’s Quest by Aubrey Wynne
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
Rolf's Quest*
Fact and Fantasy in a Delightful Mix
I have read some other works by this author, and I found this one to be a particular delight. It is a slow-moving character piece for the most part, so if you are expecting some kind of massive action and drama, you will need to adjust your expectations. The author has artfully combined the real history of Henry II with a magical, fantastical storyline involving a direct male descendant of the wizard Merlin. In fact, Rolf is trying desperately to break a curse that involves both Merlin and the men in his line. Merlin is still alive, after a fashion, but living trapped in a rowan tree, cursed by a former lover. This woman in the distant past cursed not only Merlin but also men directly descended from him, especially the first-born sons. I won’t go into any more detail about the curse, but suffice to say that Rolf is Merlin’s last hope. His success hinges upon whether or not he can get the woman he loves through non-magical means. He has seen this woman in his dreams, so he knows who she is. However, when he meets the lady, she is on her way to meet the man she has been betrothed to since she was a child.
The book is actually a fascinating look at medieval times, including courtly life and the role of women. The heroine of the novel is rarely given any choice in anything, from who she is to marry to which kirtle she should wear. I enjoyed watching the slow unfolding of the story and that the heroine truly seemed to be a product of her times. I did find myself curious how this young woman was going to react when her heart led her one way but duty—which seemed truly ingrained in her character—required another. She is definitely different from most heroines in historical romance, where authors tend to give them almost more modern ways of thinking and acting. I appreciated that the author took the harder road for this one. This is an excellent story. If you like historical romance that includes true history mixed with a little magic and fantasy, you will most likely enjoy this book.
By Love Reclaimed by Amberlyn Holland
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Bol.de
By Love Reclaimed*
Confusing
I will admit, when I first read the book blurb, I thought that this book’s romance set-up seemed like the regencies I read. This is a second-chance romance as well as a chance to save the heroine’s land from an evil sorcerer. I’ll admit that I had a hard time getting into the story. The author just throws us into it, with a big cast of characters with odd names (as is typical in fantasy). It would have been nice if she had a cast of characters’ page (or two) at the beginning so the reader would easily know who is who and what their relationships are. Also, since we’re being thrown right into the mix without any explanation or subtle clues, a brief summary and introduction to the world would have eased reading. Just recently I read another fantasy book where the author wrote the text in such a way that someone unfamiliar with the world and its characters would have no trouble understanding the worldview and character relationships right from the start; I love it when authors do that. If they don’t like that or don’t want to do that for some reason, they should at least do the mini summary and list of characters as I mentioned above.
As you can tell from what I’ve written, I wouldn’t consider this to be a stand-alone book. If the series interests you, I recommend starting at the beginning. If you plan to take any time off at all between books, take notes!
Stone and Blood by Marie Robinson
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Bol.de
Stone and Blood*
Book Two with New Twists, and a Spotlight on Caliban
The first book of the series was actually one of the first books that I read as a new Booksprout member earlier this year. So I was glad when the author put all of the books back on the service, as I hadn’t yet read the other three in the series. To warm up before this second book, I reread the first, and I was reminded how much I enjoyed this complex world that the author has created. I love Maeve as a character. In the first book, I loved how she was dogged in her pursuit of knowledge, trying to unlock her magic. In a lot of the books I read (regency romance), women with intellectual pursuits are often looked down upon by other characters. But the dragons in that first book did not look down upon her for this. Of course, I loved the dragons in the previous book, both their dragon forms and their only under-a-full-moon human form.
But enough about book one. Book two picks up where book one leaves off. With Maeve having access now to her magical power, she is able to unwind, but not wholly remove, the curse from the dragon men. They have been cursed to be dragons for so long that the curse is bound up with their life force, and to wholly remove it could be deadly. But Maeve is able to make it so they can choose when to be dragons. It is actually quite fascinating to watch her work with her magic because, unlike other books, it is not inherent within her. Rather, she sees it as something separate with which she works to attain a goal. The only one for whom the curse separation didn’t work well was Caliban. He struggles mightily with who he is and makes it difficult for himself.
After the ceremony, the team splits up. Caliban and Maeve go to the fae realm, Septimus stays at the tower, and Trystan and Gwayne go to Caledonia to try to figure out if the new queen, Fergus’s wife, is the same queen who cursed them centuries ago. Enough of this summary. If you want to find out more, you will have to read the book. It does have some surprising twists and turns and ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. This book is definitely steamier than book one. Caliban is an interesting character to follow because he truly is at war with himself, and like Maeve, you will want to help him heal and appreciate himself.
If you enjoyed book one, book two ramps up the action on several fronts. If you haven’t yet read book one, definitely read it first so you can understand the full context of this book. The author does provide a little prologue that sums up book one, but book one is so well done, that you won’t want to miss it. Looking forward to books three and four!
Empire of Dragons box set by K. N. Lee
Available at Amazon only
NOT with Kindle Unlimited
Empire of Dragons*
Nice Fantasy Box Set
I so enjoy when authors put books of a series together in one volume so you can go from one to the next without having to purchase a separate book or wait. I don’t want to give away too much in talking about this since there are three books in this set. The first book did draw me in right away, both with what happened with Father Marduk and Amalia. Soon, her whole world shifted, and she was thrust into a world she wasn’t truly prepared for. The author set the stage for an epic fantasy series with all the required characters and then some: mages, dragons, wolves, and even gods who walk the Earth. I enjoyed the Norse mythology aspects of the story. For big-stage fantasy, these books are surprisingly short, but much happens in them to keep you turning the pages. It is such a fascinating world, though, that I found myself wishing for longer individual books. The pacing is good for the most part in all the books, although I did find the abrupt time shifts at times to be a bit jarring. All in all, though, I found this an engaging fantasy read.
Magic & Mayhem series by Erica Ridley
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Magic & Mayhem series*
Early Works Not As Good As Current Ones
I am a big fan of Erica Ridley’s Regency romances. In those, she is able to craft well-done novellas and novels that are definitely a cut above the typical Regency because of her attention to period detail and her research into sometimes rather strange aspects of the time, like one book that had a heroine who was very interested in weights and measures. So I was curious about this trilogy of hers that was not Regency. I was interested to see how this delightful author would do with a more fantastical topic like magic. Apparently, these three books were written earlier in Erica’s career and have been rewritten, enhanced, and otherwise changed from their originals. I am sorry to say that these three books did not quite live up to my expectations of the author. You can tell that they are early career works; I will admit that I found it fascinating to get a glimpse into the author’s evolution as a writer. She doesn’t come across as wholly comfortable working in the world of magic as she does in Regency, which she wears like a second skin. Compared to Ms. Ridley’s recent works, the plotting was as tight—her Regency novellas are is super tight and well done for a short form—and the characterization wasn’t as well defined as her current novels. As works of magical fantasy, of which I am a voracious reader, I found the novellas and novel in this collection to fall short of the mark expected these days by modern readers. If you are already an Erica Ridley fan, you may well enjoy this collection of books just to see how her early books read and look at her venture into magical fantasy. Others may prefer to find better books in this sub-subgenre.
NOTE: I received this as a box set, so that is the way that I reviewed it… as a series whole. But the series is not available commercially as a box set. So the link to Amazon and the preview are for the first book of the series.
Princess Avenger by Bernadette Rowley
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Princess Avenger*
Fantasy Romance Fun
This story pulls you in right away, beginning with a scene where the princess is fleeing in a poor disguise after she has been injured. We soon learn more about her and her circumstances. I thought the author described things well, allowing you to feel you could see the scenes without it being overly descriptive. I thought, though, that some of her word choices weren’t appropriate, so it pulled me a little from the narrative flow as I was trying to determine why a particular word was being used and what the author was actually going for with it. The couple at the core of the story was fascinating to watch as their relationship grew and shifted and as they went up against those opposed to them. The book had some issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage, but I didn’t feel overly distracted by them. All in all, this is an enjoyable fantasy romance that will keep you turning the pages, especially the closer you get to the end.
Wings of Prey by J. P. McLean
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
Wings of Prey*
And So It Ends
Over the past couple of months, I have read every book in this series, including the alternate version of book one. I wasn’t sure what I thought about the series at the beginning, but I’ve stuck with it. I am glad that I did. It is unusual in a most delightful way. The author does have a way of storytelling that is compelling; how she comes up with such a world is beyond me. Over the course of these seven books, she has created a very complex overarching plotline that was reflected well in each individual book of the series. She has managed to create characters who feel realistic even though they live in a fantastical world that is parallel to our own. In this particular book, there’s more emphasis on the paranormal/fantasy aspects of the story. If you are looking for another series to sink your teeth into and enjoy steamy thrillers with a touch of fantasy, this series could be right up your alley.
Fate of the Goddess by K. N. Lee
Fate of the Goddess*
Violent Start but Okay Story
I have quite enjoyed some of this author’s books in the past. This one, I had a hard time getting into because it just felt so needlessly violent at the beginning. Once the twins got to the human realm, I found it more accessible. A lot is going on in this story, and it is quite a fascinating world that the author has created here. I was surprised at the number of grammar and consistency issues in this book. It wasn’t just the normal ones with punctuation and grammar, but sometimes the characters were called the wrong names. In at least one place a near word was used instead of the right word, shall instead of shawl to describe a garment. Since I didn’t know the characters’ world, I did find the issues with character names to be confusing. That said, after the initial violence, the story of the young, future ruling gods as they await their time to be a fascinating one.
Soothsayer by Allison Sipe
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Mondadori, and Angus & Robertson
Soothsayer*
Good Idea, Execution Weak
I am of several minds of this book. I liked the Arthurian backdrop, though I don’t think it was explored to its full extent. The characterization seemed inconsistent, and I thought the heroine was a bit too naïve and trusting of the hero. Just because he’s hot and saved her life doesn’t mean he’s necessarily trustworthy. There were definite issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage. Commas were problematic, as they often are in self-pubbed work, but there are other places where the wrong punctuation was used as well, like errant periods and incorrect punctuation of dialogue. The dialogue tags were a little odd at times and didn’t seem to always go with what the action was, so it was a little jarring. I think the story definitely needed tightening and focusing at the hands of a good editor. That being said, the author did create an interesting world; the execution just didn’t quite live up to the ideas.
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