Tag Archives: Fantasy

Review: Orlind

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Orlind
Orlind by Charlotte E. English
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

‘You can change them,’ he said in reply. ‘But you can also change yourself.’

War has come to the Seven Realms, yet almost as suddenly as the draykon force appears, it vanishes. Convinced this is somehow the work of Krays, Eva sets off to infiltrate Krays’s library, leaving Llandry (and the other draykon on their side) to defend her home.

Picking up where Lokant left off, with the war still raging and secrets still being discovered. Llandry and her draykon friends must find a way to battle the draykoni force. Meanwhile, Eva and Tren find what seems to be the root of the war between the libraries – Orlind.

The characters, wonderfully developed throughout the entire trilogy, continue to grow and change as they learn more about themselves, their past, and their abilities. The scenery is once again well described, and the romance in this book has increased as both Tren and Pensould pursue their respective ladies, and though subtle most of the time, it is quite entertaining at points.

A wonderful conclusion to the Draykon series, Orlind ties up loose ends while leaving the world of the Seven Realms open for exploration, which hopefully will spawn more books in this world.

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Blog Tour: Serenya’s Song

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An Evening with the Cast of Serenya’s Song #4: Lillyanne

Setting: The Wasted Witch

That’s my seat, stranger. Never mind. Ye’ve got the old red-eye already. The name’s Lillyanne Sawyer. My friends call me Lilly. What, ye’ve never seen a halfling before? Better go easy on Barnaby’s Ale. It’s smooth as a royal consort the first mug or two, but it’ll yank the ground from under yer feet if ye drink a drop too much.

Who am I kiddin’? I’ve been preachin’ at that wood-elf over there, Jayden, or Jay as I call ‘im, for ten years, and I might as well be talkin’ to this bar stool. We work together, or did, back in Leogard.

And now look at ‘im. Drownin’ his sorrows in ale. I told him he should’ve never married Lady Caliphany. I could tell she was a man-eater from the first day I laid eyes on ‘er. I’ll give ‘im credit for walkin’ away when he did. Least he didn’t buy into ‘er martyr routine. She was willin’ to stay with ‘im, but she’d have never loved ‘im like she did that half-elf rogue of ‘ers.

I finally talked Jay into movin’ here to Summerwind. It’s where I grew up with the rest of my people, the Haddo. Perfect town to settle in. I decided to come back for good after Jay stepped down. It was time to leave all the hobnobbin’ and favor-mongerin’ in Leogard far behind me. Continue reading Blog Tour: Serenya’s Song →

Review: Lokant

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Lokant
Lokant by Charlotte E. English
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Llandry was learning that when two stubborn old men were placed into the same room together, their individual stubbornness not only doubled but increased tenfold

Draykon once again fly the skies of the Seven Realms. War is building. Llandry is being chased by a white-haired sorcerer while Eva is trying to find out how her own heritage ties into who the Lokants are and what they want. Will there be peace again in the Seven Realms, or will warring factions destroy what was once these quiet lands?

Picking up where the first book left off, Lokant dives right back into the thick of things. The characters are given no time for reprieve, forced to set off almost at once to answer questions burning in their own minds. Llandry now has to figure out not just her new form, but also Pensould – the awoken Draykon that proclaims her his mate. Eva and Tren’s relationship also comes to a test as Eva’s wedding approaches but she finds her heart not in it. All the while, war is building between rival Lokants with the Draykon picking sides – and the humans are caught in between.

The details of the world are just as vivid as the first book, masterfully woven together to create a real sense of the different places the characters travel. The magic is evolving, changing as the characters learn to interact with it in ways they hadn’t thought of before, yet it is still as integral to their beings as it was before.

Riveting and full of new (and old) characters to love, Lokant keeps the action, mysteries and even a bit of romance building until the very end.

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Blog Tour: Second Time Around

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Blurb:

Jamie lives with his straight modeling best friend of three years, John. He’s finally achieved his life long dream of opening up his own bakery and John throws him a party. There he meets Matthew, co-owner of the Home Improvement shop across the street from his new bakery. They hit it off. Only there’s one problem. Matthew is possibly straight and there’s a 90% chance that he thinks Jamie is a woman!

Continue reading Blog Tour: Second Time Around →

FMB Blog Tour: One Bite to Passion

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Title: One Bite To Passion

Author: MaryLynn Bast

Genre: Fantasy (Urban, Dark and Epic), Paranormal, Romance, Erotica

Publisher: A Renaissance E Books publication

Ebook

Pages: 107 pages

Words: 39,995

Book Description:

On a business trip to Japan, Paige has just found happiness with Casey, an exciting, young man with a passionate interest in Paige.  After a night of wild sex, feels like a new woman. Drawn to Casey, Paige can’t refuse him even though he says he wants to possess her and she learns he is a vampire. Then Paige’s unfaithful husband, Dalton, shows up. He has supposedly broken off his affair, but Paige suspects he is still seeing his mistress. Soon, Paige begins to notice disturbing things happening around her and discovers she has become the center of a battle between covens who consider her The Chosen One. But when she faces the greatest peril of her life, and Casey shows up to help, Page realizes she is willing fight the covens side-by-side with him, if it means the chance of a future with this vampire she has come to love. Continue reading FMB Blog Tour: One Bite to Passion →

New Release: Have Book, Will Travel

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Today’s new release is a YA book I enjoyed reading called Have Book, Will Travel by KfirLuzzatto and his son Yonatan Luzzatto. Make sure to check out my review as well as the blurb below. This is a quick read great for teens that like adventure stories, with easy language and lots of action.

Authors:           Kfir Luzzatto & Yonatan Luzzatto

Release Date:  June 1, 2012

Publisher:       PINE TEN, LLC

Formats:          Paperback, Kindle, Smashwords

ISBN:                   978-1-938212-08-6 (Print Edition)

Cover Art:      Laura Givens

Back Cover Blurb:

Max fears that his family will disapprove of his friendship with Darla, a common girl from the village outside his uncle’s fortress walls. That’s why they meet secretly to read together from an old book, which she has found in a dusty room near the fortress laundry where she works. Continue reading New Release: Have Book, Will Travel →

Review: Carbon: Session 02 – Forsaken Fates

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Carbon: Session 02 - Forsaken Fates
Carbon: Session 02 – Forsaken Fates by Jason J. Berg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Yet Arin never quits moving forward, and though he is under the constant threat of the invader, he never allows a morsel of respite to be taken for himself, or for the enemy.

Arin is changing. Due to the demon blood from the tainted katana and then from Shenmaru, his quest for vengeance takes a turn towards survival – not for himself, but from those he once lived with in the town of Sunnfal. Desperate to get away before killing someone, Arin takes his tortured body into the surrounding forest. Still wanting to rid the world of demons, he slaughters any he find, while the mysterious man, Vail, brings word of Arin’s deeds to the Council.

Continuing where Session 01 left off and containing much of the same qualities of the previous book, Session 02 expands upon the cast of characters. The mysterious man, Vail, has a larger part to play in this story than first hinted at, and Arin meets another interesting creature that he calls Regret. The world continues to expand, the artwork lending visually to the action portrayed. Still, the ending isn’t really an end, but more like a beginning to the bigger plot arch.

Quick and manga-esque, Carbon follows one man’s quest for vengeance that changes into his quest for saving his people from the monsters of the world – including the one he’s becoming.

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Review: Carbon: Session 01 – Alignment

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Carbon: Session 01 - Alignment
Carbon: Session 01 – Alignment by Jason J. Berg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

And so, it has been this way for the humans dwelling inside the ancient cities of Terra for well over five hundred years.

Arin has one of the most dangerous jobs in the city: collecting wood, stones, and anything else of use from the banks of the Orchid River. Still, he is happy and he makes enough to support his small family. Until, on his son’s 9th birthday, his life changes in ways he never imagined. Now, he’s on a warpath for revenge, battling demons – both inside his head and in his world.

While the world is vividly detailed and the pictures that are interspersed are masterfully done, the characterization fell a little flat. Arin is very single-minded in his quest for revenge, ignoring what could be helpful advice from a stranger to go after the demons that ransack his town. He also doesn’t question the interesting cloak that magically appears – he simply accepts it and moves forward. Also, there wasn’t a satisfying ending, but since this is made to read as a series, it would seem that Session 02 will pick up where this one left off.

Carbon introduces the reader to a world with plenty of untapped depth and tosses Arin into a fast-paced and bloody battle of revenge. The maps and artwork accurately depict the action of the story, adding a level of intimacy to the writing.

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Review: The Black Orb

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The Black Orb
The Black Orb by Sabine A. Reed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Don’t mistake me for a lady, old man, or that might be the last mistake you’ll ever make.

Aria has been searching for her brother for several weeks when she finds out he’s been taken prisoner by the Queen. In her desperation to bring back her only family member, Aria places her trust in Bikkar after he aids in her escape of the guards. They head to the seat of the throne, only to find Aria’s brother has been put under the spell of the Black Orb, leaving him a mindless husk intent on serving the Queen. To rid the world of the Queen’s rule, Aria and Bikkar travel to the end of the kingdom in search of the Dragon Claw, a magical item to break the Black Orb – and her only hope at getting her brother back.

While the world was very detailed, the characters were very simple. Aria only wants her brother back, and repeats this often. There were few minor characters that could have been developed further that would have helped flush out the story, yet Aria was a strong character and Bikkar was a nice compliment to her. The writing was very smooth: the places Aria and Bikkar went seemed to come alive. The ending, while nice and tidy, felt abrupt or forced, the climax too-quickly resolved.

With wonderful descriptions of the surrounding world and enough action to keep the plot moving nicely, The Black Orb is a quick fantasy story that readers can get lost within its pages.

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Review: Have Book, Will Travel

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Have Book, Will Travel
Have Book, Will Travel by Kfir Luzzatto
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you start doubting what the book says, we may as well go back now…

Max has been sent to his uncle’s fortress to continue his studies while his mother attends to a dying friend. While exploring the castle, Max finds an old storage room. Intent on avoiding his studies, he begins searching all of the chests in the room, only to one day find a young girl, Darla, reading a book. Soon, they both pass the time reading about the grand adventures in the book and dreaming of going on their own. So, when Max is forbidden to go back into the room, he prepares to do just that, taking Darla with him. But when the castle is besieged, the two friends have to find a way to get back home.

Once the two figure out the secret of the book, the story picks up a bit. In their efforts to go back home, Max and Darla are transported to two different worlds. While the worlds weren’t as fleshed out as they could have been, the fast-paced adventure kept the story moving forward, and the bond between Max and Darla developed as they endeavored to stay together and find the way home.

Fairly well-developed and adventurous, Have Book, Will Travel is a light read great for younger readers, full of mystery, magic, and friendship.

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