Goodbye June, Welcome July!

Hello! 

Today I wanted to summarize the month, and I welcome you to share some of the things that happened in your lives this month. 

The major events that happened this month are these: I moved into a new apartment with a roommate, I started blogging and writing again, and toward the end of the month, I was offered a job editing for a Christian missionary magazine. Fun things! There were some hard things too, but I don't want to go into too much detail on that. 

Book Blast, Author's Top Ten Favorites, Giveaway: The Keeper of Nereth by TJ Amberson

Hello, everyone :)

Today we will be featuring this lovely book, The Keeper of Nereth. I honestly haven't read it, but the cover is awesome, the story sounds intriguing, and I have been told it is fairly clean. (The rating says: Some kissing, No swearing, Mild violence, Appropriate for Teens and Mature Tweens.) 

This is book three, and I'm adding book one, The Kingdom of Nereth, to my to-read list! Best wishes to the author (yay for another Pacific Northwestern woman!), and I hope that you, my friends, will enjoy this series. 

God Knows Everything

One of the things I think about sometimes is the fact that God knows everything. It says it all over the Bible. I John 3:20 blatantly states that God knows all things. And other passages, such as Psalm 139 and Job 38-39, describe in great detail the kind of knowledge and power God has. It’s really amazing. Sometimes I try to imagine what that means so that I can understand it better.

Book Review: The Mermaid's Sister

Some of my favorite things to read about are mermaids, princesses, fairies, and fairy tales. Who said I had to grow up? Because of that, the mere title of this book drew me to it. A friend of mine recommended this book to me a while ago, since she knows how much I love mermaids, and I finally got around to reading it. I was not disappointed. 

Back to Blogging!

Hello!

It's been a long time since I blogged on here, but I'm starting up again. The rest of this post is my story, and it explains why I stopped blogging and how I'm planning to change the blog from here. 

Book Review: The Rise of the Dawnstar by Farah Oomerbhoy

 

About the Book

The Rise of the Dawnstar (The Avalonia Chronicles #2)

by Farah Oomerbhoy

Description from Goodreads:

Aurora Firedrake returns in the spellbinding sequel to The Last of the Firedrakes.

The seven kingdoms of Avalonia are crumbling and evil is spreading across the land like a plague. Queen Morgana is close to finding a way to open The Book of Abraxas and it’s only a matter of time until she uses the power trapped inside its pages to enslave the entire world.

With Avalonia growing more dangerous by the day, Aurora must travel through war-torn lands and deep into the heart of the fae kingdom of Elfi. Her goal is to find a legendary weapon infused with the last of the realm’s ancient magic—the only weapon in the world powerful enough to stop the queen.

Aurora might have survived her first battle against Morgana, but the true fight to save her kingdom and restore her throne has only just begun…

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30070430-the-rise-of-the-dawnstar

Review

Aurora Firedrake won one battle, but there are many more to come. She travels to the land of the fae, ruled by her grandmother, to learn how to control her fae powers. While she is there, she learns more about the Book of Abraxas, a spell book her enemy Morgana will do anything to open. Only one thing can destroy the book for good - a mythical weapon called the Dawnstar. If Aurora cannot find the Dawnstar and, in the very least, keep the book out of Morgana's hands, all will be lost for the seven kingdoms of Avalonia.

The Rise of the Dawnstar was definitely an interesting fantasy novel. More information about the fantasy world and its subcultures are revealed, which was entertaining. Lords and Ladies, royalty, the fae, pirates, mages, dragons, you name it. I enjoyed that aspect of the story.

What I did not like is paired closely with what I did not. This book had a chosen one/lost princess who is revealed to have more and then more power beyond what anyone has ever seen before in thousands of years. The stakes are incredibly high, and the enemy's almost invincible. The romance is a love triangle, and not only that, but nearly all of the men Aurora meets show attraction to her.

I like most of those elements of a novel. But they are cliche. How many books have I read with a chosen one? Too many to count. I love it, which is why I keep reading it. Themes, plots, characters are cliche because they worked the first time and people want more. But it shows this book is not as original as I would like. I have seen some books accept the cliches and do them well, but this book pulls in many of the cliches and makes them glaringly obvious to anyone who reads it. It is not trying to be subtle or cast the overused devices in a new light; they are just there to accept or discard.

So I did like this book. It was a pleasant diversion for a busy day. But it will not make my favorites list. If you are reading this, are a fan of fantasy, and don't mind reading the cliches again, then you will absolutely enjoy this book - just start with book one, The Last of the Firedrakes.

I received a complementary copy of this book from the author. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: The Road to Kalbakar by Paul E. Horsman

About the Book

The Road to Kalbakar (Wyrms of Pasandir #1)

by Paul E. Horsman 

Description from Goodreads: 

Seventeen-year-old Eskandar is the lowest of the low among the crew of the Navy sloop Tipred. As ship’s boy, he runs messages, gets the dirtiest jobs and tries to stay out of his betters’ way. It is a dull but safe life, for the tired old Tipred patrols a shipping lane to nowhere and nothing ever happens to disturb their peace.

None aboard know Eskandar’s big secret. For he is not alone. In his head lives the voice of Teodar, who has guided and guarded him all his life, and who is teaching him magic. Teodar is a mystery; he won’t say who he is or why he is helping him. Eskandar has stopped asking; the voice is his only friend, and that is all that matters to him.

Life goes on placidly – until the sea monsters appear. To save himself and his ship, Eskandar has to use his secret magic and manages to defeat the monsters. Now his enemies know him and his humdrum life becomes a maelstrom of action – fighting monsters, desert robbers and even more fearful enemies.

Will Eskandar’s barely tested powers be enough against an undead necromancer who wants him killed? And what about those mighty wyrms in the sky, are they friend or foe?

Follow Eskandar’s adventures as he gathers a strange band of companions in his battle against terrible enemies in The Road to Kalbakar, Book One of Wyrms of Pasandir.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31832334-the-road-to-kalbakar

Review

Eskandar is an orphaned, ship’s cabin boy with a dangerous secret: He can do magic and has had a man teaching him inside his mind for almost as long as he can remember. When his secret is discovered by an adventurous princess, he begins a journey to find his past and defeat the kingdom’s enemies.

The Road to Kalbakar was pretty good. It both was and wasn’t your typical fantasy. It had the romance, the battles, the secretly epic powers, and a typical plot. But there were some interesting things in there that jazzed up the story. First, the Broomriders. Think witches flying in broomsticks but in trained battle formations and all genders. Sounds epic, right? Just look - it’s on the cover.

I enjoyed the story as a whole. The characters were memorable. It’s not everyday you meet a teenager with a pirate hook for a hand with some crazy powers he doesn’t even understand. And I enjoyed the author’s creation of a storyworld. It had some really unique elements that changed up fantasy stereotypes.

I recommend The Road to Kalbakar to fans of YA fantasy.

I received a complementary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.