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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Wow.
Where do I even start on this review?
Hrmm, okay. So, I've been searching for another long fantasy/historical/romance type since I first read one I adored about five years back (Earths Children by Jean M Auel). I've read many different books since then, loved a fair few of them but none have quite got me as Ayla's story did in Earths Children.
Until now that is.
I've read 'Wildest Dreams' and 'The Golden Dynasty'. I only ever put the books down to eat & sleep, literally. I was hooked and sadly finished them both within four days. Sad but also a sign of how brilliant these books are.
I honestly cannot wait to get my hands on the third book and hope that the author keeps producing these wonderful stories. :)
I must admit that 'The Golden Dynasty' got me more. (I'll leave anymore about this book for it's own review. :))
Where do I even start on this review?
Hrmm, okay. So, I've been searching for another long fantasy/historical/romance type since I first read one I adored about five years back (Earths Children by Jean M Auel). I've read many different books since then, loved a fair few of them but none have quite got me as Ayla's story did in Earths Children.
Until now that is.
I've read 'Wildest Dreams' and 'The Golden Dynasty'. I only ever put the books down to eat & sleep, literally. I was hooked and sadly finished them both within four days. Sad but also a sign of how brilliant these books are.
I honestly cannot wait to get my hands on the third book and hope that the author keeps producing these wonderful stories. :)
I must admit that 'The Golden Dynasty' got me more. (I'll leave anymore about this book for it's own review. :))
Enjoyable
This was a fun adventure and I loved the characters. I was totally engaged in this story and I'm starting the next book right away!
This was a fun adventure and I loved the characters. I was totally engaged in this story and I'm starting the next book right away!
I mean, my overriding thought about this book is just horror at the way the 'love interest' treats our main character, he's unpleasant and domineering at the start and while he does get more affectionate he also
The second is unforgiveable under any circumstance for me, tricking someone into getting pregnant and putting someone through pregnancy and childbirth against their will is awful to the woman and not knowing she's pregnant means she can't follow any of the pregnancy advice to keep herself and her baby safe. I don't understand why the author added that in- her BC could just have failed? and that's honestly horrifying, it's abusive and there seems to be no sense of reflection from any of the characters that it was an appalling thing to do. It worries me that someone reading this book might think it was okay for their partner to do that.
Like the whole end of the book stressed me out so much, imagining someone who I was in a romantic relationship with would do *that* to me actually makes me feel nauseous.
Otherwise it was overly long and descriptive, but once *that* happened I was honestly waiting for it just to be over so I knew the fallout and could put the book down.
Spoiler
1. takes away all her agency by trapping her in a place/world against her will and 2. SWAPPING OUT HER BIRTH CONTROL FOR A PLACEBO AND GETTING HER PREGNANT AGAINST HER WILL. The first I would be able to forgive maybe, if he views what the other Sjofn did as treason it could be more of a save the state rather than a controlling thing- except he goes on to state he didn't want to be without her which puts it right back in abuser territory.The second is unforgiveable under any circumstance for me, tricking someone into getting pregnant and putting someone through pregnancy and childbirth against their will is awful to the woman and not knowing she's pregnant means she can't follow any of the pregnancy advice to keep herself and her baby safe. I don't understand why the author added that in- her BC could just have failed?
Like the whole end of the book stressed me out so much, imagining someone who I was in a romantic relationship with would do *that* to me actually makes me feel nauseous.
Otherwise it was overly long and descriptive, but once *that* happened I was honestly waiting for it just to be over so I knew the fallout and could put the book down.
I think Golden Dynasty was a bit better, but I liked the world building/set up in this one.
Bleh. The protagonist was a little too goody two shoes for me, and the story was sickly sweet but
4,5 stars
At first, though I sooo love KA books, I had some doubts about a fantasy book by KA ... I read almost all of her books and my favorites are those without supernatural but finally I loved it !!
The world she creates is very original (I really want to go for a trip to Lunwyn, go sledding, see dragons, have princess clothes and everything), the story was great (I found the story of the exchange just before the wedding and all the misunderstandings that ensue hilarious !!) and I loved the characters =D (Frey who is very yummy, my favorite so far with his badass sexy Viking side ><)
In short I can't wait to read the other books =D
At first, though I sooo love KA books, I had some doubts about a fantasy book by KA ... I read almost all of her books and my favorites are those without supernatural but finally I loved it !!
The world she creates is very original (I really want to go for a trip to Lunwyn, go sledding, see dragons, have princess clothes and everything), the story was great (I found the story of the exchange just before the wedding and all the misunderstandings that ensue hilarious !!) and I loved the characters =D (Frey who is very yummy, my favorite so far with his badass sexy Viking side ><)
In short I can't wait to read the other books =D
Maybe it's just because I'm older, but I've never been more frustrated by the sexism in this book. Most times, the character arc of a domineering or controlling guy is that he learns how being overly possessive and controlling is not showing his love, and he comes to respect the girl's autonomy and choices. This H obviously did not, and I hated how he was pretty much absolved of trapping her in his world and getting rid of her birth control because she thought he had died.
Previously rated 4 stars.
Plot:
- h lost her parents young and wants to switch with the version of herself in an alternate universe to see them again. Turns out, the other girl is a princess, engaged to H, but she is a lesbian and did not want to marry him.
- H takes her to a cottage and then leaves. She enjoys her time and loves the town. He then comes back, and although kinda rocky beginning, clear the confusion that he thought she was a lesbian. Although he wants to sleep with her, he takes the time for her to get more comfortable with him. During this first week of them together, he gets called by the elves (he's the lord of dragons and elves), and they tell him h is not from this universe and that she will be returning in a year's time. He then tells them to bind her to this universe and that she can't go back.
- They then go back to her parent's palace to attend a ball. Immediately upon getting there, he tells her parents about how she's from an alternate universe, and their real daughter is a traitor and will never come back. Also, they should be kind to h because she came all this way to see them.
- She gets along well with her handmaidens, who then fill her in on this world, including a servant who slept with H in the past. This upset her, and H just says that it is a man's right in this world, and at dinner, he makes the servant serve him. However, they eventually reconcile, and H didn't sleep with the other woman during their time apart.
- At the gala, h is almost poisoned, so they leave immediately to his boat. He is journeying to the country ruled by her uncle to steal an important relic back. h loves this, begins to fall in love, and wants to stay there. However, while they are waiting at the shore, her uncle calls upon her to visit him. So, she navigates this situation by pretending to be sick. Then, H arrives, and they leave for his chateau.
- They have a great time, but a witch tells him she sees a vision of h surrounded by fire and that she might die. However, H just ignores this and insists h has to stay in his world. Then, H discovers that h has been taking birth control. So, he gets one of his men to switch it out for something that seems the same. So, she gets pregnant, and even though she is shocked, she is happy about it. However, the witch that sent her to this alternate universe gets in contact with her and tells her about everything H has done, like binding her to this world and changing her birth control. Furious, she goes to confront him, but then they get assaulted in an assassination attempt by her cousin.
- She gets captured but escapes, and eventually finds H (in dragon form?), and that he is alive and was able to escape and heal with the elves' help.
Previously rated 4 stars.
Plot:
- h lost her parents young and wants to switch with the version of herself in an alternate universe to see them again. Turns out, the other girl is a princess, engaged to H, but she is a lesbian and did not want to marry him.
- H takes her to a cottage and then leaves. She enjoys her time and loves the town. He then comes back, and although kinda rocky beginning, clear the confusion that he thought she was a lesbian. Although he wants to sleep with her, he takes the time for her to get more comfortable with him. During this first week of them together, he gets called by the elves (he's the lord of dragons and elves), and they tell him h is not from this universe and that she will be returning in a year's time. He then tells them to bind her to this universe and that she can't go back.
- They then go back to her parent's palace to attend a ball. Immediately upon getting there, he tells her parents about how she's from an alternate universe, and their real daughter is a traitor and will never come back. Also, they should be kind to h because she came all this way to see them.
- She gets along well with her handmaidens, who then fill her in on this world, including a servant who slept with H in the past. This upset her, and H just says that it is a man's right in this world, and at dinner, he makes the servant serve him. However, they eventually reconcile, and H didn't sleep with the other woman during their time apart.
- At the gala, h is almost poisoned, so they leave immediately to his boat. He is journeying to the country ruled by her uncle to steal an important relic back. h loves this, begins to fall in love, and wants to stay there. However, while they are waiting at the shore, her uncle calls upon her to visit him. So, she navigates this situation by pretending to be sick. Then, H arrives, and they leave for his chateau.
- They have a great time, but a witch tells him she sees a vision of h surrounded by fire and that she might die. However, H just ignores this and insists h has to stay in his world. Then, H discovers that h has been taking birth control. So, he gets one of his men to switch it out for something that seems the same. So, she gets pregnant, and even though she is shocked, she is happy about it. However, the witch that sent her to this alternate universe gets in contact with her and tells her about everything H has done, like binding her to this world and changing her birth control. Furious, she goes to confront him, but then they get assaulted in an assassination attempt by her cousin.
- She gets captured but escapes, and eventually finds H (in dragon form?), and that he is alive and was able to escape and heal with the elves' help.
Love is everything as Valentine would say and I'm a hopeless romantic.
First off, I must say that I'm wondering why this book has no paperback version and an audiobook. It killed my eyes -and I mean it when I say it - to read this book in all its 155 pages, with lines packed so tight that you could make another 155 pages just by making it readable. Nevertheless, I read this book and I loved it.
The basic recipe is simple: take one adventure-thirsty Finnie from our world, add awesome witch called Valentine, completely new world and sexy as hell Frey Drakkar. Spice up with hot Raiders, royalty and magic then stir until the composition is ready. What can I say, Ashley wrote a beautiful book that managed to keep me on edge for three days and I'd do it all over again.
Finnie was the kind of person that got under your skin. Not only in the book but she also made a connection with you, the reader. With Frey by her side, everything seemed like absolute perfection! I do confess that around page 144 I was wondering where the hell was the happy end I'd been promised, but Ashley didn't fail to deliver a nice twist to get my my happily ever after.
Overall, a worthwhile read that I hope others will pick up as well.
Hopefully, some publisher will be kind enough to give this book more media coverage and a nice audiobook cause I've seen worse than this published and audiobooked and I see no reason why this great book shouldn't have all of that and more.
First off, I must say that I'm wondering why this book has no paperback version and an audiobook. It killed my eyes -and I mean it when I say it - to read this book in all its 155 pages, with lines packed so tight that you could make another 155 pages just by making it readable. Nevertheless, I read this book and I loved it.
The basic recipe is simple: take one adventure-thirsty Finnie from our world, add awesome witch called Valentine, completely new world and sexy as hell Frey Drakkar. Spice up with hot Raiders, royalty and magic then stir until the composition is ready. What can I say, Ashley wrote a beautiful book that managed to keep me on edge for three days and I'd do it all over again.
Finnie was the kind of person that got under your skin. Not only in the book but she also made a connection with you, the reader. With Frey by her side, everything seemed like absolute perfection! I do confess that around page 144 I was wondering where the hell was the happy end I'd been promised, but Ashley didn't fail to deliver a nice twist to get my my happily ever after.
Overall, a worthwhile read that I hope others will pick up as well.
Hopefully, some publisher will be kind enough to give this book more media coverage and a nice audiobook cause I've seen worse than this published and audiobooked and I see no reason why this great book shouldn't have all of that and more.
