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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
love the way the characters communicate, and the overall feel of this book. if you have read Kristen Ashley before it is very reminiscent of the Colorado Mountain series, although I can't remember exactly which couple. Still super good although at minor times I also find Frey's (understandingly) domineering way annoying.
loved it!!!
it was so magical..i truly ADORE THIS SERIES
at the end of this book ( and in the end of fantastical) there has been something about apollo ...and i can honestly say i cannot wait untill broken dove!!!!!!
it was so magical..i truly ADORE THIS SERIES
at the end of this book ( and in the end of fantastical) there has been something about apollo ...and i can honestly say i cannot wait untill broken dove!!!!!!
Bravo. This book is amazing. There are many interesting elements to this story. The world building is very well done. Loved Frey Drakkar. Very pleasant time, and considering that I was not expecting it, because they other book I had read of Kristen Ashley I gave 2 stars, It is very welcome.
This is the first book by this author I have read; I haven't decided whether I will read another.
I enjoyed the story, being currently in the mood for trashy romance. In parts, it was richly imagined and detailed descriptions are not a problem for me. I was looking for something which could be shamelessly enjoyed without any great effort.
Unfortunately, this book required great effort on two counts
- Overcoming the poor English. This book requires not just editing, which I can only assume it has not enjoyed, but complete restructuring of almost every sentence. I would be embarrassed to use syntax like this in my review, let alone a published book. The protagonist used deeply irritating and immature phrases almost constantly, which was an unpleasant distraction.
- Overcoming my rage at the characters. I don't have a problem with arrogant heroes, but this one failed to develop respect for the heroine, and that made me feel very uneasy. The heroine was apparently both 'spirited' and a meek walkover; she was willing to let him get away with this behaviour. Her thirst for adventure was easily quenched with plenty of sex in a cabin on a ship, which certainly seemed fun but was hardly swashbuckling.
I think I will give myself a break to read something with better writing next. Reading another Kristen Ashley book after my irritation at this one is probably about as inconsistent as the characters in this book, but that's my prerogative and I'm curious about the other stories in this world.
I enjoyed the story, being currently in the mood for trashy romance. In parts, it was richly imagined and detailed descriptions are not a problem for me. I was looking for something which could be shamelessly enjoyed without any great effort.
Unfortunately, this book required great effort on two counts
- Overcoming the poor English. This book requires not just editing, which I can only assume it has not enjoyed, but complete restructuring of almost every sentence. I would be embarrassed to use syntax like this in my review, let alone a published book. The protagonist used deeply irritating and immature phrases almost constantly, which was an unpleasant distraction.
- Overcoming my rage at the characters. I don't have a problem with arrogant heroes, but this one failed to develop respect for the heroine, and that made me feel very uneasy. The heroine was apparently both 'spirited' and a meek walkover; she was willing to let him get away with this behaviour. Her thirst for adventure was easily quenched with plenty of sex in a cabin on a ship, which certainly seemed fun but was hardly swashbuckling.
I think I will give myself a break to read something with better writing next. Reading another Kristen Ashley book after my irritation at this one is probably about as inconsistent as the characters in this book, but that's my prerogative and I'm curious about the other stories in this world.
My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.
I read the second book in this series, The Golden Dynasty, a few years ago based on the recommendation by Jessica Haluska from Rabid Reads. I loved the book, but never got a round to picking up any of the others, even though I wanted to. I was really excited to see that Audible was releasing these books on audio, because I can get to a lot more books on audio than I can to sit down and read them, so I quickly grabbed this one up to try it.
Since I had read book two, I had a little bit of an idea of how this story might go, but this one is a bit different. Basically the jist of it is, Seoafin “Finnie” Wilde who lives in the world we all know. She lost her parents when she was a teenager. They were adventurers and instilled that love of adventure in their daughter. When Finnie hears about the chance to travel to a parallel universe, she is more than willing to drop the million dollars to do this and trade places with her twin from this other place for a year.
Once Finnie gets to this new world she finds out that the other Seoafin wasn’t as truthful as to her reasoning for wanting to switch worlds. Within minutes of arriving, Finnie is whisked away by her mother to be wed to The Drakkar as part of an arranged marriage. Frey Drakkar knows the original Seoafin of this world and he is not a fan. He treats Finnie as if she is this other woman (who I might add is also known for not liking men and having a knack for taking care of herself). He drops Finnie off at his lodge and leaves her there. When he comes back, he does start to notice the differences between the two females and the elves confirm it. That is when his attitude towards her changes, though he does not mention to her that he knows her secret.
While The Drakkar does start off as rather a jerk and continues to make mistakes along the way, overall, I think he does mean well. He lives in a world that is much different than the world we live in. Like many fantasy novels, this is world is much more like olden times where there is no technology, more horses, men make the decisions and there is magic. Add to the fact that Frey is a very important person in that he has the loyalty of both the elves and the dragons, he is used to getting thing his way.
That being said, Finnie isn’t blameless in this story. She gets really upset at Frey about something that happens before she even knew him. Plus, she isn’t taken into account that the culture in this world is different than what she is used to. I thought she was a little hard on him at times, too.
While the romance is a large part of this story, the world that Kristen Ashley has built here is pretty amazing. I really loved it. There is also some action as there is a plot to kill Seoafin. We also get to see how Finnie steps up to being a princess and a ruler.
I really loved being back in this world. I’m even more excited to pick back up the second book of the series, which I loved when I read it and I know I’m going to enjoy listening. If you enjoy fantasy romance, this is a fun series that I highly recommend you try.
Narration
Tillie Hooper is the alter-ego of a narrator that I’ve listened to before. I don’t know how common it is that they are both the same person. As I expected, she did an amazing job on the narration of this series. She has a great pace (though I do listen at 1.25x, but that is standard for me). I thought her male and female voices were great. All the different characters had their own unique voices. If you haven’t tried anything by Tillie Hooper I highly recommend her.
**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I read the second book in this series, The Golden Dynasty, a few years ago based on the recommendation by Jessica Haluska from Rabid Reads. I loved the book, but never got a round to picking up any of the others, even though I wanted to. I was really excited to see that Audible was releasing these books on audio, because I can get to a lot more books on audio than I can to sit down and read them, so I quickly grabbed this one up to try it.
Since I had read book two, I had a little bit of an idea of how this story might go, but this one is a bit different. Basically the jist of it is, Seoafin “Finnie” Wilde who lives in the world we all know. She lost her parents when she was a teenager. They were adventurers and instilled that love of adventure in their daughter. When Finnie hears about the chance to travel to a parallel universe, she is more than willing to drop the million dollars to do this and trade places with her twin from this other place for a year.
Once Finnie gets to this new world she finds out that the other Seoafin wasn’t as truthful as to her reasoning for wanting to switch worlds. Within minutes of arriving, Finnie is whisked away by her mother to be wed to The Drakkar as part of an arranged marriage. Frey Drakkar knows the original Seoafin of this world and he is not a fan. He treats Finnie as if she is this other woman (who I might add is also known for not liking men and having a knack for taking care of herself). He drops Finnie off at his lodge and leaves her there. When he comes back, he does start to notice the differences between the two females and the elves confirm it. That is when his attitude towards her changes, though he does not mention to her that he knows her secret.
While The Drakkar does start off as rather a jerk and continues to make mistakes along the way, overall, I think he does mean well. He lives in a world that is much different than the world we live in. Like many fantasy novels, this is world is much more like olden times where there is no technology, more horses, men make the decisions and there is magic. Add to the fact that Frey is a very important person in that he has the loyalty of both the elves and the dragons, he is used to getting thing his way.
That being said, Finnie isn’t blameless in this story. She gets really upset at Frey about something that happens before she even knew him. Plus, she isn’t taken into account that the culture in this world is different than what she is used to. I thought she was a little hard on him at times, too.
While the romance is a large part of this story, the world that Kristen Ashley has built here is pretty amazing. I really loved it. There is also some action as there is a plot to kill Seoafin. We also get to see how Finnie steps up to being a princess and a ruler.
I really loved being back in this world. I’m even more excited to pick back up the second book of the series, which I loved when I read it and I know I’m going to enjoy listening. If you enjoy fantasy romance, this is a fun series that I highly recommend you try.
Narration
Tillie Hooper is the alter-ego of a narrator that I’ve listened to before. I don’t know how common it is that they are both the same person. As I expected, she did an amazing job on the narration of this series. She has a great pace (though I do listen at 1.25x, but that is standard for me). I thought her male and female voices were great. All the different characters had their own unique voices. If you haven’t tried anything by Tillie Hooper I highly recommend her.
**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
[b:Wildest Dreams|12390650|Wildest Dreams (Fantasyland, #1)|Kristen Ashley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528295362l/12390650._SY75_.jpg|17371693] (Fantasyland, #1) [a:Kristen Ashley|2958084|Kristen Ashley|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1534959159p2/2958084.jpg]
Adult Fantasy Romance Suspense
5+ Stars cause I really, REALLY! loved it. I could not stop reading it. All the characters, the world build, the writing, the flow of the story, every nuance was amazing.
Every element that makes a good story a Great Story, is in this story. There are surprises, there is emotion. There is non-stop action. It will make you laugh, cry and gasp.
The romance is definitely Adult, but not Erotica. The characters throughout and the main characters of this story are intriguing and an absolute delight to read about. There are twist and turns throughout the story that keep you on your toes, so you don't KNOW what will happen next.
I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
July 4, 2017 – Finished Reading
July 1, 2017 – Started Reading
Adult Fantasy Romance Suspense
5+ Stars cause I really, REALLY! loved it. I could not stop reading it. All the characters, the world build, the writing, the flow of the story, every nuance was amazing.
Every element that makes a good story a Great Story, is in this story. There are surprises, there is emotion. There is non-stop action. It will make you laugh, cry and gasp.
The romance is definitely Adult, but not Erotica. The characters throughout and the main characters of this story are intriguing and an absolute delight to read about. There are twist and turns throughout the story that keep you on your toes, so you don't KNOW what will happen next.
I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
July 4, 2017 – Finished Reading
July 1, 2017 – Started Reading
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
4.5 stars
BR with my peeps at: Buddies Books and Baubles
Specifically: Robin (Bridge Four), Stephanie, and Chrissy. ALSO, it's all my fault. *preens*
SO. If we're Goodreads friends, you probably already know this (if we're not, you soon will): I LOVE Kristen Ashley.
LOVE her.
About three years ago I stumbled across one of her books on Amazon, one-clicked it, read it, and then . . . read every, single one of her other 40(ish) books, back-to-back. It took about a month, but I did it.
Yes. I did. B/c MANIAC. #cantstopwontstop
There are two reasons why this is the first KA review I'm posting:
1. I'm OCD, so even though I've read several of her paranormal books since joining Rabid Reads, I've read them out of order, and thus they must wait.
2. KA writes a lot of romantic suspense, and as awesome as it is, no paranormal elements, so no RR review. *shrugs*
But don't be mislead by my previous lack of SQUEE on the KA front, b/c trust me, it's there.
Finnie Wilde is an adrenaline junkie.
She comes by it honestly, being the daughter of two adrenaline junkies, but as fun as that sounds, it's actually quite sad. Finnie is essentially an orphan, having lost both mother and father to said adrenaline junkie-ness when she was twelve, so she jumps out of airplanes in an attempt to feel closer to her long-departed parents.
When she learns about an parallel universe populated by alternate versions of ourselves, she enlists the help of a witch to contact Alternate Finnie, who is more than eager to arrange a temporary body swap.
Real World Finnie is ecstatic, b/c Alternate Finnie's parents are very much ALIVE, so against the admonishments and skepticism of her friends, RW Finnie pays Witch an exorbitant fee to perform the swap of her and Alternate Finnie's consciousnesses.
Meet Frey Drakker:
*swoons*
One of the most powerful and feared men in the realm, he has agreed to marry to Alternate Finnie to secure an alliance with her father, a significantly less powerful (b/c Frey is just that badass and important), but still powerful king.
BUT.
He is not happy about it.
Alternate Finnie is as beautiful as her RW counterpart, but that is where the similarities end.
Alternate Finnie feels constrained by the limitations of her world. She is tomboyish in a reality where a good and proper princess does not favor hunting and archery over more "womanly" pursuits, or *gasp* prefer the company of women to men *waggles eyebrows* (something she admitted to Frey after imbibing too much wine during their betrothal negotiations).
But Alternate Finnie is as pragmatic a choice as any, and Frey has never considered marrying for any reason beyond necessity, so . . . the marriage is arranged.
Which brings us to the circumstances Finnie finds herself in--post swap--in a FANTASYLAND version of our reality filled with magic, and herself a princess about to be wed to a man she has never met.
Yes, really.
Sound a little far-fetched to you? A little uh-huh, sure, whatever you say, boss?
I'm inclined to agree.
BUT.
If you're unfamiliar with KA, you don't know this yet, but KA can do things that others cannot do. To KA an outlandish/ridiculously far-fetched scenario is a playground. To KA women who make choices that would be questionable in any other context are instead quirky and fantastic. To KA brutish and extreme examples of alphaholes are sex on a stick.
It's baffling.
And WONDERFUL.
You should read it. *nods emphatically*
It is worth noting that the only reason this is a 4.5 and not 5.0 star read is an excessive use of the term "cool" in the beginning of the book. I am not grading it on a lesser scale b/c indie. It's really that good. That being said, Kristen Ashley is not for everyone. If you do not enjoy supremely Alpha-type males (similar to those you find in Kresley Cole's IMMORTALS AFTER DARK series, then I'd skip these).
However . . . if you do enjoy that kind of character, I encourage you to exercise your ability to one-click, b/c despite KA's extreme popularity, her books are still downright cheap, so even if you don't love it like I do, you won't break the bank over that discovery. It's a basic cost vs. (potential) benefit scenario, people! Check it out!
4.5 stars
BR with my peeps at: Buddies Books and Baubles
Specifically: Robin (Bridge Four), Stephanie, and Chrissy. ALSO, it's all my fault. *preens*
SO. If we're Goodreads friends, you probably already know this (if we're not, you soon will): I LOVE Kristen Ashley.
LOVE her.
About three years ago I stumbled across one of her books on Amazon, one-clicked it, read it, and then . . . read every, single one of her other 40(ish) books, back-to-back. It took about a month, but I did it.
Yes. I did. B/c MANIAC. #cantstopwontstop
There are two reasons why this is the first KA review I'm posting:
1. I'm OCD, so even though I've read several of her paranormal books since joining Rabid Reads, I've read them out of order, and thus they must wait.
2. KA writes a lot of romantic suspense, and as awesome as it is, no paranormal elements, so no RR review. *shrugs*
But don't be mislead by my previous lack of SQUEE on the KA front, b/c trust me, it's there.
Finnie Wilde is an adrenaline junkie.
She comes by it honestly, being the daughter of two adrenaline junkies, but as fun as that sounds, it's actually quite sad. Finnie is essentially an orphan, having lost both mother and father to said adrenaline junkie-ness when she was twelve, so she jumps out of airplanes in an attempt to feel closer to her long-departed parents.
When she learns about an parallel universe populated by alternate versions of ourselves, she enlists the help of a witch to contact Alternate Finnie, who is more than eager to arrange a temporary body swap.
Real World Finnie is ecstatic, b/c Alternate Finnie's parents are very much ALIVE, so against the admonishments and skepticism of her friends, RW Finnie pays Witch an exorbitant fee to perform the swap of her and Alternate Finnie's consciousnesses.
Meet Frey Drakker:
*swoons*
One of the most powerful and feared men in the realm, he has agreed to marry to Alternate Finnie to secure an alliance with her father, a significantly less powerful (b/c Frey is just that badass and important), but still powerful king.
BUT.
He is not happy about it.
Alternate Finnie is as beautiful as her RW counterpart, but that is where the similarities end.
Alternate Finnie feels constrained by the limitations of her world. She is tomboyish in a reality where a good and proper princess does not favor hunting and archery over more "womanly" pursuits, or *gasp* prefer the company of women to men *waggles eyebrows* (something she admitted to Frey after imbibing too much wine during their betrothal negotiations).
But Alternate Finnie is as pragmatic a choice as any, and Frey has never considered marrying for any reason beyond necessity, so . . . the marriage is arranged.
Which brings us to the circumstances Finnie finds herself in--post swap--in a FANTASYLAND version of our reality filled with magic, and herself a princess about to be wed to a man she has never met.
Yes, really.
Sound a little far-fetched to you? A little uh-huh, sure, whatever you say, boss?
I'm inclined to agree.
BUT.
If you're unfamiliar with KA, you don't know this yet, but KA can do things that others cannot do. To KA an outlandish/ridiculously far-fetched scenario is a playground. To KA women who make choices that would be questionable in any other context are instead quirky and fantastic. To KA brutish and extreme examples of alphaholes are sex on a stick.
It's baffling.
And WONDERFUL.
You should read it. *nods emphatically*
It is worth noting that the only reason this is a 4.5 and not 5.0 star read is an excessive use of the term "cool" in the beginning of the book. I am not grading it on a lesser scale b/c indie. It's really that good. That being said, Kristen Ashley is not for everyone. If you do not enjoy supremely Alpha-type males (similar to those you find in Kresley Cole's IMMORTALS AFTER DARK series, then I'd skip these).
However . . . if you do enjoy that kind of character, I encourage you to exercise your ability to one-click, b/c despite KA's extreme popularity, her books are still downright cheap, so even if you don't love it like I do, you won't break the bank over that discovery. It's a basic cost vs. (potential) benefit scenario, people! Check it out!
Binge read/listened to this entire series in March 2020 and was blown away
Got about 2/3 of the way through it. Got bored. Mostly I couldn't get past how obnoxious the heroin was between the way she speaks and even her inner monologues. Kristen Ashley seems like a least common denominator author. That's fine if all you want to do is sell books I guess. Also this book could seriously use a line edit (poor grammar, punctuation, spelling).