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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
A great example of Stockholm Syndrome. The Highlands are dangerous, but protected from the lowlands by magical mists and monsters. Pathfinders are needed to take people around the Highlands and to the Lowlands. The Lowlands are individual towns and are being invaded by the barbarian Trattoria. Oh, wait, not Italian restaurants, byt the Trateri.
Shea is a woman pathfinder who only seems to meet a-holes, whether in the Highlands or Lowlands. She meets the leader of the invaders, escapes, gets captured months later, but doesn't escape and instead helps the invaders' scouts. Why? I guess because the leader is cute. People keep doing the dumbest things and ignoring advice in order to the author to have fight scenes. There's no excuse for any of the dumb things, especially of Shea staying.
It's too dumb, annoying, and insipid. No wonder it's self-published. Stick with T. H. White.
Shea is a woman pathfinder who only seems to meet a-holes, whether in the Highlands or Lowlands. She meets the leader of the invaders, escapes, gets captured months later, but doesn't escape and instead helps the invaders' scouts. Why? I guess because the leader is cute. People keep doing the dumbest things and ignoring advice in order to the author to have fight scenes. There's no excuse for any of the dumb things, especially of Shea staying.
It's too dumb, annoying, and insipid. No wonder it's self-published. Stick with T. H. White.
I love Shea and her life. I love that her flaws aren't glossed over. I stopped reading when it became an "independent heroine is wooed against her will by a man who kidnaps her, abuses her, threatens her with physical violence constantly, and is always one step away from rape" kind of story. No, I would not be charmed and volunteer to be a concubine of a slaver warlord with no concept of consent, not matter how pretty his eyes are or how many of my friends he threatened. Sigh.
I really enjoyed this. The characters are well defined and fun and the world is interesting. I was totally engrossed in the story from the very first page. Shea, our heroine, is amazing- smart, hard working, undervalued, underestimated and strong as hell. She's carving a place in the world on her own terms all while dealing with a mysterious incident that has her banished to a backwater town where she's surrounded by people who hate her. Does this cow her? Not at all- she keeps her head down, sticks to her moral code, and continues to do the work. She's fantastic and I can't say how much I appreciated her tenacity, her kindness, and her intelligence. Shae is the shit.
This was building to a 5 star for me and would have been if the romance hadn't felt so rushed. It's rare that I would want a slower burn, but I think this pairing could have used some more time. I found it jarring that Shea decided to
The circumstances of their getting together left me wondering if it was because she was possibly high from the smoke she'd been inhaling for the "test" she'd just finished. I was nervous that her consent wasn't really there or that she was suffering from some trauma. She'd been turned into one of Fallon's clan against her will (sort of) and to have it be that this magical smoke made her accept her conversion and her attraction/feelings for him cheapened the journey she was on. I'd have liked her to have to see on her own that she wanted to be part of the tribe/be with Fallon instead of a mystical smoke journey suddenly illuminating it. Fallon, imo, needed to work harder to show he was worthy of her time and love. This is the rare book where the romance being left on simmer until later installments would have been more true to the characters and actually more satisfying. I'd have loved to read her struggling with Fallon's interest as he tries to be worthy of her. Plus Fallon is pretty entertaining when he's being thwarted. Fallon for me falls a bit flat. He's a warlord and an alpha and that only made me think he was as much of a bully as the townspeople who had been so cruel to Shae. I have to admit that I'm still not sure he's worthy of Shae. Part of me wants her to escape again just to see that she's still the Shae I fell in love with at the beginning of the story.
Still this was great fun and I'm looking forward to the next installment.
This was building to a 5 star for me and would have been if the romance hadn't felt so rushed. It's rare that I would want a slower burn, but I think this pairing could have used some more time. I found it jarring that Shea decided to
Spoiler
suddenly kiss and have sex with Fallon after being completely against it for such a long time. Fallon is our hero, but he's also a bit of a dick. He comes from a world where men kidnap their brides, and that's apparently the best start to a love story in his mind because he tries to abduct her/apprehend her multiple times. Because Shae is amazing, she escapes him multiple times and goes about her business saving everyone and being a badass. Eventually she's betrayed and Fallon has her in his clutches. At this point, I hoped that he would see the error of his ways and decide to earn her respect, but that's not what happens. Instead Fallon puts her through various trials and forces her to become part of his clan even though she's not sure that's what she wants.The circumstances of their getting together left me wondering if it was because she was possibly high from the smoke she'd been inhaling for the "test" she'd just finished. I was nervous that her consent wasn't really there or that she was suffering from some trauma. She'd been turned into one of Fallon's clan against her will (sort of) and to have it be that this magical smoke made her accept her conversion and her attraction/feelings for him cheapened the journey she was on. I'd have liked her to have to see on her own that she wanted to be part of the tribe/be with Fallon instead of a mystical smoke journey suddenly illuminating it. Fallon, imo, needed to work harder to show he was worthy of her time and love. This is the rare book where the romance being left on simmer until later installments would have been more true to the characters and actually more satisfying. I'd have loved to read her struggling with Fallon's interest as he tries to be worthy of her. Plus Fallon is pretty entertaining when he's being thwarted. Fallon for me falls a bit flat. He's a warlord and an alpha and that only made me think he was as much of a bully as the townspeople who had been so cruel to Shae. I have to admit that I'm still not sure he's worthy of Shae. Part of me wants her to escape again just to see that she's still the Shae I fell in love with at the beginning of the story.
Still this was great fun and I'm looking forward to the next installment.
Love, love, love this book! I love the world of ge author created and the sassy, independent female heroine is amazing. This is a book I read over and over.
3.5 stars.
This book was interesting. It started out really promising, and I thoroughly enjoyed the concept. One thing that was hard for me is I kept waiting and waiting for Shea to finally get caught by Fallon, but it didn't come until almost 75% way through the book! Since romance is an integral part of what I prefer in a book, taking so long dampened it for me somewhat. Maybe if I had realized it would take so long, I would have enjoyed the ride a little bit more. Though that's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I like the characters and the world created. But I wish some characters would have been fleshed out more, especially Fallon. Honestly, Shea and Fallon didn't have that many interactions before they become more an "item" so it barely even felt believable. I'm hoping the next story in the series helps all of that.
This book was interesting. It started out really promising, and I thoroughly enjoyed the concept. One thing that was hard for me is I kept waiting and waiting for Shea to finally get caught by Fallon, but it didn't come until almost 75% way through the book! Since romance is an integral part of what I prefer in a book, taking so long dampened it for me somewhat. Maybe if I had realized it would take so long, I would have enjoyed the ride a little bit more. Though that's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I like the characters and the world created. But I wish some characters would have been fleshed out more, especially Fallon. Honestly, Shea and Fallon didn't have that many interactions before they become more an "item" so it barely even felt believable. I'm hoping the next story in the series helps all of that.
“But she knew better than anybody, home wasn't a place; it's a state of mind."
"It's the people you're with. And for her, those people were all here.”
Shea has got to be one of the most amazing female protagonists I've ever seen.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I really liked that one. I'm a bit anxious, because with this first book having a decent ending without a cliffhanger the following books may be worse.
Considering the positive ratings of all books this may be unnecessary.
Considering the positive ratings of all books this may be unnecessary.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
what a path
Wowzer what a fantastic story. I started the book and found it impossible to put down until I got to the last page. The female is a strong independent woman in a man’s world. The men soon find out that she is great at what she does. She meets Fallon and escapes his capture. Her fierceness captures his attention and the hunt is on. It was an enjoyable read.
Wowzer what a fantastic story. I started the book and found it impossible to put down until I got to the last page. The female is a strong independent woman in a man’s world. The men soon find out that she is great at what she does. She meets Fallon and escapes his capture. Her fierceness captures his attention and the hunt is on. It was an enjoyable read.