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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Disclaimer: I received this audiobook from Audiobookworm Promotions. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Stolen Enchantress
Author: Amber Argyle
Book Series: Forbidden Forest Book 1
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended For...: Retelling lovers, ya readers, fantasy lovers
Publication Date: April 9, 2018
Publisher: Starling Publishers
Pages: 448
Recommended Age: 16+ (slight sexual content, romance, slight violence and gore)
Synopsis: A beast. An enchantress. An unbreakable curse . . .
When her little sister is taken by the beast of the Forbidden Forest, Larkin does the unthinkable: she goes in after her.
Deep within the sentient woods, Larkin uncovers a secret that puts her in dreadful danger. Worse, now that the beast has had his taste, he’ll never stop hunting her. But the forest has woken something inside Larkin; something that gives her the power to fight back.
Magic.
Using forbidden magic will get Larkin hanged. Not using it will leave her at the mercy of the beast's enchantment. But there’s a third option; one that scares her more than anything.
She could fall in love with the beast.
Review: For the most part I really liked this book. The narration was haunting and really fit the mood of the book. The character development was amazingly well done and I really loved the plot and story. The book hooked me right away and it kept me hooked throughout the read.
The only thing that I didn't like is how slow the book was and how confusing the world building was. The book moved very slowly, and while that fit the mood of the book I was anxious to move on at a faster pace. The world building is also confusing and it left me confused on where I was throughout the book. I also felt the magic system could have been explained better and could have been a bit more developed.
Verdict: I recommend for Beauty and the Beast lovers!
Book: Stolen Enchantress
Author: Amber Argyle
Book Series: Forbidden Forest Book 1
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended For...: Retelling lovers, ya readers, fantasy lovers
Publication Date: April 9, 2018
Publisher: Starling Publishers
Pages: 448
Recommended Age: 16+ (slight sexual content, romance, slight violence and gore)
Synopsis: A beast. An enchantress. An unbreakable curse . . .
When her little sister is taken by the beast of the Forbidden Forest, Larkin does the unthinkable: she goes in after her.
Deep within the sentient woods, Larkin uncovers a secret that puts her in dreadful danger. Worse, now that the beast has had his taste, he’ll never stop hunting her. But the forest has woken something inside Larkin; something that gives her the power to fight back.
Magic.
Using forbidden magic will get Larkin hanged. Not using it will leave her at the mercy of the beast's enchantment. But there’s a third option; one that scares her more than anything.
She could fall in love with the beast.
Review: For the most part I really liked this book. The narration was haunting and really fit the mood of the book. The character development was amazingly well done and I really loved the plot and story. The book hooked me right away and it kept me hooked throughout the read.
The only thing that I didn't like is how slow the book was and how confusing the world building was. The book moved very slowly, and while that fit the mood of the book I was anxious to move on at a faster pace. The world building is also confusing and it left me confused on where I was throughout the book. I also felt the magic system could have been explained better and could have been a bit more developed.
Verdict: I recommend for Beauty and the Beast lovers!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only. It was a retelling - from the blurb it mentions the story being a cross between Beauty and the Beast and The Pied Piper. It definitely was a cross between those two stories too.
It took me a little longer to read because I had a hard time getting into the book at first. It seemed like it was a bit slow for the first part, then it got interesting and picked up quite a bit. But then when I was very engrossed into the story, the end came rather suddenly and I felt like it was a bit abrupt and needed more closure.
It was also a bit more difficult for me getting through some of this book because it was quite dark and heavy in parts. It was a good book overall, but a bit more on the dark, heavy side of things that leaves you searching out for the spark of hope, which there is some, but not as much as I’d like.
I was very interested in parts of the book and the different aspects and unique perspectives, but I wish there had been a bit more to the story with a little more hope. I was a bit like huh? when the book ended cause it’s taken me a bit to process it.
I would read another book by this author especially if it was a continuation of this story.
It took me a little longer to read because I had a hard time getting into the book at first. It seemed like it was a bit slow for the first part, then it got interesting and picked up quite a bit. But then when I was very engrossed into the story, the end came rather suddenly and I felt like it was a bit abrupt and needed more closure.
It was also a bit more difficult for me getting through some of this book because it was quite dark and heavy in parts. It was a good book overall, but a bit more on the dark, heavy side of things that leaves you searching out for the spark of hope, which there is some, but not as much as I’d like.
I was very interested in parts of the book and the different aspects and unique perspectives, but I wish there had been a bit more to the story with a little more hope. I was a bit like huh? when the book ended cause it’s taken me a bit to process it.
I would read another book by this author especially if it was a continuation of this story.
*I received a free ARC of this book via Voracious Readers Only and with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Stolen Enchantress is the first in a planned larger Forbidden Forest story arc, introducing the characters, their world, and their magic and setting the ball rolling from local conflict to potential all-out war.
There is a bit of everything here: romance, mystery, adventure, magic. The book is listed on Amazon in the ‘Teen / Young Adult’ section and it certainly has a suitable tone in typical fantasy-adventure style, but I would say it was aimed at the higher end of that age bracket due to some of the sexual content. It is not graphic or gratuitous, but there are references to incest and rape, and more than one surreptitious pregnancy.
The characterisation here is great. Even the side characters like Garrot, Hunter, Nesha and Alorica are more complex than the initial introduction suggests, and develop as the story progresses. The central character is, of course, Larkin and she is a total badass. Over the course of the novel she seems to take enough damage from various sources to KO the average Terminator, yet it barely seems to slow her roll! I really felt for her in all that she went through, physically and emotionally, and have my fingers crossed that she manages to power through this series to a well-deserved happy ending!
Stolen Enchantress was a great fantasy-action-romance and has inspired me to seek out more of Amber Argyle’s writing whilst I wait for the next in this series.
Larkin willed herself to keep moving, to keep her attention on her sister’s fading prints as the forest’s anger grew into a living thing that gnashed and clawed. The ground here didn’t take tracks as well as the mud of the plowed field, but she saw enough signs of Sela’s passage – a freshly broken stick, a stray footprint, more little mud balls – to believe she was heading in the right direction.
And then a giant picked up the forest and spun it – at least that’s what it felt like. She grabbed the nearest tree and held on, the bark biting into her hands. Anger and hatred stung like a thousand hornets. She had a sudden urge to do something. Some nameless word rested on the tip of her tongue, but she lost it in her desperate attempt to hold on to the tree.
“You think you can frighten me,” Larkin gasped. “I’ve known hatred and pain my entire life. You can’t scare me!”
– Amber Argyle, Stolen Enchantress
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2018/08/17/stolen-enchantress-amber-argyle/
Stolen Enchantress is the first in a planned larger Forbidden Forest story arc, introducing the characters, their world, and their magic and setting the ball rolling from local conflict to potential all-out war.
There is a bit of everything here: romance, mystery, adventure, magic. The book is listed on Amazon in the ‘Teen / Young Adult’ section and it certainly has a suitable tone in typical fantasy-adventure style, but I would say it was aimed at the higher end of that age bracket due to some of the sexual content. It is not graphic or gratuitous, but there are references to incest and rape, and more than one surreptitious pregnancy.
The characterisation here is great. Even the side characters like Garrot, Hunter, Nesha and Alorica are more complex than the initial introduction suggests, and develop as the story progresses. The central character is, of course, Larkin and she is a total badass. Over the course of the novel she seems to take enough damage from various sources to KO the average Terminator, yet it barely seems to slow her roll! I really felt for her in all that she went through, physically and emotionally, and have my fingers crossed that she manages to power through this series to a well-deserved happy ending!
Stolen Enchantress was a great fantasy-action-romance and has inspired me to seek out more of Amber Argyle’s writing whilst I wait for the next in this series.
Larkin willed herself to keep moving, to keep her attention on her sister’s fading prints as the forest’s anger grew into a living thing that gnashed and clawed. The ground here didn’t take tracks as well as the mud of the plowed field, but she saw enough signs of Sela’s passage – a freshly broken stick, a stray footprint, more little mud balls – to believe she was heading in the right direction.
And then a giant picked up the forest and spun it – at least that’s what it felt like. She grabbed the nearest tree and held on, the bark biting into her hands. Anger and hatred stung like a thousand hornets. She had a sudden urge to do something. Some nameless word rested on the tip of her tongue, but she lost it in her desperate attempt to hold on to the tree.
“You think you can frighten me,” Larkin gasped. “I’ve known hatred and pain my entire life. You can’t scare me!”
– Amber Argyle, Stolen Enchantress
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2018/08/17/stolen-enchantress-amber-argyle/
Amber Argyle returns with a new book and a new series! Forbidden Forest is a young adult fantasy series with a rich world filled with intricate lore and incredible magic.
Our story follows Larkin, a young woman who is currently trying to help take care of her family but longs for a life that doesn't require her to be tied down. She's caring and devoted to those she cares for and isn't afraid to place herself in danger if it means protecting someone else. One of my favorite tropes in YA is seeing someone who has toiled and stood strong against others find their own freedom, and Stolen Enchantress does exactly that. We get to see Larkin slowly blossom into someone who knows what she wants and needs, and breaks away from expectation to form her own path. I was a tad worried about the inclusion of the love interests but Argyle directed the story in a way that really makes me appreciate the rather interesting take on the Beauty and Beast story. Denan is also quite the character as well. He's a strong leader who does what he must for his people's safety but remains compassionate and gentle with Larkin and others.
One of my absolute favorite things about Amber's stories is the unique way she includes magic, and while they have all dealt with nature in some way they don't feel the exact same in each series. She makes it interesting each time and doesn't bog down the story with a lot of details, but instead lets the magic system flow into the story naturally. The Forbidden Forest is a character all it's own. With it's seemingly dark and brooding trees that cause those who stumble in to lose themselves both mentally and physically, filled with beasts and dangers. Daughters of the nearby town are being taken into the forest, never to be seen again, and as a result, the forest becomes this an enemy to those outside. But to those inside, it provides safety and power.
I'm really excited to see where this series will go, especially after such a strong start. If you enjoy fairy tale retellings or light fantasy with beautifully woven magic, then Stolen Enchantress is certainly worth a try
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I received no compensation and all opinions are my own.
Our story follows Larkin, a young woman who is currently trying to help take care of her family but longs for a life that doesn't require her to be tied down. She's caring and devoted to those she cares for and isn't afraid to place herself in danger if it means protecting someone else. One of my favorite tropes in YA is seeing someone who has toiled and stood strong against others find their own freedom, and Stolen Enchantress does exactly that. We get to see Larkin slowly blossom into someone who knows what she wants and needs, and breaks away from expectation to form her own path. I was a tad worried about the inclusion of the love interests but Argyle directed the story in a way that really makes me appreciate the rather interesting take on the Beauty and Beast story. Denan is also quite the character as well. He's a strong leader who does what he must for his people's safety but remains compassionate and gentle with Larkin and others.
One of my absolute favorite things about Amber's stories is the unique way she includes magic, and while they have all dealt with nature in some way they don't feel the exact same in each series. She makes it interesting each time and doesn't bog down the story with a lot of details, but instead lets the magic system flow into the story naturally. The Forbidden Forest is a character all it's own. With it's seemingly dark and brooding trees that cause those who stumble in to lose themselves both mentally and physically, filled with beasts and dangers. Daughters of the nearby town are being taken into the forest, never to be seen again, and as a result, the forest becomes this an enemy to those outside. But to those inside, it provides safety and power.
I'm really excited to see where this series will go, especially after such a strong start. If you enjoy fairy tale retellings or light fantasy with beautifully woven magic, then Stolen Enchantress is certainly worth a try
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I received no compensation and all opinions are my own.