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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Where the hell is the next one when you need it?!
My five star rating comes from a pre-existing bias of loving these books on a personal level. On a critique level, if I was being fair and honest, it's more of a 3 or 4. That all stated:
I think the world building, while not Paolini or Tolkien or Pullman levels of depth and structure, was very well done, in my opinion. For a five book series, there's enough for readers to chew on without desiring more or feeling too overwhelmed. It all takes place on one...continent, I guess the word would be, with several individual nations, all with their own nationalities (Celierians being human or human mixed primarily, most of which are essentially non-magical; the Fey being a sort of elf-adjacent race closely connected with a very unique creature race known as Tairen; Elves being elves, however seemingly culturally adjacent almost to Native Americans, or maybe slightly inspired by elements of some native cultures--nothing insulting, I should probably emphasize; Elden Mages, which are a magician-based nation of both normie humans and Mages; etc.). Each have their own cultures, their own histories, different relationships to magic, etc.
There is some language creation on the author's part, and as someone who really enjoys it when books get THIS down and dirty with world-building, this tickled me. It's a smidge confusing at first, but then when we first really start experiencing the bulk of new language, it's from the main character's perspective (and she's also completely new to the language), so it's a purposefully jarring experience. One can pick up on it quickly, as the author isn't shy on repeating key phrases and words, and there is a handy dandy guide in the back of the book should you get lost or confused. Context clues exist, though, so it's not a confusing experience.
The author also spends a good time expanding the magic system in a sensible way: The rules make sense, the applications are fairly self-explanatory, etc. There's a couple different magics used in the first novel, each with their own flavors, but on the whole, the magics system is entirely elemental based, with two mystic branches (Spirit and Azrahn- what one assumes throughout this book is a sort of evil or shadow magic).
It's very much a fairy tale romance of soul mates (the concept of soul mates and soul-mating is foundational in this series), with lots of old school chivalry and feminine delicacy, etc. If this isn't quite your flavor in a fantasy, I wouldn't recommend it, but I would emphasize all the female characters in this series are very strong, and in some of the main cultures depicted, are essential and very valued.
Many of the characters are very lovable, and ones I really come to treasure as people throughout the series, particularly members of Ellysetta's quintets. They all have their own personalities and stories.
Honest gripes about this book:
- While the author attempts to explain in universe valid reasons as to the whys, the men in the story are a little aggravating. On the "good" side, they're very overprotective, sometimes possessive, and sometimes fall victim to infantilizing the female lead, Ellysetta. This can understandably be incredibly grating to some people who just don't want to bother with giving the book the "chivalry" boon.
- Ellysetta can seem naïve and frustrating at times: I wouldn't say she was sheltered, but she was very treasured by her middle-way commoner family. She experiences strange seizures and scary events growing up, which put her parents in slight fear for her, especially her very religious mother. She's very stubborn, and is very much a strong-female lead that will go against the grain and what others ask of her to...idk, prove a point, or do what she feels is right. It can be a little aggravating.
- There is smut in this book, and where there are evil soul-claiming Mages, there is of course themes of mind control, assault, etc. If you're not into...ah, descriptive smut, and the occasional violation (which credit to the author IS treated as such, and not romanticized) maybe steer clear, this may be uncomfortable for you to read.
- The concept of soul-mating and souls in general is heavy in this series, and the main pair, Ellysetta and Rain, are soul bound. Which, if you give in to the fairy tale sighs and pink clouds mentality, can seem really deep and romantic. But, if you have an inner skeptic that likes to ruin your fun, it sometimes makes it hard to truly enjoy the romance. Because while it is budding, and the couple genuinely spends time to get to know one another, and fall in love with each other a sa person, there is that undercurrent of unconditional love that is honestly forced upon them by whatever mysterious force or magic that controls pair bonding, which makes one wonder if it's all even REAL, if that makes sense.
Not a horrible fantasy romance with some decent spiciness. I think the author did a great job with creating her own unique world. Whether you like the world she built, that's up for your to decide.
I think the world building, while not Paolini or Tolkien or Pullman levels of depth and structure, was very well done, in my opinion. For a five book series, there's enough for readers to chew on without desiring more or feeling too overwhelmed. It all takes place on one...continent, I guess the word would be, with several individual nations, all with their own nationalities (Celierians being human or human mixed primarily, most of which are essentially non-magical; the Fey being a sort of elf-adjacent race closely connected with a very unique creature race known as Tairen; Elves being elves, however seemingly culturally adjacent almost to Native Americans, or maybe slightly inspired by elements of some native cultures--nothing insulting, I should probably emphasize; Elden Mages, which are a magician-based nation of both normie humans and Mages; etc.). Each have their own cultures, their own histories, different relationships to magic, etc.
There is some language creation on the author's part, and as someone who really enjoys it when books get THIS down and dirty with world-building, this tickled me. It's a smidge confusing at first, but then when we first really start experiencing the bulk of new language, it's from the main character's perspective (and she's also completely new to the language), so it's a purposefully jarring experience. One can pick up on it quickly, as the author isn't shy on repeating key phrases and words, and there is a handy dandy guide in the back of the book should you get lost or confused. Context clues exist, though, so it's not a confusing experience.
The author also spends a good time expanding the magic system in a sensible way: The rules make sense, the applications are fairly self-explanatory, etc. There's a couple different magics used in the first novel, each with their own flavors, but on the whole, the magics system is entirely elemental based, with two mystic branches (Spirit and Azrahn- what one assumes throughout this book is a sort of evil or shadow magic).
It's very much a fairy tale romance of soul mates (the concept of soul mates and soul-mating is foundational in this series), with lots of old school chivalry and feminine delicacy, etc. If this isn't quite your flavor in a fantasy, I wouldn't recommend it, but I would emphasize all the female characters in this series are very strong, and in some of the main cultures depicted, are essential and very valued.
Many of the characters are very lovable, and ones I really come to treasure as people throughout the series, particularly members of Ellysetta's quintets. They all have their own personalities and stories.
Honest gripes about this book:
- While the author attempts to explain in universe valid reasons as to the whys, the men in the story are a little aggravating. On the "good" side, they're very overprotective, sometimes possessive, and sometimes fall victim to infantilizing the female lead, Ellysetta. This can understandably be incredibly grating to some people who just don't want to bother with giving the book the "chivalry" boon.
- Ellysetta can seem naïve and frustrating at times: I wouldn't say she was sheltered, but she was very treasured by her middle-way commoner family. She experiences strange seizures and scary events growing up, which put her parents in slight fear for her, especially her very religious mother. She's very stubborn, and is very much a strong-female lead that will go against the grain and what others ask of her to...idk, prove a point, or do what she feels is right. It can be a little aggravating.
- There is smut in this book, and where there are evil soul-claiming Mages, there is of course themes of mind control, assault, etc. If you're not into...ah, descriptive smut, and the occasional violation (which credit to the author IS treated as such, and not romanticized) maybe steer clear, this may be uncomfortable for you to read.
- The concept of soul-mating and souls in general is heavy in this series, and the main pair, Ellysetta and Rain, are soul bound. Which, if you give in to the fairy tale sighs and pink clouds mentality, can seem really deep and romantic. But, if you have an inner skeptic that likes to ruin your fun, it sometimes makes it hard to truly enjoy the romance. Because while it is budding, and the couple genuinely spends time to get to know one another, and fall in love with each other a sa person, there is that undercurrent of unconditional love that is honestly forced upon them by whatever mysterious force or magic that controls pair bonding, which makes one wonder if it's all even REAL, if that makes sense.
Not a horrible fantasy romance with some decent spiciness. I think the author did a great job with creating her own unique world. Whether you like the world she built, that's up for your to decide.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Re-read time
I think I liked it better the second time through. So time to round up instead of down.
3.5 Stars.
Is there such a thing as Female Fantasy? If there is this is it. The story is more of a set up of a fantasy world and a courtship between a Fey King and a mortal girl who might be more than she seems. The centralized story is the courtship between Rain the fey King and last Tairen Soul (I’ll get to what that is in a minute) and Ellie the Wordcarver’s daughter. But swirling around that are the undercurrents of a Mage uprising, dangerous political maneuverings that could lead to a great war and a jilter suitor who wants back what he thinks belongs to him.
First there is Rain the Fey King and last Tairen Soul. HE IS AWESOME!!! When he lost his love over a thousand years ago he scorched the world and ended the war. He also went a little crazy and the Fey have been sequestered ever since. But now to save his the Fey he must venture out into the world again. What is a Tairen Soul? Well it is a big cat with wings and violet eyes.
There is a pride of Tairen Soul bound in some way to the Fey but only special Fey are granted the essence of the Tairen Soul and are able to change into the cat and Rain is it. He is the last one and if he dies they all die.
Second there is Ellie, she seems like a nice girl. She is a little awkward and doesn’t seem to fit in her own skin very well. At twenty-four she is expected to marry soon or at twenty-five she will be considered a spinster. But when something bad happens to her Rain hears her soul call to his and for the first time ever a Tairen Soul has a truemate.
Okay so truemate I’m like this is a lock then. I mean if their souls call to one another and Ellie is the other half of rain’s soul than that is it insta-love. NOT AT ALL….it is an opportunity and a risk, because if the bond between them doesn’t build into place then Rain will die and his people with him. It is the biggest risk ever. Rain must court Ellie and win her complete trust. They must find a way to accept every part of each other to be able to win the bond and there are a lot of obstacles in the way.
I loved the courtship and how Rain had to dig deep and get some of those fey instincts under control so that he could court Ellie. The little gifts he makes and finds for her and the time he spends with her are fantastic. Her fey guards the Quintet are so much fun and I wish truemates for them all although I hope they don’t have to die to get them.
Ellie herself got on my nerves a little bit. She is so unsure of herself, for good reasons but I was told so many times that she was just a woodcarvers daughter and that she isn’t special when it was clear that she was. The other thing that bothered me slightly is that Ellie is 24 but I forgot that so many times due to the interference of her family treating her like she was still a teenager.
The world builds and there seem to be a lot of fantasy creatures around but they haven’t popped up yet but I’m excited to meet them. The beginning was a little clunky as I tried to figure out the Tairen Soul, Fey stuff and some of the new terminology but I got it all right eventually. There is a lot of building momentum but mostly this entire book seemed like a set up for the rest of the series. But I have to know what happens next and I’m excited to see how Ellie changes over the coarse of this series.
I think I liked it better the second time through. So time to round up instead of down.
3.5 Stars.
Is there such a thing as Female Fantasy? If there is this is it. The story is more of a set up of a fantasy world and a courtship between a Fey King and a mortal girl who might be more than she seems. The centralized story is the courtship between Rain the fey King and last Tairen Soul (I’ll get to what that is in a minute) and Ellie the Wordcarver’s daughter. But swirling around that are the undercurrents of a Mage uprising, dangerous political maneuverings that could lead to a great war and a jilter suitor who wants back what he thinks belongs to him.
First there is Rain the Fey King and last Tairen Soul. HE IS AWESOME!!! When he lost his love over a thousand years ago he scorched the world and ended the war. He also went a little crazy and the Fey have been sequestered ever since. But now to save his the Fey he must venture out into the world again. What is a Tairen Soul? Well it is a big cat with wings and violet eyes.
There is a pride of Tairen Soul bound in some way to the Fey but only special Fey are granted the essence of the Tairen Soul and are able to change into the cat and Rain is it. He is the last one and if he dies they all die.
Second there is Ellie, she seems like a nice girl. She is a little awkward and doesn’t seem to fit in her own skin very well. At twenty-four she is expected to marry soon or at twenty-five she will be considered a spinster. But when something bad happens to her Rain hears her soul call to his and for the first time ever a Tairen Soul has a truemate.
“Ver reisa ku'chae. Kem surah, shei'tani. (Your soul calls out. Mine answers, beloved.)”
Okay so truemate I’m like this is a lock then. I mean if their souls call to one another and Ellie is the other half of rain’s soul than that is it insta-love. NOT AT ALL….it is an opportunity and a risk, because if the bond between them doesn’t build into place then Rain will die and his people with him. It is the biggest risk ever. Rain must court Ellie and win her complete trust. They must find a way to accept every part of each other to be able to win the bond and there are a lot of obstacles in the way.
I loved the courtship and how Rain had to dig deep and get some of those fey instincts under control so that he could court Ellie. The little gifts he makes and finds for her and the time he spends with her are fantastic. Her fey guards the Quintet are so much fun and I wish truemates for them all although I hope they don’t have to die to get them.
“Surely it’s just a song. I, for one, wouldn’t want any of you dying for me.”
“It is the greatest of honors to die in the defense of a shei’tani,” Kiel protested. “Such a warrior will be born to this world again, to find a truemate of his own.”
Ellie herself got on my nerves a little bit. She is so unsure of herself, for good reasons but I was told so many times that she was just a woodcarvers daughter and that she isn’t special when it was clear that she was. The other thing that bothered me slightly is that Ellie is 24 but I forgot that so many times due to the interference of her family treating her like she was still a teenager.
The world builds and there seem to be a lot of fantasy creatures around but they haven’t popped up yet but I’m excited to meet them. The beginning was a little clunky as I tried to figure out the Tairen Soul, Fey stuff and some of the new terminology but I got it all right eventually. There is a lot of building momentum but mostly this entire book seemed like a set up for the rest of the series. But I have to know what happens next and I’m excited to see how Ellie changes over the coarse of this series.
3.5/5 stars. Based on all the 4-5 star reviews, I’ve come to the conclusion that the audiobook doesn’t do the book justice. The narrator Reggio made the FMC sound like a whimpering fragile apologetic girl. She was so conflicted with what to do, but ultimately goes along with the promise of “trust me”. The last two chapters were so unbearable I almost dnf’d. It dragged along that I was yelling “get to the point already”, but I pushed through. I will listen to the next book from another narrator. Hopefully it’s better. If not, I’ll attempt the book.
My reviews of all five books in the series: Lord of the Fading Lands, Lady of Light and Shadows, King of Sword and Sky, Queen of Song and Souls, Crown of Crystal Flame
In my always-present desire to have a series of books lined up all nice and neat on my reading challenge shelves, I'm beginning what I didn't in 2016: reading the entire Tairen Soul series back to back.
It should be easy because Lord of the Fading Lands is a very good start. This review is being rewritten after my second read through, though there's a nearly three year gap in between that, so the rearead was definitely necessary and still enjoyable.
Now, I will admit it, the idea of huge, fire-breathing winged felines was kind of off putting when I initially saw this series. The cover being kind of ugly (sorry, it's just not the style I would've chosen) also did not help. However, because I enjoyed [b:The Winter King|10485751|The Winter King (Weathermages of Mystral, #1)|C.L. Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372702999l/10485751._SY75_.jpg|15391255] so much and wanted so badly for that book to have been a larger expanded fantasy, I wanted to give it a chance in spite of how much I eye-rolled at the concept of the tairen.
It was, admittedly, a different and interesting take on the idea of faeries. I love faeries and while the "Fey" race in this book only resembles the creatures I love to a degree, I overall enjoyed them.
(Also, side note, "fey" is not the correct umbrella term for all faerie-like creatures. That's fay, with an A, or fae, with an A and E. The word "fey" means something more to the tune of "otherworldly", as well as a few others, but not exactly "fairy/faerie." The words are similar and may have a linguistic connection, but they're not equivalent words. I can't speak as to whether the author meant for them to be just "otherworldly" and not really faerie-like or if she made the mistake of using the word fey instead of fay and no one caught it, but it's just something I wanted to mention lol)
The story focuses on a twenty-four year old woman, Ellie, who ends up being the soulmate to the king of the Fey, and how they maneuver their courtship while the growing threat of the Mages of Eld approaches with dark intent many centuries in the making.
But the story is way more layered and nicely complex than that, which makes for a really engaging reading experience. The world building is lovely and I really love that the book has instances of different third-person POVs to get more out of the story than just focusing on everything relative to Ellie without taking us out of the story by having it be in first person and switch around.
The writing is also very good! It's detailed and lyrical without sounding like it's trying to be more flowery than necessary, but not so concerned with sounding nice that it isn't capable of telling a complex and interesting narrative.
I overall very much enjoyed the read and will be enjoying my reread of book #2~ I didn't get beyond that in 2016 because I was away at a convention as I read starting the series and I decided to not pick it back up, but if the series continues with this momentum, I'll be sure to devour books 3-6 like I've devoured books 1 and 2.
Also, I do want to mention this:
On my Amazon review for book #2 I actually received a comment from the author herself in a response to an observation I'd made about books #1 and #2--I felt like these two books should've been published together, because they encompass the arc of the story more fully and contain plot elements you typically find in the first book that weren't as prevalent here, and she confirmed that, originally, Lord of the Fading Lands and [b:Lady of Light and Shadows|1651313|Lady of Light and Shadows (Tairen Soul, #2)|C.L. Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390666507l/1651313._SY75_.jpg|14393761] had been a single manuscript at one point. She didn't specify why the books were sliced apart, but my guess it probably that a book of ~800 pages tends to be a harder sell.
So, with that in mind, the sentiment I had as a result stands: read book #1 and #2 together, especially if book #1 hasn't completely sold you, because book #2 really brings it. They really mesh together and work very nicely as an unbroken line of the story and have a satisfying arc that lets you breathe before the third book.
In my always-present desire to have a series of books lined up all nice and neat on my reading challenge shelves, I'm beginning what I didn't in 2016: reading the entire Tairen Soul series back to back.
It should be easy because Lord of the Fading Lands is a very good start. This review is being rewritten after my second read through, though there's a nearly three year gap in between that, so the rearead was definitely necessary and still enjoyable.
Now, I will admit it, the idea of huge, fire-breathing winged felines was kind of off putting when I initially saw this series. The cover being kind of ugly (sorry, it's just not the style I would've chosen) also did not help. However, because I enjoyed [b:The Winter King|10485751|The Winter King (Weathermages of Mystral, #1)|C.L. Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372702999l/10485751._SY75_.jpg|15391255] so much and wanted so badly for that book to have been a larger expanded fantasy, I wanted to give it a chance in spite of how much I eye-rolled at the concept of the tairen.
It was, admittedly, a different and interesting take on the idea of faeries. I love faeries and while the "Fey" race in this book only resembles the creatures I love to a degree, I overall enjoyed them.
(Also, side note, "fey" is not the correct umbrella term for all faerie-like creatures. That's fay, with an A, or fae, with an A and E. The word "fey" means something more to the tune of "otherworldly", as well as a few others, but not exactly "fairy/faerie." The words are similar and may have a linguistic connection, but they're not equivalent words. I can't speak as to whether the author meant for them to be just "otherworldly" and not really faerie-like or if she made the mistake of using the word fey instead of fay and no one caught it, but it's just something I wanted to mention lol)
The story focuses on a twenty-four year old woman, Ellie, who ends up being the soulmate to the king of the Fey, and how they maneuver their courtship while the growing threat of the Mages of Eld approaches with dark intent many centuries in the making.
But the story is way more layered and nicely complex than that, which makes for a really engaging reading experience. The world building is lovely and I really love that the book has instances of different third-person POVs to get more out of the story than just focusing on everything relative to Ellie without taking us out of the story by having it be in first person and switch around.
The writing is also very good! It's detailed and lyrical without sounding like it's trying to be more flowery than necessary, but not so concerned with sounding nice that it isn't capable of telling a complex and interesting narrative.
I overall very much enjoyed the read and will be enjoying my reread of book #2~ I didn't get beyond that in 2016 because I was away at a convention as I read starting the series and I decided to not pick it back up, but if the series continues with this momentum, I'll be sure to devour books 3-6 like I've devoured books 1 and 2.
Also, I do want to mention this:
On my Amazon review for book #2 I actually received a comment from the author herself in a response to an observation I'd made about books #1 and #2--I felt like these two books should've been published together, because they encompass the arc of the story more fully and contain plot elements you typically find in the first book that weren't as prevalent here, and she confirmed that, originally, Lord of the Fading Lands and [b:Lady of Light and Shadows|1651313|Lady of Light and Shadows (Tairen Soul, #2)|C.L. Wilson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390666507l/1651313._SY75_.jpg|14393761] had been a single manuscript at one point. She didn't specify why the books were sliced apart, but my guess it probably that a book of ~800 pages tends to be a harder sell.
So, with that in mind, the sentiment I had as a result stands: read book #1 and #2 together, especially if book #1 hasn't completely sold you, because book #2 really brings it. They really mesh together and work very nicely as an unbroken line of the story and have a satisfying arc that lets you breathe before the third book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content
3.5 stars
If y'all want something that feels kind of like ACOTAR series look no further than this. The MMC has black hair and purple eyes, turns into a flying feline, and even growls.
Anyways, I can't wait to see how the rest of this series unfolds and learning more about the magic system and the world.
Trigger Warnings: loss of loved ones, grief and loss, sexual assault, bullying, nightmares, seizures, forced exorcism, v*miting, violence, murder, classism, drugging, magical coercion, and imprisonment
If y'all want something that feels kind of like ACOTAR series look no further than this. The MMC has black hair and purple eyes, turns into a flying feline, and even growls.
Anyways, I can't wait to see how the rest of this series unfolds and learning more about the magic system and the world.
Trigger Warnings: loss of loved ones, grief and loss, sexual assault, bullying, nightmares, seizures, forced exorcism, v*miting, violence, murder, classism, drugging, magical coercion, and imprisonment
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a book where you gotta pay attention to who’s who and what’s what lol