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rgyger's review against another edition
5.0
This had to have been my favorite of the series so far. I absolutely loved it. The imagery is amazing, the setting so detailed, and the characters are a hilarious. I could barely put this book down for wanting to know what would happen next.
Like a lot of fans, I absolutely love Sir Eanrin and was so glad to find out that he would be a main character in this story. Usually I don't like cats, but he is an exception. :)
To know what other books I back, go to my blog at http://backingbooks.blogspot.com/
Like a lot of fans, I absolutely love Sir Eanrin and was so glad to find out that he would be a main character in this story. Usually I don't like cats, but he is an exception. :)
To know what other books I back, go to my blog at http://backingbooks.blogspot.com/
what_ella_reads's review against another edition
5.0
This is another great book from The Tales of Goldstone wood.
Isn't the cover beautiful?
Isn't the cover beautiful?
helenafaustina's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, oh, OHHHHHH! ALL. THE. FEELS.
I can't even begin to say how much I loved this book! The characters are simply amazing, the story-line so pure. The author is so clever at weaving the words together, especially with Starflower's background.
Eanrin's struggle is so profound, and infinitely relatable as he tries to shut out the Hound. Imraldera's compassion is one of the sweetest and best traits in any character.
I can't even begin to say how much I loved this book! The characters are simply amazing, the story-line so pure. The author is so clever at weaving the words together, especially with Starflower's background.
Eanrin's struggle is so profound, and infinitely relatable as he tries to shut out the Hound. Imraldera's compassion is one of the sweetest and best traits in any character.
blossomgarden's review against another edition
5.0
Great book. If you have read other Stengl books, you won't be disappointed. If you haven't read any nor other fantasy books, you might well be overwhelmed and/or confused.
The main characters are Bard Eanrin and Captain Glomar from Rudiobus; Starflower, a human young woman (she is called Imraldera by Eanrin) who has compassion throughout the entire book; Fairbird, Starflower's sister, is mentioned often throughout but she has a small part in this book- she is a driving factor to why Starflower does some of the things she does; Hri Sora, or the Flame at Night who used to be a fairy (?) but is now a dragon in the body of a woman; Wolf Tongue, the priest of Starflower's village who offers human sacrifices to their 'god'; and the Black Dogs who belong both to Hri Sora and Amorak (who I won't tell 'who' he is). It takes a bit to figure out who is who and what is going on. Stengl weaves the characters past and present together in a mostly successful way. A time or two I had to go back a page to see where I was.
This is a well-written book and I'm looking forward to her next book.
The main characters are Bard Eanrin and Captain Glomar from Rudiobus; Starflower, a human young woman (she is called Imraldera by Eanrin) who has compassion throughout the entire book; Fairbird, Starflower's sister, is mentioned often throughout but she has a small part in this book- she is a driving factor to why Starflower does some of the things she does; Hri Sora, or the Flame at Night who used to be a fairy (?) but is now a dragon in the body of a woman; Wolf Tongue, the priest of Starflower's village who offers human sacrifices to their 'god'; and the Black Dogs who belong both to Hri Sora and Amorak (who I won't tell 'who' he is). It takes a bit to figure out who is who and what is going on. Stengl weaves the characters past and present together in a mostly successful way. A time or two I had to go back a page to see where I was.
This is a well-written book and I'm looking forward to her next book.
tartbarbie's review against another edition
4.0
I received Starflower in return for an honest review as part of the blog tour hosted by Prism Book Tours in return for a honest review. Hri Sora is a powerful dragon who has been in a state of sleep since she burned down her city which she was trying to protect. Her father took her dragon form and wings leaving with just her mortal body. Desperate to have them back Hri Sora makes a deal with her father that she will bring him back a treasure to add to his hoard. Her plan is to kidnap the Queen's cousin since she knows what the treasure looks like and use her to retrieve it. Hri Sora easily captures Gleamdren her next challenge is to get her to give up the treasure so she can have her true form.
When the woman he loves is kidnapped Eanrin sets out to find Gleamdren before Glomar can rescue her. Eanrin isn't a warrior he's instead a immortal faerie poet who happens to also be part cat. He comes across a girl who has drunk from the enchanted river and even though he want's to find Gleamdren he can't help feeling a little sorry for the mortal girl and taking her to the serpent witch who owes him a favor. Thank's to the serpents collection of frog princess the girl is woken from her enchanted slumber. It's after the pair escape from the serpents land that he learns she's under a curse and can't speak but he's able to figure out her name Starflower. Deciding he can't leaver he takes her along with him on his journey to find Gleamdren fearing what would happen if he leaves her behind. As they get closer to finding Gleamdren they learn that Starflower is tied to Hri Sora which could change everything.
I was a little nervous starting Starflower because it's not the first in the series it's the fourth book, and I hate to read out of order. Thankfully it can be read as a standalone for what I understand it's almost a prequel to the first three but honestly I'm not sure. I wasn't sure about Eanrin at first he kind of has a big ego, then again I guess if I was the Prince of Poet's I would have a high opinion of myself. So I wasn't sure I was going to like his character however when he met Starflower, he showed his compassionate side which I really liked. Startflower is one of those characters you just can't help loving because she's been through so much but she keeps coming back. It's a fast paced action packed adventure with a little love story tossed in the mix. I really enjoyed the world of Goldstone Woods, since it's new to me I found it refreshing and exciting. However I've not read the first three but after reading Starflower I will be checking them out when I get some downtime because I enjoyed this one so much. I had a hard time putting it down and was able to finish over the coarse of a evening because I wanted to know how their adventure would end.
When the woman he loves is kidnapped Eanrin sets out to find Gleamdren before Glomar can rescue her. Eanrin isn't a warrior he's instead a immortal faerie poet who happens to also be part cat. He comes across a girl who has drunk from the enchanted river and even though he want's to find Gleamdren he can't help feeling a little sorry for the mortal girl and taking her to the serpent witch who owes him a favor. Thank's to the serpents collection of frog princess the girl is woken from her enchanted slumber. It's after the pair escape from the serpents land that he learns she's under a curse and can't speak but he's able to figure out her name Starflower. Deciding he can't leaver he takes her along with him on his journey to find Gleamdren fearing what would happen if he leaves her behind. As they get closer to finding Gleamdren they learn that Starflower is tied to Hri Sora which could change everything.
I was a little nervous starting Starflower because it's not the first in the series it's the fourth book, and I hate to read out of order. Thankfully it can be read as a standalone for what I understand it's almost a prequel to the first three but honestly I'm not sure. I wasn't sure about Eanrin at first he kind of has a big ego, then again I guess if I was the Prince of Poet's I would have a high opinion of myself. So I wasn't sure I was going to like his character however when he met Starflower, he showed his compassionate side which I really liked. Startflower is one of those characters you just can't help loving because she's been through so much but she keeps coming back. It's a fast paced action packed adventure with a little love story tossed in the mix. I really enjoyed the world of Goldstone Woods, since it's new to me I found it refreshing and exciting. However I've not read the first three but after reading Starflower I will be checking them out when I get some downtime because I enjoyed this one so much. I had a hard time putting it down and was able to finish over the coarse of a evening because I wanted to know how their adventure would end.
juliebihn's review against another edition
5.0
Likable characters carried this book, coupled with some allegory that really touched me (as a Christian, anyway). On a whole, I thought it worked much better than Starflower, and really enjoyed it. Full review at http://kinynchronicles.blogspot.com/2013/03/review-starflower-by-anne-elizabeth-stengl.html
*I received this book free.
*I received this book free.
kstep1805's review against another edition
3.0
I wish I could love this series but it just lacks cohesiveness both in the writing and the story. I don't totally get how all the books fit together and spend entirely too much time trying to figure it out. However, there remains something compelling about the story despite its flaws and once the action got going I felt sucked into Goldstone Wood.
kitkatmichelle's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
It took me an unholy amount of time to read this, but nonetheless I really enjoyed it! Eanrin is my absolute favorite Goldstone Wood character so far, and this book includes my Goldstone Wood OTP
It took me an unholy amount of time to read this, but nonetheless I really enjoyed it! Eanrin is my absolute favorite Goldstone Wood character so far, and this book includes my Goldstone Wood OTP
ewil6681's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
caligirlrae's review against another edition
4.0
When I saw the cover for Starflower, I had to jump on this book. I loved that it featured what looked like a woman of color (reminding me of the actress Rosario Dawson) and the beautifully painted style just accentuated the focus of the character. I was a bit worried that this was the fourth in a series but I soon got over that as I dove into the wonderful worldbuilding and lyrical narrative of the story.
Starflower is a fast paced story filled with princess, dragons, bards and a beautiful fantasy setting with various worlds within its own world. Although the story seems like a simple one, it is anything but traditional. On the surface it is a tale of a princess with two suitors interested in her hand (one of which is our hero) and the dragon that kidnaps her. I don't want to give too much away because much of what made this a fun experience for me was going in knowing as little as possible. I will say that this is a great read suitable for both adult and young adult readers alike and for those looking for something a little different with their fantasy (say, a sprinkle of inspirational/Christian fiction) this will certainly be a treat. As mentioned before, I was not aware of Ms. Stengl's previous books in the series and starting with this one didn't make me feel as if I was missing anything. The one thing it may do is make you want to pick up the other books to read the backstory on the characters!
All in all, a fun book that was a pleasure to read. In a book world of increasing violence and sex (which is especially creeping up in modern fantasy fiction), I hope to see more fantasy books like this in the near future that puts the story and characters first and leaves the shock value at the door.
A recommended read!
Starflower is a fast paced story filled with princess, dragons, bards and a beautiful fantasy setting with various worlds within its own world. Although the story seems like a simple one, it is anything but traditional. On the surface it is a tale of a princess with two suitors interested in her hand (one of which is our hero) and the dragon that kidnaps her. I don't want to give too much away because much of what made this a fun experience for me was going in knowing as little as possible. I will say that this is a great read suitable for both adult and young adult readers alike and for those looking for something a little different with their fantasy (say, a sprinkle of inspirational/Christian fiction) this will certainly be a treat. As mentioned before, I was not aware of Ms. Stengl's previous books in the series and starting with this one didn't make me feel as if I was missing anything. The one thing it may do is make you want to pick up the other books to read the backstory on the characters!
All in all, a fun book that was a pleasure to read. In a book world of increasing violence and sex (which is especially creeping up in modern fantasy fiction), I hope to see more fantasy books like this in the near future that puts the story and characters first and leaves the shock value at the door.
A recommended read!