Doing it better the second time around…
I really enjoyed this Agata, Princess of Iberia by Emma C Buen and I highly recommend it. There are many elements that are key to making this such a good read. First, is the character development. Second, is the realistic story line. Third, is the dialog. Fourth, is the pace of the story.
I like how this story can be a stand-alone story but for those of us that read the first book, it refers back to some integral parts of that first story, helping to set the tone in this one. I would care much less about this ghost named Stefan, if I didn’t know how deeply they care for each other. I really appreciate how Stefan continues to support Astrid, but she has come to the point that she needn’t rely on anyone.
I would have preferred to read this in one weekend, but unfortunately I had to squeeze it in during the week in my spare moments of free time. It’s so good that I seriously considered staying up late just to read. Even when not reading, this book is in your mind, the foreshadowing teasing your thoughts.
The prologue pulls you in swiftly, the scene vivid in my eyes as it matches so many of the memoirs and historical fiction I have read. The first chapter seems to entwine the mythologies of many cultures, but then begins a very Christian focus.
I highly recommend Dragonslayer’s Sword by Resa Nelson! This was fantastic as an audiobook and possibly it could be better … More
he action is swift and sure. Shaeleen is a risk taker, and although she has great intentions she seldom plans ahead. She is very good at ricocheting from one danger to another, and keeps her head in each dangerous scene. It’s as soon as she is safe, that she becomes carefree (well almost) and careless again.
When I began reading Releasing Her Powers Within: Fae Shifters I by Madilynn Dale I was fully ready to find a teenage protagonist coming of age, awareness, and powers. I really love that this book has more teeth than that. The protagonist, Liz, is in her twenties instead of a teenager, but that leads to a great deal of maturity and a more complete adult.
I really liked how Mr Greenfield began his book by comparing, with specific examples, the conventional farmer to the organic farmer.
The further I read into this book, the more I liked it. There is an interesting juxtaposition between the prologue and the book that was always in the back of my mind and intriguing. The character development is amazing in the beginning, pulling the reader in. I checked my progress once expecting to be about 75% through and was amazed that I was only 15%.
I absolutely loved Truthstone by Mike Shelton and rate it at full stars! While this book has some of the familiarity of many fantasy fiction books with gems holding powers and different sects having little bits of powers from the stones. There are also completely new ideas and unusual concepts to make this book really interesting. The action and character development entice you to read far too late into the night.
