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i_ambooked's review against another edition
4.0
You know how hard it is these days to start reading books by an author you never tried. Beck Michaels more than surprised me. I can't stress enough about how much I'm loving her Guardian of the Maiden series and knowing that I'll have to wait a whole year for the third book has me nervous because I'm not known for being a patient person.
Rating: 4.5 ⭐️
Review:
This series follows Dyna, or Dinalya. A sorceress of the North Star village. Every decade, the village is attacked by The Shadow, a demon that comes to take the children of North Star. After the loss of her family by the hands of The Shadow, Dyna had always wanted to defeat it so it can never take another child from her vilage.
One day Dyna discovers a way to fight back. But the council of the village, much like they did her father, pay no heed to what she has to say.
So she leaves the safety of her village and ventures into the night in search of a lost artifact, presumed to be hidden in a mythical mountain.
On her journey she meets Prince Cassiel, a Celestial that saves her life and from there on her whole quest changes. Accompanied by two formidable guardians, Dyna faces a lot of enemies. Enemies that will stop at nothing to capture her and use her to find the mythical mountain.
This is a perfect series for fans of The Lord of the rings. The world building is solid, the author took her time creating a world full of details. The same can be said about the Magic system.
The characters are fantastic. I absolutely loved the relationship between Dyna and Zev. They clearly love each other a lot and they would do anything for each other.
As for Cassiel, you guys know how much we love a dark haired brooding and grumpy character. Total sucker for him.
Anyways, I can't recommend this series enough. After the first 10%, the book picks pace and every few chapters you get slapped with a twist you didn't see coming.
And that ending!! What was that Becky? You just dropped that and left? You are an evil woman and I kinda love you for that!
Rating: 4.5 ⭐️
Review:
This series follows Dyna, or Dinalya. A sorceress of the North Star village. Every decade, the village is attacked by The Shadow, a demon that comes to take the children of North Star. After the loss of her family by the hands of The Shadow, Dyna had always wanted to defeat it so it can never take another child from her vilage.
One day Dyna discovers a way to fight back. But the council of the village, much like they did her father, pay no heed to what she has to say.
So she leaves the safety of her village and ventures into the night in search of a lost artifact, presumed to be hidden in a mythical mountain.
On her journey she meets Prince Cassiel, a Celestial that saves her life and from there on her whole quest changes. Accompanied by two formidable guardians, Dyna faces a lot of enemies. Enemies that will stop at nothing to capture her and use her to find the mythical mountain.
This is a perfect series for fans of The Lord of the rings. The world building is solid, the author took her time creating a world full of details. The same can be said about the Magic system.
The characters are fantastic. I absolutely loved the relationship between Dyna and Zev. They clearly love each other a lot and they would do anything for each other.
As for Cassiel, you guys know how much we love a dark haired brooding and grumpy character. Total sucker for him.
Anyways, I can't recommend this series enough. After the first 10%, the book picks pace and every few chapters you get slapped with a twist you didn't see coming.
And that ending!! What was that Becky? You just dropped that and left? You are an evil woman and I kinda love you for that!
sarazeen95's review against another edition
3.0
I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’m a very harsh critic when it comes to writing, which might explain the rating for this book. For a debut author, this is a very good first installment in what I assume is going to be a trilogy.
I’ll begin with the negatives, just to get it out of the way.
Beck Michaels is a first-time writer, and you can certainly see that. The prose needs polishing, and there is certainly a certain lack of clarity in some sections of the book. What she needs, more than anything else, is a good editor — someone to clean up the text, even though there’s really not a lot to clean in the first place. Like I said, polish.
Now for the positive!
Michaels definitely did her background work when writing this. You can see elements of thorough world building from the very first chapter. There’s also an air of chilled anticipation throughout the book, which I enjoyed very much — and that air isn’t easy to achieve! The plot is easy to follow, but there are enough twists to keep you wondering. We also have a cast of characters ranging from the annoying (in a good way) to the flawless, all of whom draw you into their lives and keep you there.
I’m not a fan of romance in general for fantasy, mostly because I feel it’s rarely done right, but I did enjoy the slow-burn quality of the couple here. Both of them are hiding secrets, yet circling each other throughout the story, creating that fun air of tension I’ve mentioned before. That being said, I’m half-convinced our hero is hiding much more than what we’re told at the end.
WHAT ARE YOU NOT TELLING ME, MY DUDE?
I’m giving this 3 stars because there’s definitely a lot to enjoy here, but there’s also room for improvement. I look forward to the next installment. After all, who doesn’t like a good, broody, handsome man with a haunted past?
I’m a very harsh critic when it comes to writing, which might explain the rating for this book. For a debut author, this is a very good first installment in what I assume is going to be a trilogy.
I’ll begin with the negatives, just to get it out of the way.
Beck Michaels is a first-time writer, and you can certainly see that. The prose needs polishing, and there is certainly a certain lack of clarity in some sections of the book. What she needs, more than anything else, is a good editor — someone to clean up the text, even though there’s really not a lot to clean in the first place. Like I said, polish.
Now for the positive!
Michaels definitely did her background work when writing this. You can see elements of thorough world building from the very first chapter. There’s also an air of chilled anticipation throughout the book, which I enjoyed very much — and that air isn’t easy to achieve! The plot is easy to follow, but there are enough twists to keep you wondering. We also have a cast of characters ranging from the annoying (in a good way) to the flawless, all of whom draw you into their lives and keep you there.
I’m not a fan of romance in general for fantasy, mostly because I feel it’s rarely done right, but I did enjoy the slow-burn quality of the couple here. Both of them are hiding secrets, yet circling each other throughout the story, creating that fun air of tension I’ve mentioned before. That being said, I’m half-convinced our hero is hiding much more than what we’re told at the end.
WHAT ARE YOU NOT TELLING ME, MY DUDE?
I’m giving this 3 stars because there’s definitely a lot to enjoy here, but there’s also room for improvement. I look forward to the next installment. After all, who doesn’t like a good, broody, handsome man with a haunted past?
breasisson's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
book_swithshannon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
omg I love it took me a while to get into the book (my own fault as I was in such a slump) but when I got past halfway I read it sooo damn quick I couldn't read it fast enough tbh I. glad the next 2 are out can speed read through them ahh absolutely love dyna and cas 😍
bonm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
iceboundreader's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable read
What an interesting magic system.
Characters are well written and I loved the slow world building.
Cannot wait to see what happens next
What an interesting magic system.
Characters are well written and I loved the slow world building.
Cannot wait to see what happens next
iceboundreader's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable read
What an interesting magic system.
Characters are well written and I loved the slow world building.
Cannot wait to see what happens next
What an interesting magic system.
Characters are well written and I loved the slow world building.
Cannot wait to see what happens next