duskbladedrow's review against another edition
3.0
The concept of the book was great and well-thought out. However, I couldn’t connect with the writing style. It was heavy on telling instead of showing, and seemed to repeat itself often, which made the writing feel wooden and the characters uninteresting to me. Probably a case of, “it’s not you, it’s me,” based on my preferred reading styles.
womanon's review against another edition
3.0
I absolutely loved it. This book has the perfect combination of fantasy, intrigue, and adventure, and I can highly recommend it! A big downside for me was the length of a lot of chapters, they were a little too long for me.
sfilson's review against another edition
3.0
The ending ? Come on that was terrible..Just when it got interesting POOF .Lets discuss all the attire ...? WHY ? Is this a Fantasy novel or a fashion statement .. ?.. Ok ,ok ..I get that the Monk has powers that come out of nowhere, with no explanation of the studies he under went to accomplish them, And Foundlings should be investigated.But Wow the elves took it to an extreme level. I am hoping that the over-descriptive writing was a one off for the starter novel, and that more action ,and less talk ensues in the following story's....The story-line is fantastic, And Character / World building is good..I am an Honest ARC reviewer.
catsluvcoffee's review against another edition
4.0
The cover initially drew me to The Monster of Selkirk. That's a gorgeous cover! There are so many elements that are revealed on that cover without giving anything away about the story.
An epic coming of age type story, it follows Talis, our MC of obscure origins. Found as a babe in the woods, we follow Talis from her mysterious beginnings into adulthood. She's an outsider, not many friends and despised by her own adopted father. She does have a few close to her though: A cousin who teaches her combat and weaponry, a friend who shows her the art of pickpocketing, and another an initiate at the monastery who helps share written knowledge with her. A motley crew for sure! While the story skips POV frequently, you don't get lost, thankfully, as the breaks are clearly identified. It's not my most favorite writing style as you know, but at least I didn't have to keep going back to figure out where the story was.
Read more at Cats Luv Coffee
An epic coming of age type story, it follows Talis, our MC of obscure origins. Found as a babe in the woods, we follow Talis from her mysterious beginnings into adulthood. She's an outsider, not many friends and despised by her own adopted father. She does have a few close to her though: A cousin who teaches her combat and weaponry, a friend who shows her the art of pickpocketing, and another an initiate at the monastery who helps share written knowledge with her. A motley crew for sure! While the story skips POV frequently, you don't get lost, thankfully, as the breaks are clearly identified. It's not my most favorite writing style as you know, but at least I didn't have to keep going back to figure out where the story was.
Read more at Cats Luv Coffee
bookrambler's review against another edition
4.0
I loved Tallis and her character arc from a child to a woman. While she struggles with being different, she has the support of her friends: Rosslyn, her cousin Donovan and Ser Soon-to-be Brother Tomas. Even though I initially struggled with the writing style, I was quickly pulled into the world of Selkirk and I was so engrossed in their journey. There was ample world-building but not too descriptive as this is the first book in the series. The ending left me a tad disappointed as it didn’t shock me as much as I would’ve wanted but I am still eagerly awaiting the sequel.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book if you love epic fantasy with sword-weilding girls, beautiful friendship, and action-packed scenes!
Overall, I would highly recommend this book if you love epic fantasy with sword-weilding girls, beautiful friendship, and action-packed scenes!
pri_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
Check out http://abooklionshideaway.blogspot.in/ for more reviews.
This is the first book by this author that I read and really enjoyed it! I was confused before starting it as I wasn't quite clear on the concept of this book, but as soon as you get into the book everything starts to become clear.
It starts with Tallis being some days old baby and how she comes to live her adoptive parents and you get to see how she grows up, forms bonds with her cousin Donavan then how she grows and forms bonds of friendship with Rosslyn and Tomas. I really liked how it was shown from the beginning and the roots of relations of Tallis with everyone. Its explained well how the world works, the way the women are treated, education, belief in Woden(God) of people and the monsters.
Soon this foursome has to separate and go on an adventure searching for answers as to who is Tallis and why are the elves behind her. I really liked this unlikely group of people together. Tomas n his own way is strong and Donavan is such a father figure to Tallis. Rosslyn is an amazing friend with some quirks of her own.
It was a nice YA fantasy read but I liked that the characters were more mature. I also liked how the story reveals more and more slowly throughout the book and it's fascinating to read thus keeping you engaged in the story.
*A copy was provided in exchange of honest review*
More reviews can be found on my Blog.
This is the first book by this author that I read and really enjoyed it! I was confused before starting it as I wasn't quite clear on the concept of this book, but as soon as you get into the book everything starts to become clear.
It starts with Tallis being some days old baby and how she comes to live her adoptive parents and you get to see how she grows up, forms bonds with her cousin Donavan then how she grows and forms bonds of friendship with Rosslyn and Tomas. I really liked how it was shown from the beginning and the roots of relations of Tallis with everyone. Its explained well how the world works, the way the women are treated, education, belief in Woden(God) of people and the monsters.
Soon this foursome has to separate and go on an adventure searching for answers as to who is Tallis and why are the elves behind her. I really liked this unlikely group of people together. Tomas n his own way is strong and Donavan is such a father figure to Tallis. Rosslyn is an amazing friend with some quirks of her own.
It was a nice YA fantasy read but I liked that the characters were more mature. I also liked how the story reveals more and more slowly throughout the book and it's fascinating to read thus keeping you engaged in the story.
*A copy was provided in exchange of honest review*
More reviews can be found on my Blog.
a_j_torres0's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
This is a New Adult High/Epic Fantasy novel book 1.
I won this book in a giveaway.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and the characters in it. There were some slow moments, and there were even fewer moments that did make me cringe a little, but I very much can't wait to get my hands on the next book. I gotsta know what will happen to Tallis and my boy Tomas! And the others too, but mostly Tomas lol.
I won this book in a giveaway.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and the characters in it. There were some slow moments, and there were even fewer moments that did make me cringe a little, but I very much can't wait to get my hands on the next book. I gotsta know what will happen to Tallis and my boy Tomas! And the others too, but mostly Tomas lol.
popthebutterfly's review against another edition
5.0
Rating: 5/5
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (some mature and depressing scenes. Some triggering scenes).
Favorite Quote: “Tallis is a beautiful and terrible thing. Fearsome and alluring. Just like the forest in many ways... but it's written all over that handsome, pale face of yours; you like her.”
Monsters come in many forms, and not everyone knows a monster when they see one. After three hundred years of monstrous, feral elves plaguing the island nation of Selkirk, everyone believes they know what a monster is. Humans have learned to live with their savage neighbors, enacting a Clearing every four years to push the elves back from their borders. The system has worked for centuries, until after one such purge, a babe was found in the forest.
As Tallis grows, she discovers she isn't like everyone else. There is something a little different that makes people leery in her presence, and she only ever makes a handful of friends.
But when the elves gather their forces and emerge from the forests literally hissing Tallis's name like a battle mantra, making friends is the least of her troubles. Tallis and her companions find themselves on an unwilling journey to not only clear her name, but to stop the elves from ravaging her homeland. - Amazon
I was presented with a free ebook copy of this book in exchange for promoting the book on my blog and for review purposes. This did not sway my opinion of this book in any manner.
I'm back you guys! And with another exciting review of a book that I became so swept away with! When I read the premise of this book I knew it was going to be good... I just never imagined how good it would be! I fell completely in love with this book. The characters were all very well developed and had interesting backstories and quirks about them, the makeup of the core characters did not have the traditional roles one would expect them to possess in a story like this, and they all failed at points. While none of us like to read about failure or loss, it makes the characters more human and makes the reader cheer for them even harder. I could go on and on about how well developed every single character in this book is, but I'll just leave it at this: I believed at times I was reading a book penned by Terry Brooks. Thats how well done this book is. Aside from that, I also felt the plot was very well developed and the pacing was steady. The story actually begins a bit before the events of what the excerpt talks about and the story isn't fast paced or forced. The writing isn't hard to read or understand as well.
The only bad thing about it is that when you have to put down the book I found myself having to read back a few pages to try and jog my memory as to what's going on... However I am just coming back from a trip and I'm not getting a lot of sleep so maybe it's more than likely just an issue with me and not the book. Overall I think this was a wonderful book to begin a series with and I'M SO EXCITED FOR THE NEXT BOOK!!!
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (some mature and depressing scenes. Some triggering scenes).
Favorite Quote: “Tallis is a beautiful and terrible thing. Fearsome and alluring. Just like the forest in many ways... but it's written all over that handsome, pale face of yours; you like her.”
Monsters come in many forms, and not everyone knows a monster when they see one. After three hundred years of monstrous, feral elves plaguing the island nation of Selkirk, everyone believes they know what a monster is. Humans have learned to live with their savage neighbors, enacting a Clearing every four years to push the elves back from their borders. The system has worked for centuries, until after one such purge, a babe was found in the forest.
As Tallis grows, she discovers she isn't like everyone else. There is something a little different that makes people leery in her presence, and she only ever makes a handful of friends.
But when the elves gather their forces and emerge from the forests literally hissing Tallis's name like a battle mantra, making friends is the least of her troubles. Tallis and her companions find themselves on an unwilling journey to not only clear her name, but to stop the elves from ravaging her homeland. - Amazon
I was presented with a free ebook copy of this book in exchange for promoting the book on my blog and for review purposes. This did not sway my opinion of this book in any manner.
I'm back you guys! And with another exciting review of a book that I became so swept away with! When I read the premise of this book I knew it was going to be good... I just never imagined how good it would be! I fell completely in love with this book. The characters were all very well developed and had interesting backstories and quirks about them, the makeup of the core characters did not have the traditional roles one would expect them to possess in a story like this, and they all failed at points. While none of us like to read about failure or loss, it makes the characters more human and makes the reader cheer for them even harder. I could go on and on about how well developed every single character in this book is, but I'll just leave it at this: I believed at times I was reading a book penned by Terry Brooks. Thats how well done this book is. Aside from that, I also felt the plot was very well developed and the pacing was steady. The story actually begins a bit before the events of what the excerpt talks about and the story isn't fast paced or forced. The writing isn't hard to read or understand as well.
The only bad thing about it is that when you have to put down the book I found myself having to read back a few pages to try and jog my memory as to what's going on... However I am just coming back from a trip and I'm not getting a lot of sleep so maybe it's more than likely just an issue with me and not the book. Overall I think this was a wonderful book to begin a series with and I'M SO EXCITED FOR THE NEXT BOOK!!!
candidceillie's review against another edition
2.0
DNFing at 67% because it is like pulling teeth to make myself read any more of this group's travelling. Author writes beautifully, I think this is just too much, too slow for me.