The Librain……retired

Wednesday is Reading Roundup Day! Welcome to my blog, fellow readers. I am still struggling to find my reading mojo, due to illness and stress. So, I am sticking with the series that I wrote about last week: R K Lander’s The Silvan. I have finished the second book in time to write this post and am also half way through the next book.

Here is the blurb…

“A light in the forest, a king returned, a past to claim.

Fel’annár is an immortal half-blood warrior from the Deep Forest, an orphan whose questions were never answered. With a dream of becoming a Silvan captain in an army ruled by the Alpine elves, he is sent to protect a prince of the realm on a journey to Tar’eastór, land of the mighty Alpine elves and of Fel’annár’s own father – whoever he was.

His nascent powers continue to evolve while his shrouded past finally surfaces. The truth he never thought to hear will thrust him onto a path strewn with political intrigue, discrimination, self-discovery – and danger.

Meanwhile, a failing king will rise from the depths and reclaim his place as leader of the Great Forest. Warriors will battle the enemy on the borders, while at court, councillors will clash over the racial divide that is tearing them apart.

They say that civil war is coming, but one elf can avoid it – if he can embrace his past, control his powers and accept the role he is destined to play. From warrior to master and beyond, Fel’annár is The Silvan who can restore peace in the Great Forest, or cast it into eternal chaos.”

And this was my response on Goodreads…

Road of a Warrior by R.K. Lander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another enjoyable episode in this fantasy series. The characters continued to develop with new challenges awaiting them. The plot moved forward at a fast pace, keeping the reader’s interest. I just wish there were more female characters, although I can see that this might be improved in later books. I hope so. After all, can any society survive without its female members? Even fantastical elvish societies? I don’t think so!

View all my reviews

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I am not sure how long I will stay with this series. There appear to be six books in this one, plus  more sets of spinoffs. I may decide to take a break, but this level of reading seems to be working for me at the moment: not too taxing or too dark. So I will probably keep going until I become bored or the writing goes adrift as happened with the Green Rider series!

Happy Reading!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Welcome to this week’s post. Regular followers will be aware that I have been struggling to find a book, never mind a series, that really entertains me. Due to my mental health issues impacting on my concentration levels, I have been starting books then putting them aside after only a few chapters and I found this really upsetting.

Anyway, I found this series recommended in a Facebook group and gave the first book a try. Here it is…

Path of a Novice is #01 in R K Lander’s The Silvan series. This is the blurb…

“His face would kindle love, garner hatred, inspire loyalty – bring persecution.

An immortal half-blood becomes a novice warrior and joins the ranks of the Silvans as they battle Sand Lords and Deviants. He only ever had one dream; to become a Silvan captain in an army commanded by the dominant Alpine elves, colonizers of the Great Forest. There had once been another dream though – to know who his father was, but years of unanswered questions later, he told himself it didn’t matter anymore.

Meanwhile, the powerful Alpine lords weave a story of racial superiority, relegating the native Silvans to second-class subjects. Village leaders, Spirit Warriors and Foresters are starting to rebel.

Fel’annár learns the true meaning of warrior hood when he travels as the only novice warrior in a multi-racial patrol into the Deep Forest. As he battles the enemy for the first time, a power unfolds, one he cannot control – does not want. While friendships are forged, a destiny begins to unravel, one that is tied to a past he knows nothing about. For others though, it is only a matter of time before the truth is revealed and the danger becomes real.

Can Fel’annár overcome his fears, become the warrior he always wanted to be, or will his dreams be stunted by his own shrouded past? By one elf’s lust for absolute power?”

This was my response on Goodreads…

Path of a Novice by R.K. Lander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, with only a couple of issues. The plot moves swiftly and engages the reader, the character development was also well done and the setting imaginative. My main niggle is with the lack of female characters. Would it be too much to ask that some of the warriors could be female elves? There are a couple of females mentioned but they are not really central to the story. I hope this is rectified in later books in the series.

The other issue is really an irritation. I think this has been mentioned by other readers: the gratuitous use of apostrophes in the eleven names! How on earth does the reader make sense of the names, or should I write n’ame’s???

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Well, I must have enjoyed the book because I am going to read the second book in the series as soon as I finish this post!

Happy reading!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Every Wednesday I post about the book I am reading. Usually, I manage to finish a book in seven days, but this year I haven’t always achieved that goal. Due to severe health issues and house moving, I have been finding it very difficult to concentrate. Some weeks I have struggled to find a book that engages me.

In recent weeks I have found a book series that has really held my attention. Perhaps the writing isn’t the best in the world, but the plots are exciting and fast moving. At first, I had the thought that tackling a long series in one go would not work for the blog. Then I realised that this was quite silly! After all, who do I read for? Surely it’s for my own entertainment and to help my mental health!

So, I am offering a half-hearted apology for perhaps boring my visitors with the Green Rider series, but I am wholeheartedly admitting that reading these books is doing me a lot of good!

This week’s book is #04 in Kristen Britain’s Green Rider series: Blackveil…

Here is the blurb…

“Once a simple student, Karigan G’ladheon finds herself in a world of deadly danger and complex magic, compelled by forces she cannot understand when she becomes a legendary Green Rider-one of the magical messengers of the king.

Forced by magic to accept a dangerous fate she would never have chosen, headstrong Karigan has become completely devoted to the king and her fellow Riders.

But now, an insurrection led by dark magicians threatens to break the boundaries of ancient, evil Blackveil Forest-releasing powerful dark magics that have been shut away for a millennium.”

And this is my response…

Blackveil by Kristen Britain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another enjoyable episode in this engaging series. There are some faults: some overlong sections and a rather rushed and OTT ending, a definitely cringe-worthy scene and a character that seems rather divorced from the main plot. However, the author has created a really interesting world with realistic and well drawn main protagonists. I will definitely carry on with the series and have already started the next book.

Let’s see what comes next…

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I hope you are all enjoying your reading too!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Hello and welcome to this week’s Reading Roundup post. Regular visitors may have become used to coming here to find that I haven’t been able to finish a book in a week! I must admit that I have been struggling with my reading. For a number of reasons (house moving, poor concentration and mental health problems), I have found it really difficult to choose the right books that will enable me to fully immerse myself in the story and forget about my worries. So, I am pleased that I can now write that I seem to have found just the right book series to help with all of this.

I did wonder for a while whether I should have a change and choose something different. Perhaps I am boring my kind followers. Then I gave myself a metaphorical shake! After all, what is the purpose of reading fiction! Am I doing it for myself, or for other people? The answer is pretty clear: definitely at the moment I am reading for my own mental health. I am trying to transport myself out of the worries of everyday life, especially at a time well known to bring stress: moving house and severe ill health.

So, I have definitely decided that I am going to continue with the Green Rider series until I reach the end, or until the quality of the books switches me off! So far, I am really enjoying them. Here is the book that I finished yesterday…

I have now read the third book in the Green Rider series by Kristen Britain: The High King’s Tomb. Here is the blurb…

“With the ghostly help of the First Rider, Karigan G’ladheon had transported the corrupt spirit of Mornhavon the Black into the future, buying valuable time for her king and country.But how far in the future is Mornhavon now? A hundred years? Ten years? Only one year? There’s no way to tell. So though the immediate threat has passed, Mornhavon’s shadow still lies heavily on the land, and on their minds … although there are threats closer to home as well. The D’Yer Wall, protecting Sacoridia from the dark, corrupted Blackveil forest, remains breached despite Karigan and her fellow Riders best efforts. They’ve scoured the land searching for lost documents and magical clues to help mend the breach, fend off any incursions from Blackveil Forest and, more pressingly, protect them from Mornhavon’s return.Nor is the breach in the wall the only danger. Mornhavon may have gone, but the descendants of his people remain and they’re ready to claim the land that their forefathers failed to conquer. These vengeful enemies, hidden within the peaceful borders of Sacoridia, have spent generations honing their dark magic ready to strike – and ensuring that their blow, when it comes, will be one that Karigan and the Sacordians have no defence against …”

And this was my short review on Goodreads…

The High King’s Tomb by Kristen Britain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was another very enjoyable adventure with our heroine at the centre of quite a complex plot. The tale flowed on from the previous book, with the characters continuing to develop and more dangers and perils for them to face. Some sections were related from different points of view, but we were soon returned to Karigan’s plot lines. The whole thing was an exciting and absorbing read. Now for the next book!

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I really hope that I enjoy the next book as much as I did this one!

Happy reading!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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