Review of Shadows of Time: Shadow Maiden (Book One) by B.R. Nicholson

Amazon's Book Description:

The elf, Lestel, uncovers a deadly secret. 
His daughters, Anya and Astrid, are destined for great and terrible things. 
Evanna, his wife, the queen of Alainia, is destined for doom. 

And Merrick, a low Sage from the Great Desert, may be the only one able to save their bloodline from the wakening shadow and ravenous Phooka. 
For now. 

The Shadows of Time series begins at the end, in a twisted and wicked future. Only the stories of the past can stir the mind of the Shadow Maiden into action. 

Only she can loosen the chains of time. 
If only she can remember her name.


What I thought:

B.R. Nicholson's novella, Shadow Maiden is imaginative and captivating.  The author has envisioned a world full of magic and menace.  The characters are well developed and consistent in voice and action.  Nicholson does a good job setting the stage for the story. As she introduces the characters, she weaves in the back story.  This takes a little time but it is worth it.   The story picks up steam with each turn of the page.  By the end, I was not only immersed in the tale, but quite taken with the characters.

My Rating:

Review of War of the Wildlands by Lana Axe

.

I was given a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Lana Axe transports the reader to an imaginative world where elves and humans are locked in a bitter war.  There were a multitude of characters in this tale and the author did a wonderful job giving each an individual voice. The characters were consistent in their actions/reactions.  There were certain characters that really stood out for me: the elf twins - Reylin and Reylana, Essa - the leader of the sword maidens and my favorite character Mi'tal - the prince's personal protector. The king and his son Prince Aelryk - the interaction between father and son was intense and in my opinion the most developed.  

I thought the descriptions of the world were spot on - I could see the forest, villages and markets.

The author has a unique writing style. There are no tedious passages that drone on about inconsequential things. Instead,  Axe sticks to the meat of the story and moves it at a rapid pace.  Because it moves so quickly, there were a couple times I was left wanting more.  I like getting into the characters' emotional muck and I felt as though a couple of the scenes were a bit rushed. 

Overall, I found the story very enjoyable.  I was struck by how much of the War of the Wildlands relates to our own world.  While we may not have a king waging war on elves and the forest in the name of kingdom building, we do have the issues of corporate greed versus environmental concerns.