Review: Enticing Violence

This is the second book in the Empyrean Chronicles and it was generously given to me in exchange for an honest review after my request to continue the series.  The first story, Enchanting Revenge, was quite engaging and I needed to find out what would happen to the characters next.

Synopsis from Amazon:
Lily and Alec are only pawns in a war much larger than they'd imagined. 
Lily still wants to complete her mission: Avenge her parents. But when Lynn- the leader of the Rebels in Muircadia- is captured, and Rita- daughter to the evil Lord Nettles- is sentenced to death, it's up to Lily, Alec, and the very select few Fae they trust, to try to save them all before it's too late.  When all you do is fight for your life, how do you find time to live? How do you love when hope is always slipping away? 

As I said in my review of the first book in the series, I often find it to be a turn off when a fantasy novel goes overboard. In many fantasy novels, I become bored with the extreme attention given to world building. I find however, that Theresa Jones makes the story the main focus and that's why I read a book.  Of course we learn about setting and history as the story moves forward but it isn't explained in pages and pages of intricate details.  Enticing Violence is a fast moving adventure with stops along the way to appreciate the scenery and learn more about this new realm that Lily is still adjusting to.

The story is hard to put down.  The pacing is fast as the characters desperately search for their friend. There is quite a bit of violence (hence the title) and fighting and some really creative characters, my favorite being the White Stag, who was not only written beautifully but could become invisible and travel to different places in seconds.  I loved how it spoke to Lily telepathically.  Lily and Alec are still the main focus and I also like how the author didn't follow the typical romance path of putting the couple together just to rip them apart over and over again.  While they certainly had a few bumps in the road, they stayed strong for the most part and weren't separated for long periods of time.  I liked the show of power they demonstrated together.

I'm not sure how many books are planned for the series but I will definitely keep reading them.  Lily is on a mission and will eventually take her rightful place on the throne.  I look forward to seeing how it all plays through and what final path each character chooses to take.

                                                                                                                                        

Review: Enchanted Revenge

Enchanted Revenge by Teresa M. Jones was kindly given to me in exchange for an honest review. 

Normally, while I enjoy YA fantasy, I'm not usually attracted to books that revolve around the Fae.  I often find they spend too much time on details about the setting and characters. I did however, like the teaser for this book when it was sent to me and it didn't seem overly intricate so I decided to give it a try. 

Synopsis from Amazon:
When seventeen year old Lily finds her parents brutally murdered, leaving her broken and alone, she is determined to bring justice to the fairies responsible. Her quest leads her to infiltrate The Empyrean, the land of the Fae where terrifying creatures lurk in every shadow. But with a political rebellion mounting, bloody battles and foreign enemies stand in her way. Alec, a mysterious fairy keeping his own secrets, gradually becomes her guide and dear friend in the unfamiliar world, and restores her faith in love. Disturbing secrets about her parent’s true identity are revealed, causing her to be more involved with the devastating fairy war than she can afford. Her vengeful mission becomes compromised and her growing romance with Alec wavers. She must conquer her fear of the unknown, ignore her grief, and overcome her growing list of enemies if she is to succeed in avenging her parents’ death. Or ever make it out alive. 

I'm quite glad that I gave this book a chance.  I knew as soon as I read the first chapter that it would be the kind of book I would want to finish in only a couple of sittings. Hence, the iPad began to travel with me wherever I went for a couple of days so that I could read during any free moments I could spare.  The opening of the book is a bit brutal but this is part of what makes it hard to put down. It grabbed me right from the beginning. Lily, the main character, is portrayed well.  Her role as a girl whose parents were brutally murdered is believable.  I felt connected to her emotions as she moved between anguish, fury, hopelessness, and fear while she tried to cope with her drastically changing world.  Her companion and supporter, Alec, helps her to deal with what is happening to her as she searches for the Fae who killed her family.  They make a great team and his story is as tragic as hers.  They compliment each other nicely.  The setting was lovely and not overwhelming to the senses.  I enjoyed reading about the cities and villages and hearing the history of the world and the fears about what would befall it in the future if no one stood up to save it. I also liked that the romance between the two main characters isn't always at the forefront of the story and the characters are flawed and not cookie cutter perfect in appearance or actions. They are on a mission and have no qualms about what needs to be done to avenge their loved ones. There is some violence but I think this added a nice edge to the story. I'm really looking forward to the next book and also hoping that the characters get to stay together in the story since they have already experienced so much loss.  A girl can hope!


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