Click on the banner to see the other tour stops!
Quick little intro, since I signed on to do all three books I'm going to give you guys a couple thoughts on each book in terms of plot and character development and then wrap everything up with some final thoughts!
Buy Links:
A dying realm.The ancient evil of the Droch-Shúil has been unleashed. The Orchids have been silenced… but for how long? Daegan, elite of the Ferrishyn warrior tribe of Faeries, is charged with a mission to find the Sol-lumieth, a mysterious new power that could change the fate of all in the realm of Alandria. But he is conflicted by his purpose, and he cannot trust the motives of those he serves. He has too many questions and they must be answered. Kaeleigh, a girl abandoned as a small child just outside Missoula, Montana, is now 18. She is trying to discover who she is and where she belongs. In her heart, she feels she has family out there… somewhere. Desperate to unravel the mysteries of her past, she embarks on a journey that will forever change her along with her two best friends, Finn and Chel—who have secrets of their own.
As the first book in the series, Silent Orchids did a nice job in introducing a new world of Faeries and Elves. However at some parts I felt as if there was so much info dumping that I couldn't get all the facts straight, but it did help to understand how lost Kaeleigh felt as she entered Alandria. There's a subtle possibility of romance as well as a love triangle, but nothing is set in stone yet. As far as characters go each one has their unique personality and it's kind of endearing to see Kaeleigh be able to have her two best friends every step of the way. The major thing that bugged me was the ending but I'll talk more about that in the final thoughts.
Shadows linger where light is obstructed, and truth is veiled. Evil is an untreated disease in the once beautiful realm of Alandria. Kaeleigh is faced with a revelation that she must reconcile. She will decide if discovering the truth is worth the unknown consequences to both herself and her friends. Daegan, the Ferrishyn warrior, is conflicted by more than his loyalties, and is confronted with emotions he doesn’t know how to deal with. A choice must be made. A choice… that may cost him more than he ever wanted to give. The Droch-Shúil—enforcers and servants of the ancient darkness—continue to cast their shadow over Alandria seeking those who can be turned to their side. The magic of The Orchids is growing, but not everyone will survive what is to come. Veiled Shadows is the second installment in The Age of Alandria series: the story of the Sol-lumieth’s quest for freedom of self and the power to battle the evil of the Droch-Shúil.
All right, book two. The story continues with the Droch-Shuil drawing closer to Kaeleigh and her having to escape. In the first book there is a small reference to the evil powers, but it's here that everything becomes more fleshed out. She is still kept relatively under wraps which I am assuming is for suspense purposes. This book was definitely more emotional in terms of the events that happened and to be honest I was surprised when I felt my heart tug at certain points. The connection I felt with characters definitely snuck up on me and was unexpected, but in a good way. The romance grows a tiny bit but is still not the main focus which I definitely appreciated. Again, the ending bugged me.
The darkness in Elnye is growing. There is screaming in Exhile. The mysterious woman, known only as “She”, is in a rage. Her pawn, Maleina has made a dangerous move and severed her communications with the dark mistress. Now as dueling dark forces, master and willing initiate, they begin to jockey for power as the stage is set for the coming war. Kaeleigh and her small band of loyal companions have escaped the dungeons of Elnye and found their way to the secret home of the Ehsmia. After breaking the vicious bond that enslaved Daegan to Maleina’s will, the walls between Kaeleigh and her Ferrishyn warrior begin to fall, as their feelings for each other begin to give way to passion. The darkness is fractured, but its relentless quest for power goes unabated. A war is coming. However, the power of the Sol-lumieth has finally come together and found its light. A blinding light of freedom, that may be the salvation for all of Alandria.
The final book in the trilogy wrapped things up quite nicely. It was really amazing to see how the characters have grown from the first book and Kaeleigh has definitely grown into her fate as the Sol-lumieth. While I don't want to give too much away, the summary (provided by Goodreads) does a good job in explaining what happens in the book. The romance begins to take a stand in the plotline but doesn't overpower the main plotline of defeating She instead it accompanies it and adds more depth. Overall a great conclusion.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The characters are well developed and without even know, you build a connection with that to the point where you're interacting with them as the story continues. Kaeleigh is a strong female lead and while everything is getting thrown in her face she struggles to come out without breaking down. I have to admit that my favorite is Chel because she's so lighthearted and fun and always manages to make me laugh. Finn is a gentle but protective character and he's got all the great qualities of an amazing friend. Daegan is Mr. Moody in the book and while I sympathize with him a lot, in the first two books he could afford to be a tad bit nicer, in my opinion.
Okay my last point is my problem with the ending. I've mentioned this multiple times before regarding my feelings about abrupt endings which I felt occurred in the first two books. It gives this sense that this entire trilogy could possibly be one book and it definitely can! Each book is pretty short by itself and combined with the abrupt ending gives a feeling that this trilogy could have been published as a standalone and I think it would have worked fine. So to be clear I didn't hate the endings but I didn't like how they were executed.
All right, to summarize things up, the Age of Alandria definitely surprised me and turned out to be more enjoyable than I thought. Individually, I'd give each book a 3.5 out of 5 but as a whole it's a 4/5 for me. Definitely recommend you pick this up if you want a quick series read with an interesting twist of mythology, faeries, and elves.
4 out of 5 stars
GIVEAWAY
Morgan Wylie, originally from the Pacific Northwest, now resides near Nashville, TN with her husband and daughter. She and her husband work everyday at their individual and combined creative pursuits while she learns to balance being “Mama”, wife, and mediator to the many voices and muses constantly chattering in her head.
Author Links:
Foreverly Obsessed,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review my books! I really appreciate your thoughts and your feature! Just so you know there is more to come! :) Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for commenting and it was my pleasure! Whoo I can't wait! The world you have created is truly fascinating! :)
Delete~Riv