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Cymru That Was #1
A Heart in Sun and Shadow
In an ancient Wales that never was…
Aine, a changeling woman with Fey blood and Selkie gifts struggles to fit into the human world. The twin brothers Emyr and Idrys are cursed by a scorned Fae to live as hounds, Emyr by night and Idrys by day. Chief to their people, the twins hide their curse by pretending Idrys is dead as he plays the part of his brother during the nights.
Tragedy strikes and leaves Aine alone and injured, only to be rescued by Emyr and his faithful mutt. Aine discovers Emyr has his own secrets and slowly learns the truth.
The power of dreams…
Confessions of love between the three leave Aine in despair; her role as a wise woman means she can never marry her lovers. But when a mystical dream shows her a way to break their curse, she embarks on a journey to the realm of the Fey to confront not only the curse but her own gifts and heritage.
Love will set her free… Or bind her forever…
The first book in the Cyrmu That Was Duology, an exciting dark fantasy fairytale by Annie Bellet.
Aine, a changeling woman with Fey blood and Selkie gifts struggles to fit into the human world. The twin brothers Emyr and Idrys are cursed by a scorned Fae to live as hounds, Emyr by night and Idrys by day. Chief to their people, the twins hide their curse by pretending Idrys is dead as he plays the part of his brother during the nights.
Tragedy strikes and leaves Aine alone and injured, only to be rescued by Emyr and his faithful mutt. Aine discovers Emyr has his own secrets and slowly learns the truth.
The power of dreams…
Confessions of love between the three leave Aine in despair; her role as a wise woman means she can never marry her lovers. But when a mystical dream shows her a way to break their curse, she embarks on a journey to the realm of the Fey to confront not only the curse but her own gifts and heritage.
Love will set her free… Or bind her forever…
The first book in the Cyrmu That Was Duology, an exciting dark fantasy fairytale by Annie Bellet.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
17 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
Annie Bellet
83 books838 followersAnnie Bellet is a full-time speculative fiction writer. She holds a BA in English and a BA in Medieval Studies and thus can speak a smattering of useful languages such as Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Welsh.
Her books include Avarice (Pyrrh Considerable Crimes Division: Book 1), The Gryphonpike Chronicles series, and the Twenty-Sided Sorceress series.
Her interests besides writing include rock climbing, reading, horse-back riding, video games, comic books, table-top RPGs, and many other nerdy pursuits.
Want to be notified when her next book is released, receive free stories and books, and be notified about sales and other goodies? Sign up for Annie Bellet's mailing list
Or if you want sneak peaks, regular updates, and exclusive stories, consider supporting her Patreon. Patreon is here!
Her books include Avarice (Pyrrh Considerable Crimes Division: Book 1), The Gryphonpike Chronicles series, and the Twenty-Sided Sorceress series.
Her interests besides writing include rock climbing, reading, horse-back riding, video games, comic books, table-top RPGs, and many other nerdy pursuits.
Want to be notified when her next book is released, receive free stories and books, and be notified about sales and other goodies? Sign up for Annie Bellet's mailing list
Or if you want sneak peaks, regular updates, and exclusive stories, consider supporting her Patreon. Patreon is here!
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 4, 2019
I am angry and disappointed beyond reason after reading this book. I could never ever imagine that Annie Bellet could write something like this - my disbelief that she could is really hurting.
This book started off and was amazing upto the 75% point. I am giving out spoilers here and I think it's very important you read it and judge if you can read this because I think best to not.
So, the heroes are under a curse and the heroine goes on a quest to save them. All good etc. - but then she comes to the penultimate task and
All I can say is the last 25% of the book is horrible to read esp if you are an Annie Bellet fan and just I'm in shock.
This book started off and was amazing upto the 75% point. I am giving out spoilers here and I think it's very important you read it and judge if you can read this because I think best to not.
So, the heroes are under a curse and the heroine goes on a quest to save them. All good etc. - but then she comes to the penultimate task and
All I can say is the last 25% of the book is horrible to read esp if you are an Annie Bellet fan and just I'm in shock.
November 5, 2011
Warning, the following review contains adult language.
I'd like to make a confession. Previous to reading this book I had never had a genuine WTF?!? moment. Oh, I've run into things that made absolutely no sense to me. I'd had experiences where, when talking about them later, I described them as a WTF moment. But, previous to reading this book, I had never, ever run into something where upon reading it, I actually said, out loud, What the fuck?
Then I read A Heart In Sun and Shadow.
Imagine if you will: I'm sitting in a very crowded Panera, enjoying a lunch of French Onion soup and a baguette. It's so busy I'm sharing my table with a very sweet old lady. We've had a bit of nice conversation about my netbook, and how I read books on it to review. I'm happily reading along, not a single clue that this bomb is coming at me, and then I get to the part where the book turns upside down. Then: What the fuck? And, I say it, out loud. I didn't realize I had done it until the very sweet old lady begs my pardon. I blush, swallow my tongue, apologize, and then explain what I just read. I get the sense she didn't disagree with my assessment, even if she wasn't a fan of my language.
Before I hit the WTF moment, the review I had been writing in my head looked something like this: A Heart in Sun and Shadow is a sweet, gentle romance set in an ancient Wales that never was. It's the tale of Aine, a wisewoman who falls in love with cursed twin brothers and sets off to free them. Her adventures deepen her love of them and tests her resolve. I was planning on writing about how I wasn't entirely sure if this was a YA book or not. How the writing was a easy and a bit shallow, but the love story is unconventional enough that it's not an easy YA fit. I was planning on discussing fantasy romance and the tradition of the lovers quest.
That's what I had been planning on writing.
The sweet and gentle nature of this story is part of why the WTF moment was so shocking. The fact that it's not even remotely foreshadowed is another reason.
Now, I'm going to tread into major spoiler territory here. Aine is a wisewoman. Think of her as a traveling witch/healer. Her entire code of ethics is help when and where you can and do no harm. She hunts down the Fairy that cursed her lovers. Upon finding her, Seren, the Fairy, sends Aine on a series of increasingly difficult tasks in order to collect the tidbits necessary to break the enchantment. On her travels Aine gets an iron blade that can kill Fey folk, and she learns that she can break a curse by killing the person who cast it. She also learns that Seren is bound to her grove, and cannot leave it for long periods of time.
She returns to Seren, blade among her things, and allows Seren sends her on one last task. She has to collect the tears of a tree. The only way to make the tree cry is to kill it's children. No, not baby trees. Child sprites dancing about in the forest. Child sprites that heal her wounds. Child sprites that invite her to dance with her. Imagine three perfect magical symbols of innocence.
So, here's the moment of truth. Murder the kiddies, collect the tears, give them to the Lady that cursed her lovers, and hope that she really does free them. (And hope it is, because none of us are certain if Seren is on the up and up.) Kill the Lady, free her lovers, but if she does that she cannot leave the Fey realm for any extended length of time. Or go home, tell her loves she tried, but couldn't do it, and live with them.
So, I'm expecting her to kill the Lady, tell her boys what happened, and the three of them live happily ever after in the realm of the Fey. I'm expecting this because it's in character. I'm expecting this because the moral framework Aine embraces would lead her in this direction. Which is why, when she murders the sleeping child sprites, I said, "What the fuck?" out loud.
Sloppy moral thinking is my number one pet peeve in a book. Breaking character is a close runner up. This one nailed both. It's not like there was a gradual, creeping acceptance of moral compromise here. It's not like she's slowly inching toward this decision. It's not like she's in an absolute frothing rage when she does it. She didn't just suddenly find out the children killed her mother or something like that. She's dancing with them. They get tired and go to sleep. While they slumber, she decides dead fairy kids are worth her getting to go back to her boys for a bit of happily ever after, so she slits their throats.
She bought her happiness with three child corpses.
And at that point I lost any sympathy or interest in Aine. I finished the book. There was only 20% of it left, but I was deeply tempted to just put it down. The hope that there would be some sort of justice or comeuppance or something kept me reading. It's not there.
Aine and one of the twins turn out to be utterly despicable. This is not a cute and sweet little romance. These are deeply greedy people, willing to destroy anyone around them to secure their own happiness. And they get to ride off into the sunset of happily ever after. Yeah, maybe in real life you can step over the corpses of the innocent to a life of joy, but part of why people read fiction is because they want some sort of justice. This was an infuriating and deeply unsatisfying read, all the more so because the first 80% of it is just fine. A little light maybe, but the story works, is interesting, and fun to read. Then it suddenly goes way off the rails and I was left wanting to smack Aine upside the head with a two by four.
On Goodreads one star means did not like it. I'll leave it there. Though I hated what the characters did and became, most of the book is soundly written, so I can't say I hated the book. But I really didn't like it.
I'd like to make a confession. Previous to reading this book I had never had a genuine WTF?!? moment. Oh, I've run into things that made absolutely no sense to me. I'd had experiences where, when talking about them later, I described them as a WTF moment. But, previous to reading this book, I had never, ever run into something where upon reading it, I actually said, out loud, What the fuck?
Then I read A Heart In Sun and Shadow.
Imagine if you will: I'm sitting in a very crowded Panera, enjoying a lunch of French Onion soup and a baguette. It's so busy I'm sharing my table with a very sweet old lady. We've had a bit of nice conversation about my netbook, and how I read books on it to review. I'm happily reading along, not a single clue that this bomb is coming at me, and then I get to the part where the book turns upside down. Then: What the fuck? And, I say it, out loud. I didn't realize I had done it until the very sweet old lady begs my pardon. I blush, swallow my tongue, apologize, and then explain what I just read. I get the sense she didn't disagree with my assessment, even if she wasn't a fan of my language.
Before I hit the WTF moment, the review I had been writing in my head looked something like this: A Heart in Sun and Shadow is a sweet, gentle romance set in an ancient Wales that never was. It's the tale of Aine, a wisewoman who falls in love with cursed twin brothers and sets off to free them. Her adventures deepen her love of them and tests her resolve. I was planning on writing about how I wasn't entirely sure if this was a YA book or not. How the writing was a easy and a bit shallow, but the love story is unconventional enough that it's not an easy YA fit. I was planning on discussing fantasy romance and the tradition of the lovers quest.
That's what I had been planning on writing.
The sweet and gentle nature of this story is part of why the WTF moment was so shocking. The fact that it's not even remotely foreshadowed is another reason.
Now, I'm going to tread into major spoiler territory here. Aine is a wisewoman. Think of her as a traveling witch/healer. Her entire code of ethics is help when and where you can and do no harm. She hunts down the Fairy that cursed her lovers. Upon finding her, Seren, the Fairy, sends Aine on a series of increasingly difficult tasks in order to collect the tidbits necessary to break the enchantment. On her travels Aine gets an iron blade that can kill Fey folk, and she learns that she can break a curse by killing the person who cast it. She also learns that Seren is bound to her grove, and cannot leave it for long periods of time.
She returns to Seren, blade among her things, and allows Seren sends her on one last task. She has to collect the tears of a tree. The only way to make the tree cry is to kill it's children. No, not baby trees. Child sprites dancing about in the forest. Child sprites that heal her wounds. Child sprites that invite her to dance with her. Imagine three perfect magical symbols of innocence.
So, here's the moment of truth. Murder the kiddies, collect the tears, give them to the Lady that cursed her lovers, and hope that she really does free them. (And hope it is, because none of us are certain if Seren is on the up and up.) Kill the Lady, free her lovers, but if she does that she cannot leave the Fey realm for any extended length of time. Or go home, tell her loves she tried, but couldn't do it, and live with them.
So, I'm expecting her to kill the Lady, tell her boys what happened, and the three of them live happily ever after in the realm of the Fey. I'm expecting this because it's in character. I'm expecting this because the moral framework Aine embraces would lead her in this direction. Which is why, when she murders the sleeping child sprites, I said, "What the fuck?" out loud.
Sloppy moral thinking is my number one pet peeve in a book. Breaking character is a close runner up. This one nailed both. It's not like there was a gradual, creeping acceptance of moral compromise here. It's not like she's slowly inching toward this decision. It's not like she's in an absolute frothing rage when she does it. She didn't just suddenly find out the children killed her mother or something like that. She's dancing with them. They get tired and go to sleep. While they slumber, she decides dead fairy kids are worth her getting to go back to her boys for a bit of happily ever after, so she slits their throats.
She bought her happiness with three child corpses.
And at that point I lost any sympathy or interest in Aine. I finished the book. There was only 20% of it left, but I was deeply tempted to just put it down. The hope that there would be some sort of justice or comeuppance or something kept me reading. It's not there.
Aine and one of the twins turn out to be utterly despicable. This is not a cute and sweet little romance. These are deeply greedy people, willing to destroy anyone around them to secure their own happiness. And they get to ride off into the sunset of happily ever after. Yeah, maybe in real life you can step over the corpses of the innocent to a life of joy, but part of why people read fiction is because they want some sort of justice. This was an infuriating and deeply unsatisfying read, all the more so because the first 80% of it is just fine. A little light maybe, but the story works, is interesting, and fun to read. Then it suddenly goes way off the rails and I was left wanting to smack Aine upside the head with a two by four.
On Goodreads one star means did not like it. I'll leave it there. Though I hated what the characters did and became, most of the book is soundly written, so I can't say I hated the book. But I really didn't like it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2015
I won this book through LibraryThing's Member Giveaway, and I've been far too long in getting to it. I blame a Kindle malfunction which wiped out my collections, so that I lost track of it. That's my story, anyway.
Don't let the terrible cover put you off. It looks like a bad PNR. It's not. Not bad, not PNR (well, there is what could be called a paranormal element, and there is romance, but – no, it's not a PNR). This is a beautiful, beautiful fairy tale, set in Cymru-that-is – perhaps Wales of old, perhaps not – and playing off any number of old stories without ever locking into "retelling" of any one. It is sensual without being explicit, bardic without resorting to archaisms, funny when it isn't busy breaking your heart. There's a sting in the tale, though.
The rest of this review can be found here, on Booklikes, and here, on my blog. However, I will no longer be posting reviews on Goodreads, due to its recent changes to terms of service and, far worse, the boneheaded and incomprehensible way it is proceeding with the new policy. Deleting content, almost randomly, and without warning (whatever they may have said) is wrong, and a half-hearted apology later doesn't make it all better. Failing to provide a sitewide announcement is wrong. Failing to address users' very legitimate concern over the situation is wrong.
Also wrong – worse in some ways – is the failure of Goodreads to adequately pursue the possibility that users real names, addresses, and email addresses are being harvested from giveaways and distributed. The staff is aware of the possibility, and doesn't care. If this is indeed true, I don't think I need to point out the dangers inherent in such a list, do I? Not to mention the illegality of it…
I'm not going to leave GR while I have good friends remaining here, but I will no longer post anything but links for reviews. I'm not what anyone would call a heavy hitter, but I have breached the top reviewers lists from time to time. I have a healthy number of people following my reviews (thanks, all). If nothing else, I want to set an example.
I will also no longer perform librarian functions, however much missing covers and bad information annoys me: I will no longer contribute to a site which cares so little about its users. Again, I'm no heavy hitter as a librarian – but I had about 1500 edits to my name, and there are at least a couple dozen I could have made in the past few weeks and refrained. I was an asset to the site, albeit a small one. I'm not anymore. That is what Goodreads' actions have caused.
I will also be posting the gist of this message on my blog, on LibraryThing, on Booklikes, and anywhere else I can think of. And when I review for Netgalley from now on I will state that I no longer post reviews on GR, and why.
It may not affect the situation here – but people still don't know what's going on (because Goodreads isn't telling them). In good conscience I can't do anything less.
My friends and followers will be seeing some version of this message a lot over the next days and weeks. Sorry.
Don't let the terrible cover put you off. It looks like a bad PNR. It's not. Not bad, not PNR (well, there is what could be called a paranormal element, and there is romance, but – no, it's not a PNR). This is a beautiful, beautiful fairy tale, set in Cymru-that-is – perhaps Wales of old, perhaps not – and playing off any number of old stories without ever locking into "retelling" of any one. It is sensual without being explicit, bardic without resorting to archaisms, funny when it isn't busy breaking your heart. There's a sting in the tale, though.
The rest of this review can be found here, on Booklikes, and here, on my blog. However, I will no longer be posting reviews on Goodreads, due to its recent changes to terms of service and, far worse, the boneheaded and incomprehensible way it is proceeding with the new policy. Deleting content, almost randomly, and without warning (whatever they may have said) is wrong, and a half-hearted apology later doesn't make it all better. Failing to provide a sitewide announcement is wrong. Failing to address users' very legitimate concern over the situation is wrong.
Also wrong – worse in some ways – is the failure of Goodreads to adequately pursue the possibility that users real names, addresses, and email addresses are being harvested from giveaways and distributed. The staff is aware of the possibility, and doesn't care. If this is indeed true, I don't think I need to point out the dangers inherent in such a list, do I? Not to mention the illegality of it…
I'm not going to leave GR while I have good friends remaining here, but I will no longer post anything but links for reviews. I'm not what anyone would call a heavy hitter, but I have breached the top reviewers lists from time to time. I have a healthy number of people following my reviews (thanks, all). If nothing else, I want to set an example.
I will also no longer perform librarian functions, however much missing covers and bad information annoys me: I will no longer contribute to a site which cares so little about its users. Again, I'm no heavy hitter as a librarian – but I had about 1500 edits to my name, and there are at least a couple dozen I could have made in the past few weeks and refrained. I was an asset to the site, albeit a small one. I'm not anymore. That is what Goodreads' actions have caused.
I will also be posting the gist of this message on my blog, on LibraryThing, on Booklikes, and anywhere else I can think of. And when I review for Netgalley from now on I will state that I no longer post reviews on GR, and why.
It may not affect the situation here – but people still don't know what's going on (because Goodreads isn't telling them). In good conscience I can't do anything less.
My friends and followers will be seeing some version of this message a lot over the next days and weeks. Sorry.
September 21, 2017
Dear fellow book-bosomed:
RIP Goodreads flipped the sunny-side up egg that was my review for this book, and splatted it on the ground. So this is a rewrite of my freshly written review; it'll be short and sweet, and hopefully less rant-y than the first.
This is my first encounter with Annie Bellet's works. I chose to start with this book out of all her books because I have a soft spot for well-written fairy tales. I had such high hopes for this book, I can't even tell you how high. It's enough to say that at the start of this book, I thought fondly to myself, Annie Bellet's prose reminds me just a little of Juliet Marillier's writing. Let me tell you, that is VERY high praise from me, because Marillier is a literary genius.
This book was like a soft-footed, silent assassin. The plot and the prose crept along, weaving an idyllic tale. I liked it, I liked the protagonist Áine and her soft-hearted, healing ways, I liked the cursed twins. And then I didn't like them anymore. Somewhere between ancient Wales and a fairytale-esque vibe, Bellet snuck in voluntary pedocide. SPOILER ALERT: Áine freaking beheads three small lovely sprite-children. On purpose. It's pre-meditated, people. AND, she wipes her hands clean, moseys along with barely a lingering thought a few pages past the event, and gets her happily-ever-after because of it.
Also, and pause, because here's another spoiler, this book's romance is polyamorous threesome between the twin brothers and Áine (no twincest). So that's fine and everything, because they're adults and that's their choice, but is this really YA? So be wary, minors. Because beyond the polyamory, which I have zero judgments about, there's dubious-consent scenes at the start between the twins and the Lady. VERY DUBIOUS. 'Under the influence' ring a bell with anyone?
OK, and here's another whammy. One of those twin brothers is too much of a coward to tell his newly contracted wife- NO, I can't marry you because my love just returned and that would be unfair to you and our future children. Instead, he decides to wed her, and bed her, and have 3 lovely children with her, and then 12 years later, he ditches her with the kids and goes off to play house with his long lost love and her husband, his twin.
Bottom line is, this novel started off with a lot of potential. It was still well-written, stylistically speaking. Then, the plot went downhill faster than the tidings on the 2016 US election night.
xoxo,
Elody
RIP Goodreads flipped the sunny-side up egg that was my review for this book, and splatted it on the ground. So this is a rewrite of my freshly written review; it'll be short and sweet, and hopefully less rant-y than the first.
This is my first encounter with Annie Bellet's works. I chose to start with this book out of all her books because I have a soft spot for well-written fairy tales. I had such high hopes for this book, I can't even tell you how high. It's enough to say that at the start of this book, I thought fondly to myself, Annie Bellet's prose reminds me just a little of Juliet Marillier's writing. Let me tell you, that is VERY high praise from me, because Marillier is a literary genius.
This book was like a soft-footed, silent assassin. The plot and the prose crept along, weaving an idyllic tale. I liked it, I liked the protagonist Áine and her soft-hearted, healing ways, I liked the cursed twins. And then I didn't like them anymore. Somewhere between ancient Wales and a fairytale-esque vibe, Bellet snuck in voluntary pedocide. SPOILER ALERT: Áine freaking beheads three small lovely sprite-children. On purpose. It's pre-meditated, people. AND, she wipes her hands clean, moseys along with barely a lingering thought a few pages past the event, and gets her happily-ever-after because of it.
Also, and pause, because here's another spoiler, this book's romance is polyamorous threesome between the twin brothers and Áine (no twincest). So that's fine and everything, because they're adults and that's their choice, but is this really YA? So be wary, minors. Because beyond the polyamory, which I have zero judgments about, there's dubious-consent scenes at the start between the twins and the Lady. VERY DUBIOUS. 'Under the influence' ring a bell with anyone?
OK, and here's another whammy. One of those twin brothers is too much of a coward to tell his newly contracted wife- NO, I can't marry you because my love just returned and that would be unfair to you and our future children. Instead, he decides to wed her, and bed her, and have 3 lovely children with her, and then 12 years later, he ditches her with the kids and goes off to play house with his long lost love and her husband, his twin.
Bottom line is, this novel started off with a lot of potential. It was still well-written, stylistically speaking. Then, the plot went downhill faster than the tidings on the 2016 US election night.
xoxo,
Elody
June 24, 2011
A Heart in Sun and Shadow is written in the classic fairy-tale voice that draws you in with quiet dignity.
Personally, I hate Fae stories. Most the time, I find myself avoiding them as a rule--as I do with elves and dragons and all the over-done tropes of fantasy. However, I gotta say that the conflict here was intriguing. I had a blast reading through this and while the beginning was a bit slow, probably because of exactly what I mentioned about (being a Fae story with all the classic elements of the genre) I enjoyed the read because of the subtly of Bellet's voice. The story builds and builds steadily and the longer you are in it, the harder it is to pull away. By the end, I was stuck in Fae as truly as any enchanted wretch.
Definitely worth the read.
Personally, I hate Fae stories. Most the time, I find myself avoiding them as a rule--as I do with elves and dragons and all the over-done tropes of fantasy. However, I gotta say that the conflict here was intriguing. I had a blast reading through this and while the beginning was a bit slow, probably because of exactly what I mentioned about (being a Fae story with all the classic elements of the genre) I enjoyed the read because of the subtly of Bellet's voice. The story builds and builds steadily and the longer you are in it, the harder it is to pull away. By the end, I was stuck in Fae as truly as any enchanted wretch.
Definitely worth the read.
December 21, 2019
For me this book was a bit like driving an automatic car when you are used to a gear shift car, you want to change the gear and step on the break as there is no clutch. The character moves along and run into a wall, sort of.
July 23, 2011
I could hardly put this book down. It’s an epic love story that so very nearly falls apart in so many places. The heroine is believable and full of goodness that most of us hope we even come close to. I found myself on edge in so many places in this book that I was afraid to leave the story for fear it might change while I was gone.
Its full of magic, love, devotion, trust and so much more … it makes me feel good all over just thinking back on the ups and downs. But there is a dark side to this book, too. An evil that seems to wind its way throughout the pages making sure that it isn’t always the good guy that wins or that things aren’t always fine in the end. You just won’t know if it all works out unless you read it…cuz I’m sure not gunna tell you!
And I wouldn’t be surprised if the story changes for you.
I’m kidding but the reality is the author wove this tale so wonderfully well that it feels like she is sitting right there in front of you telling it to you. Like your actions could make or break Aine in her efforts to rescue the men she loves. When you read this, just don’t put it down until you get to the end and you should be fine.
Its full of magic, love, devotion, trust and so much more … it makes me feel good all over just thinking back on the ups and downs. But there is a dark side to this book, too. An evil that seems to wind its way throughout the pages making sure that it isn’t always the good guy that wins or that things aren’t always fine in the end. You just won’t know if it all works out unless you read it…cuz I’m sure not gunna tell you!
And I wouldn’t be surprised if the story changes for you.
I’m kidding but the reality is the author wove this tale so wonderfully well that it feels like she is sitting right there in front of you telling it to you. Like your actions could make or break Aine in her efforts to rescue the men she loves. When you read this, just don’t put it down until you get to the end and you should be fine.
October 4, 2024
Tearing your heart into pieces and putting it together like a puzzle.
10 stars for Annie Bellet, another wonderful creative work of art. A fantasy like no other.... Three people who were torn apart by a "wicked witch" but trust and love won! Thanks for the great story. You will be on the edge of your seat until the end.
10 stars for Annie Bellet, another wonderful creative work of art. A fantasy like no other.... Three people who were torn apart by a "wicked witch" but trust and love won! Thanks for the great story. You will be on the edge of your seat until the end.
October 9, 2021
DNF @ 18%, which was the start of the chapter that (finally) introduced us to the female lead.
I got this book as part of a charity bundle, and thus had not chosen it specifically or read the blurb prior to starting. With that in mind, I peaced out because I was bored by the incredibly simplistic narrative style and my lack of interest in the flat characters.
If I had even known there was another major character coming, which I didn't, my complaint would have been "why are we nearly a fifth of the way through the book before she's introduced?"
The problem is apparently a structural one, now that I've read the blurb and skimmed some reviews. The prologue is wholly about Seren, a setup because she's needed to cause turmoil in the twin brothers' plot. Then the next chunk of the book (until 18%) is entirely their story, setting up their curse so they can be ready to be the turmoil in Aine's story, which is apparently the rest of the book.
And to be clear, I didn't like the twins' story at all. It was rushed (though now I understand why) and there really wasn't much to differentiate the personalities of the two, and I didn't understand/agree with their father's reaction to the curse, and the idea of these two young men being trapped in a Fae sex fantasy cottage was not appealing to me in any way and left me with logistical questions, frustrated with what I was supposed to be inferring or not based on the vague descriptions of their goings-on.
I didn't even get to the end that so many other reviewers object so strongly to, but since I peeked at the spoilers, yeah, if I had read the whole thing, I still would have given it one star for that nonsense, so I don't feel the slightest bit guilty for giving up early.
I got this book as part of a charity bundle, and thus had not chosen it specifically or read the blurb prior to starting. With that in mind, I peaced out because I was bored by the incredibly simplistic narrative style and my lack of interest in the flat characters.
If I had even known there was another major character coming, which I didn't, my complaint would have been "why are we nearly a fifth of the way through the book before she's introduced?"
The problem is apparently a structural one, now that I've read the blurb and skimmed some reviews. The prologue is wholly about Seren, a setup because she's needed to cause turmoil in the twin brothers' plot. Then the next chunk of the book (until 18%) is entirely their story, setting up their curse so they can be ready to be the turmoil in Aine's story, which is apparently the rest of the book.
And to be clear, I didn't like the twins' story at all. It was rushed (though now I understand why) and there really wasn't much to differentiate the personalities of the two, and I didn't understand/agree with their father's reaction to the curse, and the idea of these two young men being trapped in a Fae sex fantasy cottage was not appealing to me in any way and left me with logistical questions, frustrated with what I was supposed to be inferring or not based on the vague descriptions of their goings-on.
I didn't even get to the end that so many other reviewers object so strongly to, but since I peeked at the spoilers, yeah, if I had read the whole thing, I still would have given it one star for that nonsense, so I don't feel the slightest bit guilty for giving up early.
December 31, 2022
I received this book a few years back from LibraryThing, in return for an honest review.
Aine was born with fey coloring, and blessed by a Selkie. She was raised by a wisewoman, and learned the ways of healing.
Emyr and Idrys are twins, who were cursed by a Fey woman. One is to live as a hound during the day, the other at night.
Aine comes into their lives through a tragic event. She falls in love with Emyr, and both boys fall for her.
Can her love break the curse that the boys have lived with for so many years? And can she hold onto herself and her beliefs while trying to save the boys?
I enjoyed the story. It was well written, the characters were well rounded, and the plot was intriguing. The story didn't quite end as expected.
Aine was born with fey coloring, and blessed by a Selkie. She was raised by a wisewoman, and learned the ways of healing.
Emyr and Idrys are twins, who were cursed by a Fey woman. One is to live as a hound during the day, the other at night.
Aine comes into their lives through a tragic event. She falls in love with Emyr, and both boys fall for her.
Can her love break the curse that the boys have lived with for so many years? And can she hold onto herself and her beliefs while trying to save the boys?
I enjoyed the story. It was well written, the characters were well rounded, and the plot was intriguing. The story didn't quite end as expected.
October 28, 2017
This book broke my heart. I think I cried almost solidly through the last quarter or so. I don't have words right now.
September 26, 2019
this.... went from sweet and gentle to so awful and so fucked up so fast + unexpectedly...
August 19, 2020
Excellent Read!
Annie Bellet's prose draws you in, her storytelling captivated and you simply must read her stories. This story is magic into itself!
Annie Bellet's prose draws you in, her storytelling captivated and you simply must read her stories. This story is magic into itself!
December 20, 2022
at first i struggled but around chapt 3 i couldn't put it down.
April 22, 2012
Depending on your personal tastes, A "Heart in Sun and Shadow is a book that you will be unable to put down or a book that you will quickly put down towards the end because you aren't the type to read about sudden, massive changes in the personalities of the main characters within a story.
For myself, I found the darker tones of the book somewhat refreshing, as most modern fairy stories are not willing to go the distance to completely test their characters with no-win situations , moments of pure desperation, or moments of utter sadness. Yes, sometimes the twists of the tasks that these people are put through are far too dark or are unbelievable for a situation of reality, but the truth of the mater is that this is one of those ancient fairy tale types of books, where one expected a little darkness and sudden change in character to bring feeling into the story.
Overall this book took me on an emotional roller coaster, bringing joys with the pains that only one of the fairies can do. Remember Puck casting his spells that always came with a cost, a twist, a price that you weren't expecting? This is right up his alley, if on the darker side of the spectrum. I found myself wondering what /I/ would do for the one I love, not in the literal sense of the actions in this book, but in the emotional sense.
This was a book that I couldn't put down. I was willing to accept the sudden changes in character because I was caught up in the emotion and traditional feeling of the storytelling. Reaching the end of this book I found myself wondering what will happen in the next one and looking forward to picking up another good read from the author.
Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review.
For myself, I found the darker tones of the book somewhat refreshing, as most modern fairy stories are not willing to go the distance to completely test their characters with no-win situations , moments of pure desperation, or moments of utter sadness. Yes, sometimes the twists of the tasks that these people are put through are far too dark or are unbelievable for a situation of reality, but the truth of the mater is that this is one of those ancient fairy tale types of books, where one expected a little darkness and sudden change in character to bring feeling into the story.
Overall this book took me on an emotional roller coaster, bringing joys with the pains that only one of the fairies can do. Remember Puck casting his spells that always came with a cost, a twist, a price that you weren't expecting? This is right up his alley, if on the darker side of the spectrum. I found myself wondering what /I/ would do for the one I love, not in the literal sense of the actions in this book, but in the emotional sense.
This was a book that I couldn't put down. I was willing to accept the sudden changes in character because I was caught up in the emotion and traditional feeling of the storytelling. Reaching the end of this book I found myself wondering what will happen in the next one and looking forward to picking up another good read from the author.
Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review.
January 2, 2012
I received A Heart in Sun and Shadow by Annie Bellet via CLP Blog Tours. I am obviously a big fan of chick lit and women’s fiction, but everyone once in awhile I need to step outside my reading box and try out something a little different. When Bellet came to me about blog tour services, I really wanted to take her on. The synopsis was intriguing, and the first chapter had me pulled in. I’m really glad I took this book on, because it shows me that even if a book isn’t in my typical genre, it’s the writing that makes it special.
The story is set in ancient Wales, and follows three main characters: twin brothers Emyr and Idrys and Áine, a traveling wisewoman. Since the story is fantasy and magical and all those elements, writing a synopsis that will sound coherent will prove difficult for me, so I think I might try to skip that. It boils down to: Emyr and Idrys are cursed, then both fall in love with Aine and she loves them back, but in order to be with them the curse needs to be broken. Aine sets out to find the one who cursed the brothers so they can be happily together. I understand it might sound a bit strange – brothers sharing a wife, but this really is a true love story that actually had me tearing up at points. It seems to make sense in this magical world of Wales that the characters live in. There were some instances where I would stumble a bit in the fantasy chat, but overall a truly enjoyable read with a happy ending. If you’re looking to break away from the celebrities, mommy-lit, or even just a fashionable heroine, I would suggest you try A Heart in Sun and Shadow.
The story is set in ancient Wales, and follows three main characters: twin brothers Emyr and Idrys and Áine, a traveling wisewoman. Since the story is fantasy and magical and all those elements, writing a synopsis that will sound coherent will prove difficult for me, so I think I might try to skip that. It boils down to: Emyr and Idrys are cursed, then both fall in love with Aine and she loves them back, but in order to be with them the curse needs to be broken. Aine sets out to find the one who cursed the brothers so they can be happily together. I understand it might sound a bit strange – brothers sharing a wife, but this really is a true love story that actually had me tearing up at points. It seems to make sense in this magical world of Wales that the characters live in. There were some instances where I would stumble a bit in the fantasy chat, but overall a truly enjoyable read with a happy ending. If you’re looking to break away from the celebrities, mommy-lit, or even just a fashionable heroine, I would suggest you try A Heart in Sun and Shadow.
July 30, 2014
Emyr and Idrys are twins completely inseparable. They are currently on a hunting trip. They give chase to a white deer with red markings setting of a chain of events that will change their lives. Seren, one of the Fair Folk, ensnares the twins with her charms. Eventually the twins escape Seren but before that happens she curses them to be hounds separated one by day and one by night. The twins return home but nothing goes as expected. Meanwhile a young woman is trained in the ways of a wisewoman by Tesn. Tesn accepts Aine along with all her gifts being halfling. Being a wisewoman isn't easy, they are outside the normal flow civilization not able to take a husband and have a family. One of the tenets is to "Do No Harm" ever. Tesn and Aine are travelling getting swept away by raging water currents. Emyr with Idrys at his side in hound form as Cy find Aine and Tesn. Aine is injured but becomes completely heartbroken by the death of Tesn her mother and mentor. Emyr arranges funeral pyre for Tesn. As days past, Aine's grief lessens she comes to know Emyrs and Idrys. Aine comes to love them both. From time to time a wisewoman dreams true dreams~Aine learns how she can break the curse on the twins. Can Aine break the curse? Will Emyrs and Idrys accept their fate? Your answers await you in A Heart in Sun and Shadow.
Having twins of my own can personally relate to this story on many levels. Twins will make mischief as they sometimes do but Idrys's guilt eats at him in ways Emyrs doesn't understand. Aine is a lovely young woman with a huge heart of gold. I loved all the element in the story including the characters! I definitely want to continue reading this series.
Having twins of my own can personally relate to this story on many levels. Twins will make mischief as they sometimes do but Idrys's guilt eats at him in ways Emyrs doesn't understand. Aine is a lovely young woman with a huge heart of gold. I loved all the element in the story including the characters! I definitely want to continue reading this series.
May 12, 2011
This was a story of love and sacrifice in a richly painted other world fantasy realm. It begins with two twins, in the folly of youth, who stumble upon a fey creature who tries to trap them. Failing that, she curses them, so that one twin will be a hound by night, the other by day.
A half-changling woman, raised as a wisewoman/healer, is the unlikely person who can who can help them.
This was well-written and richly described, the characters strong and believable. Even the twins, who can so often come across as a single entity, had clearly diffrent personalities, and I knew one from the other from the start.
I did struggle with the names in this book. None of them rolled off the tongue, and I eventually gave up, tokening the three main characters as 'A' 'E' and 'I'. 'A' is the part-fey woman, who goes on a journey to rescue her loves, and is put to the test. My other difficulty with the book was some of the choices she made on her journey, which I won't go into because they contain spoilers.
I do recommend this book to otherworld fantasy readers.
A half-changling woman, raised as a wisewoman/healer, is the unlikely person who can who can help them.
This was well-written and richly described, the characters strong and believable. Even the twins, who can so often come across as a single entity, had clearly diffrent personalities, and I knew one from the other from the start.
I did struggle with the names in this book. None of them rolled off the tongue, and I eventually gave up, tokening the three main characters as 'A' 'E' and 'I'. 'A' is the part-fey woman, who goes on a journey to rescue her loves, and is put to the test. My other difficulty with the book was some of the choices she made on her journey, which I won't go into because they contain spoilers.
I do recommend this book to otherworld fantasy readers.
February 28, 2012
I won this book from Librarythings giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
This book is enchanting in several ways... set in a magical Welch landscape, we are introduced to two handsome twins and a fascinating heroine, Aine, who loves them both. As a lover of fairy tales, I enjoyed this adult fairy tale where a brave female protagonist sets off to break an evil curse that has been cast by a jealous witch by fulfilling seemingly impossible tasks.
The plot is fast paced, the characters are well drawn out. Aine was particularly well done, and I loved how the author developed the character by showing her talents and beauty and balancing these attributes with the suspicions and really, racism of everyone around her.
The one aspect I wasn't sure I was ever comfortable with, was the resolution of the love triangle.
Overall, an enjoyable read!
This book is enchanting in several ways... set in a magical Welch landscape, we are introduced to two handsome twins and a fascinating heroine, Aine, who loves them both. As a lover of fairy tales, I enjoyed this adult fairy tale where a brave female protagonist sets off to break an evil curse that has been cast by a jealous witch by fulfilling seemingly impossible tasks.
The plot is fast paced, the characters are well drawn out. Aine was particularly well done, and I loved how the author developed the character by showing her talents and beauty and balancing these attributes with the suspicions and really, racism of everyone around her.
The one aspect I wasn't sure I was ever comfortable with, was the resolution of the love triangle.
Overall, an enjoyable read!
October 2, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. It is very much a fairy tale, with tragedy and hard lessons learned as well as loss that is not really overcome in a happy ending - i.e. the traditional fairy tale of old (Grimm brothers and H. C. Anderson), not the kind reinterpreted by Disney.
It is a quick read (as are most of Bellet's books). I love the setting in ancient Wales with many ties to Welsh mythology and folklore. I enjoyed the characters quite a bit, and I feel that depth was conveyed in many ways. Aine was a truly enjoyable character in particular - the reader is able to feel her joy and her many pains throughout the book.
I would recommend to any who would enjoy a quick fantasy read, especially if you like tales of ancient Cymru.
It is a quick read (as are most of Bellet's books). I love the setting in ancient Wales with many ties to Welsh mythology and folklore. I enjoyed the characters quite a bit, and I feel that depth was conveyed in many ways. Aine was a truly enjoyable character in particular - the reader is able to feel her joy and her many pains throughout the book.
I would recommend to any who would enjoy a quick fantasy read, especially if you like tales of ancient Cymru.
February 1, 2015
Oh where to start with this book. The romance seemed rushed, so how the characters got to "true love" I have a hard time swallowing. I felt Emyr's reactions were perfectly normal, all things considering. (the happily ever after in me was mad at him, however). Aine's tasks to break the curse felt like a strange combination of rushed (not very fleshed out) in certain places and plodding overall. Perhaps part of my anxiousness in getting through this part of the book was because I could see the breakdown between the twins and the passage of time wearing on all relationships. This book left me with very mixed emotions.
April 28, 2014
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a great book with relatable characters and a well developed storyline. You are immersed into this imaginary, magical world. I had a hard time putting this book down from the first chapter (read it in one sitting). The author has a beautiful way of describing not only characters but places. You can picture every thing and you feel like instead of reading a book you are watching a movie unfold. Can't wait to read the next installment!
This was a great book with relatable characters and a well developed storyline. You are immersed into this imaginary, magical world. I had a hard time putting this book down from the first chapter (read it in one sitting). The author has a beautiful way of describing not only characters but places. You can picture every thing and you feel like instead of reading a book you are watching a movie unfold. Can't wait to read the next installment!
January 26, 2015
Sigh... book two cannot come soon enough
Spoiler***
I will miss these guys until I can pick up their story. I'm not sure I can wholly get behind him leaving his children but still somehow it feels complete as far as endings go.
Spoiler***
I will miss these guys until I can pick up their story. I'm not sure I can wholly get behind him leaving his children but still somehow it feels complete as far as endings go.
January 1, 2016
Really interesting, i was ok with the ending with the epilogue.
I did see the point of the reviewer who was upset with the completion of the final task, but the sprites are just child-looking. They are not squalling human infants.
I did see the point of the reviewer who was upset with the completion of the final task, but the sprites are just child-looking. They are not squalling human infants.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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