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The World of Lasniniar #3
Soul Seeker
Midnight. The world of Lasniniar lies in silence, except for the patter of the falling rain.
Iarion walks alone on Traitor’s Road. His elven eyes pierce the darkness. The Jagged Mountains loom over him. Their oppressive shadow adds to his unease.
…That, and the goblin arrow wound burning his shoulder.
Goblins. In the heart of the continent, in friendly territory. In Lasniniar, that can only mean one thing.
A warning of dark days to come.
Meet a new generation of heroes in this third novel in the World of Lasniniar epic fantasy series by award-winning author, Jacquelyn Smith.
Iarion walks alone on Traitor’s Road. His elven eyes pierce the darkness. The Jagged Mountains loom over him. Their oppressive shadow adds to his unease.
…That, and the goblin arrow wound burning his shoulder.
Goblins. In the heart of the continent, in friendly territory. In Lasniniar, that can only mean one thing.
A warning of dark days to come.
Meet a new generation of heroes in this third novel in the World of Lasniniar epic fantasy series by award-winning author, Jacquelyn Smith.
- GenresFantasy
440 pages, Paperback
Published October 13, 2011
8 people are currently reading
302 people want to read
About the author
Jacquelyn Smith
105 books54 followersJacquelyn Smith is a Canadian author from the outskirts of Toronto, Ontario, where apologies are a regular part of most social interactions, and the second ‘T’ in ‘Toronto’ is definitely silent. (Sorry.)
Jacquelyn writes adventures in both mystery and epic fantasy. Her fantasy works include the World of Lasniniar series—home to elves, dwarves, and dragons—and the Fatal Empire series, where deadly assassins and forbidden magic rule the land. Her mystery works include the kick-ass Kira Brightwell series and the Mackenzie Quinn Canadian cozy mysteries, which both betray Jacquelyn’s quirky sense of humor. (Sorry, not sorry.)
Jacquelyn originally published several of the earlier titles in the Kira Brightwell series under the pen name Kat Irwin before she finally decided to kill Kat off in an effort to eliminate the many awkward questions about having a second identity.
When spending time in the real world, Jacquelyn lives with her husband Mark, and their feline owner Xena, who is definitely a warrior princess.
To learn more, visit:
www.JacquelynSmithFantasy.com
www.JacquelynSmithMystery.com
Jacquelyn writes adventures in both mystery and epic fantasy. Her fantasy works include the World of Lasniniar series—home to elves, dwarves, and dragons—and the Fatal Empire series, where deadly assassins and forbidden magic rule the land. Her mystery works include the kick-ass Kira Brightwell series and the Mackenzie Quinn Canadian cozy mysteries, which both betray Jacquelyn’s quirky sense of humor. (Sorry, not sorry.)
Jacquelyn originally published several of the earlier titles in the Kira Brightwell series under the pen name Kat Irwin before she finally decided to kill Kat off in an effort to eliminate the many awkward questions about having a second identity.
When spending time in the real world, Jacquelyn lives with her husband Mark, and their feline owner Xena, who is definitely a warrior princess.
To learn more, visit:
www.JacquelynSmithFantasy.com
www.JacquelynSmithMystery.com
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 16, 2012
Soul Seeker is similar to The Lord of the Rings in many ways. But still, the plot is likeable, once you get to know what the book is all about. Well, first address the plot.
The plot takes place in a land where Dwarves, Elves, Goblins, Trolls and many other mythical creatures dwell. In this land, all the lives of the elves were decided or we can say, planned out by a mystical presence called "Quenya". Iarion, our protogonist, a shadow elf from a place called Melaralva, cannot feel any such connection towards Quenya like all other elves. So, he roams around the lands for thousands of years, hoping to find his destiny one day. And then there is The Fallen One, a light elf, who turned to the dark side, by stealing a little part of the Quenya. When Iarion turns to Melaquenya, where the light elves and the rest of the Quenya reside, seeking their counsel about his destiny, the Lord and Lady of the light elves ask him to go on a quest to retrieve the stolen part of the Quenya, which might help him to know his destiny.
So, a party consisting of Iarion, his friend Barlo - a dwarf from Dwarvenhome, Silvaranwyn - a light elf and the princess of the Melaquenya (the land of the Light Elves) and Lysandir - the Learned One having the power of Fire, starts for the quest. The rest of the plot is how the team makes friends along the way, fight the enemies and reach the Dark Land, where the Fallen One rules. The friendship, loyalty, love and sacrifices are awesome. And then there is deception, treachery and violence.
Most of the characters will be adored for their courage and will. The war scenes are well brought out by the author. They are as descriptive as possible, so that the readers can fully take in the full sacrifice and courage of the warriors. Good to read these kind of fantasy books once in a while.
An engaging fantasy read!
Read more reviews at Books Are Magic.
The plot takes place in a land where Dwarves, Elves, Goblins, Trolls and many other mythical creatures dwell. In this land, all the lives of the elves were decided or we can say, planned out by a mystical presence called "Quenya". Iarion, our protogonist, a shadow elf from a place called Melaralva, cannot feel any such connection towards Quenya like all other elves. So, he roams around the lands for thousands of years, hoping to find his destiny one day. And then there is The Fallen One, a light elf, who turned to the dark side, by stealing a little part of the Quenya. When Iarion turns to Melaquenya, where the light elves and the rest of the Quenya reside, seeking their counsel about his destiny, the Lord and Lady of the light elves ask him to go on a quest to retrieve the stolen part of the Quenya, which might help him to know his destiny.
So, a party consisting of Iarion, his friend Barlo - a dwarf from Dwarvenhome, Silvaranwyn - a light elf and the princess of the Melaquenya (the land of the Light Elves) and Lysandir - the Learned One having the power of Fire, starts for the quest. The rest of the plot is how the team makes friends along the way, fight the enemies and reach the Dark Land, where the Fallen One rules. The friendship, loyalty, love and sacrifices are awesome. And then there is deception, treachery and violence.
Most of the characters will be adored for their courage and will. The war scenes are well brought out by the author. They are as descriptive as possible, so that the readers can fully take in the full sacrifice and courage of the warriors. Good to read these kind of fantasy books once in a while.
An engaging fantasy read!
Read more reviews at Books Are Magic.
April 18, 2018
In a world where the destiny of every elf is laid out for them, what would you do if your fate was the only one that remained a mystery? How far you go to, how long would you search for answers?
Iarion has spent millennia searching for his life’s purpose. Now, after all this time, he may be the only one who can stop the dark powers from rising. Treachery looms around every corner as he is joined by his unlikely companions on a quest to save their world.
When I first began reading, I was struck by the similarities to “The Lord of the Ring” trilogy by J.R.R. Toilken. That being a band of unlikely companions on a seemingly impossible quest, on which they encounter opposition at every turn.
The author did an incredible job creating the world in which this story took place. I found it easy to envision what was happening. The literary environment along with strong character development made it easy for me to really become immersed in the story and invested in the outcome.
Overall, this was a well written story that I would without a doubt recommend to fans of the fantasy genre.
Iarion has spent millennia searching for his life’s purpose. Now, after all this time, he may be the only one who can stop the dark powers from rising. Treachery looms around every corner as he is joined by his unlikely companions on a quest to save their world.
When I first began reading, I was struck by the similarities to “The Lord of the Ring” trilogy by J.R.R. Toilken. That being a band of unlikely companions on a seemingly impossible quest, on which they encounter opposition at every turn.
The author did an incredible job creating the world in which this story took place. I found it easy to envision what was happening. The literary environment along with strong character development made it easy for me to really become immersed in the story and invested in the outcome.
Overall, this was a well written story that I would without a doubt recommend to fans of the fantasy genre.
January 14, 2012
This review is also available on my blog, Qwerty
This book is a gift to humanity (after Twilight has corrupted our generation beyond repair *sigh*)
I mean, seriously. I was in euphoric state hours after I finished this book, dancing madly to Move Like Jagger.
It took me almost a full week to finish (because I’ve started working already) but every sitting was pure bliss. The rare thing is that the chapters were not written as cliffhanger (a trademark of Dan Brown’s books) but the story paced at reasonable speed so the readers will be content to put this down to...well...live like a normal person again but the story would still be in the back of your mind.
I couldn’t help but notice that the book has many striking similarities with The Lord of the Rings trilogy (It’s not surprising really, considering the author quoted J.R.R. Tolkien as one of her major influences). For instance, my oh my, the characters...
Iaron = Legolas
Barlo = Gimli (the dwarf, loyal best friend of Iaron)
Lysandir = Gandalf (one of the Learned Ones. The power to manipulate elements possessed by them was a nice touch)
Saviadro = Sauron (Although I personally more terrified of Sauron)
The Forsworn Ones = The Nazgul(s)
Okay! I have to stop, or else I risked of exposing spoilers to (I’m sure by now) the enthusiastic reader J
Usually, having similarities with legendary books such as The Lord of the Rings is a major no-no but I feel like my knowledge of the series help me enjoying this book better. It helped me imagining the characters and the settings more vividly.
But I swear, if I come across even a Hobbit in this book, I would send an angry mail to the author. Ha-ha!
Nevertheless, if you want to write a book like this, you can’t help but sort of tied to the obvious personalities of the elegant elves, the grumpy dwarves and so on. So yeah, I’m not trying to pan the author here, I’m just giving heads up to the valuable readers that sometimes similarities are necessary and unavoidable.
My favourite characters? Well, of course Iaron is worth swooning about but I really like Linwyn. She was a bad-ass, butt-kicking warrior! Same goes with the cute, bad-ass Sinstari, the wild cat (oh, I always have a soft spot for cats!)
Silvaranwyn surprised me with her seems-to-be dull exterior. She was for me, the most dynamic character in the story. I had a good laugh at some points too, thanks to Barlo.
Numarin sounded like a spoilt brat to be honest. I expect more from a Learned One than dialogues like:
“I hate you!” Numarin shrieked. “First you are the darling of the elves and now this. Everywhere I go, all I hear about is you!”
Hmm...forget that. That’s just tinie-tiny compares to the awesomeness of the whole book.
Oh ya, I found Iaron bedding all the three wild elves princesses at the same time frame as a little disturbing, more so, when he had no actual affection towards them.
No! I’m not jealous!
I mean really, I know the setting supposed to be ancient but nah...it still sounds disturbing.
Finally, the battle and fighting scenes, there were just EPIC.
For example:
He ducked her first blow. The sword whistled through the air where his head had been a moment before. Linwyn knew she had to be quick. She could hear others running to join their tribe-mate. She threw herself at him in a wild fury, but he managed to bring up his spear to block each of her attacks.
The others were getting closer.
Linwyn abruptly switched her strategy. She used a double-feint to confuse her opponent. He didn’t fall for the first feint, but he was fooled by the second. As he brought his spear up to block the blow he thought was coming, Linwyn switched the angle of her sword at the last possible moment...
The ending was not perfect, but a satisfying one. The last few chapters got my heart pounding so fast!
What else...hmm...I wish I could write longer but face it, when a book is this good, you can hardly find anything wrong with it, what more you can write about except words cannot describe how wonderful this book is.
To wrap it up, I may have to switch my most favourite genre from Young Adult to Fantasy novel solely after reading this book.
This book is a gift to humanity (after Twilight has corrupted our generation beyond repair *sigh*)
I mean, seriously. I was in euphoric state hours after I finished this book, dancing madly to Move Like Jagger.
It took me almost a full week to finish (because I’ve started working already) but every sitting was pure bliss. The rare thing is that the chapters were not written as cliffhanger (a trademark of Dan Brown’s books) but the story paced at reasonable speed so the readers will be content to put this down to...well...live like a normal person again but the story would still be in the back of your mind.
I couldn’t help but notice that the book has many striking similarities with The Lord of the Rings trilogy (It’s not surprising really, considering the author quoted J.R.R. Tolkien as one of her major influences). For instance, my oh my, the characters...
Iaron = Legolas
Barlo = Gimli (the dwarf, loyal best friend of Iaron)
Lysandir = Gandalf (one of the Learned Ones. The power to manipulate elements possessed by them was a nice touch)
Saviadro = Sauron (Although I personally more terrified of Sauron)
The Forsworn Ones = The Nazgul(s)
Okay! I have to stop, or else I risked of exposing spoilers to (I’m sure by now) the enthusiastic reader J
Usually, having similarities with legendary books such as The Lord of the Rings is a major no-no but I feel like my knowledge of the series help me enjoying this book better. It helped me imagining the characters and the settings more vividly.
But I swear, if I come across even a Hobbit in this book, I would send an angry mail to the author. Ha-ha!
Nevertheless, if you want to write a book like this, you can’t help but sort of tied to the obvious personalities of the elegant elves, the grumpy dwarves and so on. So yeah, I’m not trying to pan the author here, I’m just giving heads up to the valuable readers that sometimes similarities are necessary and unavoidable.
My favourite characters? Well, of course Iaron is worth swooning about but I really like Linwyn. She was a bad-ass, butt-kicking warrior! Same goes with the cute, bad-ass Sinstari, the wild cat (oh, I always have a soft spot for cats!)
Silvaranwyn surprised me with her seems-to-be dull exterior. She was for me, the most dynamic character in the story. I had a good laugh at some points too, thanks to Barlo.
Numarin sounded like a spoilt brat to be honest. I expect more from a Learned One than dialogues like:
“I hate you!” Numarin shrieked. “First you are the darling of the elves and now this. Everywhere I go, all I hear about is you!”
Hmm...forget that. That’s just tinie-tiny compares to the awesomeness of the whole book.
Oh ya, I found Iaron bedding all the three wild elves princesses at the same time frame as a little disturbing, more so, when he had no actual affection towards them.
No! I’m not jealous!
I mean really, I know the setting supposed to be ancient but nah...it still sounds disturbing.
Finally, the battle and fighting scenes, there were just EPIC.
For example:
He ducked her first blow. The sword whistled through the air where his head had been a moment before. Linwyn knew she had to be quick. She could hear others running to join their tribe-mate. She threw herself at him in a wild fury, but he managed to bring up his spear to block each of her attacks.
The others were getting closer.
Linwyn abruptly switched her strategy. She used a double-feint to confuse her opponent. He didn’t fall for the first feint, but he was fooled by the second. As he brought his spear up to block the blow he thought was coming, Linwyn switched the angle of her sword at the last possible moment...
The ending was not perfect, but a satisfying one. The last few chapters got my heart pounding so fast!
What else...hmm...I wish I could write longer but face it, when a book is this good, you can hardly find anything wrong with it, what more you can write about except words cannot describe how wonderful this book is.
To wrap it up, I may have to switch my most favourite genre from Young Adult to Fantasy novel solely after reading this book.
March 4, 2017
And... We're off to a rough start. I like the writing style, but ... well... out of all the colours I would choose to blend in with the darkness of night, silver is not one of them. Description of characters should not take priority over characters being smart.
But there was an unknown name mentioned and the author did not immediately go into a lecture about who it was. Good job, author. I was dreading a long infodump. Happily deprived.
So far, I wouldn't call it fine literature, but it's enjoyable.
But there was an unknown name mentioned and the author did not immediately go into a lecture about who it was. Good job, author. I was dreading a long infodump. Happily deprived.
So far, I wouldn't call it fine literature, but it's enjoyable.
March 6, 2012
Soul Seeker by Jacquelyn Smith is a variation on the hero's quest where the protagonist, Iarion, sets out on a quest for something that may save the world, but holds much more importance to him personally.
Iarion is a great protagonist. He experiences a constant feeling of despair at not knowing his purpose, and it is easy to identify with his discontent. He is a flawed elf and he has been seeking his purpose in this world for thousands of years. The adventure begins when he sets out on a quest to bring back a piece of an enchanted tree, which is being held by the creepy villain, Saviadro.
The detail and world-building in this story is astounding. The battle scenes were amazing, though the ending did make me really sad. I guess it was meant to be.
I highly recommend Soul Seeker and I can't wait to dig into the next book in the series.
Iarion is a great protagonist. He experiences a constant feeling of despair at not knowing his purpose, and it is easy to identify with his discontent. He is a flawed elf and he has been seeking his purpose in this world for thousands of years. The adventure begins when he sets out on a quest to bring back a piece of an enchanted tree, which is being held by the creepy villain, Saviadro.
The detail and world-building in this story is astounding. The battle scenes were amazing, though the ending did make me really sad. I guess it was meant to be.
I highly recommend Soul Seeker and I can't wait to dig into the next book in the series.
December 10, 2012
It took me a little while to get properly into the book and even when I did, it took me a while to make any kind of empathic connection with the characters. I did eventually, though, and ended up liking the characters, even though I could see a lot of similarities with Lord of the Rings.
Eventually, I did stop comparing the book to Lord of the Rings and began seeing it as a story in its own right. I did enjoy reading this and intend to buy the other two novel-length books in the series. I'm not sure about the in-between stories, though. I'll have to wait and make my decision about whether or not to read those. Still, the book was enjoyable enough and I was able to read it fairly quickly.
And I think I have to say that Lysandir was my favourite character.
Eventually, I did stop comparing the book to Lord of the Rings and began seeing it as a story in its own right. I did enjoy reading this and intend to buy the other two novel-length books in the series. I'm not sure about the in-between stories, though. I'll have to wait and make my decision about whether or not to read those. Still, the book was enjoyable enough and I was able to read it fairly quickly.
And I think I have to say that Lysandir was my favourite character.
March 21, 2013
Not bad but not great either. As other reviewers have commented, the story tries to place itself in the Lord of the Rings world. I say try only because some of the descriptive parts fell flat, leaving me unable to imagine the setting. It would have been nice to have a little bit more definement of the characters too but I think the author was working hard on the opening catch and just hoped the rest would work itself out throughout the book. So overall, not bad for a three hour read.
July 23, 2013
While I found the premiss of the book intriguing, the similarities to the Lord of the Ring were rather distracting. Most of the book felt rushed, particularly the resolution to arguments and conflicts. And the frequent shifts in perspectives was jarring and at times confusing. However, I did like the ending, and while it may not have been a complete surprise, it did avoid certain tropes I was dreading would appear.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews