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Solus #1
Wings of Arian
Kiora thought she had never heard a lie until she was sixteen. But she was wrong. Her entire existence was based on nothing but. She thought that evil did not exist. Lie. That magic was not real. Lie. And that the land of Meros was all there was. One more lie.
With Aleric telling her that evil is knocking on the door and that she is the only one who can stop them she has a choice to make. Refuse, or start the wildest most painful ride of her life.
She reluctantly dips her toe into her new existence of magic and threads, dragons and shapeshifters, and the person who wants to take control of it all: the evil Dralazar.
However, this journey was never meant to be hers alone. She will be accompanied by a Protector. To her disbelief, and utter irritation they name the hotheaded, stubborn, non -magical, (albeit gorgeous) Prince Emane. They will have to trust each other with their lives, but right now Kiora would settle for a non hostile conversation.
And now it comes down to this, If you had never heard a lie, would you know when you heard one? Is knowing good from evil innate? Kiora finds herself having to decide who lives and who dies on those very questions.
With Aleric telling her that evil is knocking on the door and that she is the only one who can stop them she has a choice to make. Refuse, or start the wildest most painful ride of her life.
She reluctantly dips her toe into her new existence of magic and threads, dragons and shapeshifters, and the person who wants to take control of it all: the evil Dralazar.
However, this journey was never meant to be hers alone. She will be accompanied by a Protector. To her disbelief, and utter irritation they name the hotheaded, stubborn, non -magical, (albeit gorgeous) Prince Emane. They will have to trust each other with their lives, but right now Kiora would settle for a non hostile conversation.
And now it comes down to this, If you had never heard a lie, would you know when you heard one? Is knowing good from evil innate? Kiora finds herself having to decide who lives and who dies on those very questions.
462 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
154 people are currently reading
3557 people want to read
About the author
Devri Walls
13 books280 followersDevri Walls lives in Kuna Idaho with her husband and two kids. She has worked as a music teacher and currently, a preschool teacher. She majored in theater and her love of a story still drives her today. Thankfully, she has finally found an outlet for all the voices in her head.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
September 1, 2016
Please excuse my foul language, but…
HOLY FUCK. I loved the shit out of this book.
Honestly, I haven't been this excited about a book--or series even!--in a very long time. Wings of Arian was just spectacular. Unique. Beautiful. Fabulous. Breathtaking. Heart-clenching. Tear-jerking. Amazing. Wonderful. Terrific. Extraordinary. Marvelous. And those are just some of the words that I can think of to describe how incredible this book was.
I finished the book about thirty minutes ago, and my heart is still pounding.
The amount of history, action, and romance in this book is excellent. The history was spaced evenly, and it was long enough to help you understand while keeping it interesting. Action was also spaced evenly and very detailed. I could picture the fight scenes in my mind while I read it. Romance was perfect. Nothing too cheesy, nothing too dramatic, and not overwhelming. But, you knew it was there. The characters were written with such an incredible depth that I could see them as being actual living people. There's humor in here too! I was literally laughing with the MC while highlighting and bookmarking along the way.
Wings of Arian has it all. Romance, action, unique storyline, humor, and DRAGONS. :D Haha, sorry. Weakness. The only problem was that it needed to be edited just a little bit more. But, I still loved it!
*SPOILER ALERT*
I really want to see what happens with the beetles in the next book! I thought they were going to play a huge part in helping defeat the enemy, but I think the author is saving them more something better. GAH, MY HEART.
This book is just remarkable. I mean come on, I was already crying about fifty pages in. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
WHERE'S THE NEXT ONE!? GIVE IT TO ME!
Last read on July 25 2012
HOLY FUCK. I loved the shit out of this book.
Honestly, I haven't been this excited about a book--or series even!--in a very long time. Wings of Arian was just spectacular. Unique. Beautiful. Fabulous. Breathtaking. Heart-clenching. Tear-jerking. Amazing. Wonderful. Terrific. Extraordinary. Marvelous. And those are just some of the words that I can think of to describe how incredible this book was.
I finished the book about thirty minutes ago, and my heart is still pounding.
The amount of history, action, and romance in this book is excellent. The history was spaced evenly, and it was long enough to help you understand while keeping it interesting. Action was also spaced evenly and very detailed. I could picture the fight scenes in my mind while I read it. Romance was perfect. Nothing too cheesy, nothing too dramatic, and not overwhelming. But, you knew it was there. The characters were written with such an incredible depth that I could see them as being actual living people. There's humor in here too! I was literally laughing with the MC while highlighting and bookmarking along the way.
Wings of Arian has it all. Romance, action, unique storyline, humor, and DRAGONS. :D Haha, sorry. Weakness. The only problem was that it needed to be edited just a little bit more. But, I still loved it!
*SPOILER ALERT*
I really want to see what happens with the beetles in the next book! I thought they were going to play a huge part in helping defeat the enemy, but I think the author is saving them more something better. GAH, MY HEART.
This book is just remarkable. I mean come on, I was already crying about fifty pages in. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
WHERE'S THE NEXT ONE!? GIVE IT TO ME!
Last read on July 25 2012
May 8, 2012
Well, I have read the book more times than anyone should. And by that I mean at least twenty. Including three times of reading it out loud cover to cover. So, I suppose after all that I have to love it right?
June 15, 2013
2 Stars
I CANNOT get into this book.
And I really, REALLY tried.
On the surface it had everything going for it that I like, I love fantasy novels, always have and the writing was decent. There are lots of interesting sounding characters and the plot seemed promising.
Unfortunately it never went further than the promise for me.
And I seem to be alone for this one, because this book gets glowing reviews from almost everyone else.
For me it all just felt really.. flat.
The characters were whiny and annoying and I just couldn't connect with them at all, they seemed very two dimensional to me.
And the plot was far too simplistic and black and white, I like a LOT more grey in my fantasy novels.
Perhaps the problem was that I prefer adult fantasy reads (although I can think of several exceptions to that rule, some of which can be found on my all time faves shelf) regardless, the Wings of Arian came across as far too 'young' for me.
So this one wasn't for me, younger readers who like fantasy may enjoy it.
I CANNOT get into this book.
And I really, REALLY tried.
On the surface it had everything going for it that I like, I love fantasy novels, always have and the writing was decent. There are lots of interesting sounding characters and the plot seemed promising.
Unfortunately it never went further than the promise for me.
And I seem to be alone for this one, because this book gets glowing reviews from almost everyone else.
For me it all just felt really.. flat.
The characters were whiny and annoying and I just couldn't connect with them at all, they seemed very two dimensional to me.
And the plot was far too simplistic and black and white, I like a LOT more grey in my fantasy novels.
Perhaps the problem was that I prefer adult fantasy reads (although I can think of several exceptions to that rule, some of which can be found on my all time faves shelf) regardless, the Wings of Arian came across as far too 'young' for me.
So this one wasn't for me, younger readers who like fantasy may enjoy it.
February 18, 2014
I feel like it took me weeks to finish this book. I'm a quick reader and it really took a bit of work to get through this one. It wasn't a bad book, but... well, I had some issues with Wings of Arian nonetheless.
And here we go...
1. generic plot
2. unlikable heroine
3. two dimensional characters
4. skeletal romance
5. little-to-no back story
6. lengthy and unnecessary descriptions
and
7. numerous spelling and grammatical errors
I did a little bit of research into this series before I started reading the first book. I read the descriptions of the other three to get a feel for the series. I decided it sounded pretty good and I'd give it a try. A love triangle is apparently lurking in the shadows, which can easily turn disasterous, but can also add excitement to otherwise dry plots. Why am I mentioning this? Because, honestly, I think this is what helped me finish the book. I knew there would be new characters and an adventure in the making after I finished Wings of Arian. I was motivated to finish so I could start the second book. (If the second book doesn't show any signs of improvement, then I will probably drop this series.)
And now to expand upon the listed dissatisfactions:
The plot is about good vs. evil. That's about it. There is the good side and there is the bad side. There are magical people and people without magic. There's a bad guy who is power hungry and drunk off of magic. He's trying to control the land and eliminate the good side. How many times has this been written? Do I even need to pretend to count? I mean, yeah... good vs. evil is an age-old battle and there is so much a person can do with that as a basic plot outline... but it's the skeleton! The framework! Not an entire plot! There needs to be more to it than that for it to be good, right?
The unlikable heroine. Jesus, she cried all the time. And whined. And was inexplicably good at EVERYTHING she tried. I mean, sure... she's some legendary magical person meant to put a stop to evil in an ancient fight for good, but... I mean, that's a pretty hefty job. No one falls once when learning to ride a bike and then gets up and goes off to race in the Tour de France. And wins. I mean, it just doesn't happen. Even if someone is naturally talented at riding bicycles! But oh no, Kiora had it down. She'd trip up once and then immediately master everything on the second attempt. So incredibly unrealistic.
The characters were mostly two dimensional, and if not that then their personalities and backgrounds were predictable. (I won't elaborate on that, because that would reveal the limited plot twists in this book.)
And the romance! Christ almighty. Kiora and Prince Emane apparently knew each other at the start of the book, but we were never informed of how they met. It isn't apparent that they grew up together, so they must have met at some point. It is VAGUELY referenced that they despised each other from the start, mainly because Emane was an arrogant ass and Kiora refused to feed his ego like any number of other fair maidens in the land. But then Emane suddenly doesn't despise Kiora... and then suddenly loves Kiora... and then they're suddenly kissing, a lot. And then Kiora runs off to cry some more at various points.
As for the back story (or lack there of), Kiora was literally dropped into the book. She isn't there, and then suddenly she is in the middle of training to be a legendary magical warrior known as the Solus. And Prince Emane is named as her protector. So then they start training together, and the skeletal romance is born. Kiora has a past involving her parents and sister, but it's only briefly (and awkwardly) visted, until the end when her sister begins to play a major part in the plot. So at that point, this past of Kiora's that is barely mentioned (or reflected upon by Kiora) is an integral part of the plot. However, there is depth in the case of the main good-and-evil characters and their histories as the story progresses. I have hope for the second book, because the plot did thicken, as the saying goes.
I am guilty of skimming through some of this book. There were so many unnecessary descriptions! Like, for example, when Kiora is learning to control and use her magic she has to read from this book. So we also read the passages from which she is learning. Every time! Just say, "Kiora read from the book of Arian and was instructed to make a bubble, blah blah blah." I don't need to read three paragraphs only to have Kiora's actions illustrate what the book passages stated. Just let her actions do the work! This book could have been about 50 pages shorter. It needed to be 50 pages shorter. And the grammatical errors were distracting. I was still able to read the book, despite the distraction. I mean, it wasn't like I couldn't make sense of what I was reading. But it was still really annoying.
So, overall, it probably sounds like I thought this book was terrible. I didn't. It's probably a good book for younger readers. The romance is tasteful, as is the language. The world isn't too descriptive or confusing. Sometimes with fantasy, keeping track of an inventive world, unique characters, and an interesting plot can be overwhelming. So for someone who is interested in fantasy novels but isn't accustomed to the brain overload high fantasy can sometimes cause, this might be a good read.
And I did finish the book. That's saying something. I do abandon books. So, this clearly had enough positive attributes to push me to the end. And I will try reading the second book as well.
And here we go...
1. generic plot
2. unlikable heroine
3. two dimensional characters
4. skeletal romance
5. little-to-no back story
6. lengthy and unnecessary descriptions
and
7. numerous spelling and grammatical errors
I did a little bit of research into this series before I started reading the first book. I read the descriptions of the other three to get a feel for the series. I decided it sounded pretty good and I'd give it a try. A love triangle is apparently lurking in the shadows, which can easily turn disasterous, but can also add excitement to otherwise dry plots. Why am I mentioning this? Because, honestly, I think this is what helped me finish the book. I knew there would be new characters and an adventure in the making after I finished Wings of Arian. I was motivated to finish so I could start the second book. (If the second book doesn't show any signs of improvement, then I will probably drop this series.)
And now to expand upon the listed dissatisfactions:
The plot is about good vs. evil. That's about it. There is the good side and there is the bad side. There are magical people and people without magic. There's a bad guy who is power hungry and drunk off of magic. He's trying to control the land and eliminate the good side. How many times has this been written? Do I even need to pretend to count? I mean, yeah... good vs. evil is an age-old battle and there is so much a person can do with that as a basic plot outline... but it's the skeleton! The framework! Not an entire plot! There needs to be more to it than that for it to be good, right?
The unlikable heroine. Jesus, she cried all the time. And whined. And was inexplicably good at EVERYTHING she tried. I mean, sure... she's some legendary magical person meant to put a stop to evil in an ancient fight for good, but... I mean, that's a pretty hefty job. No one falls once when learning to ride a bike and then gets up and goes off to race in the Tour de France. And wins. I mean, it just doesn't happen. Even if someone is naturally talented at riding bicycles! But oh no, Kiora had it down. She'd trip up once and then immediately master everything on the second attempt. So incredibly unrealistic.
The characters were mostly two dimensional, and if not that then their personalities and backgrounds were predictable. (I won't elaborate on that, because that would reveal the limited plot twists in this book.)
And the romance! Christ almighty. Kiora and Prince Emane apparently knew each other at the start of the book, but we were never informed of how they met. It isn't apparent that they grew up together, so they must have met at some point. It is VAGUELY referenced that they despised each other from the start, mainly because Emane was an arrogant ass and Kiora refused to feed his ego like any number of other fair maidens in the land. But then Emane suddenly doesn't despise Kiora... and then suddenly loves Kiora... and then they're suddenly kissing, a lot. And then Kiora runs off to cry some more at various points.
As for the back story (or lack there of), Kiora was literally dropped into the book. She isn't there, and then suddenly she is in the middle of training to be a legendary magical warrior known as the Solus. And Prince Emane is named as her protector. So then they start training together, and the skeletal romance is born. Kiora has a past involving her parents and sister, but it's only briefly (and awkwardly) visted, until the end when her sister begins to play a major part in the plot. So at that point, this past of Kiora's that is barely mentioned (or reflected upon by Kiora) is an integral part of the plot. However, there is depth in the case of the main good-and-evil characters and their histories as the story progresses. I have hope for the second book, because the plot did thicken, as the saying goes.
I am guilty of skimming through some of this book. There were so many unnecessary descriptions! Like, for example, when Kiora is learning to control and use her magic she has to read from this book. So we also read the passages from which she is learning. Every time! Just say, "Kiora read from the book of Arian and was instructed to make a bubble, blah blah blah." I don't need to read three paragraphs only to have Kiora's actions illustrate what the book passages stated. Just let her actions do the work! This book could have been about 50 pages shorter. It needed to be 50 pages shorter. And the grammatical errors were distracting. I was still able to read the book, despite the distraction. I mean, it wasn't like I couldn't make sense of what I was reading. But it was still really annoying.
So, overall, it probably sounds like I thought this book was terrible. I didn't. It's probably a good book for younger readers. The romance is tasteful, as is the language. The world isn't too descriptive or confusing. Sometimes with fantasy, keeping track of an inventive world, unique characters, and an interesting plot can be overwhelming. So for someone who is interested in fantasy novels but isn't accustomed to the brain overload high fantasy can sometimes cause, this might be a good read.
And I did finish the book. That's saying something. I do abandon books. So, this clearly had enough positive attributes to push me to the end. And I will try reading the second book as well.
July 2, 2012
As fantasy is not my favorite genre I went into this with a bit of wariness. Wings of Arian is very much a fantasy with kingdoms, dragons, prophecies, and magic. While it failed to completely enrapture me, I blame this on personal taste rather than flaws in the book itself. Not saying it's flawless either, but it is a good story with a lot of creativity, so readers who enjoy high fantasy would most likely find themselves much more in-tuned with this one than I did.
Kiora is the Solus. She's the one who is supposed to save her people with her unyielding magical abilities that scare her as much as everyone she accidentally maims. She's not perfect and she's constantly doubting herself, including her abilities. I enjoyed her character, she's likeable and easy to root for. Although I did have a hard time truly feeling her as we don't get a lot of character building. We don't get to know her on a personal level; her past and her personality are not developed enough for me to be able to really understand her, or her reason for ending up where she is at the moment - literally and emotionally. So, sadly, she does feel kind of flat in that respect, but her kind and caring manner makes it easy to care about her throughout the story. We also have Emane by her side to bring in some charming, oftentimes amusing, exchanges. Like Kiora, I didn't find Emane especially well developed, but he does have a louder personality that is easier to connect with. As for their relationship, it's a tad instant, but sweet and simple with a refreshing lack of angst.
When Kiora decides to embrace her calling as a Solus, we embark on a journey full of wonder and pain. There's a lot of training to develop her magical abilities and even though they are very straightforward powers, I did find them creative and enchanting. I loved the remarkable possibilities these people have with their magic, as well as the creatures involved. Dragons, shape shifters and pegasus are only a few of the magical beasts we have the pleasure of meeting. The dragons being my personal favorite with an interesting history to boot. Of course, there's an evil counterpart. Dralazar is the villain of this novel who is claimed as being the ultimate evil. If I'm being honest I don't think I completely understood the whole reasoning behind Dralazar. What he's trying to accomplish was lost on me so I never felt very intimidated by him. Though I will say the fight scenes are intense with a lot of bloodshed that makes the whole book feel more sinister, more serious. People die, betrayals are revealed; I eat this stuff right up!
For a debut novel the writing is good; it has an easy to follow pace with an interesting plot. I think a solid backstory, deeper characterization, with some unnecessary parts shaved off to save length would definitely have strengthened my enjoyment of this novel. Readers who enjoy high fantasy may want to give Wings of Arian a try as they would most certainly consume it with more passion than I did.
--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
Kiora is the Solus. She's the one who is supposed to save her people with her unyielding magical abilities that scare her as much as everyone she accidentally maims. She's not perfect and she's constantly doubting herself, including her abilities. I enjoyed her character, she's likeable and easy to root for. Although I did have a hard time truly feeling her as we don't get a lot of character building. We don't get to know her on a personal level; her past and her personality are not developed enough for me to be able to really understand her, or her reason for ending up where she is at the moment - literally and emotionally. So, sadly, she does feel kind of flat in that respect, but her kind and caring manner makes it easy to care about her throughout the story. We also have Emane by her side to bring in some charming, oftentimes amusing, exchanges. Like Kiora, I didn't find Emane especially well developed, but he does have a louder personality that is easier to connect with. As for their relationship, it's a tad instant, but sweet and simple with a refreshing lack of angst.
When Kiora decides to embrace her calling as a Solus, we embark on a journey full of wonder and pain. There's a lot of training to develop her magical abilities and even though they are very straightforward powers, I did find them creative and enchanting. I loved the remarkable possibilities these people have with their magic, as well as the creatures involved. Dragons, shape shifters and pegasus are only a few of the magical beasts we have the pleasure of meeting. The dragons being my personal favorite with an interesting history to boot. Of course, there's an evil counterpart. Dralazar is the villain of this novel who is claimed as being the ultimate evil. If I'm being honest I don't think I completely understood the whole reasoning behind Dralazar. What he's trying to accomplish was lost on me so I never felt very intimidated by him. Though I will say the fight scenes are intense with a lot of bloodshed that makes the whole book feel more sinister, more serious. People die, betrayals are revealed; I eat this stuff right up!
For a debut novel the writing is good; it has an easy to follow pace with an interesting plot. I think a solid backstory, deeper characterization, with some unnecessary parts shaved off to save length would definitely have strengthened my enjoyment of this novel. Readers who enjoy high fantasy may want to give Wings of Arian a try as they would most certainly consume it with more passion than I did.
--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
August 18, 2012
“Do you know,” he asked, “that you are only the second person to ever ask me what I want?” His eyes searched hers, moving even closer. Her eyes fluttered shut, too scared to breathe. “Yes,” he whispered, brushing his lips against hers, “I want to protect you.”
Wings of Arian, oh how I loved reading you. Can this whole review just be me gushing about it? Please? No?! Okay I guess I can try to write a more helpful review. But just to let you know I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK SO SO SO SO MUCH!!!! Asdfghjkl; :D
So normally here I would write my own summary of the novel, but now that I have tried about a million times I think it may be better for you to read the goodreads summary provided above! Just know that this book has magic, evil, good guys, bad guys, romance, dragons, shape shifters, guardians, healers and oh so much more that make it an amazingly epic fantasy novel!
Since I am not allowed to just gush with happiness about this book I guess I will tell you what I loved about it. First off we have Devri’s writing, I don’t know HOW she did it, but normally when I read a fantasy novel the book will start off good, but then down the road it gets confusing and just well…messy. Not with Wings of Arian though, not once was there ever a moment where I felt lost or confused, Devri has written a high fantasy novel that flowed beautifully from beginning to end and I found myself not wanting to set this read down!
Moving onto another amazing aspect of Wings of Arian, lets talk about the romance! Oh how I adored the romance in Wings of Arian, at first Kiora and Emane can’t stand each other! I loved in the beginning them being so rude to eachother, who would’ve guess they would learn to love each other. The romance between Kiora and Emane felt so real, never once did I find myself thinking their romance was ridicules or unrealistic, I adored their relationship right from the start. I also love how Emane and Kiora fit perfect together, any weakness Kiora has, Emane makes up for and vice versa. The romance in Wings of Arian will not disappoint!
Overall Wings of Arian was bottom line just a really magical and enchanting read. I loved everything about it, and I think it is a book anyone can enjoy that loves books with amazing fantasy and magic or if you’re just looking for an amazing adventure with a great romance. This book had everything I love in a book and more. I highly highly recommend this to everyone!
(Did I mention there are Pegasus’s?!?! Ya freakin love this book so so much!)
Wings of Arian, oh how I loved reading you. Can this whole review just be me gushing about it? Please? No?! Okay I guess I can try to write a more helpful review. But just to let you know I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK SO SO SO SO MUCH!!!! Asdfghjkl; :D
So normally here I would write my own summary of the novel, but now that I have tried about a million times I think it may be better for you to read the goodreads summary provided above! Just know that this book has magic, evil, good guys, bad guys, romance, dragons, shape shifters, guardians, healers and oh so much more that make it an amazingly epic fantasy novel!
Since I am not allowed to just gush with happiness about this book I guess I will tell you what I loved about it. First off we have Devri’s writing, I don’t know HOW she did it, but normally when I read a fantasy novel the book will start off good, but then down the road it gets confusing and just well…messy. Not with Wings of Arian though, not once was there ever a moment where I felt lost or confused, Devri has written a high fantasy novel that flowed beautifully from beginning to end and I found myself not wanting to set this read down!
Moving onto another amazing aspect of Wings of Arian, lets talk about the romance! Oh how I adored the romance in Wings of Arian, at first Kiora and Emane can’t stand each other! I loved in the beginning them being so rude to eachother, who would’ve guess they would learn to love each other. The romance between Kiora and Emane felt so real, never once did I find myself thinking their romance was ridicules or unrealistic, I adored their relationship right from the start. I also love how Emane and Kiora fit perfect together, any weakness Kiora has, Emane makes up for and vice versa. The romance in Wings of Arian will not disappoint!
Overall Wings of Arian was bottom line just a really magical and enchanting read. I loved everything about it, and I think it is a book anyone can enjoy that loves books with amazing fantasy and magic or if you’re just looking for an amazing adventure with a great romance. This book had everything I love in a book and more. I highly highly recommend this to everyone!
(Did I mention there are Pegasus’s?!?! Ya freakin love this book so so much!)
February 14, 2013
I'm always looking into good fantasy books and during my search I came across Wings of Arian. It has received multiple positive reviews from Goodreads users and I liked the sound of it, so I decided to try it out myself.
I wasn't very fond of the characters because it was a little hard to connect with them. Kiora wasn't an easy main character to like. She had a tendency to be very annoying and whiny at times. I would have tolerated her character had she undergone some growth throughout the story. I also thought she wasn't as fleshed out as she could be. She had the possibility to be an interesting and kick-butt character with her abilities, but sadly her annoying nature overshadowed all that. Emane wasn't all that great either. He wasn't bad, but I was never fully invested in him. However, I did like him better than Kiora. The secondary characters were very interesting though and I enjoyed their diverse personalities.
The romance was the slow-growing type never taking over the plot. I liked that the author didn't delve too much into it. It started off with the new characters constantly bickering and not really liking the fact that they have to work together. Over the course of the story, they develop a friendship of a sort which eventually grows into something more. The world-building in Wings of Arian is quite strong. The author does a great job at constructing a world that's easy to comprehend and I found myself being immersed in it. At the same time, the plot was also thrilling and completely exciting.
Despite the issues I had with the characters, Wings of Arian is a good entertaining debut. I personally think the series has the potential to really progress.
December 28, 2012
I admit it. The cover reeled me into this book! I saw that cover and knew I HAD to have it!
Then I started reading it. I kept flipping back to the cover going, "How does this cover match this book?"
In the beginning, I found Kiora to be annoying, whining and a baby. I realize I'm turning into a mean, old woman. Yes. I'm fully aware of this, but geez! I just wanted to shake her and say, "Hey! Girl-child! Grow up just a smidge. You can't help anyone by crying and throwing a fit!"
The cast of characters that Ms. Walls threw in there to support Kiora really helped her grow. I immediately liked Aleric, though this was one book where I didn't feel the prologue was necessary. I mentioned that because that's where we meet Aleric. If you skip the prologue (like I did originally) you don't get a feel for his character until later in the book.
The pegasus was a great character with a fabulous sense of dry witty humor. I liked him immensely.
The plot was exciting! There were several elements from beloved childhood stories in there, like the rock people. I had the theme song to the Never Ending Story in my head for nearly a day!
All in all, this was a good book. Should you read it? If you're not a grumpy old crone like me, then YES! Read this book. If you are...well, maybe not because Kiora really is annoying. This was a good book with elements of awesome.
Then I started reading it. I kept flipping back to the cover going, "How does this cover match this book?"
In the beginning, I found Kiora to be annoying, whining and a baby. I realize I'm turning into a mean, old woman. Yes. I'm fully aware of this, but geez! I just wanted to shake her and say, "Hey! Girl-child! Grow up just a smidge. You can't help anyone by crying and throwing a fit!"
The cast of characters that Ms. Walls threw in there to support Kiora really helped her grow. I immediately liked Aleric, though this was one book where I didn't feel the prologue was necessary. I mentioned that because that's where we meet Aleric. If you skip the prologue (like I did originally) you don't get a feel for his character until later in the book.
The pegasus was a great character with a fabulous sense of dry witty humor. I liked him immensely.
The plot was exciting! There were several elements from beloved childhood stories in there, like the rock people. I had the theme song to the Never Ending Story in my head for nearly a day!
All in all, this was a good book. Should you read it? If you're not a grumpy old crone like me, then YES! Read this book. If you are...well, maybe not because Kiora really is annoying. This was a good book with elements of awesome.
June 29, 2012
Plot: Kiora is a young girl born into a completely innocent existence, free of any evil. Neither she nor any of her people have ever encountered evil until Aleric, an adviser to the King of Meros, claims the Prophecy is about to come to pass and evil will be reintroduced into their land. They need a being of magic to protect them called the Solus and the Solus is the unwitting Kiora. She must train in magic—something none of her people ever knew existed before—in order to prepare to fight the evil Dralazar from taking over Meros.
Characters: Kiora is just a pure innocent and she's very relatable. She may be the heroine of the story, but she lives with doubt on a daily basis. She's not sure she's good enough to be the Solus and is afraid of failure. Prince Emane is her Protector, called to be by her side at all times, although he is the first Protector to be non-magical. His self-esteem, too, is put to the test as he tries to protect Kiora from the nearly constant threat of harm to her, even though he has very little ability to succeed at doing so. I like that they struggle so much like real people do. They have their own natural talents, but that doesn't stop them from struggling to believe in themselves.
Story: I liked the story, although it spends a lot of time showing Kiora and Emane's training, which is less than exciting. It makes up for it with a lot of character development and the development of their relationship. Thankfully, they don't suffer from the 'insta-love' trope because they take the entire book to fall truly “in love” with each other. Even being physically close doesn't qualify as love, which is good. It feels more real-world to me that way. Not everybody declares their undying love for you right before or after they kiss you for the first time. Or, even after many times. In fact, when does it ever happen like that in real life? The story starts to really get cooking by the end, before the climax and throughout the climactic battle scene, which is extremely well done. Definitely the best part. Instead of being small and squirmy, it's grand and epic. Real fighting with real bloodshed and wounds. Characters actually die and it even causes the main character incredible grief. This book raises the stakes when truly needed.
Writing: It's decent, though not stellar. It could use some work on the technical side. Plotting-wise, I think it needed the crucial plot points to stand out, and the resolution took a very long time to wrap up. After such an epic climax, I just wanted the story to quickly end, but it started another almost-arc right afterward for quite a bit beyond that. A lot of questions were answered in that second almost-arc, but most of them could have been saved for the beginning of Book 2.
Overall Quality: Good. This is a pure fantasy novel with no paranormal elements. Just high fantasy, so people who enjoy this kind of literature might like it. I say give it a try. Here be some characters that actually dare to go beyond being one-dimensional.
Favorite Scene/Moment: Any scene where Kiora has to deal with hate in her face from either Emane's fiancee or her own older sister. She handles herself so wonderfully, despite being emotionally hurt by these horrible people. I always admire characters like this and only wish I could react like her under that sort of duress.
My Score: 3.5/5 stars.
*I received this ebook as a complementary copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Characters: Kiora is just a pure innocent and she's very relatable. She may be the heroine of the story, but she lives with doubt on a daily basis. She's not sure she's good enough to be the Solus and is afraid of failure. Prince Emane is her Protector, called to be by her side at all times, although he is the first Protector to be non-magical. His self-esteem, too, is put to the test as he tries to protect Kiora from the nearly constant threat of harm to her, even though he has very little ability to succeed at doing so. I like that they struggle so much like real people do. They have their own natural talents, but that doesn't stop them from struggling to believe in themselves.
Story: I liked the story, although it spends a lot of time showing Kiora and Emane's training, which is less than exciting. It makes up for it with a lot of character development and the development of their relationship. Thankfully, they don't suffer from the 'insta-love' trope because they take the entire book to fall truly “in love” with each other. Even being physically close doesn't qualify as love, which is good. It feels more real-world to me that way. Not everybody declares their undying love for you right before or after they kiss you for the first time. Or, even after many times. In fact, when does it ever happen like that in real life? The story starts to really get cooking by the end, before the climax and throughout the climactic battle scene, which is extremely well done. Definitely the best part. Instead of being small and squirmy, it's grand and epic. Real fighting with real bloodshed and wounds. Characters actually die and it even causes the main character incredible grief. This book raises the stakes when truly needed.
Writing: It's decent, though not stellar. It could use some work on the technical side. Plotting-wise, I think it needed the crucial plot points to stand out, and the resolution took a very long time to wrap up. After such an epic climax, I just wanted the story to quickly end, but it started another almost-arc right afterward for quite a bit beyond that. A lot of questions were answered in that second almost-arc, but most of them could have been saved for the beginning of Book 2.
Overall Quality: Good. This is a pure fantasy novel with no paranormal elements. Just high fantasy, so people who enjoy this kind of literature might like it. I say give it a try. Here be some characters that actually dare to go beyond being one-dimensional.
Favorite Scene/Moment: Any scene where Kiora has to deal with hate in her face from either Emane's fiancee or her own older sister. She handles herself so wonderfully, despite being emotionally hurt by these horrible people. I always admire characters like this and only wish I could react like her under that sort of duress.
My Score: 3.5/5 stars.
*I received this ebook as a complementary copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.
July 13, 2012
Published to: Bookish (www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com)
Devri Walls' debut YA fantasy novel is a richly imagined tale of destiny, lies and promises, epic quests, pain, heartbreak and finding your own place in the world. It's a high fantasy novel, and a really good one at that. With an interesting premise and unique approach to the concept of good and evil, it's a novel that really stands out; a memorable and enjoyable addition to the genre.
The world envisioned in this story is beautiful, enthralling and fascinating. It's full of breath-taking places and fantastic creatures (including dragons and shape-shifters). Wings of Arian has everything a good fantasy novel should have: solid, well-thought-out plot line, characters that you actually want to read about, beautifully depicted settings, some decent action, sweeping romance (with a great build-up!), tension, magic, and ancient prophecies. What else could you possibly ask for? The lead character, Kiora, learns that she is the Solus.The faith of the entire world lies in her hands. She is the only one who has the power to face and defeat the evil Dralazar. All she has to do is learn how to use magic. The only problem is.. up until now Kiora had no idea that magic even existed..
As much as I enjoyed the entrancing world building and the deliciously magical aspects of the story, I also thought that the character development was somewhat lacking. It didn't affect my enjoyment in a negative way (not much, at least), and I did like both of the main characters a lot, but I would definitely love to learn more about Kiora, where she came from, and how exactly did she end up being the Solus. I guess you don't necessarily need to know all that, you can just take it at face value and have fun following Kiora's adventures, but - in my opinion - the more backdrop details we get, and the more we learn about character's past, the better we can understand the motives behind their actions. I do, however, have to admit that at 462 pages long Wings of Arian is quite a hefty book and adding even more plot threats (especially flashbacks), would have made the end product heavy and hard to digest. Not to mention potentially confusing. At the same time, though, I'd definitely be delighted if Devri decided to write an e-novella (or even a full-blown novel) about Kiora's past - I'd love to get to know her a little better!
I really enjoyed the romance part of the book. I liked Kiora and Emane as a couple, I thought they were great together (and long before they themselves realized that, too!). I appreciated that the love story wasn't rushed - if there's one thing I really hate in YA novels, it's the instant-love theme that seems to be oh-so-very-popular these days. Emane and Kiora took time getting to know - and like - each other. And they didn't always get along, which, too, was fun to watch. They had a great chemistry, though, and seeing their relationship slowly develop and grew stronger with every passing day was both moving and entertaining.
The writing was good for a debut novel. Devri writes with exceptional clarity and grace, making it easy for the reader to immerse themselves in the story and visualize all the settings, characters and events. The book is evenly paced, although it's not exactly what I'd call a page-turner, more like a read you slowly sip and savour.
Overall, Wings Of Arian was a really good novel. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series!
Devri Walls' debut YA fantasy novel is a richly imagined tale of destiny, lies and promises, epic quests, pain, heartbreak and finding your own place in the world. It's a high fantasy novel, and a really good one at that. With an interesting premise and unique approach to the concept of good and evil, it's a novel that really stands out; a memorable and enjoyable addition to the genre.
The world envisioned in this story is beautiful, enthralling and fascinating. It's full of breath-taking places and fantastic creatures (including dragons and shape-shifters). Wings of Arian has everything a good fantasy novel should have: solid, well-thought-out plot line, characters that you actually want to read about, beautifully depicted settings, some decent action, sweeping romance (with a great build-up!), tension, magic, and ancient prophecies. What else could you possibly ask for? The lead character, Kiora, learns that she is the Solus.The faith of the entire world lies in her hands. She is the only one who has the power to face and defeat the evil Dralazar. All she has to do is learn how to use magic. The only problem is.. up until now Kiora had no idea that magic even existed..
As much as I enjoyed the entrancing world building and the deliciously magical aspects of the story, I also thought that the character development was somewhat lacking. It didn't affect my enjoyment in a negative way (not much, at least), and I did like both of the main characters a lot, but I would definitely love to learn more about Kiora, where she came from, and how exactly did she end up being the Solus. I guess you don't necessarily need to know all that, you can just take it at face value and have fun following Kiora's adventures, but - in my opinion - the more backdrop details we get, and the more we learn about character's past, the better we can understand the motives behind their actions. I do, however, have to admit that at 462 pages long Wings of Arian is quite a hefty book and adding even more plot threats (especially flashbacks), would have made the end product heavy and hard to digest. Not to mention potentially confusing. At the same time, though, I'd definitely be delighted if Devri decided to write an e-novella (or even a full-blown novel) about Kiora's past - I'd love to get to know her a little better!
I really enjoyed the romance part of the book. I liked Kiora and Emane as a couple, I thought they were great together (and long before they themselves realized that, too!). I appreciated that the love story wasn't rushed - if there's one thing I really hate in YA novels, it's the instant-love theme that seems to be oh-so-very-popular these days. Emane and Kiora took time getting to know - and like - each other. And they didn't always get along, which, too, was fun to watch. They had a great chemistry, though, and seeing their relationship slowly develop and grew stronger with every passing day was both moving and entertaining.
The writing was good for a debut novel. Devri writes with exceptional clarity and grace, making it easy for the reader to immerse themselves in the story and visualize all the settings, characters and events. The book is evenly paced, although it's not exactly what I'd call a page-turner, more like a read you slowly sip and savour.
Overall, Wings Of Arian was a really good novel. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series!
February 20, 2016
Truthfully, I signed up for my first blog tour due to the amazing banner design based off of the cover of the last book in the series, Wings of Lomay, which is actually what this blog tour is promoting. Other than that, I didn't have a specific reason for signing up for Wings of Arian, but luckily, it turned out to be pretty good. It wasn't super special or anything, but I didn't find any reason to hate it!
The beginning of the series starts out with discovering who the Solus is, in other words, Kiora, who not only has the ability to control magic, but is part of this huge prophecy that states that she will save the world from darkness and unite all species. But, unfortunately due to the humans and the King, all non-magical beings have no clue that 1) magic exists, and 2) other species besides humans exists. Sure, there's history books and stuff, but who believes in that?
Enter Prince Emane. He hardly paid attention to his history lessons, and now when he's called to protect the Solus against an evil strong enough to destroy them all, he's clueless. But regardless, he still chooses to be Kiora's Protector anyway, no matter what his father, the King says.
Like I said before, Wings of Arian didn't really leave a memorable mark, but I did enjoy some of the unique features of the story. LIKE PEGASUSES!
And then also, each living being having a their own individual thread. Which is pretty cool in a way. OH and did I mention Shapeshifters? Basically, everyone is either on the side of Kiora and her "guardians/teachers", or on the side OF EVILLLLLLL (aka this main villain dude called Dralazar), or just completely oblivious because they're human.
Unfortunately, I did have a couple of problems with the book. It wasn't perfect. First off, much of the storytelling is in the form of dialogue. As in both Kiora and reader discover new information through the conversations she has with her teachers, the Ancient ones, Arturo the Pegasus, and then the main love interest (can you guess?). It was fine in the beginning, but over time, it got a little boring.
Plus most of the conversations between the two lovebirds were very typical, like "I don't want to stand by without doing anything!", or "I will not allow you to get hurt!" It really felt like the main characters were just really, immature.
And then lastly, I was not a fan of the villain. Honestly, this book felt like a children's movie to me. Dralazar wasn't as powerful as he was said to be, and he was constantly outwitted by Kiora and Eleana, one of Kiora's "guardians". Like really. Eleana, being extremely powerful, managed to sneak into his "lair" and pretty much turn off his "magic pool of water that lets him track Kiora". And then while she leaves, he curses her and yells out. Like what? HOW DID HE GET BEATEN SO EASILY?? I don't understand!
And of course Kiora meets him some point along the way, and he's super handsome and tall.
But an idiot...
Haha ok I'll stop. But that's really how I felt about the so called evil side. I thought the sides were so unbalanced, that it ended up really bothering me. Obviously, I don't know what happens in the sequels, but for now, this is how I feel.
In conclusion, Wings of Arian has great potential as the first in its series. Even though there were some things here and there that could be better, I still enjoyed reading it.
The beginning of the series starts out with discovering who the Solus is, in other words, Kiora, who not only has the ability to control magic, but is part of this huge prophecy that states that she will save the world from darkness and unite all species. But, unfortunately due to the humans and the King, all non-magical beings have no clue that 1) magic exists, and 2) other species besides humans exists. Sure, there's history books and stuff, but who believes in that?
Enter Prince Emane. He hardly paid attention to his history lessons, and now when he's called to protect the Solus against an evil strong enough to destroy them all, he's clueless. But regardless, he still chooses to be Kiora's Protector anyway, no matter what his father, the King says.
Like I said before, Wings of Arian didn't really leave a memorable mark, but I did enjoy some of the unique features of the story. LIKE PEGASUSES!
And then also, each living being having a their own individual thread. Which is pretty cool in a way. OH and did I mention Shapeshifters? Basically, everyone is either on the side of Kiora and her "guardians/teachers", or on the side OF EVILLLLLLL (aka this main villain dude called Dralazar), or just completely oblivious because they're human.
Unfortunately, I did have a couple of problems with the book. It wasn't perfect. First off, much of the storytelling is in the form of dialogue. As in both Kiora and reader discover new information through the conversations she has with her teachers, the Ancient ones, Arturo the Pegasus, and then the main love interest (can you guess?). It was fine in the beginning, but over time, it got a little boring.
Plus most of the conversations between the two lovebirds were very typical, like "I don't want to stand by without doing anything!", or "I will not allow you to get hurt!" It really felt like the main characters were just really, immature.
And then lastly, I was not a fan of the villain. Honestly, this book felt like a children's movie to me. Dralazar wasn't as powerful as he was said to be, and he was constantly outwitted by Kiora and Eleana, one of Kiora's "guardians". Like really. Eleana, being extremely powerful, managed to sneak into his "lair" and pretty much turn off his "magic pool of water that lets him track Kiora". And then while she leaves, he curses her and yells out. Like what? HOW DID HE GET BEATEN SO EASILY?? I don't understand!
And of course Kiora meets him some point along the way, and he's super handsome and tall.
But an idiot...
Haha ok I'll stop. But that's really how I felt about the so called evil side. I thought the sides were so unbalanced, that it ended up really bothering me. Obviously, I don't know what happens in the sequels, but for now, this is how I feel.
In conclusion, Wings of Arian has great potential as the first in its series. Even though there were some things here and there that could be better, I still enjoyed reading it.
September 29, 2012
Review also appears on my blog
This is definitely a great fantasy book. I loved everything about it. Kiora is a great heroine who really struggles with the role she was forced to take on.Emane is an arrogant prince that I really want to meet. So let me actually start the review.
I loved how this book focused on the history and background. We don't just have information showed at us, we discover it as we read. The writing was so detailed and amazing and I really felt like I was in the palaces and caves being described. I think that the vivid writing is one of the things that made this story so great.
The plot took my breath away. It was so involved that to even talk about it would give so much away. The basic idea is that Kiora is the Solus and it's her job to make sure that Dralazar doesn't come to power and that the people in her kingdom stay safe. However, she won't have to do this alone she will have loyal friends and of course a Protector, whose job is to make sure she stays safe. The protector is like the other half of the Solus but not is a soul mate kind of way. It's more that the Protector contains a quality lacked by the Solus. It's a really great idea.
I loved Kiora and Emane. At first their relationship was so funny with them being so mean to each other, but I really got to fall in love with them as they started falling in love with each other. Also to be fair they took a while to fall in love so no ista-love here :)
Anyway if you like fantasy then this book is a must read.
This is definitely a great fantasy book. I loved everything about it. Kiora is a great heroine who really struggles with the role she was forced to take on.Emane is an arrogant prince that I really want to meet. So let me actually start the review.
I loved how this book focused on the history and background. We don't just have information showed at us, we discover it as we read. The writing was so detailed and amazing and I really felt like I was in the palaces and caves being described. I think that the vivid writing is one of the things that made this story so great.
The plot took my breath away. It was so involved that to even talk about it would give so much away. The basic idea is that Kiora is the Solus and it's her job to make sure that Dralazar doesn't come to power and that the people in her kingdom stay safe. However, she won't have to do this alone she will have loyal friends and of course a Protector, whose job is to make sure she stays safe. The protector is like the other half of the Solus but not is a soul mate kind of way. It's more that the Protector contains a quality lacked by the Solus. It's a really great idea.
I loved Kiora and Emane. At first their relationship was so funny with them being so mean to each other, but I really got to fall in love with them as they started falling in love with each other. Also to be fair they took a while to fall in love so no ista-love here :)
Anyway if you like fantasy then this book is a must read.
February 8, 2015
First let me say that I have read the rest of this series, and LOVED it. I wanted to start out saying that because sadly, I wasn't crazy about this first book. I found that I had to push myself to finish it. The first two thirds are rough. Kiora's story starts out a few weeks after her journey has begun, and bits of her info are fed throughout the book. This for me made it hard to connect with her, and the rest of the characters. I also had a hard time liking Kiora in this book because she was so juvenile, naive, and downright whinny. I felt the need to roll my eyes more than once. I just kept thinking the story, as well as the characters felt really flat. BUT two thirds into the book the story picked up, and I started to care about the characters a little more. By the end I decided that I was invested in the story enough to give the second book a try, and let me tell you, I am so glad I did! Each book of the series progressively got better, and better. I laughed, cried, and freaked out several times throughout this series. I still can't believe how strongly I felt the emotions of this story. If you enjoy fantasy novels, then please give this series a try. I plan to reread it again and again. I keep finding myself missing the characters, and heartbroken that the story had to come to an end. I really fell in love with the characters, and the world they live in. Im thankful I decided to stick with it after a rough start!
June 28, 2012
Ah this book brought The Never Ending Story to mind. What with the Rockmen and the flying pink fluffy dog/iguana? I enjoyed the story, as well as the unanticipated nostalgia. The storyline was decent, and I loved Emane's description of love.
What I did not like was that there was no buildup of how Kiora was found to be the Solus or much backdrop between her and Emane. It referenced things that happened in the past between them kind of in a way that implied the reader should already have knowledge of these things. Like how they met--which I would have liked to have read about. It just threw you into their personalities without anything behind it. I also would have liked to have read about her learning to use her abilities. There was not a lot of action which surprised me. And what action there was, was extremely short lived. That annoyed me a bit considering how long the book was...I would have liked there to have been more oomph to it rather than reading all about misconceptions and insecurities.
I loved Emane's character. I like that he didn't change too much throughout the book with his firecracker ways.
I will read the next one. Hopefully there will be more action though.
What I did not like was that there was no buildup of how Kiora was found to be the Solus or much backdrop between her and Emane. It referenced things that happened in the past between them kind of in a way that implied the reader should already have knowledge of these things. Like how they met--which I would have liked to have read about. It just threw you into their personalities without anything behind it. I also would have liked to have read about her learning to use her abilities. There was not a lot of action which surprised me. And what action there was, was extremely short lived. That annoyed me a bit considering how long the book was...I would have liked there to have been more oomph to it rather than reading all about misconceptions and insecurities.
I loved Emane's character. I like that he didn't change too much throughout the book with his firecracker ways.
I will read the next one. Hopefully there will be more action though.
July 29, 2013
I struggled to get started with this book but by the halfway point I found myself intrigued by the story and anxious to continue. Having said that though, I did feel like the character development was a bit hurried in places. I suppose in a way this is a compliment because I liked the characters enough that I wished more time had been spent on the story between the action. Stand out characters in the story for me are Arturo and Drustan. They played key roles in aiding the Solus and her protector, Prince Emane.
I bought the 2nd book immediately after I finished and am looking forward to starting it!
I bought the 2nd book immediately after I finished and am looking forward to starting it!
January 13, 2016
Free on iBooks
I did like it but compared to other fantasy novels I have read it feels like it's trying too hard. The world building doesn't really exist, you're just thrown ito no man's land to figure it out fir yourself in an attempt to create mystery and Tha didn't quite work for me. However, it does, for the most part, come together in the end.
I did like it but compared to other fantasy novels I have read it feels like it's trying too hard. The world building doesn't really exist, you're just thrown ito no man's land to figure it out fir yourself in an attempt to create mystery and Tha didn't quite work for me. However, it does, for the most part, come together in the end.
Want to read
March 17, 2012THe cover ahhhh O_O freaking sexy! the synopsis sounds awesome too. ME. WANT.
June 23, 2012
Yes yes yes! Everyone needs to read this. And i thought that i had heard every name that sounded like/ was similar to Kara, but Kiora proved me wrong. XD
Want to read
August 1, 2014Kindle free download 8/1/14.
May 9, 2016
When a book is free, it doesn't always turn out good :/
Too long, too boring, and just not enjoyable.
Too long, too boring, and just not enjoyable.
October 12, 2019
God I love this series!!!!!!!! This series is so under hyped and really deserves more people reading it and loving it!!!!! Morcant!!
tbr-later
November 5, 201516 July 2014: $0.00 FREE on Kindle
July 23, 2020
**No spoilers were harmed in the making of this review**
"You will be a force to be reckoned with, my Solus"
Okay guys, so I reread Wings of Arian (Solus, #1) by Devri Walls. Gods, I forgot how good it was. How consuming it was,, raw, powerful, gods...The storyline by itself is really good, and the writing as well, if only just slightly heavy on some descriptions but they are necessary to establish a situation or environment. But, as always, it is the characters that are the heart and soul of this novel. They breathe life into it, and love, and loss, and anger, fear, sorrow, everything. These characters are everything. This book can be a fast read, but it is better if you slow down to devour all the beauty it is. Kiora, gods I just love her so much. She is faced with so much, but she handles it like a trooper. No matter how bad things get, she continues on. Her soul and spirit are strong. She is amazing. And Emane, oh my gods I fell in love with him all over again. Oh gods he is wonderful. He is so wise and heartfelt, when he allows himself to be. ANd protective, gods so protective. Mmhm, what I wouldnt give...I can totally understand why Kiora wanted him, hell, I want him. Like yes please. I want a Protector of my own, kay? Can someone make that happen?? Not only were the main characters amazing, the side characters were memorable as well, Morcant, Aleric, Drustan. Drustan, oh Drustan is my witty little baby who also needs to be protected at all costs. Humrous little thing. Actually I really love the humour sparkled within this book, despite the heavier topics it deals with. it is refreshing. This book deals alot with the ongoing battle between good and evil, and what can influence someone to pick either side. The results of the war between the forces, pain, suffering, it gets deep. And the history within this book is great, oh, and the magic! The magic use in this book is phenomenal, and easy enough to read so one can follow along with what is occuring without getting too terribly lost.This book deals alot with balance of things, like how good and evil are there to balance one another, the protector and solus make up for each other weakneses through their strengths, etc. This book is truly amazing, and there is so much under the surface, so many tones and teachings, just ripe for the taking. Remember, this is all my opinion, if you want your own, read the book.
"You will be a force to be reckoned with, my Solus"
Okay guys, so I reread Wings of Arian (Solus, #1) by Devri Walls. Gods, I forgot how good it was. How consuming it was,, raw, powerful, gods...The storyline by itself is really good, and the writing as well, if only just slightly heavy on some descriptions but they are necessary to establish a situation or environment. But, as always, it is the characters that are the heart and soul of this novel. They breathe life into it, and love, and loss, and anger, fear, sorrow, everything. These characters are everything. This book can be a fast read, but it is better if you slow down to devour all the beauty it is. Kiora, gods I just love her so much. She is faced with so much, but she handles it like a trooper. No matter how bad things get, she continues on. Her soul and spirit are strong. She is amazing. And Emane, oh my gods I fell in love with him all over again. Oh gods he is wonderful. He is so wise and heartfelt, when he allows himself to be. ANd protective, gods so protective. Mmhm, what I wouldnt give...I can totally understand why Kiora wanted him, hell, I want him. Like yes please. I want a Protector of my own, kay? Can someone make that happen?? Not only were the main characters amazing, the side characters were memorable as well, Morcant, Aleric, Drustan. Drustan, oh Drustan is my witty little baby who also needs to be protected at all costs. Humrous little thing. Actually I really love the humour sparkled within this book, despite the heavier topics it deals with. it is refreshing. This book deals alot with the ongoing battle between good and evil, and what can influence someone to pick either side. The results of the war between the forces, pain, suffering, it gets deep. And the history within this book is great, oh, and the magic! The magic use in this book is phenomenal, and easy enough to read so one can follow along with what is occuring without getting too terribly lost.This book deals alot with balance of things, like how good and evil are there to balance one another, the protector and solus make up for each other weakneses through their strengths, etc. This book is truly amazing, and there is so much under the surface, so many tones and teachings, just ripe for the taking. Remember, this is all my opinion, if you want your own, read the book.
May 20, 2017
Wings of Arian was not totally what I expected it to be. What drew me in was the lovely cover, minus the snake of course.
Kiora is the main character and I was a bit confused at the start as to what was going on with things. The story starts in the middle of Kiora's training so I was a bit lost as to what Kiora was doing at the start of the book. I did some growth with Kiora as she learned to embrace the magic in her and her job as The Solus. Having lived her live in a sheltered valley Kiora is not overly sure of her destiny but she knows she wants to do what is right for the people who look to her.
Emane is the crowned prince and used to everyone falling all over themselves to grant him his every wish. His father takes pride in the fact that his family line has no magic. It is to Emane's horror and his fathers that Emane is destined to the be protector of the Solus. Going into combat for someone is not so bad but doing it for Kiora, a girl he cannot stand, is a true test.
Kiora's and Emane's relation was a bit of a struggle to read at times. It felt like it changed around a lot and quickly. One moment they hated each other and the next they were hugging. It just felt a bit far fetched. I did see a few typos and a few words missing letters but it did not take away from the story. I personally met the author and she told me about the stories so I know this was her first book. I could tell it was a first attempt at writing but I was also able to see how the writing evolved over time and smoothed out. I hope to see further improvement in the rest of the series.
Kiora is the main character and I was a bit confused at the start as to what was going on with things. The story starts in the middle of Kiora's training so I was a bit lost as to what Kiora was doing at the start of the book. I did some growth with Kiora as she learned to embrace the magic in her and her job as The Solus. Having lived her live in a sheltered valley Kiora is not overly sure of her destiny but she knows she wants to do what is right for the people who look to her.
Emane is the crowned prince and used to everyone falling all over themselves to grant him his every wish. His father takes pride in the fact that his family line has no magic. It is to Emane's horror and his fathers that Emane is destined to the be protector of the Solus. Going into combat for someone is not so bad but doing it for Kiora, a girl he cannot stand, is a true test.
Kiora's and Emane's relation was a bit of a struggle to read at times. It felt like it changed around a lot and quickly. One moment they hated each other and the next they were hugging. It just felt a bit far fetched. I did see a few typos and a few words missing letters but it did not take away from the story. I personally met the author and she told me about the stories so I know this was her first book. I could tell it was a first attempt at writing but I was also able to see how the writing evolved over time and smoothed out. I hope to see further improvement in the rest of the series.
April 24, 2018
This is a three because of grammar and the speed of the story. In the beginning, it felt very rushed. Things were already in place and there was a huge gap from one scene to the next. The first part of the middle got better, but then the second part of the middle felt rushed again. Things were missing that could have added to the story. The ending was better, but there were still things missing.
What I also don’t get is the cover. It’s of the Prince, but the story is about Kiora. Yes, he plays a huge part in it, but having read the back first, you would think the cover would have a picture of her, not the prince. Or he cover should have had both of them, since it’s their story and their struggle together.
Their connection felt really rushed...one second they despise each other and can’t get along, the next they’re suddenly deciding (in the same scene) to be nicer to each other. There wasn’t any development between their relationship, and it made that part of their story a little unbelievable. It happened too soon and we didn’t get to see their relationship develop.
This is still a good story and I want to read the next one.
What I also don’t get is the cover. It’s of the Prince, but the story is about Kiora. Yes, he plays a huge part in it, but having read the back first, you would think the cover would have a picture of her, not the prince. Or he cover should have had both of them, since it’s their story and their struggle together.
Their connection felt really rushed...one second they despise each other and can’t get along, the next they’re suddenly deciding (in the same scene) to be nicer to each other. There wasn’t any development between their relationship, and it made that part of their story a little unbelievable. It happened too soon and we didn’t get to see their relationship develop.
This is still a good story and I want to read the next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2013
I think my more accurate rating would be 3.9 stars.
Positives:
I don't usually like the high fantasy genre, let alone YA fantasy. It doesn't appeal to me, but I liked this book. Devri has an easy-to-read writing style and I found myself flying through this book, so don't be deterred by the length. But I also enjoyed reading it. I constantly had to read one more chapter to see all of the places that Kiora and Emane would go, the creatures they would meet and where their journey would take them.
I loved the settings and the backdrop of the novel. Her descriptions easily paint a beautiful picture in your mind of this magical land, and the creatures and people that inhabit it. It's a very visually stimulating book and I found myself wishing there were full color pictures in it. I especially loved the place where the Shapeshifters lived with the waterfall, loved the Hollow, and the flights that Kiora and Emane would take over the beautiful land.
A lot of the scenes in the book were really well done and well written. I liked the part where Emane gets his magic. I thought it was very clever and original, and I really liked the twist it gave to the story, making it a bit more unique. I also like the battle scene at the lake. I liked pretty much all of the action scenes and I wish that they were longer in the book.
I also liked the love between Emane and Kiora. Like others have said, it's not an insta-love. A friendship between the two had to develop first and that blossomed into love as they spent more time together, and even by the end, they certainly aren't falling all over each other. There's still hesitation. A breath of fresh air in the YA genre, and a good relationship role model for other teenagers who read the book. Really high marks just for the love-relationship.
Definitely liked the themes the book dealt with -- everyone having a role and a place in the world, unique to their abilities, and not wanting to covet what another has. What love is (sacrificing, being connected with each other, trust, wanting what the other wants even if you don't), ramifications of war and the complexity of goodness in war. These themes were touched on, and I'd like to see them explored deeper in the rest of the series.
Negatives:
I think a lot of my negatives would stem from character development. Kiora and Emane could have been more complex in personality and emotional depth. They reacted the same way to nearly every situation. Kiora would cry, and Emane would stubbornly fight against it, or be incredulous that he or someone else would do such a thing. They seemed to have very little range in how they approached situations. We also didn't get much of their backstories. With Kiora, eventually she becomes a strong character and I hope that continues on into the next book (I really liked her by the end), but it was a rough road getting her to that point, and at times she was quite impossible to deal with because she was constantly crying at the drop of a hat. I understand her childlike-ness and her innocence, but there needed to be more of a balance. It created a lot of angst in the novel.
One of my biggest issues with the protagonists (and this might be just because it's the first book in the series), but I don't buy them as the sort of saviors of this magical land. Every single battle they were in, Kiora and Emane were saved by much more powerful characters -- pegasus, dragons, Shapeshifters, other fairies -- even in the final battle, they were saved. Not once did they win a battle by themselves on their own merits. There was one point at the lake where Kiora really demonstrated her power, but again, they were helped immensely by a Shapeshifter dragon. I just don't buy her as the most powerful Solus, and he as the Protector, when they are clearly the weak links. Every other character -- Eleana, Aleric, Arturo, Morcant, Drustan -- is ten times more powerful than they are, and do more to prove it in battle than Kiora or Emane do.
The same can be said for Dralazar, the Big Bad. He wasn't intimidating as a villain at all. He did nothing to prove his evilness. Everyone talked him up as the evilest evil that ever eviled, but all he really did was talk. Emane killed off more characters than Dralazar did. I found his dragons and Vitraya and his hounds more vicious because they at least racked up a body count. If the protagonists and antagonists were stronger in their abilities, the climax at the end of the novel would have been much stronger than it was.
Characters such as Layla, Ciera, San and Gwen, who were more present towards the end of the novel, I felt no attachment to, because we hadn't had time to get to know who they were. So I couldn't understand their actions, motivations nor empathize with what happened to them. They should have had more of a presence throughout the novel and have been more involved so that what does happen to them, or what they choose to do, would have been stronger and packed more of an emotional punch, as it does for Kiora. She may have known them all her life, but the reader hasn't. If the characters were stronger, the novel as a whole would have been much stronger.
I liked this novel and I enjoyed reading it. It's a page-turner and I'm excited to see where it goes for the second one. It has a lot of potential, and is a good debut novel. It's a different read than most YA novels. It teaches good lessons to its readers and the protagonists struggle and work hard to get where they are, in their ability, in their relationship, and in their belief in themselves. Definitely reading the second one and I'm curious to see where she goes with the characters and the story.
And the cover is very beautiful.
Positives:
I don't usually like the high fantasy genre, let alone YA fantasy. It doesn't appeal to me, but I liked this book. Devri has an easy-to-read writing style and I found myself flying through this book, so don't be deterred by the length. But I also enjoyed reading it. I constantly had to read one more chapter to see all of the places that Kiora and Emane would go, the creatures they would meet and where their journey would take them.
I loved the settings and the backdrop of the novel. Her descriptions easily paint a beautiful picture in your mind of this magical land, and the creatures and people that inhabit it. It's a very visually stimulating book and I found myself wishing there were full color pictures in it. I especially loved the place where the Shapeshifters lived with the waterfall, loved the Hollow, and the flights that Kiora and Emane would take over the beautiful land.
A lot of the scenes in the book were really well done and well written. I liked the part where Emane gets his magic. I thought it was very clever and original, and I really liked the twist it gave to the story, making it a bit more unique. I also like the battle scene at the lake. I liked pretty much all of the action scenes and I wish that they were longer in the book.
I also liked the love between Emane and Kiora. Like others have said, it's not an insta-love. A friendship between the two had to develop first and that blossomed into love as they spent more time together, and even by the end, they certainly aren't falling all over each other. There's still hesitation. A breath of fresh air in the YA genre, and a good relationship role model for other teenagers who read the book. Really high marks just for the love-relationship.
Definitely liked the themes the book dealt with -- everyone having a role and a place in the world, unique to their abilities, and not wanting to covet what another has. What love is (sacrificing, being connected with each other, trust, wanting what the other wants even if you don't), ramifications of war and the complexity of goodness in war. These themes were touched on, and I'd like to see them explored deeper in the rest of the series.
Negatives:
I think a lot of my negatives would stem from character development. Kiora and Emane could have been more complex in personality and emotional depth. They reacted the same way to nearly every situation. Kiora would cry, and Emane would stubbornly fight against it, or be incredulous that he or someone else would do such a thing. They seemed to have very little range in how they approached situations. We also didn't get much of their backstories. With Kiora, eventually she becomes a strong character and I hope that continues on into the next book (I really liked her by the end), but it was a rough road getting her to that point, and at times she was quite impossible to deal with because she was constantly crying at the drop of a hat. I understand her childlike-ness and her innocence, but there needed to be more of a balance. It created a lot of angst in the novel.
One of my biggest issues with the protagonists (and this might be just because it's the first book in the series), but I don't buy them as the sort of saviors of this magical land. Every single battle they were in, Kiora and Emane were saved by much more powerful characters -- pegasus, dragons, Shapeshifters, other fairies -- even in the final battle, they were saved. Not once did they win a battle by themselves on their own merits. There was one point at the lake where Kiora really demonstrated her power, but again, they were helped immensely by a Shapeshifter dragon. I just don't buy her as the most powerful Solus, and he as the Protector, when they are clearly the weak links. Every other character -- Eleana, Aleric, Arturo, Morcant, Drustan -- is ten times more powerful than they are, and do more to prove it in battle than Kiora or Emane do.
The same can be said for Dralazar, the Big Bad. He wasn't intimidating as a villain at all. He did nothing to prove his evilness. Everyone talked him up as the evilest evil that ever eviled, but all he really did was talk. Emane killed off more characters than Dralazar did. I found his dragons and Vitraya and his hounds more vicious because they at least racked up a body count. If the protagonists and antagonists were stronger in their abilities, the climax at the end of the novel would have been much stronger than it was.
Characters such as Layla, Ciera, San and Gwen, who were more present towards the end of the novel, I felt no attachment to, because we hadn't had time to get to know who they were. So I couldn't understand their actions, motivations nor empathize with what happened to them. They should have had more of a presence throughout the novel and have been more involved so that what does happen to them, or what they choose to do, would have been stronger and packed more of an emotional punch, as it does for Kiora. She may have known them all her life, but the reader hasn't. If the characters were stronger, the novel as a whole would have been much stronger.
I liked this novel and I enjoyed reading it. It's a page-turner and I'm excited to see where it goes for the second one. It has a lot of potential, and is a good debut novel. It's a different read than most YA novels. It teaches good lessons to its readers and the protagonists struggle and work hard to get where they are, in their ability, in their relationship, and in their belief in themselves. Definitely reading the second one and I'm curious to see where she goes with the characters and the story.
And the cover is very beautiful.
August 5, 2017
There is a lot to learn in this first of the series. It's a little hard to get into the story, there is so much to learn about the world we are about to delve into. Our young heroine, Kiora, who's been lied to pretty much her whole life, somewhat falls into her new and real world of kingdoms, dragons & prophecies. This books is either a love it or hate it, depending upon your taste in fantasy. It took me a little longer to read it than expected, but I expect that's because of the world building, which always gets me a bit lost until I can really connect with the characters. There is a romance between characters, and at first they hate each other. The outcome, you'll have to read to find out. This story is very much an adventure, and once you get into it I think you'll like it.
November 11, 2016
Awesome! Only two things I would have preferred if it was mostly in kiora's first person pov and if I could feel sexual tension between her and the Prince although their love was very romantic. I loved the conversations between them how they opened up to each other it was beautiful :) onto the next...
September 15, 2017
Wings of Arian is a decent YA novel. There were sections that I felt could have been written more concisely, but for the most part, it was an enjoyable read. I am left with some lingering questions about the characters and the story development, which makes me interested in reading the second book in the series sometime in the future to see where the story goes from here.
February 9, 2019
DNF - quit by 5%
Wow this book lost my attention quickly! I couldn’t get into the fantasy background that just seemed way to childish for me. There was no hook to the first 5%, so it may get better for others who are more determined, but with out something catching my interest, the middle makes no difference to me. Does have a fab cover, the reason for me even giving it a try.
Wow this book lost my attention quickly! I couldn’t get into the fantasy background that just seemed way to childish for me. There was no hook to the first 5%, so it may get better for others who are more determined, but with out something catching my interest, the middle makes no difference to me. Does have a fab cover, the reason for me even giving it a try.
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