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Stone Portals #1
On Fallen Wings
Faeries are supposed to be perfect.
Rhiannon was. Her life was. Then her betrothed disappeared.
She tried to be strong. She asked for help. There's only so much trying and asking will do.
So, she took action.
That's when everything fell apart.
On Fallen Wings is book one in the Stone Portals series.
Rhiannon was. Her life was. Then her betrothed disappeared.
She tried to be strong. She asked for help. There's only so much trying and asking will do.
So, she took action.
That's when everything fell apart.
On Fallen Wings is book one in the Stone Portals series.
332 pages, Paperback
First published March 8, 2012
23 people are currently reading
1037 people want to read
About the author
Jamie McHenry
5 books16 followersWhen I'm not plotting tales in my head, I spend my days with my wife and children. In sight of a large lake and snow crested mountains, the adventures unfold, both real and imagined. The mysteries are real and there's a thriller in all of them.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 20, 2012
I wrote it and I keep reading it.
August 5, 2012
If you want to see more of my reviews, check out my blog @ Moosubi Reviews!
Rating Clarification: 2.5 / 5 Stars
Although this book was definitely well edited and had beautiful prose, On Fallen Wings wasn’t a book that appealed to me…
My main problem with this book was the heroine, Rhiannon. I had a hard time believing Rhiannon was the perfect Fae that everyone expected her to be. According to Fae rules, she wasn’t supposed to hurt anyone on purpose – however, I found that there were many instances where she hurt a lot of people. There were a lot of times where I thought Rhiannon was being selfish and annoying, especially in the end of the book. I know that she was supposed to be , however, if she was as strong and “perfect” as people described her, I find it hard to believe she would act the way she did.
The world the characters lived in seemed incomplete to me. I’m not quite sure if I’m remembering correctly, but I don’t recall a lot of explanation about the Fae scrolls and the Elders. Part of the reason I found Rhiannon so annoying was her choice between . I didn’t comprehend my the scrolls were so important – as Rhiannon’s father said, Morgan couldn’t read them anyways. I knew that the scrolls were important to the Fae; however, I feel like the author didn’t explain why, so I probably didn’t understand completely why Rhiannon was so torn. The Elders were another group that was always mentioned, but never really explained. I remember Cael talking about them, however I never really understood what exactly their roles were, and why they were so prestigious. Without those key concepts, I had a hard time connecting with a lot of the characters and understanding the character’s decisions.
The plot also seemed pretty simplistic to me. I found that I could predict the plot pretty easily, and that Rhiannon’s role in the novel wasn’t that significant. Sure, she ventured into a cave and got some armor. Sure, she But what about Sean and Cael? Compared to the actions of those two, Rhiannon didn’t do much except for cry and dance.
On a side note, On Fallen Wings may appeal to other readers. Rhiannon’s pain, to an extent, is kind of realistic, and the roles of the Fae as well as their rules may make more sense to other readers. Personally, however, I could not make sense of it and did not enjoy this novel.
Rating Clarification: 2.5 / 5 Stars
Although this book was definitely well edited and had beautiful prose, On Fallen Wings wasn’t a book that appealed to me…
My main problem with this book was the heroine, Rhiannon. I had a hard time believing Rhiannon was the perfect Fae that everyone expected her to be. According to Fae rules, she wasn’t supposed to hurt anyone on purpose – however, I found that there were many instances where she hurt a lot of people. There were a lot of times where I thought Rhiannon was being selfish and annoying, especially in the end of the book. I know that she was supposed to be , however, if she was as strong and “perfect” as people described her, I find it hard to believe she would act the way she did.
The world the characters lived in seemed incomplete to me. I’m not quite sure if I’m remembering correctly, but I don’t recall a lot of explanation about the Fae scrolls and the Elders. Part of the reason I found Rhiannon so annoying was her choice between . I didn’t comprehend my the scrolls were so important – as Rhiannon’s father said, Morgan couldn’t read them anyways. I knew that the scrolls were important to the Fae; however, I feel like the author didn’t explain why, so I probably didn’t understand completely why Rhiannon was so torn. The Elders were another group that was always mentioned, but never really explained. I remember Cael talking about them, however I never really understood what exactly their roles were, and why they were so prestigious. Without those key concepts, I had a hard time connecting with a lot of the characters and understanding the character’s decisions.
The plot also seemed pretty simplistic to me. I found that I could predict the plot pretty easily, and that Rhiannon’s role in the novel wasn’t that significant. Sure, she ventured into a cave and got some armor. Sure, she But what about Sean and Cael? Compared to the actions of those two, Rhiannon didn’t do much except for cry and dance.
On a side note, On Fallen Wings may appeal to other readers. Rhiannon’s pain, to an extent, is kind of realistic, and the roles of the Fae as well as their rules may make more sense to other readers. Personally, however, I could not make sense of it and did not enjoy this novel.
November 20, 2012
Twists all over the place, a well laid plot, and extremely well written. I will look forward to reading on in the series.
Rhiannon is a girl whose fiance goes missing... and she has to decide between betraying her village and saving him, or losing everything she loves.
Rhiannon is a girl whose fiance goes missing... and she has to decide between betraying her village and saving him, or losing everything she loves.
April 3, 2012
Great story! Interesting and well written. I am looking forward to finding out what happens in the next book. :)
May 26, 2012
I loved this book! Very few books have gotten me so emotionally involved with the characters and the choices they make. I can't wait for the next book!!
August 26, 2018
Book Review- On Fallen Wings by Jamie McHenry
Rhiannon is a selected faerie and respected in her village. She lives with her family and spends time with her best friend Nia. She celebrates her day of promise with Sean, her intended. He requests armor and she wants a white horse. Once they fulfill their promise to each other they are free to marry. Sean goes in search for the white horse and is gone for most of the moon season. While he is gone life continues for Rhia. She fulfills her duties as a faerie. She also continues with her work at home and watching for the bandit. A bandit has been stealing things from homes in the village. Rhia awaits Sean’s return, feeling guilty that she requested such a difficult item to find. She feels her life is on hold.
Sean finally returns with his gift. They begin to make wedding plans and are excited for their future. The bandit strikes again, and Sean disappears. Rhia’s life is thrown into chaos as she searches for him, doing everything she can. Sean’s brother asks for the impossible and Rhia must make a tough choice. That choice can cause her to lose everything.
This book started out happy and sweet. Rhiannon loves Sean and is excited for her day of promise. She also enjoys upholding traditions as a faerie. She comes across as a young character but was a good match with Sean. Her innocence shines through pretty brightly. When Sean leaves on his quest, you can feel her worry and guilt. She realizes what a selfish choice she made. You feel her loneliness and uncertainty while he is gone. Once he returns everything is right in her world. Things get back to normal and her relationship continues. However, when the author takes the storyline in the direction he did, I was shocked. Rhiannon is faced with an impossible choice. You feel for her as she agonizes over what she will do.
Then the story turns tragic as the consequences of her decision and the actions of the bandit affect the outcome of her life. It was difficult to read. It actually made me cry to read her devastation. She changes from the beginning and her innocence is completely lost by the end. Her life is not what she thought. It was a good read with a faerie twist. I wonder where her story will go next. I give it a 4 out of 5.
Rhiannon is a selected faerie and respected in her village. She lives with her family and spends time with her best friend Nia. She celebrates her day of promise with Sean, her intended. He requests armor and she wants a white horse. Once they fulfill their promise to each other they are free to marry. Sean goes in search for the white horse and is gone for most of the moon season. While he is gone life continues for Rhia. She fulfills her duties as a faerie. She also continues with her work at home and watching for the bandit. A bandit has been stealing things from homes in the village. Rhia awaits Sean’s return, feeling guilty that she requested such a difficult item to find. She feels her life is on hold.
Sean finally returns with his gift. They begin to make wedding plans and are excited for their future. The bandit strikes again, and Sean disappears. Rhia’s life is thrown into chaos as she searches for him, doing everything she can. Sean’s brother asks for the impossible and Rhia must make a tough choice. That choice can cause her to lose everything.
This book started out happy and sweet. Rhiannon loves Sean and is excited for her day of promise. She also enjoys upholding traditions as a faerie. She comes across as a young character but was a good match with Sean. Her innocence shines through pretty brightly. When Sean leaves on his quest, you can feel her worry and guilt. She realizes what a selfish choice she made. You feel her loneliness and uncertainty while he is gone. Once he returns everything is right in her world. Things get back to normal and her relationship continues. However, when the author takes the storyline in the direction he did, I was shocked. Rhiannon is faced with an impossible choice. You feel for her as she agonizes over what she will do.
Then the story turns tragic as the consequences of her decision and the actions of the bandit affect the outcome of her life. It was difficult to read. It actually made me cry to read her devastation. She changes from the beginning and her innocence is completely lost by the end. Her life is not what she thought. It was a good read with a faerie twist. I wonder where her story will go next. I give it a 4 out of 5.
August 11, 2013
1.5 stars
Usually when I give a book one star, it means that the writing was terrible. That's not the case in this book, though; the writing was just fine,even poetic at times, but the story and the characters annoyed me terribly.
The story is so mushy (I am not a fan of mushy romance) that I rolled my eyes at the book a few times. There are a few subplots that have the potential to be pretty interesting, but the love story is almost all that is talked about the first half of the book. The second half of the book, Sean is...gone...but the main story is still all about Rhiannon's love for him.
The bandit thing (the above mentioned plot that I would have liked to read waaay more about) was only mentioned about a handful of times in the story, and never really got explored at all. I was left with no answers at all.
This is going to sound weird,but I was also thinking Leila was secretly insane because she kept making Rhiannon promise she'd never leave her (sketchy, huh? HUH?) but she ended up being normal. *disappointment*
The same went for Cael, except he'd be the crazy brother. Nope. He's normal too. Sigh.
Rhiannon really got on my nerves because she was almost too perfect at the start of the book, and by the end of the book she got really nasty. Which I get was her grieving for Sean, but I had such a hard time feeling bad for her because of it.
Anyway, I am kind of happy because
So, I might read the next book to see if it answers some questions that I've been wondering about, but most likely not. I think that it's possible a lot of people could like this, because the writing was very good. (That's why it got an extra .5 star from me) But the story itself wasn't for me.
Usually when I give a book one star, it means that the writing was terrible. That's not the case in this book, though; the writing was just fine,even poetic at times, but the story and the characters annoyed me terribly.
The story is so mushy (I am not a fan of mushy romance) that I rolled my eyes at the book a few times. There are a few subplots that have the potential to be pretty interesting, but the love story is almost all that is talked about the first half of the book. The second half of the book, Sean is...gone...but the main story is still all about Rhiannon's love for him.
The bandit thing (the above mentioned plot that I would have liked to read waaay more about) was only mentioned about a handful of times in the story, and never really got explored at all. I was left with no answers at all.
This is going to sound weird,but I was also thinking Leila was secretly insane because she kept making Rhiannon promise she'd never leave her (sketchy, huh? HUH?) but she ended up being normal. *disappointment*
The same went for Cael, except he'd be the crazy brother. Nope. He's normal too. Sigh.
Rhiannon really got on my nerves because she was almost too perfect at the start of the book, and by the end of the book she got really nasty. Which I get was her grieving for Sean, but I had such a hard time feeling bad for her because of it.
Anyway, I am kind of happy because
So, I might read the next book to see if it answers some questions that I've been wondering about, but most likely not. I think that it's possible a lot of people could like this, because the writing was very good. (That's why it got an extra .5 star from me) But the story itself wasn't for me.
March 2, 2017
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14425062
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14425062
August 25, 2012
Romance novels are not my cup of tea - really. But this one was suppose to be about faeries ... and adventure as well.
The characters are fairly real and conversations were good and the plot was interesting ... yet for some reason I finished the book not caring much for it. I still can't place my finger on what it is about the book that felt a little sour, because I can see that most would truly enjoy the book.
The faerie part really surprised me, because she isn't a tiny creature with wings - she's as flesh and blood as you and me. So right off, you have to put all of your preconceived notions about faeries, pack them in a box, and forget them. In Aisling, being a faerie is a HUGE honor and granted to only a very few of the women of the village. It is a position filled with love, joy, and secrecy, fiercely guarded by the members of all ages. Rhiannon is one of the youngest. Outside of her betrothed, Sean, it is her other great love and purpose in life. Yet, the faeries of this story are still just as mysterious as their tiny cousins. The author does a wonderful job of weaving the mystery surrounding this exclusive group of women.
This book is filled with raw emotion; it is not so much a story to tell a tale, as it is a look at the human heart and what causes a person to make the choices that we do in life. Rhiannon is perfect, she has everything that she could ask for, and as a faerie, she is happy and joyful and privy to many secrets of her village. After Sean is taken, she is pulled downward as feelings of hate, despair, and betrayal fill her mind and heart. The journey through her thoughts and the choices that she makes are what makes the magic of this story.
This is almost a coming of age story, but even more so, it is the struggle of a human heart asked to choose between two equally evil choices, and how that choice's results play out. If you choose evil, can good ever come of it?
Now that I think about it, I do know why I didn't like this book. The feelings of despair are raw and real as you see the heart of Rhiannon and as she makes and is forced to face the consequences of her choice. Be sure to have a tissue box handy after the book shifts over to the dark side.
For Full Review: http://www.oscarlettreviews.blogspot....
The characters are fairly real and conversations were good and the plot was interesting ... yet for some reason I finished the book not caring much for it. I still can't place my finger on what it is about the book that felt a little sour, because I can see that most would truly enjoy the book.
The faerie part really surprised me, because she isn't a tiny creature with wings - she's as flesh and blood as you and me. So right off, you have to put all of your preconceived notions about faeries, pack them in a box, and forget them. In Aisling, being a faerie is a HUGE honor and granted to only a very few of the women of the village. It is a position filled with love, joy, and secrecy, fiercely guarded by the members of all ages. Rhiannon is one of the youngest. Outside of her betrothed, Sean, it is her other great love and purpose in life. Yet, the faeries of this story are still just as mysterious as their tiny cousins. The author does a wonderful job of weaving the mystery surrounding this exclusive group of women.
This book is filled with raw emotion; it is not so much a story to tell a tale, as it is a look at the human heart and what causes a person to make the choices that we do in life. Rhiannon is perfect, she has everything that she could ask for, and as a faerie, she is happy and joyful and privy to many secrets of her village. After Sean is taken, she is pulled downward as feelings of hate, despair, and betrayal fill her mind and heart. The journey through her thoughts and the choices that she makes are what makes the magic of this story.
This is almost a coming of age story, but even more so, it is the struggle of a human heart asked to choose between two equally evil choices, and how that choice's results play out. If you choose evil, can good ever come of it?
Now that I think about it, I do know why I didn't like this book. The feelings of despair are raw and real as you see the heart of Rhiannon and as she makes and is forced to face the consequences of her choice. Be sure to have a tissue box handy after the book shifts over to the dark side.
For Full Review: http://www.oscarlettreviews.blogspot....
July 17, 2012
1.5 stars -- I don't like writing reviews where I didn't enjoy the book as a whole...I get so emotionally involved with my reading, that when I'm disappointed I tend to get angry and cranky. So all in all, this was NOT a Lenore kind of book.
I spent most of the book wondering when something was going to happen. So again, doesn't make the book bad, but definitely not what I usually enjoy reading. Lots of description of daily life, and lots of moments where I expect the plot to start ramping up and heading towards a climax, only to have it pass onto other things. I got over 50% through and began wondering if I misremembered the plot summary from here b/c what was mentioned had still not occured.
Maybe I'm too used to a certain formula, but I never warmed to Nia and Cael, and kept expecting them to be the great betrayers of Rhiannon. To be honest, I'm having a hard time letting that go, and still dislike them both even if there is no concrete evidence to suggest they are ill intentioned. I LOVED Sean and Rhiannon together...one of the bright spots. I invested a lot emotionally there. I will hide the rest of this review as it will likely give away too much....
I know now that this book is the first of a series, but I'm afraid the author left everything unanswered. There should be a mystery to keep me looking forward, but if you don't throw me a bone, especially after putting me through an emotional ringer, well I'm just not willing to risk my heart to you again in case I remain unfulfilled.
The book was well written, it was just too slow and descriptive for my personal tastes. But what will keep me from coming back is the lack of hope. It's just not worth it for me. :(
I spent most of the book wondering when something was going to happen. So again, doesn't make the book bad, but definitely not what I usually enjoy reading. Lots of description of daily life, and lots of moments where I expect the plot to start ramping up and heading towards a climax, only to have it pass onto other things. I got over 50% through and began wondering if I misremembered the plot summary from here b/c what was mentioned had still not occured.
Maybe I'm too used to a certain formula, but I never warmed to Nia and Cael, and kept expecting them to be the great betrayers of Rhiannon. To be honest, I'm having a hard time letting that go, and still dislike them both even if there is no concrete evidence to suggest they are ill intentioned. I LOVED Sean and Rhiannon together...one of the bright spots. I invested a lot emotionally there. I will hide the rest of this review as it will likely give away too much....
I know now that this book is the first of a series, but I'm afraid the author left everything unanswered. There should be a mystery to keep me looking forward, but if you don't throw me a bone, especially after putting me through an emotional ringer, well I'm just not willing to risk my heart to you again in case I remain unfulfilled.
The book was well written, it was just too slow and descriptive for my personal tastes. But what will keep me from coming back is the lack of hope. It's just not worth it for me. :(
June 9, 2012
I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.
This book was not filled with a lot of action but it seemed to be more about relationships and character development. The last third of the book is a bit more suspenseful and Rhiannon is faced with some difficult decisions. Rhiannon is definitely a different person by the end of the story and how she relates to Sean, her family and Cael is interesting. Cael was the most difficult character to get a handle on and I wasn't sure if I should like or dislike him for a long time.
This book seems to be the first in a series. At least I hope so since there are quite a few unanswered questions. One thing I would have liked is that the author would have explained how the Faeries worked a bit sooner. I felt like I was trying to piece it together for quite awhile.
Overall, I thought Rhiannon was a good main character and the story is told in her voice. I also thought Cael was interesting and was curious as to how things would develop with him. I also liked the family interactions and felt they were quite believable.
This book was not filled with a lot of action but it seemed to be more about relationships and character development. The last third of the book is a bit more suspenseful and Rhiannon is faced with some difficult decisions. Rhiannon is definitely a different person by the end of the story and how she relates to Sean, her family and Cael is interesting. Cael was the most difficult character to get a handle on and I wasn't sure if I should like or dislike him for a long time.
This book seems to be the first in a series. At least I hope so since there are quite a few unanswered questions. One thing I would have liked is that the author would have explained how the Faeries worked a bit sooner. I felt like I was trying to piece it together for quite awhile.
Overall, I thought Rhiannon was a good main character and the story is told in her voice. I also thought Cael was interesting and was curious as to how things would develop with him. I also liked the family interactions and felt they were quite believable.
June 13, 2012
The book is very well written and certainly has an interesting background (lifestyle, way of living). However, I found that there was almost too much character development. The story took a long time to get "epic". Once the story did get moving along, it went by too fast. After looking at the author's website, I realize that it is the first part of a series of books. I hope that the author will move the story along more in future books and I'll certainly read them to find out. As a "first part" it's good, but it could almost be made shorter.
But, I strongly suggest that you should give it a try. It is well written, just don't expect a full out adrenaline rush of an adventure. I'll also add that the ending did have me emotional.
But, I strongly suggest that you should give it a try. It is well written, just don't expect a full out adrenaline rush of an adventure. I'll also add that the ending did have me emotional.
August 25, 2012
The book started off well I enjoyed the writing style. Characters were likeable and the setting was beautiful. But the book went on and on without any action. It took half way through the book for any action to really take place. I'm all about character development but this was excessive. I felt that a lot of the details could of been deleted. Even when the action did pick up in the last half I found that I had lost interest by this point and was merely trying to get through it. I don't think I will be continuing with this series.
November 14, 2012
Sometimes books are difficult to read, but the characters are really likable or the plot is so interesting that I can't stop reading even while I groan at the writing. Sometimes I just don't care enough about the characters to continue reading. Unfortunately, this book fell into the latter category. As a reader, I like to see characters' emotion through their actions, but here I was just told. It was frustrating, because I really wanted to like the book. Maybe it got better later, but I couldn't force myself to read past about a third of the way through.
March 28, 2013
This certainly wasn't as dark as books that I have being reading recently, I thought that entering into a fantasy world would be a lot lighter and more entertaining. I did find that the dilemma that Rhiannon found herself facing could have happened to anyone, and the fact that she was one of the Fae was purely incidental. The plotline was a bit tired and I couldn't really get enthusiastic about any of the characters, maybe it makes more sense in the sequel but I have to decide if I want to go to the trouble of searching it out
May 27, 2014
Featured as a pick of the day back in May 2013 or so, and whilst the synopsis seemed promising, the actual book turned out to be deadly, deadly dull.
It was nearly abandoned as DNF many times, and it was only due to a woman-ful effort that I managed to drag myself through it ... so it's a yawning 2 stars from me.
Although dull, there weren't too many 'bad or ugly bits'; you can see the full Blog Post #448.
It was nearly abandoned as DNF many times, and it was only due to a woman-ful effort that I managed to drag myself through it ... so it's a yawning 2 stars from me.
Although dull, there weren't too many 'bad or ugly bits'; you can see the full Blog Post #448.
November 19, 2012
Loved this book! Got if free for kindle one day a while back, and just now finished it! Never thought that i would get into a fairie book! But wow, i sure was wrong! I flew threw it! At first, it was so perfect...then it became soooooo sad! I almost couldnt believe it...now its over, I NEED MORE! Just got a sample of the 2nd book and im so sad that i cant buy it right now.
May 10, 2013
I liked this book--it was a little slow to begin with, but once the action got going I was hooked. I was actually really glad that the author ended the book the way he did--it was sad, but I liked how it was more realistic, rather than a nice tied-up bow at the end. It made a much more interesting story emotionally.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2012
It was a very adventorous book! Loved the sequences between Rhiannon being happy, to tragedy, leading to confusion. I enjoyed this book very much. Make this the next book on your "to-read" list :)
January 17, 2013
Great book. Loved it.
April 26, 2013
A romance novel masquerading as fantasy.
December 4, 2013
It was like reading cheap fish and chips. Classic but boring. Doesn't have any sides , easy to make and incredibly common. Could have been good but lacked likable characters
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews