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The Chronicles of Brawrloxoss #1
Shahly's Quest
In a place where mystic creatures wander the forests and dragons rule the sky, where magic is common practice and the seasons are ruled by the natural order, the delicate balance of the land would forever be cast into turmoil by an innocent of the wild. With the balance already disrupted by humans, one unicorn would find herself imperiled by forces she could never have imagined. To rescue her heart, Shahly must rescue the stallion she loves from the clutches of the humans. Driven by the love of her stallion, she must enter the world of the humans, known enemies of the unicorns, and put all she is and all she knows at risk to free him. She can't know of the dark forces at work, forces that could be the very undoing of everything she has ever known, forces that could mean the very extinction of her kind, and youth and inexperience conspire against her at every turn, as does her own heart. Before she can realize, she is so entangled with the role she must play to free him that her quest becomes a blur, and at times her very survival depends upon the actions of those around her, some wanting to protect her and others wanting her dead! But treacherous humans and horrific monsters are only part of her problem as another invades her heart, determined to unwittingly take the place of her stallion-and end her simple life as a unicorn forever. To complete her mission, she must battle the unseen forces around her, see through the deceptions, and win a hopeless fight with her own heart. And with only three days and nights to do this, she must rely upon the help of her kind's greatest and deadliest enemy, unaware that he has an agenda of his own.
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First published August 10, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 23, 2012
There are two reasons as to why I read this book. The first reason being that I really love unicorns. And the second reason? It was .99¢ on the Kindle.
I took a chance on this book. It was plain to see what it wasn't widely read but I wasn't going to let that stop me, especially since what few reviews I did see seemed mostly positive. And did I mention it was about a unicorn?
The plot of this book, while simple, seemed promising enough - A young unicorn mare watches her stallion get captured by humans and embarks on a quest to save him. Basic, right? How can you possibly screw that up? Oh, you would be surprised.
There are so many things wrong with this book that I hardly know where to begin.
The first thing that struck me was the horrible pacing. Before you know it Shahly has witnessed the capture of her stallion, Vinton, she has fled her forest with hunters in hot pursuit, she has ran straight across a desert, she has met a dragon, she has also met a wizard, and she has been sent on a very important quest to the foreboding Red Stone Castle to free a mysterious captive by the name of Falloah. All of this happens in less than one day, and barely encompasses 50 pages. A book that moves along at a good clip isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is, however, a bad thing when the rest of the book just slowly limps along, meandering in and out of its sorry excuse for a plot. That is exactly what happens here. One moment Shahly is dodging hunters, set on saving Vinton and completing her quest and the next she's mindlessly wandering Red Stone Castle acting like a hormonal love stricken school girl.
Secondly, the typos, the awkward dialog, the inconsistencies, and the poorly constructed sentences. There was so much structurally wrong with this book. An editor should have taken a critical look at this and snipped away at a good many pointless and unnecessary scenes. There's so much frivolity and silliness that I couldn't take anything seriously. On one page Shahly may be carelessly taking a bubble bath, giggling and splashing her maid without a care in the world, and on the next there's an attempted murder. Hello? Atmosphere, are you there?
I also want to note that the characters themselves are shallow and, more often than not, unbearably annoying. Shahly is especially irritating. She flip flops between being naive and innocent, a unicorn hardly able to grasp the nuances of human speech and courtly manner, and a powerful ethereal being with a strong sense of duty and purpose.
In the end, however, she is neither of these. She's just selfish, shallow and rather stupid. She's so disgustingly underdeveloped that I didn't care one way or the other if she triumphed or failed. Her victories are never her own as this book is near exploding with Dues Ex Machina. Around every corner there is someone waiting to save Shahly, whether it be a dragon, a wizard, a price, a palace guard or a mysterious hunter. She can't do anything for her self. True, she does lament her uselessness on more than one occasion but it doesn't make up for her shortcomings or the author's poor storytelling, it only serves to make her seem whiny.
This book reads like a poorly laid out fanfiction, or a bad role playing session. Please, for your own sake, skip this one even if you, like me, really love unicorns.
I took a chance on this book. It was plain to see what it wasn't widely read but I wasn't going to let that stop me, especially since what few reviews I did see seemed mostly positive. And did I mention it was about a unicorn?
The plot of this book, while simple, seemed promising enough - A young unicorn mare watches her stallion get captured by humans and embarks on a quest to save him. Basic, right? How can you possibly screw that up? Oh, you would be surprised.
There are so many things wrong with this book that I hardly know where to begin.
The first thing that struck me was the horrible pacing. Before you know it Shahly has witnessed the capture of her stallion, Vinton, she has fled her forest with hunters in hot pursuit, she has ran straight across a desert, she has met a dragon, she has also met a wizard, and she has been sent on a very important quest to the foreboding Red Stone Castle to free a mysterious captive by the name of Falloah. All of this happens in less than one day, and barely encompasses 50 pages. A book that moves along at a good clip isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is, however, a bad thing when the rest of the book just slowly limps along, meandering in and out of its sorry excuse for a plot. That is exactly what happens here. One moment Shahly is dodging hunters, set on saving Vinton and completing her quest and the next she's mindlessly wandering Red Stone Castle acting like a hormonal love stricken school girl.
Secondly, the typos, the awkward dialog, the inconsistencies, and the poorly constructed sentences. There was so much structurally wrong with this book. An editor should have taken a critical look at this and snipped away at a good many pointless and unnecessary scenes. There's so much frivolity and silliness that I couldn't take anything seriously. On one page Shahly may be carelessly taking a bubble bath, giggling and splashing her maid without a care in the world, and on the next there's an attempted murder. Hello? Atmosphere, are you there?
I also want to note that the characters themselves are shallow and, more often than not, unbearably annoying. Shahly is especially irritating. She flip flops between being naive and innocent, a unicorn hardly able to grasp the nuances of human speech and courtly manner, and a powerful ethereal being with a strong sense of duty and purpose.
In the end, however, she is neither of these. She's just selfish, shallow and rather stupid. She's so disgustingly underdeveloped that I didn't care one way or the other if she triumphed or failed. Her victories are never her own as this book is near exploding with Dues Ex Machina. Around every corner there is someone waiting to save Shahly, whether it be a dragon, a wizard, a price, a palace guard or a mysterious hunter. She can't do anything for her self. True, she does lament her uselessness on more than one occasion but it doesn't make up for her shortcomings or the author's poor storytelling, it only serves to make her seem whiny.
This book reads like a poorly laid out fanfiction, or a bad role playing session. Please, for your own sake, skip this one even if you, like me, really love unicorns.
March 24, 2022
I did not finish this one. The storytelling struck me as something I'd define as "superficial". The world and character building are both significantly lacking in depth, protagonist's actions and motives are difficult to understand / justify at times, locations in the story exist suspended in the dark without a wider context of a world at large. The story also felt weirdly... cliché, in terms of plot direction.
Also, I don't see it mentioned in the description - this isn't xenofiction. The protagonist gets transformed in to a human five minutes in to a story. The author makes an effort to present the world from a perspective of a unicorn mind, but I don't think it is very successful at all.
Also, I don't see it mentioned in the description - this isn't xenofiction. The protagonist gets transformed in to a human five minutes in to a story. The author makes an effort to present the world from a perspective of a unicorn mind, but I don't think it is very successful at all.
September 17, 2023
Unicorn transformed into a human--it's already been done, and in a much better story. I found Shahly a more sympathetic a character than other reviewers did. The story could have done with some extensive editing, but otherwise, I did enjoy the story.
January 21, 2013
this book is very disorganized shahly is well, pitiful. she is supposed to be the main character is this book. she had to be saved many times. the dragon the other dragon. the wizard. the guy who tried to catch her. the dragon again. her stallion she is trying save. the dragon again..... tek from birth of the firebringer did better and dutchess from "the horse from the outermost west "saved her stallion without magic! what save s this book is that shahly is likable and you do feel bad for her. I would like to see if she develop and better personally
August 6, 2016
Positive points: This is a very well-written book, very polished. The plot certainly has some interesting twists. The characters are very immersive. It was entertaining and fun. I'll definitely pick up any sequels.
Negative: It's basically 'The Last Unicorn.' Uncomfortable (albeit vague) references to sexual violence and prostitution which made an otherwise-suitable-for-kids story seem a lot less so. Hardcore gender stereotyping.
Negative: It's basically 'The Last Unicorn.' Uncomfortable (albeit vague) references to sexual violence and prostitution which made an otherwise-suitable-for-kids story seem a lot less so. Hardcore gender stereotyping.
August 24, 2016
Heartwarming, epic, fantastic
I loved this story. Though parts of it, including the romance between Shahly and her stallion, seemed a little forced. Still, I'd definite recommend this book for fantasy lovers. My only complaint was how seemingly open ended the ending was. I look forward to reading the sequel.
I loved this story. Though parts of it, including the romance between Shahly and her stallion, seemed a little forced. Still, I'd definite recommend this book for fantasy lovers. My only complaint was how seemingly open ended the ending was. I look forward to reading the sequel.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews