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Kingdoms Gone #2
Horded
Maera lives as an outcast by choice. Guilt-ridden over her past, she hopes only for the punishment she deserves. But when a gobelin warrior steps out of thin air to claim her, Maera is torn between the debt she owes her people, and the selfish yearnings of her own heart.
Tal is the lowest gobelin, the cursed brother of the horde’s greatest warrior. When he stumbles onto a legendary castle, however, he believes his luck is about to change. But the horde’s enemies have found the thing as well, and Tal’s brother breaks gobelin law to chase a human who is more trouble than she’s worth.
Now Tal and Maera are the only ones who can save his brother, the one person they both love and the only thing they can agree on. If they fail, the horde will never believe them, and the castle of prophecy will fall into enemy hands. If they succeed, they’ll have to stand together against the full fury of the gobelin horde…
Tal is the lowest gobelin, the cursed brother of the horde’s greatest warrior. When he stumbles onto a legendary castle, however, he believes his luck is about to change. But the horde’s enemies have found the thing as well, and Tal’s brother breaks gobelin law to chase a human who is more trouble than she’s worth.
Now Tal and Maera are the only ones who can save his brother, the one person they both love and the only thing they can agree on. If they fail, the horde will never believe them, and the castle of prophecy will fall into enemy hands. If they succeed, they’ll have to stand together against the full fury of the gobelin horde…
- GenresFantasy
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 5, 2013
About the author
Frances Pauli
145 books65 followersFrances Pauli writes books about animals, hybrids, aliens, shifters, and occasionally ordinary humans. She tends to cross genre boundaries, but hovers around fantasy and science fiction with romantic tendencies.
Her work has won four Leo awards, two Coyotl awards, and has been nominated for an Ursa Major award.
She lives in Washington State with her family, a small menagerie, and far too many houseplants.
Her work has won four Leo awards, two Coyotl awards, and has been nominated for an Ursa Major award.
She lives in Washington State with her family, a small menagerie, and far too many houseplants.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 18, 2013
Horded is the second book in the Kingdoms Gone series. I have read the first book, Unlikely, but I think most readers should be okay reading this one with reading the first. The book takes place five years later and follows Maera (from the first book – a side character). There are a few references that might not be as clear to someone who has not read the first. However, you shouldn’t be completely lost by it.
[If you plan on reading the first book, you might stumble upon some spoilers below.]
Character:
The book is written in third person following Maera and Tal. Maera is a human that was last seen in the first book, Unlikely. She has left Westwood behind and now resides in Ramstown. Maera has feelings of guilt and repentance at the beginning of the book (and throughout.) She is just starting to find her place in a town that ignores and scrawls at her. With only one friend, she starts to consider her future. Suddenly, she is thrown into the world of gobelins when one stumbles upon her call her “tir talus.” Tal is a gobelin who is down on his luck, always outshined by his brother, Torg. During a hunt, he finds himself at a castle with a guardian (a gargoyle) who bows to him. He considers the prophecy but is attacked by another band of gobelins before he can do anything else. Maera, Tal, and Torg enter in an adventure between understanding their place in the world and overcoming feelings of inadequacy. The characters were well written. I did wonder what happened to some of the characters at the beginning in Ramstown when the book ended. It is possible that this will be picked up in the third book.
Plot:
The plot was quick and easy to read. The meaning of tir talus is not explained right away or the prophecy. You’ll just have to have patience. The book (like the first) did not dive into the Final War or terms such as Shades, but they were not central to the plot. The switching of characters’ viewpoints only minimally overlapped in some places – basically summarizing their view of things in the last few minutes before the narrative switch. The story kept me interested, and I think I enjoyed the workings of this plot better than the first.
Bottom Line:
Overall I enjoyed this book and will wait to see what happens in book 3. If you like fantasy and adventure (with gobelins, witches, imps, and gargoyles) you might like this book.
[If you plan on reading the first book, you might stumble upon some spoilers below.]
Character:
The book is written in third person following Maera and Tal. Maera is a human that was last seen in the first book, Unlikely. She has left Westwood behind and now resides in Ramstown. Maera has feelings of guilt and repentance at the beginning of the book (and throughout.) She is just starting to find her place in a town that ignores and scrawls at her. With only one friend, she starts to consider her future. Suddenly, she is thrown into the world of gobelins when one stumbles upon her call her “tir talus.” Tal is a gobelin who is down on his luck, always outshined by his brother, Torg. During a hunt, he finds himself at a castle with a guardian (a gargoyle) who bows to him. He considers the prophecy but is attacked by another band of gobelins before he can do anything else. Maera, Tal, and Torg enter in an adventure between understanding their place in the world and overcoming feelings of inadequacy. The characters were well written. I did wonder what happened to some of the characters at the beginning in Ramstown when the book ended. It is possible that this will be picked up in the third book.
Plot:
The plot was quick and easy to read. The meaning of tir talus is not explained right away or the prophecy. You’ll just have to have patience. The book (like the first) did not dive into the Final War or terms such as Shades, but they were not central to the plot. The switching of characters’ viewpoints only minimally overlapped in some places – basically summarizing their view of things in the last few minutes before the narrative switch. The story kept me interested, and I think I enjoyed the workings of this plot better than the first.
Bottom Line:
Overall I enjoyed this book and will wait to see what happens in book 3. If you like fantasy and adventure (with gobelins, witches, imps, and gargoyles) you might like this book.
August 19, 2015
Disclaimer: I know this author personally. That said, I approached this book as I would any other author I might read.
Wow. What a rush. I think I connected with this book far more strongly than I did the first book, Forgotten. My biggest complaint with Forgotten had been the romance. I know it's a strong theme in Pauli's books, but I think it fell a little flat in Forgotten. Not so here. I was so entranced with how she handled the romance in this one that there were times toward the end, I felt like crying. As I'm in the same kind of relationship, where two hearts beat as one, I understood how the characters felt, and I thought she portrayed their coming together so well.
While I thought the beginning was a little slow, I understand why she handled it that way. While the main character, Maera, is familiar from the last book, she was a minor character back then. The change in viewpoint to her is a little jarring, and though, understandable with what happened to her in the past, she's a bit of a downer.
The other main character, Tal, is amazing. I've heard other people talk about just how much they love him, and I didn't understand exactly why until I read this book. Pauli does a fantastic job of painting goblin (or gobelin as she calls them) life with a richness and complexity that she only hints at through Maera's interactions with them. I found myself wanting to know more about them as time passed. Sadly, my curiosity wasn't completely fulfilled, but I guess that's what sequels are for, right?
Though I've been reading this in fits and spurts for about a month, whenever I have a little free time, I gained momentum toward the end because I almost just couldn't put it down. There is some solid action, as there's a fight toward the end, and the bonding of Maera and her love is just so touching. I knew there would be the return of an old, familiar face, but even though I was prepared, I didn't know how it was going to be handled. The reveal was just perfect.
Horded is one of the best books I've read in a while. I enjoyed it immensely, and I can't wait to see where Pauli goes from here. I have no qualms at all about giving Horded a five star rating. For anyone who is a fan of the fantasy genre, this is a must read!
Wow. What a rush. I think I connected with this book far more strongly than I did the first book, Forgotten. My biggest complaint with Forgotten had been the romance. I know it's a strong theme in Pauli's books, but I think it fell a little flat in Forgotten. Not so here. I was so entranced with how she handled the romance in this one that there were times toward the end, I felt like crying. As I'm in the same kind of relationship, where two hearts beat as one, I understood how the characters felt, and I thought she portrayed their coming together so well.
While I thought the beginning was a little slow, I understand why she handled it that way. While the main character, Maera, is familiar from the last book, she was a minor character back then. The change in viewpoint to her is a little jarring, and though, understandable with what happened to her in the past, she's a bit of a downer.
The other main character, Tal, is amazing. I've heard other people talk about just how much they love him, and I didn't understand exactly why until I read this book. Pauli does a fantastic job of painting goblin (or gobelin as she calls them) life with a richness and complexity that she only hints at through Maera's interactions with them. I found myself wanting to know more about them as time passed. Sadly, my curiosity wasn't completely fulfilled, but I guess that's what sequels are for, right?
Though I've been reading this in fits and spurts for about a month, whenever I have a little free time, I gained momentum toward the end because I almost just couldn't put it down. There is some solid action, as there's a fight toward the end, and the bonding of Maera and her love is just so touching. I knew there would be the return of an old, familiar face, but even though I was prepared, I didn't know how it was going to be handled. The reveal was just perfect.
Horded is one of the best books I've read in a while. I enjoyed it immensely, and I can't wait to see where Pauli goes from here. I have no qualms at all about giving Horded a five star rating. For anyone who is a fan of the fantasy genre, this is a must read!
August 5, 2013
Review: Horded (Kingdoms Gone) by Frances Pauli: Oh I loved it. It was so…sweet and fulfilling. A great adventure yet a touching love story. I loved the way the Tir Talus is explained, depicted. I can even ‘hear’ the strong beating of their hearts at times. Such an unlikely match, yet strangely perfect. Maera, wanting to atone for what she considers her sins, and Torg, so big and sure of himself. But my favourite character is Tal. He is just so…human. With doubts and insecurities, and such love for his brother Torg. And so untrusting of Maera, but so will to tolerate her for Torgs sake. I love that by the end of the book they are an inseparable family, standing firm in the beliefs and love for each other. And I am so glad that Maera had the respect she deserves now. And I love the Sol buta and Gutra, and Sorin is very brave and noble. But what I am most pleased about, is Henry! He sounds so cute. For some reason I picture ‘Toothless’ from How to train your dragon each time I think of him. A brilliant ending and just one suggestion to the author. Please let Henry sit on Vane. It can be by accident, or on purpose, either way, a wet spot must be all that is left.
This is an honest review. I downloaded the book from Amazon for free.
This is an honest review. I downloaded the book from Amazon for free.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2013
This was my first read by this author and luckily i didnt read the spoiler reviews prior to reading it. I dont write spoiler reviews so you will have to read them separately. As for the author, wow and I do wish authors would quit doing this to me and forcing me to start reading a book in the middle of of a set cause now i have to go back and then forward. anyway yes this book reads as a separate story of its own but the end leaves some questions but not many. what happened to the little boy?????? recommended for anyone looking for a little something different to their YA reading. given for review
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews