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Fire and Earth
Seventeen-year-old Casora has been raised to be a fearless warrior, commander of the faceless war band known as the Deathless. Nevertheless, she and her company are helpless to stop the invasion of their homeland. Without a country, the Deathless offer their services as mercenaries to the next land attacked by the same raiders who conquered their nation.
As the youngest prince and the one least likely to be of use in the war, Tiaran is about to be forced into a political marriage to a girl he hates. Rather than be used to secure the loyalty of an opportunistic general, he secretly goes off to fight in the war himself. His first battle is about to be his last when Casora rides in to rescue him.
When these two unlikely partners join forces on the battlefield, they'll shake the foundations of kingdoms.
As the youngest prince and the one least likely to be of use in the war, Tiaran is about to be forced into a political marriage to a girl he hates. Rather than be used to secure the loyalty of an opportunistic general, he secretly goes off to fight in the war himself. His first battle is about to be his last when Casora rides in to rescue him.
When these two unlikely partners join forces on the battlefield, they'll shake the foundations of kingdoms.
- GenresFantasy
228 pages, Paperback
First published April 10, 2013
2 people are currently reading
231 people want to read
About the author
Meredith Mansfield
22 books38 followersProfessionally, I've been a financial analyst and a visual basic programmer. I also have a paralegal certificate, although I've never worked in that field. It's anybody's guess what I'll be when I grow up.
Imagining stories and writing have always been an important part of my life. It's one I've finally gotten to spend a significant amount of time on while I care for my mother who has Alzheimer's disease.
Imagining stories and writing have always been an important part of my life. It's one I've finally gotten to spend a significant amount of time on while I care for my mother who has Alzheimer's disease.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 24, 2013
WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
Seventeen-year-old Casora has been raised to be a fearless warrior, commander of the faceless war band known as the Deathless. Nevertheless, she and her company are helpless to stop the invasion of their homeland. Without a country, the Deathless offer their services as mercenaries to the next land attacked by the same raiders who conquered their nation.
As the youngest prince and the one least likely to be of use in the war, Tiaran is about to be forced into a political marriage to a girl he hates. Rather than be used to secure the loyalty of an opportunistic general, he secretly goes off to fight in the war himself. His first battle is about to be his last when Casora rides in to rescue him.
When these two unlikely partners join forces on the battlefield, they'll shake the foundations of kingdoms.
MY TAKE:
I really enjoyed this book. Casora is a Deathless because of a curse, so she's already chasing her own demons all while frantic to find out about what happened to her family.
Poor Tiaran. There's so much more to him than his older brothers give him credit for--or even Casora, at first. She just thinks he's one more burden she must bear. Awesome and unexpected twist at the end.
Seventeen-year-old Casora has been raised to be a fearless warrior, commander of the faceless war band known as the Deathless. Nevertheless, she and her company are helpless to stop the invasion of their homeland. Without a country, the Deathless offer their services as mercenaries to the next land attacked by the same raiders who conquered their nation.
As the youngest prince and the one least likely to be of use in the war, Tiaran is about to be forced into a political marriage to a girl he hates. Rather than be used to secure the loyalty of an opportunistic general, he secretly goes off to fight in the war himself. His first battle is about to be his last when Casora rides in to rescue him.
When these two unlikely partners join forces on the battlefield, they'll shake the foundations of kingdoms.
MY TAKE:
I really enjoyed this book. Casora is a Deathless because of a curse, so she's already chasing her own demons all while frantic to find out about what happened to her family.
Poor Tiaran. There's so much more to him than his older brothers give him credit for--or even Casora, at first. She just thinks he's one more burden she must bear. Awesome and unexpected twist at the end.
August 22, 2013
This was a great romance and a great story. The characters pulled you into its intricate and lightly complicated world. Both main characters were strong in their own ways and developed slowly and satisfactorily. Good side characters supported them and the story. The war in itself was surprisingly exciting and involved you emotionally without getting either gory or boring. In fact, the war distracted you as the reader as much as it did the characters, making you feel as they did every step of the way. Very enthralling story. I would definitely recommend this one.
www.cleanromancereviews.com
www.cleanromancereviews.com
August 2, 2020
This was my second attempt to read a book by this author. I really wanted to give her work another chance to resonate with me. I'm impressed by the cover upgrade. This one is so much nicer. Props for that.
There were a lot of things good about this book. The main characters were well developed and the settings were described enough where I could always visualize what was happening. I only noted a few typos. Nothing glaring.
I did feel like the pacing was off and that the secondary characters could've used more attention and development. I liked the way of choosing an heir and the focus on how people can be good at something different and it doesn't make them less.
The romance was a flop for me. The characters had spent some time together and I thought their friendship was building nicely. But there seemed to be no romantic thoughts/attachments until someone says "Hey maybe you 'like' him." Now all of a sudden there's romance everywhere. She's thinking about him, he's thinking about her. And within a short couple of chapters they're head over heels (I think this is like the same day or day after her friend suggests maybe there's more) for each other. He's smooching her in the caves and they're constantly thinking about romance. And things just escalated REALLY quickly from there to the end of the book and quite frankly they hardly spent any time together after the cave trip. They spent most of that time apart and for us suddenly to be at was like wow, really?
I felt like the enemy was too . . . non-present. They're almost there just to bring our heroes together and they didn't feel very threatening. The battle with them was super quick and the main threat which had been built up as nigh invincible was just taken out in a flash. Like wow, I kind of wanted him to realize he was vulnerable and there to be some epic swordfight. To have this distant threat that was there all book be swept away so quick was disappointing.
I can see this appealing to a lot of readers though and I'd say it's worth taking a chance on. It just wasn't for me.
There were a lot of things good about this book. The main characters were well developed and the settings were described enough where I could always visualize what was happening. I only noted a few typos. Nothing glaring.
I did feel like the pacing was off and that the secondary characters could've used more attention and development. I liked the way of choosing an heir and the focus on how people can be good at something different and it doesn't make them less.
The romance was a flop for me. The characters had spent some time together and I thought their friendship was building nicely. But there seemed to be no romantic thoughts/attachments until someone says "Hey maybe you 'like' him." Now all of a sudden there's romance everywhere. She's thinking about him, he's thinking about her. And within a short couple of chapters they're head over heels (I think this is like the same day or day after her friend suggests maybe there's more) for each other. He's smooching her in the caves and they're constantly thinking about romance. And things just escalated REALLY quickly from there to the end of the book and quite frankly they hardly spent any time together after the cave trip. They spent most of that time apart and for us suddenly to be at was like wow, really?
I felt like the enemy was too . . . non-present. They're almost there just to bring our heroes together and they didn't feel very threatening. The battle with them was super quick and the main threat which had been built up as nigh invincible was just taken out in a flash. Like wow, I kind of wanted him to realize he was vulnerable and there to be some epic swordfight. To have this distant threat that was there all book be swept away so quick was disappointing.
I can see this appealing to a lot of readers though and I'd say it's worth taking a chance on. It just wasn't for me.
March 5, 2018
Great book! Expertly written with a unique adventure waiting inside. The cover is deceptive b/c idk I judge books by covers and I personally didn't think this one looked that great. Honestly it's a great book that took me by surprise and made me want to keep reading. Definitely rates up with some of my favorites. Do NOT judge this book by the cover!
March 5, 2018
Don't let the cover fool you. This is a great book!
July 12, 2016
A very original fantasy romance which includes an outstandingly imagined world and a delightful twist on what constitutes a heroine and a hero. Magic is important but plays a largely supporting role in the tale. This story is primarily a romance and therefore the outcome is more or less predictable, but Mansfield makes it oh so satisfying! (ebook edition)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews