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Isaree of the Wild Isles
Sandwiched between the mighty High Kingdoms and the great Land of Sunsets, the Upland villages did not have much claim to greatness or power. Many of these villages did not even have names. When an army of Sorcerers from the High Kingdoms was mobilized to invade the Land of Sunsets it was these small villages, stuck in the middle, that bore the brunt of that army’s march.
In one of these villages Isaree has just discovered her own magical power, but even dreaming of what this could mean for her is made impossible by the presence of the sorcerous armies. When they hear that the Sorcerers have begun to forcibly take anyone with power, the village elders decide that those most likely to be taken must flee.
In the blink of an eye, Isaree finds herself at the head of a group of runaways, responsible for leading them to safety, with nothing to rely on except her knowledge of the nearby woods and caves and the food that their families have lovingly packed for them.
Isaree and her friends must stick together and survive in a world much bigger than any of them could have imagined. A world full of wars and empires, sorcery and power, and - tucked away in forgotten corners - impossible creatures of legend.
In this vast, frightening world, Isaree must learn not just how to survive, but who she wants to be.
In one of these villages Isaree has just discovered her own magical power, but even dreaming of what this could mean for her is made impossible by the presence of the sorcerous armies. When they hear that the Sorcerers have begun to forcibly take anyone with power, the village elders decide that those most likely to be taken must flee.
In the blink of an eye, Isaree finds herself at the head of a group of runaways, responsible for leading them to safety, with nothing to rely on except her knowledge of the nearby woods and caves and the food that their families have lovingly packed for them.
Isaree and her friends must stick together and survive in a world much bigger than any of them could have imagined. A world full of wars and empires, sorcery and power, and - tucked away in forgotten corners - impossible creatures of legend.
In this vast, frightening world, Isaree must learn not just how to survive, but who she wants to be.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 22, 2023
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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September 8, 2024This is a quick book! I put it on text-to-speech at 8 a.m. as I started to deep clean my house (I do a FALL cleaning instead of spring cleaning. Don't judge me) and by noon it had completed.
This is a single pov story about a young woman trying to save her village and herself from Sorcerers who are bent on control. The Sorcerers are known to go from village to village seeking out those who can do magic. We aren't sure why they want to take them until almost halfway through the book, but we know it's nothing good. They also take any women they think are pretty regardless of whether they can do magic or not. When they come around looking for people sometimes they are able to get a little bit of a warning from the next village over and send out any magic users on long "fishing trips" so that they aren't found.
Well, this can only be so effective for so long before things get dangerous for everyone. Isaree and some others from her village decide to go for a much longer trip to find somewhere safe to seek refuge. That's not an easy task and along the way they are forced to make a hard decision, face certain death or imprisonment, or maybe try their hand and safely landing on The Wild Isles. Sorcerers won't follow them there because the rocks surrounding the islands are not only dangerous, but they suck all the magic out of anyone who touches them, so most sorcerers wouldn't dare take that chance. Isaree finds secrets on the islands that could help her people and she's determined to try.
I liked Isaree, and that's a good thing as we get the whole story from her perspective. If I didn't enjoy her I would have set it down pretty early. She has a good head on her shoulders and is a pretty mature character. She's also genuinely interested in making the world a better place for everyone and not just herself. She's mindful not to become arrogant and an over-estimate of her own abilities despite being a magic user.
I liked the world building in this, it was fairly simple but engaging, relying on a lot of tried and true tropes and themes of classic epic fantasy. There's a lot of loose magic without a magic system, there's fireballs, healing magic, giants/giantesses, dragons and dragon riders, mention of "the ancient societies" and things along those lines.
The pacing was really, really fast. There's only 208 pages according to Amazon, and so this actually could have used a little more meat to the story IMHO. However, there's something to be said for a quick and easy book you can fly through in a day. Although I finished this and enjoyed my time with it, I do know that it won't be a semifinalist and so it's going to be a cut at this time. However, I'd recommend this perhaps to a YA audience who enjoys dragon riding.
This is a single pov story about a young woman trying to save her village and herself from Sorcerers who are bent on control. The Sorcerers are known to go from village to village seeking out those who can do magic. We aren't sure why they want to take them until almost halfway through the book, but we know it's nothing good. They also take any women they think are pretty regardless of whether they can do magic or not. When they come around looking for people sometimes they are able to get a little bit of a warning from the next village over and send out any magic users on long "fishing trips" so that they aren't found.
Well, this can only be so effective for so long before things get dangerous for everyone. Isaree and some others from her village decide to go for a much longer trip to find somewhere safe to seek refuge. That's not an easy task and along the way they are forced to make a hard decision, face certain death or imprisonment, or maybe try their hand and safely landing on The Wild Isles. Sorcerers won't follow them there because the rocks surrounding the islands are not only dangerous, but they suck all the magic out of anyone who touches them, so most sorcerers wouldn't dare take that chance. Isaree finds secrets on the islands that could help her people and she's determined to try.
I liked Isaree, and that's a good thing as we get the whole story from her perspective. If I didn't enjoy her I would have set it down pretty early. She has a good head on her shoulders and is a pretty mature character. She's also genuinely interested in making the world a better place for everyone and not just herself. She's mindful not to become arrogant and an over-estimate of her own abilities despite being a magic user.
I liked the world building in this, it was fairly simple but engaging, relying on a lot of tried and true tropes and themes of classic epic fantasy. There's a lot of loose magic without a magic system, there's fireballs, healing magic, giants/giantesses, dragons and dragon riders, mention of "the ancient societies" and things along those lines.
The pacing was really, really fast. There's only 208 pages according to Amazon, and so this actually could have used a little more meat to the story IMHO. However, there's something to be said for a quick and easy book you can fly through in a day. Although I finished this and enjoyed my time with it, I do know that it won't be a semifinalist and so it's going to be a cut at this time. However, I'd recommend this perhaps to a YA audience who enjoys dragon riding.
December 14, 2023
The children are our future…
…protect them at all costs.
When faced with a horrible situation that is worsening, sometimes escape is the only option. Always have an exit strategy, always.
After suffering at the hands of others, we often heal better after helping others in the same or similar situations. There’s a sort of understanding amongst survivors as many things can be left unsaid, and that can lead to camaraderie then later rebuilt trust in humanity.
When you have wandering youngsters, remember that things like gathering herbs is a wonderful way for them to be useful while out traipsing around on adventures. Teach them a life skill at the same time as working their brains. Never know when nature survival will come in handy!
…protect them at all costs.
When faced with a horrible situation that is worsening, sometimes escape is the only option. Always have an exit strategy, always.
After suffering at the hands of others, we often heal better after helping others in the same or similar situations. There’s a sort of understanding amongst survivors as many things can be left unsaid, and that can lead to camaraderie then later rebuilt trust in humanity.
When you have wandering youngsters, remember that things like gathering herbs is a wonderful way for them to be useful while out traipsing around on adventures. Teach them a life skill at the same time as working their brains. Never know when nature survival will come in handy!
May 12, 2025
Unfortunately this book is in need of a serious developmental editor. I felt like I was read the bones of a story but no meat. Things progress way too fast and without reason. I just couldn't enjoy any moment because once you thought something interesting would happen, it's cut off by the next scene. At one point I thought I had a corrupt file of the ebook because the scenes changed way to fast, we didn't get to bond with any character and I still don't know the whole of the plot. I'm just really disappointed because the synopsis is right up my alley but the book just feels like a longer synopsis.
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December 22, 2023What really stands out about this book is that it is a very personal story, focused on a perspective I don't often see in fantasy. This is set in an epic fantasy world, with an epic fantasy war, but the story is that of Isaree and her friends - just a few of many people whose world has been thrown into turmoil by the war, but they're not the epic movers one often sees. This only makes the hope in the story even more significant. Full review here: https://enthralledbylove.com/2023/12/...
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews