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Daughters of Saraqael #1-3
Daughters of Saraqael Trilogy
**Optioned for movie rights by multiple-award winning producer Chase Chenowith of Back Fence Productions.**
This complete set includes all three books in the award-winning Daughters of Saraqael trilogy (Becoming, Central and Foretold). Follow three half-human sisters through fantastic adventures, enchanting romances and an epic battle to save their race...not the human one.
BECOMING
Ancient gods, avenging angels and other beings of myth and legend all have one thing in common: they exist. They’re called Estilorians. Amber Hopkins is one of them…well, half of one, anyway. If only she knew it.
CENTRAL
Life on the Estilorian plane proves stimulating to scholar Olivia Murdoch. But then, she isn’t aware of the dark plans brewing with her at their center…
FORETOLD
Centuries after The Great Foretelling, Skye Tomaganuk dreams of a fairytale romance. But the evil Mercesti have their own plans, and the foretold battle to come stands in the way of her happily ever after.
This complete set includes all three books in the award-winning Daughters of Saraqael trilogy (Becoming, Central and Foretold). Follow three half-human sisters through fantastic adventures, enchanting romances and an epic battle to save their race...not the human one.
BECOMING
Ancient gods, avenging angels and other beings of myth and legend all have one thing in common: they exist. They’re called Estilorians. Amber Hopkins is one of them…well, half of one, anyway. If only she knew it.
CENTRAL
Life on the Estilorian plane proves stimulating to scholar Olivia Murdoch. But then, she isn’t aware of the dark plans brewing with her at their center…
FORETOLD
Centuries after The Great Foretelling, Skye Tomaganuk dreams of a fairytale romance. But the evil Mercesti have their own plans, and the foretold battle to come stands in the way of her happily ever after.
807 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 25, 2012
18 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Raine Thomas
44 books983 followersRaine Thomas is the award-winning author of more than 20 bestselling romances spanning contemporary romance, Sci-Fi romance, and YA fantasy romance. She's a hopeless romantic with a background in the fields of mental health and wedding planning...two areas that intersect far more than one would think. She's also a book fiend, grammar nerd, and editing Red Queen, depending on who you ask.
Be sure to follow Raine on BookBub (https://www.bookbub.com/profile/raine...) to be among the first to learn of any sales, and hop over to her website for your first free read!
Be sure to follow Raine on BookBub (https://www.bookbub.com/profile/raine...) to be among the first to learn of any sales, and hop over to her website for your first free read!
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 29, 2023
NOTE: I also reviewed each book individually, so you can check out those reviews to see how it led up the the Daughters Of Saraqael Trilogy by Raine Thomas as a whole.
I do stumble over young adult novels, at times, but I was drawn into Daughters Of Saraqeel by Raine Thomas by the synopsis. I am loving this series, so far. I have The Complete Daughters of Saraqael series and look forward to reading it, beginning to end.
Each novel gets progressively better.
Each novel spotlights one of the girls. We will have love and romance, though the men have no clue what they are doing, they will learn. We have villains and danger and it will take the sisters and those who support them to work together to put down the revolution coming their way. The Prophecy will be fulfilled.
There wasn’t nonstop action throughout the trilogy, but there were moments of fierce struggle, danger and lives lost. I loved watching the girls, and the Estilorians grow and teach each other that being different is not a bad thing. The characters and world building were amazing, keeping me enthralled, as each book did its part to create the whole.
I do stumble over young adult novels, at times, but I was drawn into Daughters Of Saraqeel by Raine Thomas by the synopsis. I am loving this series, so far. I have The Complete Daughters of Saraqael series and look forward to reading it, beginning to end.
Each novel gets progressively better.
Each novel spotlights one of the girls. We will have love and romance, though the men have no clue what they are doing, they will learn. We have villains and danger and it will take the sisters and those who support them to work together to put down the revolution coming their way. The Prophecy will be fulfilled.
There wasn’t nonstop action throughout the trilogy, but there were moments of fierce struggle, danger and lives lost. I loved watching the girls, and the Estilorians grow and teach each other that being different is not a bad thing. The characters and world building were amazing, keeping me enthralled, as each book did its part to create the whole.
May 23, 2016
OVERALL RATING: 4 stars. This first trilogy was solid paranormal goodness! While it occasionally got bogged down in complicated new words/terminology, and I personally have a preference against the excessive use of description that could be used (of clothes people were wearing, rooms they were in, etc), I was enthralled with the characters and the world-building. I thought the books got stronger as they went along, and I'm definitely looking forward to checking out more in this world.
BECOMING:
3.5 stars -- Ooooo, this is going to be another hard one to review. Yet again, I had mixed feelings about this baby. I was actually sucked right in from the beginning and thoroughly enchanted by Amber and Gabriel. The book started off really strong in other words. I was intrigued by Amber's mysterious power build up, and what it could mean, and what it would do, and I just felt so many emotions in the first bit of this book.
Even Amber and Gabriel's relationship had me so enthralled. Sometimes it's not quite as much fun when the love is found so quickly in the book and you don't get quite the same build up, but I did enjoy the build up that we got. I seriously swooned over Gabriel's obvious love for Amber. And he was just so adorable, and gah!! He was definitely a book stealer, I adored his character right until the very end (but I will get to that). And I could totally feel their chemistry with each other.
Then we got to about the point where they left for their trip to Alaska, and it felt a little like where I expected the book to go just didn't follow. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I guess I just lost a bit of what was sucking me in. It's like we were bombarded with a TON of information all at once, but at the same time I still wanted to know what her "Incidents" were caused by. We sort of got an explanation, but apparently it wasn't what I was looking for. We also started getting into the heads of a lot more characters, which I don't necessarily mind, but by the time I got to the end of the book, I felt like Amber and Gabriel's story was a bit shortchanged, you know? Like if they were only going to get this one book, then I wanted more time in their heads. But I guess that was all the story they had to tell.
I did THOROUGHLY enjoy the action-y type scenes (both in Alaska, and then later in the Estilorian plane). I was intrigued with the abilities that we were shown, and it had me on the edge of my seat. And while I was leery of how the story would progress once they reached the Estilorian plane, I was so completely satisfied with the Amber and Gabriel part of the storyline that I was a happy camper. Their love had me grinning from ear to ear, and I was so happy with how that all worked out. Again, Gabriel was just so SWOON!!!
On the other side of the coin, there were a lot of descriptive moments in this book, and that's not something that I'm personally much of a fan of. (from her hair and makeup and clothes to the appearance of the guest houses, that kind of thing)
And then there's the world building. On that I am truly torn. I loved the unique paranormal world that was built, but holy shit (excuse my language), it was kind of overwhelming. Mostly just all the names. There were *9* classes of Estilorians. And quite frankly, I had a hard time keeping them straight. It was just too much. I ended up losing interest because I would become a bit confused at times. But at the same time, some of the stuff was really cool, you know??? GAH! I'm so freaking torn!!!!
So my final assessment?? This will tell you: I bought the box set for the 3 Daughters of Saraquel books, b/c I am definitely intrigued and want to learn Olivia and Skye's stories. So regardless of all the little niggles, I was definitely sucked in enough to want to continue, and that says a lot since I don't have a lot of time to spend on books if they aren't intriguing. And I wonder if the next two books might even surpass this book b/c they won't be mired down in that initial world building, you know?? Fingers are crossed. :)
CENTRAL:
4.5 stars -- I must admit, that I had this feeling that this was going to be one of those series that got better as it went along. Part of the reason is that there is so much world-building and new terms, that I figured once we got that out of the way in the first book, it would settle in a bit easier in the next books. And while there were times I was still confused about which class certain Commanders were from (which one was Ailfrid again?), I did get used to the names of the classes and wasn't quite as confused and overwhelmed as I was in the first book (it helps to notice patterns, like how they all end in esti).
I was also looking forward to Olivia's story, b/c I feel like I share some traits with her (love of animals, natural affinity for maths/sciences, physically weaker), and so I was drawn to her from the first book. And maybe because of that, I felt like I had a somewhat deeper connection to her than I did with Amber. It helps that while there were other POVs in this book (as in the first one), I felt like we got more time in just Olivia and James's heads. I LOVED how strong she could be mentally, how naturally inquisitive, and how she still had a wonderful lightness to her character that made others around her smile. She may not have had the leadership qualities of Amber, or the natural bubbliness and gregariousness of Skye, but she really brought a lot to the table, more than she realized.
And I honestly didn't know how James was going to compete with Gabriel, but he totally did. There was something just delightfully honest and forthright and sincere about him. I know we are told that from Olivia, but I really felt it in his actions and in the way he interacted with Olivia. You could really see how much he was learning from her, and I LOVED seeing his feelings develop and confuse him.
And the other standout of this book over the first one is that we got to watch them fall in love...we got to see their relationship develop, b/c we got to see it from it's very beginnings. I LOVE the slow fall. Seriously, it is so satisfying.
Combine that with the development of all the girls as they learn about their lives as Estilorians, and the growing tension with the bad guys (including an edge of your seat climax), and this book just delivered on all I was looking for. I can't wait to read Skye's story!!
FORETOLD:
4 stars -- A strong ending to this first trilogy!!! I felt like I was really entrenched in the world by this final book, so I had no problems following all the terminology and the different classes and all the new words, you know?
Skye is all kinds of adorable. I love her lightness and innocence, she just always made me smile with how happy and positive she could be. And while I normally wasn't a huge fan of all the description that this series contained, I did enjoy learning about Skye's outfits, b/c she was always so eclectic.
Caleb had his charms, and I did enjoy how he complimented Skye's flightiness with a more down-to-earth personality, but he wasn't quite as book boyfriend-y as Gabriel and James (for me personally). I did enjoy seeing him give into his emotions. And that first kiss was smoking. So I did enjoy their relationship, but in some ways I felt like they got a little shortchanged in that department. I didn't get quite the build-up and development that I did with Olivia and James.
However, the reason for less relationship development was in part due to the action-y bits and the plot development with the battle/war. And I thoroughly enjoyed all those little pieces that were thrown in, including the mystery of who the traitor was (which I didn't guess). Occasionally some of the bits felt a bit repetitive, but it wasn't enough to disrupt my enjoyment. And I felt like we got some great glimpses at some secondary characters, and I really started to enjoy some of them (from the elders, to some of the commanders, to the Leukwesti that were chosen). It was a full book with all that happened, and the battle totally lived up to my expectations.
And now I have the great problem in that the epilogue and the teaser chapter for the next trilogy have me wanting to dive into it RIGHT NOW. And I honestly can't, b/c I have a darned reading schedule. But you can bet your bippy that I'm buying the next trilogy box set and I can't wait to get back to it when my reading time frees up after Nashville!!
BECOMING:
3.5 stars -- Ooooo, this is going to be another hard one to review. Yet again, I had mixed feelings about this baby. I was actually sucked right in from the beginning and thoroughly enchanted by Amber and Gabriel. The book started off really strong in other words. I was intrigued by Amber's mysterious power build up, and what it could mean, and what it would do, and I just felt so many emotions in the first bit of this book.
Even Amber and Gabriel's relationship had me so enthralled. Sometimes it's not quite as much fun when the love is found so quickly in the book and you don't get quite the same build up, but I did enjoy the build up that we got. I seriously swooned over Gabriel's obvious love for Amber. And he was just so adorable, and gah!! He was definitely a book stealer, I adored his character right until the very end (but I will get to that). And I could totally feel their chemistry with each other.
Then we got to about the point where they left for their trip to Alaska, and it felt a little like where I expected the book to go just didn't follow. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I guess I just lost a bit of what was sucking me in. It's like we were bombarded with a TON of information all at once, but at the same time I still wanted to know what her "Incidents" were caused by. We sort of got an explanation, but apparently it wasn't what I was looking for. We also started getting into the heads of a lot more characters, which I don't necessarily mind, but by the time I got to the end of the book, I felt like Amber and Gabriel's story was a bit shortchanged, you know? Like if they were only going to get this one book, then I wanted more time in their heads. But I guess that was all the story they had to tell.
I did THOROUGHLY enjoy the action-y type scenes (both in Alaska, and then later in the Estilorian plane). I was intrigued with the abilities that we were shown, and it had me on the edge of my seat. And while I was leery of how the story would progress once they reached the Estilorian plane, I was so completely satisfied with the Amber and Gabriel part of the storyline that I was a happy camper. Their love had me grinning from ear to ear, and I was so happy with how that all worked out. Again, Gabriel was just so SWOON!!!
On the other side of the coin, there were a lot of descriptive moments in this book, and that's not something that I'm personally much of a fan of. (from her hair and makeup and clothes to the appearance of the guest houses, that kind of thing)
And then there's the world building. On that I am truly torn. I loved the unique paranormal world that was built, but holy shit (excuse my language), it was kind of overwhelming. Mostly just all the names. There were *9* classes of Estilorians. And quite frankly, I had a hard time keeping them straight. It was just too much. I ended up losing interest because I would become a bit confused at times. But at the same time, some of the stuff was really cool, you know??? GAH! I'm so freaking torn!!!!
So my final assessment?? This will tell you: I bought the box set for the 3 Daughters of Saraquel books, b/c I am definitely intrigued and want to learn Olivia and Skye's stories. So regardless of all the little niggles, I was definitely sucked in enough to want to continue, and that says a lot since I don't have a lot of time to spend on books if they aren't intriguing. And I wonder if the next two books might even surpass this book b/c they won't be mired down in that initial world building, you know?? Fingers are crossed. :)
CENTRAL:
4.5 stars -- I must admit, that I had this feeling that this was going to be one of those series that got better as it went along. Part of the reason is that there is so much world-building and new terms, that I figured once we got that out of the way in the first book, it would settle in a bit easier in the next books. And while there were times I was still confused about which class certain Commanders were from (which one was Ailfrid again?), I did get used to the names of the classes and wasn't quite as confused and overwhelmed as I was in the first book (it helps to notice patterns, like how they all end in esti).
I was also looking forward to Olivia's story, b/c I feel like I share some traits with her (love of animals, natural affinity for maths/sciences, physically weaker), and so I was drawn to her from the first book. And maybe because of that, I felt like I had a somewhat deeper connection to her than I did with Amber. It helps that while there were other POVs in this book (as in the first one), I felt like we got more time in just Olivia and James's heads. I LOVED how strong she could be mentally, how naturally inquisitive, and how she still had a wonderful lightness to her character that made others around her smile. She may not have had the leadership qualities of Amber, or the natural bubbliness and gregariousness of Skye, but she really brought a lot to the table, more than she realized.
And I honestly didn't know how James was going to compete with Gabriel, but he totally did. There was something just delightfully honest and forthright and sincere about him. I know we are told that from Olivia, but I really felt it in his actions and in the way he interacted with Olivia. You could really see how much he was learning from her, and I LOVED seeing his feelings develop and confuse him.
And the other standout of this book over the first one is that we got to watch them fall in love...we got to see their relationship develop, b/c we got to see it from it's very beginnings. I LOVE the slow fall. Seriously, it is so satisfying.
Combine that with the development of all the girls as they learn about their lives as Estilorians, and the growing tension with the bad guys (including an edge of your seat climax), and this book just delivered on all I was looking for. I can't wait to read Skye's story!!
FORETOLD:
4 stars -- A strong ending to this first trilogy!!! I felt like I was really entrenched in the world by this final book, so I had no problems following all the terminology and the different classes and all the new words, you know?
Skye is all kinds of adorable. I love her lightness and innocence, she just always made me smile with how happy and positive she could be. And while I normally wasn't a huge fan of all the description that this series contained, I did enjoy learning about Skye's outfits, b/c she was always so eclectic.
Caleb had his charms, and I did enjoy how he complimented Skye's flightiness with a more down-to-earth personality, but he wasn't quite as book boyfriend-y as Gabriel and James (for me personally). I did enjoy seeing him give into his emotions. And that first kiss was smoking. So I did enjoy their relationship, but in some ways I felt like they got a little shortchanged in that department. I didn't get quite the build-up and development that I did with Olivia and James.
However, the reason for less relationship development was in part due to the action-y bits and the plot development with the battle/war. And I thoroughly enjoyed all those little pieces that were thrown in, including the mystery of who the traitor was (which I didn't guess). Occasionally some of the bits felt a bit repetitive, but it wasn't enough to disrupt my enjoyment. And I felt like we got some great glimpses at some secondary characters, and I really started to enjoy some of them (from the elders, to some of the commanders, to the Leukwesti that were chosen). It was a full book with all that happened, and the battle totally lived up to my expectations.
And now I have the great problem in that the epilogue and the teaser chapter for the next trilogy have me wanting to dive into it RIGHT NOW. And I honestly can't, b/c I have a darned reading schedule. But you can bet your bippy that I'm buying the next trilogy box set and I can't wait to get back to it when my reading time frees up after Nashville!!
September 3, 2014
Daughters of Saraquel.... omg. I don't have words, I just don't. But I have to make do.
Raine Thomas has proven I am NOT the only person in the world that thinks the way I do, lol, poor Raine, but her ability to make it clear to others, well, I envy it. She tells a story so rich, so intricate, and yet, still manages to NOT lose her reader. Something I am still working on.
The main characters exhibit the best humanity has to offer in terms of a desire to do right. Yes, I did intentionally word it that way, because that is pretty much how I view it. We can do right or wrong, and the girls constantly watch themselves to make sure which path they are traveling, a concept I think reaches out to far more than just myself and my kids, judging by the other reviews. What I truly enjoy and what sets these apart from other fantasy novels based on good and evil, is that Raine allows the characters to ALL have both aspects, even those inherently evil ones, and allows you to see the struggles that we all endure as we walk our individual paths. I connected with some aspect of every single character, and I've never, in over 3000 books, and 38 years, encountered that. I empathized with every single character, including Aurora, the feline counterpart to Olivia.
I challenge anyone to read these books and NOT connect to the characters. I cannot imagine someone not finding at least ONE character that was so deeply like themselves, and yet, I can tell you, I saw aspects in ALL of them. Raine has such a clear understanding of humanity, our emotions, and how those emotions can lead the best of us, to do the worst of things, and vice-versa, that you cannot help but connect with her books, and her.
I have been so blessed, the night I was reading the first one, was a very hard night for me. I won't go into details, but I was seeking a distraction from reality, and even my favorite books were not providing it. My eyes lit on Raine's books, and I decided to trust my instincts. I cannot tell you how glad I am that I did.
There is no simple way to put it that will accurately reflect the quality of the writing. She has no typos, which I find in the big box books anyway, no grammatical issues, nothing of the technical problems that plague so many books.. but she DOES have everything that truly matters. There is a depth of passion, love, and sheer soul that she puts into her work that I see glimpses of in most writing, but rarely is it thrown out there for the world to judge. She puts 110% of herself into what she is writing, and I hope that I have accurately conveyed that.
Raine Thomas has proven I am NOT the only person in the world that thinks the way I do, lol, poor Raine, but her ability to make it clear to others, well, I envy it. She tells a story so rich, so intricate, and yet, still manages to NOT lose her reader. Something I am still working on.
The main characters exhibit the best humanity has to offer in terms of a desire to do right. Yes, I did intentionally word it that way, because that is pretty much how I view it. We can do right or wrong, and the girls constantly watch themselves to make sure which path they are traveling, a concept I think reaches out to far more than just myself and my kids, judging by the other reviews. What I truly enjoy and what sets these apart from other fantasy novels based on good and evil, is that Raine allows the characters to ALL have both aspects, even those inherently evil ones, and allows you to see the struggles that we all endure as we walk our individual paths. I connected with some aspect of every single character, and I've never, in over 3000 books, and 38 years, encountered that. I empathized with every single character, including Aurora, the feline counterpart to Olivia.
I challenge anyone to read these books and NOT connect to the characters. I cannot imagine someone not finding at least ONE character that was so deeply like themselves, and yet, I can tell you, I saw aspects in ALL of them. Raine has such a clear understanding of humanity, our emotions, and how those emotions can lead the best of us, to do the worst of things, and vice-versa, that you cannot help but connect with her books, and her.
I have been so blessed, the night I was reading the first one, was a very hard night for me. I won't go into details, but I was seeking a distraction from reality, and even my favorite books were not providing it. My eyes lit on Raine's books, and I decided to trust my instincts. I cannot tell you how glad I am that I did.
There is no simple way to put it that will accurately reflect the quality of the writing. She has no typos, which I find in the big box books anyway, no grammatical issues, nothing of the technical problems that plague so many books.. but she DOES have everything that truly matters. There is a depth of passion, love, and sheer soul that she puts into her work that I see glimpses of in most writing, but rarely is it thrown out there for the world to judge. She puts 110% of herself into what she is writing, and I hope that I have accurately conveyed that.
September 4, 2014
The first series written by Raine Thomas that I got so hooked on! Ambryl and Gabriel will always be my favorite!
June 22, 2018
This series was fabulous, right up there with the Soul Screamer series (Rachel Vincent), Prophecy of the Sisters & PotS sequel series (Michelle Zink), The Mortal Instruments series (Cassandra Clare) and Immortal Descendants series (April White).
I am floored at the worlds some authors imagine into existence, and this world is now one of my favourites.
The editing was great and the story flowed fast and furious. So hard to put down!
I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy and was sad when it came to an end. It felt like saying goodbye to very dear friends when you really didin't want to.
I would happily have read another three of these books, so imagine my utter delight to find that, yes, there is another set of three to continue on with! So, if you'll please excuse me, I'm off to start the next set -- Firstborn Trilogy.
I am floored at the worlds some authors imagine into existence, and this world is now one of my favourites.
The editing was great and the story flowed fast and furious. So hard to put down!
I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy and was sad when it came to an end. It felt like saying goodbye to very dear friends when you really didin't want to.
I would happily have read another three of these books, so imagine my utter delight to find that, yes, there is another set of three to continue on with! So, if you'll please excuse me, I'm off to start the next set -- Firstborn Trilogy.
March 18, 2020
Such an exciting and fresh trilogy! Plus, I LOVE GABRIEL ! ! ! If I could choose any man, I'd pluck him right off the pages! This is most certainly a must read for anyone who craves a clean, beautifully written series. And supernatural southern gentlemen.
December 27, 2015
This was an incredible series with a twist. Three girls who were created, when a higher being fell in love with a human which was not heard of, whose creation and birth sacrificed the parents' lives. But the three girls grew up in a human world not even knowing who they were until they were old enough. They did not even know that they had sisters, much less are triplets since they were raised separately. By then, they were brought back together and told that they were not completely humans. But that they are Estilorians, a higher being. They have to ascend to a higher plane and take over their roles of being daughters of Saraquel. All of the Triplets will also go through trials and struggles to understand their place in this new world. There's also romance which is added perfectly for each girl. This series is one of the most unique stories I have ever heard. It is in its own class of its own. It will be something you will not ever forget.
December 16, 2015
Thoroughly enjoyable fantasy/romance trilogy.
Each of the books in this series reveal the growth in power and strength of the three sisters and their loves as individuals and as a family destined to save a world. Each character has strengths and weaknesses that compliment each other and as the relationships grow they affect all those around them. There is humor, silliness, heartache, singing, dancing, misunderstanding, burgeoning magical powers and love. What more can you ask for in a series? Loved it.
Each of the books in this series reveal the growth in power and strength of the three sisters and their loves as individuals and as a family destined to save a world. Each character has strengths and weaknesses that compliment each other and as the relationships grow they affect all those around them. There is humor, silliness, heartache, singing, dancing, misunderstanding, burgeoning magical powers and love. What more can you ask for in a series? Loved it.
November 4, 2014
I reviewed these three books individually but I had to review it here too. Three words say it all, Absolutely Bloody Brilliant. Get it now if you haven't yet
May 8, 2015
If you like fantasy. This is a page turner all the way through.
August 8, 2015
Great series! Very entertaining! Going on to the next one!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews