Monsters, magic, and mayhem ... A young adult fae romance with a Celtic twist!
This Omnibus Edition includes the first three books in the Otherworld series, as well as a commentary from the author, an interview with the main characters, and a map of Eile.
Books in the Otherworld Trilogy: Faelorehn - Book One Dolmarehn - Book Two Luathara - Book Three
Meghan Elam's life may not have been perfect, but at least it was somewhere just outside the realm of normal. Of course, it only gets worse when Cade MacRoich shows up and saves her from a pack of bloodthirsty monsters. And Cade doesn't stop after playing the part of the redeeming hero. He informs Meghan that she is not human, but Faelorehn and immortal.
With the help of her mysterious rescuer, Meghan gradually learns who she truly is and that danger waits for her around every corner, danger that only grows when she ventures into the Otherworld. Between a vindictive goddess nipping at her heels and a mother who has been keeping secrets from her, Meghan must learn her new place in a magical and terrifying world, a world she is now very much a part of.
Fantasy Author. Swordswoman. Chicken Mama. These are just a few of the titles Jenna Elizabeth Johnson proudly goes by. She is the author of over a dozen novels, novellas, and short stories, including the award-winning Legend of Oescienne series, the Otherworld series, and the Draghans of Firiehn novella series.
Besides writing fantasy adventures featuring domineering dragons, headstrong heroines, brooding Celtic warriors, and all the magical creatures in between, she is a competitive HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) practitioner, participating in longsword tournaments whenever she gets the chance.
During her down time, Jenna can be found exploring the open spaces of California’s Central Coast, camping in Yosemite National Park, reading books and webcomics, or hanging out with her flock of overly-affectionate lap chickens.
Read the three books back to back - if I had just chosen these books by cover alone (and I am swayed by a cover - shallow maybe but I do think artwork can sell or send a buyer running) I would have been happy, but these books keep you on your toes! Brilliant I'm off to get the next one.
I really like the story. Some of her decisions were a bit “what are you thinking?” But isn’t every book that way? Lol. My one dislike is the punctuation. No commas around names. Drives me insane but I liked the story enough to buy the other books!
I wavered between giving this series three or four stars. For now I'm calling it a solid 3.5 and I'll mark it as a four. But on with the review. So I noticed that I couple of other reviewers felt that the characters came off as flat. I couldn't agree more. I have a problem with Meg's intsa love for Cade and the months that she spent swooning over him while he was gone were almost enough to make me put the first book down...
I did continue though and overall I found it entertaining. The world building is wonderful and I was super impressed with how closely Ms.Johnson followed the Celtic mythology. I thought she did a pretty good job of bringing in her own twist while still keeping it close to the authentic mythology stories.
Now back to my complaint about the characters coming off as flat. This really has to be my biggest turn off here. I never once connected with Meg or Cade and while Megs friends and family had the potential to be an awesome supporting cast, they fell flat and weren't given much face-time.
Anywho...I did enjoy the books as a quick read. I always appreciate well researched Celtic/Irish mythology so Ms. Johnson has my respect for what was clearly a well researched book series. They won't make it to my favorites shelf because of my lack of connection to the characters, but I will consider reading more of her works.
I jammed through these book in about four days. Reading until I fell asleep (book in hand) at night. The plot is fun, imaginative and adventurous. The only real character flaw is the female main character, Maegan. She is terminally diagnosed with the "Bella Swan" syndrome (For you "Twilight" readers, you'll get my drift." If you enjoy young reader, supernatural stories, this book might be for you. If you watch TV, the series "Bitten" is loosely written on her novels. Here's what I'd like to see Jenna E. Johnson write, a more adult themed version of these novels...something more along the lines of erotica. I tell you what...check out, "Bitten" on TV. The character "Clay" is pretty hot. And if the character "Caden" is this attractive...well...you get my drift (going to take a cold shower now).
I started reading this series because I won Ghalien. I am so happy I was introduced to this series. A great read, wonderful characters that pull you into their world and then pull you into the "Otherworld". I will read this series again. I wish I could get this book on CD, I would luv to listen to it. I recommend this series to lovers of mystery, danger, and innocent love. I have read many books and I am seldom surprised but there were twists that caught me off guard and I love it when that happens. I will look for more books from Jenna.
These books got progressively better as they progressed. I enjoyed watching Meghan go from a teen to a self possessed woman. There was a good balance of joy and tragedy to the story. I didn't feel sorry enough for the characters to make the story unenjoyable. But I also was able to appreciate the joys because of the sorrows. Very well crafted narrative overall.
These books were little hidden gems. The first was feee, so I figured why not? Then it was love at first sight. I am a huge.fan of faerie lore, and I really like how you can tell that Jenna Elizabeth did some preliminary research into it.