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The Marina Chronicle #1
THE MARINA CHRONICLE – BOOK 1: THE DREAMS OF THE LOST
In a magical land...MarinaA beautiful girl, trapped by an evil wizard, dreams of the lost princess who would either free her to step into the power she's always feared, or destroy her.LisetteA princess who was hidden away in an idyllic childhood, knows that her time is coming and gathers the strength of those around her to do what needs to be done.AthenaA guard with a broken heart finds herself building the bridge between them, while she heals a part of herself that she didn't even realize was broken.
273 pages, Paperback
Published March 12, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 19, 2024
Disclaimer: I cannot be an unbiased reviewer of this book because I know Reenie, love Reenie, and have been listening to her talk about these characters and this world for years and so was already predisposed to love them and it. So heads up.
That said, I had a ton of fun with this. I especially love the relationships our main girls develop with each other. If you’re a fan of like 2000s teen dramas but get SUPER sick of the fact that they always seem to pit the female characters against each other as competition and enemies? This is the series for you. Marina, Lisette, and Athena are all very different from each other, with very different strengths and ways their femininity manifests but at their core they’re SO SUPPORTIVE of each other - even when their romantic interests would, in any other narrative, pit them against each other. Girl’s girls through and through and I love them.
Some things to know going in: This is not set up like a super traditional linear narrative because of how it was originally written and published - in episodic installments. So sometimes it will go back and rehash the same event from a different POV, and if you don’t know that going in/are someone who struggles with multiple POVs I can see it potentially being confusing sometimes. For me this worked really well because the installment nature made it perfect for my at-work book (which is why it took me so long to finish) by giving me bite-sized but self contained chunks to read in the 5 and 10 minute lulls.
Additionally, while it is absolutely Fantasy meets the OC in terms of content, it does lean a little more OC than LOTR. The world-building is there, and interesting, but it’s not super duper info-dumpy. So if you’re expecting super specific magic systems and something high-fantasy lore heavy, this is not it so far. But again, this is something that really worked for me. (But also, again, I’ve been listening to Reenie talk about this world basically since I met her so idk if I can actually be an accurate judge of this).
Overall I can’t wait to move on to Book 2.
That said, I had a ton of fun with this. I especially love the relationships our main girls develop with each other. If you’re a fan of like 2000s teen dramas but get SUPER sick of the fact that they always seem to pit the female characters against each other as competition and enemies? This is the series for you. Marina, Lisette, and Athena are all very different from each other, with very different strengths and ways their femininity manifests but at their core they’re SO SUPPORTIVE of each other - even when their romantic interests would, in any other narrative, pit them against each other. Girl’s girls through and through and I love them.
Some things to know going in: This is not set up like a super traditional linear narrative because of how it was originally written and published - in episodic installments. So sometimes it will go back and rehash the same event from a different POV, and if you don’t know that going in/are someone who struggles with multiple POVs I can see it potentially being confusing sometimes. For me this worked really well because the installment nature made it perfect for my at-work book (which is why it took me so long to finish) by giving me bite-sized but self contained chunks to read in the 5 and 10 minute lulls.
Additionally, while it is absolutely Fantasy meets the OC in terms of content, it does lean a little more OC than LOTR. The world-building is there, and interesting, but it’s not super duper info-dumpy. So if you’re expecting super specific magic systems and something high-fantasy lore heavy, this is not it so far. But again, this is something that really worked for me. (But also, again, I’ve been listening to Reenie talk about this world basically since I met her so idk if I can actually be an accurate judge of this).
Overall I can’t wait to move on to Book 2.
June 16, 2024
If the late 90s/early 00s CW teen drama and high fantasy had a baby, it would be The Marina Chronicles.
A queen in hiding reclaims her throne, a young woman with untapped power begins to learn about both her hidden talents and herself, and the guard who was massively screwed over by someone she thought she loved, unexpectedly finds the love she’s been craving.
There are a lot of things I love about the start to this fantasy series:
The female characters are all strong, including Marina, who is initially presented as a silly young girl but has a well of strength and is determined to hone her powers and fulfill her destiny.
Athena - I love her. She is both bad ass and soft. She meets Aaron and they fall into step with each other. She is like the big sister to the younger women, and even though she was exasperated by Marina, seeing her as a silly girl with a silly crush on her brother, she still was there to provide her support and guidance.
Aaron - he sees Athena and is immediately drawn to her. He is patient and kind and knows what he wants (Athena).
The world is a place where freedom to be who you are and love who you love exists.
Tristan - I don’t love the little cad right know, but I can feel his growth potential in my bones. I am certain he will become a good partner one day.
The adults - they provide gentle loving guidance and it’s lovely to see.
The gods and goddesses. They are less vengeful and more meddlesome and that is a lot more fun.
Of course, there is a love triangle because that is what a teen drama requires, and I typically shy away from love triangles because they stress me out, but this story makes it easy to love.
I cannot wait to see what’s next for our little crew of Chosen Ones™️.
A queen in hiding reclaims her throne, a young woman with untapped power begins to learn about both her hidden talents and herself, and the guard who was massively screwed over by someone she thought she loved, unexpectedly finds the love she’s been craving.
There are a lot of things I love about the start to this fantasy series:
The female characters are all strong, including Marina, who is initially presented as a silly young girl but has a well of strength and is determined to hone her powers and fulfill her destiny.
Athena - I love her. She is both bad ass and soft. She meets Aaron and they fall into step with each other. She is like the big sister to the younger women, and even though she was exasperated by Marina, seeing her as a silly girl with a silly crush on her brother, she still was there to provide her support and guidance.
Aaron - he sees Athena and is immediately drawn to her. He is patient and kind and knows what he wants (Athena).
The world is a place where freedom to be who you are and love who you love exists.
Tristan - I don’t love the little cad right know, but I can feel his growth potential in my bones. I am certain he will become a good partner one day.
The adults - they provide gentle loving guidance and it’s lovely to see.
The gods and goddesses. They are less vengeful and more meddlesome and that is a lot more fun.
Of course, there is a love triangle because that is what a teen drama requires, and I typically shy away from love triangles because they stress me out, but this story makes it easy to love.
I cannot wait to see what’s next for our little crew of Chosen Ones™️.
January 4, 2025
For Fans of Tamora Pierce and WB era shows
I loved the way Lisette, Marina and Athena built their friendship, despite their differences in personalities. I could feel the same feeling from Tamora Pierce's Tortall books, especially later Song of the Lioness, as the girls grew more comfortable in who they were.
I can't wait to read more
I loved the way Lisette, Marina and Athena built their friendship, despite their differences in personalities. I could feel the same feeling from Tamora Pierce's Tortall books, especially later Song of the Lioness, as the girls grew more comfortable in who they were.
I can't wait to read more
July 20, 2024
Enjoyable Storyline....
I really enjoyed the storyline of this book, and I enjoyed the characters and the growth rhe of the characters throughout. Characters development was good, and you do grow to love the characters.
I got a bit confused about who was speaking or responding in a paragraph. The paragraphs were sometimes hard to follow. Feel as if the story started out a little slower and then sped up quickly and I wasn't ready for that fast leap - was enjoying the build. There were some missing words in places, so you have to find the right word for the sentence to work
I really enjoyed the storyline of this book, and I enjoyed the characters and the growth rhe of the characters throughout. Characters development was good, and you do grow to love the characters.
I got a bit confused about who was speaking or responding in a paragraph. The paragraphs were sometimes hard to follow. Feel as if the story started out a little slower and then sped up quickly and I wasn't ready for that fast leap - was enjoying the build. There were some missing words in places, so you have to find the right word for the sentence to work
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews