Siridean: Legend of the Faerie Cross

by Joy Stephens

There was a time that it didn’t look like Aishling would ever be in this position. When she was just six years old, a war between clans left her dead…until she was brought back to life by Raphael (aka Rafe), a rare healer and archangel who used his powers to save the little girl. For Aishling, the price for that act of kindness is just now coming into focus. For Rafe, transgressing the rules without authority has cost him dearly ever since. Battle trained with many supernatural tricks up her sleeve, Aishling is now a far more dangerous foe than she might at first appear. Bound by prophecy to marry Patrick Kavanaugh, the son of the next most powerful clan and also one of her best friends, she meets Rafe at the Hogueras Festival in Spain during her first year of college. Drawn to him, she has no idea of his true nature—or their long history. What she does know is that this man moves her in a way that Patrick never could. For Rafe, ten years burning as a demon followed by a life as a mortal possessed by demons has not deterred him from pursuing his goal of regaining his place as an angel. But his meeting with Aishling is no mere he is protecting her as the powers of good and evil are destined to explode in a confrontation that will decide the fate of their lives—and our world as we know it. Well paced with fully realized characters and clever plotting, its sense of unrelenting tension binds the proceedings and fully invests the reader with the epic struggle facing this young heroine. An action-adventure series of uncommon intelligence and suspense, Legend of the Faerie Cross signals the arrival of a new, first-rate young adult author and her must-read first series.

Genres: Fiction

526 pages, Paperback

First published February 26, 2014

About the author

Joy Stephens earned her master's degree in education in 1998. Recently, she completed her MFA in Creative Writing from Full Sail University, with awards in writing for TV animation and also in editing. Originally from the mountains of northern Georgia, she now resides in Tennessee with her husband and two rascally Keeshonds. A large portion of her first novel is set in Costa Rica where she has traveled five times on mission trips.

Reviews

[Tom Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read non-fiction for the most part, but I was encouraged to give this one a perusal. As a man, I was thinking, "Why would I want to read this? It's just another sappy romance novel with a supernatural love-interest!" Man, was I wrong! For one, the point-of-view transitions between the male and female leads, Rafe and Aishling; it proved the book had something for everyone. The novel actually surprised me with the action and suspense sequences, complex characters with substance, a plot and sub-plots that continually amped up the mystery lurking on the next page, and a love story that wasn't sappy and contrived. I'm a big fan of LOST, Tolkien, and the fantasy writings of C.S. Lewis. Just like those kinds of works, the symbolism contained inside Siridean kept me intrigued and coming back for more. The subversive allegory was rich and layered and nicely executed. I'm looking forward to the next installment and can't wait for the movie!

[Janine Lock · Rating 5 out of 5]

When this book is made into a movie (of which I am confident) it will have so many special effects that it will be mind-blowing! From the very beginning there are new ideas and very imaginative twists that keep you turning pages until late into the night. The characters are very engaging and real, even though they have mystical powers and problems beyond any normal scope of experience. This book also contains a very compelling love story which left us readers with a cliff-hanger that begs the question "When is the next book?!"

[John Mimms · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very well written! If you are looking for a book that will make your imagination run wild, this is it! I really like the descriptions and they paint a vivid picture in my mind. The characters are very well formed and the plot is just beautiful. If you are searching for something with some deeper meaning, you must read this book!

[Bree · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really really good! Joy Stephens really knows how to write a wonderful book!
I really liked the characters, Aishling is a strong, brave character and Raphael is a sort of tortured soul (literally). The other characters throughout the story were wonderfully told and you can't help but loving all of them!
Overall the plot of Siridean was great, and the book switches point-of-views back and forth from Aishling to Raphael. This book was medium paced and if you like feeling bewildered with the story because the story-line is just so out-of-the-box you can't guess what's going to happen next, THEN THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!!
I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and to other readers, and just a word of caution: this book will positively take up your life and there are so many twists and turns in the story you won't be able to put the book down!

[Bryan Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really close friend recommended this because they knew I liked fantasy/fiction and symbolism. I must say this was very enjoyable! The book wasn't one sided from either gender's point of view. The heroine is strong but not overbearing. Rather the heroine was interdependent. The male and female leads fight their own battles but also collaborate when necessary so the story appeals to both men and women. I thought the pacing was engaging. Also, I may be the weird one in the crowd, but I liked that this author didn't tie up all the loose ends--that's what keeps me on the edge of my seat and hungry for more. Some of my intent may get lost in translation as I type on my iPad, but I can finish up by saying....I highly recommend Siridean!

[Beth ~Book Loving Is My Superpower~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was well written and the folk lore was rich but it did not grab me in any way, in fact I was counting the pages hoping it would end already. It was disjointed at times, the pace was horrible and the characters were not well developed. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters, not even the lead character and that's an unforgivable sin in my book. The story was original though, which definitely scores major points, and as I said the writing was good so there's the reasoning behind the 3 star rating.

[Bella Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading Siridean by Joy Stephens. I have to say that I was totally blown away by the action in this book. The scene descriptions and action sequences were so vivid that I could clearly see the scene in my mind. The love story was so intense and so tortured. The characters were well described and believable. I plan to re-read this book again as I wait for volume two...

[Charlene Milam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can not wait until the next book comes out. I was glued to the book and could not put it down. Aishling is such a strong character that see evolving into a wonderful hero. Where is my Rafe?? It is a must read and a page turner to boot.

[Keith Holloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I'm not reading technical books and articles for work, I usually spend my reading time enjoying a military/spy novel. I'm a big fan of writings from the likes of Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, and Dale Brown. Therefore, it was a bit of a departure for me to foray into the supernatural world of the Siridean, but I must say that I was very impressed with this first installment of the Faerie Cross series. I found that the juxtaposition of the angel, demon, faerie, and human worlds kept my interest piqued as I wondered how the next supernatural interaction would unfold.

The driving relationship in the book between Aishling and Rafe was served in a way that was believable in this make-believe world of fantasy and it served as a central point of reference for the dense plot and subplot lines throughout the book. Their relational struggles and conflict provide just the right amount of tension to pull the reader from page to page and (hopefully soon) into the next book in the Faerie Cross series.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a read that employs more of your faculties than the average young adult fiction book. To the intelligent reader, Siridean, Legend of the Faerie Cross will keep you engaged and will be well worth your time and attention.

[Lindell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like adventures, mystery’s, thrillers, fantasy and romance? If so, you will like Joy Stephens’ “Siridean: Legend of the Faerie Cross”. It is filled with all of the above and more. Her hero’s combine human, angelic and some demonic characteristics in an fantastic way and the adventures begin. What better settings than the beautiful emerald isle of Ireland and the sun kissed central America country of Costa Rica. What more intriguing relationship can you imagine than those between angels, humans, and demons. Have you ever wondered if there are parallel universes’? Well in this book you will find them, several in fact. Wondered how one might cross over from one to the other, you will find out in Siridean. Do special stones have special powers? Does healing and killing power exist in special dust? You will find out in this book. I found the book to be well written, alive with word pictures and dynamic events. You won’t go wrong in reading Joy Stephens’ Siridean: Legend of the Faerie Cross. Lindell R. Doty

[Meghan Emery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book from Goodreads. I got it in the mail promptly and had to smile because there was a little note attached telling me about how hard she worked on this book, and how much she loved it. I was determined to read it and give it a fabulous review. Then I read the first few pages and though "Oh no. Word Vomit." It felt like the author had eaten a thesaurus and then threw up a bunch of words on the page. You could tell she was trying very hard to sound sophisticated and of an older dialect than is used in the modern world. She was just trying too hard. I forged ahead and found that it got better, began to smooth out. Some passages still seemed forced, but it got better. The characters came to life and the world took form. It was actually pretty good. The word vomit ceased. Though some things were cliche, and most of the book was fairly predictable (what isn't in the world of urban fantasy?) it was rather enjoyable. I will most likely order the second one.

Grammar: A-
Characters: A-
Voice: B+
World: A
Overall: A
Recommendation: Probably.