This Crumbling Pageant

The Fury Triad #1

by Patricia Burroughs

Get swept away into the first book of a dark fantasy series combining sorcery and magic, Arthurian legend turned upside down, and a coming of age that leaves Persephone Fury choosing between love and honour, between desire and destiny.Winner, Golden Quill for best Fantasy Romance in 2015The Fury family is known for its extraordinary music, its powerful magic, and its historic role as kingmakers. But the Furys have their secrets as well, none so dangerous as the daughter whose Shadow magic spills from her, unchecked. Unless her powers are concealed, she’s not only ruined in Society, but marked as a target for those who would use and abuse her magic.Persephone Fury is the Dark daughter, the one they hide.But desperate times call for desperate measures, and a good marriage for this frightening daughter is desperately needed. On the night of her debut, her world comes crumbling down around her when she is abducted from the man she loves by the man she most loathes.Evil powers circle, calling her to the destiny foretold at the moment of her birth, drawing her to the source of her power, to the one place she can finally be free. By embracing the Shadows, by embracing the Darkness within her.Persephone is ruthless, devious, and clever, but when confronted with the truth, she must make horrifying choices. Can she defy destiny and seize her own fate?

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal, Regency

607 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 29, 2014

About the author

I love to check out your [yes, your] ratings and comments about the books I love, the books I hate, the books I am not sure I want to read and am trying to decide, and books I'm not sure that I've read before and am skimming your comments to see if they shake a memory loose. But the best is when I can wallow in your love for the books I love and your annoyance for the books that annoy me. Best ever.

I avoid spoilers of any kind so a lot of times I read the first sentence you wrote, think "oh yeah, that is something I want to investigate and/or read!!!" and don't read another word you wrote because I don't want to know the details.

As for me, the analysis and time it takes for me to come up with a real review is beyond calculation. My brain doesn't work that way. I have weird learning disabilities that make it hard to think that way and do that kind of writing while, on the other hand, I love writing fiction and that's my work so yeah, don't spend time writing reviews.

So when I write my thoughts down about a book they are totally subjective and often more about my experience of reading the book than the book itself. I don't want to write spoilers and so I keep my comments broad most of the time.

But I love Goodreads because it's a great big book club where we can all find like-minded readers who enjoy what we enjoy and whose recommendations send us off the new discoveries. So that's why I'm here!

And now, the official bio:

Award-winning screenwriter and bestselling novelist Patricia Burroughs—Pooks—began her writing career in romance with five published novels. She received nominations and recognition from RT Reviews and was a Finalist for Romance Writers of America's RITA.

For a time, Pooks was lured away from her novels to pursue a career in screenwriting, where her story-telling gift again won her recognition in the form of a Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

However, one day she woke up with a new story rooting itself into her heart, a story that couldn't be told in a script but needed many more pages to spread out, flex its muscles and take wing. She returned to novels to write the epic fantasy trilogy that begins with This Crumbling Pageant.


Pooks loves dogs, books, movies, and football. A lifelong Anglophile, she treasures her frequent travels in the British Isles doing research for The Fury Triad. She and her high school sweetheart husband are living happily ever after in their hometown of Dallas, Texas.

~oOo~

Find out more about The Fury Triad, Patricia's new fantasy trilogy, at http://furytriad.com.

Want to join Team Fury and help promote these books while getting insider info and extras? Drop Patricia a line at planetpooks at gmail dot com and see if there is space in the group!

Reviews

[Melissa (thereaderandthechef) · Rating 5 out of 5]

YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK! This Crumbling Pageant just might be the book you have been waiting for a very long time. I have so many feels for this one for everything it made me go through. The romance was heart-robbing, the plot was shocking and everything in between was simply stunning. This book was very hard for me to put down.

Persephone Fury possesses a power so dark and wild that her whole family has tried to conceal from Magi London's society in fear for her safety and humiliation. Shadow magic flows in her veins, strong and very dangerous. Everyone says she is evil in the flesh. Yet, she is not the only one. Vespasian Jones, her brothers' abominable tutor, wields a power similar to hers and is threatening to use this against her beloved society and the throne of the Magi, only that no one believes her, leaving her no choice but to take matters in her own hands when thrown in his way...

And that is all I'm going to say because instead of focusing on what this story is about, I'll just tell you what I loved about This Crumbling Pageant without ruining it for you. First, The Characters. Oh my god, they are fantastic! From Persephone to the dreadful Vespasian Jones, I was captivated with each unique character inside this book. They are fierce, passionate, talented and deadly. There's fire in each and every one of them, and I loved when they burned with purpose. Even when they lied.

The plot is wickedly complex and I adored every time I got surprised with unexpected twist and turns. The elaborate web the author created is like an intricate musical composition: it transitions from a fairly simple rhythm into a complicated medley of every musical piece ever created. I'm still marveling how everything I thought was right and wrong turns out to be far from what it really turns out to be. Pretty genius.

As for the setting, you can't go wrong with the London of 1811, be it Ordinary or Magi. Social manners and conduct have a heavy weight with the lives of these people. Women are expected to marry well and dress according to the latest fashion, to listen and do what men say, as they are the ones with the absolute power to participate in politics. Leave it to Persephone to be the one to question and challenge all of them!

And this is only a fraction of what This Crumbling Pageant has in store for every reader that decides to open its pages. There's so much in this book that, despite it being a long read, I was actually wishing for it to be longer, much much longer. I can't wait for the next book in the series!

*Note: This review appeared first at The Reader and the Chef and it was made possible by an eArc received in exchange for an honest review.*

[Patricia Burroughs]

Get swept away into the first book of a dark fantasy series combining sorcery and magic, Arthurian legend turned upside down, and a coming of age that leaves Persephone Fury choosing between love and honour, between desire and destiny.

Winner, Golden Quill for best Romantic Fantasy in 2015

The Fury family is known for its extraordinary music, its powerful magic, and its historic role as kingmakers. But the Furys have their secrets as well, none so dangerous as the daughter whose Shadow magic spills from her, unchecked. Unless her powers are concealed, she’s not only ruined in Society, but marked as a target for those who would use and abuse her magic.

Persephone Fury is the Dark daughter, the one they hide.

But desperate times call for desperate measures, and a good marriage for this frightening daughter is desperately needed. On the night of her debut, her world comes crumbling down around her when she is abducted from the man she loves by the man she most loathes.

Evil powers circle, calling her to the destiny foretold at the moment of her birth, drawing her to the source of her power, to the one place she can finally be free. By embracing the Shadows, by embracing the Darkness within her.

Persephone is ruthless, devious, and clever, but when confronted with the truth, she must make horrifying choices. Can she defy destiny and seize her own fate?

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START READING NOW
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The Dead Shall Live, Volume Two of the Fury Triad is available and getting rave reviews!

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Thanks!

[Ashlyn Macnamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you took Harry Potter, changed him to Harriet and moved his birthday back almost 200 years, you might get this book. Might. Like Harry Potter, this world of This Crumbling Pageant is imaginative and vividly drawn. There is no school of witchcraft and wizardry, but there is a tutor who practices a form a Legilimancy (and who is very likely to remind the reader of Severus Snape on occasion). There's a separate world for ordinary folks like us and the magical people live under their own government, yet the magical world's struggles run rather parallel to the ordinary world. In This Crumbling Pageant, like in Regency England, the king is unwell, the succession not secured, and a Regent must be named.

As dark as the HP books got, however, this book is far, far darker. I wasn't expecting violence to get to George R. R. Martin level, but yeah, it went there. I'm just a little squeamish, and when I saw the first scene coming, I convinced myself to read on, since I'd made it through the entire Song of Ice and Fire series without experiencing TOO many nightmares. Two paragraphs later, the rose colored glasses were off, but it was too late to unread.

I'm a Regency romance author, and by and large, I read romance. A ballroom comedy of manners this is not.

The plot is complex, and takes a while to really take off. I don't want to give away too many spoilers. Let's just say... the reversals. OH, the reversals. But the author skillfully sets them up, so you're never left wondering what the heck just happened.

This book caught my attention because it was listed as one of those daily deals on a blog site. I picked it up because I love fantasy. I don't regret it for a moment. I believe the next book is coming out later this year, and then we'll have to wait a further year for the final installment. Let's just hope the author doesn't do what J. K. Rowling did with her later books and drag out the wait.

[Misty Aamen · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a few things I hunger for in a book. Romance. Unresolved Sexual Tension. Intrigue. Fantasy. Magic, both the emotional and the physical kind. When you take all of those elements and immerse them in Regency England, you have got my heart, my soul, and my undivided attention.

Persephone Fury lives in an England divided into two spheres that coexist seamlessly - Ordinary England, where the non-magical people live, and Magi England, where the magic people live. Persephone comes from an aristocratic family whose musical skill is legendary. She is, however, the dark sheep of the family. Not only is she suspected of having robbed her fraternal twin brother of his magic in the womb, but she has demonstrated from a young age that her magical power is preternatural. For this reason, her family do all they can to disguise how she truly looks and what she truly is.

However else is she to make a respectable marriage on the Magi Regency London marriage market?

A dark figure moves through the pages of this book from the first to the last. He is Mister Jones, the Fury family tutor, who has nefarious reasons of his own for attaching himself to a family he secretly despises. He makes no effort to disguise his disdain of Persephone, whose thirst for knowledge forces her to lurk in her brothers' tutoring sessions, only to be repulsed by the despicable Mister Jones.

Her confrontation with him in all his ugliness is the catalyst that begins this stupendous story, and it drives the reader with unrelenting urgency through the delicious length and breadth of this long and satisfying book.

We see the Magi world in its beauty and the Ordinary world in its comparable squalor. But it is when Persephone makes the discovery that drives her into the hands of a band of renegades led by the abominable Mister Jones that we see how very ugly a beautiful world can be made by heinous acts.

This is an epic fantasy trilogy, of which This Crumbling Pageant by Patricia Burroughs is only the first. Take the plunge. Immerse yourself in this world the author has created. It is real enough for you to see, hear, and feel.

You will not want to leave.

[Chrysoula Tzavelas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pick up books primarily based on premise. Even my favorite authors have to catch my attention with the premise and if a beloved author wanders into territory that doesn’t excite me I may never pick up the books in question.

Luckily, my premise hooks are broad. I like angels and goddesses. I like Regencies and other interesting, non-contemporary settings. I like women with powerful magic. I like dark romances. I like stories about fighting destiny and I even like a bit of Arthuriana. And when This Crumbling Pageant was pitched to me, I knew that I had to read it.

It’s set in a shadow world that lies alongside the historical Regency-era England we know. The shadow world—Magi England-- seems to be made up of bubbles of magical geography that rest on the foundation of Ordinary England, and likewise, the culture of Magi England and the story rest upon the foundations of a mundane world— although most of the time the foundations are so deeply buried you don’t notice them and the book might as well be in an entirely different world. But, as foundations do, the foundations matter.

In Magi England, the indigenous people are called the Earthborn, and their invaders and conquerors are the Fireborn. They worship Greco-Roman gods and take their names from Greco-Roman culture. The ancestor of the current Fury family is credited with creating Magi England as it now exists: enthroning its King, suggesting its laws and warding its ways. Once the Magi were safe from Ordinary England, the Fury family took up a retired life: focusing on elegancies and their enchanting music. At least until Our Story Begins, when a King is dying without a blood heir, and their eldest daughter marries the Duke Regent.

The story isn’t about her. This Crumbling Pageant is about her little sister, youngest daughter of the Fury family: born to dark rumors and uncomfortable, strange magic.

(One of my favorite parts of this book: This is a fantasy novel, right? Sort of pitched as an upper YA thing? You’d think the young lady’s dark birth and strange magic would make her family draw away. What’s a YA novel without a heroine estranged from her family, right? But Persephone’s family absolutely cherishes her despite her problems. She has a sister and three brothers (including a twin she supposedly stole the magic from) and she has a warm individual relationship with each of them. Even her parents, who supposedly travel abroad for years at a time, are _her parents_. The author doesn’t spend a ton of time detailing this but the warmth of her family ties infuses every scene with them and I love it.)

We meet Persephone Fury at age 13 as she goes on an adventure and is first introduced to her destiny. After introducing all of the major characters, we’re whisked forward a few years, to the point where Persephone is preparing for her social debut while drinking a tisane to suppress her magic, and the story really gets started.

While powerful and more educated than most of her peers, Persephone also carries the full weight of her entire culture’s flaws. She’s both sheltered and privileged: gossip and her strange magic are pretty much the worst she’s had to deal with by the time she’s seventeen, and she has never been given any reason to question anything about her world. She’s in love with a man who only wants to shelter and protect her, and if she had her way, she’d be happy with him for the rest of her life.

Unfortunately for her, the antagonist has other plans. She has both the power and skills he needs. She’s hated him her whole life, but he’s not exactly a stranger to hardship. Worse, he’s a master of the same strange magic she can only control through drugs and he has other secrets she craves. And sadly for both of them, they’re the chosen chew toys of a goddess with an agenda of her own.

For the reader, this isn’t as bad as it is for the poor characters: Vespasian Jones is as expertly drawn as Persephone Fury. He’s very much the protagonist of his own story; he is _interesting_ on the page in ways that I’m sure surprise some readers— and there’s a lot in-between the lines of his sections. I was not disappointed by the final convergence of their arcs (and I’d love to talk about them more with anybody who finishes the book!)

The story moves fast, with layers of hinted secrets, foreshadowing, setting development, character development and plot. Very little is laid out easily for us: some things referred to in the first third of the book aren’t fully explained until near the end and other things introduced halfway through are still unexplained at the end (because this is a trilogy). It doesn’t, claims a Barnes & Noble review, end on a cliffhanger, which I suppose is technically true: it has a strong plot arc that resolves in exciting and _mostly_ satisfying ways. It just leaves a lot of wild possibilities in the ‘pending’ queue and I’m feeling a bit intense about some of them still, two days later.

Patricia Burroughs is new to high fantasy (as far as I can tell), but not new to writing; she’s been a romance author and a screenwriter for over twenty years and it shows in her storytelling. The book is expertly crafted. She knows what she’s doing. It’s not _perfect_: sometimes the world building is a bit too in media res; sometimes explanations promised are interrupted or never come; occasionally small details are skimmed over where I would have liked to have seen them explained; sometimes (like me) you get a crazy idea and fly with it for too long.

The plot takes a few twists that — for me — meant I rushed through the second half quickly. Some really dreadful things were foreshadowed and I wanted to get them over with as quickly as possible. But dreadful events are never throwaway events. They matter. Because our heroine is going to change the world, one way or another, though perhaps not in the ways the entities steering her would like…

(Can you see why I like this book so much?)

And I hope if you’ve been reading this far, you’ll give the book a try so I’m not alone in anticipating the second volume.

[a_tiffyfit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love fantasy books like this where the story is complicated, the descriptions rich, and the characters so well-described you can see them in your mind's eye, with sinister looks, ethereal beauty, or what have you.

You can read the description, so I will do my best not to rehash it, but as you can see, there are two Englands. There is the mundane/original England in the world as we know it with a mad King George and then there is the Magi England. The Fury family is part of Magi England and this is where the bulk of the story takes place. To cross from one England into another, one must travel through the fog, something young Persephone Fury discovers when she is abducted by the house tutor, Vespasian. After escaping, she returns a changed woman with a secret. Falling in love with the man who helped her home, she makes her debutante ball looking surreal and gorgeous, helped by her brother Cosmos. There is a strange and weird tension between the Fury family members and I did a lot of puzzling over it in the beginning. I think what I loved most was the description of the Furys' powers. Oh, to have Persephone's gifts. I think every musically inclined person would find her gift amazing and desirable.

This is fantasy at its finest, with love and darkness, plight and opportunity, and complicated twists and turns that hinge on Persephone's decision making. Is it fate or is it destiny or is it choice? This is only book one so we don't know where it will lead us, but the words of her goddess ring ominous for Persephone. She can choose duty & honor or love, but not both. One will have to be enough, so which shall it be? I, for one, am hooked and can only urge Patricia Burroughs to write faster in hopes that I may read on!

I received a print ARC to read and review. My opinions are my own. I do urge you to get this on May 6, 2014 when it releases if you love a well built world with multi-faceted characters and a not so happily ever after...at least, not yet as far as I can see.

[Terri M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Crumbling Pageant by Patricia Burroughs packs a punch. It combines so much mythology--Roman, Celtic, Arthurian and Christian--into one story it's a wonder how it all fits together. But fit together it does and once the story gets moving it doesn't let up until the last page is turned.

Persephone Fury has a gift or is it a curse? Throughout the course of the novel, with Burroughs's deft handling of the main character, the reader is never quite sure. She weaves a fantasy world with strange powers that sits parallel to our own where the Ordinary are not aware of the magical world and its machinations.

Read the rest of the review on my blog, Second Run Reviews

[Gayle Pace · Rating 4 out of 5]

MY REVIEW
As soon as I opened the book, I felt that I was entering an adventure into a fantasy that has a dark plot. My heart was pounding with suspense and of course the romance. I hope there will be more about Persephone Fury. She is the daughter who is the dark one that they hide.

Setting: England, 1809. London is the place for the high Society to gather for the new social season. Unknown to the high Society there is an England that exists, hidden and magical.

The temples to the old gods, are the Magi cathedrals. The throne is held by King Pellinore who is not well. But that doesn't lessen the deadly wars between him and mad George.
Beautiful music, unusual powerful magic and their role as kingmakers. This was the historic role of the Furys. Shadow magic fills the daughter. The problem is, it isn't kept in line. This was extremely dangerous. She must hide her powers or Society will ban her. Her powers will cause her to be used and abused because of her magic. She must get her powers under control.

A marriage for this poor daughter may help solve the problem. Her world suddenly comes apart. crumbling at her feet as she is kidnapped from the man she loves. What will happen to her, Especially since she is kidnapped by the man she can't stand.

Will she ever be free and back with the man she loves? Will she learn to use her powers in the right way instead of letting them go without control.?

Persephone is evil, but clever. Once she learns the truth she has to make some awful decisions. This is a case of
DESTINY vs. FATE.

The author did a wonderful job of describing the characters. I was especially amazed about Persephone. You could see and feel the darkness and evil surrounding her. Wonderful descriptions. The book grabs you from page one and holds tight. I'm not usually fond of these type of books but this way a good read. You become a part of their world.

I feel that whenever an author can make o\\you feel part of the world of t he characters, it's a good book. On that note, grab a copy and before you read it, check out the cover. It is so intense and yet so beautiful. It is eye catching. I would recommend this book to anyone, but the upper YA would probably enjoy it a little more.

I was given a complimentary copy of This Crumbling Pageant by Patricia Burroughs from Candace's Book Blog Promotions for my personal view. No other compensation took place.

I would give this book 4 STARS.

(QUOTE)
So when the last and dreadful hour
This crumbling pageant shall devour,
The trumpet shall be heard on high,
The dead shall live, the living die,
And music shall untune the sky.
John Dryden, 1687

[Lenissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The setting takes place in England, 1809. There are two England's; one for the Ordinary's who is ruled by poor mad George, and the other, Magi, as they are called, who is ruled by King Pellinore of the House of Pendragon. The temples of the old Gods are now used as cathedrals for the Magi.

The Fury's are very much high class among the Magi's, they are not in the public eye, and preferred to have their children home-schooled, then send them to a schoolroom. They are known for their extraordinary music, their powerful magic, and their historic role as kingmakers. Like everyone in high society, they have secrets that they wish doesn't come out, especially the one that concerns their younger daughter, Persephone. They conceal her unusual powers by basically drugging her with the tea she's given. Persephone is known as the Dark daughter, who uses shadow magic. Her destiny is foretold the day/night of her birth.

During her debut, Persephone is kidnapped, taking away so suddenly from the man she loved for years, taken to the man she loathed longer.

The characters that Patricia develops are each unique in their own way, they are not the same or close to being the same. They developed more as this adventures, breath taking story continues to unfold as you read through the pages. I have to say in the beginning I didn't care for Persephone, but as the story moved along, I became to like her more. The same goes for Mr. Jones, but opposite, I, like Persephone, loathed him, but a part of me couldn't hate him fully, I don't know why, I just couldn't.

The writing and the description are great, I felt like I was apart of the story. I couldn't read fast enough to know what's going to happen next; when I first began to read This Crumbling Pageant I knew almost immediately that I wouldn't be able to put it down, and I didn't.

I'm glad it didn't end on a cliffhanger, but oh boy, does it have me wanting more, and I really need for book two to come out already. I want to here more about these characters, especially of Mr. Jones and one of her brothers. I want to know more about this goddess and what she's up to.

This Crumbling Pageant is by far my favorite book in 2014 so far. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

I was given a complimentary copy of This Crumbling Pageant by Patricia Burroughs from Candace's Book Blog Promotions for my personal view.

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The air danced with magic, and could such magic truly be Shadows? Could anything so shimmering and bright be Dark? "

Summary
Persephone Fury possesses a dark, powerful and unpredictable kind of magic. It's her family's greatest secret. If anyone found out, she would be shunned by the Society, forever losing her chance for a good marriage. It would also expose her to all kinds of sleazy people who would seek to abuse her powers.
But dangerous times are ahead of her and Persephone might find that hiding her magic is a luxury she is no longer able to afford.

Writing
The writing style is beautiful - flowery and poetic. I was especially impressed by the descriptions of melody. While reading, I often caught myself swaying to the music that this book created in my head. It was a wonderful experience.

Characters
All of the characters are incredibly three-dimensional. They are deep and complex. You are never really certain who is trustworthy and who only wants to use Persephone. Hell, I wasn't even completely sure who was the villain until almost the end of the book.

Plot
This book definitely has a really interesting and intricate plot. But it's too long. Way too long. I feel like a lot of unnecessary thing happened. And the descriptions are a bit too Tolkien-ish for my liking. The author put a lot of care into creating very detailed scenes, but while it makes you truly feel like you are a part of the story, it also takes up a looot of space. I am a little bit too impatient for that. But if you are a fan of slow-paced books, I feel like you are going to be just fine.

Overall
I am really surprised by this book. It was a beautiful coming of age story. This novel was truly empowering. It told a completely different story from the one I was expecting. If it only were a little bit shorter…

 

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Kim Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a word, extraordinary.

Although Burroughs disclaims any expertise in history, her world building is extraordinary. I purchased the book because it was promoted as Regency with a touch of the otherworldly. I think it is the other way around. The magical world of the Fury’s (love the pun) centred on Persephone (again a most symbolic name), is not just engaging but enchanting. And frightening, and horrific, and dark, streaked with love and honour. Persephone owes nothing to any genre template for heroines, and even villains are complex and full of surprises. The plot twists caught me offside, even though I suspected “something rotten in the state of Denmark”, without realising where the rottenness lay. It a generous lengthy book. Not quite a cliffhanger, but with much left to unfold before the story finds its completion.

[Gloriamarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, let me say how very very very much I wanted to give this a five star review but I have to save that for perfection and even though the author is a friend of mine, there were two teeny errors that prevents me. Sorry, Pooks. The first one was the omission of the word "switched," I believe in a sentence that I think was about switching sides. The second was a missing comma. "Our goddess, Elena of the Ways etc" The commas was missing on the other side of "Ways." People who have read my reviews know I am strict about grammar. And spelling, syntax, word order, and the ability to distinguish one homonym from another. Pooks, you have all that mastered. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Another pet peeve of mine is when an author All Too Obviously foists a first draft upon the reading public. It is clear from reading This Crumbling Pageant that Pooks has labored over her story and I am deeply grateful for that also.

Other than that this book is one delight after another and I stayed up until three thirty AM last night to finish it because I just could not believe where this story went. I was so not ready for that! And I am telling you right now, Pooks, write that second volume because I just know I am going to get Very Cranky Indeed waiting for it.

How to review this without spoilers? I feel in love with Our Heroine from the get go. Despised the Bad Guy from the get go. Why? Because Pooks can develop characters. These are not two dimensional good guys and bad guys. They have layers, depths, surprises. Some of which I hated but oh good grief and gravy, how they added to the story. I loved Persephone's family. I loved her brothers and her sister and her parents. Heck, I even loved the servants. Gotta tell you, Pooks, characters are everything to me in a book and you wrote some great ones.

So many times, I am repulsed by undeveloped minor characters. In this book two of the most minor are the King and Queen and yet enough detail is provided about them for the reader to develop strong feelings about them. I really like that. All Too Often in novels, minor characters are cliche ridden hackneyed one dimensional creatures. I am so sick of lazy authors doing that. Pooks, on the other hand is a hard worker.

One genre of literature I have avoided for some time now is mysteries because they aren't any fun to read because I guess whodunit much too early in the story. I think the last mystery I really enjoyed was one by Nagio Marsh about a bunch of actors and the Scottish Play. We know from page one whodunit but the mystery was his motive.

Now I ramble on about all of that because Pooks fooled me. She really got me. I thought I knew where this story was headed and despite feeling that way, the quality of her writing entranced me. I was wrong. Oh so wrong.

Except I do think I figured out who the True King is long before Pooks started to drop clues. But since I was so wrong once, I may well be wrong again.

Volume Two, Pooks! I need Volume Two now.

[Ryan Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Crumbling Pageant definitely forces you to take notice of its originality. I find that high fantasy, while sometimes a bit of a trial to follow, always has something new to offer me. Each author brings something new to the table to create a book that will be vivid and singular in your mind. This author certainly achieved that.

I have always had a fascination with villains (you say antagonist. They will always be villains to me) and what goes on in their heads. I had not yet read a villain that the author focused on and helped me understand more than Vespasian. I loved delving into the other character’s heads and seeing everything from their points of view. Allow me to explain why I love this so much. If you have watched or Read Game of Thrones, you get a window into all the different kingdom’s worlds and see that they all believe they are doing the honorable thing on their side. Ugh. I am explaining this horribly. The characters in This Crumbling pageant are three- dimensional. They are complex characters who are all equal in the story and actually have their own stories. This makes it very hard to truly hate any one character too much, even the villains, who we are normally engineered to hate and fear. (Another Example: If you watch Once Upon a Time, you know that it is hard to hate Rumpelstiltskin since you know his background and you are allowed to see him at his most vulnerable.) That is what it is like with the “villain” in this book. I know this paragraph is crazy confusing, but I just wanted to point out that I found that interesting. (:

[Sometimes, the Points of View switching overwhelmed me and I had to make sense of the changes, however. ]

I loved the different aspects that were thrown together to creative the truly unique world in which the book takes place. I will not even try to list the aspects and genres that cross over in this book. It was very dynamic and really stuck with me. I thought that the basic idea of the book (Magic. Jealousy. Kidnapping!) was awesome and I loved all the adventure and intrigue that the author was able to fit into the book. Speaking of the intrigue, I really liked the little plot surprises that were thrown in. And who doesn’t love Political mystery thrown in with their high fantasy. Ugh. This book just had so much stuff in it. O.O (I also loved the way music is incorporated into the story as well. A very creative addition.)

I thought that Persephone was a very individual character. I really enjoyed her interactions with her loving family. She had to overcome so much, but also got to experience some moments of joy. (hehe.) She had some moments where she needed a throat punch (as did other characters) but I enjoyed her and her journey overall. (: Can’t wait to see what happens next.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

For my first #LibraryThingEarlyReview, I was the lucky winner of, This Crumbling Pageant, volume 1, by Patricia Burroughs.
I began this story, without a single idea of what the synopsis was. I think it's often better to go into a story this way, without preconceived notions.
I was not disappointed by this book.
To begin, we are thrust right into the story. There is no wordy introduction to the characters, the plot, the scenery or the background. Instead we begin in the world of Vespasian Wyltt.
He is an angry man with a mission. From the start we are left to wonder at the state of his mind and heart for he is chosen by a goddess to fulfill some task. However, we are left to wonder at this path that is presented him, as he finds the person who will lead him to his destiny. Of course, it is not until much later we find out the larger role that this unnamed person, this "perfumed young gent" will play in destiny.

From here we are thrust into the world of a young girl. This young girl has dressed up as a boy, namely, her twin brother Dardanus. She has a reason for doing this and we find out as she is roused from Dardanus' bed where she was posing as him, by his tutor, Mr. Jones. Her goal is to find out just what Mr. Jones is doing to her brother. Part of this is born from concern, another from jealousy that she herself, being a girl, isn't allowed to benefit from tutelage.
It's here we learn that we are not in the Ordinary world, but a world of magic. For the girl, is a Fury. Persephone Fury.

The story takes a hold of you with magic and strong willed characters. Persephone is a force of nature, one we come to find has had a destiny since the womb. Cursed, some call her. Gifted, others say. Her life is changed forever on that night when Mr. Jones drags her through the vale into the Ordinary world to perform. But, to what end? What is his goal, and who is he?

A whirlwind of emotion, a flurry of magic. Characters you love, and characters you love to hate. There are even times when I'd chose to slap Persephone a good one. But, in the end, the choices she makes she does so with the tools and knowledge her world gives her. Because at every turn she is halted by someone trying to hold her back-whether it be education, magic, or choosing things for herself.

By the end of the book we are left hanging from the precipice, wanting more. I can't want for the next volume.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free in return for an honest review.
This book is one that kept me reading past my bedtime. It kept my attention throughout the entire book and did not let go. The story is well written and the plot was easy to follow even with some twists and turns that surprised me. The characters were well developed and complex. And the world building was extremely well done and quite believable. I am anxious to read the next in the series.

[Nerine Dorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far as my interests in fantasy goes, this story has it all – good vs. evil where where one’s loyalties are subverted, and plenty of action, intrigue and thwarted romance. We discover the world of the Fireborn and the Earthborn, two different magical nations, and it’s apparent that the Fireborn have ousted the Earthborn from their lands in the British Isles.

A prophecy exists that one day the True King will return and lead the Earthborn to their rightful place, and naturally this leads to conflict between the ruling Fireborn and the subjugated Earthborn.

So far as I can gather, it’s the seventeenth century, and Persephone Jones chafes against the strictures placed on her as a young woman of privilege. We first meet her when she sneaks out in her twin brother Dardanus’s place to find out what their hated tutor, Vespasian Jones, is up to with her male siblings after nightfall (no, it’s nothing what it sounds like).

What she ends up stumbling into is the tail end years-long conflict centred on the anti-hero Vespasian, who’s doing his damnedest to bring down the corrupt King Pellinore, although it takes Persephone a while to realise that perhaps the rebels have the right of it.

A word on the world of the Fireborn and Earthborn: much like JK Rowling’s muggles vs. magical worlds, their world seems to exist separate yet simultaneously with the Ordinary, as Burroughs describes it. Persephone is gifted with a surfeit of Dark magic, and though for some reason she’s not taught to control it, her family drug her instead in order to keep a lid on things.

The Fury family has long supported the kings of the Fireborn, and with her magic, Persephone becomes a target for the rebels, who seek her aid to help overthrow the regime. This is all grist for my mill when it comes to the fantasy genre, but I do have a few issues. Burroughs’s writing is rich and evocative, but there are moments when I feel that the characters act or say things, but I don’t feel as if I’m given sufficient motivation to understand *why* they do/say the things they do.

I feel I needed to know more of *why* there was a push/pull situation between Vespasian and Persephone. I’d also have liked to see Persephone take a stronger stance as a character. Granted, when she does have her moment of revelation, she *does* act, but then I felt I needed to get more inside her head. And ditto for Vespasian. It wasn’t enough for me that he simply hated Persephone, but I wanted to go deeper into his point of view as well.

There were also plenty of unanswered questions, and perhaps the one that bugged me the most was that if Persephone was supposedly so powerful, why her family hadn’t moved to train her or use her in some way instead of relegating her to the status of marriageable goods. I get that there were strictly defined gender roles in that era, but it still was something I struggled with. Also, I wanted to know a little more of the mechanics of how the Dark magic worked, in addition to the musical ability. To this end I felt the writing glossed over bits, and Burroughs could have slowed down her pace a fraction.

Other than that, this was an engaging read, and I loved the way she subverted my loyalties and inverted notions of good vs. evil.

[The Author Visits · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Crumbling Pageant, an epic romantic fantasy set in Regency-era England, tells the story of Persephone Fury, a young woman with a dark secret.

Born with extraordinary magical powers, she has been shielded by her family, keeping her magic a secret in a society that would penalize her for being different.

We meet Persephone at the age of thirteen, when all she wants is to learn and explore the world that surrounds her. Enter Vespasian Jones, the antagonist to Persephone’s protagonist.

Vespasian happens to be the tutor to the Fury boys but his intentions for positioning himself at the Fury residence are all but noble. His motives are the stuff that makes this book a pleasurable quest to read.

Set between the Ordinary (human) and the Shadow (Magi) worlds, the only similarity between the two is the societal propriety of the times. The differences are vast. The Shadow world exists in parallel to that of the Ordinary. With its own traditions steeped in a history molded by the Fury family, the Magi world is intriguing.

At the age of seventeen, Persephone is set to make her societal debut and embark on a new life offered to her through marriage.

But destiny has other plans for her. Ripped away from her family and the man she loves, she is taken away by the devious Vespasian to fulfill a prophecy set in motion at her birth.

Persephone is no damsel in distress. She has mettle, the kind that is the perfect counter to Vespasian’s evil. That is what makes “This Crumbling Pageant” such a tremendous read.

I do not like period pieces. I am more about the urban setting and my fantasies almost always involve vampires. Nor am I fond of magical tales set against a mythological backdrop. But all my notions about what I like and do not like were squashed with this book.

What matters most to an avid reader aren’t elaborate settings or plot twists that are meaningless if not used to propel the story forward. And rest assured, you won’t find the use of such poor tactics in this work.

Instead, what the author of This Crumbling Pageant offers are multi-dimensional characters who undertake a call to action that keeps conflict central making me turn page after page until I reach a satisfying ending but am still left wanting to read more.

That is no easy feat. Not when I have very strong tastes in what I like reading and normally would never pick up a book like “This Crumbling Pageant.”

Patricia Burroughs is a talented author with an innate ability to first build then carry the story forward with great adeptness. Her storytelling is methodical but the outcome is riveting. She enjoys world building and took great pains to give us the world of the Ordinary and the Shadows, layering in classes and hierarchies against history and myth that is brilliant. To be honest, I haven’t read anything quite like “This Crumbling Pageant” and was surprised at how much I enjoyed the first book in the Fury Trilogy.

If you are looking for a book to add to your reading list, might I suggest you pick up “This Crumbling Pageant.” My rating – a must read!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was part of Mark Lawrence's Great Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off.

When I started reading this book, my first thought was, “Oh, fantastic. A thirteen-year-old protagonist. Just what I love….” (Sarcasm font). Then I got going, and the young girl grows older, and things all start clicking. To be honest with you, the thirteen-year-old Persephone wasn’t really believable as a thirteen-year-old. She was a bit too mature for me to believe her to be that young. When she grew up, I believed it.

Anyway…

Set in a sort of Victorian feeling alternative London steeped in magic and mystery as well as plenty of Greek mythology and traditions, the world has a lot for readers to love and Burroughs took a lot of time really fleshing it out and getting a feel for it. Another thing that I really enjoyed was the family dynamic that Burroughs added to her novel. There’s sibling love, and love between parents and children. With so many novels, the protagonist(s) are on their own. It was refreshing to see a tightly knit family group loving (and arguing with) each other.

This book does have some romance, and the romantic interest is pretty obvious from the start. It felt natural rather than forced, though when all interested parties realized where their interests laid, a switch was flipped and suddenly there were no doubts. There is some tension (that isn’t romantic) and plenty of frustration. Basically, yes, there’s romance, but that’s certainly not all this book is about. It moved at a pretty good clip, though some parts felt like they might have been a bit too long.

My other niggling complaint was the antagonist. In a book that was so detailed and rich, so lush and well woven, he seemed a bit too much like the brooding evil bad guy who wears dark clothes, has melting green skin and cackles in the corners.

In the end, this is one of those books that I started reading thinking, “Fantastic, here’s a book that I’m going to hate, and I’m going to have to tell people I hated it. I hate doing that.” I ended it thinking, “Wow, I’m really glad I read that.” Is it perfect? No, but sometimes perfection doesn’t matter.

http://www.bookwormblues.net/2015/04/...

[Wench · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sixty pages in, all I have is complete and utter confusion. Who are these people? Why can I not tell them apart? Why are there strange and choppy scene and even paragraph transitions? Why are there words missing? Why do I have to keep going back and rereading because I swear I missed something, only to find out I didn't? What in the everloving holy hell is going on? Am I reading a completely different book from everyone else who has reviewed this?

I mean, I don't mind working a little to read a book. In fact, I prefer it to giant infodumps, or having everything explained! But I also really despise when, as another reviewer put it, the author doesn't even give you any sly clues. There is nothing to grab on to here. It's like climbing a sheer cliff face. The wonderful worldbuilding everyone raves about? Where? I have not seen it. The fantastic characterizations? Um, those words maybe don't mean what you think they mean.

Meanwhile, these sixty pages have been an utter, unenjoyable slog, and from other reviews, it sounds like the first THREE HUNDRED pages are like that. Which is a shame, because the premise sounds fricking fantastic. But I? Have better things to do than slog through three hundred poorly edited, choppy, sloggy, confusing pages. Not really in to climbing sheer cliff faces, thanks.

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege of being an early reader of this story as it was being written. At that time, four drafts ago, I could not put it down. Last night, I finished reading the final published version and felt so connected to the world and the characters that I felt a tug of loss that I couldn't just pick up Book 2 and continue with the story.

Patricia Burroughs has built complex and interesting world that is also accessible to the reader. With a deft hand, she illustrates the mores of the world and the conflicts imbedded within it. Like the universe itself, each character is shaded with complexity and backstory and the relationships between characters and their histories weave together in the most compelling of ways.

I love stories with layers, characters with nooks and crannies of personality, and narratives filled with meaning. If you love the same, pick up this book and you will be immensely satisfied.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Crumbling Pageant is a high fantasy that focuses on Persephone Fury's journey into womanhood but more she is a chosen child of the gods.

The story does have an unusual pace. I can liken the story to a snowball slowly rolling down the hill; it gains momentum and magnitude as the tale progresses. All of a sudden, you are completely pulled in by circumstances wanting to navigate the complex whys and what ifs. By the end, I felt somewhat overwhelmed by the consequence and weighed down by the significance of all that occurred.

The highly complicated plot is infused with extremely original and imaginative world-building. Burroughs creates evil that permeates bone deep and gives us shocking plot twists and turns that will have you reeling.

I received this copy of This Crumbling Pageant from Patricia Burroughs in exchange for an honest review.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written coming-of-age story set during a time/place/people/beliefs that are very different than present day. I appreciate the slow unraveling of characters/plots/history that the author reveals - almost seductively - throughout the entire book. It's not a book of happy endings. At times the themes are dark, almost startling. Raw. It's not a simple love story. I found myself unable to put it down at times...and other times I needed to put it down so I wouldn't be swallowed by the characters' struggle. I hate that Persephone ended up where she is at the end of the book - and the tenuous hate/loyalty/duty she struggles with as a wife. I shouldn't be surprised at the depths people are willing to go for power - or in some cases, to avoid power - but I was reminded in this story. I'm probably going to indulge in the sequel, much to the deteriment of my household chores/adulting.

[Csrygley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t normally read fantasy, but I’m so glad I got this book on a whim. IT’S SO GOOD!! It’s 1400+ pages on iBooks and I read it in two days. Couldn’t put it down. The world is wholly original, the time period is one of my favorites (Regency) and the characters are so nuanced and fascinating. This author’s ability to astound you with twists that once they’re revealed become obvious they could only have ever been that way, is perfect. That sentence got away from me, but basically you’re left with all your expectations shattered in the best way. Just read it, you won’t regret it!

[Susan Harrowa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing blending of fantasy, myth, and history

If I could've given this book more than 5 stars, I would have. Superbly crafted tale. Much of it is dark with moments of humor and happiness thrown in. But if you're looking for a happily ever after in this story, you won't find it. But you will find real emotion, real struggle and real growth of character. Absolutely recommend this book to any fans of the darker, more serious fantasy and myth genres.

[Beth Teliho · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so so good!!! i couldn't put it down. Incredibly complex characters and plot. Twists, drama, magic, love, family dynamics, historical references...I mean WOW. It has it all, as cliche as that sounds. But it DOES. I have a book hangover. I miss the characters! The pace is perfection - really kept me on my feet and lured me expertly...I had no choice but to read on. Cannot wait till Volume 2!

[Jypsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Crumbling Pageant is an average read. Elements of magic and history etc. come together to create an okay story. The characters are engaging. The plot is troubling. There are elements of it that I don't care to read. For this reason, I couldn't connect with this story. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

Page turner from the first to the last. The story is lengthy, but was very well written. The author does an amazing job with descriptions. You feel like you are in the story. I look forward to many, MANY more works from her.

[Sarah Arabi-Katbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot I want to say about this book but I'm not sure where to begin. While I enjoyed the story overall, there are a couple of things that bothered me throughout.
At the beginning of the book is an author's note about the cultures found within the book, detailing them as Roman/Greek, and the persecution that some faced in history, based in historical facts, etc. While I generally like this sort of helpful advice from the author, especially in a world that I'm unfamiliar with, jumping into reading after the note, I was still kind of at a loss of what was happening, what the religions were/gods, why was it wrong to worship those and why you should worship these and how the Furys are this and everyone else is that. And who are the Ordinary and the Quality and all that. I don't know if I'm just dumb or my brain isnt working or something, but it all just didn't seem to mesh for me. That feeling stuck with me almost allll the way til the end of the book. and it's not a short book.
The second thing that bothered me was the overtly sexual way in which many of the chapters are written. Even at the beginning, when Persephone is just 13 years old, there's just so much sexualization of the people around her (and YEAH i get it, little girls used to be married off in medieval Europe blah blah blah), but she hadn't had her "coming out as a woman" party yet. It's not just acts, it's the way that things are written. and yes, I now realize this is classified as a romantic fantasy. but still. some things still bothered me. like the double the ages thing...with everybody.
Anyway, somehow Persephone grows beautiful and grows up in the span of one year and she kind of just becomes powerful instead of this pitiable creature (so yes, there is a sort of character growth). A lot happens to her. A LOT. and she has a A TON of feelings about everything and it's all very dramatic (in a good way at most points). She has a lot of hate. and sadness, but mostly loathing (her favorite feeling). She has confusing relationships with her siblings. What happened to Papa Fury tho?
I like this time period and place (Arthurian legend), even though I'm thrown off by a lot of the mythology. And the ending was definitely a cliffhanger so I will read on. but I just dont want to be confused anymore :(
Maybe an explanation of the cultures in depth would help. Please. (new mommy brain hurts). Thanks.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Epic (607 pages) fantasy about an alternate Georgian England where the Magi live side by side with us ordinaries, their King is dying and myths and rumours abound about who will be his successor. At the centre of the mystery is the Fury family, their ancestor foretold the backlash against magic and led the Magi to hide in plain sight amongst the ordinaries, he then set the current royal family on the throne. Will the Fury family find the successor?

The Fury family are blessed with the magic of music, but their youngest daughter Persephone also had wild and dangerous gifts that the family try to suppress. As the family prepares for a grand ball to launch Persephone's beautiful sister Electra into the marriage mart, Persephone begins a great adventure where she will meet the King, future King, the True King and a rebellion.

This novel effortlessly weaves Roman mythology with Welsh mythology, magic and battles, politics and family. True there were bits I didn't understand, what was Cosmo's vision at the hanging? but still I was there in the palace, in the Welsh countryside trying to make sense of Persephone's 'gifts' just as she was.

As the first part of an epic fantasy this ends with much still to learn - will the next book continue Persephone's journey or will it pick up with one of her brothers? Can't wait.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Persephone Fury seems to have some unusual powers, even for the Fury family. She's not really sure what they are, but Velsperian Jones thinks he does. These two are like oil and water, but somehow they are tied together by prophecy of a returning king. Due to this she is unable to be with the man she truly loves, Robin Fitzwilliam, which is so sad. Persephone shows selflessness, bravery and strength throughout this book, even when it results in devastating consequences for herself.


It took awhile to read this book, not because I was bored, though it did move at a slightly slow pace, but not enough for me to stop reading. I usually speed through books, but this one I felt I needed to pay extra attention to all the details. I think it paid off that I did.

So, join Persephone on her quest to figure out this prophecy, but be warned it is unfortunately not a happy love story ending for her in this book. Will it be by the end of the series? I'm not sure how it can happen, but it's not my story and I'm sure the author has her own path in mind.