Effigy

by M.J. Fifield

The survival of a once-mighty kingdom rests in the hands of its young queen, Haleine Coileáin, as it slowly succumbs to an ancient evil fueled by her husband’s cruelty.

A sadistic man with a talent for torture and a taste for murder, he is determined to burn the land and all souls within. Haleine is determined to save her kingdom and, after a chance encounter, joins forces with the leader of the people’s rebellion. She gives him her support, soon followed by her heart.

Loving him is inadvertent but becomes as natural and necessary as breathing. She lies and steals on his behalf, doing anything she can to further their cause. She compromises beliefs held all her life, for what life will exist if evil prevails?

Her journey leads to a deceiving world of magic, monsters, and gods she never believed existed outside of myth. The deeper she goes, the more her soul is stripped away, but she continues on, desperate to see her quest complete. If she can bring her husband to ruin and save her people, any sacrifice is worth the price—even if it means her life.

574 pages, Paperback

First published July 22, 2014

About the author

Armed with a deep and lasting love of chocolate, purple pens, and medieval weaponry, M.J. Fifield is nothing if not a uniquely supplied insomniac.

When she isn't writing, she's on the hunt for oversized baked goods or shiny new daggers.

A life-long New Englander, M.J. is currently giving life in Florida a try.

Reviews

[Christine Rains · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haleine Coileain's hopes for a happy future are ripped to shreds by her father's loyalty to their king. She's married to a sadistic prince and only sees misery until her husband's greatest enemy, Dana, climbs through her window. No matter how dangerous it is, Haleine cannot help but love Dana, and she agrees to spy for him to help his cause to bring down her evil husband. Yet there is something darker working within the shadows, something eager for death and chaos. Can Haleine find a way to save Dana and her people, or will she be sacrificed to the darkness herself?

My little synopsis of this amazing epic fantasy cannot convey the immensity of the tale. There are layers upon layers, each as thick and tantalizing as the last. Myths, monsters, magic, and mysteries. The world building is incredible. I was sucked into this vast realm which holds great beauty and tremendous horrors.

The cast of characters is large and marvelously diverse. Haleine is an admirable heroine. Forced into a situation she detests, I found myself cheering her on from the beginning even in her most miserable moments. Maddox is a loathsome man, the perfect evil prince, but not quite so detestable as his adviser, Omur. I couldn't stop myself from falling a little bit for Dana, the rebel leader, myself. And then there's Faolan, the wise-cracking mini pegasus. I adored him! There are so many other other great characters to list. Each well written and unforgettable.

There's so much I'd like to say about EFFIGY, but I won't give away any spoilers. There are so many twists and turns in this book, it will have you on the edge of your seat unable to sleep for wanting to find out what happens next. The journey is unlike none other. I highly recommend this book not only to fantasy fans, but to every reader. It will hook you so thoroughly, you won't be able to put it down.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is epic storytelling on a grand scale!
I tip my hat to M.J. for the amazing world building.

A young queen. A rebel leader. A sadistic king.
Three lives intertwine in this complex and multi-layered tale of never-ending war. As it unfolds, there is plenty of adventure, deception, betrayal, murder and romance, as well as mythical creatures, centuries-old magic and ancient prophecy.
Evil behavior dominates. It affects every character, in one way or another.
I don't usually read high fantasy, but I enjoyed this tale.

[Callie Leuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book and I am so stoked it is finally being released so I can finally talk about how amazing it is and make all my friends read it. I am participating in the cover release on Thursday, so more from me later, but in the meantime HOLY BOOK-RELEASE BATMAN GET THIS ON YOUR T0-READ LIST PRONTO. July 22!

[T.J. Puritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This is an epic story. I read slowly and this is actually only the second book I have finished reading in ebook format. That right there should say something about how good it is.
It was very well written with a clear and exciting storyline. The characters were well developed and even with their flaws, you couldn’t help rooting for the good guys. And then some of the good guys became bad guys!
It is the first of the series so I know situations will change. I am looking forward to reading the rest to find out how all of this plays out.

[Margaret M Knepper · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out great. Really liked it. But then it went on and on... and on... and on. It became the never ending book.

I don't understand how you decide to leave the palace and just leave your children. This was done by both the mother and father.

[Loni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, that was intense. It had my stomach tied up in knots on more than one occasion. I'll admit I had qualms with the main character's behavior at times. One of her choices made me rant to my sis-in-law after I read it, but then the villain brought up the same question I had in a later chapter, and I forgave Haleine afterward.

There are a few aspects that I wasn't quite sure how I felt about them. I'm encasing them in spoiler tags just in case.


Insta-love. This didn't bother me, but I bring it up because I know it does bother some people. Don't take this wrong. The relationship isn't all rainbows and unicorns. *snicker* The characters have trials in their relationship, and by the end it's pretty darn heart-wrenching.

Maddox. This dude was nasty for the sake of being nasty. I had issues with that, when he was apparently raised by moral and loving parents, and didn't have any traumatic life events that would turn him into the sadistic bastard he is. It isn't until way down the road that I decided him being a puppet is the reason for his nastiness.

Loyalty to Dana. This one had me scratching my head. I suspect there's something more to Dana that inspires blind loyalty, something having to do with the past we don't know about. I think he's something special, though I don't know what yet. And because of that, I'm excusing Lucius and Ilya for joining him.


There are a lot of evil, nasty people in this book. In fact, there seemed to be more evil than good, so when I hit 65% and it turned out another character was evil, it nearly pushed me over the edge. Nearly. But Fifield had me hooked, and within a few pages I was back to being happy.

Overall, I found the story very engaging. It had tension and drama. The conflict is great. The pegasus was definitely my favorite character. I wish I had one like him. :)

[Sarah Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Effigy was one of those books that had me constantly wanting to throw it against the wall. And I loved every second of it. From the very beginning, I knew this was a book that wasn’t going to hold back from its darker moments, and it did not disappoint. The twists and turns had me hooked throughout the whole book, always wanting to know (and sometimes fearing) what would come next. A rich cast of complex characters, wonderful use of descriptions, and incredibly intricate world-building made every page interesting and well-developed. The characters were flawed and felt very real. For me, Haleine was easily the most relatable and likable character. You can’t help but root for her as she is put in an unbearable situation and must find a way to work around it, at times fueled by her love and devotion to Dana, her desire to help the rebellion, or just the sheer will to survive. The villains are easy to despise, and even the good guys do things that will leave your jaw hanging. This book has a little bit of everything: a love story that you will constantly hope against hope will work out, relatable characters, nasty villains, bloody battle scenes, book-hurling disappointments (expect a few deaths), magic, gods, and above all, will cause an overwhelming desire to read the next book in the series. Can’t wait for its release!

Originally posted at The Faux Fountain Pen

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathtaking.

If you like Game of Thrones, Effigy will steal your heart. Queen Haliene is strong and determined, even when her perfect life is ripped away and she's sent to a living hell in an arranged marriage to a despicable devil. She carries on only to protect her people from him. She has more to live for when hope sneaks into her window, but more trouble too.

Effigy is composed of beautiful prose, intense drama, and gripping suspense, plus deep and passionate characters. I absolutely adored this book and can't wait for the next one! Finally a woman joins the ranks of Jordan & Martin!!

[Annalisa Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't my usual genre, but I won the book, so when it's in the house I'm going to read it.

I love M.J.'s style - her prose is so warm and enveloping, you are pulled straight into the story, and even though there are many characters, it never feels overwhelming.

The story itself was fast paced and kept me wanting to read more. This book (book 1) ended on a cliffhanger that means I will definitely be reading book 2.

[Kyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd been waiting for this book for a looong time!

I have to be honest - this is not my genre of choice, but reading Effigy only proved to me that I really need to read outside of my normal genres from time to time. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, and for a book with a lot of characters, it was surprisingly easy to follow. I'd highly recommend this one!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Can't Wait for the second book