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Nilaruna Cycles #1
The Go-Between
Cursed three hundred years ago for a selfless act of bravery, Maja now serves as Protector of the kingdom, living as a hermit in the mountains and guarding the pass from a land invasion.
To assist Maja, the priesthood selects an unmarried girl to act as his Go-Between, his eyes and ears to the goings-on of the kingdom. Each Go-Between is supposed to serve for two years, but the last twenty-two have been released from service early…because of death.
Scarred years ago in a fire that took her brother’s life, Nilaruna has no prospects for marriage or a trade. She knows of the dark pattern of mysterious deaths, but with little hope of a happy life, she volunteers to be the next Go-Between.
Nilaruna expects to run errands for an old man and die in the process. She doesn’t expect to meet a young man trapped in the body of a dragon, who can see past her scars and give her the love she’s always dreamed of.
But someone wants the Go-Betweens dead and Maja with them so they can invade the kingdom.
And then there is Prince Kai and the dire prophecy given by Shiva, the most manipulative god in their pantheon. The prince needs Nilaruna to help save his life and stop an impending revolution.
But saving his own life means resigning Nilaruna to her death.
How far will they go to save themselves, the people they love, and the entire kingdom?
To assist Maja, the priesthood selects an unmarried girl to act as his Go-Between, his eyes and ears to the goings-on of the kingdom. Each Go-Between is supposed to serve for two years, but the last twenty-two have been released from service early…because of death.
Scarred years ago in a fire that took her brother’s life, Nilaruna has no prospects for marriage or a trade. She knows of the dark pattern of mysterious deaths, but with little hope of a happy life, she volunteers to be the next Go-Between.
Nilaruna expects to run errands for an old man and die in the process. She doesn’t expect to meet a young man trapped in the body of a dragon, who can see past her scars and give her the love she’s always dreamed of.
But someone wants the Go-Betweens dead and Maja with them so they can invade the kingdom.
And then there is Prince Kai and the dire prophecy given by Shiva, the most manipulative god in their pantheon. The prince needs Nilaruna to help save his life and stop an impending revolution.
But saving his own life means resigning Nilaruna to her death.
How far will they go to save themselves, the people they love, and the entire kingdom?
- GenresFantasy
263 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 26, 2015
3 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 24, 2016
Unbelievable plot, cardboard characters, tons of anachronisms
This book is dreadful.
Anachronisms:
The text is littered with modern words and slang:
"On second thought, it would be like banging the stable riffraff, since you were with him this afternoon, and that’s not really my thing.”
"Throw the guy a bone, man.”
"Are you up for that as well?”
"He can fly over the mountains to the rest of the kingdom and be our lookout. Having aerial surveillance would be a great boon."
(The people in the story are pre-industrial, have not used their magic in hundreds of years and believe that dragons are extinct. How then do they have words for 'aerial surveillance'?)
The MCS, Nili and the Prince, along with the Prince's two best friends are all far too perfect. Nili's practically a saint, while the other three start off human but under Nili's influence, they swiftly become too noble for words. It's really rather nauseating. By contrast, the one obvious villain has not one redeeming quality and is totally self-centered, cruel and obsessed with status and power.
SPOILERS
Too many inconsistencies.
We're told that the MC Nili supposedly knows when someone is lying to her, and yet in the next chapter when she is lied to repeatedly, she doesn't notice.
Nili falls in love with one person--the first person ever to treat her as if she were beautiful and worthy--but as soon as she thinks she can't marry him, she first gets engaged to someone else in what is supposed to be a platonic marriage and then in a matter of weeks falls in love with him, all the while insisting she loves the first man too.
The Prince announces in one chapter that the idea of even looking at a badly scarred woman makes him sick and he's not sure he can go through with marrying one. The next chapter he's announcing to his doubting friends that her scars are a sign of her courage and nobility. And within a few days he's getting sexually aroused at the idea of touching and being touched by her scarred skin. This progression is even less realistic than the usual insta-love encounters that fill many of this kind of book.
This book is dreadful.
Anachronisms:
The text is littered with modern words and slang:
"On second thought, it would be like banging the stable riffraff, since you were with him this afternoon, and that’s not really my thing.”
"Throw the guy a bone, man.”
"Are you up for that as well?”
"He can fly over the mountains to the rest of the kingdom and be our lookout. Having aerial surveillance would be a great boon."
(The people in the story are pre-industrial, have not used their magic in hundreds of years and believe that dragons are extinct. How then do they have words for 'aerial surveillance'?)
The MCS, Nili and the Prince, along with the Prince's two best friends are all far too perfect. Nili's practically a saint, while the other three start off human but under Nili's influence, they swiftly become too noble for words. It's really rather nauseating. By contrast, the one obvious villain has not one redeeming quality and is totally self-centered, cruel and obsessed with status and power.
SPOILERS
Too many inconsistencies.
We're told that the MC Nili supposedly knows when someone is lying to her, and yet in the next chapter when she is lied to repeatedly, she doesn't notice.
Nili falls in love with one person--the first person ever to treat her as if she were beautiful and worthy--but as soon as she thinks she can't marry him, she first gets engaged to someone else in what is supposed to be a platonic marriage and then in a matter of weeks falls in love with him, all the while insisting she loves the first man too.
The Prince announces in one chapter that the idea of even looking at a badly scarred woman makes him sick and he's not sure he can go through with marrying one. The next chapter he's announcing to his doubting friends that her scars are a sign of her courage and nobility. And within a few days he's getting sexually aroused at the idea of touching and being touched by her scarred skin. This progression is even less realistic than the usual insta-love encounters that fill many of this kind of book.
September 25, 2016
3.5 Amazon, 2.75 Goodreads (I can't give a full "I liked it" w/that abrupt ending)
This story isn't badly written, though it could go deeper, and it's got some original elements (such as the characters' matter-of-fact dealings with the god Shiva), but it also has flaws (such as some too-modern-sounding expressions). The love triangle is obviously a matter of taste, and I fall on the "not fond" side; I don't want to see any of them end up unhappy. The PoV shifts among chapters seen through Nilaruna, Maja, and Prince Kai's eyes, but also the King's, and those of an unpleasantly selfish young woman who was a friend in Nili's youth. I understand needing to show scenes when the leads aren't there, but I didn't really care for it.
Nili's disfiguring and painful scars are treated honestly, from her own bitter acceptance of the apparently unfightable cultural prejudice she faces after being rendered Untouchable, to the prince and his friends coming to terms with her shocking outer appearance and previously unconsidered inner worth, to Maja's rapid acceptance (perhaps due to his own many lonely years with hardly any human contact). However, I do have to wonder whether Maja's powers couldn't spare Nili at least some of the daily pain she endures, though I don't suggest he should make her "the most beautiful" or anything like that.
My biggest complaint, though, is the way it ends. The immediate crisis is just barely — and hastily — averted, and nothing either emotional or political is yet settled, when suddenly it simply ends. It didn't leave a very satisfactory feeling, so I'm not sure I want to read on. I guess I'll check the price, and probably stick book 2 in a TBR wishlist, but other titles will come first.
This story isn't badly written, though it could go deeper, and it's got some original elements (such as the characters' matter-of-fact dealings with the god Shiva), but it also has flaws (such as some too-modern-sounding expressions). The love triangle is obviously a matter of taste, and I fall on the "not fond" side; I don't want to see any of them end up unhappy. The PoV shifts among chapters seen through Nilaruna, Maja, and Prince Kai's eyes, but also the King's, and those of an unpleasantly selfish young woman who was a friend in Nili's youth. I understand needing to show scenes when the leads aren't there, but I didn't really care for it.
Nili's disfiguring and painful scars are treated honestly, from her own bitter acceptance of the apparently unfightable cultural prejudice she faces after being rendered Untouchable, to the prince and his friends coming to terms with her shocking outer appearance and previously unconsidered inner worth, to Maja's rapid acceptance (perhaps due to his own many lonely years with hardly any human contact). However, I do have to wonder whether Maja's powers couldn't spare Nili at least some of the daily pain she endures, though I don't suggest he should make her "the most beautiful" or anything like that.
My biggest complaint, though, is the way it ends. The immediate crisis is just barely — and hastily — averted, and nothing either emotional or political is yet settled, when suddenly it simply ends. It didn't leave a very satisfactory feeling, so I'm not sure I want to read on. I guess I'll check the price, and probably stick book 2 in a TBR wishlist, but other titles will come first.
October 29, 2015
A fast moving and enjoyably tangled tale of gods, magic, and unlikely romance.
Nilaruna, a young woman horribly disfigured by burns, becomes the official assistant to Maja, the fabled Protector of her country. It’s possibly a death sentence since the last 22 girls to do this job all died rather suspiciously. Maja lives as a hermit in a cave, having been cursed to immortality and turned into a dragon. He can do magic though and transform back into a human temporarily, which is handy when he falls in love with feisty Nili.
The situation becomes more complicated when a Prince shows up, also wanting to marry Nili, because a god told him he would die otherwise. So the poor girl’s got a romantic triangle to deal with, magic murders to investigate, and possibly the country’s going to be invaded. And if she marries the Prince, she’ll apparently die, but save his life.
With interfering gods popping up frequently, magic, and the Prince falling for a feisty peasant girl, this has the contrived yet charming feel of myths and folk-tales. It’s told through multiple points-of-view, all in first person, which is rather confusing to read if you aren’t paying attention. But overall, this is well written, well edited, fast paced, and tremendous fun from start to finish. The romance isn’t over-played and the only disappointment was a rather abrupt ending which leaves a lot of plot dangling.
Expect some sexy bits (not explicit), romance, and a bit of throat cutting.
Nilaruna, a young woman horribly disfigured by burns, becomes the official assistant to Maja, the fabled Protector of her country. It’s possibly a death sentence since the last 22 girls to do this job all died rather suspiciously. Maja lives as a hermit in a cave, having been cursed to immortality and turned into a dragon. He can do magic though and transform back into a human temporarily, which is handy when he falls in love with feisty Nili.
The situation becomes more complicated when a Prince shows up, also wanting to marry Nili, because a god told him he would die otherwise. So the poor girl’s got a romantic triangle to deal with, magic murders to investigate, and possibly the country’s going to be invaded. And if she marries the Prince, she’ll apparently die, but save his life.
With interfering gods popping up frequently, magic, and the Prince falling for a feisty peasant girl, this has the contrived yet charming feel of myths and folk-tales. It’s told through multiple points-of-view, all in first person, which is rather confusing to read if you aren’t paying attention. But overall, this is well written, well edited, fast paced, and tremendous fun from start to finish. The romance isn’t over-played and the only disappointment was a rather abrupt ending which leaves a lot of plot dangling.
Expect some sexy bits (not explicit), romance, and a bit of throat cutting.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews