What do you think?
Rate this book
Echo
Echo is the first book of a trilogy that is the epic love story of two cursed lovers that fate, time, and death are constantly conspiring to keep apart; while they are determined to defy all three to be together. Whenever one dies, the other time travels to the lost lover's next (or last) incarnation. The story spans over a millennium; to several different times, places, and lives of two extraordinary lovers whose devotion to each other defies all barriers and all odds---and an extraordinary love that will never, ever die.
511 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2015
5 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 14, 2015
Anyway, the first part of the book tells the story of Karissa and Adregin. I really hated Karissa. She is an absolute spoiled brat. At one point, she complains about having to help out around the village even though these total strangers brought this really weird girl who doesn’t speak their language into their home and gave her food and shelter. She should show some gratitude. She also believes the entire universe revolves around her. Every time Adregin gets upset with her she is just all “OMG you hate me I can’t believe you!” Adregin hates her, his father hates her, his fellow soldiers hate her (even though none of them do, they just think she’s weird, which she is), but in her mind everything is always about her and what assholes everyone else is.
Honestly, if I hadn’t already agreed to review the book, I would have put it down very early on because Karissa is THE WORST. She is that girl at a party you can’t wait to get away from.
After the book *SPOILERS* moves on from Karissa, it is a bit more tolerable. The differences in the time periods and cultures Adregin and Karissa/Iilassa encounter show that Glass did a lot of research.
What I found most interesting was the lack of science or even explanation involved in the actual time travel. Time travel romance novels are all the rage now, but how important is the mechanic of actual time travel? Does it have to be explained? Does the science of time travel have any bearing on the story? Why or why not? In this case, it doesn’t really matter. How time travel works and how Karissa knew how to find Adregin doesn’t matter to the story, at least not at this time. Some of it might be explained in a later novel, but I don’t plan on reading them to find out.
This is a clean romance with no in depth descriptions of intimacy.
http://leighandersonromance.com/2015/...
Honestly, if I hadn’t already agreed to review the book, I would have put it down very early on because Karissa is THE WORST. She is that girl at a party you can’t wait to get away from.
After the book *SPOILERS* moves on from Karissa, it is a bit more tolerable. The differences in the time periods and cultures Adregin and Karissa/Iilassa encounter show that Glass did a lot of research.
What I found most interesting was the lack of science or even explanation involved in the actual time travel. Time travel romance novels are all the rage now, but how important is the mechanic of actual time travel? Does it have to be explained? Does the science of time travel have any bearing on the story? Why or why not? In this case, it doesn’t really matter. How time travel works and how Karissa knew how to find Adregin doesn’t matter to the story, at least not at this time. Some of it might be explained in a later novel, but I don’t plan on reading them to find out.
This is a clean romance with no in depth descriptions of intimacy.
http://leighandersonromance.com/2015/...
August 3, 2016
After a slow start, this book picks up as Karissa and Adregin meet. With a blessing and a curse, they are doomed to love for a short while before one of them dies. The other will then be drawn to them again. Karissa is a bit whiney to start with, and her moods swing from one end of the spectrum to the other, but when you think she has travelled back in time to the 5th century, you give her a bit of slack.
There is an incredible amount of research that has gone on in this book. To be honest, at one point, it was the time in history of where they were, rather than the characters themselves, that held my interest.
This is the first book of three so it does come complete with a cliffhanger ending, so consider yourself warned.
For an in-depth and detailed story into a loved gained and lost, involving lots of time travel, then I would suggest you give Echo a try.
* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
There is an incredible amount of research that has gone on in this book. To be honest, at one point, it was the time in history of where they were, rather than the characters themselves, that held my interest.
This is the first book of three so it does come complete with a cliffhanger ending, so consider yourself warned.
For an in-depth and detailed story into a loved gained and lost, involving lots of time travel, then I would suggest you give Echo a try.
* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
February 27, 2017
Echo by Lorena Glass is an epic love story spanning centuries and places, detailing the eternal connection of two souls bound by love, and suffering, and destined to be joined and separated over and over again. Themes of relationships, love, duty and honor are woven together using threads of time travel and drama to create a powerful story that speaks to a part in all of us, however small, that delights in true connections between people that can transcend our understanding of what love is.
Now initially I was skeptical about this book, as I am with all romance books or stories with strong themes of love, but the other aspects of this book, time travel, experiencing different cultures from different time periods, made me intrigued, and I do try and push outside of my comfort zone. I took a chance on this book and as not disappointed. We first meet Karissa, a girl who time travels to find her lost love, and the depths of her devotion to him, to what they had, is so poignant in the book, so beautifully articulated that even the most cynical can emphasis with her. As the story develops, the characters are well flushed out and so relatable I felt my heart break along with theirs, and swell when their love was at its height.
Of course I would also be remiss in not mentioning that some of the historical themes in this book are a bit off. As someone who studied history and archaeology, particularly Medieval Europe and the Byzantine Empire, I did cringe at the mention of the Middle Ages as being ‘dark.’ A common and somehow pervasion idea in the minds of people who don’t study the period. I tried to put that aside in this book though, reasoning that the main character Karissa possibly has no education, no background in the period, and as an average person would likely see Medieval Europe as being “the Dark Ages” because so many do. To those who have studied these parts of history however, I will warn you that you may find yourself nit picking certain aspects, to which I will encourage you to try and see beyond those because the story is worth the trouble.
The first iteration of this relationship was magical, it was so well thought through and enough time and care was given to grow their intimacy naturally, however as these two souls continue to travel through time to find each other again the following relationships are given less and less time to season organically, instead I felt as if they were rushed quicker and quicker as the narrative went on. This was really my only criticism, and its because the first relationship was so well developed I wanted to know and understand each subsequent one in the same way, but their stories felt rushed. Of course there was purpose in this, Glass has set this up as a trilogy and obviously a certain amount of progress had to be made before the book could end, however I wish I could have gotten to know the other characters as well as I knew the first two.
Saying so, though, does mean that Glass has achieved what all authors crave; for their readers to connect with and become invested in the characters they create. The story is simple, but compelling, rich in the breath of human emotions, and their capacity to love, and this is coming from someone who is contemptuous of the genre. This book is highly worth the investment, and I look forward to the rest of the trilogy.
Now initially I was skeptical about this book, as I am with all romance books or stories with strong themes of love, but the other aspects of this book, time travel, experiencing different cultures from different time periods, made me intrigued, and I do try and push outside of my comfort zone. I took a chance on this book and as not disappointed. We first meet Karissa, a girl who time travels to find her lost love, and the depths of her devotion to him, to what they had, is so poignant in the book, so beautifully articulated that even the most cynical can emphasis with her. As the story develops, the characters are well flushed out and so relatable I felt my heart break along with theirs, and swell when their love was at its height.
Of course I would also be remiss in not mentioning that some of the historical themes in this book are a bit off. As someone who studied history and archaeology, particularly Medieval Europe and the Byzantine Empire, I did cringe at the mention of the Middle Ages as being ‘dark.’ A common and somehow pervasion idea in the minds of people who don’t study the period. I tried to put that aside in this book though, reasoning that the main character Karissa possibly has no education, no background in the period, and as an average person would likely see Medieval Europe as being “the Dark Ages” because so many do. To those who have studied these parts of history however, I will warn you that you may find yourself nit picking certain aspects, to which I will encourage you to try and see beyond those because the story is worth the trouble.
The first iteration of this relationship was magical, it was so well thought through and enough time and care was given to grow their intimacy naturally, however as these two souls continue to travel through time to find each other again the following relationships are given less and less time to season organically, instead I felt as if they were rushed quicker and quicker as the narrative went on. This was really my only criticism, and its because the first relationship was so well developed I wanted to know and understand each subsequent one in the same way, but their stories felt rushed. Of course there was purpose in this, Glass has set this up as a trilogy and obviously a certain amount of progress had to be made before the book could end, however I wish I could have gotten to know the other characters as well as I knew the first two.
Saying so, though, does mean that Glass has achieved what all authors crave; for their readers to connect with and become invested in the characters they create. The story is simple, but compelling, rich in the breath of human emotions, and their capacity to love, and this is coming from someone who is contemptuous of the genre. This book is highly worth the investment, and I look forward to the rest of the trilogy.
August 9, 2015
Do you know the axe commercial "Don't rely on fate"? Great advert! When I first saw it, I even thought: "Man! That would be kinda cool as a book, wouldn't it?" Maybe the author saw that ad, too... In the commercial you see a neanderthal who is smitten with a girl, sadly they are separated by a crevice, thus we can deduct that they won't share a cave together anytime soon. After that the scene switches and you see the guy in different time eras: Rome, the Orient, WWII, the 60s and so on, always trying to get to that girl, but never succeeding because of some catastrophe or some object striking him...quite the same is happening here in this book, with the only difference: they actually get together before the catastrophe hits...which is kind of the problem.
Alright, in a nutshell, this book is about a pair of lovers trying to be together. In the beginning of the book we have the girl arriving somewhere in 5th century France to find her lover. She is from the 21st century. Eventually she gets to a kind of village full of Christians, who take her in. Her guy isn't that far off. She eventually finds him and from then on we accompany both of them on their way to...well somewhere...
Okay, let me say this:
I know books are hard to write, but in my humble opinion it is the most important thing to be honest when reviewing a book. Telling everyone it was so good, but just not for me and maybe it is something for you, and oh it was just my problem, not the book's...that is almost the same as telling someone you are breaking up with : "It isn't you, it's all me! You are perfect, but I am just so not perfect enough for you..." Well we know that is bullshit. And I hate myself when reviewing a book, that I always feel compelled to tell everyone how sorry I am that I did not like the book, which makes me angry, because actually... I am not sorry.
Henceforth, I will be brutally honest, because that is what you came here for right?
I just looked at my reading notes and they repeat themselves a lot, at the end I used the exclamation point quite a lot as I grew more and more frustrated.
First of all: I couldn't stand the characters, the heroine least of all. She was just obnoxious, whiny, clingy and not a real heroine at all.
The biggest problem with this book was that there was no real plot to be found anywhere, and believe me I looked in all corners and drawers and even turned the socks inside out! There was no suspense, no goal the reader could look forward too, you had absolutely no idea where this was supposed to be going. The two lovers found each other very very soon and of course it was more than love at first sight. It was fate and they were soulmates! It was a damn soap opera, they already had each other so why care what would happen after it? There was nothing you could be waiting for, there was no goal!
The only times when something happens is, when one of them has to travel through time to find him or her again, which always happens very fast, there is no long journey to find him or her and they always instantly fall in love...
I know this was supposed to be a romance, but it had too much romance. It was cheesy, there was no sense in all of this, I like romance, but this was just too much. The romance or the undying, forever ongoing love was all this book had. The characters remained completely bland. Who were they? We just know they love each other to the moon and back, that is it. We have no idea what characters they are. 400 pages and I couldn't tell you one character trait. Apart from being jealous when another man looks at his girl...
Mainly it was just those two! No real supporting characters, apart from some person here and there, who popped up, but didn't stay long. They all die pretty soon or are left behind. I know it is a story taking place in different time eras, but that is not an excuse. The reader always follows these two characters and there is never real interaction with others, I was so bored after 150 pages, I am really proud I made it through the whole book.
In the end, I didn't care about what happened to the characters. There was some potential, with time travelling and all that, but it never came to anything. Even the "villain" was pretty short lived. The last stage was the most interesting part because there wasn't this whole lovey dovey stuff going on and the then main character had a goal (finally!), unfortunately that part was pretty short and I am pretty sure there will be a sequel. Honestly, I think I will skip that one, thank you very much.
Maybe you should just watch the Axe commercial.
Alright, in a nutshell, this book is about a pair of lovers trying to be together. In the beginning of the book we have the girl arriving somewhere in 5th century France to find her lover. She is from the 21st century. Eventually she gets to a kind of village full of Christians, who take her in. Her guy isn't that far off. She eventually finds him and from then on we accompany both of them on their way to...well somewhere...
Okay, let me say this:
I know books are hard to write, but in my humble opinion it is the most important thing to be honest when reviewing a book. Telling everyone it was so good, but just not for me and maybe it is something for you, and oh it was just my problem, not the book's...that is almost the same as telling someone you are breaking up with : "It isn't you, it's all me! You are perfect, but I am just so not perfect enough for you..." Well we know that is bullshit. And I hate myself when reviewing a book, that I always feel compelled to tell everyone how sorry I am that I did not like the book, which makes me angry, because actually... I am not sorry.
Henceforth, I will be brutally honest, because that is what you came here for right?
I just looked at my reading notes and they repeat themselves a lot, at the end I used the exclamation point quite a lot as I grew more and more frustrated.
First of all: I couldn't stand the characters, the heroine least of all. She was just obnoxious, whiny, clingy and not a real heroine at all.
The biggest problem with this book was that there was no real plot to be found anywhere, and believe me I looked in all corners and drawers and even turned the socks inside out! There was no suspense, no goal the reader could look forward too, you had absolutely no idea where this was supposed to be going. The two lovers found each other very very soon and of course it was more than love at first sight. It was fate and they were soulmates! It was a damn soap opera, they already had each other so why care what would happen after it? There was nothing you could be waiting for, there was no goal!
The only times when something happens is, when one of them has to travel through time to find him or her again, which always happens very fast, there is no long journey to find him or her and they always instantly fall in love...
I know this was supposed to be a romance, but it had too much romance. It was cheesy, there was no sense in all of this, I like romance, but this was just too much. The romance or the undying, forever ongoing love was all this book had. The characters remained completely bland. Who were they? We just know they love each other to the moon and back, that is it. We have no idea what characters they are. 400 pages and I couldn't tell you one character trait. Apart from being jealous when another man looks at his girl...
Mainly it was just those two! No real supporting characters, apart from some person here and there, who popped up, but didn't stay long. They all die pretty soon or are left behind. I know it is a story taking place in different time eras, but that is not an excuse. The reader always follows these two characters and there is never real interaction with others, I was so bored after 150 pages, I am really proud I made it through the whole book.
In the end, I didn't care about what happened to the characters. There was some potential, with time travelling and all that, but it never came to anything. Even the "villain" was pretty short lived. The last stage was the most interesting part because there wasn't this whole lovey dovey stuff going on and the then main character had a goal (finally!), unfortunately that part was pretty short and I am pretty sure there will be a sequel. Honestly, I think I will skip that one, thank you very much.
Maybe you should just watch the Axe commercial.
July 14, 2015
This opening novel of a planned trilogy is 2 parts romance, 1 part supernatural thriller, and 1 part historical fiction with the last 2 parts being the stronger half. In general, 2 eternally bound souls are cursed to repeatedly be separated and blessed to be reunited. Or potentially that, too, is part of the curse. Either way, there is no rest for the souls. The characters do not understand the true conditions that they fight against as seen with the very first narrator, Karissa.
The story opens on Karissa time-jumping from 2034 AD America to 460 AD Gaul as the Western Roman Empire is in its death throws. She understands neither of 2 objects that aided her journey: a time-cutting piece of technology, and a magic charm. We later learn that it is the charm that has bound her soul to Ian/Adregin/Evain. She thinks love is eternal and soulmates are real and reincarnation is a thing. However, the story shows that it's a benevolent charm and a curse conspiring to keep the souls tethered, restless and forever harassed.
Karissa, who probably received the tech & charm from Ian wherever he's originally from, uses it to find Ian's spirit after he's died. This takes her to Gaul where Adregin(Ian) is a Western Roman centurion. Luckily, in whatever form, the souls recognize each other.
Some clever construction emerges in the midpoint of this novel. The curse happens when an incarnation of Karissa named Iilassa kills a witch who has destroyed the charm. [A sympathetic elder creates a new charm for them, only--it's probably the old charm.] The witch curses Iilassa/Karissa/?? and Ian/Adregin/Evain/?? for all eternity to restlessness and torment. The torment comes from nobody respecting the bounds of their relationship, family and neighbors not trusting them, and plenty of accusations of paganism and witchcraft--all factors to drive them apart or to keep them on the run. The elements of adversity can come in the form of anybody.
Sadly, death doesn't bring peace to these souls, but reincarnates the soul with a drive to find the other to relive the torment.
The biggest wins here are seeing the diverse cultures: 460s Gaul, 590s Lapland, and 710s Cyprus. The historic events create the interest in the story. The constant adversity, including pirates and seducers, creates good tension.
The slow realization to the adversity makes the story painful at times. The near constant either bickering or prattling about love by the two protagonists is itself a form of torture. Hopefully later incarnations are a little surer of their feelings because the insecurities are numbing and undermine the story. Also, the near apologetic explanations of the tenets of Christianity throughout a book based on supernatural magic and a pagan curse are unnecessary.
The book ends on a jump to an unknown new destination which is promising. Hopefully, the emotional immaturity of the couple can be left behind as the adventure continues. Having time-jumping characters create a loop back to the original curse is a brilliant move, despite its enigma of what came first.
I received this novel directly from the author.
The story opens on Karissa time-jumping from 2034 AD America to 460 AD Gaul as the Western Roman Empire is in its death throws. She understands neither of 2 objects that aided her journey: a time-cutting piece of technology, and a magic charm. We later learn that it is the charm that has bound her soul to Ian/Adregin/Evain. She thinks love is eternal and soulmates are real and reincarnation is a thing. However, the story shows that it's a benevolent charm and a curse conspiring to keep the souls tethered, restless and forever harassed.
Karissa, who probably received the tech & charm from Ian wherever he's originally from, uses it to find Ian's spirit after he's died. This takes her to Gaul where Adregin(Ian) is a Western Roman centurion. Luckily, in whatever form, the souls recognize each other.
Some clever construction emerges in the midpoint of this novel. The curse happens when an incarnation of Karissa named Iilassa kills a witch who has destroyed the charm. [A sympathetic elder creates a new charm for them, only--it's probably the old charm.] The witch curses Iilassa/Karissa/?? and Ian/Adregin/Evain/?? for all eternity to restlessness and torment. The torment comes from nobody respecting the bounds of their relationship, family and neighbors not trusting them, and plenty of accusations of paganism and witchcraft--all factors to drive them apart or to keep them on the run. The elements of adversity can come in the form of anybody.
Sadly, death doesn't bring peace to these souls, but reincarnates the soul with a drive to find the other to relive the torment.
The biggest wins here are seeing the diverse cultures: 460s Gaul, 590s Lapland, and 710s Cyprus. The historic events create the interest in the story. The constant adversity, including pirates and seducers, creates good tension.
The slow realization to the adversity makes the story painful at times. The near constant either bickering or prattling about love by the two protagonists is itself a form of torture. Hopefully later incarnations are a little surer of their feelings because the insecurities are numbing and undermine the story. Also, the near apologetic explanations of the tenets of Christianity throughout a book based on supernatural magic and a pagan curse are unnecessary.
The book ends on a jump to an unknown new destination which is promising. Hopefully, the emotional immaturity of the couple can be left behind as the adventure continues. Having time-jumping characters create a loop back to the original curse is a brilliant move, despite its enigma of what came first.
I received this novel directly from the author.
January 8, 2016
Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Echo by Lorena Glass is a time-travel fantasy romance that follows two cursed lovers as they battle through time to be together. The novel opens with Karissa, who travels from the early 2000s back to ancient Roman times to reunite herself with her deceased soulmate, albeit in one of his previous lives. Due to the curse, each time they are together, Karissa and Adregin (her lover’s name in his life as a Roman soldier) are separated by death and must continuously search for one another in their other incarnations.
If you love romance for the sake of romance, you will adore this novel. Karissa and Adregin have an inexplicable bond, and they love one another with a passion akin to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (including both the praises and critiques of that relationship). While at times this love may seem foolish, their devotion to one another is admirable and is, of course, the driving factor of the plot.
The characters are well-developed and complex. Their personalities are understandably different in each of their lives, but they still have defining traits that span their incarnations. Personally, I did not find all of the characters likable, but I do not hold that against the author. It just goes to show that Glass has crafted realistic, flawed characters.
As to the plot of the novel, I felt like Echo was two or three books in one. It carried over into multiple lives of the characters, and each segment felt like a different book. The ending, while somewhat of a cliffhanger (to set up the next in the series), does not have the dramatic effect the author intended. After all, Glass shows us the basic idea of what will happen earlier in the novel, when the lovers are separated for the first time. I would have found the work much more effective if more detail and time had been spent in developing the characters’ relationships and the book split in two. In addition to this high-level/structural revision, the novel could also do with a copy edit.
I cannot comment on the accuracy of the historical elements of the novel, as I am not a history buff. However, nothing jumped out at me as being hugely inaccurate or unrealistic. As far as the time travel element is concerned, I wish that had been better explained. It is still unclear exactly how the time travel works, and given the element of danger Glass implies, it seems unlikely that a normal, 20-something like Karissa could have gotten her hands on the technology. That is an element I hope will be explained further in subsequent novels.
Overall, Echo by Lorena Glass is a captivating love story that does the work of two books. If you enjoy relationship-driven plots and intense romances, you will really like this novel.
Echo by Lorena Glass is a time-travel fantasy romance that follows two cursed lovers as they battle through time to be together. The novel opens with Karissa, who travels from the early 2000s back to ancient Roman times to reunite herself with her deceased soulmate, albeit in one of his previous lives. Due to the curse, each time they are together, Karissa and Adregin (her lover’s name in his life as a Roman soldier) are separated by death and must continuously search for one another in their other incarnations.
If you love romance for the sake of romance, you will adore this novel. Karissa and Adregin have an inexplicable bond, and they love one another with a passion akin to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (including both the praises and critiques of that relationship). While at times this love may seem foolish, their devotion to one another is admirable and is, of course, the driving factor of the plot.
The characters are well-developed and complex. Their personalities are understandably different in each of their lives, but they still have defining traits that span their incarnations. Personally, I did not find all of the characters likable, but I do not hold that against the author. It just goes to show that Glass has crafted realistic, flawed characters.
As to the plot of the novel, I felt like Echo was two or three books in one. It carried over into multiple lives of the characters, and each segment felt like a different book. The ending, while somewhat of a cliffhanger (to set up the next in the series), does not have the dramatic effect the author intended. After all, Glass shows us the basic idea of what will happen earlier in the novel, when the lovers are separated for the first time. I would have found the work much more effective if more detail and time had been spent in developing the characters’ relationships and the book split in two. In addition to this high-level/structural revision, the novel could also do with a copy edit.
I cannot comment on the accuracy of the historical elements of the novel, as I am not a history buff. However, nothing jumped out at me as being hugely inaccurate or unrealistic. As far as the time travel element is concerned, I wish that had been better explained. It is still unclear exactly how the time travel works, and given the element of danger Glass implies, it seems unlikely that a normal, 20-something like Karissa could have gotten her hands on the technology. That is an element I hope will be explained further in subsequent novels.
Overall, Echo by Lorena Glass is a captivating love story that does the work of two books. If you enjoy relationship-driven plots and intense romances, you will really like this novel.
November 5, 2015
Can love overcome all?
Karissa and Ian are two cursed lovers and the universe is yanking them apart whenever possible. Whenever one dies, the other travels through time to be with the other. Destined to love for a short time before death claims one, the one question that kept ringing in my head as I read the book:
Is it better to have love and lost than to never have loved at all?
After reading this extremely long book, my answer is no. I understand what the author is trying to do but in my opinion, she missed the mark. This is not a tragic love story like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet or even like The Time Traveler’s Wife (although there were many similarities to it), but over four-hundred pages of historical places and characters who seemed stiff.
What I liked was the historical places and setting. The author does a nice job of descriptive narration and if I closed my eyes, I could see what Karissa and/or Ian witnessed.
What I didn’t like was the characters, plot, length of the book and dialogue. The characters were stiff and weren’t likeable. Karissa was annoying, Ian was an idiot and the secondary characters didn’t come alive for me.
The plot was non-existent. What’s the point of the story? The romance and love is too quick and for those who hate insta-love, stay away from this book. The plot doesn’t flow well and there isn’t much keeping my interest. Echo could’ve used a content editor, which brings me to my next point.
500 pages? Are you kidding me? I know the author has a trilogy in mind but to a reader like myself, there is a clear ending to Echo and it’s halfway through the book. The author should’ve ended Echo at the end of Part One and started book two at Part Two.
The dialogue, like the characters, are way too formal and stiff. Have I mentioned how cardboard-stiff the characters are?
The ending was the worst part, for me, as it was a total cliff-hanger. I read and re-read the last page five times, hoping I missed something. Nope. It just ended and I know that the author is writing books two and three but cliff-hanger endings are a pet peeve of mine. This one gets the prize for having the worst ending I’ve read in a long time.
Now, it could be that you’ll like this book. This is just my opinion as a book reviewer. I will not be reading the other upcoming books in this series.
My Rating: 2 stars
Karissa and Ian are two cursed lovers and the universe is yanking them apart whenever possible. Whenever one dies, the other travels through time to be with the other. Destined to love for a short time before death claims one, the one question that kept ringing in my head as I read the book:
Is it better to have love and lost than to never have loved at all?
After reading this extremely long book, my answer is no. I understand what the author is trying to do but in my opinion, she missed the mark. This is not a tragic love story like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet or even like The Time Traveler’s Wife (although there were many similarities to it), but over four-hundred pages of historical places and characters who seemed stiff.
What I liked was the historical places and setting. The author does a nice job of descriptive narration and if I closed my eyes, I could see what Karissa and/or Ian witnessed.
What I didn’t like was the characters, plot, length of the book and dialogue. The characters were stiff and weren’t likeable. Karissa was annoying, Ian was an idiot and the secondary characters didn’t come alive for me.
The plot was non-existent. What’s the point of the story? The romance and love is too quick and for those who hate insta-love, stay away from this book. The plot doesn’t flow well and there isn’t much keeping my interest. Echo could’ve used a content editor, which brings me to my next point.
500 pages? Are you kidding me? I know the author has a trilogy in mind but to a reader like myself, there is a clear ending to Echo and it’s halfway through the book. The author should’ve ended Echo at the end of Part One and started book two at Part Two.
The dialogue, like the characters, are way too formal and stiff. Have I mentioned how cardboard-stiff the characters are?
The ending was the worst part, for me, as it was a total cliff-hanger. I read and re-read the last page five times, hoping I missed something. Nope. It just ended and I know that the author is writing books two and three but cliff-hanger endings are a pet peeve of mine. This one gets the prize for having the worst ending I’ve read in a long time.
Now, it could be that you’ll like this book. This is just my opinion as a book reviewer. I will not be reading the other upcoming books in this series.
My Rating: 2 stars
June 7, 2015
Reticent of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Time Traveller’s Wife,” Lorena Brass’ “Echo” is a tale about the quest for eternal companionship. With elements of time travel, heartbreak and attempting to discover fulfillment, “Echo” acts as a great addition to the canon of adult fiction.
The novel’s two main characters, who the reader soon discovers are damned by an evil curse, are classically tragic. Their motivation for survival is to find each other once more through the turbulent settings that span over 1000 years of history. Brass cleverly discusses themes of total devotion and the boundaries of true love all the while developing characters that are modern and realistic in their self-awareness.
As the scenes come and go, Karissa, one of the books protagonists, literally changes with the environment. Alongside the physical geographic shifts in the book causes the protagonists to shift as well. They are forced to don different hats and adapt to their current living situations. These scenes beautifully illustrate Brass’ tenacity for social commentary and the malleability of the human spirit. These two lovers will not be broken.
Ian, the other half of the novels dynamic duo, is endearing and chivalrous. He acts as the perfect foil to Karissa who can sometimes be grating with her penchant for self-pity. With spry dialogue and elements of originality, Echo is an entertaining read that is not shy with asserting that love is eternal, regardless of what reincarnated shell the protagonist finds themselves residing within.
With an open ending. Brass leaves the door open and builds excitement for the forthcoming sequel to “Echo. “Reminiscent of “Outlander” and its ability to lure the reader into a world of hyper emotional characters, Echo has the potential to lure the reading masses with its rhythm and provocations.
The novel’s two main characters, who the reader soon discovers are damned by an evil curse, are classically tragic. Their motivation for survival is to find each other once more through the turbulent settings that span over 1000 years of history. Brass cleverly discusses themes of total devotion and the boundaries of true love all the while developing characters that are modern and realistic in their self-awareness.
As the scenes come and go, Karissa, one of the books protagonists, literally changes with the environment. Alongside the physical geographic shifts in the book causes the protagonists to shift as well. They are forced to don different hats and adapt to their current living situations. These scenes beautifully illustrate Brass’ tenacity for social commentary and the malleability of the human spirit. These two lovers will not be broken.
Ian, the other half of the novels dynamic duo, is endearing and chivalrous. He acts as the perfect foil to Karissa who can sometimes be grating with her penchant for self-pity. With spry dialogue and elements of originality, Echo is an entertaining read that is not shy with asserting that love is eternal, regardless of what reincarnated shell the protagonist finds themselves residing within.
With an open ending. Brass leaves the door open and builds excitement for the forthcoming sequel to “Echo. “Reminiscent of “Outlander” and its ability to lure the reader into a world of hyper emotional characters, Echo has the potential to lure the reading masses with its rhythm and provocations.
January 14, 2016
Echo tells a story of Karissa and Adregin and their accursed love. It seems that death would always follow them, and constantly keep them apart. So whenever one of them dies, the other will time travel to the other's incarnation.
I love time-travelling books, and naturally, I can't really say no when I was given the chance to read and review Echo. I think it's okay to say that Echo was divided into three parts. The first part of the book was good. It started out slowly, but, I did enjoy it, until something happened to Karissa and Adregin, which I thought were a bit too rushed. Then, there's the second part. I thought that the second part was a bit too dragging for my liking, and I don't really like the character, Iilassa. She sounded a bit too immature, and whiny.
I thought that Echo was an okay read. It wasn't that bad. The idea and setting were quite good and the author did a great job describing the history and places. I just think that I didn't like the characters, the way the story kept dragging and the way the story ended.
Echo is the first book of a trilogy, and I'm torn between wanting to read the next book, or not. I am curios to know what will happen to the characters and how will they achieve their happily-ever-after, but I am worried that the next book would continue to disappoint me.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my review
I love time-travelling books, and naturally, I can't really say no when I was given the chance to read and review Echo. I think it's okay to say that Echo was divided into three parts. The first part of the book was good. It started out slowly, but, I did enjoy it, until something happened to Karissa and Adregin, which I thought were a bit too rushed. Then, there's the second part. I thought that the second part was a bit too dragging for my liking, and I don't really like the character, Iilassa. She sounded a bit too immature, and whiny.
I thought that Echo was an okay read. It wasn't that bad. The idea and setting were quite good and the author did a great job describing the history and places. I just think that I didn't like the characters, the way the story kept dragging and the way the story ended.
Echo is the first book of a trilogy, and I'm torn between wanting to read the next book, or not. I am curios to know what will happen to the characters and how will they achieve their happily-ever-after, but I am worried that the next book would continue to disappoint me.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my review
July 1, 2015
First and foremost a two star rating does not mean a book is bad... it means we had a communication issue. It means, just as the nice little text that hovers over the star when you place the cursor there: It was ok.
I was sent a free copy of Echo by the author in exchange for an honest review. (I am not otherwise associated with the author.) In my honesty, I must say, I’m not a fan. However, that wouldn’t keep me from recommending it to people I’m sure would be. (That’s one of the joys of being a bookseller, I can find all sorts of things to put into people’s hands that will make them happy even though it’s not my particular cup of tea.)
Other reviewers refer to this as a young adult fantasy story, but I didn’t get that from it at all. The main character is in her twenties and her lover is in his fifties. That’s not really young adult material in my book. There is, however, time travel, undying love, and a number of other fun details that might call to teenage readers these days. I think more than the young adult crowd, though, romance readers who favor Diana Gabaldon’s work or historical fiction gurus that enjoy Bernard Cornwell’s Stonehenge might find Glass’s work enjoyable.
You can read my full review here:
https://anakalianwhims.wordpress.com/...
I was sent a free copy of Echo by the author in exchange for an honest review. (I am not otherwise associated with the author.) In my honesty, I must say, I’m not a fan. However, that wouldn’t keep me from recommending it to people I’m sure would be. (That’s one of the joys of being a bookseller, I can find all sorts of things to put into people’s hands that will make them happy even though it’s not my particular cup of tea.)
Other reviewers refer to this as a young adult fantasy story, but I didn’t get that from it at all. The main character is in her twenties and her lover is in his fifties. That’s not really young adult material in my book. There is, however, time travel, undying love, and a number of other fun details that might call to teenage readers these days. I think more than the young adult crowd, though, romance readers who favor Diana Gabaldon’s work or historical fiction gurus that enjoy Bernard Cornwell’s Stonehenge might find Glass’s work enjoyable.
You can read my full review here:
https://anakalianwhims.wordpress.com/...
September 8, 2015
The book starts slow and boring for me, but eventually as I go along I enjoyed the book. Most especially when the characters traveled to different places and in different time in the past. Knowing the old names of the European countries had interest me, for example Gaul (present France)and Lapland (present Finland). These things are interesting for me because I love history and reading more and knowing more about the past gives me excitement.
The book is the initial book for its trilogy. The book itself is somewhat divided in 3 parts or timeline. The first one is Karissa and Adregin (Gaul), then Adregina and Iilassa (Lapland and Cyprus), lastly Evian (Cyprus); and of all these parts my most favorite is Evin though in this book he was just been introduced having only less than 10 pages allotted for him. I like him as the male character because he is more composed than Adregin, I didn't like how Adregin always refer to Karissa as "woman" and not just voice out her name as if she's just an object and thinking of himself as superior to her.
Overall, I enjoyed reading the book, I just think that the beginning of the book started too slow and quite confusing actually. Looking forward to the next book.
The book is the initial book for its trilogy. The book itself is somewhat divided in 3 parts or timeline. The first one is Karissa and Adregin (Gaul), then Adregina and Iilassa (Lapland and Cyprus), lastly Evian (Cyprus); and of all these parts my most favorite is Evin though in this book he was just been introduced having only less than 10 pages allotted for him. I like him as the male character because he is more composed than Adregin, I didn't like how Adregin always refer to Karissa as "woman" and not just voice out her name as if she's just an object and thinking of himself as superior to her.
Overall, I enjoyed reading the book, I just think that the beginning of the book started too slow and quite confusing actually. Looking forward to the next book.
July 15, 2015
Unfortunately, this is another one I just could not finish. I really couldn't get into and mind kept wondering off, not allowing myself to absorb the story. Don't get wrong the writing is great, the problem was the storytelling. I just really couldn't get a hold on the plot, having a hard time figuring out was going on and that was only from the first few pages that I read. The concept is great: star-crossed lovers, going along the lines of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. But there wasn't really any clear indication of how the main character ended up where she was and why is this particular under these circumstances. I just had an inkling that if I continued reading I would have more questions than answers.
So sadly, that is why this review is so short. For now, I'm giving this book two stars. But not because it was bad ( I haven't read the entire book to make that judgement call), because it had potential of being good however the inconsistent storyline may have put a damper on it. Hopefully I'll finish this in the future. Just not right now.
So sadly, that is why this review is so short. For now, I'm giving this book two stars. But not because it was bad ( I haven't read the entire book to make that judgement call), because it had potential of being good however the inconsistent storyline may have put a damper on it. Hopefully I'll finish this in the future. Just not right now.
May 19, 2015
Deeply Moving 4.2 Stars
This passionate, heartbreaking love story tells the tale of two cursed souls completely bound to each other; not even death will separate them.
Each time one of the lovers die, the other travels through time to find their mate again. Through their journey their love is pushed to the limit but their deep connection remains unbreakable.
You share in the happiness, though it’s usually over shadowed by the pain and suffering they consistently endure.
While reading this book I felt such a deep lingering sadness for these two tortured beings.
When I reached the end of the story I found myself questioning the old adage; “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”.
Stephanie Lasley, from The Kindle Book Review
The Kindle Book Review received a free copy of this book for an independent, fair, and honest review. We are not associated with the author or Amazon.
This passionate, heartbreaking love story tells the tale of two cursed souls completely bound to each other; not even death will separate them.
Each time one of the lovers die, the other travels through time to find their mate again. Through their journey their love is pushed to the limit but their deep connection remains unbreakable.
You share in the happiness, though it’s usually over shadowed by the pain and suffering they consistently endure.
While reading this book I felt such a deep lingering sadness for these two tortured beings.
When I reached the end of the story I found myself questioning the old adage; “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”.
Stephanie Lasley, from The Kindle Book Review
The Kindle Book Review received a free copy of this book for an independent, fair, and honest review. We are not associated with the author or Amazon.
May 22, 2017
"The story started slow and boring for me, but as I read along, I eventually enjoyed the book, especially at the part when the characters traveled to different places and in different time." Continue reading our review here.
Please note: We don't use ratings but for this purpose, we tag books with three stars by default.
Would like to be a reviewer/contributor to Bookbed? Sign up here!
We also accept review requests. More info here.
Please note: We don't use ratings but for this purpose, we tag books with three stars by default.
Would like to be a reviewer/contributor to Bookbed? Sign up here!
We also accept review requests. More info here.
August 2, 2015
I actually enjoyed the story. For me it was a page-turner, and has a lot of potential, but there were some editing issues in my copy that made me rate this lower than it could have been. I think it needs a bit of work, especially to wrap up some loose ends and to maybe have the book stop at a better ending point. The characters and story are actually very compelling, and I hope a cleaner, more polished version is published, because the story itself is a good one.
July 27, 2016
Unfortunately, this was one book that I just couldn't become interested in. I've attempted to read it a couple of times only to barely make it through the first chapter. Sorry this one didn't appeal to my tastes.
*Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy*
*Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy*
December 6, 2015
This book was a little slow to start for me. But one it got moving the characters and the story line were not bad. It did leave me hanging in the end but since it is in a series I will let it slide. lol * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews