Disenchanted

by Janet Ursel

In this Christian fantasy, one young wizard with a hunger for wisdom and some dangerous secrets finds himself pitted against another ready to reach for power with the darkest forces possible.

Wizards have never in the history of Coventree, renounced Wizardry. But Blayn Goodwin finds himself growing detached from the practice of Wizardry, even as he rises through the ranks to become the youngest member of the Supreme Council. He has lost interest in the usual gods in favor of a god without a name, not that he makes that fact public.

Edgar Savile has his own traitorous secrets and kidnaps Blayn’s eldest son to prevent Blayn from probing into them. Meanwhile the Supreme Wizard, suspicious of Edgar, sends Blayn to retrieve an ancient book from the Other World, hoping it will arm them against Edgar’s treachery.

What Blayn finds is not what anyone expects, and threatens to tear Coventree’s fraying system apart at the seams.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fantasy

328 pages, Paperback

First published July 14, 2015

About the author

After raising five children and one husband, Janet Ursel came to the obvious conclusion that writing novels was an essential part of the recovery process. Her studies in languages and literature, along with her experience as a pastor’s wife, market analyst, and ESL teacher, made her uniquely qualified to explore the life of a wizard in a parallel universe, so she did. She can be found at janetursel.com and on too many social media sites in one universe, and alternating between Canada and the United States in another universe.

Reviews

[Poulami · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews can be found in Daydreaming Books

*I was provided a free e-arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Let’s delve right into the plot. It is beautifully woven. It actually combined of three generation. But it mainly focused on Blayn, the son of the wizard, Cedric Farnworth. Blayn is gifted with truesight, i.e. he can understand if someone is lying or withholding the truth. He also marries the woman he falls in love with but is forced to keep it a secret because the wizard world doesn’t believe in such things. Meanwhile, the black wizards from the North threaten to take over their lands by placing spies and working their black magic behind their backs. As a means to find help and to take care of the black wizard named Edgar, Blayn is sent on a mission to recover a book from the other world. When he finally studies the book, he discovers a God he never knew existed and his whole point of view changes about the world and everything.

The characters were uniquely fleshed out. I specially loved Blayn’s character. He is wise and always eager for more knowledge and when he brings out the book from the other world and starts reading it, he becomes really intrigued. I was actually pretty surprised because the book is actually the Bible. As he reads it, he becomes more confident in his view of only one God and pledges his life to spread this view.

In the first portion of the book I was quite confused that where it was actually going but as soon as Blayn finds out the truth about Edgar, it takes a particular direction.

The writing is smooth and easy to read but the pace is quite slow throughout the book. When it comes to a fantasy novel, I always love a fast-paced plot but this doesn’t happen here and because of that I sometimes got a bit bored but nonetheless I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

Disenchanted shows us the the power of God and the love between God and humans which would always help to triumph over evil.

Recommend it?

If you love Christian fantasy, then you should go for it.

[Kandi J Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three nations, three generations, three religions, two worlds collide in Disenchanted by Janet Ursel. At first I wondered what in the world all the different characters and story lines had to do with each other. As the story moved along, though my thoughts of a disjointed story changed to awe at the author who had pulled it all together. It was like looking at a tapestry up close and personal. All you can see are the individual threads. When you back away, you see the pattern. About three-fourths of the way through the book, I saw the pattern. Janet Ursel is a master weaver. Instead of threads, she uses words. Instead of a tapestry, she weaves a complex story of revenge, redemption, and love set in a different world. The epilogue introduces you to travelers who have arrived on a new world and are ready to set out to colonize it. Chapter one jumps ahead four hundred years. The story spans thirty-two years following the life of Blayn Goodwin. Welcome to a world of witches and magicians, wizards and wizardesses, black arts masters and kings. It is a world where multiple gods rule. The people are never sure if the gods will be satisfied or answer their prayers. Blayn finds a god he calls the sky god. His encounter on the beach reminded me of C.S. Lewis’ “joy”. Blayn searches until he is able to find the true name of this god who produces joy, peace, and confidence. When Blayn does find the truth, he must decide how much to give up to serve his new master. It has all the elements of fantasy: magic, heroism, a mentor, fantastical objects, other world and good versus evil. Come welcome to Coventree and join Blayn on his journey.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fantastic! There's no specific part that was my favorite, but every little piece plays into the others incredibly well. Ursel did something here that feels completely unique and yet, historically possible, which is very hard to do. It's interesting how Coventree and the surrounding areas were founded by a group of people who felt that Christianity was becoming synonymous with tyranny, but the people eventually start to become disillusioned with their alternate ways of life. My favorite characters were actually side characters: Cedric (Blayn's father, a wizard), Jane (Blayn's mother, an herbalist witch), Alan (Blayn's wizarding mentor), Professor Wotton (a university professor in the Southlands), and Owen (Captain of the Wizards of the Coventree Military). They each provided great balance for the story in his or her own way--keeping the evil from getting too evil and the good from seeming too bland. I also liked the parts when Blayn lets himself become absorbed in an ancient manuscript. It's a multi-sensory experience: the touch, smell, and sight--all beautiful. It's the same way I feel approaching a meaningful book. The ending was a bit crazy with things happening all at once. I was going, "Wait! What magic?! What just happened?!" but in a good way. I did feel like things were a bit easy with Morwen and Peter at the end, and I wish there would have been more involvement from the Southlanders. But overall, really great book! I'm excited to see what Ursel does with the series!

[Emerald Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disenchanted is a fantasy novel that focuses on a few characters, but mostly on Blayn. Blayn is a special kid who grows up into an even more special man. He works his way up the wizard ladder with his Truesight and to Grand Wizard. But along the way, Blayn falls in love and marries the woman of his dreams, yet he has to keep her a secret due to the wizards. They don’t believe in marriage, but Blayn is a bit different.

While all of this is happening, black wizards from the North are threatening to take over the lands, placing spies in the land and working their black magic.

As a means to find help take care of a black wizard within the Grand Wizards where Blayn and his family are, he is sent on a mission to recover a book to help with that. In his studies of this book, he discovers a God he never knew existed.

I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome of this novel. For the first forty percent of the book, I wasn’t sure which direction this was going to take, especially with it being a Christian novel about wizards and magic. But boy, once I started to see what was going on, I couldn’t get enough! This novel will keep you on your toes, trying to figure out how it will end, and it will show you the power of God in a world where God had been forgotten for hundreds of years. True love, between God and humans and humans and humans, will prevail, and so will the power of God. If you love Christian fantasy novels, this one is for you!

[Scarletstories · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, to be honest. I'd read a synopsis that talked about fleeing England, another world, magic, wizards and witches and other things that piqued my curiosity. But even then, I didn't know what this book was about. I didn't know that I'd be sucked into a world of Supreme Wizards, Northlands and Southlanders, that I'd become immersed into the story of a young man named Blayn, whose destiny for greatness was constantly battling with his desire for something more, whether it was in his own life or in his relationship with his longtime friend Morwen.
But, sucked in and immersed I was, and I was not disappointed. As the novel spans roughly 30 years of time, it was fascinating to see how characters changed with time. Ursel perfectly captures Blayn's personal and emotional struggles with Morwen, his calling, his peers in the Wizard hierarchy, and himself.
I dare not say more because of spoilers, but know that this is a marvelous read and I look forward to the sequel.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to read fantasy and have read this genre since I was a child. However, I am not particularly attracted to witches and wizards. I finally decided to get this book because it was Christian Fantasy, and I am so glad I did! This is a beautifully written work, and a joy to read.

As mentioned in other reviews, the first half of this novel is dedicated to introducing us to the world of Coventree, and the main characters of this story. This is not unusual in fantasy novels. Janet Ursel does a masterful job of creating a rich, believable world filled with characters I came to care for. Be forewarned, this is a hard book to put down.

The second half is fast paced and filled with unexpected twists and turns- both physical and spiritual in nature. I loved the ending, and will stop at that. I do not want to spoil this wonderful read for anyone. I was sorry to see this story come to an end. I can't wait for the next book in the trilogy!

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no clue what I was getting into with this book. It was gifted to me and I chose not to look it up, instead just started in reading it. Therefore I was really surprised when it took the turn to being very religious in tone. It starts off as a really well written fantasy following three generations of wizards, and then veers into the accepting of God, and how that changes the men involved.

The book is really interesting, and the transition from straight up fantasy to religious fantasy is fairly smooth, you sort of go.."OHHHH" when it pops up, and then just continue on. I loved the characters, and I found the scenery to be really well done. I was not a fan of the epilogue however, which screamed cliffhanger, which is something I am not a fan of. Otherwise, I'm really glad I fell into this book, it was really good.

(definitely not a one day read though, it's pretty long)

[Olivia Cornwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review here: http://oliviasinkspots.blogspot.com/2...

I enjoyed this book. I liked seeing how the protagonist shifted into his new faith, how it wasn't immediate and how he struggled a lot less with coming to terms with what it meant in contrast to what he had been taught all his life. The worldbuilding was interesting, too, with magic saturating the world and how everything seemed to fairly revolve around magic.

Some of the dialogue felt too modern for the medieval setting, though, and it kind of disrupted the medieval/fantasy mood I felt as I read. The plot seemed to mood slowly, but the information I received was helpful to understanding what was going on. But otherwise, a fun read.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my review at http://beautifulfeettoronto.blogspot....

[David M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this story yesterday afternoon. If you took a look at the time between when I began and when I finished, it has nothing to do with the book itself , but my intent to be thorough with my review.
When I picked this book up, I didn’t really know what I was getting into. The title was vague to me, and it left me wondering what the book was actually about. Obviously, the title did the job it was meant to do; make the peruser curious enough to investigate further.

In the beginning, Disenchanted begins with a small group of travelers climbing out a cave. They appear to be escaping a life of violence, only to begin their first day of freedom with just such an act as they had hoped to escape. It leaves many questions in the reader’s mind and was well thought out. Ms. Ursel did a great job of connecting every dot, and answering any dangling questions left to tantalize her readers by the end of the story.

Disenchanted is dialogue driven, and she did a superb job with this. It also possesses a wide variety of colorful characters, each very believable, and many of their lives intertwine. I found it very easy to connect with a number of them.

I discovered plenty of not so commonly used words throughout her work. I’ve heard plenty of complaints by other readers about other such writers doing this. I personally like finding words I have to look up. As a writer myself, widening my own vocabulary is part of the job, and a facet I really do enjoy. If you are a reader put off by big words you might have to look up, this may not be the book for you.

Although Disenchanted is driven mostly by dialogue, Ms. Ursel did a great job balancing dialogue with action. In this quote, we see one of many such examples:
““As they left the tanners, the leather in a roll under Blayn’s arm, he heard a noise behind him and wheeled around to find Morwen in the grip of Richard, the tanners son. He had shot up tall and broad shouldered since his days of schoolyard bullying.
“Well, my pretty hussy. You came around to see me but you didn’t stay for a roll in the hay.”
“Don’t talk to her like that.”
Richard looked down at Blayn. He sneered.
“And who’s going to stop me, a scarecrow like you?”
“Just so. You can’t keep a civil tongue in your head, you’ll have to do without one altogether.” Blaine raised his arms and chanted a rapid incantation while Morwen, taking advantage of Richard’s distraction, drove her knee into his crotch with all her strength.
Richard doubled forward and fell, writhing in agony, his mouth working. No sound emerged. Morwen and Blayn took to their heels.
Back among the terebinths, Morwen gulped for air. “You didn’t really take out his tongue, did you?””

Disenchanted offers a prologue, forty-six chapters, and an epilogue. The switching between one set of characters to another keeps the pace reasonable and allows the reader a number of places to stop if the need arises. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction and fantasy. YA and adult are likely to be the largest groups of Disenchanted’s readers.

Lastly, just one note of caution: if you are a reader who shies away from Christian oriented works, which this isn’t entirely, or you are a follower of western religious doctrines, which this also isn’t entirely, this may not be the book for you unless you can look upon this as a window into philosophic evolution. Whatever the case, don’t take my word for it. Read it yourself—chances are you will be glad you did.

[Guy L. Pace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Christian fantasy and I did enjoy it. I was a little confused at first with the POV and timeline, but got into the groove and into the characters. Janet is a solid writer and I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series. I'm no great reviewer, so I'll keep this simple. It is a good read and I think most Christians will enjoy it.

For any fantasy, you must begin with an open mind regarding the world the author creates and give yourself an opportunity to follow along. One of the challenges from the Christian perspective is dealing with magic and wizardry, in the world Janet created. But, if I get much deeper here, I'll give too much of the story away. Even though she does something abusive to perfectly good coffee beans.

Disclosure: Janet is a fellow author in the Vox Dei imprint of Booktrope, but we've never met face-to-face. I bought my copy of the book on Amazon. I received no consideration of any kind for this comment/review.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and the writer. I enjoyed the story and characters which were well developed and researched. It is a refreshing read with magic and sorcery and a christian aspect all of which weave together for a great tale.