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The League of Elder #9
Stenibelle
THE 3rd TURN OF THE SHADOW TECH GODDESS The quest of Paymaster Stenstrom spans the planes, taking a bizarre turn in the 3rd universe, as there he is not an affluent man but a woman in desperate circumstances. Lady Stenibelle is imprisoned for her role in the Seeker Affair, is penniless, and her House of Belmont-South Tyrol is on the verge of extinction. Her spirit broken, Stenibelle is resigned to perform her sentence without fuss, do as she is told, and fade away in obscurity. However, fate is not yet finished with her. Stenibelle is in the gaze of hidden benefactors with ulterior motives. People claiming to be her dear friends come forward, yet she does not know them. The Quests of the Shadow tech Goddess proceed, and she must discover the hero that lies within or face total oblivion. The disgraced 30th daughter of the House of Belmont will either be the final stake driven into its dying heart, or the ray of light that comes to save it and all else that follows.
184 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2015
2 people are currently reading
318 people want to read
About the author
Ren Garcia
25 books145 followersRen Garcia, the author of the League of Elder Series, graduated from the Ohio State University with a degree in literature. He enjoys playing volleyball and ice hockey and lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife and their four dogs. You can check out Ren’s website at http://theleagueofelder.com/, or his blog at http://thetempleoftheexplodinghead.wo... .
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 14, 2015
www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com
I love Stenibelle, she is awesome. She is so much more complex than I thought. When I was first reading the book I thought I was losing my mind, but no.... this book delves in alternate realities. And Stenibelle is an Extra-Planner Entity, meaning she exists on every plane!
Stenibelle's title in this book is Lady of Belmont, they call her Bel for short. Also, in the opening scenes she is in jail and I won't tell you why :)
She has some friends get her out of prison. They are A-Ram and Alesta, I fell in love with them later on in the book.
She is taken out of jail to work for an evil professor who is a force to be reckoned with herself. She sort of blackmails Bel, but isn't that always the case!
I like the author had graphics put into the book as well. They are brilliant. The book is full of floating rock cities, floating rock prisons, automatons, flying fleet vessels, and so much more.
When Bel finds out some of her alternate personalities she doesn't believe it at first and is shocked. I was shocked too!
I think a lot of people that love graphic novel and steampunk books would like this one.
*More information on the book and author on my blogtour starting Sept. 21, 2015*
I love Stenibelle, she is awesome. She is so much more complex than I thought. When I was first reading the book I thought I was losing my mind, but no.... this book delves in alternate realities. And Stenibelle is an Extra-Planner Entity, meaning she exists on every plane!
Stenibelle's title in this book is Lady of Belmont, they call her Bel for short. Also, in the opening scenes she is in jail and I won't tell you why :)
She has some friends get her out of prison. They are A-Ram and Alesta, I fell in love with them later on in the book.
She is taken out of jail to work for an evil professor who is a force to be reckoned with herself. She sort of blackmails Bel, but isn't that always the case!
I like the author had graphics put into the book as well. They are brilliant. The book is full of floating rock cities, floating rock prisons, automatons, flying fleet vessels, and so much more.
When Bel finds out some of her alternate personalities she doesn't believe it at first and is shocked. I was shocked too!
I think a lot of people that love graphic novel and steampunk books would like this one.
*More information on the book and author on my blogtour starting Sept. 21, 2015*
September 30, 2015
Okay where to start with this book.... I loved it so much that I can't wrap my mind around the story and the characters. Not only was the writing great but the drawings in the story had me staring at them time and time again.
This is a unique read for me because I usually don't read fantasy but my best friend asked me to read it and I said yes I would. To say that I am glad she had me read it is an understatement. There is so much adventure and twists and turns that at first I was like what the heck is going on but as I continued reading I realized that the main character had a special gift.
With this gift came a lot of different things and she soon learns that her gift causes her to become different people and she has done different things. As you are reading the story you become so captivated by the story and the drawings you can't help but want to turn the page to learn what is going to happen next.
If you love or even like fantasy this is the book for you. If you have never read fantasy this is your first must read fantasy book.
This is a unique read for me because I usually don't read fantasy but my best friend asked me to read it and I said yes I would. To say that I am glad she had me read it is an understatement. There is so much adventure and twists and turns that at first I was like what the heck is going on but as I continued reading I realized that the main character had a special gift.
With this gift came a lot of different things and she soon learns that her gift causes her to become different people and she has done different things. As you are reading the story you become so captivated by the story and the drawings you can't help but want to turn the page to learn what is going to happen next.
If you love or even like fantasy this is the book for you. If you have never read fantasy this is your first must read fantasy book.
May 2, 2018
I’ve not read Ren Garcia’s books before and dove into Stenibelle: The 3rd Turn of the Shadow tech Goddess, even though it was book 2 of a series, Turns of the Shadow tech Goddess, that I had not read. I’m pretty glad I did. This author weaves an incredibly complex tale full of wonderfully complex characters. I suspect I missed things by missing book 1 but I think it still worked as a stand-alone and it definitely was fun. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I would go on. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, it is easy to highly recommend.
February 7, 2017
First off, just look at that cover! I love it! Some of my favorite parts of these books are the artwork.
Once again, this is another great book by Ren Garcia that adds to his fantasy world. I have read (hopefully) all the books written prior; so as I read, I catch a lot of the references to previous books. This really makes the book even more enjoyable with the deeper comprehensive read. I just love having characters from past books show up because it brings the familiar in an unfamiliar world. I find the concept of different dimensions fascinating. I think the author did a great job at expressing his thoughts on the matter in this amazing series. I look forward to reading more!
I am always impressed with how the author comes through with calming my concerns. As I began reading, I quickly came upon a writing element in the story that I did not like. I try to be an open person when it comes to people's sexual preferences, but to have a heterosexual female be pressured to become homosexual was pushing the boundaries of my patience. If it continued to develop the way I thought it was, I was going to dislike the book. But thankfully, it was referred to and open to be able to happen, but not forced within the story. It was a very interesting element in the story and I am very impressed with the way the author treated it.
I received a copy of the book from Loving The Book in exchange for an honest review.
Once again, this is another great book by Ren Garcia that adds to his fantasy world. I have read (hopefully) all the books written prior; so as I read, I catch a lot of the references to previous books. This really makes the book even more enjoyable with the deeper comprehensive read. I just love having characters from past books show up because it brings the familiar in an unfamiliar world. I find the concept of different dimensions fascinating. I think the author did a great job at expressing his thoughts on the matter in this amazing series. I look forward to reading more!
I am always impressed with how the author comes through with calming my concerns. As I began reading, I quickly came upon a writing element in the story that I did not like. I try to be an open person when it comes to people's sexual preferences, but to have a heterosexual female be pressured to become homosexual was pushing the boundaries of my patience. If it continued to develop the way I thought it was, I was going to dislike the book. But thankfully, it was referred to and open to be able to happen, but not forced within the story. It was a very interesting element in the story and I am very impressed with the way the author treated it.
I received a copy of the book from Loving The Book in exchange for an honest review.
February 5, 2017
I loved this book. I'm a big fan of sci-fi and futuristic books. The idea of there being millions of universes side by side that are almost all the same but with variations is a fun concept. Stenibelle is the thirtieth daughter of the Belmont-Tyrol house in the third universe, and she is a unique being as she's an "extra planar entity"with the rare gift that there is one of her in EVERY variation of the universe. In the 8 that are overlapping most, she's usually a man, except in this one she's a woman.
I loved watching the way Alesta and A-Ram seem to appear and help when needed, the growth of both our "hero" and the warmth/growth of her soul mate, Lt Gwendolyn, and my reactions to the inscrutable morally questionable Professor Hannah-Ben Shurlamp. The story begins and ends in a coach on a ride to a manor in the country by Stenibelle, with the entire novel as her flashbacks on everything that happened between her release from jail and her ride towards that manor. A great steampunk style magical, sci-fi and fun tale- I'd not recommend it for readers below sixteen due to mention of sexual acts and some violence.
I loved watching the way Alesta and A-Ram seem to appear and help when needed, the growth of both our "hero" and the warmth/growth of her soul mate, Lt Gwendolyn, and my reactions to the inscrutable morally questionable Professor Hannah-Ben Shurlamp. The story begins and ends in a coach on a ride to a manor in the country by Stenibelle, with the entire novel as her flashbacks on everything that happened between her release from jail and her ride towards that manor. A great steampunk style magical, sci-fi and fun tale- I'd not recommend it for readers below sixteen due to mention of sexual acts and some violence.
February 9, 2017
Not my favorite gerna
This is not my favorite genra so here is my honest review I had a hard time figuring out a lot of this story, but I did read it through to the end. From what could understand of this book the main character she/ he depending on the realm had powers and she was imprisoned at first was released to find this other realm for all so on the hunt for this she finds herself in some situations but gets out of them. I did care for this book but someone who likes steampunk are far out there books will love this I hope you judge this for your self.
This is not my favorite genra so here is my honest review I had a hard time figuring out a lot of this story, but I did read it through to the end. From what could understand of this book the main character she/ he depending on the realm had powers and she was imprisoned at first was released to find this other realm for all so on the hunt for this she finds herself in some situations but gets out of them. I did care for this book but someone who likes steampunk are far out there books will love this I hope you judge this for your self.
February 17, 2018
I love books that feature lead lady characters. I had previously read the first League of Elder book when I was told to check out this book because I like strong female leads. I was a bit hesitant to read it since I had not read the entire series yet, but I was surprised by how easy it was to follow along. Anyone could pick up this book and enjoy the plot without knowing too much about the series. I do feel that reading at least the first book in the series will help the reader enjoy the story a bit more so you know what a Vith is and a bit of the history of the universe that Ren has created.
It's an engaging sci-fi/fantasy read and I finished it in about four hours. It's shorter than some of the other League of Elder books and has a lot less of the history to sort through. It's paced well and the writing helps create the story in your head as you read along.
The only thing I could complain about is that the book kind of ends on a somber note. It's hard for me to articulate. You get a sense of closure, but it just didn't feel like all the closure I wanted for Stenibelle. The ending isn't a cliffhanger nor is it a flat out sad ending, but I think there is room for the author to write more about Stenibelle. In fact, I wanted a few more chapters at the end of the book giving me a bit more information on what she did after everything was said and done. Of course, that may just be my personal preference.
If you are into this series, it's a must read, but even if you have never read a League of Elder book this is a great book to start with. It's written in a way where if you read it with no prior knowledge of the universe that you will still have a good time. But if you are intrigued and decide to go back and read the books in order it would only further enhance your experience and may give a few AHA moments of understanding when you start to become more engrossed in the world Ren has created.
It's an engaging sci-fi/fantasy read and I finished it in about four hours. It's shorter than some of the other League of Elder books and has a lot less of the history to sort through. It's paced well and the writing helps create the story in your head as you read along.
The only thing I could complain about is that the book kind of ends on a somber note. It's hard for me to articulate. You get a sense of closure, but it just didn't feel like all the closure I wanted for Stenibelle. The ending isn't a cliffhanger nor is it a flat out sad ending, but I think there is room for the author to write more about Stenibelle. In fact, I wanted a few more chapters at the end of the book giving me a bit more information on what she did after everything was said and done. Of course, that may just be my personal preference.
If you are into this series, it's a must read, but even if you have never read a League of Elder book this is a great book to start with. It's written in a way where if you read it with no prior knowledge of the universe that you will still have a good time. But if you are intrigued and decide to go back and read the books in order it would only further enhance your experience and may give a few AHA moments of understanding when you start to become more engrossed in the world Ren has created.
December 14, 2020
I just finished reading Stenibelle by Ren Garcia. If you have read any of the novels in the League of Elder series, then you.are familiar with his casual writing style which gives you a sense of familiarity with the characters and the place. If you've read The Belmont Saga, then you.are very familiar with its host of characters. But let us say that you take all you know about these people and events, shake them up a bit, and then toss them out into the wild yonder like wayward dice. Where can they land but into the rabbit hole and off into a wonderland of mystery, action, and events so bizarre they would make the Mad Hatter shudder. Don't believe me? Well, this story will make you a believer of alternate realities. The main character is the female version of Paymaster Stenstrom, and If you think that makes her helpless, you've got another think coming.
This author continues to both surprise and entertain me with each book I read of his. So if you're in the mood for a jaunt down the rabbit hole, Stenibelle is the book for you. I highly recommend it.
This author continues to both surprise and entertain me with each book I read of his. So if you're in the mood for a jaunt down the rabbit hole, Stenibelle is the book for you. I highly recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2017
Stenibelle was a master at turning invisible, of fading into the shadows. Her mother had taught her and her sisters the skill, and Stenibelle was the best at it, with Lyra a close second. Her fade could fool sophisticated scanning systems and even arcane seeing eyes. Morgan reached out and seized her by her shirt. She pulled her close and bared her teeth. “It doesn’t work on me, Bel. I can see you plain as day. Now what? Now what are you going to do?” Stenibelle had no idea what to do.
If you had knowledge that somewhere out in space, another world with another you existed and lived out their life similar to yours—how would that affect you? In this case, Garcia shares a classic, yet very creative alternate version of Stenstrom—a character from another book in the League of Elder series called The Shadow Tech Goddess. This story follows right along with that one, but everything is slightly a bit different in this reality. For instance, Stenstrom was a man and Stenibelle is a woman. Lt Gwendolyn is Fleet personnel; however, she is the reason for Stenibelle’s loss of chair on the Seeker as well as her imprisonment. Professor Hannah Ben Shurlamp is a different character as well, searching for a different Elder planet than the one in the other story. With these characters being the same, yet adventures and personalities different—Garcia has an entertaining, shorter story. Readers who love his writing will really enjoy this one.
Stenibelle begins her journey imprisoned. Lt Gwendolyn is the reason for her loss of title, her dignity, her house and the hatred of some of her family members. After a visit from a benefactor, she is freed from prison and then provided a very specific task by a famous Professor Hannah Ben Shurlamp. This Professor has the money and the mind set to make things happen, so Stenibelle agrees to the task of finding a planet called Cammara—especially after she realizes that there is absolutely no way to get out of her predicament. She can either go back to prison, losing everything if she refuses the professor—or she can find this Elder planet called Cammara by jumping on the George Parr and finding the information from Caroline of Melaazar. Two people who claim to be her friends from an alternate reality, come to help her on her journey—also claiming that whatever she does in this reality will affect the outcome of others as well. Stenibelle is then faced with hospitilar Morgan-Jeterix, who shows her what fear truly is, knocking her down and suffocating her with the ultimate terror of who she truly is, the monster that comes out if she is not careful. She tells Stenibelle that if she can get up off of the ground, face that fear—then she can do anything. Fighting to get up, she understands that there is a lot to be lost—she has to complete her mission. Can Stenibelle find the information that she needs to provide to the Professor? Can she save her House of Belmont-South Tyrol?
Garcia writes with such a creative mind—everything is so different, original and totally entertaining and new. The story has superb character development and is written well. It is a bit shorter than the other books in the series, but there is not really a change in pace or fluidity. Everything is explained, easy to understand and can be read as a standalone—however, it would be beneficial to begin with The Shadow Tech Goddess to understand certain characters within this story and how they have changed from other realities. If you are a reader of fantasy and science fiction, this may be perfect for you. It is strongly advised that since this is classified as dark fantasy, it is not recommended for children or teens due to content.
A paperback copy of this book was purchased by Turning Another Page from the author. We provide a five-star rating for Stenibelle by Ren Garcia.
If you had knowledge that somewhere out in space, another world with another you existed and lived out their life similar to yours—how would that affect you? In this case, Garcia shares a classic, yet very creative alternate version of Stenstrom—a character from another book in the League of Elder series called The Shadow Tech Goddess. This story follows right along with that one, but everything is slightly a bit different in this reality. For instance, Stenstrom was a man and Stenibelle is a woman. Lt Gwendolyn is Fleet personnel; however, she is the reason for Stenibelle’s loss of chair on the Seeker as well as her imprisonment. Professor Hannah Ben Shurlamp is a different character as well, searching for a different Elder planet than the one in the other story. With these characters being the same, yet adventures and personalities different—Garcia has an entertaining, shorter story. Readers who love his writing will really enjoy this one.
Stenibelle begins her journey imprisoned. Lt Gwendolyn is the reason for her loss of title, her dignity, her house and the hatred of some of her family members. After a visit from a benefactor, she is freed from prison and then provided a very specific task by a famous Professor Hannah Ben Shurlamp. This Professor has the money and the mind set to make things happen, so Stenibelle agrees to the task of finding a planet called Cammara—especially after she realizes that there is absolutely no way to get out of her predicament. She can either go back to prison, losing everything if she refuses the professor—or she can find this Elder planet called Cammara by jumping on the George Parr and finding the information from Caroline of Melaazar. Two people who claim to be her friends from an alternate reality, come to help her on her journey—also claiming that whatever she does in this reality will affect the outcome of others as well. Stenibelle is then faced with hospitilar Morgan-Jeterix, who shows her what fear truly is, knocking her down and suffocating her with the ultimate terror of who she truly is, the monster that comes out if she is not careful. She tells Stenibelle that if she can get up off of the ground, face that fear—then she can do anything. Fighting to get up, she understands that there is a lot to be lost—she has to complete her mission. Can Stenibelle find the information that she needs to provide to the Professor? Can she save her House of Belmont-South Tyrol?
Garcia writes with such a creative mind—everything is so different, original and totally entertaining and new. The story has superb character development and is written well. It is a bit shorter than the other books in the series, but there is not really a change in pace or fluidity. Everything is explained, easy to understand and can be read as a standalone—however, it would be beneficial to begin with The Shadow Tech Goddess to understand certain characters within this story and how they have changed from other realities. If you are a reader of fantasy and science fiction, this may be perfect for you. It is strongly advised that since this is classified as dark fantasy, it is not recommended for children or teens due to content.
A paperback copy of this book was purchased by Turning Another Page from the author. We provide a five-star rating for Stenibelle by Ren Garcia.
December 27, 2015
- I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher via Goodreads Giveaway
Unfortunately, this really wasn't my type of book. I'm not a huge sci fi fan, so maybe I was just unable to appreciate this book to the fullest.
Stenibelle, by Ren Garcia, is a sci-fi book focusing on Stenibelle (Bel, for short), a disgraced member of her House and family, looking for redemption. When this book starts, Stenibelle is in jail for crimes previously committed; an unknown stranger secures her release from jail, for a price. Quickly, Stenibelle learns her release is courtesy of Professor Hannah-Ben Shurlamp, an evil professor type who has plans to use Bel's unique gifts to steal secrets to an undiscovered planet. Through her journey, Bel learns of her further talents, such as the fact that she exists on all planes (although this is the only plane in which she is a woman).
While the plot was well thought out and complex, I didn't feel that the actual alternate universe that exists in this book was constructed in great deal. Instead of providing the readers with details on the alternate planes or further exploring Bel's relationship to some of the other characters, the author merely mentions all the names of the different objects mentioned, such as the Shadow tech and Bel's various weapons.
On the other hand, what I did really like about this book included the illustrations. While I felt certain aspects of this fictional world were not described in enough detail, a picture really is worth a thousand words, and the pictures in the pages of this book were well done and helped the reader really picture the characters.
Although I didn't enjoy this book as much as other readers, I recognize that this is not the genre for me and therefore I would absolutely recommend that other readers who enjoy sci-fi books pick this one up, as I'm sure they would enjoy it!
Unfortunately, this really wasn't my type of book. I'm not a huge sci fi fan, so maybe I was just unable to appreciate this book to the fullest.
Stenibelle, by Ren Garcia, is a sci-fi book focusing on Stenibelle (Bel, for short), a disgraced member of her House and family, looking for redemption. When this book starts, Stenibelle is in jail for crimes previously committed; an unknown stranger secures her release from jail, for a price. Quickly, Stenibelle learns her release is courtesy of Professor Hannah-Ben Shurlamp, an evil professor type who has plans to use Bel's unique gifts to steal secrets to an undiscovered planet. Through her journey, Bel learns of her further talents, such as the fact that she exists on all planes (although this is the only plane in which she is a woman).
While the plot was well thought out and complex, I didn't feel that the actual alternate universe that exists in this book was constructed in great deal. Instead of providing the readers with details on the alternate planes or further exploring Bel's relationship to some of the other characters, the author merely mentions all the names of the different objects mentioned, such as the Shadow tech and Bel's various weapons.
On the other hand, what I did really like about this book included the illustrations. While I felt certain aspects of this fictional world were not described in enough detail, a picture really is worth a thousand words, and the pictures in the pages of this book were well done and helped the reader really picture the characters.
Although I didn't enjoy this book as much as other readers, I recognize that this is not the genre for me and therefore I would absolutely recommend that other readers who enjoy sci-fi books pick this one up, as I'm sure they would enjoy it!
November 26, 2015
Women are masters of multi-tasking—we all know that. But how does a woman cope when she learns there are versions of her in every single one of the multiple universes? Especially when at least one of those versions is male...
Stenibelle, 30th daughter of House Belmont-Tyrol and currently languishing in jail, does what any woman might do... she freaks out. Faced with a huge challenge set by the impressive and enigmatic Professor Hannah-Ben Shurlamp, yet lacking the skills to accomplish it, Bel is forced to confront her own inadequacies and hangups in order to achieve her goals. Friendships, love, and betrayals follow, and Stenibelle will have to work herself through them if she wants to emerge stronger, more confident, more capable than before.
As before, Ren Garcia shows himself to be a master of his genre. Not only can he create believable, strong, powerful male characters, but female ones too. Stenibelle possesses some complex character twists and it’s good to read a character that might—or might not—come good in the end. Bravo, Mr Garcia, I can’t wait to read more!
Stenibelle, 30th daughter of House Belmont-Tyrol and currently languishing in jail, does what any woman might do... she freaks out. Faced with a huge challenge set by the impressive and enigmatic Professor Hannah-Ben Shurlamp, yet lacking the skills to accomplish it, Bel is forced to confront her own inadequacies and hangups in order to achieve her goals. Friendships, love, and betrayals follow, and Stenibelle will have to work herself through them if she wants to emerge stronger, more confident, more capable than before.
As before, Ren Garcia shows himself to be a master of his genre. Not only can he create believable, strong, powerful male characters, but female ones too. Stenibelle possesses some complex character twists and it’s good to read a character that might—or might not—come good in the end. Bravo, Mr Garcia, I can’t wait to read more!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews