A human girl. An elven prince. A romance that will tear their kingdoms apart.Not all love stories have a happy endingKala never questioned the laws forbidding contact with the magical creatures that made her an orphan. Mystics were dangerous, vile creatures, to be killed on sight. And she was never, ever to go into the forest.But when a strange figure threatens her farm, she can't help but chase it into the woods--and right into a trap.When she's rescued by an elven prince, everything she's ever been taught comes into question.And once she learns his secret, there's no going back.A fantasy retelling of Romeo and Juliet
My Bio: Stevie rae causey is an author, podcaster, guest speaker, and general nerd living in the pacific northwest. Special interests include relational psychology, symbolism, hiking, and dogs. May very well just be a series of coping mechanisms in a trench coat masquerading as human.
My name is Ellie. I'm 11 and I'm a fellow author. My favorite type of books is fantasy and when I finished this book I felt like screaming, "This is such a cliff-hanger!!! I just can't even... I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!" Oh wait...I might have actually screamed that. The story is sad at first, but then so happy. The characters are so different; I feel like it must have taken forever to make this world up. I am a BIG fan and I hope you'll be able to make the next book an audio book, too. The voices are so expressive and whoever does it does it SO well! That is all I have to say, but it was just...AHHHHH!!! I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!
Kala lost her mother and grows up living with her uncle. Her uncle is a soldier for the king, who fights against all "Mystics". The setting makes me think of old king Arthur times with horses and carriages. This book also talks of vampires, dragons, elves, gryphons, and other things not mentioned back then. I liked this book for the most part. There were a couple of places where it seemed to drag for me. Most of the story was interesting. Humans fighting mystical beings. The story was enjoyable and well written.
Though this book is a prequel to Amasai Rising, it is also so much more. Unlike other prequels that I have read, which were good stories but clearly written to support the series for which it serves as a sequel, this book is a story all on its own. While it does support the series by expanding on the world and providing more information about the characters, it is also strong enough to serve as a story all on its own - a story to spawn its own series if the author wished to do so. And this story hit ALL. THE. FEELS.
Kala has been living with her uncle and cousin since her parents were killed by Mystics - elves - when she was a young child. As part of their upbringing, her uncle instructs Kala and her cousin in the weaknesses of all the different types of Mystics so that, should they ever face them, they could defend themselves. So, when Kala is captured by an elf, she expects to die. When her life is instead saved by another elf, her entire worldview is upended. When that elf, Azlyn, reveals that her mother was part of a rebellion seeking to unite their two peoples, Kala is determined to learn more.
What began as a friendship between Kala and Azlyn as she pursued more information about her mother, she finds herself falling in love with him. But how can she love an elf when doing so would betray everything her uncle, the man who had raised her, had taught her?
As I said before, this story hit all the feels. Kala is an easy character to identify with, and her forbidden and hidden relationship is a common plot around which the political maneuvering of a building war moves. Because forbidden love is a bit of a trope, parts of the story are predictable. Despite that, the story is compelling, and the political background and world-building served to round out this story in a beautiful way. As for the ending, while some might find it concerning or abrupt, those who have read or listened to Amasai Rising will not be surprised. I actually gave a little squee, knowing what was coming. That said, this book works well as a standalone if one doesn't want to read the series (though I think you should; I enjoyed the first book just as much as this one.)
In addition, the narrator of the audiobook, Susan Hanfield, gave a wonderful performance. Her reading brought the characters to life with emotion and tension in all the right places. This is the first book that I have listened to narrated by Susan Hanfield, but it was definitely good enough for me to not worry about listening to another book narrated by her.
I am not a fan of all the feelings I have been feeling with this book. Well written, a great mixture of fantasy with romance but appropriate for YA audiences. I have some nieces that are going to love this one. I did not want to put it down, and now I have to wait for the next book to come out. Curses!
This book definitely makes me think of something I'd have loved to find while in school - it makes me think of The Hollow Kingdom trilogy (one of my favorites from grade school) in a lot of ways tone-wise. I will admit, the story felt quite rushed in places, especially at the end. My heart sank when I saw how few pages I had left with all that was going on, and the very end is a definitive cliffhanger. That being said, I can perfectly see how this is going to kick off the rest of the series. I would have liked a little bit more closure and for the ending's shock to have been spread out over more pages or for Kala to be more involved in those events, but I did like this book and look forward to seeing what book 2 holds.
This Audible book is a good start to a new series, MC is a young Naive girl who has a gentle heart. This is the story of a battle between Mistics (Elves, Dwarfs, etc) and Humans under a King who want no mystic left alive in the lands. Narrator does a good job with the various characters voices.
My TBR list is all over the place. I have fantasy, crime thrillers, dystopia, and more fantasy on the list. First up is Stevie Rae Causey’s Ring of Fire, the first of her two book series.
Synopsis (from the author): What If Everything You Knew Was A Lie?
Kala's people have been at war with the Mystics, a group of magical beasts and beings, for as long as she can remember. It was Mystics who killed her parents. Or so she thought. When an elf saves her life, Kala's whole world is turned upside down. The line between right and wrong blurs as she finds herself falling in love with the enemy. Hiding their affair isn't easy, and when Kala confides in the wrong person, a new war ignites. Can their love unite their people, or are their people doomed to repeat the past?
What I liked: Ring of Fire had much to like. First, Kala’s character was easy to identify with and her relationship with Azlyn (the elf who rescued her from her kidnapper) was a great backdrop for the story. Cazlyn, Azlyn’s nephew was a great character. Nice world building and the inclusion of the other races added depth to the tale. Overall, I enjoyed the book!
What I didn’t like: Some of the book was slow to unfold and was predictable at times. Other than that, no complaints from me!
Overall impression: Ring of Fire by Stevie Rae Causey was an entertaining read. It had enough twists, turns, and intrigue to keep my attention. With solid characters, good storytelling, and a touch of romance, I would recommend this one to anyone tweens and older who enjoy a good fantasy!
I am an avid reader, a bit of this and a bit of that.
This book? A pleasure to read the first time I read earlier drafts as well as reading the published version. Ring of Fire is a coming of age story set in a fantasy world setting, well described by the author.
The main character, Kala, is immediately likable. Her world is complex and takes turns she didn't imagine. Through the course of the story there were twists that even after reading early drafts I found myself being drawn into. The fresh feeling of wanting to finish “just one more chapter” til I reached the end of the story remained.
I appreciate, as well, the time Causey has put into getting this book ready for the public as often self published ebooks can contain formatting errors that make reading tedious for a picky reader like myself.
I look forward to seeing what else follows Ring of Fire, whether it continues to follow Kala and her world, or another story line all together.
I had the pleasure of beta reading Ring of Fire and, although I feel like I am a little past the intended age group for this book, I still really enjoyed it and know that if I had read it in middle school it would have been right up my alley! I loved the characters, their relationships with each other, and how they developed throughout the story. I also thought that the fantasy world Causey created was very detailed and unique! If you enjoyed The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia, you would definitely enjoy Ring of Fire and I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good adventure to escape into and avoid the real world for a while. Four stars :)
I love a good coming of age book, the more so if there are believable fantasy elements. Ring of Fire delivers. The author has constructed a believable world with varied races and complex relationships. While I would have liked more dialogue and interaction, rather than exposition, I understand the need in a young adult novel. This could easily have turned into a 150,000 word epic, otherwise!
The characters are refreshing and intriguing. Kala is a personable main character, and her relationships with her cousin and Azlyn were both poignant and believable.
I recommend this book to teenage girls looking for their place in life, or anyone who enjoys a good, entertaining fantasy novel.
A refreshing, well written story - the author has succeeded in allowing me to escape the dull, everyday, humdrum existence that we humans are limited to.
The characters were entirely believable, as were their interactions with one another. Despite the main character's naivety about certain situations (without giving it away!), I felt that she was wise beyond her years in other areas.
"Ring of Fire" contains every single element I seek out when choosing my reading material, and I thank the author for sharing it with the rest of us.
It is hard to review this novel without giving away too much, so I will be brief. Even if the plot was predictable, it somehow all worked together because I read the book in one night. It is a perfect read for pre-teens and tweens. It has just about enough romance not to alarm the young mind. I will refrain from giving it five stars because I find Miss Causey’s approach to her characters a wee bit too lifeless. For more reviews visit:www.etherealediting.net
While this book is a prequel, with the way it and the first book in the series are constructed, it can be read in any order. The book starts with cleverly disguised exposition and backstory as character backgrounds and history, setting up the world.
I listened to book one in the series prior to this, I was left curious about the backstory, history, and prior interactions between the characters. This book does a great job of filling in the gaps and answering those questions.
As I said in my review for book one in the series, this would make a great starter series for younger readers who are curious about the fantasy genre. Various races and species, their attributes, characteristics, and weaknesses are mentioned. But it doesn’t lay down the lore so thick that you’d need a wiki or to take notes to understand or keep track of it all.
I listened to the audiobook versions and they’re not overly long. Members of a younger audience could be listened to or read them in a few sittings and will be left wanting more. The mid-sized length of the stories means the book doesn’t dawdle and only feeds you the relevant information to the plot. As much as I love a good lore-rich fantasy series, sometimes it’s nice to just get in and out and not have to commit dozens of hours to read and research.
I’m sure there’s a lot of young girls out there who would enjoy a female protagonist in a fantasy series as well. Despite enjoying the genre, I don’t read it much. I often re-read the same few books and all the ones I can think of off the top of my head have male protagonists.
Overall, the audio narration is great. There is one moment where presumably one recording session ends and another began where the narrator sounds different. To me, it sounded like it could have been her chain-smoking mother narration for a couple of minutes. I wasn’t paying attention to the dialogue to see if it was supposed to be an older character because it was so distracting. Aside from that one oddity, I didn’t have any issues with the narration and she does an excellent job.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.
The author had a nice voice and good sense of rhythm. The world was complex but simple enough to follow. I honestly would have probably loved this if I’d read it fifteen years ago, but today, I found myself annoyed by little inconsistencies, and in the end, the plot wasn’t intriguing enough to carry me through.
As I mentioned, the writing wasn’t entirely clear or consistent. I had to reread passages multiple times to figure out where people were and who was talking. Sometimes, I couldn’t figure it out no matter how many times I read it.
I would have liked more scenes and fewer summaries.
The main character had a mercurial personality. She was quiet and fearful of mystics at one moment but then shouting and angry seconds later. The author couldn’t seem to pick a personality for her.
The writing could have used some editing, too. Don’t get me wrong. It was well-edited for a self-published book, but the author often treated phrases like sentences, and it made the writing unclear at times.
It also creeped me out that the love interest had known the main character’s mom and was, by implication, older than the mom. If I somehow got the age wrong, my apologies.
Ring of Fire is a great, relaxed read and I thoroughly enjoyed the story line.
Even though the book had elves, vampires and other paranormal entities, (that I feel have been done to death lately) I found this book refreshing and intriguing. The story had a consistent pace and the main characters all had their own (believable) flaws which gave the story depth.
The writers voice is refreshingly unique. At first I found the narration to lack emotion but after a few pages I no longer noticed and found it worked well for the story.
One aspect that knocked it down from a five star for me was the abruptness of the romance. There was not enough forewarning it was coming and then, all of a sudden, Kala and Azlyn were deeply in love. Oh and I’m not sure how I feel about the ending. But you’ll have to read the book to find out why.
I’m looking forward to the next in the series from Stevie Ray Causey.
I bought this book at a convention about a month ago and just got around to reading it. The author and storyline were both new to me and that’s exactly what I was looking for. I love the mix of worlds in this story. You have what might be considered the “real world” that we read about in our history books, but then just outside the border is the world of the mystics. Kala, a human, finds herself in the middle of a war between these two worlds when she meets and falls in love with an elf. Little did she know what her future held when she went running into the woods in an effort to defend her home. Her world is turned upside down in a whirlwind of Hope, love, tragedy, and loss. I couldn’t put this book down and all I have to say is...I want more.
This book was horrendous. I thought that the main character was great but the love between her and Azlyn happened to quickly. All of a sudden they were in love in about a chapter. Also him dying in the end was horrible and I don't think he should have. Her having a child was definitely interesting. I thought for the most part the whole book was rushed. It wasn't a bad book but it could have been written a lot better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I am definitely much older than the intended age range but coming of age and fantasy are right up my ally. This was a great prequel to a whole series of books. The settings, world amd characters are well developed. I enjoyed Kala and see much growth with her. Definitely a must read for fantasy fanatics. Now excuse me while I go indulge in even more of this world!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Kala is facing quite the predicament. When she uncovers the truth about the death of her parents, she has a decision to make… Will she choose her family, or love?
Stevie Rae Causey immediately drew me into this story. I loved the characters and how the story unfolded. I definitely need to see what comes next!
Susan Hanfield brought this story to life. I really enjoyed her performance.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.
This was my first Stevie Rae Causey's book. This is a companion to the Amasai Rising Trilogy. The characters are well developed. The world building is original and intriguing. The storyline is captivating, and fast-paced, filled with betrayal, angst, and twists and turns. Susan Hanfield did a great job with the narration. I enjoyed it. Looking forward for more in the series. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
this book was advertised to be on instagram, so i thought i'd pick it up! while the book fell flat for me, i'm glad i was able to discover a new indie author.
Spoiler alert. This was not my style. If you want a happily ever after. This is not the book for you. Plus too many sad things. Life has enough bad things happen in it, that is why I read happily ever after books.
I thought this story was amazing, and I was so engrossed in the book I read it in one sitting I could not put it down. Well written and worth the read. Can't wait for book 2 in the series..
I loved this story. Full of magical creatures, betrayel & courage. Kala's parents died while traveling on the road. She had to live with her uncle & his daughter. Since their property was on the barrier of the woods her uncle constantly quizzed them about all sorts of magical creatures & their weaknesses. One evening she was followed by an elf. She managed to escape but her curiosity was now in overdrive. Her uncle was away alot so Kala & Audrey were left alone a lot. While having lunch in their tree house they noticed the elf watching them. Kala decided to follow him into the woods. When she crossed the barrier she found herself in another realm. She ended up learning more about her mothers death than she wanted. Now she was torn. Did she follow her heart and help the elves or remain with the cruel humans?
While this book is a prequel, with the way it and the first book in the series are constructed, it can be read in any order. The book starts with cleverly disguised exposition and backstory as character backgrounds and history, setting up the world.
I listened to book one in the series prior to this, I was left curious about the backstory, history, and prior interactions between the characters. This book does a great job of filling in the gaps and answering those questions.
As I said in my review for book one in the series, this would make a great starter series for younger readers who are curious about the fantasy genre. Various races and species, their attributes, characteristics, and weaknesses are mentioned. But it doesn’t lay down the lore so thick that you’d need a wiki or to take notes to understand or keep track of it all.
I listened to the audiobook versions and they’re not overly long. Members of a younger audience could be listened to or read them in a few sittings and will be left wanting more. The mid-sized length of the stories means the book doesn’t dawdle and only feeds you the relevant information to the plot. As much as I love a good lore-rich fantasy series, sometimes it’s nice to just get in and out and not have to commit dozens of hours to read and research.
I’m sure there’s a lot of young girls out there who would enjoy a female protagonist in a fantasy series as well. Despite enjoying the genre, I don’t read it much. I often re-read the same few books and all the ones I can think of off the top of my head have male protagonists.
Overall, the audio narration is great. There is one moment where presumably one recording session ends and another began where the narrator sounds different. To me, it sounded like it could have been her chain-smoking mother narration for a couple of minutes. I wasn’t paying attention to the dialogue to see if it was supposed to be an older character because it was so distracting. Aside from that one oddity, I didn’t have any issues with the narration and she does an excellent job.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.