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Harmony #1
Harmony
A striking portal fantasy with dark magic, unexpected twists, and a journey of self-discovery – perfect for fans of SHADOW AND BONE and A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES, this first book in an action-packed new series is hard to put down!SHE TRIED TO RUN... NOW SHE MUST FIGHT.To seventeen-year-old Anne Robson, the world consists of two things - her love of horses and the threat of her abusive father. Even a move across the country isn't enough to give her peace. Then she meets Brian West - the handsome, mysterious horse trainer - and she begins to feel safe. The closer their friendship grows, the safer she feels - until the day she decides not to heed his warning.Anne finds herself in Harmony, a land where dragons are real and people perform strange magic. With Brian as her bodyguard, she begins to discover that she has a much greater destiny than she imagined. But her father is never far behind, and he harbors a dangerous secret that threatens the life of every person Anne cares about.
- GenresFantasy
355 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 20, 2016
13 people are currently reading
618 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie M. Allen
10 books362 followersAuthor of romantasy and monster romance. Waiting for a Fae to take me away to worlds unknown.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 2, 2019
I might be a little biased, but this book is very special to me 😀 This was the first novel I finished/published and I put so much of myself into the main character. And though I never intended to make it into a series, it turned out to be the most fun to explore the world further. I really hope you enjoy this first installment 😀
March 10, 2017
"Harmony" starts out in the real world, your basic YA story about a teen Harmony Ann and her brother who are fleeing an abusive parent to live with relatives in a small Kentucky farm community. Stephanie's descriptions of the area are spot-on, and living in the same area knew exactly the places she described. The fascination starts when she enters a local cave and finds herself in a different world! People aren't always who she thinks they are, and she discovers that she isn't as far from danger as she thought. Harmony, herself, is more than she considered herself. I would love to see a follow-up to this story, but then that is the mark of a good story. I will definitely read more of Stephanie's work!
August 30, 2017
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads contest.
I gifted it to a friend who enjoys romance novels and books about characters finding love. She enjoyed the book and said it was worth reading for anyone liking stories about overcoming abusive paths and ND finding love. And for people who love horses.
I gifted it to a friend who enjoys romance novels and books about characters finding love. She enjoyed the book and said it was worth reading for anyone liking stories about overcoming abusive paths and ND finding love. And for people who love horses.
September 23, 2016
Interesting portal fantasy. Harmony Anne is a high school senior who has fled her abusive father in California to live with cousins in Kentucky. She has a way with horses, which is a good fit for her relatives' horse farm. A young man she meets there introduces her to an alternate reality where she and others have various apparently magical powers. There is conflict between good and evil kings, and some difficulty learning to use her powers. There is also conflict in the romance between the two main characters.
This book is written in first person perspective, which I normally dislike; but this author managed it without paining me. It could really use a proofreading pass. I got really tired of reading about "rod iron" fences, for example. There was too much teen and (dare I say it?) feminine angst for my taste, but I'm sure that's just fine for teen readers, especially girls.
It's a pretty good first book for the author, and well set-up for sequels if the author chooses. It could also stand alone if she declines to make this the start of a series.
This book is written in first person perspective, which I normally dislike; but this author managed it without paining me. It could really use a proofreading pass. I got really tired of reading about "rod iron" fences, for example. There was too much teen and (dare I say it?) feminine angst for my taste, but I'm sure that's just fine for teen readers, especially girls.
It's a pretty good first book for the author, and well set-up for sequels if the author chooses. It could also stand alone if she declines to make this the start of a series.
April 2, 2021
Harmony Anne and her brother are starting over in Tennessee---far away from their father. Living with cousins they've never met turns out to be surprisingly easy. But living next door to Brian, who carries a sword and speaks of mysteries isn't quite. Then Harmony stumbles into another world, and finds she may have deeper ties to it than she ever imagined.
The book is generally well-written, but there were a few things that just kept bugging me about the plot.
Brian makes less sense to me the more I think about him. He seems to be enough of a part of the world of Harmony, with its knighthoods and traditional values, to make it surprising that he went far enough with his previous girlfriend to sleep with her. Especially since the implication seems to have been he did it before confirming she would fit with Harmony (the land), even though that was the one thing he wouldn't compromise on later.
At least the one MAJORLY annoying scene involving him had an actually decent explanation.
I'm also not fond of the major villain. The two kings in Harmony appear to be setting themselves up as somewhat mystical in addition to mortal (especially with the importance placed on vows), but at the same time, the vows don't actually matter. I had a moment of hilarity when the villain is upset at someone breaking a vow of loyalty---when he's been urging people to break their earlier vows to swear to him. But there's no indication these vows have any magical significance. For that, and a few other reasons, the evil king comes off as terminally incompetent, which makes it hard to see him as a credible international threat, even if he is a local one for Anne.
It was also not a great idea to have the main character and the fantasy land share a name, unless there's some deeper meaning behind it that this book never covered.
On the positive side, the depiction of trauma felt well done, and the horse behavior was also good. I liked most of the secondary characters, like her relatives and her school friend. But given my ambivalence to the main love interest and the villain, I don't see myself continuing this. I rate this book Neutral.
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
The book is generally well-written, but there were a few things that just kept bugging me about the plot.
Brian makes less sense to me the more I think about him. He seems to be enough of a part of the world of Harmony, with its knighthoods and traditional values, to make it surprising that he went far enough with his previous girlfriend to sleep with her. Especially since the implication seems to have been he did it before confirming she would fit with Harmony (the land), even though that was the one thing he wouldn't compromise on later.
At least the one MAJORLY annoying scene involving him had an actually decent explanation.
I'm also not fond of the major villain. The two kings in Harmony appear to be setting themselves up as somewhat mystical in addition to mortal (especially with the importance placed on vows), but at the same time, the vows don't actually matter. I had a moment of hilarity when the villain is upset at someone breaking a vow of loyalty---when he's been urging people to break their earlier vows to swear to him. But there's no indication these vows have any magical significance. For that, and a few other reasons, the evil king comes off as terminally incompetent, which makes it hard to see him as a credible international threat, even if he is a local one for Anne.
It was also not a great idea to have the main character and the fantasy land share a name, unless there's some deeper meaning behind it that this book never covered.
On the positive side, the depiction of trauma felt well done, and the horse behavior was also good. I liked most of the secondary characters, like her relatives and her school friend. But given my ambivalence to the main love interest and the villain, I don't see myself continuing this. I rate this book Neutral.
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
May 17, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this story. I loved the characters, and the setting felt very real to me. The fantasy world caught my attention. I liked the Christian themes, which were present if you care to look but not so obvious that you'll be hit over the head with them if you don't. The writing took me a little while to get into, but overall I highly recommend.
December 28, 2017
Love it.
This author pulls you into the story and makes you feel like you are the main character. Stephanie made me laugh the snorting kind, and cry when your heart breaks for her. I invite everyone who love to adventure to new places all while at home to immediately pick up this journey.
This author pulls you into the story and makes you feel like you are the main character. Stephanie made me laugh the snorting kind, and cry when your heart breaks for her. I invite everyone who love to adventure to new places all while at home to immediately pick up this journey.
April 15, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this story!
It has a great plot that is very well written, following the life of Harmony Anne Robson.
There are all sorts of twists and turns, some surprising and others expected, but it keeps you captivated all the way!
Would DEFINITELY recommend!
It has a great plot that is very well written, following the life of Harmony Anne Robson.
There are all sorts of twists and turns, some surprising and others expected, but it keeps you captivated all the way!
Would DEFINITELY recommend!
May 12, 2021
Harmony is a quick and enjoyable YA read. There are some times where you can tell that it’s the author’s first novel. But the main character is believable enough that you want to root for her. If you like YA fantasy, it’s certainly worth a read.
September 27, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It is easy to read and get into. I had fun every step of the way. A great start to Stephanie Allen's writing career. Thanks for the enjoyment you brought to my time reading this. I can't wait to read what else you have in store.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews