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Choices
Richard Orlendr died over a thousand years ago. He lived in Norway during the Germanic Iron Age and trusted in the judgement of the gods. That is not to say he did not question them when they gave him a dragon, nor did he blindly follow their orders when they told him to go to war. But, when one god told him to kill another, Richard was unable to rely on their wisdom. He had to trust in the Norns. The Norns guide fate. They shape it past, present, and future; however, it is not set in stone. A hero can change his fate. A hero can chose his destiny. The Norns can weave a new life, but what happens if the Norns are dead? Do heroes have greater freedom? Or are they locked into their destiny since there is no one left to weave?"
498 pages, Paperback
Published December 6, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 4, 2016
*I was provided a copy of this book from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange of a honest review*
The Writing:
It was okay. A bit difficult sometimes but I think that was because of the world. We read from Richard's POV but we know Aiden's thoughts too because of this connection they have. I thought this would be more of a fast read but it wasn't. I'm okay with that anyway.
The Story:
I have bad things and good things to say about this.
Starting with the bad things, at the beginning I didn't understand anything. It was really hard for me to understand the world without explanation. I didn't read the synopsis before starting reading this (I read the synopsis when I requested it but didn't remember anything) and this might not be a good choice.I recommend to read the synopsis first and then start reading this. However, I feel like through the book you start understanding a few things here and there but you won't get the full explanation until the end. I'm not sure I understand everything anyway. So, as much as I think the world was great, the concept of it, I don't think it's easy to understand.
My other problem was that the first half of the book, I didn't feel like anything big happened. For me it was a long introduction. Then, in the second half of the book you start reading more action and I think the book starts being more interesting.
Now the things I liked.
I liked the mythology in here. It's Norse mythology, something I don't usually read but that I really like. And it's other mythology which made this book different.
I liked how the relationship between Richard and Aiden was built and how it was described.
Other thing I liked but at the same time confused me was that you don't know if you should trust this or that character. And that was a good thing because you felt like Richard.
The epilogue was really good because it makes you want to read more.
Oh! And this book made me want to have a dragon!
The Characters:
•Richard: I liked him. Didn't love him but liked him. He is in this complicated situation and I believe he does what he thinks it's right.
•Aiden: My favorite character. I just loved him. He was so sweet and nice. He could act and think like an adult or a child, and even when he was like a child he said things like they were and made me realise that sometimes adults make things difficult.
For me, one of the best things in this book,was the relationship, the bond between these two characters (Richard and Aiden). They were more than best friends,more than brothers, just this amazing connection where they know that not matter what happens they will be there for each other.
•Eadric: At the beginning I wasn't sure if I liked him or not, but now I like him. He was loyal and he didn't think twice before helping.
• Æbbe: Didn't like her at all.
This is a fantasy read with magic and dragons. No romance and a bit of action.
"Every age has a hope"(...)"Every age has a temptation"(...)"Live as a hero"
The Writing:
It was okay. A bit difficult sometimes but I think that was because of the world. We read from Richard's POV but we know Aiden's thoughts too because of this connection they have. I thought this would be more of a fast read but it wasn't. I'm okay with that anyway.
The Story:
I have bad things and good things to say about this.
Starting with the bad things, at the beginning I didn't understand anything. It was really hard for me to understand the world without explanation. I didn't read the synopsis before starting reading this (I read the synopsis when I requested it but didn't remember anything) and this might not be a good choice.I recommend to read the synopsis first and then start reading this. However, I feel like through the book you start understanding a few things here and there but you won't get the full explanation until the end. I'm not sure I understand everything anyway. So, as much as I think the world was great, the concept of it, I don't think it's easy to understand.
My other problem was that the first half of the book, I didn't feel like anything big happened. For me it was a long introduction. Then, in the second half of the book you start reading more action and I think the book starts being more interesting.
Now the things I liked.
I liked the mythology in here. It's Norse mythology, something I don't usually read but that I really like. And it's other mythology which made this book different.
I liked how the relationship between Richard and Aiden was built and how it was described.
Other thing I liked but at the same time confused me was that you don't know if you should trust this or that character. And that was a good thing because you felt like Richard.
The epilogue was really good because it makes you want to read more.
Oh! And this book made me want to have a dragon!
The Characters:
•Richard: I liked him. Didn't love him but liked him. He is in this complicated situation and I believe he does what he thinks it's right.
•Aiden: My favorite character. I just loved him. He was so sweet and nice. He could act and think like an adult or a child, and even when he was like a child he said things like they were and made me realise that sometimes adults make things difficult.
For me, one of the best things in this book,was the relationship, the bond between these two characters (Richard and Aiden). They were more than best friends,more than brothers, just this amazing connection where they know that not matter what happens they will be there for each other.
•Eadric: At the beginning I wasn't sure if I liked him or not, but now I like him. He was loyal and he didn't think twice before helping.
• Æbbe: Didn't like her at all.
This is a fantasy read with magic and dragons. No romance and a bit of action.
"Every age has a hope"(...)"Every age has a temptation"(...)"Live as a hero"
August 13, 2019
This book was first reviewed on Kurt's Frontier.
Synopsis:
Richard Orlendr’s story takes place in the Norse world. He clung to the ancient ways and trusted his gods. However, he wasn’t sure why they gave him a sarcastic dragon. He did not charge blindly at their orders. The goddesses of Fate, the norns, may be no more. Does that mean he can change his fate in a world hostile to people touched by magic?
Richard, his cousin Eadric, and Aiden the dragon set off on a quest to find the truth. Richard shares an empathic bond with Aiden that allows them to communicate over distance. Creatures of legend (in addition to the dragon) are dogging their steps. What’s left of the two clans of gods, the Æsir and Vanir, are at war and vying for control of Richard and Aidan. Ultimately, Richard has to choose.
Review:
Alexander F. Patterson’s novel, Choices, is set in the realm of Midgard. When one of the last gods gifts Richard with a dragon, it means trouble. Part of the mystery is who Richard and Aidan can believe among the forces warring on their world. Mages are hunted by special hunters. (Granted, some mages haven’t been all that nice to non-magical people.) Eadric is a young mage in training. Richard is developing magic powers because of his connection to Aiden. Definitely big trouble.
It wasn’t a particularly fast read. Richard isn’t cast into the role of a typical Norse hero. This made it easy to feel for him. It was an all right read but not particularly gripping.
Synopsis:
Richard Orlendr’s story takes place in the Norse world. He clung to the ancient ways and trusted his gods. However, he wasn’t sure why they gave him a sarcastic dragon. He did not charge blindly at their orders. The goddesses of Fate, the norns, may be no more. Does that mean he can change his fate in a world hostile to people touched by magic?
Richard, his cousin Eadric, and Aiden the dragon set off on a quest to find the truth. Richard shares an empathic bond with Aiden that allows them to communicate over distance. Creatures of legend (in addition to the dragon) are dogging their steps. What’s left of the two clans of gods, the Æsir and Vanir, are at war and vying for control of Richard and Aidan. Ultimately, Richard has to choose.
Review:
Alexander F. Patterson’s novel, Choices, is set in the realm of Midgard. When one of the last gods gifts Richard with a dragon, it means trouble. Part of the mystery is who Richard and Aidan can believe among the forces warring on their world. Mages are hunted by special hunters. (Granted, some mages haven’t been all that nice to non-magical people.) Eadric is a young mage in training. Richard is developing magic powers because of his connection to Aiden. Definitely big trouble.
It wasn’t a particularly fast read. Richard isn’t cast into the role of a typical Norse hero. This made it easy to feel for him. It was an all right read but not particularly gripping.
July 29, 2016
The following book was kindly sent to me by the author, Alexander F. Patterson, who requested a review.
Choices is a fantasy novel that takes place in Northern Europe during the 5th century (or thereabouts). This is the story of Richard Orlendr and his dragon, Aiden. This is a slightly different spin on dragon lore in that Richard and Aiden can communicate telepathically. The book is written from Richard's POV and he considers it more Aiden's story than his own. I suggest that you make sure that you are in the mood for an epic fantasy before starting this book because it is very detail oriented especially in regards to the mythology of the Norns and the gods. (This is touted as alternative history as much of the world building is taken from real historical events.) This book is also very dialogue heavy especially in regards to the communication between Richard and Aiden who have a very unique/close relationship. For the most part, I enjoyed this book but I don't think I'll be continuing the series (the ending was slightly ambiguous leading me to believe that a follow-up is possible). I enjoyed the historical references but I wasn't really invested in the characters or their journey. Also, the references to magic and its casting were dubious and unrealistic (think Harry Potter and how 'realistic' the magic is to the reader). This is a 4/10 for me.
Choices is a fantasy novel that takes place in Northern Europe during the 5th century (or thereabouts). This is the story of Richard Orlendr and his dragon, Aiden. This is a slightly different spin on dragon lore in that Richard and Aiden can communicate telepathically. The book is written from Richard's POV and he considers it more Aiden's story than his own. I suggest that you make sure that you are in the mood for an epic fantasy before starting this book because it is very detail oriented especially in regards to the mythology of the Norns and the gods. (This is touted as alternative history as much of the world building is taken from real historical events.) This book is also very dialogue heavy especially in regards to the communication between Richard and Aiden who have a very unique/close relationship. For the most part, I enjoyed this book but I don't think I'll be continuing the series (the ending was slightly ambiguous leading me to believe that a follow-up is possible). I enjoyed the historical references but I wasn't really invested in the characters or their journey. Also, the references to magic and its casting were dubious and unrealistic (think Harry Potter and how 'realistic' the magic is to the reader). This is a 4/10 for me.
March 3, 2016
Choices
By Alexander F. Patterson
Richard lives during the Norway Germanic Iron age. Richard has been having strange dreams. They startle him awake on many occasions. Once he finds the egg from his dream in real life, he knows they are more than dreams. The Fox in his dream is the last of the Gods, and the egg is a dragon's egg. Richard's journey only gets more peculiar from there.
The author created a unique world. I found reading was slow a t first while I learned the terminology and absorbed the descriptions. I was soon captured by the story and went along for the ride. The characters are engaging. I should mention that I am a sucker for dragons. Therefore Aiden was my favorite character, although there were so many characters along the way. The book is left open for the next book in the series, but I did not find it to be a frustrating cliffhanger. I will definitely read the next installment of this series.
By Alexander F. Patterson
Richard lives during the Norway Germanic Iron age. Richard has been having strange dreams. They startle him awake on many occasions. Once he finds the egg from his dream in real life, he knows they are more than dreams. The Fox in his dream is the last of the Gods, and the egg is a dragon's egg. Richard's journey only gets more peculiar from there.
The author created a unique world. I found reading was slow a t first while I learned the terminology and absorbed the descriptions. I was soon captured by the story and went along for the ride. The characters are engaging. I should mention that I am a sucker for dragons. Therefore Aiden was my favorite character, although there were so many characters along the way. The book is left open for the next book in the series, but I did not find it to be a frustrating cliffhanger. I will definitely read the next installment of this series.
February 22, 2016
This is the story of Richard and his dragon and the Gods of their time. So much is going on through out this book that just keeps you reading. There were a couple of times when I was a bit confused as to who was who, but Gods can be confusing at times. :)
I think this flowed very well and kept things moving right along. There were times when there was more I wanted to know about things. However, I think that happens with a lot of good books, you just keep wanting to know more about the world and characters in it.
This was my first book by Alexander Patterson and I look forward to reading more in the future. I was given an arc for an honest review.
I think this flowed very well and kept things moving right along. There were times when there was more I wanted to know about things. However, I think that happens with a lot of good books, you just keep wanting to know more about the world and characters in it.
This was my first book by Alexander Patterson and I look forward to reading more in the future. I was given an arc for an honest review.
February 23, 2016
First of all thanks to Xpressobooktours.com for proving the copy for a review.
I feel like horrible person for not finish this book. It wasn't bad, writing was good but it was just boring. I read 100 pages, and it took me a few days to get 100 pages done because this book wasn't appealing to me. Nothing exciting was going on and those who know me know that I do not get stuck with book I am not enjoying, I give it one hundred pages try (sometimes more) , and if it doesn't work I go to the next book. Besides all I could think of was Hiccup and Toothless.
I feel like horrible person for not finish this book. It wasn't bad, writing was good but it was just boring. I read 100 pages, and it took me a few days to get 100 pages done because this book wasn't appealing to me. Nothing exciting was going on and those who know me know that I do not get stuck with book I am not enjoying, I give it one hundred pages try (sometimes more) , and if it doesn't work I go to the next book. Besides all I could think of was Hiccup and Toothless.
July 30, 2016
Pretty Good
I liked the book wasn't black and white however when there is a time skip at least on the kindle version there is not a space in between to indicate that there has in fact been a time skip and also the author skips time a lot
I liked the book wasn't black and white however when there is a time skip at least on the kindle version there is not a space in between to indicate that there has in fact been a time skip and also the author skips time a lot
July 31, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews