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Enchanters #1
Enchanters
The people of Damea are no strangers to magic. They have wielded it for years - woven it into their societies and everyday lives. It is a part of them, it breathes with them. But the magic is dying, and taking Damea with it. Andrea, an enchanter's apprentice, is determined to bring it back. It will take her as well as the help of a skeptical stranger from another world to find and restore the magic before the land suffocates.
590 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2017
11 people are currently reading
951 people want to read
About the author
K.F. Bradshaw
3 books26 followersK.F. Bradshaw is the author of the Enchanters Trilogy. She loves fantasy, science fiction, and writing epic stories about women who save the world.
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August 14, 2019
★★★★★ | Every pretentious man that claims that good fantasy needs to uphold patriarchy and oppress minorities for ‘historical accuracy’ or otherwise it won’t be ‘believable’ needs to be slammed with this book immediately.
This book October's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by @sapphicliterature.
Andrea - she’s a very relatable protagonist: she rambles even before fully processes the question, she is impulsive but fully devoted to reaching her goal even if it endangers her and people around her, she tries really hard and makes many mistakes along the way
Cassie - she goes from ‘what the hell take me back home’ to ‘ok I’ll help you save the world but I’m gonna complain all the way’ to ‘I love Andrea and I’m gonna kick your ass were you to hurt her even if I die in the process’; she has a great humor sense and is a main source of sarcasm in the book; a big hothead
Kye - I like how he bonded with everyone and I think that thanks to him the group had this ‘chosen family’ vibe; this poor boy suffered through a lot
Elisa - aka ‘I’ll adopt every kid I’ll encounter but pretend I don’t care about any of them and remind them of it at every occasion as well as point out how displeased I am every time they put their lives at risk’; grumpy af; vodka aunt
Diana and Jacob - they’re a nice couple but also they highlight that gender roles and dynamics in Damea are nothing like ours and they strive to treat each others as equals even when Diana is of a higher rank
Meredith - she’s the villain that wasn’t really a villain - she’s a person who in desperation made some big mistakes regarding morality; she’s really relatable as a person and is led by very human reasons which shows us that we’re always one step away of choosing a wrong path
This book October's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by @sapphicliterature.
First of all, I loved the characters!
Andrea - she’s a very relatable protagonist: she rambles even before fully processes the question, she is impulsive but fully devoted to reaching her goal even if it endangers her and people around her, she tries really hard and makes many mistakes along the way
Cassie - she goes from ‘what the hell take me back home’ to ‘ok I’ll help you save the world but I’m gonna complain all the way’ to ‘I love Andrea and I’m gonna kick your ass were you to hurt her even if I die in the process’; she has a great humor sense and is a main source of sarcasm in the book; a big hothead
Kye - I like how he bonded with everyone and I think that thanks to him the group had this ‘chosen family’ vibe; this poor boy suffered through a lot
Elisa - aka ‘I’ll adopt every kid I’ll encounter but pretend I don’t care about any of them and remind them of it at every occasion as well as point out how displeased I am every time they put their lives at risk’; grumpy af; vodka aunt
Diana and Jacob - they’re a nice couple but also they highlight that gender roles and dynamics in Damea are nothing like ours and they strive to treat each others as equals even when Diana is of a higher rank
Meredith - she’s the villain that wasn’t really a villain - she’s a person who in desperation made some big mistakes regarding morality; she’s really relatable as a person and is led by very human reasons which shows us that we’re always one step away of choosing a wrong path
Andrea and Cassie complement each other greatly: while Andrea is ambitious and has her eyes set on a goal from the young age, Cassie was thrown into an unknown world from her boring monotonous life and stresses the importance of relaxing once in a while; Andrea has problems with words and Cassie can joke freely and conjure a lie on spot; (Andrea uses magic - Cassie is a walking magic battery). This way they can help each other grow - Andrea inspires Cassie to take action for the sake of something bigger and to want more of life and Cassie teaches Andrea to use her words and have fun. The ‘opposites attract’ trope is used here to make them into a good team not to create power imbalances. Their romance works so good because the majority of the book firstly focuses on them becoming friends and giving them time to start trusting each other.
Every scene is important and nothing is dragged out - the pacing is so good I never felt like skimming!
The plot was amazing! The world of Damea felt so natural to me as if I was sucked into it along with Cassie! After a young apprentice Andrea and Cassie who’s accidentally brought into Damea set out on a quest (or are forced to do so) the various stages of their journey progress so naturally we begin to live and breathe Damea even though the book doesn’t clutter us with too much unnecessary details about the world and doesn’t provide elongated descriptions. Everything moves fast forward as we are thrown from one crisis into a small resolution into yet another crisis. In more quiet moments the book explores inner conflicts and develops emotional side of the characters and relationships between them so there’s no sentence wasted.
I love that it is primarily a genre book not a romance because it makes everything neatly fall into place.
There're still many questions left unansweared, like Cassie's past, but since it's only first part of the series I believe it's going to become relevant to the plot further on.
(I had some issues with the writing, mainly usage of epithets like ‘the enchanter’ ect. instead of names but it didn’t disturb my reading much so I’ll let it slide.)
While reading this I felt like I was thrown into an old-style fantasy but for the first time I had so many characters I could relate to!
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April 27, 2017
I love this book, like I LOVE this book. As a woman I sometimes find that this sort of medieval action-adventure annoys me because you either have no girls in it at all or one very simpering princess that needs saving, or you go the whole other direction where they're badass af which while interesting can sometimes just make them seem like men with vaginas, you know what I mean? And that's not always a bad thing, but come on where my realistic ladies at?! I'll tell you where; here! This book turns classic fantasy tropes for women on their heads completely, not only giving us several well fleshed out, intelligent female characters but a story that makes it impossible to stop reading too. If you're a fan of things like Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, anything by Robin Hobb, that sort of thing, you will enjoy this I promise. Plus it's only book one of three so once you fall in love there's even more coming AND the hardcover of this is so damn pretty. The dust cover art is beautiful but the actual cover is just all grey and mysterious so that's a bonus too. I suppose what I'm saying is that this is one of my favourite books and I think everyone should read it. Rant over lol
October 17, 2017
(I was given this book for free through the Sapphic Book Club in exchange for an honest review. Feel free to check them out on Tumblr or Twitter!)
While the prologue made me unsure whether I was going to enjoy this book, since it was a lot of info all at once that I didn't entirely understand, that was hardly an issue. The rest of the book, while still at times making it hard for me to know everything that's going on (which could very well be a personal issue), I still enjoyed it heavily.
It turned from a casual read, general enjoyment that I'd read a few chapters of right before bed, to being kept up at night reading pages after pages, unable to stop. Once the fight against the Legion started, it was a constant, almost unending barrage of plot, and I was fully invested.
I wholly enjoyed most of the characters, my favorite being Elisa. I love her attitude and knowing that deep down she cared for everyone. My other favorite would have to be Cassie. I loved how she was developed, from a confused, brash girl, to one that, while still quite brash, wanted to make a name for herself.
Another thing I enjoyed was how Cassie and Andrea's relationship developed. They went from constant arguments to steadily growing fond of each other, the moments before the Legion fight, and emotions were running high. And well after the fact they still both showed how much they cared. Just by the way they'd get angry further shows that.
Though, I had, albeit minor, issues with the writing. Not enough to take my enjoyment out of the story, however. Firstly the epithets. I couldn't help but notice how often "Ex-Legionare" or "the enchanter" was used. It's not really a major deal, but I feel just using their names could have worked better in most of those circumstances.
Overall, I just loved Enchanters. While there were minor points that I probably partly forgot that threw me off at times, it hardly took away from just really liking the book. If you're into magical/fantasy type things with royal family "drama", and the slow burn of w/w relationship through the two main characters, you'll probably enjoy this book.
October 18, 2017
An epic read with wonderful pacing, an interesting plot, and fantastic character development along with some of the best world building in a YA fantasy novel I've ever seen.
This book was provided for free as the October's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by sapphicliterature.
I went into this very excited - one because of the lovely cover and wonderful marketing (check out the website and art!) and two because the premise sounded very interesting. Most books where a stranger arrives from another world have that stranger as the main protagonist but here they are a supporting role (though a very important one!). The idea of coming into a fantasy world where magic is scarce is not something I see a lot - especially in YA and more importantly, especially in a YA fantasy book that features well written female characters and wlw. I'm glad to say I was not disappointed!
Enchanters introduces us to Andrea, the apprentice of an enchanter, who has left her home behind to train in the art of enchanting and magic. Damea is the name of the setting, and for the last two hundred years it has been running out of magic with the situation being so bad that countries have had to adopt laws to regulate the magic in order to keep society running smoothly. I loved learned about Damea and its nations as well as the people who rule them. The book, the first in a series, focused more on the journey of the main characters but I'm hoping we'll see more of the regular citizens of Damea and how they lived in the next book.
But back to Enchanters. Andrea meets Cassie, who was somehow transported from her world (we don't know where but it seems 21st century/Earth-like by her language and clothing) to Damea through an experiment gone haywire. Andrea discovers that Cassie is the key to finding the lost magic and the two of them go on an epic quest to find it - meeting a variety of characters along the way and overcoming obstacles such as a civil war and escaping Andrea's crazy mentor, Meredith.
My only criticisms about the book are purely on a technical level. This is a debut author and it's understandable that the writing style as well as the execution of some of the finer details might be a bit shaky. There are a lot of adverbs and epithets that could have been avoided but honestly, once I got into the rhythm of their writing it wasn't a big deal at all.
Now that the "bad" is out of the way (if you could even call it that), I can go back to what I liked. The pacing - the plot is very tightly woven. It's a long book - make no mistake about that. But the plot NEVER drags. There's no unnecessary subplots, no 12 pages of flowery prose, and while there are many characters as is typical for a fantasy book, they are all well defined enough that they became memorable. The world building is amazing - so many fantasy novels introduce word salad for names of locations and cultures. Not Enchanters. Every name read as though the author had taken the time to actually say the word out loud and not once did I have to wonder if they had just grabbed a letter scrambler or taken words uttered from the mouths of poor souls who had stepped on Legos.
I fell in love with the characters.
Finally, the relationship and romance of Hands down - the best relationship progression I've read in a YA fantasy book. They *weren't* friends in the beginning - they had to work for it and they *really* had to work for their romance and I loved it. I loved that it wasn't the endgame for them either - too often the "hookup" is the culmination of character subplots but not here. I look forward to seeing their romance develop even further in the next book (which I assume it will).
I recommend this book to anyone that is looking to get started in a well written, good paced fantasy series with lots of realistic female characters where the focus is on the journey and the adventure (just as a warning to those looking for a romance novel - this is NOT that).
As a final note, I love the level of dedication the author has put into this series and its world and how they interacted so casually with my new friends and I when we had questions. I can honestly say I can't wait for the next book.
This book was provided for free as the October's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by sapphicliterature.
I went into this very excited - one because of the lovely cover and wonderful marketing (check out the website and art!) and two because the premise sounded very interesting. Most books where a stranger arrives from another world have that stranger as the main protagonist but here they are a supporting role (though a very important one!). The idea of coming into a fantasy world where magic is scarce is not something I see a lot - especially in YA and more importantly, especially in a YA fantasy book that features well written female characters and wlw. I'm glad to say I was not disappointed!
Enchanters introduces us to Andrea, the apprentice of an enchanter, who has left her home behind to train in the art of enchanting and magic. Damea is the name of the setting, and for the last two hundred years it has been running out of magic with the situation being so bad that countries have had to adopt laws to regulate the magic in order to keep society running smoothly. I loved learned about Damea and its nations as well as the people who rule them. The book, the first in a series, focused more on the journey of the main characters but I'm hoping we'll see more of the regular citizens of Damea and how they lived in the next book.
But back to Enchanters. Andrea meets Cassie, who was somehow transported from her world (we don't know where but it seems 21st century/Earth-like by her language and clothing) to Damea through an experiment gone haywire. Andrea discovers that Cassie is the key to finding the lost magic and the two of them go on an epic quest to find it - meeting a variety of characters along the way and overcoming obstacles such as a civil war and escaping Andrea's crazy mentor, Meredith.
My only criticisms about the book are purely on a technical level. This is a debut author and it's understandable that the writing style as well as the execution of some of the finer details might be a bit shaky. There are a lot of adverbs and epithets that could have been avoided but honestly, once I got into the rhythm of their writing it wasn't a big deal at all.
Now that the "bad" is out of the way (if you could even call it that), I can go back to what I liked. The pacing - the plot is very tightly woven. It's a long book - make no mistake about that. But the plot NEVER drags. There's no unnecessary subplots, no 12 pages of flowery prose, and while there are many characters as is typical for a fantasy book, they are all well defined enough that they became memorable. The world building is amazing - so many fantasy novels introduce word salad for names of locations and cultures. Not Enchanters. Every name read as though the author had taken the time to actually say the word out loud and not once did I have to wonder if they had just grabbed a letter scrambler or taken words uttered from the mouths of poor souls who had stepped on Legos.
I fell in love with the characters.
Finally, the relationship and romance of Hands down - the best relationship progression I've read in a YA fantasy book. They *weren't* friends in the beginning - they had to work for it and they *really* had to work for their romance and I loved it. I loved that it wasn't the endgame for them either - too often the "hookup" is the culmination of character subplots but not here. I look forward to seeing their romance develop even further in the next book (which I assume it will).
I recommend this book to anyone that is looking to get started in a well written, good paced fantasy series with lots of realistic female characters where the focus is on the journey and the adventure (just as a warning to those looking for a romance novel - this is NOT that).
As a final note, I love the level of dedication the author has put into this series and its world and how they interacted so casually with my new friends and I when we had questions. I can honestly say I can't wait for the next book.
May 23, 2017
Enchanters, the first in the series, was an interesting read, and one that has certainly left me interested to see where the series goes from here. Although it isn’t quite a full four stars for me, it was so close that I had to round up my rating. In all honesty, I believe the reason I’m not giving it a full mental four stars is because life threw quite a few curveballs my way that meant it took me longer to read this one than I would have liked. Nevertheless, as a whole I really enjoyed this one.
Enchanters is a wonderful new magic read, adding another fantasy world that people will find themselves slipping away to whenever they get the chance. It has everything you expect from a wonderful fantasy world: conflict, power plays, war, battles, magic, evil, disaster, adventure, and all the other goodies that leave you excited to find out more about the world. I admit that it was a bit hard to keep track of everything for a while, as there was so much going on, but once the story gets moving and clicks into place you find yourself lost in the world. The many different storylines come together well, the different elements complement each other, and it quickly becomes clear that the bigger picture is a lot of fun.
Although the story line does seem like a simple one, it throws enough in that you’re never bored. There is always something happening, moving the story forward. Even in those moments where the pacing lessens somewhat, you know the events are important to the bigger picture. Everything plays a part, and you’re constantly curious to see how everything comes together. Moreover, the story has so many different elements. It’s one of those stories where the aspects of the characters’ lives – elements such as love and friendship – play a vital role to the overall story. These elements flow so well, never feeling forced, creating a great combination of the dire magical world and the more hopeful daily aspects of life.
It’s these elements that make the characters so wonderful. The cast is a lot of fun, I cannot deny that, but what I really enjoyed was how real they became due to the bonds of love and friendship. Strong characters became even stronger when these aspects were added to the story, and events seemed direr because of the undertones added in. Honestly, the cast was so much fun: I really enjoyed watching as they developed throughout the story.
The main thing I feel was missing was the deep emotional impact. Whilst I came to love the characters and could understand their emotions, the big events that should have left me reeling simply existed. I think this is because these events were a bit on the predictable side. In fantasy novels like this, there seems to be a checklist of events that need to happen. We have to face certain worries, hence why I wasn’t shocked by some of the events.
Overall, though, I had a lot of fun with this one. As I said, it’s a great start to the series and I’m interested to see what comes next.
Enchanters is a wonderful new magic read, adding another fantasy world that people will find themselves slipping away to whenever they get the chance. It has everything you expect from a wonderful fantasy world: conflict, power plays, war, battles, magic, evil, disaster, adventure, and all the other goodies that leave you excited to find out more about the world. I admit that it was a bit hard to keep track of everything for a while, as there was so much going on, but once the story gets moving and clicks into place you find yourself lost in the world. The many different storylines come together well, the different elements complement each other, and it quickly becomes clear that the bigger picture is a lot of fun.
Although the story line does seem like a simple one, it throws enough in that you’re never bored. There is always something happening, moving the story forward. Even in those moments where the pacing lessens somewhat, you know the events are important to the bigger picture. Everything plays a part, and you’re constantly curious to see how everything comes together. Moreover, the story has so many different elements. It’s one of those stories where the aspects of the characters’ lives – elements such as love and friendship – play a vital role to the overall story. These elements flow so well, never feeling forced, creating a great combination of the dire magical world and the more hopeful daily aspects of life.
It’s these elements that make the characters so wonderful. The cast is a lot of fun, I cannot deny that, but what I really enjoyed was how real they became due to the bonds of love and friendship. Strong characters became even stronger when these aspects were added to the story, and events seemed direr because of the undertones added in. Honestly, the cast was so much fun: I really enjoyed watching as they developed throughout the story.
The main thing I feel was missing was the deep emotional impact. Whilst I came to love the characters and could understand their emotions, the big events that should have left me reeling simply existed. I think this is because these events were a bit on the predictable side. In fantasy novels like this, there seems to be a checklist of events that need to happen. We have to face certain worries, hence why I wasn’t shocked by some of the events.
Overall, though, I had a lot of fun with this one. As I said, it’s a great start to the series and I’m interested to see what comes next.
April 6, 2018
This book was provided for free as the October's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by sapphicliterature
I enjoyed the book and although I did have some issues with it, I am definitely looking forward to reading the next books in the series.
The setting is a typical medieval fantasy world with magic and monarchy and the characters starting on a quest that leads them right in the middle of a civil war.
The ongoing descriptions of their journey became a bit dull in a few places, but the set of characters made up for it.
The characters were all very different from each other, very unique and relatable, with their own morals and goals and sense of responsibility, which I liked very much. We get some backround for most of them and spend some time reading about them and how their pasts made them who they are. The character descriptions and the relationships between them get build up very realistically, but the slow paste might not be the best if you read the book as a stand-alone rather than an introduction to a series. At the same time this opens up the possibility to speculate where some of their relationships (not only romantically) could lead in the next book and how much of their past will affect them in the future.
Great was bringing in a character not accustomed to this medieval setting and in addition, with a power inside of her unknown to the habitants to Damea. The way Cassie and Andrea slowly grow together and Cassie using her ability together with Andrea even tho it hurts her is beautiful. I just would have liked for them to talk more about the issues at hand. While I love the idea of Cassie being in the middle of the fantasy story as sort of a 'modern world' character, we don't get much insight in Cassies worries and fears while being in this surreal magical world and we don't hear what her own world is like in contrast to Damea.
I enjoyed the book and although I did have some issues with it, I am definitely looking forward to reading the next books in the series.
The setting is a typical medieval fantasy world with magic and monarchy and the characters starting on a quest that leads them right in the middle of a civil war.
The ongoing descriptions of their journey became a bit dull in a few places, but the set of characters made up for it.
The characters were all very different from each other, very unique and relatable, with their own morals and goals and sense of responsibility, which I liked very much. We get some backround for most of them and spend some time reading about them and how their pasts made them who they are. The character descriptions and the relationships between them get build up very realistically, but the slow paste might not be the best if you read the book as a stand-alone rather than an introduction to a series. At the same time this opens up the possibility to speculate where some of their relationships (not only romantically) could lead in the next book and how much of their past will affect them in the future.
Great was bringing in a character not accustomed to this medieval setting and in addition, with a power inside of her unknown to the habitants to Damea. The way Cassie and Andrea slowly grow together and Cassie using her ability together with Andrea even tho it hurts her is beautiful. I just would have liked for them to talk more about the issues at hand. While I love the idea of Cassie being in the middle of the fantasy story as sort of a 'modern world' character, we don't get much insight in Cassies worries and fears while being in this surreal magical world and we don't hear what her own world is like in contrast to Damea.
November 1, 2017
Enchanters is a book about an ensemble cast trying to save a fantasy world from diminishing magic. If that sounds cool, I'm afraid that the execution of this story left much to be desired.
I had two very large problem with this book, and unfortunately, these problem plague the book right down to its fundamental premise from the outset.
The first issue lies in this book's worldbuilding. We're told from the outset that magic is extremely important to this world. It's how various machines work correctly, runs power, important for the military. All of this sounds good, but that's the issue. It sounds good. All of these things are told to the reader in a massive amount of exposition by the main character for the most part. But it all lacks any real substance or impact because the author doesn't show these issues to the reader. We're told that the lack of magic has caused a ton of problems, like a devastation to the economy, or personally effecting the main character's family's farm, and yet we meet no destitute characters, and the MC's family's farm is also apparently doing just fine. It becomes clear that it would only be doing better with magic, as opposed to actually struggling. This is disappointing because it creates no emotional attachment to this world. The reader is left wondering just why we need to care if this issue become fixed so urgently if everyone seems to be doing relatively fine.
I feel like this issue could have been fixed by having characters who are actually impacted by the lack of magic. Kye comes very close to being this character with his lack of control with his magic, and need for clear instruction, but the author misses the mark with him in both characterization and utilizing his backstory. Kye doesn't get nearly as much attention in this story as he needs and the book is left wanting for it.
The second fundamental problem I have with this book is character development. None of the characters in this book are developed to the point they need to be. The main character, Andrea, is largely characterized as being a nosey bore, and it leaves a lot to be desired in a hero. The love interest is characterized as a jerk for large swaths of the book. I feel as though the author was attempting to go for a more antagonistic relationship between her leading characters, but this largely fell flat for over three-fourths of the book and doesn't become better until the last 100 pages or so, and by that point I was so soured by Cassie's behavior previously that I wasn't able to really get into their relationship. For Andrea's part, she doesn't particularly do much to antagonize Cassie besides showing concern and a bit of mothering, but for someone who is brand new to their experiences like Cassie, she just brushes off Andrea's concern as if she was personally insulted. This gets very old, very fast, especially as Cassie makes boneheaded decisions seemingly just to spite Andrea.
And these are just the leading characters. The other characters are also underdeveloped, but none of them are so glaringly obvious as the main villains. There are two, one for the first half, and one for the back half, and a minor one who follows them throughout the whole book. Funnily enough, it is the minor villain who ends up being the most developed character in this entire book. Which is what disappoints me most. The author clearly knows how to write character development, she knows how to give these characters believable backstories that will draw the reader in. At no point did I think what Meredith was doing wasn't making any sense. She had clear goals and motivations throughout.
This does not bode true for the other villains. The first villain is nothing more than a Saturday morning cartoon. He makes villainous speeches to a crowd, is completely set on his simplistic, greedy plan, and won't budge because he's simply supposed to be the bad guy. What gets me the most about his involvement was that this was supposed to be a civil war between two factions for the fate of a country. I feel as though this whole plot line was largely undercooked by the author. It's built up as this horrible, important part of history for this world over the last 20 years, everyone talks about it, the main character goes on about it, but once it comes time to handle this plot point, it's over in the course of about three chapters. There was endless buildup, but no emotional payoff.
Which leads right into the second villain. The other half of this book handles an invading force into our previously war torn country. The villain of this empire wants to take over our little country by force to gain their magic reserves. Something that would make a lot of sense, and wouldn't be something I would have blamed them for considering this 'magic crisis.' However this second villain is introduced in a single conversation all the way in one of the beginning chapters of this book, is only referred to by other characters for the rest, until they finally appear in person at the climax. There is no developing this character properly in a formula like that. I knew nothing about him previous to this, and all of the character development, all of it, is given in a single conversation between the villain and one of the ensemble characters. It was extremely disappointing. They traded barbs and accusations with each other about events that clearly happened before this book even starts, and instead of feeling like I'm finding out something game changing about both of these characters, I feel like was left out and eavesdropping on a private conversation.
I feel like this book suffers from very little editing. This is clear because of all the epithets the author uses as well. "The enchanter." "The Legionnaire." "The boy." And so on and so forth. These are very basic mistakes to be doing in writing, and should be one of the first things spotted by an editor. But it wasn't, and I don't bring this up to harangue the author, instead I bring this up to point out that I believe the author's editor failed them completely. Because not only did this author receive no help in basic writing descriptions, all of the world building and character development issues I've laid out becomes ever evolving problems with the author can't get even basic support from their publisher. This book should have been rewritten at least once, if not twice, in order to get these ideas and character matured far more than they ended up being.
I had two very large problem with this book, and unfortunately, these problem plague the book right down to its fundamental premise from the outset.
The first issue lies in this book's worldbuilding. We're told from the outset that magic is extremely important to this world. It's how various machines work correctly, runs power, important for the military. All of this sounds good, but that's the issue. It sounds good. All of these things are told to the reader in a massive amount of exposition by the main character for the most part. But it all lacks any real substance or impact because the author doesn't show these issues to the reader. We're told that the lack of magic has caused a ton of problems, like a devastation to the economy, or personally effecting the main character's family's farm, and yet we meet no destitute characters, and the MC's family's farm is also apparently doing just fine. It becomes clear that it would only be doing better with magic, as opposed to actually struggling. This is disappointing because it creates no emotional attachment to this world. The reader is left wondering just why we need to care if this issue become fixed so urgently if everyone seems to be doing relatively fine.
I feel like this issue could have been fixed by having characters who are actually impacted by the lack of magic. Kye comes very close to being this character with his lack of control with his magic, and need for clear instruction, but the author misses the mark with him in both characterization and utilizing his backstory. Kye doesn't get nearly as much attention in this story as he needs and the book is left wanting for it.
The second fundamental problem I have with this book is character development. None of the characters in this book are developed to the point they need to be. The main character, Andrea, is largely characterized as being a nosey bore, and it leaves a lot to be desired in a hero. The love interest is characterized as a jerk for large swaths of the book. I feel as though the author was attempting to go for a more antagonistic relationship between her leading characters, but this largely fell flat for over three-fourths of the book and doesn't become better until the last 100 pages or so, and by that point I was so soured by Cassie's behavior previously that I wasn't able to really get into their relationship. For Andrea's part, she doesn't particularly do much to antagonize Cassie besides showing concern and a bit of mothering, but for someone who is brand new to their experiences like Cassie, she just brushes off Andrea's concern as if she was personally insulted. This gets very old, very fast, especially as Cassie makes boneheaded decisions seemingly just to spite Andrea.
And these are just the leading characters. The other characters are also underdeveloped, but none of them are so glaringly obvious as the main villains. There are two, one for the first half, and one for the back half, and a minor one who follows them throughout the whole book. Funnily enough, it is the minor villain who ends up being the most developed character in this entire book. Which is what disappoints me most. The author clearly knows how to write character development, she knows how to give these characters believable backstories that will draw the reader in. At no point did I think what Meredith was doing wasn't making any sense. She had clear goals and motivations throughout.
This does not bode true for the other villains. The first villain is nothing more than a Saturday morning cartoon. He makes villainous speeches to a crowd, is completely set on his simplistic, greedy plan, and won't budge because he's simply supposed to be the bad guy. What gets me the most about his involvement was that this was supposed to be a civil war between two factions for the fate of a country. I feel as though this whole plot line was largely undercooked by the author. It's built up as this horrible, important part of history for this world over the last 20 years, everyone talks about it, the main character goes on about it, but once it comes time to handle this plot point, it's over in the course of about three chapters. There was endless buildup, but no emotional payoff.
Which leads right into the second villain. The other half of this book handles an invading force into our previously war torn country. The villain of this empire wants to take over our little country by force to gain their magic reserves. Something that would make a lot of sense, and wouldn't be something I would have blamed them for considering this 'magic crisis.' However this second villain is introduced in a single conversation all the way in one of the beginning chapters of this book, is only referred to by other characters for the rest, until they finally appear in person at the climax. There is no developing this character properly in a formula like that. I knew nothing about him previous to this, and all of the character development, all of it, is given in a single conversation between the villain and one of the ensemble characters. It was extremely disappointing. They traded barbs and accusations with each other about events that clearly happened before this book even starts, and instead of feeling like I'm finding out something game changing about both of these characters, I feel like was left out and eavesdropping on a private conversation.
I feel like this book suffers from very little editing. This is clear because of all the epithets the author uses as well. "The enchanter." "The Legionnaire." "The boy." And so on and so forth. These are very basic mistakes to be doing in writing, and should be one of the first things spotted by an editor. But it wasn't, and I don't bring this up to harangue the author, instead I bring this up to point out that I believe the author's editor failed them completely. Because not only did this author receive no help in basic writing descriptions, all of the world building and character development issues I've laid out becomes ever evolving problems with the author can't get even basic support from their publisher. This book should have been rewritten at least once, if not twice, in order to get these ideas and character matured far more than they ended up being.
October 24, 2017
This book was October’s Sapphic Book Club read hosted by @sapphicbookclub.
1.5 out of 5 because it had potential and is definitely not actively heinous like some of my one star rating standards, but, to quote GoodReads: I did not like it. As it stands, I found the plot lacking in good pacing and with an unnecessary plot twist, the writing itself to be overly simplistic and lackluster, and the main sapphic romance to be not compelling.
I had trouble with the writing style specifically from the beginning. The author seemed to be opposed to adding flavor text and often stuck to either telling rather than showing, or doing neither. For example: The book begins with our main character leaving her family behind after what is supposed to be an intense internal and external conflict, but we don’t get to experience any of the emotions of the moment or even the lead-up to the moment, leaving it feeling abrupt, somewhat confusing in terms of why she even did it, and not feeling particularly meaningful. Overall, we experienced almost none of the character’s emotions (making them feel flat, which I feel like is a key thing to get right in a book with multiple POVs), and we found out very little about what the world the book took place in actually looked like.
The plot suffers similarly for this type of writing, as subplots pop up out of nowhere (or what feels like out of nowhere specifically because we don’t feel the motivations riding up to them) and events occur without the story having adequately conveyed the emotional weight or justification behind them. It felt a little bit like reading an annotated script to a play rather than a novel! Lots of fun action but very little of anything else.
The main sapphic romance especially suffered for this - there was no falling in love, it seemed like, just a very sudden ‘rivals to lovers’ type of plot that left me wondering why the characters were sufficiently motivated to actually act like typical lovebirds.
I did not hate this book, but I did not enjoy reading it.
1.5 out of 5 because it had potential and is definitely not actively heinous like some of my one star rating standards, but, to quote GoodReads: I did not like it. As it stands, I found the plot lacking in good pacing and with an unnecessary plot twist, the writing itself to be overly simplistic and lackluster, and the main sapphic romance to be not compelling.
I had trouble with the writing style specifically from the beginning. The author seemed to be opposed to adding flavor text and often stuck to either telling rather than showing, or doing neither. For example: The book begins with our main character leaving her family behind after what is supposed to be an intense internal and external conflict, but we don’t get to experience any of the emotions of the moment or even the lead-up to the moment, leaving it feeling abrupt, somewhat confusing in terms of why she even did it, and not feeling particularly meaningful. Overall, we experienced almost none of the character’s emotions (making them feel flat, which I feel like is a key thing to get right in a book with multiple POVs), and we found out very little about what the world the book took place in actually looked like.
The plot suffers similarly for this type of writing, as subplots pop up out of nowhere (or what feels like out of nowhere specifically because we don’t feel the motivations riding up to them) and events occur without the story having adequately conveyed the emotional weight or justification behind them. It felt a little bit like reading an annotated script to a play rather than a novel! Lots of fun action but very little of anything else.
The main sapphic romance especially suffered for this - there was no falling in love, it seemed like, just a very sudden ‘rivals to lovers’ type of plot that left me wondering why the characters were sufficiently motivated to actually act like typical lovebirds.
I did not hate this book, but I did not enjoy reading it.
September 10, 2019
this book was sapphic book club's october read - hosted by @sapphicliterature
i loved this so much <3 even though it is a long book, it read so smoothly! it was never boring or going too fast, and the plot gave just the perfect amount of information so it was never too much or too little??
also i think the autor made a good job building this whole world in only one book! and the characters as well! i loved how none of them were totally perfect, you know? it made them and their relationships more realistic.
by the way, ANDREA AND CASSIE STOLED MY HEART AND I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. i havent read a lot of sapphic books, and none of the pairings have been memorable but andrea and cassie! i think the romance was very natural and i loved every second of it! i cant wait to read more about their romance ;_;
2017 hasnt been a good year for reading to me, but enchanters is a book i will remember for a very long time.
May 17, 2021
Well, 2.5 stars. I'm not sure why but I just couldn't bring myself to care much...
I'll probably reread after some time to figure out if it's caused by my current mood or by the book itself.
I'll probably reread after some time to figure out if it's caused by my current mood or by the book itself.
May 30, 2017
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for review*
This review is long, LONG overdue, but that is due to my personal life, not because I didn't enjoy the book. On the contrary, when I received this book I just knew that it would be right up my alley. High fantasy with a f/f romance? Sign. Me. Up.
I'll start with the premise. Enchanters takes place in Damea, a land where magic was once commonplace but where it is now scarce, which has negatively affected many of Damea's societies. Andrea, an inexperienced enchanter's apprentice from a small town, dreams of bringing back the magic to her people. When she meets a mysterious stranger who claims to have been pulled to Damea from a distant land and seems to have the key to finding the lost magic, the pair start an epic journey together that leads to encounters with both allies and antagonists and through a variety of dangerous landscapes on a search for a way to restore magic to Damea.
There are a lot of things that Enchanters does right. At first I was worried about the story being told in the third person omniscient, because in some books it is jarring to have points of view shifting within chapters with no warning. However, in this novel it worked very well, letting the reader get to know numerous complex characters in an intimate way. The sheer number of characters that make up the cast of this story is impressive, and they are all multi-faceted with intricate backstories and distinct voices. The promised romance was a slow-burn and really sweet, and I also really really enjoyed the antagonist (who pursues the protagonists throughout the novel, making for a tense read). I won't give away any spoilers, but this person is definitely morally grey, both sympathetic and despicable at the same time. Her motivations are understandable, even while she hurts and terrifies the main characters, which always makes for a more interesting villain.
By far my favorite part of the novel, however, was the world building. Damea is a vast and complex land with smaller kingdoms within it. Their conflicts, the landscape itself, and the role of magic in the world were all beautifully and carefully crafted by the author, from city streets to snowy uninhabited mountains. The reader gets to explore Damea as the protagonists do, and I was very impressed with the amount of consideration that was given to the details of the world and how it works. I hope in future books there is even more information about the history of Damea and the way magic helps the various societies flourish.
Yes, the writing is perhaps not as sophisticated as some of the books I'm used to reading, and some of the dialogue was a bit awkward at times, but this is a debut author and A LOT happened over the course of six hundred pages. It was impressive how much world building and plot was able to fit in a relatively average fantasy novel, and the epicness of the adventure meant that an incredible writing style and stunning dialogue weren't really necessary. Though I believe the book is supposed to be YA, I think that many younger children would also love the fantastical and magical nature of the book and would still be able to relate to the older characters.
I really enjoyed this classic high fantasy read. It definitely reminded me of some of the magical series I used to love as a child and I'm really glad I got an opportunity to read and review a debut fantasy author. The book is the first in a series, and I am definitely intrigued to see what happens with the characters and especially the epic world in future installments.
This review is long, LONG overdue, but that is due to my personal life, not because I didn't enjoy the book. On the contrary, when I received this book I just knew that it would be right up my alley. High fantasy with a f/f romance? Sign. Me. Up.
I'll start with the premise. Enchanters takes place in Damea, a land where magic was once commonplace but where it is now scarce, which has negatively affected many of Damea's societies. Andrea, an inexperienced enchanter's apprentice from a small town, dreams of bringing back the magic to her people. When she meets a mysterious stranger who claims to have been pulled to Damea from a distant land and seems to have the key to finding the lost magic, the pair start an epic journey together that leads to encounters with both allies and antagonists and through a variety of dangerous landscapes on a search for a way to restore magic to Damea.
There are a lot of things that Enchanters does right. At first I was worried about the story being told in the third person omniscient, because in some books it is jarring to have points of view shifting within chapters with no warning. However, in this novel it worked very well, letting the reader get to know numerous complex characters in an intimate way. The sheer number of characters that make up the cast of this story is impressive, and they are all multi-faceted with intricate backstories and distinct voices. The promised romance was a slow-burn and really sweet, and I also really really enjoyed the antagonist (who pursues the protagonists throughout the novel, making for a tense read). I won't give away any spoilers, but this person is definitely morally grey, both sympathetic and despicable at the same time. Her motivations are understandable, even while she hurts and terrifies the main characters, which always makes for a more interesting villain.
By far my favorite part of the novel, however, was the world building. Damea is a vast and complex land with smaller kingdoms within it. Their conflicts, the landscape itself, and the role of magic in the world were all beautifully and carefully crafted by the author, from city streets to snowy uninhabited mountains. The reader gets to explore Damea as the protagonists do, and I was very impressed with the amount of consideration that was given to the details of the world and how it works. I hope in future books there is even more information about the history of Damea and the way magic helps the various societies flourish.
Yes, the writing is perhaps not as sophisticated as some of the books I'm used to reading, and some of the dialogue was a bit awkward at times, but this is a debut author and A LOT happened over the course of six hundred pages. It was impressive how much world building and plot was able to fit in a relatively average fantasy novel, and the epicness of the adventure meant that an incredible writing style and stunning dialogue weren't really necessary. Though I believe the book is supposed to be YA, I think that many younger children would also love the fantastical and magical nature of the book and would still be able to relate to the older characters.
I really enjoyed this classic high fantasy read. It definitely reminded me of some of the magical series I used to love as a child and I'm really glad I got an opportunity to read and review a debut fantasy author. The book is the first in a series, and I am definitely intrigued to see what happens with the characters and especially the epic world in future installments.
October 23, 2017
This book was October's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by @sapphicbookclub
This book had a lot of potential as a light fantasy novel, I need to make that clear before I go further. In the first few chapters Enchanters promises to be a lighter version of Uprooted by Naomi Novik but then the plot took a swerve and never came back on the road.
*SPOILERS* Cassie did not need to be from "our" world at all, she could have easily been a pampered daughter from some random village and literally nothing would have changed. When I first got to this point in the story I hoped the author had some set up in mind, or would hit to it being something more. But sadly, Cassie was just plucked into another world and had the unfortunate luck of being a magic amplifier.
If that was just it, I could have given this book 2.5 stars and be done with it. But the plot could have gone through one more edit in my opinion. The political plot came out of nowhere with all these other side plots that were sadly more developed than the main plot. And yes there is a sapphic pairing in here but Cassie and Andrea fight 80% of the time, kiss out of the blue and boom! Let the resting head-on-shoulder inserts begin. At no time did these two of a pinch of chemistry equal to Diana and Jacob (the pairing of the political sub-plot) and I was just frustrated.
I get what the author was going for and I see a pretty good novel under my complaints. If you're really into fantasy like myself maybe this won't bother you as much. But for those of you who have read and loved books like Uprooted and other high fantasy novels I suggest you give this book a pass.
This book had a lot of potential as a light fantasy novel, I need to make that clear before I go further. In the first few chapters Enchanters promises to be a lighter version of Uprooted by Naomi Novik but then the plot took a swerve and never came back on the road.
*SPOILERS* Cassie did not need to be from "our" world at all, she could have easily been a pampered daughter from some random village and literally nothing would have changed. When I first got to this point in the story I hoped the author had some set up in mind, or would hit to it being something more. But sadly, Cassie was just plucked into another world and had the unfortunate luck of being a magic amplifier.
If that was just it, I could have given this book 2.5 stars and be done with it. But the plot could have gone through one more edit in my opinion. The political plot came out of nowhere with all these other side plots that were sadly more developed than the main plot. And yes there is a sapphic pairing in here but Cassie and Andrea fight 80% of the time, kiss out of the blue and boom! Let the resting head-on-shoulder inserts begin. At no time did these two of a pinch of chemistry equal to Diana and Jacob (the pairing of the political sub-plot) and I was just frustrated.
I get what the author was going for and I see a pretty good novel under my complaints. If you're really into fantasy like myself maybe this won't bother you as much. But for those of you who have read and loved books like Uprooted and other high fantasy novels I suggest you give this book a pass.
August 30, 2017
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I was gifted a copy by a friend because it was a YA fantasy and it was gay, and I didn't go in with many expectations. I came out however with a new favorite couple and a craving for more of this beautiful world.
I'm always looking for books where being gay isn't the main focus of the plot. I want badass characters and cool story where the main protagonist just happens to be gay, because everyone wants to feel like what they are is normal in our day to day life, and that includes representation in our media. Enchanters was one of those fantastic books where I could see two girl fall in love in between trying to fix an energy crisis and not dieing in a civil war.
The story follows Andrea as she sets off on her journey to become an enchanter and figure out why magic is dieing in Damea. With a surprisingly blunt writing style, Bradshaw brings together a story that is filled with intriguing characters and interlocking plots. The world is beautifully built and I was sucked in to the point where I stayed up much later than intended multiple times because something exciting had happened and I couldn't put the book down. The cast is filled with interesting characters you want to learn more about, the best part being that they're all stunningly believable and human, with flaws and quirks that just make them all the more relatable. The story as a whole brings together fantasy, drama, and intrigue in a ways that makes you want to dig deep into the guts of this world and find out its hidden secrets, good or bad.
I loved this book, and cannot wait for the second book.
I'm always looking for books where being gay isn't the main focus of the plot. I want badass characters and cool story where the main protagonist just happens to be gay, because everyone wants to feel like what they are is normal in our day to day life, and that includes representation in our media. Enchanters was one of those fantastic books where I could see two girl fall in love in between trying to fix an energy crisis and not dieing in a civil war.
The story follows Andrea as she sets off on her journey to become an enchanter and figure out why magic is dieing in Damea. With a surprisingly blunt writing style, Bradshaw brings together a story that is filled with intriguing characters and interlocking plots. The world is beautifully built and I was sucked in to the point where I stayed up much later than intended multiple times because something exciting had happened and I couldn't put the book down. The cast is filled with interesting characters you want to learn more about, the best part being that they're all stunningly believable and human, with flaws and quirks that just make them all the more relatable. The story as a whole brings together fantasy, drama, and intrigue in a ways that makes you want to dig deep into the guts of this world and find out its hidden secrets, good or bad.
I loved this book, and cannot wait for the second book.
March 25, 2017
*I was given a free e-book in exchange for an honest review*
I started this book feeling very excited, because i read the synopsis and the concept sounded very interesting. And over all, i wasn’t dissapointed.
The first few chapters were a little confusing, because there was a lot of world building and introducing of all the characters. But once you get past those first chapters, the book really sucks you in.
There was a lot of action and i never felt like the book was starting to get slow. On the contrary, there’s always something going on and even the dialogue was never slow.
Friendship and love are also a big part of the story. There were couples being formed and a big plus for me was that there wasn’t insta-love where the main character falls in love with someone immediately. Also, there is f/f love and i think it was delivered beautiful.
The end was really satisfying, maybe a little predictable? I mean, it was the ending that i expected and there wasn’t a plot twist that blew me off my feet. Maybe that’s why i didn’t give it 5 stars, because i really liked the book.
I started this book feeling very excited, because i read the synopsis and the concept sounded very interesting. And over all, i wasn’t dissapointed.
The first few chapters were a little confusing, because there was a lot of world building and introducing of all the characters. But once you get past those first chapters, the book really sucks you in.
There was a lot of action and i never felt like the book was starting to get slow. On the contrary, there’s always something going on and even the dialogue was never slow.
Friendship and love are also a big part of the story. There were couples being formed and a big plus for me was that there wasn’t insta-love where the main character falls in love with someone immediately. Also, there is f/f love and i think it was delivered beautiful.
The end was really satisfying, maybe a little predictable? I mean, it was the ending that i expected and there wasn’t a plot twist that blew me off my feet. Maybe that’s why i didn’t give it 5 stars, because i really liked the book.
November 1, 2017
There are a lot of things that I liked about this book on a conceptual level. Some of the characters and dynamics were theoretically interesting to me, but in my opinion the execution did not live up to its potential. I think it is evident that this book is a first novel by a new author who has a lot of good ideas, but needs some serious work to hone their craft. I think plenty of people can enjoy this book if they’re looking for a fast paced but light fantasy read and are not very critical readers.
Of course my favorite part of this novel is that it features a f/f romance for the main character. The romance was not the focus of the story, but developed fairly naturally throughout an adventure-laden plot. The main character was allowed to be complex and flawed, although several of the other members of the ensemble suffered from repetitive and flat characterization (which didn't necessarily make them unlikeable, just less compelling than they could be). The story moved along at a brisk pace with lots of action and alternating POVs, which helped this long book feel like a quick read. The book ends with setting up a number of interesting plot threads to be explored in the sequel, and I am interested to see how things develop.
While I was interested in some characters and developments throughout the novel, I never truly felt drawn into the story. I feel that I would have gotten just as much out of reading a thorough outline of the book. In a way, that is what the book I read feels like to me (despite its length) - the bones of a story with potential that needs a lot of fleshing out and pruning to become an engaging finished product. By the time I reached the climax I was honestly skimming - I wanted to absorb the information of the major developments, but I did not feel that I was missing anything by not slowing down to take in the description. There were no parts of the book that really hit me on a deep emotional level or captured my imagination in exciting new ways. The descriptive elements of the narrative felt very flat to me. I am not someone who blanket condemns the use of adverbs, but in this case I think they were indicative of a deeper problem of lazy writing, with the author telling more than showing much of the time.
The word “worriedly” was used not once, not twice, but sixteen times.
Lots of other reviews mention the overuse of epithets, and this is no joke. It sometimes feels like titles such as “the enchanter” and “the ex-legionnaire” are used as often as the character’s names. Which was not only grating, but felt very nonsensical on various levels, such as in scenes where there were more than one enchanter present. I kept waiting for the shoe to drop and find out something significant about this world along the lines of how people were innately defined by specific traits like this, but by the end of the book, I had to accept that there was no such justification.
I will probably read the next book in the series. I hope that the level of writing and characterization improves as the author gains more experience and learns from the pitfalls of this first novel. I think there is real potential for an engaging series here, and I hope to see that potential lived up to more than it did in this first book.
Of course my favorite part of this novel is that it features a f/f romance for the main character. The romance was not the focus of the story, but developed fairly naturally throughout an adventure-laden plot. The main character was allowed to be complex and flawed, although several of the other members of the ensemble suffered from repetitive and flat characterization (which didn't necessarily make them unlikeable, just less compelling than they could be). The story moved along at a brisk pace with lots of action and alternating POVs, which helped this long book feel like a quick read. The book ends with setting up a number of interesting plot threads to be explored in the sequel, and I am interested to see how things develop.
While I was interested in some characters and developments throughout the novel, I never truly felt drawn into the story. I feel that I would have gotten just as much out of reading a thorough outline of the book. In a way, that is what the book I read feels like to me (despite its length) - the bones of a story with potential that needs a lot of fleshing out and pruning to become an engaging finished product. By the time I reached the climax I was honestly skimming - I wanted to absorb the information of the major developments, but I did not feel that I was missing anything by not slowing down to take in the description. There were no parts of the book that really hit me on a deep emotional level or captured my imagination in exciting new ways. The descriptive elements of the narrative felt very flat to me. I am not someone who blanket condemns the use of adverbs, but in this case I think they were indicative of a deeper problem of lazy writing, with the author telling more than showing much of the time.
The word “worriedly” was used not once, not twice, but sixteen times.
Lots of other reviews mention the overuse of epithets, and this is no joke. It sometimes feels like titles such as “the enchanter” and “the ex-legionnaire” are used as often as the character’s names. Which was not only grating, but felt very nonsensical on various levels, such as in scenes where there were more than one enchanter present. I kept waiting for the shoe to drop and find out something significant about this world along the lines of how people were innately defined by specific traits like this, but by the end of the book, I had to accept that there was no such justification.
I will probably read the next book in the series. I hope that the level of writing and characterization improves as the author gains more experience and learns from the pitfalls of this first novel. I think there is real potential for an engaging series here, and I hope to see that potential lived up to more than it did in this first book.
Read
November 3, 2020I reread this book earlier this year so I could finally read the sequel Conduit and it was just as enjoyable as the first time! The mystery surrounding magic and where it's gone/going is really intriguing and the book has sort of a quest feel to it. I particularly love the dynamic between Andrea and Cassie but the supporting cast is good as well. Overall I'd definitely recommend to anyone who likes fantasy!
October 24, 2017
I loved this book! I will admit that it's a bit of a slow start, but after I got a few chapters in it completely sucked me in. The struggle of the characters is so realistic, and I loved that there were so many twists and turns! Highly recommended!!
October 29, 2017
This book was October's Sapphic Book Club read hosted by @sapphicliterature.
Okay, to be blunt, I hated it.
I wanted to like it. I really did. But I couldn't make myself read it - every time I tried it got worse.
There are literally basic grammar mistakes in here. Words that are clearly typos or autocorrect (whether actual autocorrect or the brain type of autocorrect where you type his instead of hers I don't know). Later on, the characters don't make sense. Everything is rushed. Nobody gets fleshed out.
This is so clearly a first or second draft that somehow got published. It needs an editor. It needs focus. It needs proofreaders. I don't think it got any of it.
I didn't finish it, and I don't regret not finishing it.
October 26, 2017
The @sapphicbookclub’s October read! We got the book for free to read&discuss. In addition, here’s my review of Enchanters:
Well, I am delighted!
When I pick up high fantasy, I do so with a level of healthy skepticism; it’s a genre I’ve had quite enough of, especially in the form which seems most celebrated – a creative repeat of LoTR.
This was nothing of the sort!
The storytelling voice was engaging, it was light but not so much that it’d lose your attention. Surprises awaited at every corner, while the world building was woven in between the adventures masterfully. The final battle and the main quest were described in just the right dynamic way to speed up your heartbeat.
If I have one criticism of the voice, it’ll be that once or twice it was hard to get scared for the characters when it was obvious some level of worry should exist. A change of POV or the right type of reaction from the characters would have fixed that.
It didn’t however affect the overall enjoyment – just made me pause at those two scenes for a moment.
The characters were introduced one at a time, which really helped in terms of connecting with them. I ended up caring about each and every one of them: caring that they found what they were looking for on this quest. Interestingly, they were all strangers, but by the end there was a healthy dose of camaraderie which felt genuine and sweet.
Having so many women characters on the page was so rewarding! There was a rich collection of personalities, as well as a fantastic diversity in dynamics.
What I could offer as criticism, is the character descriptions. They were vague to say the least, which left the reader with the impression of an overwhelming… Caucasian-ness. Which, the author has stated, is not the case.
And to those readers who are here for the wlw:
It did not let down! :) Cassie and Andrea have funny, teasing interactions throughout the book; in my opinion, the progress to –something more—happened very naturally, given their circumstances. There was some tension, some flirting, some misunderstanding. But mostly, two girls finding out their troubles have brought them closer.
Overall, I found this book to be a fresh take on high fantasy, with just the right amount of world building, a perfect collection of interesting characters, and a healthy dose of Rainbow representation!
Well, I am delighted!
When I pick up high fantasy, I do so with a level of healthy skepticism; it’s a genre I’ve had quite enough of, especially in the form which seems most celebrated – a creative repeat of LoTR.
This was nothing of the sort!
The storytelling voice was engaging, it was light but not so much that it’d lose your attention. Surprises awaited at every corner, while the world building was woven in between the adventures masterfully. The final battle and the main quest were described in just the right dynamic way to speed up your heartbeat.
If I have one criticism of the voice, it’ll be that once or twice it was hard to get scared for the characters when it was obvious some level of worry should exist. A change of POV or the right type of reaction from the characters would have fixed that.
It didn’t however affect the overall enjoyment – just made me pause at those two scenes for a moment.
The characters were introduced one at a time, which really helped in terms of connecting with them. I ended up caring about each and every one of them: caring that they found what they were looking for on this quest. Interestingly, they were all strangers, but by the end there was a healthy dose of camaraderie which felt genuine and sweet.
Having so many women characters on the page was so rewarding! There was a rich collection of personalities, as well as a fantastic diversity in dynamics.
What I could offer as criticism, is the character descriptions. They were vague to say the least, which left the reader with the impression of an overwhelming… Caucasian-ness. Which, the author has stated, is not the case.
And to those readers who are here for the wlw:
It did not let down! :) Cassie and Andrea have funny, teasing interactions throughout the book; in my opinion, the progress to –something more—happened very naturally, given their circumstances. There was some tension, some flirting, some misunderstanding. But mostly, two girls finding out their troubles have brought them closer.
Overall, I found this book to be a fresh take on high fantasy, with just the right amount of world building, a perfect collection of interesting characters, and a healthy dose of Rainbow representation!
March 2, 2017
When recommended this book, I was excited to see what it was about, and was certainly not disappointed! The story is engaging and wonderfully paced, with excited and multi-dimensional characters, well thought out and unique locations, and a strong goal that grips you tight and keeps you at the edge of your seat. I look forward to seeing more from this author and this series and would highly recommend it to anyone who asks me what they should read next!
dnf
October 11, 2017in addition to the weak writing it turned out to be a portal fantasy which is my least favorite genre of fantasy
May 12, 2017
Finished reading: May 9th 2017
"We don't get to decide what we bring into this world with us. But you have a gift, Andrea, and you should consider using it for something useful."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Reading Alley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
March 23, 2017
Andrea exhaled in frustration. “As I’ve said several times now, we were not involved in that way. She was my mentor! If anything, she was more of an older sibling.”
“Aw, you ruin everything. See, now it’s gross,” Cassie whined.
Andrea becomes the apprentice of fellow enchanter Meredith when Meredith asks Andrea to help her husband out of a comatose situation. After three years and countless unsuccessful attempts to bring Richard back, Meredith becomes desperate and crosses a line involving Cassie, a stranger from an unknown country. Andrea and Cassie flee the Black Forest and Andrea convinces Cassie to travel to Rhyad, a place where she believes Damea’s remaining magic is stored. On their way, they encounter Empress Ithmeera and her Legion, Elisa (former Legion member), Kye (wanted criminal), the House of Moore and the House of Harrington and Alexander, Diana and Jacob (members of the Guardians). Some are profiting off a civil war, some are trying to stop it.
At first, I had some trouble focussing on the story because there are a lot of parties involved and I didn’t really understand where the story would take me. I liked Andrea and Cassie’s dynamic and the relationship between Elisa and Kye. He’d lost his family and she was like an annoying older sister to him. I came to care about the characters and was curious about the rest of their journey, which is why I didn’t stop reading. Luckily, after the first half, things get a lot better! I had a much better understanding of the situation and my ship was showing development. I really missed the romantic angle in the first half. The fact that the main characters are gay in this fantasy story, was a very pleasant surprise. I feel like we don’t get enough gay romance in fantasy books, and especially not the main characters.
The story is narrated and told from different POVs. If I look at the writing itself than I have to say it was very good. I did have some trouble with the reference words. There’s a lot of “the enchanter”, “the ex-Legionnaire”. This was sometimes confusing, especially when there were more than two characters present in the dialogue. The book is the first in a trilogy. It left me with some questions, mainly about Cassie. Where does she come from? What was her life like, except for the boring job and her single mom raising her? I hope these questions will be answered in the next book.
“Aw, you ruin everything. See, now it’s gross,” Cassie whined.
Andrea becomes the apprentice of fellow enchanter Meredith when Meredith asks Andrea to help her husband out of a comatose situation. After three years and countless unsuccessful attempts to bring Richard back, Meredith becomes desperate and crosses a line involving Cassie, a stranger from an unknown country. Andrea and Cassie flee the Black Forest and Andrea convinces Cassie to travel to Rhyad, a place where she believes Damea’s remaining magic is stored. On their way, they encounter Empress Ithmeera and her Legion, Elisa (former Legion member), Kye (wanted criminal), the House of Moore and the House of Harrington and Alexander, Diana and Jacob (members of the Guardians). Some are profiting off a civil war, some are trying to stop it.
At first, I had some trouble focussing on the story because there are a lot of parties involved and I didn’t really understand where the story would take me. I liked Andrea and Cassie’s dynamic and the relationship between Elisa and Kye. He’d lost his family and she was like an annoying older sister to him. I came to care about the characters and was curious about the rest of their journey, which is why I didn’t stop reading. Luckily, after the first half, things get a lot better! I had a much better understanding of the situation and my ship was showing development. I really missed the romantic angle in the first half. The fact that the main characters are gay in this fantasy story, was a very pleasant surprise. I feel like we don’t get enough gay romance in fantasy books, and especially not the main characters.
The story is narrated and told from different POVs. If I look at the writing itself than I have to say it was very good. I did have some trouble with the reference words. There’s a lot of “the enchanter”, “the ex-Legionnaire”. This was sometimes confusing, especially when there were more than two characters present in the dialogue. The book is the first in a trilogy. It left me with some questions, mainly about Cassie. Where does she come from? What was her life like, except for the boring job and her single mom raising her? I hope these questions will be answered in the next book.
June 15, 2017
(
I received this book free in exchange for my honest review
)
This book was truly one of a kind. I quickly fell in love with not only the rich and luscious world that was crated but with the characters.
The flow was steady and had a nice dark rhythm to it. You could tell right form the start that this read was going to be something special. I liked how we got come background before it jumped into the main plot. When you have a wold as complicated as this you need something to fall back on so that the reader isn't confused as to what is going on and why.
I loved the how there was no insta-love, the romances developed in a natural way that made you root for them. (I'm not going to tell you who's because what fun will that be?) The romances also didn't overshadowed the plot, it was a add on and actually helped the plot move forward; which is a rare thing in books these days.
Speaking of plot, it stayed on point, it moved at a good paces and there was plenty of action and witty dialogue to keep your attention. The action was sweet. It was quick moving, perfectly described and it made you feel like you were on the sidelines watching fist hand.
Overall I very much enjoyed this book, I would have liked the ending to have, a little more drama, maybe a twist or a plot bomb. But in all it was still a good ending and I can't wait to see what else this world will bring. I highly recommend that you read this magical one of a kind book, it will take you to a wold like no other and have you on the edge of your seat and rooting for that unlikely couple.
Happy reading
-E.A. Walsh
This book was truly one of a kind. I quickly fell in love with not only the rich and luscious world that was crated but with the characters.
The flow was steady and had a nice dark rhythm to it. You could tell right form the start that this read was going to be something special. I liked how we got come background before it jumped into the main plot. When you have a wold as complicated as this you need something to fall back on so that the reader isn't confused as to what is going on and why.
I loved the how there was no insta-love, the romances developed in a natural way that made you root for them. (I'm not going to tell you who's because what fun will that be?) The romances also didn't overshadowed the plot, it was a add on and actually helped the plot move forward; which is a rare thing in books these days.
Speaking of plot, it stayed on point, it moved at a good paces and there was plenty of action and witty dialogue to keep your attention. The action was sweet. It was quick moving, perfectly described and it made you feel like you were on the sidelines watching fist hand.
Overall I very much enjoyed this book, I would have liked the ending to have, a little more drama, maybe a twist or a plot bomb. But in all it was still a good ending and I can't wait to see what else this world will bring. I highly recommend that you read this magical one of a kind book, it will take you to a wold like no other and have you on the edge of your seat and rooting for that unlikely couple.
Happy reading
-E.A. Walsh
February 28, 2017
This is one of my favorite books by far. It is well written and has a coherent storyline full of drama, action, romance, etc. I would highly recommend it to whoever wants a great story filled with magic and adventure.
March 9, 2017
This is an amazing book completely filled from cover to cover in exciting and dramatic action. It also has a healthy dose of romance but not too much. All in all, I loved this book it's one of the best new books that I've read in recent memory.
January 7, 2019
It had a lot of potential, but it often fell quite short in many scenarios that I felt should've been more developed. The plot overall was intriguing but some characters were decidedly more interesting than others. I would have loved reading a story based more on Elisa and her relationship with the queen. Andrea and Cassie, to me, needed much more character development. Much of the time Cassie seemed too angry and her lashing out detracted from the scenes she was in. I'm hoping with time that the author can continue develop their writing skills and that the next novel is much better. However, if you want a simple read without thinking too much about plot structure or characterization and some interesting take on magic and monsters, this is the book for you.
October 23, 2017
Fun, if easy, read. Would rec to anyone who likes fantasy, humor, and a bit of romance. Had a lot of questions at the end but guessing those will be answered later.
February 26, 2017
I really enjoyed reading this book! It's an interesting spin on an apocalypse, what with the slow decline of magic rather than it suddenly disappearing in a cataclysm. The plot is well thought out and has great pacing, it never felt like it dragged. The characters feel like they're their own people, they're believable and they are easy to relate to. My favorite characters were Andrea and Elisa. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy!
October 12, 2017
Review in progress
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