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The Emrys Chronicles #1

Half-Emrys: Master of Lies

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Lost to the lies. Consumed by revenge.

Unaware of her immortal heritage, the truth concealed from her, Ahnalyn learns she’s a child of two worlds—a half-emrys with the ability to wield the light and the dark power. When Ahnalyn is taken captive by evil tyrant Lord Caedryn, Aneirin, a Son of Light, defies law and risks exile to come to her rescue.

As Aneirin’s life becomes entwined with Ahnalyn’s, he is certain she belongs with the immortal emrys. But doubt and fear shroud Ahnalyn as the painful truths of her past unfold. Ahnalyn is thrown on a journey beyond her control, and she must sift through the lies Caedryn throws at her to uncover her true self and true potential, before the darkness consumes her.

Half-Emrys: Master of Lies, a romantic fantasy, is the first book in The Emrys Chronicles and may be enjoyed as a standalone read.

*Note: This book was previously published as Master of Lies (Chronicles of the Half-Emrys Book 1)

Romantic fantasy is for you if you like a light, character driven, more traditional fantasy plot, which includes two characters who find themselves drawn to each other, even if they start out as enemies. During a character's journey to develop powers and overcome trials, romance will ensue with bits of tension. The hero or heroine will undoubtedly be fighting some inner battle that makes them bulk at the chemistry with the other character until they slay their inner demons, save the world, and realize there is room in their heart to love.

Romantic fantasy might not be for you if you prefer paranormal fantasy or epic fantasy. Romantic fantasy doesn't have the usual tropes of vampires and werewolves. Usually romantic fantasy novels are set in a high fantasy world, and an ultimate goal, besides love, is sought. Love is just the icing to the cupcake.

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First published December 9, 2014

26 people are currently reading
779 people want to read

About the author

Lisa Rector

37 books59 followers
Lisa Rector is a Maryland native and could never imagine living anywhere else. She married her high school sweetheart for time and all eternity in the Washington D.C. Temple after she fell in love with his endless sense of humor. Lisa enjoyed a short stint as a labor and delivery nurse before becoming a stay-at-home mom for her two beautiful daughters. In addition to her newfound love of writing, her passions are: her faith in Jesus Christ, gardening, and yoga. Her favorite delights are decadent homemade cakes, cookies, or brownies—never store-bought.

Featured Author on Book Reader Magazine. http://bookreadermagazine.com/feature...

Lisa writes romantic fantasy. Readers who enjoy Graceling will also enjoy her series.

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5 stars
33 (55%)
4 stars
14 (23%)
3 stars
6 (10%)
2 stars
5 (8%)
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1 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for Lisa Swinton.
Author 27 books197 followers
February 25, 2015
This is the first book in a trilogy and the debut novel of Lisa Rector.

Wow! There is some good stuff in this book and I can't wait to read the rest of the series!!!

I think that's some of the highest praise a new author can receive: hearing someone is an instant fan of her work and can't wait to get her hands on the next installment.

The world is beautifully crafted. The characters have layers of depth. Emotions are well conveyed. Sacrifices are made. Hearts are broken and mended.

It is clear Ms. Rector has carefully studied her craft to bring forth a highly polished, can't wait-to-read-this-cover-to-cover-in-one-sitting book into her reader's hands. The cover is exquisite too.

The question of light and dark is explored along with how choices affect all, not just the individual. The astute YA reader will pick up on the questions posed by Ms. Rector, and the rest will be floored by the brilliance of the story and characters. It's not just of YA readers either. Anyone with a love of fantasy books will be spell-bound by Master of Lies.

Worth a read? YES!!!

Clean: mild violence, a kiss or two.

Good for 14+

Will I read the next one? As soon as it's out!
Profile Image for Billi Thielke.
28 reviews2 followers
April 18, 2015
Excellent written book, I can't wait until the rest of the series comes out. A must read for anyone that likes fantasy books.
Profile Image for Sarah.
Author 2 books47 followers
November 4, 2015
I really enjoyed Lisa's debut novel. I'm not usually an avid reader of fantasy/magic/dragon books - I can't even remember the last time I read one, so I can't say that I'm an expert on the genre, but I felt she did a great job. I really love how she starts this story - it just draws you right in. Her main characters Ahnalyn and Aneirin are interesting - Aneirin being quite the romantic stud! I like that even though he's an immortal Emrys, he has some nice character flaws. I love too that Ahnalyn is so conflicted in a very real way. She is such a wonderfully complex character!

There are many instances where Lisa's descriptions really stand out and I like the tone her use of Welsh words set for the book. It's useful that she has a pronunciation guide at the back - I was pronouncing a lot of names wrong in my head!

I also like where she got her ideas for writing this book as explained in the Author's Note at the back. I find it a fascinating idea. I really loved the idea of the Emrys using their light as power, fire, light, warmth, and protection and how it stemmed from love and forgiveness.

Another aspect I liked was that she brings in fascinating races like the Einian (little people who live in the trees - cool idea!) and the Tegyd - half man and half deer. It's a nice change from the regular fauns, elves, and unicorn, etc. usually found in fantasies. I liked her romantic scenes too- clean but thrilling. (Like I said - Aneirin is a total stud!)

I thought Lisa wrote the fighting scenes well and her depictions of pregnancy and labor as well as caring for a newborn were realistic - I appreciated the attention to the little details that only a mother would know!

On the other hand, I felt her character spending so much time away from her baby would have created some serious discomfort in regards to nursing. One other thing that was a little confusing was that all of the conversations between the Emrys and their dragons were in italics without dialogue tags, so it was sometimes difficult to follow who was saying what.

Overall, though, this is an enjoyable fantasy book that I would definitely recommend. I felt it was a wonderful world to read about with interesting characters and a new take on magic and fantasy that I haven't read before.

One last note - I usually don't say anything about the book cover, but I have to say that the cover for this book is really striking. I loved it as soon as I saw it!

Profile Image for Misty Pulsipher.
Author 5 books74 followers
January 13, 2015
Lisa has created such an intriguing world full of sun and shadow, humor and heartbreak, and of course, ROMANCE! My favorite element was the dragon humor, specifically Cephias' dialogue with his rider. Ahnalyn's battle with dark and light is true to what each of us faces in this world. I was intrigued by the idea of light being a physical power that one could wield. So excited for the next book in this epic fantasy!
802 reviews28 followers
March 3, 2015
actual 4.5 received free from Goodreads First Read Giveaway. I loved this book! It was a wonderful perspective on light versus dark(good versus evil). It is the story of Ahnalyn and her struggles after she finds out some truths about herself. Does she continue down the path of darkness or should she take the path of light? Only time will tell. The ending came out of left field which I like and I believe set us up for book 2! Can't wait!
12 reviews
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January 29, 2015
I don't normally read a lot of fantasy novels but I am glad I made an exception for Master of Lies. I liked the pull between light and dark the author created. I also really liked the world that was created- dragons, and other mythical beings and places- really fun!
Profile Image for Sarah Begley.
3 reviews3 followers
March 22, 2015
I don't typically choose fantasy as my genre, but I really enjoyed this book! It was easy to get sucked into a different world and feel as though you were part of the characters. I can't wait for the next one!
Profile Image for Amber.
15 reviews
July 3, 2015
I really enjoyed this book! It was an excellent beginning to what I am sure will be a fantastic series. I am so ready for the next book to come out!
Profile Image for Laura.
11 reviews
February 18, 2015
The characters and story line draws you right in. Such a unique new fantasy novel!
Profile Image for Xena Elektra.
459 reviews5 followers
did-not-finish
March 4, 2020
DNF 71%

It's always hard to drop a book this far in because I feel so close to finishing. The truth is that at about 50% I knew I was done. I didn't want to pick the book back up and was forcing myself to continue. I should've just stopped then but I kept slogging ahead.

The world building for this is interesting as is the powers and the dynamics between the kingdoms/realms.

There were some interesting twists like Ahna starting out with a marriage about to begin and then having a baby.

The oddness though of starting mid-relationship threw me off in the beginning and I actually liked Brenin for as underdeveloped as their relationship was. I got a good sense that he was truly a nice guy and I would've been happier to see more of him and his relationship with Ahnalyn. There was the fact though that Ahna seemed completely disconnected from him that made things awkward. It's stated that she likes him and he makes her happier and her father has noticed a difference in her since she started seeing Brenin. Lots of telling me she likes him and he makes her happy, but I never actually got to see it. She came across as indifferent and estranged for the short duration of the time we get to see the relationship.

I think what really set me off the story though was the "romance" between Ahna and Anerin. The guy comes in while she's in labor, rescues her, takes her to a village where she delivers a baby and then they're there for 3 weeks where they barely see or speak to each other. And when they do talk it mostly ends in fighting. Yet then they go on one mission and mid-mission Anerin's like oh my gosh I LOVE YOU. Like madly, truly, deeply, in love with you.

First, it's completely unbelievable. They haven't spend hardly any time together and the time they have spent together hasn't inspired any sort of confidence in me that they'd fall in love(or that he would).

Second, it's a bit much for me that this woman has recently lost her husband and is clearly going through a lot and he's making a play for her. It just seemed disrespectful, especially considering her husband was a nice guy.

Third, it's way too intense. Like he's glowing and just telling her, "feel my love for you! I can't even contain it!" He went from nothing to starry-eyed, head over heels, madly in love. He's like a little girl seeing her first unicorn. And from a guy that's like 100 or something who's met a lot of women and has decided he wanted to wait a few hundred more years before romance it's like . . . he sure fell easy.

Also Ahnalyn doesn't seem really receptive or comfortable with most of his attention. It makes ME uncomfortable when Anerin's being super touchy feeling and emotive when he's not getting much indicator that his attention's are welcome and from Ahnalyn's thoughts I can tell she's more wanting to hold him at arm's length than anything.

By this point I feel like the plot is kind of lost behind Anerin's feelings. Heck, even the baby has been lost as it seems like he's either written into the background or someone else is spending more time with him than his mother.

If there had to be a romance I wish it would've taken place at least after Brenin's death had gone by I don't know a YEAR at least. I wish it made more sense that Anerin did fall in love instead of it feeling fake. I wish he either waited until Ahnalyn was also in the market or that he'd back off a bit when he realized she wasn't there(either ever or yet). It's a little weird too that this guy was her mom's love interest . . . one of those weird immortal age gap quirks I guess.

But yeah, I'm not more feeling the romance at 70% than I was when it started and have lost the enthusiasm to continue.
Profile Image for K.
20 reviews1 follower
January 2, 2017
Master of Lies review: I had the pleasure of reading the prequel first which I loved. I just finished this book last night I bought it as a box set trilogy on Kindle. This is why I am leaving the review here first. I love how this book picks up years later after the prequel. The author expanding the time lines is a treat. You get characters at different ages and see them grow up. I like the idea of the characters growing up and see what they are doing years later. If you are looking for something different that has everything from love to battle scenes this series is for you. I personally like when books pull me into their worlds and this is no exception.

Profile Image for Laurakristen.
31 reviews1 follower
July 20, 2017
This is truly a remarkable start to an incredible world created by Lisa Rector. Ahnalyn's story is like no other's. The world of the Emrys and the dragons is painted beautifully. Love every creature Encountered, especially the Eillian. There is a great deal of chemistry between the characters. I will read this book again and again.
Profile Image for Daisy Shipley.
15 reviews
August 21, 2018
I really enjoyed this novel. The author does a great job of world building. There is a history to this story that really drew me in. I was curious about the different creatures and people and the emrys.

I enjoyed her take on good and evil using the light and dark powers in Ahnalyn and in Caedryn. I also liked that the emrys weren't these immortal perfect beings. It made for a better story. They might be immortal but they are still flawed. They are stuck in their ways and most seem unwilling to change. They are also kinda judgemental so it's a good thing their dragons aren't.

Anyways, overall a wonderful debut novel! If you like fantasy, you should give this book a read.
127 reviews5 followers
October 12, 2020
This book is a well written fantasy novel with great world building and great characterization with complex, emotional lives. Hearts broken, some mended, sacrifice and loss, and the hope of victory. Choices are explored against light and darkness, good and bad - what will triumph?
A brilliant, well crafted novel, whetting the readers appetite for the next book in the series.
598 reviews6 followers
August 1, 2017
Good fantasy romance.

Well done, predictable, light romance. Not action adventure fantasy, not profound consciousness altering fantasy, good light reading and escapism through solid world building and good storytelling.
Profile Image for Holly Mavigliano.
205 reviews1 follower
May 11, 2018
interesting storyline, but it came across middle-schoolish not YA.

Heroine is a big baby and the hero is really ignorant for being about 90 t\o where he's from. I read less than half of the book before I couldn't take it anymore
Profile Image for Rikudou Sof.
Author 6 books3 followers
August 6, 2018
She actually became high emrys! such sacrifice is really grand. I wouldn't give up my light nor go down to mortal realm until I am sure of my child's safety and care. those torture though, some father she has.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Valery.
Author 3 books23 followers
July 10, 2022
This one sits on the long and drawn out side. Still, a decent read once you get past the timeline issues and nauseating predictability.

For my clean readers: very little language, if any. Violence, romance(a little too much info), discussion of breasts in the form of nursing, torture, and murder.
573 reviews6 followers
September 10, 2020
A lot packed into this story.

The heroine goes through so much and so many changes. Never knew what to expect next, and surprised how things unfolded. Great story!
Profile Image for McKenzie.
44 reviews1 follower
May 30, 2016
Half-Emrys is a story is filled with magical realms, dragons, good versus evil, and secrets that keep you on your toes. Ahnalyn is a young woman who is left with a decision of marrying Lord Brenin. She finds herself worrying for her father since she has been there for him since her mother's death, Naiwen. She chooses to take the chance with Lord Brenin and starts her journey into a new world. She is shy, naive, fearful, and cautious. Brenin is able to bring out the courageous and loving part of Ahnalyn in the short time they are married. Within a few months, their lives are turned upside down by a evil ruler with unknown motives. War breaks out and Ahnalyn finds herself alone and fighting more than just herself.

This book is engaging, emotional, and full of plot twist. It is an easy read, and once past the first chapter I couldn't set the book down. Lisa Rector brings her character's to life from within the pages creating a relationship that for the reader that is personal. The family secrets, immortals, and dragons are just the beginning to this enchanting story. Love brings out the light in all darkness.

I would rate this book a 4 star and open to readers around the age of 13 and up. I was a bit hesitant in the first chapter which seemed slow to start, but soon found myself enthralled with Ahnalyn's journey. Since this is a series, I look forward to see what the future holds for this mystical world.

****I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for Lisa Rector.
Author 37 books59 followers
September 13, 2019
What’s inside? Immortal Emrys, dragons, magical creatures, powers, light vs. darkness, and good vs. evil, revenge, love, hope . . .
It a story that I wrote to be a quick read, not weighed down with lots of superfluous writing, but that is filled with lots of tension. Written for a YA audience (but readers of a mature age would enjoy it), and it is a clean story that I could let a fourteen year old read. If you like LOTR, the Hobbit, and Eragon you will like this book. AND it is much less boring—not heavy on the details that drag on and on . . .
What’s my favorite part? The dragon humor. I have hilarious dragons. Oh, and you must not forget the romantic tension. And there is one part that always makes me cry. But you will have to read it to find out.
Profile Image for Jacque.
Author 40 books225 followers
October 7, 2017
I really like the concept of the emrys here—creatures made up of light. Another thing I really liked was that the hero was pregnant because I think it added another layer of drama that other books don’t have. There were some great character moments and it was an enjoyable read.
What I struggled with were drawn out passages of internal thought, and I couldn’t get the math to work in a way that made me comfortable with a love triangle involving a mother, daughter and the same guy—even with fantasy/immortal elements in play. Didn’t like it in Twilight. Don’t like it here.
It was a clean read though, with a nice premise. It will be interesting to see what else this author does.
Profile Image for Lisa Rector.
Author 37 books59 followers
December 4, 2020
I have read this book over and over again, and love it even better since the author made updates and put the book in first person! Even upped the steam and tension.

I just love Ahnalyn and Aneirin. And their dragons. I love the whole immortal emrys thing and how they harness powers with the light. Some secrets unfold and weird stuff goes on when it comes to family relations near the end of the novel, but when I think about it, it’s not that weird.

I just love the chemistry between the two characters. And the dragons are pretty funny too.

I look forward to reading more in this world.
Profile Image for Emily.
203 reviews2 followers
July 18, 2016
Action packed and full of emotion set in new world of dragons, the people of light who ride and love them and the one who welds darkness who could destroy them all. Who will survive the battle of light and love against the dark and hate, read the exciting first book in Half -Emrys series and find out.
Profile Image for E.E. Everly.
Author 43 books29 followers
May 1, 2020
I love this story! Brooding guy--check! Feisty Heroine--check! Need for revenge. Dark secrets. New powers. And dragons! Yay! Love the first person perspective. Love being in the character's heads, with them and their dragons. Love the telepathic powers because of a link through their dragon stones.
8 reviews
June 3, 2016
Very well written. I found myself captured in the story. As the story unfolds you learn of secrets of good and evil. One life that must face so much darkness to shines so bright. To help all to live free.
Profile Image for Beth Tidman.
176 reviews4 followers
April 27, 2015
This was an OK book. It's well written with likable characters. It just didn't yank me into the story.
Profile Image for Erica.
Author 9 books69 followers
March 5, 2016
Over all, this is a wonderful book. And I for one will be reading the next one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews

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