What do you think?
Rate this book
Crossroads of Worlds #1
Strangehold
Morgan Tenpenny has retreated from her painful, magical past, choosing to live quietly as a guardian of one of the gates between worlds. But her sister Gwen is married to a lord of the High Court of Faerie—and when Gwen asks her to protect her nieces, it's time for Morgan to emerge from her seclusion. The gates to Faerie have inexplicably closed, and no one knows why, not even Falcon, the fae Morgan finds trapped on her side of the gate.
As a devastating illness that only affects magic users starts to sweep through the country, Falcon tells Morgan of a way to reach her nieces in Faerie through a mysterious place called Strangehold—if Morgan can trust that Falcon is all that he seems. But with the Queen of Faerie increasingly defensive of her borders, even their combined powers may not be enough to win them through.
With relations between fae and human falling apart and a deadly illness threatening all of her old colleagues, Morgan finds that her past isn't as dead as she'd thought. She must navigate the threats in time to save her nieces—and just maybe the world.
As a devastating illness that only affects magic users starts to sweep through the country, Falcon tells Morgan of a way to reach her nieces in Faerie through a mysterious place called Strangehold—if Morgan can trust that Falcon is all that he seems. But with the Queen of Faerie increasingly defensive of her borders, even their combined powers may not be enough to win them through.
With relations between fae and human falling apart and a deadly illness threatening all of her old colleagues, Morgan finds that her past isn't as dead as she'd thought. She must navigate the threats in time to save her nieces—and just maybe the world.
185 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 19, 2017
16 people are currently reading
1173 people want to read
About the author
Rene Sears
7 books49 followersBy day, Rene Sears is an editor. By night, (or early in the morning, or on lunch breaks) she writes. She has had short stories published in Cicada, Daily Science Fiction, and Galaxy's Edge magazine and is the author of the Crossroads of Worlds series.
She lives in Birmingham, Al, with her husband, two children, and a dog that may or may not be part Belgian Shepherd. You can find out more at www.renesears.net and sign up for her newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/renesears
She lives in Birmingham, Al, with her husband, two children, and a dog that may or may not be part Belgian Shepherd. You can find out more at www.renesears.net and sign up for her newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/renesears
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 16, 2018
4,25 stars - Amazon 🍮Ebook - It had been a gamble coming here. Even now, the counsil curse tightened about his neck like a collar - Morgan has magic. Earth magic. Here house is in the near of the Leylines. So she can take magic out of them. She also has tattoos filled with magic. Her sister Gwen is Ambassador for the Humans at court of the Faerie Queen. The faerie Queen has a Hand who is the forfighter of the Queen. Morgan is bound to the children of Qwen to protect them when its needed. As magic holders start to die and their is no way in tho Farie land Morgan has to find an other way in to get to the twin girls and save her Magic Friends who die of an illness unknown until now. And than she has a faerie friend who is someone else as she thinks. - I kept my tattoos filled with magic so I'd never need to be clise to a lyeyline to work. - 🌹🌹🌹
February 17, 2018
This is a strange story, but one I enjoyed. It's on the short side and the plot moves along at a predictable pace with few true diversions. Morgan treads carefully from one event to the other in a logical way. She's in her forties and of a serious bent, so this isn't precisely strange. The thing is, a steady pace isn't generally very engaging and the world building isn't that outstanding and the relationships are built subtly, as well. So this should have been downright boring.
Only I liked Morgan and Falcon/Rowan and I cared about the success of their endeavors. So I was actually deeply engaged despite all the things that shouldn't have worked to draw me in. I'm not entirely sure why.
So even though I don't have much to say, and much of that is negative, and I didn't even mention the poor copyediting, I'm still giving this 4½ stars that I'm rounding to 5. Because it's late at night and I couldn't put it down and there's a bit of a dialogue at the end that I just adored (below in the spoiler).
Only I liked Morgan and Falcon/Rowan and I cared about the success of their endeavors. So I was actually deeply engaged despite all the things that shouldn't have worked to draw me in. I'm not entirely sure why.
So even though I don't have much to say, and much of that is negative, and I didn't even mention the poor copyediting, I'm still giving this 4½ stars that I'm rounding to 5. Because it's late at night and I couldn't put it down and there's a bit of a dialogue at the end that I just adored (below in the spoiler).
May 1, 2017
I loved, loved, loved this novella - my favorite new urban fantasy in ages! The heroine, Morgan, is a 43-year-old spellcaster who's grown into her power but suffered real losses along the way. She's a fabulous mix of mature strength, competence, and practicality (really rising to the occasion in difficult situations), but with a deep core of emotion running underneath - and she's isolated herself from everyone after a series of painful betrayals in the past. In this story, though, despite her power and intelligence, she's really thrown in over her head - because she's finally drawn back into the bonds of family when her new nieces are put in danger in the dangerous realm of Faerie, where all of Morgan's magical skill is relatively puny. With their mother (her sister) no longer able to protect them, Morgan is called on to become their new guardian - but the Fae gates have just mysteriously closed, and she's on the wrong side of them.
The magic in this (really satisfyingly sized) novella feels genuinely magical, I love love love all of the characterization (even of the awful characters!), I loved the prickly and wonderful family dynamics as Morgan re-enters her own family's life after years of separation, and I also loved the very minor but beautifully done subplot that hinted (in a really pleasing way) at a possible romantic connection in the future. The whole story was so much fun! I can't wait for the next novella in this series.
The magic in this (really satisfyingly sized) novella feels genuinely magical, I love love love all of the characterization (even of the awful characters!), I loved the prickly and wonderful family dynamics as Morgan re-enters her own family's life after years of separation, and I also loved the very minor but beautifully done subplot that hinted (in a really pleasing way) at a possible romantic connection in the future. The whole story was so much fun! I can't wait for the next novella in this series.
Read
February 16, 2018A novella centred around a threat to the current peace in the long history between Faerie and the human world. I liked the main character's practicality, and this was a rare urban/paranormal that did not feature an excess of aggressive display. I always endorse polite - it's more interesting than peacocks butting heads (to thoroughly mix some mating rituals there).
The most negative I can say about the story is that it was very straightforward. A problem arises and main character Morgan is only ever stymied at the outset. Thereafter, solutions come to hand when needed, and without notable effort. Still, enjoyed this quite a lot, and will check out the next in the series.
The most negative I can say about the story is that it was very straightforward. A problem arises and main character Morgan is only ever stymied at the outset. Thereafter, solutions come to hand when needed, and without notable effort. Still, enjoyed this quite a lot, and will check out the next in the series.
August 30, 2018
Full review below. Review plus custom cocktail available at The Tome & Tankard Inn.
Strangehold is an interesting Urban/Portal Fantasy novella – it features Earth (or overhill, as it is known here), the land of Faerie (underhill), and a mysterious place in-between the two, known as Strangehold. The fae gates allow passage between Earth and Faerie, and a tenuous accord exists between them. There are old grudges and tensions between humans and fae, but this fragile peace has held for 40 years so far. Human mages guard overhill as part of an organization of casters known as The Association, drawing their magic from the leylines that cover the landscape like invisible rivers. Underhill, Gloriana, Queen of the Faeries, rules with an iron fist. In the prologue we’re introduced to a mysterious human exile with a long-standing hatred of the fae, whose actions threaten to bring the peace agreement to an end.
Our main character is Morgan Tenpenny, a 43 year old human mage living a secluded life as a guardian of one of the fae gates. She has seen some shit. Her old mentor went into hiding decades ago after one of her fellow students attempted to assassinate the Queen’s nephew, and she and her fellow students feel tainted by the association. This is made more awkward by the fact that her sister, Gwen, is an ambassador to Faerie and has married one of the fae. When Gwen comes to visit Morgan with her two young children and sporting a black eye, it comes to light that Gloriana is harboring suspicions of a human plot against the fae, and using questionable methods to get information. Morgan promises to visit her in Faerie soon, and, at Gwen’s urging, pledges her protection to the girls should anything happen to her. However, just before Morgan is due to visit, the fae gates snap shut without warning, and a deadly illness begins to spread like wildfire throughout the mage community. Morgan must work with The Association in a race against time to find the cure, and find a way into Faerie to save her sister and protect her young nieces. Whew!
It’s quite a start to this fast-paced novella, and I found myself happily carried along by the plot. Morgan is a capable and experienced protagonist, and a pretty relatable one at that. When she drives out to the nearest fae gate and meets Falcon, a shape shifter trapped on the wrong side when it closed, things kick off nicely. The two have good chemistry and dialogue, and the cautious trust/budding friendship between them is nicely handled. The magic system is well explained and has its limitations, and Morgan has found some creative ways to avoid relying on leylines that show us there are different methodologies of working with the same magic. Her reasons for doing so are also solid. The prose is of above average quality, and a few times I found myself pausing to appreciate a pleasing sentence. It’s very professional (I don’t recall spotting any errors), if a little sparse in places, but an excellent setup for future stories. The “race against time” aspect of the story works well, and the immediate issues are tied up leaving the overarching plot open for the next entry. The worldbuilding is strong enough that I was able to get a feel for it, but would certainly benefit from more thorough development in the next installments. In terms of criticism I’d say that I’d have welcomed another 50-100 pages – the plot is very straightforward, and I’d like to have seen Morgan struggle a little more to find the solutions to the obstacles she faced.
Overall, I found Strangehold to be an enjoyable, easy and extremely polished read with characters I cared about and a well thought-out plot. I’d gladly read more in this series.
Strangehold is an interesting Urban/Portal Fantasy novella – it features Earth (or overhill, as it is known here), the land of Faerie (underhill), and a mysterious place in-between the two, known as Strangehold. The fae gates allow passage between Earth and Faerie, and a tenuous accord exists between them. There are old grudges and tensions between humans and fae, but this fragile peace has held for 40 years so far. Human mages guard overhill as part of an organization of casters known as The Association, drawing their magic from the leylines that cover the landscape like invisible rivers. Underhill, Gloriana, Queen of the Faeries, rules with an iron fist. In the prologue we’re introduced to a mysterious human exile with a long-standing hatred of the fae, whose actions threaten to bring the peace agreement to an end.
Our main character is Morgan Tenpenny, a 43 year old human mage living a secluded life as a guardian of one of the fae gates. She has seen some shit. Her old mentor went into hiding decades ago after one of her fellow students attempted to assassinate the Queen’s nephew, and she and her fellow students feel tainted by the association. This is made more awkward by the fact that her sister, Gwen, is an ambassador to Faerie and has married one of the fae. When Gwen comes to visit Morgan with her two young children and sporting a black eye, it comes to light that Gloriana is harboring suspicions of a human plot against the fae, and using questionable methods to get information. Morgan promises to visit her in Faerie soon, and, at Gwen’s urging, pledges her protection to the girls should anything happen to her. However, just before Morgan is due to visit, the fae gates snap shut without warning, and a deadly illness begins to spread like wildfire throughout the mage community. Morgan must work with The Association in a race against time to find the cure, and find a way into Faerie to save her sister and protect her young nieces. Whew!
It’s quite a start to this fast-paced novella, and I found myself happily carried along by the plot. Morgan is a capable and experienced protagonist, and a pretty relatable one at that. When she drives out to the nearest fae gate and meets Falcon, a shape shifter trapped on the wrong side when it closed, things kick off nicely. The two have good chemistry and dialogue, and the cautious trust/budding friendship between them is nicely handled. The magic system is well explained and has its limitations, and Morgan has found some creative ways to avoid relying on leylines that show us there are different methodologies of working with the same magic. Her reasons for doing so are also solid. The prose is of above average quality, and a few times I found myself pausing to appreciate a pleasing sentence. It’s very professional (I don’t recall spotting any errors), if a little sparse in places, but an excellent setup for future stories. The “race against time” aspect of the story works well, and the immediate issues are tied up leaving the overarching plot open for the next entry. The worldbuilding is strong enough that I was able to get a feel for it, but would certainly benefit from more thorough development in the next installments. In terms of criticism I’d say that I’d have welcomed another 50-100 pages – the plot is very straightforward, and I’d like to have seen Morgan struggle a little more to find the solutions to the obstacles she faced.
Overall, I found Strangehold to be an enjoyable, easy and extremely polished read with characters I cared about and a well thought-out plot. I’d gladly read more in this series.
July 22, 2017
So so awesome. I really really really loved it.
October 16, 2018
Full review is here, on my blog!~
This story follows Morgan Tenpenny, a spellcaster in our own world, who is one of the people who knows the truth of things; that the Fae are real, their world of Faerie is real and is connected to Earth, and that humans and the Fae have long held a treaty of peace.
But one day, all of the gates to Faerie (underhill) close, leaving Fae stranded on Earth (overhill), and leaving Gwen, Morgan’s sister and the ambassador to humans in Faerie stranded on the other side. On top of that, an unexplained illness that seems to only affect spellcasters is running rampant throughout the nation, to the point that even the humans have noticed.
It’s up to Morgan to try and find a back way into Faerie to save her sister and her two half-fae nieces that she’s sworn to protect. And that back door might just be a sort of middle-ground known only as Strangehold.
Dun dun duuuuunnnnnnnn.
This one was a really short read, coming in at only about 160 pages. I quite enjoy a story I can sit down with for an afternoon and I do quite love me some urban fantasy. That said, I still had a bit of a tough time getting into this one at first, but rest assured, I was hooked before long.
I really liked the characters in this one. Morgan is an interesting character for an urban fantasy, in that she’s not a twenty something running around flinging magical powers hither and thither. She’s actually in her early forties, and is rather responsible with her magic, while still being carefree as a human who can cast magic would be, I would hope. She’s still someone I could often relate to. She’s like a slightly older me…. with magical powers. :D
Morgan runs into a fae that is trapped on the overhill side of the gates, a guy who is cursed to turn into a falcon at night, who introduces himself, appropriately, as Falcon. I really liked him as a character, being archaic and old-fashioned while not being all the way old fashioned. He accompanies her on her way to Strangehold, mainly because he’s been summoned by the queen of the fae and didn’t quite make it to the gate on time. He still feels the summons though, so he’s trying to actually do as ordered. Falcon ends up being quite a lot more than he seems at first, and finding out all the details was interesting.
This plot wrapped up nicely, while leaving more room in this world for more stories, which was nice. All told, this was a pretty enjoyable afternoon of reading, and I think I may just read the next book in the series to see where this goes! I had 8/10 stars of a good time with this one.
This story follows Morgan Tenpenny, a spellcaster in our own world, who is one of the people who knows the truth of things; that the Fae are real, their world of Faerie is real and is connected to Earth, and that humans and the Fae have long held a treaty of peace.
But one day, all of the gates to Faerie (underhill) close, leaving Fae stranded on Earth (overhill), and leaving Gwen, Morgan’s sister and the ambassador to humans in Faerie stranded on the other side. On top of that, an unexplained illness that seems to only affect spellcasters is running rampant throughout the nation, to the point that even the humans have noticed.
It’s up to Morgan to try and find a back way into Faerie to save her sister and her two half-fae nieces that she’s sworn to protect. And that back door might just be a sort of middle-ground known only as Strangehold.
Dun dun duuuuunnnnnnnn.
This one was a really short read, coming in at only about 160 pages. I quite enjoy a story I can sit down with for an afternoon and I do quite love me some urban fantasy. That said, I still had a bit of a tough time getting into this one at first, but rest assured, I was hooked before long.
I really liked the characters in this one. Morgan is an interesting character for an urban fantasy, in that she’s not a twenty something running around flinging magical powers hither and thither. She’s actually in her early forties, and is rather responsible with her magic, while still being carefree as a human who can cast magic would be, I would hope. She’s still someone I could often relate to. She’s like a slightly older me…. with magical powers. :D
Morgan runs into a fae that is trapped on the overhill side of the gates, a guy who is cursed to turn into a falcon at night, who introduces himself, appropriately, as Falcon. I really liked him as a character, being archaic and old-fashioned while not being all the way old fashioned. He accompanies her on her way to Strangehold, mainly because he’s been summoned by the queen of the fae and didn’t quite make it to the gate on time. He still feels the summons though, so he’s trying to actually do as ordered. Falcon ends up being quite a lot more than he seems at first, and finding out all the details was interesting.
This plot wrapped up nicely, while leaving more room in this world for more stories, which was nice. All told, this was a pretty enjoyable afternoon of reading, and I think I may just read the next book in the series to see where this goes! I had 8/10 stars of a good time with this one.
July 10, 2017
4 1/2 stars.
I borrowed an Advance Reader's Copy (ARC) of this book, which is out on July 19th, 2017.
They fae and humans have existed in an uneasy truce for decades, but now, suddenly, the gates between 'underhill', the land of Faerie, and 'overhill' have all been sealed and a mysterious and deadly sickness is sweeping through human spellcasters. Morgan Tenpenny's nieces are trapped in Fairie and in danger from the fae queen. She must find a way into Faerie, rescue her nieces, and find a cure for the sickness before it's too late. To do so, she has to team up with Falcon, a fae trapped on the human side of the gates, who may not be all he seems to be.
If you're looking for a point of comparison, I'd say Rene Sears occupies a place between Jim Butcher and Ilona Andrews. The opening is a little slow and distant, but the moment the action kicks in, you really can't put this book down. It is gripping and fast-paced, and has an original take on magic and Faerie.
This is really good stuff. I gave it 4 1/2 stars because the opening didn't grab me straight away, but the rest of the book is the full 5 stars.
I borrowed an Advance Reader's Copy (ARC) of this book, which is out on July 19th, 2017.
They fae and humans have existed in an uneasy truce for decades, but now, suddenly, the gates between 'underhill', the land of Faerie, and 'overhill' have all been sealed and a mysterious and deadly sickness is sweeping through human spellcasters. Morgan Tenpenny's nieces are trapped in Fairie and in danger from the fae queen. She must find a way into Faerie, rescue her nieces, and find a cure for the sickness before it's too late. To do so, she has to team up with Falcon, a fae trapped on the human side of the gates, who may not be all he seems to be.
If you're looking for a point of comparison, I'd say Rene Sears occupies a place between Jim Butcher and Ilona Andrews. The opening is a little slow and distant, but the moment the action kicks in, you really can't put this book down. It is gripping and fast-paced, and has an original take on magic and Faerie.
This is really good stuff. I gave it 4 1/2 stars because the opening didn't grab me straight away, but the rest of the book is the full 5 stars.
Read
July 19, 2017It's here!
I have always loved stories featuring the fae. Here's my take on a magical community unknown to most of the humanity and their strained relationship with Faerie. It's got family, friendship, nefarious deeds, people trying to do their best under difficult circumstances, hellhounds, curses, and plenty of magic both fae and human.
I hope you enjoy!
I have always loved stories featuring the fae. Here's my take on a magical community unknown to most of the humanity and their strained relationship with Faerie. It's got family, friendship, nefarious deeds, people trying to do their best under difficult circumstances, hellhounds, curses, and plenty of magic both fae and human.
I hope you enjoy!
November 23, 2017
I thought this one was a novel and my read was mostly "huh, this seems sparse" and I just realized it's a novella. Ohhhhhhhh.
Interesting world and characters, very much setting up further stories (not much is resolved here, or it resolves only to show bigger and worse issues) and I worry about everyone. We are all so vulnerable and know NOTHING.
Interesting world and characters, very much setting up further stories (not much is resolved here, or it resolves only to show bigger and worse issues) and I worry about everyone. We are all so vulnerable and know NOTHING.
August 10, 2017
When Morgan’s fellow student committed a terrible crime against the fae, Morgan retreated to a relatively quiet, isolated life. She certainly didn’t spend as much time with her sister as she’d like - not after she married a fae lord and became an ambassador to Underhill.
But when her sister begs for her help shielding her half-fae nieces, Morgan can’t say no and plans to be a bigger part of their lives… until all the gateways to underhill close ujknown to all, even Falcon, a fae she finds trapped on Earth… and casters start dying.
This world setting is fun and, better, really well presented. I won’t say it has never been done before - fae in a close realm, portals, witches, magic - these are definitely not unknown
But the way this world is put together, the very careful exposition, the lack of info dumping is all really well done. This is a world that manages to avoid the temptation to throw it all at us. It lays out lots of potential to many many many more things in this world in a perfect balance of hinting. And that can be hard, so many authors have this Really Cool Thing and decide they must must must share this with us!
The characters know their world and never feel the need to explain it to each other - they experience it and through them we experience it, showing everything we need to enjoy this book
I think it also lays out a lot of ominous yet epic hints to encourage future novels, promising a big big series.
And it is fun, it wasn’t super twisty due to the length, but it was fun and well paced without any convoluted elements of padding. Morgan is an interesting characters, she has reservations about the fae but they’re reasonable without being over dramatic or based on some fantasy world bigotry. We have a nice amount of history and development to give everyone character - and a magical organisation which isn’t THE WORST. Honestly that is such an over-used trope.
If I had to point to an area of the book that is weak it would be Falcon’s motivation - or maybe Falcon entirely. I never quite understood why Falcon became as invested as he did. Perhaps if we were more in his head we could see him, for example, respect Morgan‘s dedication to her nieces. Maybe see more of his respect for what she’s doing and more concern for what has happened with the fae gates. Maybe even identify with her nieces more because of their similar heritage
Read More
But when her sister begs for her help shielding her half-fae nieces, Morgan can’t say no and plans to be a bigger part of their lives… until all the gateways to underhill close ujknown to all, even Falcon, a fae she finds trapped on Earth… and casters start dying.
This world setting is fun and, better, really well presented. I won’t say it has never been done before - fae in a close realm, portals, witches, magic - these are definitely not unknown
But the way this world is put together, the very careful exposition, the lack of info dumping is all really well done. This is a world that manages to avoid the temptation to throw it all at us. It lays out lots of potential to many many many more things in this world in a perfect balance of hinting. And that can be hard, so many authors have this Really Cool Thing and decide they must must must share this with us!
The characters know their world and never feel the need to explain it to each other - they experience it and through them we experience it, showing everything we need to enjoy this book
I think it also lays out a lot of ominous yet epic hints to encourage future novels, promising a big big series.
And it is fun, it wasn’t super twisty due to the length, but it was fun and well paced without any convoluted elements of padding. Morgan is an interesting characters, she has reservations about the fae but they’re reasonable without being over dramatic or based on some fantasy world bigotry. We have a nice amount of history and development to give everyone character - and a magical organisation which isn’t THE WORST. Honestly that is such an over-used trope.
If I had to point to an area of the book that is weak it would be Falcon’s motivation - or maybe Falcon entirely. I never quite understood why Falcon became as invested as he did. Perhaps if we were more in his head we could see him, for example, respect Morgan‘s dedication to her nieces. Maybe see more of his respect for what she’s doing and more concern for what has happened with the fae gates. Maybe even identify with her nieces more because of their similar heritage
Read More
May 21, 2018
Just finished reading Rene Sears’ STRANGEHOLD this weekend. I was jonesing for a good urban fantasy, and I’ve seen earlier pieces of this story before, so I knew it would be good. Which it absolutely was. There’s some gorgeous writing here; sharp, vivid metaphors and descriptions do an amazing job of helping the reader visualize the setting and scene without wasting too many words, which is important for a novella. For instance, the main character is unsure what to say in a given moment, so Sears writes, “I stopped searching for the right words and let the wrong ones come out.” What a precise, quick way to establish the relationship between the two characters in the scene. And in another part of the story, she reminds the readers of a scene in a diner, and describes it as “soggy fries under electric lighting.” Perfect! That’s all I needed to visualize an entire setting – it’s perfect.
Also, the characters are strong and committed to the mystery at hand. The mystery was revealed slowly, with well-paced revelations along the way to keep me hooked. There’s a fresh take on faerie, too, as well as some completely unique world-building moments – like Strangehold itself, which is descriptively stunning, and I hope makes in appearance in the sequel. And now that Morgan and Falcon have formed a friendship in Novel I, I look forward to seeing more of their relationship deepen in future stories. There's so much potential for future storylines.
I’ve already downloaded Book 2 (SORROW’S SON – which, BTW, is a kick-ass name), and can’t wait to read it.
Also, the characters are strong and committed to the mystery at hand. The mystery was revealed slowly, with well-paced revelations along the way to keep me hooked. There’s a fresh take on faerie, too, as well as some completely unique world-building moments – like Strangehold itself, which is descriptively stunning, and I hope makes in appearance in the sequel. And now that Morgan and Falcon have formed a friendship in Novel I, I look forward to seeing more of their relationship deepen in future stories. There's so much potential for future storylines.
I’ve already downloaded Book 2 (SORROW’S SON – which, BTW, is a kick-ass name), and can’t wait to read it.
August 3, 2017
4.5 stars
I really liked this story; it feels like a start of a great “friendship”. The world building was quite well thought throw – a very nice take on Fae/Human relationship. The river of blood was may be a bit too much, but I definitely loved what Sears did with the Strangehold.
This is undeniably a character driven book, thought there were enough adventures too. I loved Morgan. For me it’s always a pleasure to find a book with main character over thirty something. Morgan even older, she is 43 in the book. I am so not a fan of YA. I want my heroines to be mature and experienced. I really enjoyed how capable and sure in herself she is. It was refreshing to read a book with characters, which jump right into the action instead of wasting tome over self-discovery.
Falcon aka Rowan was cute. I really hope there will be romance in Future books.
I loved side characters; I appreciate that Sears gave solid base for them to be multidimensional.
The only complain is it was too short. I think the story could benefit from another 50 pages or so of story buildup. At times thing felt a tiny bit too rushed.
I will happily read what Rene Sears has to offer next.
I really liked this story; it feels like a start of a great “friendship”. The world building was quite well thought throw – a very nice take on Fae/Human relationship. The river of blood was may be a bit too much, but I definitely loved what Sears did with the Strangehold.
This is undeniably a character driven book, thought there were enough adventures too. I loved Morgan. For me it’s always a pleasure to find a book with main character over thirty something. Morgan even older, she is 43 in the book. I am so not a fan of YA. I want my heroines to be mature and experienced. I really enjoyed how capable and sure in herself she is. It was refreshing to read a book with characters, which jump right into the action instead of wasting tome over self-discovery.
Falcon aka Rowan was cute. I really hope there will be romance in Future books.
I loved side characters; I appreciate that Sears gave solid base for them to be multidimensional.
The only complain is it was too short. I think the story could benefit from another 50 pages or so of story buildup. At times thing felt a tiny bit too rushed.
I will happily read what Rene Sears has to offer next.
October 30, 2018
An interesting urban fantasy story about Morgan Tenpenny, a 43-year-old human caster who keeps an eye on one of the gates that leads to Faerie. When things go wrong between Faerie and our world, Morgan sets out at first just rescue her family members stuck in Faerie, but eventually to tackle the cause of a terrible sickness sweeping the human caster population.
I was a bit miffed when I finished the Kindle sample on a flight and had to wait to get the rest of it. This is my first trip into Faerie in an urban fantasy novel and I enjoyed it. I look forward to seeing the character relationships grow and the world expand in Rene Sears following stories.
I was a bit miffed when I finished the Kindle sample on a flight and had to wait to get the rest of it. This is my first trip into Faerie in an urban fantasy novel and I enjoyed it. I look forward to seeing the character relationships grow and the world expand in Rene Sears following stories.
September 15, 2017
Originally posted on my blog Live Laugh & Love Books
I liked this book, the world that Rene creates is kind of fantastic and I think it is an interesting way to portray Humans and Fae. Even though it is lacking in the romance area, it does have adventure and well balanced characters that were really relatable. I do feel that maybe it was too short and I am sincerely hoping that future books hold more romantic elements. But I am looking forwarding to reading more from Rene Sears.
I liked this book, the world that Rene creates is kind of fantastic and I think it is an interesting way to portray Humans and Fae. Even though it is lacking in the romance area, it does have adventure and well balanced characters that were really relatable. I do feel that maybe it was too short and I am sincerely hoping that future books hold more romantic elements. But I am looking forwarding to reading more from Rene Sears.
February 28, 2018
This is an excellent start to a new urban fantasy series. It is a little more reality based than most and I think that made it a more interesting read. I really liked the main character, Morgan; she is smart, determined and independent. The story is fast-paced and easy to follow. The ending leaves lots of loose ends in anticipation of the next in this series. Bottom line, if you're looking for a creative, easy read in this genre, I would recommend this book.
I won a copy of 'Strangehold' in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.
I won a copy of 'Strangehold' in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.
August 30, 2021
Interesting fantasy read. Short, but I guess there are more sequels. This was given to me, but I might be open to looking for the continuing stories. I like the occasional fantasy novels and this had good characters dealing with spells and Faerie folk.
December 16, 2018
I won this book in a goodreads give away and I must say I really liked it. It’s a very unique story with a lot of symbolism.
February 14, 2019
I hate when books give you a small taste and then you have to wait for #2.
October 8, 2023
I liked Morgan and the concept but it was slightly boring, not enough to dissuade me from book 2 tho.
August 2, 2017
Initial Thoughts: I really enjoyed this new series. Though it was a quick and could have been a full novel, it was not lacking just succinct. I enjoyed the blend of magic and fairy, the differences between human casters and fae magics. Our main characters are compelling and I'm eager to learn more about them, as well as the fate of Morgan's sister. I found her nieces intriguing and the plot concerning them interesting. However, I'm most interested in learning more of Falcon's background and his strange connection to Morgan. This was a great first novel and I look forward to more. Please click on the link to the full review, posted at That's What I'm Talking About blog: http://twimom227.com/2017/08/review-s...
Read
February 20, 2018short but fun read, a really relaxing read compared to my school books. i liked the main character, because she is practical but caring. the story follows her struggle to find her nieces while racing against the clock to figure out a cure for casters who are struck by an abnormal disease. tbh i was more interested in the abnormal disease plotline, because i like morbid mysteries. (i'd have liked for this to be a full out morbid mystery novel where she just struggles to solve the epidemic killing her fellow casters.) but anyway, really liked the description of strangehold -- what a magical place -- and the book interested me enough to try out the sequel
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews