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The Books of the Five #3
Amelia
"If you lack the courage to leap into the unknown, you'll never experience the joy of soaring free."
The North Tower has fallen and the rebellion against the despotic Lords of Mydren is growing. Conlan wears the Royal Crown and, having proclaimed his ancestral entitlement to the throne as rightful King of Mydren, leads his army to destroy the East Tower.
Yet the magical power of the Five is not the unstoppable strength it once seemed. One of their number is dying, their energy has become unbalanced and the elements themselves are stirring, pushing the Avatars into a dangerous gambit.
Amelia is happy being a wife and mother, but her life is being torn apart by the man she loves, forcing her into a desperate mission to save him. She must travel the length of Mydren to find those who can aid him and convince them to help.
Through internal struggles and external battles, Amelia will be ruthlessly tested. Will these trials forge her resolve into a weapon befitting an Avatar, or will she be crushed in body and soul? Can she find the belief and courage necessary to combat her own fears and protect those she loves?
Her family needs her, and love is sacrifice, but is Amelia ready to surrender her entire being to the service of her King?
The North Tower has fallen and the rebellion against the despotic Lords of Mydren is growing. Conlan wears the Royal Crown and, having proclaimed his ancestral entitlement to the throne as rightful King of Mydren, leads his army to destroy the East Tower.
Yet the magical power of the Five is not the unstoppable strength it once seemed. One of their number is dying, their energy has become unbalanced and the elements themselves are stirring, pushing the Avatars into a dangerous gambit.
Amelia is happy being a wife and mother, but her life is being torn apart by the man she loves, forcing her into a desperate mission to save him. She must travel the length of Mydren to find those who can aid him and convince them to help.
Through internal struggles and external battles, Amelia will be ruthlessly tested. Will these trials forge her resolve into a weapon befitting an Avatar, or will she be crushed in body and soul? Can she find the belief and courage necessary to combat her own fears and protect those she loves?
Her family needs her, and love is sacrifice, but is Amelia ready to surrender her entire being to the service of her King?
568 pages, Paperback
First published December 9, 2017
6 people are currently reading
277 people want to read
About the author
S.F. Burgess
4 books46 followersSara Burgess lives in Manchester with her long-suffering husband, her beloved bear-dog Sweep and three cats: Frodo, Gandalf and Gimli. She has lived in Florida, Spain and France and has at different times in her life been a video shop assistant, bank clerk, school teacher, supermarket till worker, hotel receptionist, bookshop assistant, archaeologist, software trainer and she currently works as an Intranet Evangelist to pay for her first love: writing. In her infrequent spare time she enjoys the movies, opera, bike-riding, reading and hanging out at DaVinci’s with the ‘crew’.
Why not come and find out more about the world of Eleanor and Mydren over on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/mydren
Why not come and find out more about the world of Eleanor and Mydren over on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/mydren
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 3, 2019
I received this book from the author herself in exchange for an honest review, just like I did with the previous books: “Eleanor” and “Will”.
I must say, after it had been so long since reading the first two books, I really didn’t remember much about the story so far. Only the very broad lines and the main characters. Reading through the synopses that are available on the series website (Eleanor: http://www.mydren.com/?page_id=649) (Will: http://www.mydren.com/?page_id=679) really helped me in recollecting the events that happened before. So definitely worth a read!
I have to be honest in this review, because that is what is required of me. As much as I loved the first two books, for me, this book just didn’t bring back the magic to its fullest. It definitely isn’t that it’s not a good book, because I liked revisiting the world of Mydren and I like Amelia as a character, but something withheld me from thoroughly enjoying it. Maybe I just couldn’t really relate to the character as much as I could with Eleanor and Will.
I think one of the main issues I had with this book is that there wasn’t a lot of action. Most of it is either inside Amelia’s head (and this of course is necessary due to the plot, so no arguments there) or while resting or travelling. I know the plot requires for these events to happen (and I liked the plot, by the way) and it allows for further character development (which again shows the insight and eye for detail of S.F. Burgess), but sometimes, it went a little to slow for my taste. You could argue that this also represents the dynamics of an army, which has to travel long distances, and you would be right, but to me, the story was a little too slow-paced. However, when an action scene unfolds, these are very well-written. The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly trying to read as fast as possible without skipping any word. It’s just a pity there were not more of these chapters.
Furthermore, there is this one thing that bothered me a little, but this will most likely not apply for any other people. However, I’m a scientist, and when terminology like ‘atoms’ and ‘molecules’ are not correctly applied, that upsets me a little. At one moment, the phrase “water atoms” is used, which is not entirely correct. Water is a molecule that exists out of atoms, so a minor mistake. However, this is purely due to my profession and is nagging to say the least. But hey, that just goes to say that I can’t really find much negative to say about the book. Other than the fact that there was little action, and some minor scientific flaws, I can’t really point my finger at anything else I disliked, so the rest is mainly my feeling about the book.
Objectively speaking, the writing was again of high quality, just like both other books. I am repeating myself from my other reviews, but it should be mentioned yet again, that S.F. Burgess is an excellent writer. The plot is very interesting, and even though slow-paced, the dialogue and intrigue is quite pleasing. The amount of details with which she describes the scene is really satisfactory. The relevant things are mentioned and there is not too much detail to make it boring. A well-balanced consideration of the amount of detail that is given!
I also appreciate the social relevance of some of the subjects that are touched in the story, especially the place of women in Mydren society. I admire S.F. Burgess for not backing down on these subjects and to address them in a particularly smart way. Furthermore, some of these issues remain (on purpose, I imagine) unresolved, which is a clever way to keep the reader hooked for the next book and already building some emotional aspect for it, besides going to war.
*Warning: Spoilers in the next paragraph!!!*
To conclude, due to the limited amount of action in this book, it didn’t grip me as much as the other two books did. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s not a good book. The writing was great and the exquisite details and character development made up for all other points of critique I could give. I am very much looking forward to reading the next instalment of this series and to go back to Mydren to read the events that follow the incredible cliff-hanger at the end of the book.
I must say, after it had been so long since reading the first two books, I really didn’t remember much about the story so far. Only the very broad lines and the main characters. Reading through the synopses that are available on the series website (Eleanor: http://www.mydren.com/?page_id=649) (Will: http://www.mydren.com/?page_id=679) really helped me in recollecting the events that happened before. So definitely worth a read!
I have to be honest in this review, because that is what is required of me. As much as I loved the first two books, for me, this book just didn’t bring back the magic to its fullest. It definitely isn’t that it’s not a good book, because I liked revisiting the world of Mydren and I like Amelia as a character, but something withheld me from thoroughly enjoying it. Maybe I just couldn’t really relate to the character as much as I could with Eleanor and Will.
I think one of the main issues I had with this book is that there wasn’t a lot of action. Most of it is either inside Amelia’s head (and this of course is necessary due to the plot, so no arguments there) or while resting or travelling. I know the plot requires for these events to happen (and I liked the plot, by the way) and it allows for further character development (which again shows the insight and eye for detail of S.F. Burgess), but sometimes, it went a little to slow for my taste. You could argue that this also represents the dynamics of an army, which has to travel long distances, and you would be right, but to me, the story was a little too slow-paced. However, when an action scene unfolds, these are very well-written. The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly trying to read as fast as possible without skipping any word. It’s just a pity there were not more of these chapters.
Furthermore, there is this one thing that bothered me a little, but this will most likely not apply for any other people. However, I’m a scientist, and when terminology like ‘atoms’ and ‘molecules’ are not correctly applied, that upsets me a little. At one moment, the phrase “water atoms” is used, which is not entirely correct. Water is a molecule that exists out of atoms, so a minor mistake. However, this is purely due to my profession and is nagging to say the least. But hey, that just goes to say that I can’t really find much negative to say about the book. Other than the fact that there was little action, and some minor scientific flaws, I can’t really point my finger at anything else I disliked, so the rest is mainly my feeling about the book.
Objectively speaking, the writing was again of high quality, just like both other books. I am repeating myself from my other reviews, but it should be mentioned yet again, that S.F. Burgess is an excellent writer. The plot is very interesting, and even though slow-paced, the dialogue and intrigue is quite pleasing. The amount of details with which she describes the scene is really satisfactory. The relevant things are mentioned and there is not too much detail to make it boring. A well-balanced consideration of the amount of detail that is given!
I also appreciate the social relevance of some of the subjects that are touched in the story, especially the place of women in Mydren society. I admire S.F. Burgess for not backing down on these subjects and to address them in a particularly smart way. Furthermore, some of these issues remain (on purpose, I imagine) unresolved, which is a clever way to keep the reader hooked for the next book and already building some emotional aspect for it, besides going to war.
*Warning: Spoilers in the next paragraph!!!*
To conclude, due to the limited amount of action in this book, it didn’t grip me as much as the other two books did. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s not a good book. The writing was great and the exquisite details and character development made up for all other points of critique I could give. I am very much looking forward to reading the next instalment of this series and to go back to Mydren to read the events that follow the incredible cliff-hanger at the end of the book.
March 5, 2018
I loved this book. I found 'Amelia' even better than 'Eleanor' and 'Will'. I loved the way that the characters continue to develop and the story is gripping. Also, I loved the main character. I found her much easier to relate to than I was expecting and I loved how dry she could be. I love being in the world of Mydren and I can't wait for the next sequal!
November 20, 2022
Totaly loved it
As always I really enjoyed reading this series and can't wait for the next. My only criticism is why the avatars not used their powers more. When the camp was starving why didn't the avatar of earth grow crops.
As always I really enjoyed reading this series and can't wait for the next. My only criticism is why the avatars not used their powers more. When the camp was starving why didn't the avatar of earth grow crops.
December 23, 2017
Amelia
Couldn't stop reading it but didn't want it to end. Remarkable books, will have to 're read the first two again.
Couldn't stop reading it but didn't want it to end. Remarkable books, will have to 're read the first two again.
January 7, 2020
The 5
Really gripping books. Can’t wait for Freddie to come out to see his story. And how Conan overthrows the mryden lords.
Really gripping books. Can’t wait for Freddie to come out to see his story. And how Conan overthrows the mryden lords.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews