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Where I Belong
When all you know is forgotten, you can change a kingdom. Explore Jadeus and the kingdom of Saphyre, a realm rich with magic and corruption. Alexandra is a young woman intent on forging her own destiny. But the Princess of Karstares is not free to marry for love and her relationship with a lowly knight is doomed from the start. When her betrothal to the King of Saphyre is announced Alexandra becomes desperate to make her own life. After a spell goes awry, Alexandra finds herself married to the tyrannical Carlyle with no memory of her past or even her magical ability. With no idea of who she is, Alexandra finds herself thrust into the heart of a five-hundred-year-old rebellion led by a man who claims to be Saphyre's rightful king. Buy now and join Alexandra as she battles to remember who she is, and decide the fate of a kingdom.
- GenresFantasy
406 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2018
32 people want to read
About the author
Willow Woods
5 books20 followersWillow lives in London with her husband and their cat, Nora.
An animal lover she fosters cats with a local animal rescue.
A fanatic bookworm Willow reads a wide variety of genres from fantasy to crime thrillers. She never leaves the house without at least one book! Fantasy is her favourite genre which has a great impact on her writing, but she is also branching out into other genres such as historical fiction.
Holding an MA in Historical Research much of her writing is influenced by historical events.
Willow’s first publication was The Gods’ Wrath, a short story on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD. Her first published full-length novel is Where I Belong, a contemporary fantasy with a twist.
An animal lover she fosters cats with a local animal rescue.
A fanatic bookworm Willow reads a wide variety of genres from fantasy to crime thrillers. She never leaves the house without at least one book! Fantasy is her favourite genre which has a great impact on her writing, but she is also branching out into other genres such as historical fiction.
Holding an MA in Historical Research much of her writing is influenced by historical events.
Willow’s first publication was The Gods’ Wrath, a short story on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD. Her first published full-length novel is Where I Belong, a contemporary fantasy with a twist.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 23, 2024
Compelling story with intriguing characters! Lots of potential from this author. It was a bit hard to engage at the start but once past that found it hard to put down.
There are typos throughout the book. I believe that this is a self-published book, but maybe opening out to ARC readers or an editor may be handy for future efforts.
There are typos throughout the book. I believe that this is a self-published book, but maybe opening out to ARC readers or an editor may be handy for future efforts.
July 10, 2019
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Where I Belong
Author: Willow Woods
Star Rating: 2.5 Stars
Number of Readers: 18
Stats
Editing: 2/10
Writing Style: 5/10
Content: 7/10
Cover: 8/10
Of the 18 readers:
9 would read another book by this author.
14 thought the cover was good or excellent.
9 felt it was easy to follow.
9 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
11 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
9 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
9 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
18 felt the book needed editing for errors.
Readers’ Comments
‘Sadly, this book needs editing. It is packed full of grammatical/punctuation errors. Here are a few:
‘She has a pulse but its low’ should read: ‘She has a pulse but it’s low’
‘We’ve been with her since...maybe twenty minutes?’ I don’t think that’s a question.
I know it is a bit disorienting dear but try to relax,’ Alexandra nodded and gritted her teeth as the woman gently pushed the object into her ear once more.
This should read:
I know it is a bit disorienting dear but try to relax.’
(new paragraph)
Alexandra nodded and gritted her teeth as the woman gently pushed the object into her ear once more.
And this on the very next line:
‘What does it do?’ She asked as it beeped
Should read:
‘What does it do?’ she asked as it beeped
And so on and so on. I think it’s important, when a book is published, that it is properly edited.’ Girl, aged 16
‘There are a lot of problems with this text that could be corrected by a good edit. Overusing ‘…’ whenever a character talks, forgetting to start a new paragraph when a new character starts talking or reacts to what the other character is saying, and a huge number of small punctuation errors. The story is okay, the character arcs work, and the ending was exciting, but it still needs editing. Note to author: work on dialogue too; at present, it’s a bit wooden.’ Publisher, aged 53
‘Note to author: with a sentence like this ‘How old are you?’ she asked, note, the ‘she’ has a small ‘s’. Also, paragraphing helps the reader to understand the text, and not become overwhelmed. If a character talks, and then another character reacts to what he/she says, start a new paragraph. Great story killed by a lack of editing.’ Teacher, aged 62
‘Lots of missing words. E.g. These are peasants; they do not possess the Source, why should (we) waste our resources?’ To be honest, the whole sentence needs re-writing: ‘They are just peasants! They do not possess the Source. Why should we waste our resources on them?’ Girl, aged 16
To Sum It Up:
‘A rich, fantasy adventure that, sadly, suffers from a lack of editing.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: Where I Belong
Author: Willow Woods
Star Rating: 2.5 Stars
Number of Readers: 18
Stats
Editing: 2/10
Writing Style: 5/10
Content: 7/10
Cover: 8/10
Of the 18 readers:
9 would read another book by this author.
14 thought the cover was good or excellent.
9 felt it was easy to follow.
9 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
11 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
9 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
9 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
18 felt the book needed editing for errors.
Readers’ Comments
‘Sadly, this book needs editing. It is packed full of grammatical/punctuation errors. Here are a few:
‘She has a pulse but its low’ should read: ‘She has a pulse but it’s low’
‘We’ve been with her since...maybe twenty minutes?’ I don’t think that’s a question.
I know it is a bit disorienting dear but try to relax,’ Alexandra nodded and gritted her teeth as the woman gently pushed the object into her ear once more.
This should read:
I know it is a bit disorienting dear but try to relax.’
(new paragraph)
Alexandra nodded and gritted her teeth as the woman gently pushed the object into her ear once more.
And this on the very next line:
‘What does it do?’ She asked as it beeped
Should read:
‘What does it do?’ she asked as it beeped
And so on and so on. I think it’s important, when a book is published, that it is properly edited.’ Girl, aged 16
‘There are a lot of problems with this text that could be corrected by a good edit. Overusing ‘…’ whenever a character talks, forgetting to start a new paragraph when a new character starts talking or reacts to what the other character is saying, and a huge number of small punctuation errors. The story is okay, the character arcs work, and the ending was exciting, but it still needs editing. Note to author: work on dialogue too; at present, it’s a bit wooden.’ Publisher, aged 53
‘Note to author: with a sentence like this ‘How old are you?’ she asked, note, the ‘she’ has a small ‘s’. Also, paragraphing helps the reader to understand the text, and not become overwhelmed. If a character talks, and then another character reacts to what he/she says, start a new paragraph. Great story killed by a lack of editing.’ Teacher, aged 62
‘Lots of missing words. E.g. These are peasants; they do not possess the Source, why should (we) waste our resources?’ To be honest, the whole sentence needs re-writing: ‘They are just peasants! They do not possess the Source. Why should we waste our resources on them?’ Girl, aged 16
To Sum It Up:
‘A rich, fantasy adventure that, sadly, suffers from a lack of editing.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
November 14, 2019
The first thing I want to say about this book is, ‘Don’t be put off by its size’. Some things need to be long and this does. The twenty-year-old heroine has a daunting road to follow; she has to find herself – who she is and where she belongs, and we have to believe in her journey, so we can’t cut corners. The reader needs to be involved in her world – or, rather her worlds, because there is a fantasy element to this tale that takes us from a job in a seafront cafe in modern-day Bournemouth to a mediaeval-type world of castles, political intrigue and hand-to-mouth poverty where she finds herself lined up for a loveless arranged marriage to a tyrant king. A sense of duty, desire, fear and anger all fight for a place in her heart as she tries to come to terms with what is right, what is selfish and how she should respond to a man who both loves her and despises her at the same time.
Our heroine’s heart is with the ordinary people among whom she becomes popular. As such she gets drawn into the confidence of the rebels’ treasonous plots but can she trust them? Can she even trust her slave-maids with whom, despite her privileged status, she identifies because she is no freer than they are? Where does she belong in all this? Even at the very end of this tale, the reader is not quite sure which way things will turn. And then, when the story is finished, we are reluctant to leave – it’s, like, ‘Do write to let me know how you’re getting on’.
The characters in 'Where I Belong' are strong and real. If you like the players in Game of Thrones, or classic costume dramas, then you will enjoy the people in this historical fantasy world.
Sadly, the first edition of this work is marred by a plethora of typographical errors. It appears that a draft file has got through. The upside of this for the reader, however, is that Willow Woods is selling at a give-away price and throwing in a free flawless e-book, too. Even if you can’t find a first edition paperback version then the e-book at £2.99 is an absolute bargain.
Our heroine’s heart is with the ordinary people among whom she becomes popular. As such she gets drawn into the confidence of the rebels’ treasonous plots but can she trust them? Can she even trust her slave-maids with whom, despite her privileged status, she identifies because she is no freer than they are? Where does she belong in all this? Even at the very end of this tale, the reader is not quite sure which way things will turn. And then, when the story is finished, we are reluctant to leave – it’s, like, ‘Do write to let me know how you’re getting on’.
The characters in 'Where I Belong' are strong and real. If you like the players in Game of Thrones, or classic costume dramas, then you will enjoy the people in this historical fantasy world.
Sadly, the first edition of this work is marred by a plethora of typographical errors. It appears that a draft file has got through. The upside of this for the reader, however, is that Willow Woods is selling at a give-away price and throwing in a free flawless e-book, too. Even if you can’t find a first edition paperback version then the e-book at £2.99 is an absolute bargain.
March 9, 2020
Bought this fantasy novel at Birmingham Comic Con last year!
Where I Belong follows Alexandra, alone, confused, and with no memories at all about her past or about herself, we see her grow throughout this novel.
Alexandra's character is believable and human, she is young and naïve (a lot because of her amnesia), but also fierce and sharp witted.
Her indignation against Carlyle's behaviour and thoughts about the people of Saphyre of whom he rules over through fear is a constant source of relief and humanity throughout the novel. Some of her actions are questionable but then we are reminded that she has little to no memories and is acting almost purely on the knowledge she gains throughout the book.
Carlyle is ridged and cruel. He is the product of centuries of one way thinking and strict beliefs. He is the villain in the shape of a possessive, obsessive, abusive, powerful ruler. There are moments when you think you could like him but are then reminded of his true nature and driving force.
I enjoyed the story narrative. Alexandra is someone you can root for and grieve with. The magic system, call the Source, is fantastic! There is so much more incorporated in the world building (religion, past wars, beliefs, history) than is explored in this novel and I would love to read more about this world!
However, this book does deal with multiple sensitive issues and trigger warnings such as miscarriages, murder, and mental, physical, and sexual abuse, most of which stem from Carlyle.
I have another book by this author The Shadow Courtesan and look forward to reading it!
Where I Belong follows Alexandra, alone, confused, and with no memories at all about her past or about herself, we see her grow throughout this novel.
Alexandra's character is believable and human, she is young and naïve (a lot because of her amnesia), but also fierce and sharp witted.
Her indignation against Carlyle's behaviour and thoughts about the people of Saphyre of whom he rules over through fear is a constant source of relief and humanity throughout the novel. Some of her actions are questionable but then we are reminded that she has little to no memories and is acting almost purely on the knowledge she gains throughout the book.
Carlyle is ridged and cruel. He is the product of centuries of one way thinking and strict beliefs. He is the villain in the shape of a possessive, obsessive, abusive, powerful ruler. There are moments when you think you could like him but are then reminded of his true nature and driving force.
I enjoyed the story narrative. Alexandra is someone you can root for and grieve with. The magic system, call the Source, is fantastic! There is so much more incorporated in the world building (religion, past wars, beliefs, history) than is explored in this novel and I would love to read more about this world!
However, this book does deal with multiple sensitive issues and trigger warnings such as miscarriages, murder, and mental, physical, and sexual abuse, most of which stem from Carlyle.
I have another book by this author The Shadow Courtesan and look forward to reading it!
November 8, 2019
Alexandre is lost in a world where she does not want to be and finds that she must help decide between two men who claim to be King. Come along and see how she goes about finding the truth and her place.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 15, 2019
This is a great story that is amazingly written. The author has created such wonderful characters in Alexandra and her team of cohorts. This amazing story is compelling and satisfying.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 4, 2025
So not my usual jam and I was emotionally disconnected from our Main Girl but overall not bad.
August 15, 2025
I had one if the original prints of this book which comes with some errors and spelling mistakes, the author makes people aware of this and a digital version that has the errors corrected is available. I found that these errors had no impact on my enjoyment of the story at all.
I really loved this book, the story starts off nice and slow, building up the world and speeds up as you get towards the end giving the perfect can't put the book down feeling. I loved the world building and characters with some elements of the book predictable in a good way and other elements I didn't expect at all.
Cannot recomend this book enough is a really lovely stand alone book that gives you a fantasy adventure with a strong female character and amazing writing.
I really loved this book, the story starts off nice and slow, building up the world and speeds up as you get towards the end giving the perfect can't put the book down feeling. I loved the world building and characters with some elements of the book predictable in a good way and other elements I didn't expect at all.
Cannot recomend this book enough is a really lovely stand alone book that gives you a fantasy adventure with a strong female character and amazing writing.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews