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Iyarri Chronicles #1
Heaven's Silhouette
When I was little, other children called me a monster. A painting proved them right.
A lifetime of cruel taunts and heartbreak has taught Aurelia to hide, to not get too close to anyone. A painter and gallery docent, her only solace is in the art that can’t stare back. When a new piece arrives, depicting an angelic figure who shares the physical features she’s always thought of as monstrous, Aurelia searches for the artist, determined to get the answers her mother has long refused to provide.
But she isn’t the only one searching. There are others who want the artist—and the truth—silenced. Aurelia is attacked by figures from the painting, fierce warriors with wings and sharpened blades. Shaken and bloody, she manages to escape with her life but finds herself hunted by the Iyarri, who are anything but angels. As she comes to terms with her connection to them, Aurelia is drawn deeper into the heart of a millennia-old struggle. If she’s not careful, the consequences will tear her body, her heart, and the Iyarri in two.
A lifetime of cruel taunts and heartbreak has taught Aurelia to hide, to not get too close to anyone. A painter and gallery docent, her only solace is in the art that can’t stare back. When a new piece arrives, depicting an angelic figure who shares the physical features she’s always thought of as monstrous, Aurelia searches for the artist, determined to get the answers her mother has long refused to provide.
But she isn’t the only one searching. There are others who want the artist—and the truth—silenced. Aurelia is attacked by figures from the painting, fierce warriors with wings and sharpened blades. Shaken and bloody, she manages to escape with her life but finds herself hunted by the Iyarri, who are anything but angels. As she comes to terms with her connection to them, Aurelia is drawn deeper into the heart of a millennia-old struggle. If she’s not careful, the consequences will tear her body, her heart, and the Iyarri in two.
- GenresFantasyAngelsParanormal
403 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 17, 2019
13 people are currently reading
681 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Lynn Herold
6 books33 followersMelissa Lynn Herold is artistically-talented, scientifically-minded, and magically-fascinated, something that manifests in both her fiction and nonfiction. An herbal alchemist, Melissa owns and runs NightBloomingwhere she blends up herbs and oils that grow real-life fairytale hair and has published two nonfiction books, Rehabilitating Damaged Hair Naturally and Coloring Hair Naturally with Henna & Other Herbs.
Melissa's debut into published fiction is the darkly immersive Heaven's Silhouette, her debut novel and the first book in the Iyarri Chronicles (September 17, 2019).
She lives with her husband in a sweeping river valley with their mutinous cats and garden dotted with honeybees.
Melissa's debut into published fiction is the darkly immersive Heaven's Silhouette, her debut novel and the first book in the Iyarri Chronicles (September 17, 2019).
She lives with her husband in a sweeping river valley with their mutinous cats and garden dotted with honeybees.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
September 18, 2019
Aurelia works at an art gallery. One afternoon she notices a new painting on display depicting a winged creature similar to an angel. She notices that the ‘angel’ has similar traits to herself such as only three toes on each foot. Whilst looking at the painting the artist Stephan comes over to talk to her. He is soon joined by another man who seems very interested in the painting and the words that have been written on it.
In the afternoon Aurelia notices that the painting is gone. She discovers that the painter asked for it to be removed and that he was coming to collect it that evening. Intrigued to know more, Aurelia is happy to wait for him. However upon loading the painting into his vehicle the ‘angel’ depicted in the painting makes an appearance and he isn’t happy, in fact, he attacks Stephan killing him and nearly killing Aurelia in the process. She is saved by the man who she had seen talking to Stephan earlier – Lucian.
Lucian takes her to a safe place and explains that the winged creatures might look like angels but they most definitely are not, they are a race called Iryarri. They can disguise themselves to look like humans, they are not immortal and they will kill anybody who knows about them, including Aurelia. His next words shocked her to her core. She is half Iyarri and half-human, the only one known to exist and the Iyarri will stop at nothing to kill her.
Heaven’s Silhouette starts strongly and right into the action. Aurelia has had a hard childhood, because of her features including three toes on each foot her school friends and neighbours taunted her and believed she was a monster. When she sees the painting in the gallery with the winged creature she finds that she has an instant connection to it and wants to know more. However, she never thought she would learn about a race of evil, angel looking beings.
The plot moves along at a nice pace and I liked the interaction between Aurelia and Lucian. However, whilst Lucian was the heroic type, Aurelia was the bumbling sit in the corner and cry type. In real life we might just do the same knowing that some creatures are trying to kill us, however, this is a fantasy book and I was hoping that Aurelia would grow as a person and become some kick-ass heroine. Also being a fantasy I wanted there to be some kind of special way that these beings could be killed, but no they are just like humans and getting shot works.
Most of the book focuses on Aurelia and Lucian on the run. However, as the book progressed the scenery did change when Aurelia meets her father – An Iyarri. There was a major villain in the plot but I’d worked out that element of it just a few chapters in, unfortunately, although this didn’t take anything away from my enjoyment of the story.
Overall if you enjoy fast-paced fantasy books then this is the book to read.
In the afternoon Aurelia notices that the painting is gone. She discovers that the painter asked for it to be removed and that he was coming to collect it that evening. Intrigued to know more, Aurelia is happy to wait for him. However upon loading the painting into his vehicle the ‘angel’ depicted in the painting makes an appearance and he isn’t happy, in fact, he attacks Stephan killing him and nearly killing Aurelia in the process. She is saved by the man who she had seen talking to Stephan earlier – Lucian.
Lucian takes her to a safe place and explains that the winged creatures might look like angels but they most definitely are not, they are a race called Iryarri. They can disguise themselves to look like humans, they are not immortal and they will kill anybody who knows about them, including Aurelia. His next words shocked her to her core. She is half Iyarri and half-human, the only one known to exist and the Iyarri will stop at nothing to kill her.
Heaven’s Silhouette starts strongly and right into the action. Aurelia has had a hard childhood, because of her features including three toes on each foot her school friends and neighbours taunted her and believed she was a monster. When she sees the painting in the gallery with the winged creature she finds that she has an instant connection to it and wants to know more. However, she never thought she would learn about a race of evil, angel looking beings.
The plot moves along at a nice pace and I liked the interaction between Aurelia and Lucian. However, whilst Lucian was the heroic type, Aurelia was the bumbling sit in the corner and cry type. In real life we might just do the same knowing that some creatures are trying to kill us, however, this is a fantasy book and I was hoping that Aurelia would grow as a person and become some kick-ass heroine. Also being a fantasy I wanted there to be some kind of special way that these beings could be killed, but no they are just like humans and getting shot works.
Most of the book focuses on Aurelia and Lucian on the run. However, as the book progressed the scenery did change when Aurelia meets her father – An Iyarri. There was a major villain in the plot but I’d worked out that element of it just a few chapters in, unfortunately, although this didn’t take anything away from my enjoyment of the story.
Overall if you enjoy fast-paced fantasy books then this is the book to read.
September 9, 2019
***I received this book courtesy of Netgallery in exchange for an honest review***
I am not sure I enjoyed this book. The whole premise was unbelievable.
The idea is that there are angel-like beings called the Iyarri. They are not as forgiving and gracious as the angels we know, instead they are vengeful and murderous, especially more so when any human has the misfortune to learn about their existence.
What I found odd was that though they decided to use the "myth" of angels as a cover for their own race they still killed anyone that found out. The idea of hiding behind the biblical angels was sound, it just made no sense to go ahead and kill them still. Wouldn't that raise more questions? If anyone that thought angels were real suddenly died doesn't that mean more people will be willing to find out if angels are indeed real. That makes sense to me but maybe it does to only me.
The story starts with Aurelia, who works in a gallery seeing the depiction of an angel, she is shocked because she has feet just like the painting. She questions the artist and he tells her that he saw an angel one day, sitting above a church and so he painted what he could remember the angel looked like. While he was telling her another guy, Lucian joins them. He is also interested in the painting. They walk away leaving Aurelia sad about not being able to ask more questions. As luck will have it, the owner wants the painting back and Aurelia is happy to stay behind to give it to him. During the exchange the Iyarri appear and kill the painter, Lucian who was also there kills one of them and flees with Aurelia.
Again my issue is, if they are pretending to be Angels then why do they care if there was a painting depicting them. Almost everyone would think either the painter is religious or he's delusional when he says he saw an angel. It makes no sense to show themselves for something so trivial.
We spend about 60% on the run from the Iyarri, they keep trying to kill Aurelia and Lucian. During this time Aurelia finds out that one of her mentor, Aemon is an Iyarri and that he has been using glamour to hide his wings. He tells her who her father is and why he abandoned her. See , for the Iyarri having sex with a human is taboo and is an unforgivable sin. Apparently hundreds of years ago humans and the Iyarri lived in perfect harmony until the humans wanted a place in the council. When they were refused they murdered hundreds of Iyarri leading to them being expelled and the Iyarri passing that law. He tells her this in front of another Iyarri who turns out to be her aunt. Her aunt doesn't believe it and flies her to where her father has been hiding for the past twenty five years to question him.
Cael is overjoyed to see Aurelia and explains why he had to leave. He cannot be in her life because he is on a self imposed exile and associating with her will cause the council to find out which will put her in danger. He warns her to stay away from Aemon because he thinks Aemon is using her for revenge. Years past, Cael killed Aemon's soulmate for revealing her self to the humans, she posed for a painting and the council voted her death. Cael wielded the blade.
She disregards her father's wishes and sees him anyway. He tells her that there is a way to make her not so abominable to the Iyarri , there is a ritual which will give her wings making her an Iyarri, when she has that no one would even sneer in her face. She is hesitant but eventually caves when told Lucian is dead. Unknown to her, having wings as a halfbreed is even worse than having none. Aemon is conveniently revealed as the villain he is when he tries to kill her in front of thousands of people at a Christmas eve service. He pushed her through the window and the crowd notices her wings.
Naturally things come out and they have to face the council, Cael for having sex with a human and Aurelia for being a half breed. Through some maneuvering they are found not guilty. Aemon is sentenced to have his wings removed, something that is worse than death due to his role in having their race discovered. He somehow cheats the system and drugs someone else , that person suffers and has to be killed because when the wings are gone they are gone and he did not want to live like that.
Aurelia finds out Lucian is not dead and goes to see him, she reveals herself to him as half Iyarri and surprise surprise, he doesn't want her anymore so she leaves. The books ends with the burial of the Iyarri who was mistakenly killed.
After writing this long review, I realize I am being generous in attempting to give this book three stars. It does not even warrant two. The whole gist of the story has to be sifted through endless running, killing of the Iyarri and Aurelia learning how to fly. It was a tedious process for something that provides no enjoyment. I'll never get that time back.
I am not sure I enjoyed this book. The whole premise was unbelievable.
The idea is that there are angel-like beings called the Iyarri. They are not as forgiving and gracious as the angels we know, instead they are vengeful and murderous, especially more so when any human has the misfortune to learn about their existence.
What I found odd was that though they decided to use the "myth" of angels as a cover for their own race they still killed anyone that found out. The idea of hiding behind the biblical angels was sound, it just made no sense to go ahead and kill them still. Wouldn't that raise more questions? If anyone that thought angels were real suddenly died doesn't that mean more people will be willing to find out if angels are indeed real. That makes sense to me but maybe it does to only me.
The story starts with Aurelia, who works in a gallery seeing the depiction of an angel, she is shocked because she has feet just like the painting. She questions the artist and he tells her that he saw an angel one day, sitting above a church and so he painted what he could remember the angel looked like. While he was telling her another guy, Lucian joins them. He is also interested in the painting. They walk away leaving Aurelia sad about not being able to ask more questions. As luck will have it, the owner wants the painting back and Aurelia is happy to stay behind to give it to him. During the exchange the Iyarri appear and kill the painter, Lucian who was also there kills one of them and flees with Aurelia.
Again my issue is, if they are pretending to be Angels then why do they care if there was a painting depicting them. Almost everyone would think either the painter is religious or he's delusional when he says he saw an angel. It makes no sense to show themselves for something so trivial.
We spend about 60% on the run from the Iyarri, they keep trying to kill Aurelia and Lucian. During this time Aurelia finds out that one of her mentor, Aemon is an Iyarri and that he has been using glamour to hide his wings. He tells her who her father is and why he abandoned her. See , for the Iyarri having sex with a human is taboo and is an unforgivable sin. Apparently hundreds of years ago humans and the Iyarri lived in perfect harmony until the humans wanted a place in the council. When they were refused they murdered hundreds of Iyarri leading to them being expelled and the Iyarri passing that law. He tells her this in front of another Iyarri who turns out to be her aunt. Her aunt doesn't believe it and flies her to where her father has been hiding for the past twenty five years to question him.
Cael is overjoyed to see Aurelia and explains why he had to leave. He cannot be in her life because he is on a self imposed exile and associating with her will cause the council to find out which will put her in danger. He warns her to stay away from Aemon because he thinks Aemon is using her for revenge. Years past, Cael killed Aemon's soulmate for revealing her self to the humans, she posed for a painting and the council voted her death. Cael wielded the blade.
She disregards her father's wishes and sees him anyway. He tells her that there is a way to make her not so abominable to the Iyarri , there is a ritual which will give her wings making her an Iyarri, when she has that no one would even sneer in her face. She is hesitant but eventually caves when told Lucian is dead. Unknown to her, having wings as a halfbreed is even worse than having none. Aemon is conveniently revealed as the villain he is when he tries to kill her in front of thousands of people at a Christmas eve service. He pushed her through the window and the crowd notices her wings.
Naturally things come out and they have to face the council, Cael for having sex with a human and Aurelia for being a half breed. Through some maneuvering they are found not guilty. Aemon is sentenced to have his wings removed, something that is worse than death due to his role in having their race discovered. He somehow cheats the system and drugs someone else , that person suffers and has to be killed because when the wings are gone they are gone and he did not want to live like that.
Aurelia finds out Lucian is not dead and goes to see him, she reveals herself to him as half Iyarri and surprise surprise, he doesn't want her anymore so she leaves. The books ends with the burial of the Iyarri who was mistakenly killed.
After writing this long review, I realize I am being generous in attempting to give this book three stars. It does not even warrant two. The whole gist of the story has to be sifted through endless running, killing of the Iyarri and Aurelia learning how to fly. It was a tedious process for something that provides no enjoyment. I'll never get that time back.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2019
Heaven's Silhouette by Melissa Lynn Herold is a new fantasy series about angels but with a twist. This book marks the beginning of the Iyarri Chronicles.
The story is well developed and was narrated nicely. I was drawn into the story right from the very start where we are introduced to Au \relia and the heart of the story, i.e., Aurelia is not like other kids; she is different. And it was after reading the prologue that I knew I was in for a good story. And after that, the book delivered as expected - an original fantasy world.
Even though the concept of angels has already been used many times in various books and series, like Penryn And The End Of Days series by Susan Ee (which BTW is my absolute favourite series when it comes to the fallen angel fantasy trope), I still enjoyed this book mostly because of the concept of Iyarri where they are winged beings who take cover in the angel-mythology. So although it might not initially feel that way, this book's concept is nothing like the other books with a similar theme. It is nothing like the books that I've read.
The world-building in this book is good, it wasn't entirely fantastic but it wasn't all bad either. Though we don't get to explore the Iyarri world in any particular detail, I won't be judging the entire series right now as that might be an intentional step by the author and this is just the first book, so we'll see about it in the next books.
One thing needs a special mention here is the language. Now I know we have epic fantasy series like ASOIAF by GRRM with fully-fleshed out languages, but once in a while, I do appreciate not having to deal with a lot of newly-conceived-language jargon. I love it when fantasy authors add a sprinkling of a handful of words from a new language throughout the book in a way that it is easy for the reader to pick it up on their own. That's exactly what author Melissa did in this book and I am very thankful to her for that.
So so moving on... the writing was simple and fluid. It made the book a very quick read in spite of it being 400 pages plus. The tension and conflicts in the story kept me engrossed into the book from start to end and I ended up finishing this book in only 3 days. And now I am eagerly waiting for the next book in this series to come out so that I can read more and explore this new and exciting world further.
If you are a fantasy fan then you should definitely give this book a read!
You can watch my YouTube video for this review here: https://youtu.be/zMZ6U8PKsu8
Or you can read this review on my book blog here: https://thereadingbud.com
The story is well developed and was narrated nicely. I was drawn into the story right from the very start where we are introduced to Au \relia and the heart of the story, i.e., Aurelia is not like other kids; she is different. And it was after reading the prologue that I knew I was in for a good story. And after that, the book delivered as expected - an original fantasy world.
Even though the concept of angels has already been used many times in various books and series, like Penryn And The End Of Days series by Susan Ee (which BTW is my absolute favourite series when it comes to the fallen angel fantasy trope), I still enjoyed this book mostly because of the concept of Iyarri where they are winged beings who take cover in the angel-mythology. So although it might not initially feel that way, this book's concept is nothing like the other books with a similar theme. It is nothing like the books that I've read.
The world-building in this book is good, it wasn't entirely fantastic but it wasn't all bad either. Though we don't get to explore the Iyarri world in any particular detail, I won't be judging the entire series right now as that might be an intentional step by the author and this is just the first book, so we'll see about it in the next books.
One thing needs a special mention here is the language. Now I know we have epic fantasy series like ASOIAF by GRRM with fully-fleshed out languages, but once in a while, I do appreciate not having to deal with a lot of newly-conceived-language jargon. I love it when fantasy authors add a sprinkling of a handful of words from a new language throughout the book in a way that it is easy for the reader to pick it up on their own. That's exactly what author Melissa did in this book and I am very thankful to her for that.
So so moving on... the writing was simple and fluid. It made the book a very quick read in spite of it being 400 pages plus. The tension and conflicts in the story kept me engrossed into the book from start to end and I ended up finishing this book in only 3 days. And now I am eagerly waiting for the next book in this series to come out so that I can read more and explore this new and exciting world further.
If you are a fantasy fan then you should definitely give this book a read!
You can watch my YouTube video for this review here: https://youtu.be/zMZ6U8PKsu8
Or you can read this review on my book blog here: https://thereadingbud.com
February 10, 2021
➳ Rate: 4/ 5 stars
What an interesting world this was. So many plot twists, so many secrets, so much betrayal. I was on the edge of my seat most of them, waiting to see what would happen next. It was a great world building and the author definitely had me drawn into this world pretty quickly.
I’ve never read a book on angels or, shall I say Iyarri, before and it was definitely interesting to explore it and learn about the Iyarri language. I found those bit so interesting. I can’t wait to see Aurelia explore this world more for herself and grow more into her new self now that she has gone through such a big change.
The romance plotline was killed pretty quickly and I was a bit disappointed in that. I love romance and I’m always excited about that plotline even in fantasy books. But loving someone who will hate you once they learn what you really are doesn’t typically have a happy ending. I was not happy at the beginning of the book when things went bad but somehow I knew it wasn’t really the end and you know what? I was right and happy about it, even though at that point in the book with how things were, things got much harder for our heroine. Yet still so many possibilities for the future. I’m still holding out hope for Aurelia and her love interest.
Gah, I’m so curious to see what will happen in book 2 because there are so many possible outcomes after the way this book ended, romance wise and otherwise. My mind is still reeling over things and coming up possible outcomes for some of the characters. I can’t wait to start book 2 and see how the world will implode for Aurelia next. I hope the human and Iyarri world will be kinder to her. She went through so much in this book, my heart hurt for her. I hope she’ll fina some happiness in the second installment in the series.
➳ARC kindly provided by the author, in exchange for an honest review.
➳ Order at: Amazon US
➳ Follow me on: Instagram ⁕ Facebook ⁕ Twitter
What an interesting world this was. So many plot twists, so many secrets, so much betrayal. I was on the edge of my seat most of them, waiting to see what would happen next. It was a great world building and the author definitely had me drawn into this world pretty quickly.
I’ve never read a book on angels or, shall I say Iyarri, before and it was definitely interesting to explore it and learn about the Iyarri language. I found those bit so interesting. I can’t wait to see Aurelia explore this world more for herself and grow more into her new self now that she has gone through such a big change.
The romance plotline was killed pretty quickly and I was a bit disappointed in that. I love romance and I’m always excited about that plotline even in fantasy books. But loving someone who will hate you once they learn what you really are doesn’t typically have a happy ending. I was not happy at the beginning of the book when things went bad but somehow I knew it wasn’t really the end and you know what? I was right and happy about it, even though at that point in the book with how things were, things got much harder for our heroine. Yet still so many possibilities for the future. I’m still holding out hope for Aurelia and her love interest.
Gah, I’m so curious to see what will happen in book 2 because there are so many possible outcomes after the way this book ended, romance wise and otherwise. My mind is still reeling over things and coming up possible outcomes for some of the characters. I can’t wait to start book 2 and see how the world will implode for Aurelia next. I hope the human and Iyarri world will be kinder to her. She went through so much in this book, my heart hurt for her. I hope she’ll fina some happiness in the second installment in the series.
➳ARC kindly provided by the author, in exchange for an honest review.
➳ Order at: Amazon US
➳ Follow me on: Instagram ⁕ Facebook ⁕ Twitter
October 6, 2021
This follows Aurelia who works at an art gallery. One day she notices a painting of an angel whose has three toes on each feet just like hers. Two other men join her and are equally intrigued by this fascinating masterpiece. Soon enough, the painter asks the gallery owner to take down the painting and he himself will arrive to collect it. Aurelia is excited to meet him and probably find a few answers that she has been pondering over for a very long time.
However things take tragic turn when the angel makes an appearance and kills off Stephen and was about to attack Aurelia. Fortunately the other man, Lucian, from their previous encounter at the gallery appears and saves her. She learns that these may look like angels but they are deadly. They are known as Iyaari.
Lucian and Aurelia are on the run because now the Iyaari are after her, knowing that she is half human and half Iyaari.
A fast-paced fantasy novel that is a must read. I loved the writing style, it was absolutely engaging right from the beginning. The dynamics between our protagonists was amazing and it was definitely enjoyable to see their relationship developed. Reading Iyaari and their history was a completely different experience. It was super exciting.
However things take tragic turn when the angel makes an appearance and kills off Stephen and was about to attack Aurelia. Fortunately the other man, Lucian, from their previous encounter at the gallery appears and saves her. She learns that these may look like angels but they are deadly. They are known as Iyaari.
Lucian and Aurelia are on the run because now the Iyaari are after her, knowing that she is half human and half Iyaari.
A fast-paced fantasy novel that is a must read. I loved the writing style, it was absolutely engaging right from the beginning. The dynamics between our protagonists was amazing and it was definitely enjoyable to see their relationship developed. Reading Iyaari and their history was a completely different experience. It was super exciting.
September 17, 2019
If you think you know what an angel is..... think again!
Review
For a debut novel this was a fantastic read! A must read for any Sci Fi & Fantasy Fan!
I wouldn’t normally read a book relating to Angels but I am so glad I read this.
Melissa has a great writing style which flowed easily (I didn’t have to jump back a page or so as I got lost in the story line and left wandering what happened).
Melissa sets the scene extremely well and her descriptives were spot on although gruesome in parts, I could picture the scenes so easily.
I particularly loved how at the end of the book there was a a section detailing Loageth Words and their pronunciations alongside the Cast list!
I can see this being a great series and look forward to seeing how the characters develop and get to know them better! I don’t like to be bombarded with character descriptions and backstories that take up the best part of a book..... I like to watch them grow!
Thank you Netgalley and Wise Ink Creative Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Synopsis
Aurelia uncovers secrets about a painting, one that depicts an angelic figure who shares the traits she’s always thought of as monstrous.
She’s attacked by fierce warriors with wings and sharpened blades. Shaken and bloody, Aurelia escapes, but finds herself hunted by the Iyarri, who are anything but angels. As she comes to terms with her connection to them, Aurelia is drawn deeper into an ancient struggle between humans and the winged Iyarri. If she’s not careful, the consequences will tear her body, her heart, and the Iyarri in two.
Review
For a debut novel this was a fantastic read! A must read for any Sci Fi & Fantasy Fan!
I wouldn’t normally read a book relating to Angels but I am so glad I read this.
Melissa has a great writing style which flowed easily (I didn’t have to jump back a page or so as I got lost in the story line and left wandering what happened).
Melissa sets the scene extremely well and her descriptives were spot on although gruesome in parts, I could picture the scenes so easily.
I particularly loved how at the end of the book there was a a section detailing Loageth Words and their pronunciations alongside the Cast list!
I can see this being a great series and look forward to seeing how the characters develop and get to know them better! I don’t like to be bombarded with character descriptions and backstories that take up the best part of a book..... I like to watch them grow!
Thank you Netgalley and Wise Ink Creative Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Synopsis
Aurelia uncovers secrets about a painting, one that depicts an angelic figure who shares the traits she’s always thought of as monstrous.
She’s attacked by fierce warriors with wings and sharpened blades. Shaken and bloody, Aurelia escapes, but finds herself hunted by the Iyarri, who are anything but angels. As she comes to terms with her connection to them, Aurelia is drawn deeper into an ancient struggle between humans and the winged Iyarri. If she’s not careful, the consequences will tear her body, her heart, and the Iyarri in two.
September 23, 2019
1.5 stars
*Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*
This book is not entirely bad, the premise is very good but the execution itself is not.
The book starts out of nowhere, then out of the sudden starts trowing explanations of things on you and even when they to that the book does not manage to explain everything and you end up getting halfway information or not getting all the information you need making the book confused and me very frustrated.
Another thing that pissed me off in this book was the insta love, completely unnecessary in my opinion, the romance could have been worked out better all through the book and not in the first 100 pages (and the first 3 days the characters met). At the end not an enjoyable reading experience overall.
*Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*
This book is not entirely bad, the premise is very good but the execution itself is not.
The book starts out of nowhere, then out of the sudden starts trowing explanations of things on you and even when they to that the book does not manage to explain everything and you end up getting halfway information or not getting all the information you need making the book confused and me very frustrated.
Another thing that pissed me off in this book was the insta love, completely unnecessary in my opinion, the romance could have been worked out better all through the book and not in the first 100 pages (and the first 3 days the characters met). At the end not an enjoyable reading experience overall.
February 1, 2021
Review coming soon, but first I need Morning's Dawn ASAP!
[EDIT] REVIEW
Heaven's Silhouette is a high fantasy book centered around Aurelia who lived a mundane life working at an art gallery. Aurelia had spent her life, hiding her physically unique features, from the fear of being called a monster. Things took a turn when she saw a painting of a creature just like her which led to her terrifying encounter with them. Contrary to their appearances, these angel-like creatures were vicious and fierce, called Iyyari. After that, Aurelia had a whole world of new specie, she had to figure out her link with the Iyyari and the reason why all of a sudden they were trying to kill her.
The world building; I enjoyed reading about how the author had woven the Iyyari world into the human world. There were a lot of difficult and new terms because the Iyyari language was completely new but the glossary at the end was helpful. With easy-to-understand explanations about the Iyyari world, I think the author made it easier for readers to understand Iyyari's strikingly different way of living and laws. The story started off great, filled with action and continued in a pace that made the book a page-turner for me.
The characters; all the characters were well-developed, and realistically drawn. I liked that the author gave a backstory to most characters which added depth to their personalities.
Aurelia's character was portrayed as timid and weak. Thrown into the world of Iyyari who deemed her as an abomination, her self-doubt and insecurities caught up with her which stiffed her personality. I did notice development in her character, she was slowly regaining her confidence so I believe it was reasonable portrayal of her character in her situation.
One thing that seemed far-fetched to me was the insta-love between Aurelia and Lucien. That is not a trope I enjoy, so maybe it's more personal. I think there is more to Lucien's personality that I am hoping will get revealed in the sequel and ultimately make me like him more. Despite of it, Aurelia's affection towards Lucien seemed to be based more on the fact that he saved her life multiple times. So I was put-off when those two immediately formed a liking for each other and also confessed their feelings.
I also want to warn you because there is a violent scene that came out of nowhere so you have to brace yourself while reading the book.
Despite of it all, I found myself continuously feeling Aurelia's pain and sadness and that is a part of what made me love this book. When an author manages to make me feel emotions through words, I place them in a high pedestal. So I have complete faith in Melissa Herold's writing to make me feel all kinds of emotions in the remaining two books!
If you liked ACOTAR, then this is a must read for you. Also have you seen that cover!? How gorgeous it is! I am really looking forward to reading the Mourning's Dawn which is the 2nd installment in this trilogy!
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ebook in exchange for an honest review!
[EDIT] REVIEW
Heaven's Silhouette is a high fantasy book centered around Aurelia who lived a mundane life working at an art gallery. Aurelia had spent her life, hiding her physically unique features, from the fear of being called a monster. Things took a turn when she saw a painting of a creature just like her which led to her terrifying encounter with them. Contrary to their appearances, these angel-like creatures were vicious and fierce, called Iyyari. After that, Aurelia had a whole world of new specie, she had to figure out her link with the Iyyari and the reason why all of a sudden they were trying to kill her.
The world building; I enjoyed reading about how the author had woven the Iyyari world into the human world. There were a lot of difficult and new terms because the Iyyari language was completely new but the glossary at the end was helpful. With easy-to-understand explanations about the Iyyari world, I think the author made it easier for readers to understand Iyyari's strikingly different way of living and laws. The story started off great, filled with action and continued in a pace that made the book a page-turner for me.
The characters; all the characters were well-developed, and realistically drawn. I liked that the author gave a backstory to most characters which added depth to their personalities.
Aurelia's character was portrayed as timid and weak. Thrown into the world of Iyyari who deemed her as an abomination, her self-doubt and insecurities caught up with her which stiffed her personality. I did notice development in her character, she was slowly regaining her confidence so I believe it was reasonable portrayal of her character in her situation.
One thing that seemed far-fetched to me was the insta-love between Aurelia and Lucien. That is not a trope I enjoy, so maybe it's more personal. I think there is more to Lucien's personality that I am hoping will get revealed in the sequel and ultimately make me like him more. Despite of it, Aurelia's affection towards Lucien seemed to be based more on the fact that he saved her life multiple times. So I was put-off when those two immediately formed a liking for each other and also confessed their feelings.
I also want to warn you because there is a violent scene that came out of nowhere so you have to brace yourself while reading the book.
Despite of it all, I found myself continuously feeling Aurelia's pain and sadness and that is a part of what made me love this book. When an author manages to make me feel emotions through words, I place them in a high pedestal. So I have complete faith in Melissa Herold's writing to make me feel all kinds of emotions in the remaining two books!
If you liked ACOTAR, then this is a must read for you. Also have you seen that cover!? How gorgeous it is! I am really looking forward to reading the Mourning's Dawn which is the 2nd installment in this trilogy!
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ebook in exchange for an honest review!
June 21, 2021
Heaven's Silhouette was my first read about angels and boy it was a refreshing take on Angel's mythology with all its supernatural world! This book marks the start of the Iyarri Chronicles Trilogy (3rd book will come out in Oct21). And If you ever thought that angels are approachable and tender-hearted, then you're absolutely wrong. The author outdid herself in fabricating such an interesting world-building and placing it among ours!
☆
The story is narrated from Aurelia's POV who works at an art gallery. One day she notices a painting depicting an 'Angel' that shares some of her physical deformities which spiked her interest to know more of it. Little did she know that this painting was her joy and her curse because now she is followed by a vicious winged warriors who want her dead.
☆
Aurelia is often portrayed as a fragile and a weak protagonist with her raised insecurities and unnerving self-doubt. Usually, I don't get attached to such characters but somehow hers was understandable because of all the constant struggles and disturbing truths that keep being thrown in her way starting with being thrusted into two different worlds that neither sees her for what she is and deems her as abomination. Surprisingly, found myself attached to her by the end.
☆
I loved Aurelia and Lucian's relationship. Though It was rushed at the beginning and got killed pretty quickly which threw me off a little bit since I love me some spicy romance in Fantasy. But I'm hoping there's more to Lucian's character that will be revealed soon.
☆
The story is narrated in a significant way that got me hooked from the first chapter. The pace was good and matched the events unfolding throughly which were full of twists of turns that kept me engaged until the very end. There wasn't any cliffhanger ending but more of an ambiguous one where a bunch of possible outcomes may happen.
☆
I have to say that unlike any other high fantasy book I read, this book was written nicely and clear enough to pick it up on your own without having to deal with a handful of hard terms. Plus there is a glossary at the end of it describing Loageth words with their pronunciation which was very helpful.
☆
Heaven's Silhouette story revolve around family love, acceptance, betrayal, and finding a place to belong and call home. If you're into Found Family and Fallen angel fantasy trope then this book is definitely for you! I can't wrap my head around all the new terms i learned: Linnia, Plodder, Iyarri, Heeoa so I'm Super excited to pick up the next installment this week and see how the story progresses.
☆
Thank you for the author for sending me gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
☆
June 20, 2021
I had never read a story involving angels or angel type character so this was a refreshing story to dive into.
The start of the book was great, there was alot of action with Lucien and Aurelia trying to evade the oncoming Iyarri attackers. Even though they both were severally hurt multiple times, it felt believable given the circumstances cuz there's no way they would have come out of any of what happened unscathed. I was really waiting for a moment in which they were really together but the my ship crashed.
Majority of the book is meantbas world building for who the Iyarri are and what they do. That's really typical of any first in a series, so I can't fault the book for slowing down a smidge. That slow down that is the only reason this is not a 5. I'm kinda expecting more action come the next book.
I did wish though that there was more action toward the end of the book in the form of fighting but the the realization of what happens in the court like meeting killed me. I did not expect that and can't wait to see what is done with Aamon and Irel in the next book.
There is one part of extreme humiliation toward Aurelia, so kinda just a heads up that later on she has magic used on her in a grotesque way that is unnerving. Really make some hope that Aurelia can eventually do something to that chick later.
There isn't exactly a cliffhanger, just more of a gentle conslusion, which I preferred over a straight cliff hanger since I've read alot of those now. There are issued still unresolved that I can't wait to see deal with in the next book. Especially things concerning Aurelia and Lucien. Definitely a book know have to get as a physical copy.
The start of the book was great, there was alot of action with Lucien and Aurelia trying to evade the oncoming Iyarri attackers. Even though they both were severally hurt multiple times, it felt believable given the circumstances cuz there's no way they would have come out of any of what happened unscathed. I was really waiting for a moment in which they were really together but the my ship crashed.
Majority of the book is meantbas world building for who the Iyarri are and what they do. That's really typical of any first in a series, so I can't fault the book for slowing down a smidge. That slow down that is the only reason this is not a 5. I'm kinda expecting more action come the next book.
I did wish though that there was more action toward the end of the book in the form of fighting but the the realization of what happens in the court like meeting killed me. I did not expect that and can't wait to see what is done with Aamon and Irel in the next book.
There is one part of extreme humiliation toward Aurelia, so kinda just a heads up that later on she has magic used on her in a grotesque way that is unnerving. Really make some hope that Aurelia can eventually do something to that chick later.
There isn't exactly a cliffhanger, just more of a gentle conslusion, which I preferred over a straight cliff hanger since I've read alot of those now. There are issued still unresolved that I can't wait to see deal with in the next book. Especially things concerning Aurelia and Lucien. Definitely a book know have to get as a physical copy.
December 19, 2020
I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.
Heaven's silhouette starts off as an action packed read, as we follow Aurelia who has her entire world turned upside down after discovering a painting in the gallery where she works that resembles her physical features, that she thought were mere birth defects. Since her early age, Aurelia has suffered bullying and mockery for her feet. Not only that but she has some other physical traits that are unusual for humans.
I am really glad I discovered the glossary at the end of the novel right from the start, it really helped me to identify the meaning of all Loagaeth terms and it made it much easier to grasp the world building. The Iyarri are winged creatures, not divide, and have an entire separate society from humanity. Aurelia is thrust into this world as she discovers she is half-human and half-Iyarri, she is eager to discover the truth behind her past, her father and the Iyarri.
I found the way the story was written rather magical and appealing, the words flow effortlessly and beautifully. I really enjoyed Lucien's character and his dynamic with Aurelia, while they escape and avoid the Iyarri who are hunting them. Aurelia is considered an abomination for the Iyarri, I really liked the entire half-breed concepts in the story. Overall a thrilling and enjoyable read, fast paced and full of twists that keep you tuned in on the story! I was also really happy with the beautiful cover which had me mesmerized and all the little details included (glossary, cast of characters) it is a beautiful book inside and out!
Heaven's silhouette starts off as an action packed read, as we follow Aurelia who has her entire world turned upside down after discovering a painting in the gallery where she works that resembles her physical features, that she thought were mere birth defects. Since her early age, Aurelia has suffered bullying and mockery for her feet. Not only that but she has some other physical traits that are unusual for humans.
I am really glad I discovered the glossary at the end of the novel right from the start, it really helped me to identify the meaning of all Loagaeth terms and it made it much easier to grasp the world building. The Iyarri are winged creatures, not divide, and have an entire separate society from humanity. Aurelia is thrust into this world as she discovers she is half-human and half-Iyarri, she is eager to discover the truth behind her past, her father and the Iyarri.
I found the way the story was written rather magical and appealing, the words flow effortlessly and beautifully. I really enjoyed Lucien's character and his dynamic with Aurelia, while they escape and avoid the Iyarri who are hunting them. Aurelia is considered an abomination for the Iyarri, I really liked the entire half-breed concepts in the story. Overall a thrilling and enjoyable read, fast paced and full of twists that keep you tuned in on the story! I was also really happy with the beautiful cover which had me mesmerized and all the little details included (glossary, cast of characters) it is a beautiful book inside and out!
November 22, 2020
I'm normally not the biggest fan of stories involving winged creatures, but this book was on a whole different level! I was sucked in immediately, and whenever I had to put the book aside because reality kicked in, I immediately wanted to pick it up again! I am insanely excited for the next book, and cannot wait to dive in.
September 25, 2019
Heaven’s Silhouette is a joy to hold. It’s as beautifully constructed as the words inside. I found myself not wanting to put it down. It’s hard to believe this is the author’s first novel. The story was engrossing and flowed smoothly. The characters are well developed and interesting. The world she creates is well thought out and excellently explained. The scents created to pair with the novel are just divine. Heaven’s Silhouette is an absolute gem. I’m very much looking forward to Mourning’s Dawn.
October 7, 2019
This story was captivating and compelled me to keep turning pages. I had a blast discovering new world and a new people. The action is smooth and the scenery vivid, this magical journey is memorable!
November 23, 2019
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a good debut novel for both a new series and author. The idea of violent and secretive winged creatures overlapping with angelica mythology was both creative and unique and I appreciated not another angels from heaven and or hell story. The world building was strong and realistic, and you could tell the author greatly enjoyed describing the enigmatic and magical world of the Iyarri.
The first third of the book had a hard time holding my attention, despite having plenty of action scenes between our main protagonist, Aurelia (Lia), and our winged beings, the Iyarri. The book opens in what felt like the middle of a scene and within a handful of pages we were introduced to five characters and a couple potential pathways the plot could go. There were 3 attack scenes, each one more violent and with greater devastation than the previous, as well as an inundation of information.
While any new novel, especially the first in a series, does spend time world building and introducing the reader to everything that in later books can be glossed over or summed up, I felt the first third of the book was quite staccato. Everything seemed to happen to Aurelia rather than her taking action. She's attacked. She's saved. She's given info. She's attacked again. She's saved again. More info. Another attack.... She spends most of this time being confused, physically injured, mad and then feeling guilty about being mad. There was little time to sit and absorb everything and appreciate the new world the author was initiating us into. Even some of the conversations seemed a bit forced to provide the reader with more information about the Iyarri world and drive the plot forward.
There were several instances that felt like scenes had been deleted or skipped over completely that should have been there. While the gaps between events didn’t take away from the overall plot, though they did briefly pull me from the story as I wondered shouldn’t there be something more here, the absent scenes could have added beneficial character development that would have benefited characters that at times came across as a bit 2-dimensional and lifeless.
One setting was between Lia talking with two Iyarri healers and Aamon before a life-changing ceremony she has agreed to. The healers were escorted out of her small room and it read as though Aamon left too, but the next section indicated that he stayed in the room with Aurelia. From what little we know of Aamon this would have been a wonderful spot for the author to delve into his character, drawing forth his ease of influencing and redirecting others, especially to an emotionally ravaged, grief-stricken, and somewhat frightened Lia. But with the jump straight from the exiting of the two healers to another entering, possibly hours later, it pulled me from the story wondering if Aamon and Lia simply sat in silence and stared at each other.
Another major gap in the story was how Lia and her parents drove from Minnesota to upstate New York. Having Aurealia walk out her mother’s front door at the end of one chapter and wake up in her father’s house at the beginning of the next yanked me from the flow of the story. I actually checked to see if I had accidentally jumped pages. There was a lot of potential to show how Iyarri might have to move in the human world, especially when one was not able to hide so easily. The trials of traveling halfway across the country while remaining undetected, especially with Aurelia’s new physical attributes, even if described in the briefest of scenes, would have added a great deal to the new struggles Aurelia was facing and the new world she found herself dropped into. Especially clothing herself. That would have been a new challenge worth reading about.
The Iyarri language was a nice touch to rounding out the Iyarri society, but sometimes it felt a little forced and there were several instances where I felt, at least in the beginning, that Aurelia would have been far more curious to what the words meant.
I was on the fence with Aurelia for most of the book. She came across as a very docile, meek person, who just seemed to go with the flow without stopping and questioning. She had this need to be loved and accepted and would hang on the faintest of praise from others. Aurelia, I felt could have been a lot more inquisitive to the Iyarri world, but she came across as star-struck at the great differences with little to no questioning of how or why things worked. I wanted to know how they replicated sunlight inside a mountain.
Aurelia also had the greatest ability to forgive. Now, I enjoyed reading a character who could stop and relate to the other side’s point of view. This is a novelty in books where it generally is my way and their way and the two shall never cross. However, her feeling empathy and understanding for everyone, even those that actively harmed her, sometimes quite intensely, was a bit hard to swallow. It didn’t make her seem empathetic, which I think is what the author was going for, but naive and gullible. Not everyone deserves understanding and forgiveness. Especially those trying to turn you into a human kabob.
However, by the end of the book, I felt Lia finally grew a spine and actually stood up for herself. She wasn’t forgiving anyone after a certain scene. It just took to almost the end of the book for her to do so – but it showed growth, which I always want to see in a character. I have great hope for her in the next book.
I’m not a fan of the insta-love plot and wondering if you love someone having known them for 3 days, half of that time you slept on his couch, definitely qualified as insta-love. The author obviously was working within a time constraint within the story, but the relationship between Lucien and Aurelia felt rushed and more like puppy love or infatuation, where someone strong stepped in and saved her, and gave her attention and respect and Aurelia latched onto him. And for Lucien, who came across as a pensive, somewhat bitter person, it didn’t seem realistic for him to fall so quickly for a stranger when he practically screamed trust issues.
Tiahmani I felt was the only other character that showed growth in the book, albeit not until the last few chapters, but still, she went from not sure if I liked her to I look forward to seeing how her story unfolds. Nearly all the other characters remained pretty much strongly biased and set in their ways from beginning to end. Irel was probably my favorite from first introduction until his last scene. He came across as one thing, but after his last scene indicated that deep secrets and waters run beneath his surface. Catherine was my least favorite. I actually couldn’t stand her and found nothing likeable about her as a character. Aamon had potential to be an intriguing character, but it felt like we only got snippets of him here and there to move the plot along and his character was never fully developed into a true Machiavellian opponent. He had the foundation, but not enough page time. Not much thought on Cael as he was isolated from his life most of the story. How he will develop once returned to his world will be interesting.
While I found most of the characters white and black with little depth, there was potential for them to develop and I hope to see that in the next book.
The second third of the book had the story moving more with less information and action overload. This was where the book bridged from the human world to the Iyarri one and I felt that shift was done well with great drama and intensity. I greatly enjoyed the last third of the book. I was entirely engaged from chapter 26 to the end. There were some widely ranging emotional scenes going on in those last 10 chapters. There was also a physical assault on Lia by another Iyarri. It wasn’t outright rape, but it certainly wasn’t consensual, so readers with a sensitivity to such things be warned.
The ending scenes were solid and I was delighted with the little twists. Aamon I suspected wouldn’t go quietly into the night, but Irel was a delicious surprise. That all wasn’t forgiven and forgotten regarding Cael and Lia I felt was realistic based on the Iyarri society. I picked up on the foreshadowing in the second half of the book regarding Iyarri and their missing balance in the hierarchy and am curious how that is going to play out.
And while it took Lia a really long time to find her voice, she eventually started to at the end, which gives me hope for her in the next book. Hopefully she is a little less eager for others’ praise and love and a little less weepy. Confidence, Lia.
The first third of the book had a hard time holding my attention, despite having plenty of action scenes between our main protagonist, Aurelia (Lia), and our winged beings, the Iyarri. The book opens in what felt like the middle of a scene and within a handful of pages we were introduced to five characters and a couple potential pathways the plot could go. There were 3 attack scenes, each one more violent and with greater devastation than the previous, as well as an inundation of information.
While any new novel, especially the first in a series, does spend time world building and introducing the reader to everything that in later books can be glossed over or summed up, I felt the first third of the book was quite staccato. Everything seemed to happen to Aurelia rather than her taking action. She's attacked. She's saved. She's given info. She's attacked again. She's saved again. More info. Another attack.... She spends most of this time being confused, physically injured, mad and then feeling guilty about being mad. There was little time to sit and absorb everything and appreciate the new world the author was initiating us into. Even some of the conversations seemed a bit forced to provide the reader with more information about the Iyarri world and drive the plot forward.
There were several instances that felt like scenes had been deleted or skipped over completely that should have been there. While the gaps between events didn’t take away from the overall plot, though they did briefly pull me from the story as I wondered shouldn’t there be something more here, the absent scenes could have added beneficial character development that would have benefited characters that at times came across as a bit 2-dimensional and lifeless.
One setting was between Lia talking with two Iyarri healers and Aamon before a life-changing ceremony she has agreed to. The healers were escorted out of her small room and it read as though Aamon left too, but the next section indicated that he stayed in the room with Aurelia. From what little we know of Aamon this would have been a wonderful spot for the author to delve into his character, drawing forth his ease of influencing and redirecting others, especially to an emotionally ravaged, grief-stricken, and somewhat frightened Lia. But with the jump straight from the exiting of the two healers to another entering, possibly hours later, it pulled me from the story wondering if Aamon and Lia simply sat in silence and stared at each other.
Another major gap in the story was how Lia and her parents drove from Minnesota to upstate New York. Having Aurealia walk out her mother’s front door at the end of one chapter and wake up in her father’s house at the beginning of the next yanked me from the flow of the story. I actually checked to see if I had accidentally jumped pages. There was a lot of potential to show how Iyarri might have to move in the human world, especially when one was not able to hide so easily. The trials of traveling halfway across the country while remaining undetected, especially with Aurelia’s new physical attributes, even if described in the briefest of scenes, would have added a great deal to the new struggles Aurelia was facing and the new world she found herself dropped into. Especially clothing herself. That would have been a new challenge worth reading about.
The Iyarri language was a nice touch to rounding out the Iyarri society, but sometimes it felt a little forced and there were several instances where I felt, at least in the beginning, that Aurelia would have been far more curious to what the words meant.
I was on the fence with Aurelia for most of the book. She came across as a very docile, meek person, who just seemed to go with the flow without stopping and questioning. She had this need to be loved and accepted and would hang on the faintest of praise from others. Aurelia, I felt could have been a lot more inquisitive to the Iyarri world, but she came across as star-struck at the great differences with little to no questioning of how or why things worked. I wanted to know how they replicated sunlight inside a mountain.
Aurelia also had the greatest ability to forgive. Now, I enjoyed reading a character who could stop and relate to the other side’s point of view. This is a novelty in books where it generally is my way and their way and the two shall never cross. However, her feeling empathy and understanding for everyone, even those that actively harmed her, sometimes quite intensely, was a bit hard to swallow. It didn’t make her seem empathetic, which I think is what the author was going for, but naive and gullible. Not everyone deserves understanding and forgiveness. Especially those trying to turn you into a human kabob.
However, by the end of the book, I felt Lia finally grew a spine and actually stood up for herself. She wasn’t forgiving anyone after a certain scene. It just took to almost the end of the book for her to do so – but it showed growth, which I always want to see in a character. I have great hope for her in the next book.
I’m not a fan of the insta-love plot and wondering if you love someone having known them for 3 days, half of that time you slept on his couch, definitely qualified as insta-love. The author obviously was working within a time constraint within the story, but the relationship between Lucien and Aurelia felt rushed and more like puppy love or infatuation, where someone strong stepped in and saved her, and gave her attention and respect and Aurelia latched onto him. And for Lucien, who came across as a pensive, somewhat bitter person, it didn’t seem realistic for him to fall so quickly for a stranger when he practically screamed trust issues.
Tiahmani I felt was the only other character that showed growth in the book, albeit not until the last few chapters, but still, she went from not sure if I liked her to I look forward to seeing how her story unfolds. Nearly all the other characters remained pretty much strongly biased and set in their ways from beginning to end. Irel was probably my favorite from first introduction until his last scene. He came across as one thing, but after his last scene indicated that deep secrets and waters run beneath his surface. Catherine was my least favorite. I actually couldn’t stand her and found nothing likeable about her as a character. Aamon had potential to be an intriguing character, but it felt like we only got snippets of him here and there to move the plot along and his character was never fully developed into a true Machiavellian opponent. He had the foundation, but not enough page time. Not much thought on Cael as he was isolated from his life most of the story. How he will develop once returned to his world will be interesting.
While I found most of the characters white and black with little depth, there was potential for them to develop and I hope to see that in the next book.
The second third of the book had the story moving more with less information and action overload. This was where the book bridged from the human world to the Iyarri one and I felt that shift was done well with great drama and intensity. I greatly enjoyed the last third of the book. I was entirely engaged from chapter 26 to the end. There were some widely ranging emotional scenes going on in those last 10 chapters. There was also a physical assault on Lia by another Iyarri. It wasn’t outright rape, but it certainly wasn’t consensual, so readers with a sensitivity to such things be warned.
The ending scenes were solid and I was delighted with the little twists. Aamon I suspected wouldn’t go quietly into the night, but Irel was a delicious surprise. That all wasn’t forgiven and forgotten regarding Cael and Lia I felt was realistic based on the Iyarri society. I picked up on the foreshadowing in the second half of the book regarding Iyarri and their missing balance in the hierarchy and am curious how that is going to play out.
And while it took Lia a really long time to find her voice, she eventually started to at the end, which gives me hope for her in the next book. Hopefully she is a little less eager for others’ praise and love and a little less weepy. Confidence, Lia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2021
Yesterday was my day to post on my bookstagram about this stunner for @mlc_tours! Click here to see my post, details about the author’s small business, and all the giveaway information!
Goodreads summary:
A lifetime of cruel taunts and heartbreak has taught Aurelia to hide, to not get too close to anyone. A painter and gallery docent, her only solace is in the art that can’t stare back. When a new piece arrives, depicting an angelic figure who shares the physical features she’s always thought of as monstrous, Aurelia searches for the artist, determined to get the answers her mother has long refused to provide.
But she isn’t the only one searching. There are others who want the artist—and the truth—silenced. Aurelia is attacked by figures from the painting, fierce warriors with wings and sharpened blades. Shaken and bloody, she manages to escape with her life but finds herself hunted by the Iyarri, who are anything but angels. As she comes to terms with her connection to them, Aurelia is drawn deeper into the heart of a millennia-old struggle. If she’s not careful, the consequences will tear her body, her heart, and the Iyarri in two.
I reallyyy enjoyed this book! Herold has crafted such a unique world, with angels living apart from humans with their own social system, weapons, language, etc; a lot of urban fantasies that try to utilize angel lore become too unrealistic, at least for me, but this world blends reality with angels really nicely and reminds me a bit of the Shadowhunters world in that way.
The writing style takes some getting used to in the beginning, and so does Aurelia’s damsel-in-distress character, but overall, the lyrical feel of the writing helps give this book a unique ethereal vibe, and Aurelia grows a lot in the last one hundred pages or so! Also, the romance is a bit too insta-lovey for my tastes, but there's enough to their relationship that I'm rooting for them.This book isn't perfect, but it is such an enjoyable read, one that you can settle down with and take your time reading, and by the end, I was soooo invested in the characters; I'm ready to see what comes next for Aurelia as she takes on this unique, nuanced world of ruthless angels.
I recommend Heaven's Silhouette for urban fantasy lovers looking for a smoothly-paced adventure to settle down with!
If you enjoyed this review, you can friend me here on Goodreads and follow my Bookstagram/Pinterest/Twitter @ashton_reads. Thanks for reading!
Goodreads summary:
A lifetime of cruel taunts and heartbreak has taught Aurelia to hide, to not get too close to anyone. A painter and gallery docent, her only solace is in the art that can’t stare back. When a new piece arrives, depicting an angelic figure who shares the physical features she’s always thought of as monstrous, Aurelia searches for the artist, determined to get the answers her mother has long refused to provide.
But she isn’t the only one searching. There are others who want the artist—and the truth—silenced. Aurelia is attacked by figures from the painting, fierce warriors with wings and sharpened blades. Shaken and bloody, she manages to escape with her life but finds herself hunted by the Iyarri, who are anything but angels. As she comes to terms with her connection to them, Aurelia is drawn deeper into the heart of a millennia-old struggle. If she’s not careful, the consequences will tear her body, her heart, and the Iyarri in two.
I reallyyy enjoyed this book! Herold has crafted such a unique world, with angels living apart from humans with their own social system, weapons, language, etc; a lot of urban fantasies that try to utilize angel lore become too unrealistic, at least for me, but this world blends reality with angels really nicely and reminds me a bit of the Shadowhunters world in that way.
The writing style takes some getting used to in the beginning, and so does Aurelia’s damsel-in-distress character, but overall, the lyrical feel of the writing helps give this book a unique ethereal vibe, and Aurelia grows a lot in the last one hundred pages or so! Also, the romance is a bit too insta-lovey for my tastes, but there's enough to their relationship that I'm rooting for them.This book isn't perfect, but it is such an enjoyable read, one that you can settle down with and take your time reading, and by the end, I was soooo invested in the characters; I'm ready to see what comes next for Aurelia as she takes on this unique, nuanced world of ruthless angels.
I recommend Heaven's Silhouette for urban fantasy lovers looking for a smoothly-paced adventure to settle down with!
If you enjoyed this review, you can friend me here on Goodreads and follow my Bookstagram/Pinterest/Twitter @ashton_reads. Thanks for reading!
January 22, 2021
Disclaimer: I received this book from the author for a tour. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Heaven’s Silhouette
Author: Melissa Lynn Herold
Book Series: Iyarri Chronicles Book 1
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: fantasy readers
Publication Date: September 17, 2019
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended Age: 18+ (romance, violence, gore, sexual content)
Publisher: Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Pages: 400
Synopsis: When I was little, other children called me a monster. A painting proved them right.
A lifetime of cruel taunts and heartbreak has taught Aurelia to hide, to not get too close to anyone. A painter and gallery docent, her only solace is in the art that can’t stare back. When a new piece arrives, depicting an angelic figure who shares the physical features she’s always thought of as monstrous, Aurelia searches for the artist, determined to get the answers her mother has long refused to provide.
But she isn’t the only one searching. There are others who want the artist—and the truth—silenced. Aurelia is attacked by figures from the painting, fierce warriors with wings and sharpened blades. Shaken and bloody, she manages to escape with her life but finds herself hunted by the Iyarri, who are anything but angels. As she comes to terms with her connection to them, Aurelia is drawn deeper into the heart of a millennia-old struggle. If she’s not careful, the consequences will tear her body, her heart, and the Iyarri in two.
Review: For the most part this was an ok book. It has a gorgeous cover and the book has an interesting premise. The character development is fairly well sound, the author did well on those throughout the novel, and the world building was fantastic and well crafted.
The major issues I had with the book is that it's drifted too far from realism. The story is so confusing and unreliable that I don't even know if I'm understanding it fully. You're supposed to believe in one thing, but then the book keeps saying the opposite. The pacing is also so slow throughout the book.
Verdict: It’s good, but not normally my cup of tea, but still good!
Book: Heaven’s Silhouette
Author: Melissa Lynn Herold
Book Series: Iyarri Chronicles Book 1
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: fantasy readers
Publication Date: September 17, 2019
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended Age: 18+ (romance, violence, gore, sexual content)
Publisher: Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Pages: 400
Synopsis: When I was little, other children called me a monster. A painting proved them right.
A lifetime of cruel taunts and heartbreak has taught Aurelia to hide, to not get too close to anyone. A painter and gallery docent, her only solace is in the art that can’t stare back. When a new piece arrives, depicting an angelic figure who shares the physical features she’s always thought of as monstrous, Aurelia searches for the artist, determined to get the answers her mother has long refused to provide.
But she isn’t the only one searching. There are others who want the artist—and the truth—silenced. Aurelia is attacked by figures from the painting, fierce warriors with wings and sharpened blades. Shaken and bloody, she manages to escape with her life but finds herself hunted by the Iyarri, who are anything but angels. As she comes to terms with her connection to them, Aurelia is drawn deeper into the heart of a millennia-old struggle. If she’s not careful, the consequences will tear her body, her heart, and the Iyarri in two.
Review: For the most part this was an ok book. It has a gorgeous cover and the book has an interesting premise. The character development is fairly well sound, the author did well on those throughout the novel, and the world building was fantastic and well crafted.
The major issues I had with the book is that it's drifted too far from realism. The story is so confusing and unreliable that I don't even know if I'm understanding it fully. You're supposed to believe in one thing, but then the book keeps saying the opposite. The pacing is also so slow throughout the book.
Verdict: It’s good, but not normally my cup of tea, but still good!
July 31, 2020
Heaven’s Silhouette is a first book in the series of Lyarri Chronicles. From the cover only, this book grabbed my attention as it looks so magical and mysterious to me and you won’t be surprised to know that somewhat plot is also revolving around similar elements.
The story starts when we are introduced with our main protagonist of this story – Aurelia. Aurelia is so different than people of her age, children used to call her a monster. How sad. She is in search of some answers, her mother refused to answer long back. No doubt this book is quite long but worth reading as when we progress with the book, we start connecting the dots. You will follow a journey of brutality, survival and truth in between the pages. This is completely a kind of fantasy that can keep you seated until the last page of this book.
Writing style of this book is smooth yet so convincing. You will actually be able to feel the emotions or reasons of each and every character in this book because of perfect narration. The way author has built each and each every character and situation is interesting. As i mentioned this book to be a long read { 400 pages } , it is still worth it as it will keep you hooked if you are a lover of fantasy reads.
I really liked how well she has introduced us with everything like the world where the story is set in and the culture it follows so even people like me who are not so much into fantasy can also understand. One thing which i liked more about this book is the touch of real emotions and pain which one can feel while reading. Not every author is able to give this personal touch to their book but Melissa has done a perfect job.
I highly recommend this book to each and everyone who loves to read fantasy as this book is almost a page turner that you should not be missing out on reading.
When you will read this, you will search for answers like the truth of Aurelia, why people called her a monster and how is she connected with angels, she meets later in this book. Completely a gripping tale of fantasy.
The story starts when we are introduced with our main protagonist of this story – Aurelia. Aurelia is so different than people of her age, children used to call her a monster. How sad. She is in search of some answers, her mother refused to answer long back. No doubt this book is quite long but worth reading as when we progress with the book, we start connecting the dots. You will follow a journey of brutality, survival and truth in between the pages. This is completely a kind of fantasy that can keep you seated until the last page of this book.
Writing style of this book is smooth yet so convincing. You will actually be able to feel the emotions or reasons of each and every character in this book because of perfect narration. The way author has built each and each every character and situation is interesting. As i mentioned this book to be a long read { 400 pages } , it is still worth it as it will keep you hooked if you are a lover of fantasy reads.
I really liked how well she has introduced us with everything like the world where the story is set in and the culture it follows so even people like me who are not so much into fantasy can also understand. One thing which i liked more about this book is the touch of real emotions and pain which one can feel while reading. Not every author is able to give this personal touch to their book but Melissa has done a perfect job.
I highly recommend this book to each and everyone who loves to read fantasy as this book is almost a page turner that you should not be missing out on reading.
When you will read this, you will search for answers like the truth of Aurelia, why people called her a monster and how is she connected with angels, she meets later in this book. Completely a gripping tale of fantasy.
April 24, 2020
I loved part of him. The part of him I thought was human. 🦄🦄🦄
Aurelia was always made fun of at school for being different, she always knew she wasn't like the other children but never knew why.
Years later, while working at a gallery, one painting answers all her questions.
One painting by a man who saw something he shouldn't have.
One painting can sometimes change your life forever.
🦄🦄🦄
Heaven's Silouhette is the first book in a fantasy series by Melissa Herold called Iyarri Chronicles.
This book is over 400 pages BUT I enjoyed it so much that I didn't even realize and just kept on reading because of how captivating it is. (It's like ACOTAR and Shadowhunters had a baby and gave the world this blessing!)
Starting with the characters, the whole concept of Angel-adjacent beings is brilliant. They are 'heavenly' but they also possess qualities that a human has (e.g. they can die like humans do).
Aurelia grew up hidden from this world, so in this book we mainly see her getting acquainted and adjusting to this new world around her.
Lucien, a stonemason, becomes the closest thing she has to a companion and they do have a well potrayed relationship.
There are SO many characters I loved and hated in this book but I can't talk about because #spoilers but I really really want to 😭
We are introduced to a new world, with unusual rules and harsh punishments, but it is still so so so good.
The book ends abruptly and that may have made me a bit a little bit upset because I wanted it to continue. Just know, because of the way the book ended I am NOT ok. This is the same feeling I had when I reached the end of ACOMAF only that time I had the next book with me already 😭.
🦄🦄🦄
I'm going to stop before I lose my mind ranting abouthow good this book is or else we'llbe here forever. 😂
I loved this book!
End of story.
🦄🦄🦄
Rated 10/10
Melina L.
Aurelia was always made fun of at school for being different, she always knew she wasn't like the other children but never knew why.
Years later, while working at a gallery, one painting answers all her questions.
One painting by a man who saw something he shouldn't have.
One painting can sometimes change your life forever.
🦄🦄🦄
Heaven's Silouhette is the first book in a fantasy series by Melissa Herold called Iyarri Chronicles.
This book is over 400 pages BUT I enjoyed it so much that I didn't even realize and just kept on reading because of how captivating it is. (It's like ACOTAR and Shadowhunters had a baby and gave the world this blessing!)
Starting with the characters, the whole concept of Angel-adjacent beings is brilliant. They are 'heavenly' but they also possess qualities that a human has (e.g. they can die like humans do).
Aurelia grew up hidden from this world, so in this book we mainly see her getting acquainted and adjusting to this new world around her.
Lucien, a stonemason, becomes the closest thing she has to a companion and they do have a well potrayed relationship.
There are SO many characters I loved and hated in this book but I can't talk about because #spoilers but I really really want to 😭
We are introduced to a new world, with unusual rules and harsh punishments, but it is still so so so good.
The book ends abruptly and that may have made me a bit a little bit upset because I wanted it to continue. Just know, because of the way the book ended I am NOT ok. This is the same feeling I had when I reached the end of ACOMAF only that time I had the next book with me already 😭.
🦄🦄🦄
I'm going to stop before I lose my mind ranting abouthow good this book is or else we'llbe here forever. 😂
I loved this book!
End of story.
🦄🦄🦄
Rated 10/10
Melina L.
January 24, 2021
Prior to reading Heaven's Silhouette the last book I read was back in High School over 15 years ago. For first time book readers this is a highly recommended purchase!
In truth I have never been one to pick up a book and just dive into a new world laid out on paper. They say never to judge a book by it's cover, but I am ashamed to admit the artwork of the front cover automatically drew my attention. A truly striking image of what you perceive to be an Angel with ginger hair, copper-colored wings and streaks of lightning bolt-like scars running along her back.
We are guided through the story by our protagonist Aurelia who works within an Art Gallery and is seen admiring a unique piece of artwork recently put on display titled, "Angels Unseen". The image itself depicted the visage of a man in fairly simple clothing, however layered over this man was another form entirely different. This form had golden-tan luminous skin, shadows of wings being cast behind it and feet that possessed three large toes. What kept Aurelia transfixed at this painting wasn't the wings nor the golden skin, it was the three-toed feet...a striking resemblance to her own. "A birth defect" the Doctors and her mother told her, "Monster!", "Freak!", the other children mocked her in her youth, Aurelia took to hiding her feet from the sight of others. And yet the painting beckoned her to dig deeper.
What started off as a simple series of questions into the origins of this painting thrust Aurelia into a world she couldn't have possibly imagined. A world that was far more beautiful, wondrous, bloody and down right terrifying. Her seemingly simple life was shattered, her life in imminent danger and with enemies potentially all around her, she scrambled to survive and piece together who and what she truly was.
I hope you guys enjoy your journey through this book as much as I have!
In truth I have never been one to pick up a book and just dive into a new world laid out on paper. They say never to judge a book by it's cover, but I am ashamed to admit the artwork of the front cover automatically drew my attention. A truly striking image of what you perceive to be an Angel with ginger hair, copper-colored wings and streaks of lightning bolt-like scars running along her back.
We are guided through the story by our protagonist Aurelia who works within an Art Gallery and is seen admiring a unique piece of artwork recently put on display titled, "Angels Unseen". The image itself depicted the visage of a man in fairly simple clothing, however layered over this man was another form entirely different. This form had golden-tan luminous skin, shadows of wings being cast behind it and feet that possessed three large toes. What kept Aurelia transfixed at this painting wasn't the wings nor the golden skin, it was the three-toed feet...a striking resemblance to her own. "A birth defect" the Doctors and her mother told her, "Monster!", "Freak!", the other children mocked her in her youth, Aurelia took to hiding her feet from the sight of others. And yet the painting beckoned her to dig deeper.
What started off as a simple series of questions into the origins of this painting thrust Aurelia into a world she couldn't have possibly imagined. A world that was far more beautiful, wondrous, bloody and down right terrifying. Her seemingly simple life was shattered, her life in imminent danger and with enemies potentially all around her, she scrambled to survive and piece together who and what she truly was.
I hope you guys enjoy your journey through this book as much as I have!
September 28, 2020
Book Name: Heaven's Silhouette
Genre: Fantasy
Summary: A lifetime of cruel taunts and heartbreak has taught Aurelia to hide, to not get too close to anyone. A painter and gallery docent, her only solace is in the art that can't stare back. When a new piece arrives, depicting an angelic figure who shares the physical features she's always thought of as monstrous, Aurelia searches for the artist, determined to get the answers her mother has long refused to provide.
My Opinion: This is the best start to the amazing fantasy series by the author. I was so mesmerized by premise and the concept of the story, even after being a fantasy reader and lover, I admit, I haven't read something as interesting and as engaging. Also, there were many new and unique concepts that were popping up while reading it and I just wasn't aware of but as I read it, I eventually felt like I was a part of the story. It's very interesting.
Good and Bad: The best thing is, you will meet characters you never thought you would, they are not as simple or easy to understand, they are so well built and different, that they make you wonder about them and that's my favorite thing about it.
My favorites from the book:
I loved the twists and turns in the story, it's filled with so many hurdles and amazing adventures that you get trapped in it until you complete it. I loved the ending, so I couldn't wait to read the next installment!
Target Audience: It's meant for all fantasy lovers who want that extra in their story, you will surely love it.
What to expect: Unexpected turns, a strong storytelling, unique characters and interesting elements.
Final verdict: I will surely suggest it to all my fellow book lovers, just don't miss it.
Rating: 4.5 /5
Genre: Fantasy
Summary: A lifetime of cruel taunts and heartbreak has taught Aurelia to hide, to not get too close to anyone. A painter and gallery docent, her only solace is in the art that can't stare back. When a new piece arrives, depicting an angelic figure who shares the physical features she's always thought of as monstrous, Aurelia searches for the artist, determined to get the answers her mother has long refused to provide.
My Opinion: This is the best start to the amazing fantasy series by the author. I was so mesmerized by premise and the concept of the story, even after being a fantasy reader and lover, I admit, I haven't read something as interesting and as engaging. Also, there were many new and unique concepts that were popping up while reading it and I just wasn't aware of but as I read it, I eventually felt like I was a part of the story. It's very interesting.
Good and Bad: The best thing is, you will meet characters you never thought you would, they are not as simple or easy to understand, they are so well built and different, that they make you wonder about them and that's my favorite thing about it.
My favorites from the book:
I loved the twists and turns in the story, it's filled with so many hurdles and amazing adventures that you get trapped in it until you complete it. I loved the ending, so I couldn't wait to read the next installment!
Target Audience: It's meant for all fantasy lovers who want that extra in their story, you will surely love it.
What to expect: Unexpected turns, a strong storytelling, unique characters and interesting elements.
Final verdict: I will surely suggest it to all my fellow book lovers, just don't miss it.
Rating: 4.5 /5
November 20, 2020
🌟Heaven's Silhouette (The Iyarri Chronicles Book 1) is a fantasy fiction novel with imaginary monsters and different events encountered by Aurelia, the main character of the novel.
🌟Aurelia had a hard childhood because of her features including three toes on each foot, her knowns used to taunt her that she was a monster.
One afternoon she notices a new painting on display depicting a winged creature similar to an angel. She notices that the ‘angel’ has similar traits to herself such as only three toes on each foot and her curiosity to know more about it grows.
Aurelia struggles by the haunts of attacks by the figures in the paintings while working in the art gallery with wings and sharp blades. A lifetime of cruel taunts and heartbreak has taught Aurelia to hide, to not get too close to anyone.
Then comes the role of Lucian who saved her life and told her that the winged creatures might look like angel but they are a race called Iyarri.They look like humans, they are not immortal and they will kill anybody who knows about them. I really liked the interaction between Lucian and Aurelia.
🌟I was stumped and amazed at the wide imagination of the author who wrote such a story which is full of excitement, drama, vivid character descriptions, compelling characters with intriguing action and intriguing storyline.
Such type of novels not only open your mindset but also bring some excitement in the life too. I thoroughly enjoyed the book with growing characters and introduction of new characters at the right time. Aurelia the women has been seen building its character and growing to become a heroine at a fast pace.
I really enjoyed this book till the end. I totally recommend this read to all book lovers who enjoy fantasy stories like me.
🌟Aurelia had a hard childhood because of her features including three toes on each foot, her knowns used to taunt her that she was a monster.
One afternoon she notices a new painting on display depicting a winged creature similar to an angel. She notices that the ‘angel’ has similar traits to herself such as only three toes on each foot and her curiosity to know more about it grows.
Aurelia struggles by the haunts of attacks by the figures in the paintings while working in the art gallery with wings and sharp blades. A lifetime of cruel taunts and heartbreak has taught Aurelia to hide, to not get too close to anyone.
Then comes the role of Lucian who saved her life and told her that the winged creatures might look like angel but they are a race called Iyarri.They look like humans, they are not immortal and they will kill anybody who knows about them. I really liked the interaction between Lucian and Aurelia.
🌟I was stumped and amazed at the wide imagination of the author who wrote such a story which is full of excitement, drama, vivid character descriptions, compelling characters with intriguing action and intriguing storyline.
Such type of novels not only open your mindset but also bring some excitement in the life too. I thoroughly enjoyed the book with growing characters and introduction of new characters at the right time. Aurelia the women has been seen building its character and growing to become a heroine at a fast pace.
I really enjoyed this book till the end. I totally recommend this read to all book lovers who enjoy fantasy stories like me.
May 9, 2020
MY TAKE❤:
•
- Heaven's silhouette by Melissa Lynn Herald is a new fantasy series. I really enjoyed reading this book everything wass portrait perfectly. Specially the plot, it's like the queen in the chess boardboard- complete game changer.
•
•
-I was hooked reading this book, I found myself completely lost in the fantasy world created by Melissa. The book kept my eyeballs popping, it was like receiving a surprise gift with each page turned. I love how keenly the author has defined everything- the culture, the world building, the place, the protagonist and all in all the wonderful book.
•
•
-Melissa also runs an Etsy store called NightBlooming, and one of the things I make and sell there are perfume oil blends inspired by the characters and worldbuilding. In the series, the Iyarri oil their wings and each character has a distinctive aroma because of it :) When people purchase hardcovers directly from Melissa, they get to choose one of those oils with their book, or they can just pick them up like any normal item from the store. I would highly request you guys to buy the book from her if you can because Amazon takes away a larger portion of there income.
•
•
- I would conclude by saying that this book is a must read for every fantasy lover because it has all the ingredients which makes a wonderful fantasy read blended perfectly.
•
•
WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK❤:
•
- Complex world build.
•
- Unique Dynamism.
•
-The book expands once conception conception of reality.
•
-It is a blend of old and new concept.
*
*
*
_____________________________________
•
- Heaven's silhouette by Melissa Lynn Herald is a new fantasy series. I really enjoyed reading this book everything wass portrait perfectly. Specially the plot, it's like the queen in the chess boardboard- complete game changer.
•
•
-I was hooked reading this book, I found myself completely lost in the fantasy world created by Melissa. The book kept my eyeballs popping, it was like receiving a surprise gift with each page turned. I love how keenly the author has defined everything- the culture, the world building, the place, the protagonist and all in all the wonderful book.
•
•
-Melissa also runs an Etsy store called NightBlooming, and one of the things I make and sell there are perfume oil blends inspired by the characters and worldbuilding. In the series, the Iyarri oil their wings and each character has a distinctive aroma because of it :) When people purchase hardcovers directly from Melissa, they get to choose one of those oils with their book, or they can just pick them up like any normal item from the store. I would highly request you guys to buy the book from her if you can because Amazon takes away a larger portion of there income.
•
•
- I would conclude by saying that this book is a must read for every fantasy lover because it has all the ingredients which makes a wonderful fantasy read blended perfectly.
•
•
WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK❤:
•
- Complex world build.
•
- Unique Dynamism.
•
-The book expands once conception conception of reality.
•
-It is a blend of old and new concept.
*
*
*
_____________________________________
October 17, 2020
🍂Heaven's Silhouette
•
🍂By Melissa Lynn Herold
•
🍂Genre: Low Fantasy
•
🍂This book is set in a world of Iyyari. The protagonist of the story Aurelia discovers truths about these supernatural creatures as the story moves on. This book is extremely fast paced and I totally #lovestory.
•
🍂I love the #tropes where a human falls in love with a supernatural and in this novel this same trope happenes with way more twists and turns which makes it such a page turner. This book is seriously underrated and I totally loved it . Definitely one of my favourite fantasy series now and I can't wait to read the part 2.
•
🍂The writing style of this book is fluid and it's really one of those perfect Fantasy books and I was not able to find any loopholes in this world as of now but maybe I will in future. ( I found many in the Harry Potter series lol). I think Melissa created a beautiful world in this book and all the characters were charismatic. One thing that missed the mark in this book is side #characters. As a person who falls for side characters and roots for them. I didn't find them that in thi book. It was a protagonist centric story but overall it was a beautiful read for me !!!
•
🍂You can definitely pick up this gorgeous cover from Melissa's website. If you buy it from there you get a signed hardcover of the book as well as fragrances themed on different characters from the story !! ( How cool is that so go and pick up your copy )
The book is also available on #Amazon.
•
🍂By Melissa Lynn Herold
•
🍂Genre: Low Fantasy
•
🍂This book is set in a world of Iyyari. The protagonist of the story Aurelia discovers truths about these supernatural creatures as the story moves on. This book is extremely fast paced and I totally #lovestory.
•
🍂I love the #tropes where a human falls in love with a supernatural and in this novel this same trope happenes with way more twists and turns which makes it such a page turner. This book is seriously underrated and I totally loved it . Definitely one of my favourite fantasy series now and I can't wait to read the part 2.
•
🍂The writing style of this book is fluid and it's really one of those perfect Fantasy books and I was not able to find any loopholes in this world as of now but maybe I will in future. ( I found many in the Harry Potter series lol). I think Melissa created a beautiful world in this book and all the characters were charismatic. One thing that missed the mark in this book is side #characters. As a person who falls for side characters and roots for them. I didn't find them that in thi book. It was a protagonist centric story but overall it was a beautiful read for me !!!
•
🍂You can definitely pick up this gorgeous cover from Melissa's website. If you buy it from there you get a signed hardcover of the book as well as fragrances themed on different characters from the story !! ( How cool is that so go and pick up your copy )
The book is also available on #Amazon.
April 5, 2021
I had so much fun reading this book. I love how the author twisted a widely known concept into something unique and interesting.
The Iyarri itself is a beautiful terror. It has wings like an angel but also has feet that aren't normal. They have admiring qualities but the concept just goes to show that someone so beautiful can be so flawed.
As for the world-building, it's pretty satisfying. I love the intricacies and the small details that the author sprinkled while building the world. I admire the language used by the Iyarri which is called Loagæth. It's amazing how all of this was introduced in the story without being "info-dumpy", or at least for me.
The pacing was in a steady flow. It's not too fast but it isn't dragging either. It's genuinely well thought out. Kudos to the author.
One thing I also love about this story is because it doesn't dwell too much on the romance but instead focuses on the family dynamics and the struggle of the main character to fit in with being a human and an Iyarri.
The characters were developed excellently. Of course, some aspects fell short like the way that I wasn't deeply connected to them. On the other hand, it isn't that big of a deal because this book is just the first installment in a series. I think that the author did a great job of building the groundwork of what I expect to be a great series.
All in all, it was a super great read. So excited to read the sequel.
The Iyarri itself is a beautiful terror. It has wings like an angel but also has feet that aren't normal. They have admiring qualities but the concept just goes to show that someone so beautiful can be so flawed.
As for the world-building, it's pretty satisfying. I love the intricacies and the small details that the author sprinkled while building the world. I admire the language used by the Iyarri which is called Loagæth. It's amazing how all of this was introduced in the story without being "info-dumpy", or at least for me.
The pacing was in a steady flow. It's not too fast but it isn't dragging either. It's genuinely well thought out. Kudos to the author.
One thing I also love about this story is because it doesn't dwell too much on the romance but instead focuses on the family dynamics and the struggle of the main character to fit in with being a human and an Iyarri.
The characters were developed excellently. Of course, some aspects fell short like the way that I wasn't deeply connected to them. On the other hand, it isn't that big of a deal because this book is just the first installment in a series. I think that the author did a great job of building the groundwork of what I expect to be a great series.
All in all, it was a super great read. So excited to read the sequel.
January 27, 2021
I received a copy of this book from the author for a book tour. All opinions are entirely my own.
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I sat down to read this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I read. The author does a really good job at creating this world and developing as the story progresses. The world building alone is enough to make me want to read the next book.
The story was pretty good. I did think it drug along in some places, especially those spots where the details were pretty heavy, but I’m not mad about it. I think the amount of detail in the book really helped with the amazing world building.
Another thing I really liked, which I wish more books had, was a dictionary/pronunciation guide in the back of the book. I’m not sure if the language used in this book is a real one or one the author created (which if that’s the case is absolutely amazing!), but it’s definitely a bit difficult to pronounce some of the words without a guide.
The only issues I had were just small ones really. I didn’t like how fast the romance between Aurelia and Lucien progressed. It just went way too fast. I also think that the character development with Aurelia was kinda lacking. She still needs a little work, but I think that that will be achieved over the next two books. With everything she goes through in this book, it’s understandable that she’s at where she at.
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I sat down to read this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I read. The author does a really good job at creating this world and developing as the story progresses. The world building alone is enough to make me want to read the next book.
The story was pretty good. I did think it drug along in some places, especially those spots where the details were pretty heavy, but I’m not mad about it. I think the amount of detail in the book really helped with the amazing world building.
Another thing I really liked, which I wish more books had, was a dictionary/pronunciation guide in the back of the book. I’m not sure if the language used in this book is a real one or one the author created (which if that’s the case is absolutely amazing!), but it’s definitely a bit difficult to pronounce some of the words without a guide.
The only issues I had were just small ones really. I didn’t like how fast the romance between Aurelia and Lucien progressed. It just went way too fast. I also think that the character development with Aurelia was kinda lacking. She still needs a little work, but I think that that will be achieved over the next two books. With everything she goes through in this book, it’s understandable that she’s at where she at.
January 27, 2021
Aurelia (Lia) has always known she is different, though her mother always had an excuse to explain away the reasons she wasn't like other kids. Now, as an adult working with her passion of art, she comes across a beautiful painting depicting a glorious creature with a certain specific attribute of hers alone. And this upends her quiet existence.
She is no stranger to the plethora of art illustrating angels, though now, these beings descend to murder the painter, with Lia close to becoming another one of their victims. But when a handsome stranger saves her and informs her all about these Iyarri, she is thrown into the non-stop game of looking over her shoulder as they want her dead!
Lia isn't safe... and her unknown connection to the Iyarri, while giving her answers to questions she has had all her life, puts her in constant mortal peril. But, Aurelia is a strong and willful woman who won't stop in the quest of the truth. Even if it means she must become something else entirely and fight.
This was a magical and dark first installment in what I know will be an enthralling and fantastical series. There is romance and intrigue. There is danger and passion. Secrets are revealed and hearts are broken. Betrayals occur and long lost family is found. This was such a beautiful read.
She is no stranger to the plethora of art illustrating angels, though now, these beings descend to murder the painter, with Lia close to becoming another one of their victims. But when a handsome stranger saves her and informs her all about these Iyarri, she is thrown into the non-stop game of looking over her shoulder as they want her dead!
Lia isn't safe... and her unknown connection to the Iyarri, while giving her answers to questions she has had all her life, puts her in constant mortal peril. But, Aurelia is a strong and willful woman who won't stop in the quest of the truth. Even if it means she must become something else entirely and fight.
This was a magical and dark first installment in what I know will be an enthralling and fantastical series. There is romance and intrigue. There is danger and passion. Secrets are revealed and hearts are broken. Betrayals occur and long lost family is found. This was such a beautiful read.
November 5, 2020
I loved part of him. Part of him i thought was human.
Aurelia was always made fun of at school for being different, she knew she wasn't like the rest but never knew why.
Years later while working at a gallery, one painting answers all her questions.
One painting by a man who saw something he shouldn't have.
One painting which revealed everything.
So this is the book one is a low fantasy series by the name - Lyarri Chronicles portraying lyarris as the violent and secretive winged creatures who would literally kill anyone who slightly suspects them.
I totally loved the world building, the character development and the narrative of this book. There were a few characters which i absolutely loved and I would love to talk about them but it'll give off too much so i can't. I akso liked the fact that she created the lyarri language to add a uniwue touch.
Although Aurelia's character did piss me off at certain stances and i felt like she was a damsel in distress but i liked how she evolved. What I disliked was the insta-love trope. Ngl, I'm not a huge fan of it.
But all in all, I'd say it's a brilliant debut and a perfect fit for Sarah J. Mass or Cassandra Clare fans.
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