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Ever-Branching Tree #1
Dellia
Jon was a physicist who wanted nothing more than a simple life with few responsibilities and someone to share it with. In the middle of an ordinary day, a horrible accident leaves him stranded in a baffling world of impossible phenomena, terrifying creatures, and mysterious prophecies. Desperate to get home, his only hope is a harrowing journey across three distinct realms.
But his arrival in the new land has not gone without notice. Suspicious of the circumstances of his arrival, a nervous ruling council requires someone to investigate. So they send the one warrior most suited for the job: the dedicated and compassionate Dellia. She lives to serve because helping people is what gives her life purpose and meaning, but as a protector, she is also bound by an unshakable devotion to the council.
Lost and alone in a vast world, Jon is in dire need of help. Skilled and knowledgeable, Dellia is exactly the kind of help he needs. If only he can keep from falling for the one person whose duty may drive her to stop him.
But his arrival in the new land has not gone without notice. Suspicious of the circumstances of his arrival, a nervous ruling council requires someone to investigate. So they send the one warrior most suited for the job: the dedicated and compassionate Dellia. She lives to serve because helping people is what gives her life purpose and meaning, but as a protector, she is also bound by an unshakable devotion to the council.
Lost and alone in a vast world, Jon is in dire need of help. Skilled and knowledgeable, Dellia is exactly the kind of help he needs. If only he can keep from falling for the one person whose duty may drive her to stop him.
- GenresFantasy
654 pages, Hardcover
First published July 25, 2019
14 people are currently reading
1431 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 13, 2020
Jon is a physicist trying to create a black hole in a lab, Megan is a coworker who Jon has the hots for. While working on his experiment Magan walks in and a vortex of some kind opens up and sucks them into another realm. A world called Meerdom.
Immediately Megan is taken by some men, and Jon left alone, without food or supplies in woods, he has no idea where he is, but Megan has been accosted and he must find her, but how? He is found by Dellia ( Dellyah ) the protector of the land.
There is a prophecy that an outworlder will come and destroy mankind , the ruling council thinks it's Jon, so Dellia has been ordered to bring him in. Along the way they meet Garris who is banished from the kingdom, a wanted fugitive, but because he has helped them, Dellia doesn't arrest him. Which is her duty.
Kayleen is head of council and Dellia's orders come directly from Kayleen. The council is this worlds ruling class, they make all the decisions for 3 kingdoms, and they lie to everyone to suit their own needs.
Isla is a Dragon, she gives Jon a charm necklace, that has 3 missing stones. She tells Jon where these stones are and all he has to do to get home is retrieve the pieces and bring them to her. This is the beginning of Jon's quest, he is accompanied along the way by Garris, sort of an outlaw but a good guy, and Dellia, Jon, and Garris see through the corruption of the council. There are soldiers and assassins sent to stop Jon but he proves to be more evasive and cunning then they imagines.
I thought this story was very imaginative, the magic was unique , my favorite character was not however Dellia, but Jon followed by Garris. Pretty much a non stop action adventure.
I received this book for a fair honest review, all opinions are solely my own and no ill intent are meant towards the author or publisher.
Immediately Megan is taken by some men, and Jon left alone, without food or supplies in woods, he has no idea where he is, but Megan has been accosted and he must find her, but how? He is found by Dellia ( Dellyah ) the protector of the land.
There is a prophecy that an outworlder will come and destroy mankind , the ruling council thinks it's Jon, so Dellia has been ordered to bring him in. Along the way they meet Garris who is banished from the kingdom, a wanted fugitive, but because he has helped them, Dellia doesn't arrest him. Which is her duty.
Kayleen is head of council and Dellia's orders come directly from Kayleen. The council is this worlds ruling class, they make all the decisions for 3 kingdoms, and they lie to everyone to suit their own needs.
Isla is a Dragon, she gives Jon a charm necklace, that has 3 missing stones. She tells Jon where these stones are and all he has to do to get home is retrieve the pieces and bring them to her. This is the beginning of Jon's quest, he is accompanied along the way by Garris, sort of an outlaw but a good guy, and Dellia, Jon, and Garris see through the corruption of the council. There are soldiers and assassins sent to stop Jon but he proves to be more evasive and cunning then they imagines.
I thought this story was very imaginative, the magic was unique , my favorite character was not however Dellia, but Jon followed by Garris. Pretty much a non stop action adventure.
I received this book for a fair honest review, all opinions are solely my own and no ill intent are meant towards the author or publisher.
February 1, 2020
I have to start my review by saying that I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway (my first win ever so that was super exciting!) but I'm going to give an honest review because I'm bad at lying about my opinions on things. It was a lot more high fantasy than I had an originally anticipated, which doesn't make it bad, it just made it a lot harder for me to get though - also why it took me four months to get my review up which I'm very sorry about but I wanted to do it right. Jon is a physicist who accidentally gets transported to Dellia's realm, one with magic and dragons and things that Jon is truly unable to comprehend.
The stream of events was what really got me in this book. I know that this is a debut so I think that it was a great start, but I think that it had a weird flow to it. That's mostly why I couldn't get into the romance or the magic as much, it all felt weirdly convenient and not as deep as it was supposed to be. An otherworlder? Good thing we have a prophecy against one of them, but good thing Dellia has the morals for it, and good thing they're like falling in love with each other and that they never get injured during such major fight scenes. It was just not complex enough for that sequence of events.
Overall though, I liked it, I think that the rest of the series has potential and I'll definitely be on the lookout for it. Thank you for the opportunity to read and for sharing your characters and their journeys.
This review and all my others can be found at: https://aworldshapedbybooks.blogspot....
December 25, 2019
Starts slow, ends fast
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Goodreads giveaways.
The first chapter is incredibly slow, but it picks up when the main character is transported to another world. The side characters are almost more interesting than the main character. Then the final battle scene, what's supposed to be the most dangerous challenge yet, lasts about two paragraphs wherein our heroes suffer no injuries except getting tired afterward, but not so tired they can't travel back across the realm and wrap up some political bureaucracy first.
Honestly, the middle was very good, though, and I enjoyed the characters Dellia and Garris.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Goodreads giveaways.
The first chapter is incredibly slow, but it picks up when the main character is transported to another world. The side characters are almost more interesting than the main character. Then the final battle scene, what's supposed to be the most dangerous challenge yet, lasts about two paragraphs wherein our heroes suffer no injuries except getting tired afterward, but not so tired they can't travel back across the realm and wrap up some political bureaucracy first.
Honestly, the middle was very good, though, and I enjoyed the characters Dellia and Garris.
March 31, 2020
Full disclosure: I received this novel through a First Reads Goodreads giveaway, but that in no way affects this review.
To begin, thanks to David Scidmore for the personalized, signed copy of the book. Added to that, this book was packaged well and beautifully with a tissue paper covering with a special seal (that replicated the book jacket). Then the cover itself was well done with fantastic artwork. I admit it; I was impressed.
Now, about the book itself: it is a fantasy that combines our world (briefly) with a fully developed fantasy world called Meerdon divided into three different realms (Talus, Elore, and Erden) within the confines of Meerdon. In fact, there is a well-drawn map prior to the story itself (a frontispiece??)
This fantasy novel has a little bit of everything that fantasy readers love: dragons, wolves, magic (that is, specialized gifts), prophecy, and different factions of people. There is betrayal, love, and redemption.
The main protagonists, Dellia (pronounced Dell-yuh) and Jon, a physicist, meet when a horrible accident in his lab causes a ripping of our world into theirs. He and Megan, a woman he is interested in, are pulled into the world of Meerdon, one in which it is a more primitive time when horses were transportation. Thus, the adventure begins.
While Megan is mainly off-screen for most of the story, she is not the focus of this tale. The focus lies with two characters: Dellia, a warrior/protector working for the ruling Council, and Jon, the Otherworlder, as he is referred to throughout the novel. She is there to find out if Jon is the one about whom the prophecy speaks, and if so, will she need to stop him?
This story is an epic, both for the story itself as well as the length. It is a mighty tome, and while it is complete as is, there are some unanswered questions the reader will have in the end, all leading to another story as it indicates that this is episode one of The Ever-Branching Tree.
Still, there is so much to this fantasy world that this readers suspects the author could have several other of story lines forthcoming.
Rather than spoil other readers' enjoyment, this reader will only comment that the character list is long, and they come and go throughout the book. Although this reader didn't make a list of the characters, it would be a good idea to keep them identified. Because of the protracted way it was read, sometimes this reader's focus was lost and had to go leafing back (it is an ever-branching tree) to figure out who is who and how they connect to the story.
Overall, it was a bit lengthy, but otherwise, this was definitely an adventure with some moments of
humor, lightness, magic, and angst.
To begin, thanks to David Scidmore for the personalized, signed copy of the book. Added to that, this book was packaged well and beautifully with a tissue paper covering with a special seal (that replicated the book jacket). Then the cover itself was well done with fantastic artwork. I admit it; I was impressed.
Now, about the book itself: it is a fantasy that combines our world (briefly) with a fully developed fantasy world called Meerdon divided into three different realms (Talus, Elore, and Erden) within the confines of Meerdon. In fact, there is a well-drawn map prior to the story itself (a frontispiece??)
This fantasy novel has a little bit of everything that fantasy readers love: dragons, wolves, magic (that is, specialized gifts), prophecy, and different factions of people. There is betrayal, love, and redemption.
The main protagonists, Dellia (pronounced Dell-yuh) and Jon, a physicist, meet when a horrible accident in his lab causes a ripping of our world into theirs. He and Megan, a woman he is interested in, are pulled into the world of Meerdon, one in which it is a more primitive time when horses were transportation. Thus, the adventure begins.
While Megan is mainly off-screen for most of the story, she is not the focus of this tale. The focus lies with two characters: Dellia, a warrior/protector working for the ruling Council, and Jon, the Otherworlder, as he is referred to throughout the novel. She is there to find out if Jon is the one about whom the prophecy speaks, and if so, will she need to stop him?
This story is an epic, both for the story itself as well as the length. It is a mighty tome, and while it is complete as is, there are some unanswered questions the reader will have in the end, all leading to another story as it indicates that this is episode one of The Ever-Branching Tree.
Still, there is so much to this fantasy world that this readers suspects the author could have several other of story lines forthcoming.
Rather than spoil other readers' enjoyment, this reader will only comment that the character list is long, and they come and go throughout the book. Although this reader didn't make a list of the characters, it would be a good idea to keep them identified. Because of the protracted way it was read, sometimes this reader's focus was lost and had to go leafing back (it is an ever-branching tree) to figure out who is who and how they connect to the story.
Overall, it was a bit lengthy, but otherwise, this was definitely an adventure with some moments of
humor, lightness, magic, and angst.
November 22, 2019
Dnf 50% through the book. I won this kindle version in a giveaway so set off to read it right away for an honest review. Dellia and Jon's relationship didn't seem real to me there was just no chemistry. I just felt like he was strange and new and so was she if any other person would have met them first the outcome would be the same. They rarely talked which I liked and found interesting but without any glances, touches, or even talking all of the sudden they have feelings for each other. I couldn't make myself believe it. Garris was by far my favorite character very smug and a know-it-all. I felt Garris had more chemistry with Jon and Dellia than they did together. Also the plot gave me too little crumbs to work with. I found myself not caring if Jon got home or not. I couldn't connect with the characters or their story I just didn't care. I trudged on long enough to find out about the proficiency. It was easy to read and flowed very well but couldn't get my heart into it.
May 27, 2023
This is a very large book it’s almost the size of a house brick so due to limited time it did take me a while to read but I loved it so well worth the time. It was written in an easy read format no silly lingo to contend with, it started off in the present and jumped to a different reality/timeline which gave it that immediate edge! The book throughout kept me wondering as it gave you possible answers to what had happened but never confirmed anything either until nearer the end. I would class it as a love story with a twist, it does follow two people, one from through the portal and one from the fantasy works, and looks at how their relationship develops but it’s not overpowering luvey dovey! If your looking for an easy read but that will take time definitely read this one!!
June 30, 2024
Dellia is an epic high-fantasy romance that successfully blends alternate worlds, action, adventure, and dire peril with political intrigue and a pinch of humor.
This novel was exactly what I needed to escape from the stress of the real world. 😊 It has everything from science to romance to dragons Once I started reading, I didn’t want this book to end.
The story begins in the "real world," complete with science and modern technology, which adds a level of relatability to the character and the plot line. Jon is just a regular guy, yearning for a simple life with few responsibilities and someone to share it with. However, a shattering accident rips him from his uncomplicated life and plunges him into a baffling world that defies the physical laws he knows so well. Lost and alone with all his technology broken and no food or water, Jon is in dire need of help. Skilled and knowledgeable, Dellia is just the help he needs, if only he can keep from falling for the one woman whose duty might compel her to stop him.
The fantasy world Jon finds himself in is so vivid and thoroughly described that I felt like I was actually there, experiencing the adventure alongside the characters. This was one of my favorite things about the book and made me excited to read Aylun next! As the story progressed, I became invested in several of the characters and eagerly anticipated what would happen next. Despite being a long book, the pages flew by.
Another one of my favorite aspects of this book was how it balanced the real world with the fantasy world, making the transition feel natural and seamless.
However, I give it 4 out of 5 because of the romance between Jon and Dellia. While the romantic tension added depth to the story, Dellia’s constant overthinking and back-and-forth about her duty and her feelings for Jon was a bit much at times. Her internal struggle felt repetitive and slightly detracted from the overall flow of the narrative.
Nevertheless, Dellia is a fun, adventurous story with good banter, humor, and an interesting plot. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable read that will transport you to a different world and keep you hooked until the very end.
This novel was exactly what I needed to escape from the stress of the real world. 😊 It has everything from science to romance to dragons Once I started reading, I didn’t want this book to end.
The story begins in the "real world," complete with science and modern technology, which adds a level of relatability to the character and the plot line. Jon is just a regular guy, yearning for a simple life with few responsibilities and someone to share it with. However, a shattering accident rips him from his uncomplicated life and plunges him into a baffling world that defies the physical laws he knows so well. Lost and alone with all his technology broken and no food or water, Jon is in dire need of help. Skilled and knowledgeable, Dellia is just the help he needs, if only he can keep from falling for the one woman whose duty might compel her to stop him.
The fantasy world Jon finds himself in is so vivid and thoroughly described that I felt like I was actually there, experiencing the adventure alongside the characters. This was one of my favorite things about the book and made me excited to read Aylun next! As the story progressed, I became invested in several of the characters and eagerly anticipated what would happen next. Despite being a long book, the pages flew by.
Another one of my favorite aspects of this book was how it balanced the real world with the fantasy world, making the transition feel natural and seamless.
However, I give it 4 out of 5 because of the romance between Jon and Dellia. While the romantic tension added depth to the story, Dellia’s constant overthinking and back-and-forth about her duty and her feelings for Jon was a bit much at times. Her internal struggle felt repetitive and slightly detracted from the overall flow of the narrative.
Nevertheless, Dellia is a fun, adventurous story with good banter, humor, and an interesting plot. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable read that will transport you to a different world and keep you hooked until the very end.
August 23, 2023
I loved this! an Epic fantasy adventure / romance with plenty of twists to keep you guessing, and although written recently in 2019 (it starts out in present time in our world), this reads more like a classic Fantasy instead, which I thought was so refreshing! no F-bombs or OTT hot scenes to fill out the pages instead of plot, this was all good writing, excellent world building, interesting characters, action, adventure, mystery, humor - a bit of everything without anything unnecessary to the story, it's really well balanced. John and Megan are work colleagues and friends who get transported to a different world by accident when he opens a portal in his lab. Having just been turned down by Megan, and then meeting Dellia early on, I was thinking/dreading that this was going to be centered on one of my least favourite tropes, a love triangle involving Jon and these two ladies, so I was again pleasantly surprised at how the story played out - but I'm not going to tell any spoilers!!. Jon and Dellia are the main characters, with Garris, Kayleen, Sirra and others having important roles from near the beginning, and there are plenty of other characters (all of them interesting) that you get to meet as the story goes on. Megan, who initially arrives in the new world with Jon is the focus of book 2 although of course she is in this book as well. It might be a big book for the first in a series at over 600 pages but I was enjoying the story so much that to me it didn't feel long at all. The ending was everything I wanted it to be and more too. I think David did an amazing job with this book, and for it to be his debut book makes it even more impressive in my opinion. I just wish I'd found it sooner and I'm really looking forward to the second book - can't wait to see what happens next! bring it on!!!
February 12, 2021
Excellent Adventure
This was a great adventure story from beginning to end and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to see what the author does with another book.
This was a great adventure story from beginning to end and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to see what the author does with another book.
May 4, 2025
I have never read a book this strange and different but I loved it anyway
February 8, 2022
If you love Piers Anthony you'll probably enjoy this book. I really *want* to like this book, but I'm struggling with how cartoonish everyone is. Every character is also so catty with each other that it's hard to think kindly of anyone. Couldn't make it through.
September 15, 2019
Excellent book!!!
September 19, 2019
I received this in a Goodreads giveaway.
I'm not a big fan of epic fantasy, but this is very well done. Dellia is 80s style epic fantasy with modern sensibilities.
I'm not a big fan of epic fantasy, but this is very well done. Dellia is 80s style epic fantasy with modern sensibilities.
December 13, 2024
Oh wow, this is it, that was the book that broke my reading slump.
I loved every moment of this book and I'll forever recommend it!
I loved every moment of this book and I'll forever recommend it!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews