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Meet Nyx Ashwood; sentenced to death for supposedly murdering her foster father, saved by Darius Valeran—but why did he help her?


Nyx, a fae mind whisperer, has no idea she has magic. When Darius saves her from certain death, she knows there’s more than he’s telling her about herself, his motives, and his plans for her.


Darius is the son of the Archdruid; a position of privilege and power. Along with everyone else, he believed the mind whispers to be extinct. None have been seen in a generation after the Arhdruid wiped them all out. Yet here is Nyx, living proof they’re not all gone. His brother believes Nyx is part of an ancient prophecy that could either save their world… or destroy it.


When a rift opens to the underworld, Darius realizes that Nyx might be the only one that can help him discover who opened it and why. Except not only does she not know she has powers, she has no control over them. But if they don’t work together, evil spirits and monsters will destroy their world.

257 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 4, 2021

7 people are currently reading
45 people want to read

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Tiffany Shand

233 books152 followers

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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
Profile Image for Megan (sporadic hiatus due to law school).
1,164 reviews11 followers
September 30, 2021
Rating: 2.7/5.0

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not a big fan of prequels, and I don't normally read them until after I finish the series and only if I really enjoyed the story. Finding out The Calling was technically a prequel series after I already finished the book was the biggest 'if only I knew' moment.

That being said, I wasn't a fan of The Calling from the beginning.

The main character lost a lot of her memories so she enters the plotline pretty clueless when it comes to the world. When the story was in her point of view/focused on her, it read as more of a way to throw information about the world at the reader. There are three islands? Yeah, in the war. War? What war that I probably should have heard of because it was concerning a bunch of different races? But a lot of the descriptors of the races were blown over. I was getting a bunch of info about the government and the multitudes of slaves they kept and the islands, but there was a werewolf? And I thought some girl was a dragon but that was glossed over. And there is fae with pointy ears and fae without?

The physical descriptors and the extra information on the races were lacking, which made the story harder to visualize and hard to follow. I can definitely picture the floating cities or whatever, that's great, but right now there's a shining blob that represents Nyx and another for Darius (who is a druid but his existence also doesn't fit. Are all the DND classes joining the series? Why are there only druids that exist? Other than fae with magic and shadow things. What's the difference between a fae and a druid?) See, questions like these don't get answered.

Nyx also made me annoyed. Actually, so did Darius. For a girl who lost her memories and has no clues about the world of magic, she has plenty of opinions that she doesn't hesitate to voice... multiple times. It's hard to go a single chapter without her pouting over something. And Darius spouts all this "I don't agree with having slaves" and "my father is this bad dude I don't like him" but he's all bark and no bite. He may have joined the rebels (rebels? There are rebels?) but outside of that, all he thinks about is the giant rift that is getting bigger.

Other than those main two, nobody else has much of a personality other than 'oh, here's some info about the world/people/magic/etc. so I'll be a part of this scene to help you :)'. There's not much character to anybody, including Nyx and Darius, but at least we see a little more personality to the main characters.

By the end, the main characters supposedly had a friendship going on - but I saw no development as to how or when or why they got closer. Nyx is harping on the fact that she's a servant - not a slave, but if she's forcibly in this position with the threat of her life if she disagrees (like she can disagree) I don't see what the difference is other than to appease Darius - and Darius couldn't care less about Nyx. I saw no development whatsoever between their characters. The only part that made me question it was when Darius' brother mentions 'don't get romantically attached' or something, and then Darius has a whole argument with himself that he isn't attached, etcetera, etcetera.

One of the biggest things that irked me about the writing style was the constant repetition of questions. The characters would ask a question, get it only partially answered, and then ask the question again, but in a slightly different setup. It irked me that they kept asking for no reason. There was no inclination you'd get any extra information, and it just read like the characters asked a question and didn't bother listening to the answer, so they had to ask it again.

Clearly, I didn't care for this book. I've been wanting to read the series that this series is the prequel to, so I'll pick that up eventually, but I highly doubt I'd ever finish The Andovia Chronicles unless I absolutely had to.
Profile Image for Lunnaris.
119 reviews11 followers
January 11, 2021
Nyx is a young woman with pink hair, wings and that used to have pointed ears. She clearly has a relation with the Fae, however, she doesn't remember anything before she was 8 years old. When she was found under an Ash tree and was sold to her "foster parent" Harland. She lived with tho other young women who became her sisters, while her job was stealing for Harland.

The reason she was the one to steal was because of her "curse". This allowed Nyx to read the minds of others (rather than allowing her, it forced her to listen to everyone's thoughts) and also gave her a slight control over people, which could make them forget her if discovered.

After Harland died in strange conditions, everyone blamed Nyx and she was sentenced to death. Thanks to the help of her sister Domnu, the seer, she was able to escape and finally be rescued by Darius, a druid, who for some reason nullified Nyx's powers. Unfortunately, he was not really going to her rescue, but to capture her to hand her over to his brother.

Darius was the son of the Archdruid. This gave him several advantages, however, he preferred to get away from his family and, above all, from the dark magic that everyone enjoyed. Darius, along with his mentor Ambrose, were trying to discover the origin of the rifts, openings where the veil between our world and the next meet, and were trying desperately to close them and avoid the attacks of the darklings.
"I believe everything we do, no matter how small, does help. They may not seem like much, but I have to believe that."

Nyx in fact wasn't cursed, she was a mind whisperer, a gift believed to have been eradicated centuries ago, after the order of Darius's grandfather. These new "powers" that Nyx was discovering could be useful to Darius's plans, if only she knew how to control them. Also, working together implies trust, and that was impossible between them…
"Oh, she might not be cursed but she did have power."

I had a hard time getting into the book at the beginning. It's quite fast, but at first I didn't understand what was going on, besides not being able to relate to the characters. Fortunately it got a lot more interesting as the story progressed.

This book is written in third person, but we can only read the minds of Nyx and Darius. I like him a lot more, by the way, Nyx complains too much 😂. Although her personality improves a lot once she manages to accept that she is not cursed and gets interested in helping save the world instead of just planning how to escape.
"If you want to stop her from running away, give her a reason to stay."

In short, this is quite an interesting book. I was sure it would have the trope of enemies to lovers, but nope, there is no romance… 💔 I'm still hopeful about it. However, I will read the next book anyway. This book had a closure, but it's clear that new problems will come. Also, and this is not a spoiler, just my thought, I'm sure Ambrose is bad!!!!! And I need to read the following to check 🤣.

It may not have become one of my favorite books, but I find it highly recommendable anyway and I have a lot of faith in the next part.
Profile Image for Katheyer.
1,557 reviews25 followers
November 25, 2020
“The Calling” by Tiffany Shand is the first installment in her new series “The Andovia Chronicles”, which blends epic fantasy with some reworked elements of Greek mythology and Lykan & Fae lore. The story is well-written, very good edited, with interesting multidimensional characters and a carefully crafted world, in which magic is sanctioned and penalized by death. The characters are multidimensional and well depicted, the chemistry between the MC (Nyx and Darius) unmistakable, while the secondary characters help to build the world and bring the story across.

Nyx Ashwood (FMC) is a covert Fae mind whisperer, so covert that not even herself is aware of her magic abilities. Unfortunately, as her foster father dies, Nyx is blamed, even more accused of being a killer and sentenced to death, only to be saved in the very last minute by Darius Valeran, who has in fact an agenda of his own. Darius, as the Archdruid son, uses his power position to save Nyx. Mind whisperers were supposed to be extinct generations ago, but Nyx (who has neither knowledge of nor power over her own power) is living proof that the lost gift is not gone, which potentially makes her part of an ancient ambiguous prophecy. To make things even more complexer Nyx would have to close the newly opened rift to the Underworld, before its denizens destroy the realm. Darius and Nyx have to learn to trust each other and unite forces against the enemy.
Profile Image for Shayay.
2,833 reviews55 followers
January 5, 2021
I’m not a huge fan of prequel series, which this series is one for the Rogues of Magic series, but I do enjoy the world the author has created. Entertaining and fun! Such an interesting world!! Love all the magic usage, and all the different types of Fae and other paranormals. Nyx was bought by a not so nice man, so he could use her for her magical aspects. Nyx has some really cool magical abilities; mind control and memory control to name a couple, but she’s also been lied to about who and what she truly is. Nyx knows very little about her past, so Nyx is on a quest to find out more about herself and her powers. That quest proves to be quite difficult when more than one danger gets in her way; prophecies, curses, evil people all over. In the short story to this series, some deadly evil entity came for Nyx, but ended up killing Nyx’s not so nice “guardian”. Unfortunately, Nyx is being blamed for the death, so things are looking pretty bad for her. Luckily, she’s finding some help from Druid, Darius. Trust is hard for Nyx; Nyx isn’t exactly easy to get to know, but there is a connection of sorts between Darius and Her. Love her sass and strength! She’s a brat sometimes, but I still liked her. Fun action too! Excited to read the next books in this series; cliffhanger-esque ending in this book, so will definitely need to continue reading for the full story.
Profile Image for Kaye.
7,177 reviews70 followers
December 6, 2020
⚓⚓ONE INTENSE ROLLERCOASTER⚓⚓
Screeching skeeters! Tiffany delivers with this tumultuous wild ride, serving up some harsh facts, cruel lessons and ruthless drive grabbing you from the start and holding steady until the end, hurling this gem to a whole new level. A churning vortex of arduous struggles and challenging triumphs, detailing the deadly twists and stunning turns, knocking down walls and bringing the heat, blasting this jewel to life flawlessly. Perception and attributes in layer upon layer that you peel back with each page your drawn into this tangled web so thoroughly till everything else ceases to exist, blasting this bad boy into the eye of the storm, blowing it into a frenzy with life altering results. The characters are complex, genuine and realistic with traits and qualities that balance and blend, with amazing depth and diversity and enough spice to add an extra kick to the mix. Throw in 100% on point realism, raising the stakes with such graphic scenarios that are so colorfully descriptive and vividly detailed its like you're living it with them instead of on the sidelines, feeling everything the characters feel. Incredible job Tiffany, thanks for sharing this little treasure with us.
1,909 reviews13 followers
December 16, 2020
As a slave Nyx Ashwood had little choices and much less freedom. She met Darius while fleeing an unlucky incident, in which he was already in the prowl, and their path together began. Nyx was not cursed but had a dangerous power she needed to learn about and control it in order to survive. Evil was surrounding them, and a rift was threatening to end all. Who was behind the rift and with what purpose? Intended to fight for the safe of his people Darius Valeran was struggling with his feelings for the mind whisperer but he could not deny what was in his heart. Doubts were assaulting him. What was more important? Action, suspense, doubts, deceit, betrayal, bickering, mystery, secrets, violence and darkness. Interesting and intriguing plot development with Darius friends’ characters, a prophesy unknown by many, and the mystery around who were Nyx parents. Voluntarily reviewed this copy that I liked.
227 reviews6 followers
December 20, 2020
The Calling is the first book in the Andovia Chronicles following the prequel Dark Deeds. Nyx now accused of the murder of her foster father is doomed to die until Darius steps in. Unfortunately, Darius’ help comes with a price. Now she is his prisoner and is whisked away from all she knows. As she plots her escape, she gradually learns about herself and her powers that she believes are a curse. When the darklings cross the veil, she knows she must learn to control those powers to protect herself and hopefully help stop the expanding rip in the veil. This has been a great read. I love the characters and storyline. I find this book enjoyable and very entertaining and I look forward to reading more of this series.
Profile Image for Claudia.
556 reviews37 followers
November 30, 2020
You jump right into the story with Nyx being arrested for the murder of her foster guardian.

Once thought to be extinct, it is garnered that Nyx is a mind-whisperer. This leads her to be believed to be one part of a prophecy and piques the interest of the archdruid prince.

The rules around magic and the fae confused me and could've been more fleshed out. I liked getting to know Darius and his friends and would've liked more character building into the royalty such as Gideon, his father and both mothers. This was an interesting story line but also left me with a lot of questions which I'm hoping get answered in the next few books.
2,259 reviews6 followers
November 30, 2020
The story of Ann’s parents. The takes place long before the Rogues of Magic books.This is the story of how Ann’s parents met and ended up together. Nyx is an orphaned slave. But she has abilities she has kept a secret. When her abilities come to light she is targeted. By the Druids to use her magic, by the darkness to destroy her, and all she wants is to live in peace and save her sisters. But she is part of a prophecy and like it or not she has to stay with the Druid Darius and learn not only how to control her magic but o find out where she came from. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review
Profile Image for Jill Gauger.
1,226 reviews12 followers
December 5, 2020
This book is exciting and full of adventure.
Nyx Ashwood is a slave being used for a power she knows nothing about. She will do whatever she has to, to protect herself and her foster sisters. One day as she is protecting her sister from Harland he is killed and Nyx is blamed. She swears she didn’t do it but the village deems her guilty anyway and sentenced her to death. She is saved by Darius Valaren a Druid and the brother of the Crown Prince.
The adventures begin with a whole series of realms in danger of total destruction.
Profile Image for Alicia Love.
21 reviews1 follower
December 23, 2020
The first book in the Andovia Chronicles, The Calling, was very interesting with the different types of magic and various types of fae folk. The main character, Nyx, was an orphaned fae who was taken in by an abusive foster dad who exploited her powers for his benefit. This coming-of-age adventure begins with the death of her foster dad and the villagers blaming Nyx for it. She is saved from certain death by a very powerful stranger, Darius, who takes her to the ruling court of the land. Her strange and unusual powers have been noticed by those who would use it for their own gain and also seem to point to Nyx being a part of an ancient prophecy. I have to say that I really wanted to like Nyx but she was very difficult to empathize with. For someone who had no memories before she was taken in by her foster family (at age 10 for most of the book but then it changed to age 7??) and lived an extremely sheltered life in a tiny village in the remote outskirts of the kingdom, she was very opinionated of all of the new people, creatures and lands that she came across in this book. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to slap her and slap her hard!! I kept hoping she would grow up as well as grow as a character but didn’t really see that. Darius, on the other hand, was very likable from the beginning and I enjoyed getting to know him. There was a very interesting mix of supporting characters that helped make this book fun to read. There were some grammatical/spelling errors here and there but the biggest inconsistency for me was the age at which she was found. That really bothered me since it was brought up so much during the book. This was a fairly clean fantasy/adventure and I give it 3 ½ stars. I would recommend this for teens and older readers.

I am voluntarily leaving an honest review after reading a free advanced e-copy of this book.
178 reviews7 followers
December 1, 2020
Awesome..Strong female lead , Magical curse ? Druid Princes? Dragons...Yes I said Dragons !! The Story line is epic..The Character / World Building is Stupendous . I mean Magical beings , Druids,DRAGONS, Floating islands in the air ...Just Wow >I am an Honest ARC Reviewer , And I absolutely rave on this 1st Andovia Chronicles Book..I hope there are more coming that are just as Good ...Thanx Tiffany !!
Profile Image for Kaitlin.
282 reviews8 followers
December 9, 2020
Exciting from the first sentence, this is an enthralling beginning to a new series. Upon further reading, I saw that this series is sort of a prequel to another of hers. I am encouraged to look that one up and read. Nyx has been lead to believe that she is cursed from a young age working for a slave trader, she is rescued from death by Darius and his friends and taken to the upper realms where there are megalomaniacs.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Linda Levine.
4,646 reviews25 followers
December 25, 2020
I enjoyed this first book in the series. It leaves you with a cliffhanger ending and eager for the next part.

The story keeps you guessing and is paced well. There are a lot of surprises to uncover. The most important is her past. She has no memories before around age 8 or so when she was found beside a tree. I like stories that keep me guessing.

I am voluntarily reviewing a copy I received. .
Profile Image for Marie  Reed.
Author 5 books79 followers
December 30, 2020
I was very excited to find out about this prequel series, as the Rogues of Magic is one of my new favorites. Learning about Darius' journey to archdruid and Nyx's past is great! I can't wait to see them grow as people and then turn into who they were in the first series.

That being said, I thought the ending was rushed. Nyx has hardly learned anything about her powers, Darius' brother is still mostly in the dark about her, and the rift problem was solved way too quickly. Maybe the next book will expand on it a bit before moving on.
4,540 reviews21 followers
January 3, 2021
This is the beginning of the series on how Darius and Nyx meet and get together. The story was interesting and fun to read. I liked all the new characters and types of characters that are introduced here. I have to say I both laughed and groaned quite a few times. And wanted to slap a few characters especially Darius and Nyx. But it was entertaining with its action, danger, intrigue, betrayal, secrets, reveals, prophecy and twists and unknowns. Just a fun read.
201 reviews
January 18, 2021
The writing and plot was probably a 2 stars but this book kept me engaged. So 3 stars. The hero is so contradictory in his actions and morals. Some of the actions of the characters were weird. This could have been an amazing book, had the author decided to paint things as either black or white. There is no grey zone and people in this book are either evil or good. For that reason, it was juvenile.
Profile Image for Katherine Jordan.
589 reviews3 followers
December 23, 2020
I wasn’t real sure about this book, but the further I got into it the more I saw how it tied into some other books I read. It gave a lot of background information into the parents of others in the books I have read. In the end I wanted more so I can’t wait to see what happens next. I will be looking for the next book so I can find out more of what happened.
Profile Image for Tiffany.
696 reviews41 followers
January 6, 2021
A great start to this brand new series taking place years before the rogues of magic series. Told from the perspectives of both Nyx and Darius, we learn what happened long before the events in the Rogues of Magic series happened, and also begin to learn about these characters themselves. It was an absolute pleasure to read this, and I simply cannot wait until the next one is released 😀
12.7k reviews191 followers
December 15, 2020
A wonderful story to begin a new series. Already love the characters and totally got involved with them and ready for more. Don’t miss out once it’s released
Profile Image for Mik Wasiak.
412 reviews3 followers
September 22, 2021
A interesting story of her learning about her powers while trying to escape from the man who saved her I got this book for free and honest review
Profile Image for Stephanie.
Author 1 book5 followers
February 4, 2022
I enjoyed how this book set up the beginning of a series. I feel like the characters and plot were set up really well and I'm excited to see what happens in book 2
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews

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