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The Enchanted Path
Unicorn foals are extremely precocious, and despite his meek and obedient nature, Dianthus' first months of life will be something like any other creature wouldn't dare to dream.
Between putting up with the antics of his best friend, the exuberant pegasus filly Cassiopea, aka Cassidy, and the unfathomable hostilities of Birch, the red deer fawn, Dianthus' days would be far from boring as they are, but it seems like fate has other plans. From the first face-to-face with a grumpy manticore living on the outskirts of the forest to the meeting with a lovable old she-griffin unable to fly, Dianthus will slowly come to realize that his home and everyone in it conceals mystery after mystery in plain sunlight, starting from his parents, Chrysantos and Thalia, the only other unicorns in the forest.
But Dianthus would've gladly let it all slide if it weren't for a Will-o'-Wisp keen on visiting his dreams and a voice urging him to enter a forbidden cave....
Standing on the ever blurring line between dream and wake, Dianthus will soon come to realize how fragile the illusion of perfection cast around him really is, to the day it ultimately shatters, and he'll be forced to set on a perilous journey chasing after locked memories and wishful reveries in search of a way to dispel the shadow looming over his family.
Between putting up with the antics of his best friend, the exuberant pegasus filly Cassiopea, aka Cassidy, and the unfathomable hostilities of Birch, the red deer fawn, Dianthus' days would be far from boring as they are, but it seems like fate has other plans. From the first face-to-face with a grumpy manticore living on the outskirts of the forest to the meeting with a lovable old she-griffin unable to fly, Dianthus will slowly come to realize that his home and everyone in it conceals mystery after mystery in plain sunlight, starting from his parents, Chrysantos and Thalia, the only other unicorns in the forest.
But Dianthus would've gladly let it all slide if it weren't for a Will-o'-Wisp keen on visiting his dreams and a voice urging him to enter a forbidden cave....
Standing on the ever blurring line between dream and wake, Dianthus will soon come to realize how fragile the illusion of perfection cast around him really is, to the day it ultimately shatters, and he'll be forced to set on a perilous journey chasing after locked memories and wishful reveries in search of a way to dispel the shadow looming over his family.
557 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 19, 2021
1 person is currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Jaime Ricciardi
3 books8 followersAuthor of the epic creature fantasy series The Dreamfarers' Tales.
Book 1: The Enchanted Path (online)
Book 2: Constellations (online)
Book 3: Dianthus' Odyssey (in progress)
Book 4: (you don't get to know book 4's title yet)
Book 1: The Enchanted Path (online)
Book 2: Constellations (online)
Book 3: Dianthus' Odyssey (in progress)
Book 4: (you don't get to know book 4's title yet)
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 18, 2022
I always like to try out all the creature fantasy books I can find, so I definitely had to check out this book I found on Kickstarter. And I’m so glad I did! The characters were all well fleshed-out and I grew to truly care about them and their relationships over the 550 pages of this book. It’s an epic fantasy quest, so while the first quarter of the book might feel kind of slow, it was all buildup for the adventure that took place throughout the rest of the book, which was as action-packed as you’d expect. A pleasant surprise was the end of the book, which unexpectedly hit me over the head with the feels. I highly look forward to the sequel!
I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, especially epic fantasy or creature fantasy.
Reread thoughts: this book is even better being reread; there’s so much foreshadowing that you don’t even realize until you’ve looked it over a second time!
I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, especially epic fantasy or creature fantasy.
Reread thoughts: this book is even better being reread; there’s so much foreshadowing that you don’t even realize until you’ve looked it over a second time!
February 15, 2022
Gosh.. It was fantastic. This book IS fantastic. Give this story a try. You'll fall for it
Starting out from slow measured pace with every passing word, sentence, chapter this story imperceptibly captivates the reader to follow and find out what will happen next. Just like will-o-wisp alluring light guides Dianthus, the main character, along with Cassidy and Birch, to find his destination, the path between two worlds, to return the lost unicorn home. It's a well written adventure, perfect to read during long winter nights with cup of hot chocolate on the windowsill. At first you wonder why such choice for the main trio: a unicorn foal, a young pegasy and a stag. But as story goes it all makes sense, perfect choice of perspective from different ways to perceive the world. Not only that, there are plenty of interesting characters, magical creatures of all kinds, from more to way less known ones, and it's fascinating. And not only that. It's amazing book with every piece complementing with each other after the further diving into adventure. Personally I loved and enjoyed getting to know more about the characters and story behind them. Especially closer to the end. Honestly, the last chapters were the most impressive ones. I won't dive into details, just go and find out by yourself. Seriously, the amount of work and time dedicated to create this world amaze and inspires me. Not only writing, but following artworks, if not the other way around. So much love and passion from the author resulted into this wonderful story I sincerely recommend to read to anyone who enjoys fantasy books. Can't wait to see what will come next!
Starting out from slow measured pace with every passing word, sentence, chapter this story imperceptibly captivates the reader to follow and find out what will happen next. Just like will-o-wisp alluring light guides Dianthus, the main character, along with Cassidy and Birch, to find his destination, the path between two worlds, to return the lost unicorn home. It's a well written adventure, perfect to read during long winter nights with cup of hot chocolate on the windowsill. At first you wonder why such choice for the main trio: a unicorn foal, a young pegasy and a stag. But as story goes it all makes sense, perfect choice of perspective from different ways to perceive the world. Not only that, there are plenty of interesting characters, magical creatures of all kinds, from more to way less known ones, and it's fascinating. And not only that. It's amazing book with every piece complementing with each other after the further diving into adventure. Personally I loved and enjoyed getting to know more about the characters and story behind them. Especially closer to the end. Honestly, the last chapters were the most impressive ones. I won't dive into details, just go and find out by yourself. Seriously, the amount of work and time dedicated to create this world amaze and inspires me. Not only writing, but following artworks, if not the other way around. So much love and passion from the author resulted into this wonderful story I sincerely recommend to read to anyone who enjoys fantasy books. Can't wait to see what will come next!
September 1, 2024
The Enchanted Path is a captivating book - no, journey - that will pull you into a rich world with so much to offer.
Right away you begin by reading an endearing description of a adorable new baby unicorn, who is the main character: Dianthus. The beginning reminded me so much of Bambi, except in a book - it just had that quiet, spellbound, reverent, beautiful feel to it. Soon enough, though, there is drama, fun, action, excitement, and danger that will keep you hooked.
All the characters Dianthus meets on the way are just so loveable and memorable (ok well, except for the harpies, maybe, haha) - my favorite was a gryphon named Dora. Each new character or group of characters had a distinct feel and flavor that added to the adventure. Each species encountered in the book had their own unique world and culture and such. For instance, the deer, the pegasi, and the gryphons.
The unicorns themselves have all sorts of lore and ways of functioning. They live a lot like what you might have heard of traditional unicorns (forest-dwelling, soft-stepping, powerful, white coats, etc), plus there is added details to the system of their magic and qualities, and I love that so much. It's a treat to find a fantastic story like this that pours SO MUCH detail, description, and thought into what they would have been like and this story really draws you in and makes you feel like it is all so real and alive.
There's so much lore and imagination to this book, and so much depth waiting to be uncovered. I've only just begun to describe it all. So, dive right in, yourself, and discover what awaits you!
Right away you begin by reading an endearing description of a adorable new baby unicorn, who is the main character: Dianthus. The beginning reminded me so much of Bambi, except in a book - it just had that quiet, spellbound, reverent, beautiful feel to it. Soon enough, though, there is drama, fun, action, excitement, and danger that will keep you hooked.
All the characters Dianthus meets on the way are just so loveable and memorable (ok well, except for the harpies, maybe, haha) - my favorite was a gryphon named Dora. Each new character or group of characters had a distinct feel and flavor that added to the adventure. Each species encountered in the book had their own unique world and culture and such. For instance, the deer, the pegasi, and the gryphons.
The unicorns themselves have all sorts of lore and ways of functioning. They live a lot like what you might have heard of traditional unicorns (forest-dwelling, soft-stepping, powerful, white coats, etc), plus there is added details to the system of their magic and qualities, and I love that so much. It's a treat to find a fantastic story like this that pours SO MUCH detail, description, and thought into what they would have been like and this story really draws you in and makes you feel like it is all so real and alive.
There's so much lore and imagination to this book, and so much depth waiting to be uncovered. I've only just begun to describe it all. So, dive right in, yourself, and discover what awaits you!
July 27, 2024
The Enchanted Path is an intriguing and thrilling story about the young unicorn Dianthus and his two friends Cassidy and Birch going on an adventurous journey, where they face many challenges and have to stick together to solve a mystery that and restore something lost long ago...
This book is written very well! The writing style makes it easy to imagine the scenes yourself, which I like a lot! The way how the author describes the scenes and characters is detailed and easy to understand! There's never a boring moment and you just want to keep reading to know how the story goes on! Despite of Dianthus being the main protagonist, you'll get a good amount of time to learn more about the other characters, none of them are overlooked, even the minor characters get brief moment to shine!
The only "downside" about this book is that the ending (and another scene dealing with certain character deaths) seems kind of rushed and I would have preferred if there was more insight to said scenes. (But that's just my personal opinion)
Overall I can say that I enjoyed the book a lot, actually more than I expected and I can only recommend reading it, if you're into fantasy and mythical creatures/animals being the main characters
This book is written very well! The writing style makes it easy to imagine the scenes yourself, which I like a lot! The way how the author describes the scenes and characters is detailed and easy to understand! There's never a boring moment and you just want to keep reading to know how the story goes on! Despite of Dianthus being the main protagonist, you'll get a good amount of time to learn more about the other characters, none of them are overlooked, even the minor characters get brief moment to shine!
The only "downside" about this book is that the ending (and another scene dealing with certain character deaths) seems kind of rushed and I would have preferred if there was more insight to said scenes. (But that's just my personal opinion)
Overall I can say that I enjoyed the book a lot, actually more than I expected and I can only recommend reading it, if you're into fantasy and mythical creatures/animals being the main characters
June 13, 2023
As a sucker for all types of fantasy books with animal centric characters, I HAD to give this one a read as soon as it came out, and it did not disappoint.
The characters are unique down to their manner of speech, the way they act, and their motivations, making it easy to want to root for them. Watching Dianthus especially grow from a naive newborn unicorn to a well-rounded adolescent with more complex morals was very satisfying.
It starts off a bit of a slow burn, but even that part finds ways to hook the reader’s interest and keep them reading to find out what happens next. All in all
I would absolutely recommend this to any fans of fantasy animal books, especially ones with no humans to be found.
The characters are unique down to their manner of speech, the way they act, and their motivations, making it easy to want to root for them. Watching Dianthus especially grow from a naive newborn unicorn to a well-rounded adolescent with more complex morals was very satisfying.
It starts off a bit of a slow burn, but even that part finds ways to hook the reader’s interest and keep them reading to find out what happens next. All in all
I would absolutely recommend this to any fans of fantasy animal books, especially ones with no humans to be found.
March 1, 2023
It was such a fun book to read. I love the characters and the way they interact. The world has a unique way of working that is fascinating. The story starts slow, but ultimately picks up and is highly investing. Lastly, it’s evident that the author cares deeply about their writing and have put a lot of thought into it.
June 3, 2023
It was relaxing to read this book. A wonderful world with many interesting characters and creatures which interact in equally interesting ways. A rather slow but not boring build up and a big andventure with many hardships on the way, that is what this book is and I love it. I also love, how the characters all behave in their own way, how different animals would behave.
February 3, 2023
The story is truly a breath of fresh air from the usual. If you are searching for a classical fantasy with a darker twist and enjoyable characters this is 100℅ the book for you.
October 2, 2024
Lovely tale of friendship and family, for all ages. Utterly enchanting, good read.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews