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Dynasty of Ghosts
Illya has always been different - fey, quiet, and cursed with the ability to see the lingering spirits of the dead. A younger son of a younger son from a backwater mountain province, he is a nobody in the king’s army until he comes to the notice of the Prince Knight himself, the spoiled, stubborn heir to the kingdom of Aldania.
Caught up in a war that has raged for generations between Aldania and a neighboring kingdom, captured and imprisoned by a mad king, Illya and Prince Ashe discover a history of lies, betrayal and assassination, and the ghostly truth beneath it all. Opposites in every way, they forge a common bond that pain, war and betrayal will test to the very limit of their strength.
To end a dynasty of madness and suffering, Illya must embrace the ability he has always hated, and look to the dead for answers.
Caught up in a war that has raged for generations between Aldania and a neighboring kingdom, captured and imprisoned by a mad king, Illya and Prince Ashe discover a history of lies, betrayal and assassination, and the ghostly truth beneath it all. Opposites in every way, they forge a common bond that pain, war and betrayal will test to the very limit of their strength.
To end a dynasty of madness and suffering, Illya must embrace the ability he has always hated, and look to the dead for answers.
688 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2008
33 people are currently reading
2359 people want to read
About the author
P.L. Nunn
45 books518 followersaka Pam Nunnally
Main website here, Smashword website here, Lulu website here.
BIO
Obsessive/ compulsive: Very
Artistic: Painfully
Scattered: Very often
Disorganised: Dreadfully
Daydreamer: 90% of the time
Perversion Level: Uncomfortably high
Fuzzy animals: An overabundance of felines
Projects: Too many to name - - even I forget
Main website here, Smashword website here, Lulu website here.
BIO
Obsessive/ compulsive: Very
Artistic: Painfully
Scattered: Very often
Disorganised: Dreadfully
Daydreamer: 90% of the time
Perversion Level: Uncomfortably high
Fuzzy animals: An overabundance of felines
Projects: Too many to name - - even I forget
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
August 16, 2014
this review is bullshit also.
"Irritating lead. Not the alpha—Ashe was fun—Ilya. Too stupid to do anything sensibly, and too uptight to know what's good for him, ever. Cringing, judgmental, dull-witted wallflowers rarely make for good fun in romantic adventure epics, I think."
you're welcome.
"Irritating lead. Not the alpha—Ashe was fun—Ilya. Too stupid to do anything sensibly, and too uptight to know what's good for him, ever. Cringing, judgmental, dull-witted wallflowers rarely make for good fun in romantic adventure epics, I think."
you're welcome.
February 9, 2019
Went into this story after reading Bloodraven a little while back kind of half covering my eyes afraid of what kind of tortures our main characters would be put through. There was violence and cruelty but nowhere near as much as in Bloodraven, phew!
Loved this meaty story, soooo long and soooo good. There were times I grew impatient wanting to see how it would all work out and once I got close to finishing I didn't want it to end. The world building is wonderful, I felt like I was there. I came to care so much about these characters, I felt like I knew them. There were some minor issues that I disregarded completely and the ending did leave loose ends and questions unanswered, but I did not care one bit. I found the overall story to be simply amazing and would happily dive right into this world if there was ever a sequel.
Loved this meaty story, soooo long and soooo good. There were times I grew impatient wanting to see how it would all work out and once I got close to finishing I didn't want it to end. The world building is wonderful, I felt like I was there. I came to care so much about these characters, I felt like I knew them. There were some minor issues that I disregarded completely and the ending did leave loose ends and questions unanswered, but I did not care one bit. I found the overall story to be simply amazing and would happily dive right into this world if there was ever a sequel.
October 10, 2014
An enthusiastic and completely deserved five stars for Dynasty of Ghosts.
To repeat what I said in my update when I'd read about 75% of the book, this is the best novel I've read in a long time. And I've read some really good books lately. I'm very glad I ventured out of my usual preference for Contemporary novels to give this fantasy/adventure a try.
I have a lot to say about Dynasty of Ghosts, and I might be coming back here to edit my review as I continue to get my thoughts in order. But here's the most important thing: this novel absolutely bewitched me. I'm usually a compulsive reader. Very fast. I have a hard time putting a book down once I've started it. But I *really* could not put this book down. I lost lots of sleep over it and didn't regret it. The story totally sucked me in, yes, but the characters enraptured me. To say that I cared about them is an understatement.
Dynasty of Ghosts is a very long book for this genre. It's at least twice as long as every other gay romance book I've read over the last three years or so. I'm almost always complaining, in my reviews, of books being too short, of scenes not being fully realized, so you would think I'd like a much longer presentation. And in a way I surely did. However, I kept thinking that the book should have been edited down. I've done my share of editing in my day, but try as I might, I had a hard time knowing where cuts could have been made. There are some obvious sidetracks here and there that could have been eliminated to produce effective streamlining, but I'm estimating they would have robbed the story of but five percent of its text. No, I can only conclude that the length fits and suits the story the author had to tell.
The story falls naturally into four parts: on the battlefield, in captivity, escaping, and at the court. The court section can in turn be divided into sections, the most important being the interlude at Summerdale (not sure of that name). The author (I'm going to assume the book has one author, and that it's a woman, but I surely might be wrong) takes her time during each part (except for the very end, but I'll get to that), and that's one of the reasons I think this book works so extraordinarily well. I cannot imagine the time and effort it took to write this as completely as it's done. You've heard of foreplay heightening the pleasure? My goodness, this author initiated literary foreplay and kept it going for a long time, and never once, for me, went over the edge, took it too far, or had me rolling my eyes. And I'm very sensitive to that.
One of her greatest accomplishments, I think, is entwining a fascinating action plot (with a decided mystery) with the romance. I've seen it done poorly, I've seen it attempted with goodwill, I've seen it done pretty darn well, but I've never seen the two components presented so proficiently. The relationship between Illya and Ashe is never subsumed by anything else, but the movement of the action plot rarely if ever falters.
Pacing, which is another thing altogether, was also excellent, propelled by the interest I had in the characters. Oh, there was a pause here and there, but that served more as a breathing space than anything else. Much needed.
Okay, more specifics here, so for anyone not wanting to read a little bit of spoiler information, don't go any further.
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
There's a lovely irony in the structure, in that it basically begins with Ashe's casual seduction of Illya. Basically, an off-stage sex scene in which Illya is taken more or less against his will...and more or less with his cooperation. It's a strong foreshadowing of the confusion between the two men that lasts for most of the rest of the book, and will probably always be an integral part of Illya's character. After this seduction, the book ranges far and wide until, a good three-quarters of the way into the story, the two men finally come together again with far different motivation. And the journey there is delicious in the extreme. For me.
I can see that some readers might not enjoy this journey. I think a person has to be attuned to the MCs and also be a pretty patient reader. And like this sort of adventure with paranormal elements.
Now, the book isn't without flaws. Far from it. But for me they don't detract from the Five Stars I enthusiastically rate it with. If those flaws had been "corrected" I imagine I would have had to give Dynasty of Ghosts 10 stars instead.
So, here's the thing. First off, the most minor of problems. I don't really understand how a writer who can create this much gorgeous prose, with this great understanding of character, with this tremendous control of her storyline...can't get her punctuation right. Or know when "to" should actually be "too." Or get somebody to proofread the story to pick up on missing or extraneous words. Or turn sentence fragments into complete sentences. The text is NOT rife with these problems. They occur occasionally. But I'm abnormally sensitive to these kinds of errors. The lack of commas when needed did bother me, and the stylistic convention of sentence fragments was definitely overused. The book would have vaulted to that non-existent "6" rating if the author had worked with a careful editor and proofreader. (I'm still scratching my head over how this happened. This is an extraordinarily accomplished writer who...can't punctuate? My mind has a hard time wrapping itself around that concept.)
But as another reviewer has said, this problem didn't interfere with her enjoyment of the book, and I agree with that. In time, I came to see those problems as a sort of joke that I fondly regarded. Most folks won't be bothered by it.
The more important deficiency in Dynasty of Ghosts is in the ending. Throughout the entire text (which is, face it, really long), the author does a magnificent job of keeping the relationship foremost and giving enough to the hungry-for-interaction reader to keep her satisfied. More than satisfied. Until the ending. I really, really, really needed more between Ashe and Illya to show that they were okay after the truly thrilling climax. Most especially, since the author gifts us with an epilogue, I needed the epilogue to show me much more of the two of them interacting and loving. It's there, but at a minimum.
Because of this approach to the ending, as well as several plot threads left hanging, there is the strong suggestion that the author intended a sequel. Since the book was written years ago (I think 2002?), and one has not appeared, I do believe we've seen the last of Illya and Ashe from this writer. (Fanfiction, anybody? With the author's permission only, of course.)
There's a third problem that is much less tangible, that's really hard to pin down. There is a certain satisfaction that the truly great romance novels provide, a certain connection between story and reader that leaves the reader with a feeling that she's complete. I'm not talking about plot threads here, but emotional completeness. An understanding of the relationship between the characters, of the characters themselves, and that the emotional arc of the storyline has rounded onto itself.
Dynasty of Ghosts comes so close to providing this satisfaction! But ultimately it just-barely-fails. This is more than the oft-heard advice of leaving the audience wanting more. To me, this is a romance novel that doesn't quite manage to scale the pinnacle. It sets up that mountain, it takes the readers on a thrilling climb up the slopes, but then it stops ten feet short.
Darn it!
I can only guess that a fully-realized ending, perhaps including a lengthier epilogue, would have done it for me.
Back to the characters before I end. I can imagine that some readers will not be taken in by Ashe at the beginning. He's the character who changes the most in the story, even considering considerable changes wrought in Illya. But I really like the reality of Ashe, how the author doesn't pull back from his deficiencies, and how she even, at times, manages to make those deficiencies into positive attributes. Very, very skillful characterization at work.
To add a final compliment: This book reminds me of Lois McMaster Bujold's science fantasy work. She's a Hugo and Nebula award winner, and wrote my favorite book ever, The Curse of Chalion. For me to compare Nunn's work to Bujold's? Best. Compliment. Ever.
To conclude: a book that encouraged me to write this much about it has got to be really good! It's gotten under my skin, made me lament that I'm no longer living in that world, and has made me permanent friends of Illya and Ashe. Dynasty of Ghosts is mature, as well as being sophisticated in both concept and execution. P.L. Nunn, whoever she is, is a very talented author.
Dynasty of Ghosts receives my highest recommendation.
To repeat what I said in my update when I'd read about 75% of the book, this is the best novel I've read in a long time. And I've read some really good books lately. I'm very glad I ventured out of my usual preference for Contemporary novels to give this fantasy/adventure a try.
I have a lot to say about Dynasty of Ghosts, and I might be coming back here to edit my review as I continue to get my thoughts in order. But here's the most important thing: this novel absolutely bewitched me. I'm usually a compulsive reader. Very fast. I have a hard time putting a book down once I've started it. But I *really* could not put this book down. I lost lots of sleep over it and didn't regret it. The story totally sucked me in, yes, but the characters enraptured me. To say that I cared about them is an understatement.
Dynasty of Ghosts is a very long book for this genre. It's at least twice as long as every other gay romance book I've read over the last three years or so. I'm almost always complaining, in my reviews, of books being too short, of scenes not being fully realized, so you would think I'd like a much longer presentation. And in a way I surely did. However, I kept thinking that the book should have been edited down. I've done my share of editing in my day, but try as I might, I had a hard time knowing where cuts could have been made. There are some obvious sidetracks here and there that could have been eliminated to produce effective streamlining, but I'm estimating they would have robbed the story of but five percent of its text. No, I can only conclude that the length fits and suits the story the author had to tell.
The story falls naturally into four parts: on the battlefield, in captivity, escaping, and at the court. The court section can in turn be divided into sections, the most important being the interlude at Summerdale (not sure of that name). The author (I'm going to assume the book has one author, and that it's a woman, but I surely might be wrong) takes her time during each part (except for the very end, but I'll get to that), and that's one of the reasons I think this book works so extraordinarily well. I cannot imagine the time and effort it took to write this as completely as it's done. You've heard of foreplay heightening the pleasure? My goodness, this author initiated literary foreplay and kept it going for a long time, and never once, for me, went over the edge, took it too far, or had me rolling my eyes. And I'm very sensitive to that.
One of her greatest accomplishments, I think, is entwining a fascinating action plot (with a decided mystery) with the romance. I've seen it done poorly, I've seen it attempted with goodwill, I've seen it done pretty darn well, but I've never seen the two components presented so proficiently. The relationship between Illya and Ashe is never subsumed by anything else, but the movement of the action plot rarely if ever falters.
Pacing, which is another thing altogether, was also excellent, propelled by the interest I had in the characters. Oh, there was a pause here and there, but that served more as a breathing space than anything else. Much needed.
Okay, more specifics here, so for anyone not wanting to read a little bit of spoiler information, don't go any further.
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
There's a lovely irony in the structure, in that it basically begins with Ashe's casual seduction of Illya. Basically, an off-stage sex scene in which Illya is taken more or less against his will...and more or less with his cooperation. It's a strong foreshadowing of the confusion between the two men that lasts for most of the rest of the book, and will probably always be an integral part of Illya's character. After this seduction, the book ranges far and wide until, a good three-quarters of the way into the story, the two men finally come together again with far different motivation. And the journey there is delicious in the extreme. For me.
I can see that some readers might not enjoy this journey. I think a person has to be attuned to the MCs and also be a pretty patient reader. And like this sort of adventure with paranormal elements.
Now, the book isn't without flaws. Far from it. But for me they don't detract from the Five Stars I enthusiastically rate it with. If those flaws had been "corrected" I imagine I would have had to give Dynasty of Ghosts 10 stars instead.
So, here's the thing. First off, the most minor of problems. I don't really understand how a writer who can create this much gorgeous prose, with this great understanding of character, with this tremendous control of her storyline...can't get her punctuation right. Or know when "to" should actually be "too." Or get somebody to proofread the story to pick up on missing or extraneous words. Or turn sentence fragments into complete sentences. The text is NOT rife with these problems. They occur occasionally. But I'm abnormally sensitive to these kinds of errors. The lack of commas when needed did bother me, and the stylistic convention of sentence fragments was definitely overused. The book would have vaulted to that non-existent "6" rating if the author had worked with a careful editor and proofreader. (I'm still scratching my head over how this happened. This is an extraordinarily accomplished writer who...can't punctuate? My mind has a hard time wrapping itself around that concept.)
But as another reviewer has said, this problem didn't interfere with her enjoyment of the book, and I agree with that. In time, I came to see those problems as a sort of joke that I fondly regarded. Most folks won't be bothered by it.
The more important deficiency in Dynasty of Ghosts is in the ending. Throughout the entire text (which is, face it, really long), the author does a magnificent job of keeping the relationship foremost and giving enough to the hungry-for-interaction reader to keep her satisfied. More than satisfied. Until the ending. I really, really, really needed more between Ashe and Illya to show that they were okay after the truly thrilling climax. Most especially, since the author gifts us with an epilogue, I needed the epilogue to show me much more of the two of them interacting and loving. It's there, but at a minimum.
Because of this approach to the ending, as well as several plot threads left hanging, there is the strong suggestion that the author intended a sequel. Since the book was written years ago (I think 2002?), and one has not appeared, I do believe we've seen the last of Illya and Ashe from this writer. (Fanfiction, anybody? With the author's permission only, of course.)
There's a third problem that is much less tangible, that's really hard to pin down. There is a certain satisfaction that the truly great romance novels provide, a certain connection between story and reader that leaves the reader with a feeling that she's complete. I'm not talking about plot threads here, but emotional completeness. An understanding of the relationship between the characters, of the characters themselves, and that the emotional arc of the storyline has rounded onto itself.
Dynasty of Ghosts comes so close to providing this satisfaction! But ultimately it just-barely-fails. This is more than the oft-heard advice of leaving the audience wanting more. To me, this is a romance novel that doesn't quite manage to scale the pinnacle. It sets up that mountain, it takes the readers on a thrilling climb up the slopes, but then it stops ten feet short.
Darn it!
I can only guess that a fully-realized ending, perhaps including a lengthier epilogue, would have done it for me.
Back to the characters before I end. I can imagine that some readers will not be taken in by Ashe at the beginning. He's the character who changes the most in the story, even considering considerable changes wrought in Illya. But I really like the reality of Ashe, how the author doesn't pull back from his deficiencies, and how she even, at times, manages to make those deficiencies into positive attributes. Very, very skillful characterization at work.
To add a final compliment: This book reminds me of Lois McMaster Bujold's science fantasy work. She's a Hugo and Nebula award winner, and wrote my favorite book ever, The Curse of Chalion. For me to compare Nunn's work to Bujold's? Best. Compliment. Ever.
To conclude: a book that encouraged me to write this much about it has got to be really good! It's gotten under my skin, made me lament that I'm no longer living in that world, and has made me permanent friends of Illya and Ashe. Dynasty of Ghosts is mature, as well as being sophisticated in both concept and execution. P.L. Nunn, whoever she is, is a very talented author.
Dynasty of Ghosts receives my highest recommendation.
January 14, 2011
Enthralling. Absolutely enthralling. The world building was very well done, but where this book really shined was its characters. This is a long novel, but Nunn had her characters cemented, never losing them in all the action and story. It's the little things that hold characters together, and Nunn had that down, making Ashe and Illya seem genuine and real. I was immediately ensnared in them, reading this book for weeks, just to find out what would happen to them next.
My only problem with the book was the ending. This novel is so long that it has several highs and lows, but the ending had this hugely emotional climax that just seemed to peter out. The story seemed unfinished to me. There were still questions left unanswered, emotional upheavals left unresolved, and futures left hanging. When I finished the story, I was hoping there was a sequel, but I haven't found one.
Otherwise, an incredibly excellent tale that impressed me to no end. Hats off to Nunn for holding me in the palm of her hand for such an epic story.
My only problem with the book was the ending. This novel is so long that it has several highs and lows, but the ending had this hugely emotional climax that just seemed to peter out. The story seemed unfinished to me. There were still questions left unanswered, emotional upheavals left unresolved, and futures left hanging. When I finished the story, I was hoping there was a sequel, but I haven't found one.
Otherwise, an incredibly excellent tale that impressed me to no end. Hats off to Nunn for holding me in the palm of her hand for such an epic story.
May 25, 2013
Changing the voices in your head is not an easy task, to unlearn everything that's been pounded into you, and honestly, there is always tension even when you accept a new ideology. This is what Ilya faces as he struggles with Ashe and his feelings.
For a PL Nunn book, this is a breezy stroll with only one violent scene aside from battles. There is a questionable start to their relationship and Ashe does abuse his power, but otherwise this is quite sweet. That said, Ashe's not the brightest bulb in the pack, thank goodness he has Lurene for political advisement because he's rash and too self-absorb. Now, ghosts are not generally something I enjoy reading, but it was great and a significant portion of the character struggle in this story. I kept expecting it to become more entwined with the main plot than it did, rather than just an auxiliary one.
Favorite quote:
He had almost convinced himself that nothing that felt so good, that made two people so happy, could be considered sinful.
For a PL Nunn book, this is a breezy stroll with only one violent scene aside from battles. There is a questionable start to their relationship and Ashe does abuse his power, but otherwise this is quite sweet. That said, Ashe's not the brightest bulb in the pack, thank goodness he has Lurene for political advisement because he's rash and too self-absorb. Now, ghosts are not generally something I enjoy reading, but it was great and a significant portion of the character struggle in this story. I kept expecting it to become more entwined with the main plot than it did, rather than just an auxiliary one.
Favorite quote:
He had almost convinced himself that nothing that felt so good, that made two people so happy, could be considered sinful.
March 8, 2015
A very good to excellent fantasy M/M romance novel, between Prince Talisar (Ashe) and Illya, a minor backwoods nobleman, who is serving as a ranger in the Prince's Army. Illya also happens to 'see dead people'.
This is a true fantasy story, with the cruelties of war and politics well documented, arrogant royalty, and the common man who merely hopes to survive. Ashe is initially a self-centered man, cruel in his lack of awareness of what others might think or feel. But as he slowly comes to know Illya, he begins to see beyond himself, and learns, if a little too late, what it means to love. Illya, haunted by ghosts and lacking in political nous, is a honest, gentle creature who trusts and forgives a little too easily. Yet somehow, he is not spineless, and I think it is this inner strength that calls to Ashe's better side. Together, they both become something more.
I liked this story, despite the presence of some very violent scenes, as both characters grow and learn from the other. I think this is more of a fantasy novel than a romance; the romance, such as it is, is volatile and the sex scenes are mostly behind closed doors. It is not a read for everyone, but if you generally like fantasy novels, and can handle some brutal scenes, then it may be for you.
This is a true fantasy story, with the cruelties of war and politics well documented, arrogant royalty, and the common man who merely hopes to survive. Ashe is initially a self-centered man, cruel in his lack of awareness of what others might think or feel. But as he slowly comes to know Illya, he begins to see beyond himself, and learns, if a little too late, what it means to love. Illya, haunted by ghosts and lacking in political nous, is a honest, gentle creature who trusts and forgives a little too easily. Yet somehow, he is not spineless, and I think it is this inner strength that calls to Ashe's better side. Together, they both become something more.
I liked this story, despite the presence of some very violent scenes, as both characters grow and learn from the other. I think this is more of a fantasy novel than a romance; the romance, such as it is, is volatile and the sex scenes are mostly behind closed doors. It is not a read for everyone, but if you generally like fantasy novels, and can handle some brutal scenes, then it may be for you.
March 17, 2012
Prince Ashe is THE definition of an alpha hero. Illya borders the 'CwaD' personality but somehow manages to never go over the edge. He remains the perfect partner for Ashe, start to finish.
As with Bloodraven, this story is brilliantly written, the plot carefully, cleverly and patiently crafted to be evenly paced and believable, without becoming too predictable. A delight to read, in every sense.
Until you get to the end and want to scream in frustration. What happened? Did the author grow tired of the story, or weary of trying to find a way out to an HEA or at least an HFN for these dear men? I can't believe it, it's too frustrating. The end was in sight, even I could more or less see how it could end, if it was to be done quickly. An even better option, a final book with the rest of the story, probably not as long as this one but full of satisfaction for the readers left wanting.
Mr. or Ms. Nunn, is there any hope of seeing Ashe and Illya get their well-deserved future together? I, for one, would buy the story immediately, and treasure it forever.
As with Bloodraven, this story is brilliantly written, the plot carefully, cleverly and patiently crafted to be evenly paced and believable, without becoming too predictable. A delight to read, in every sense.
Until you get to the end and want to scream in frustration. What happened? Did the author grow tired of the story, or weary of trying to find a way out to an HEA or at least an HFN for these dear men? I can't believe it, it's too frustrating. The end was in sight, even I could more or less see how it could end, if it was to be done quickly. An even better option, a final book with the rest of the story, probably not as long as this one but full of satisfaction for the readers left wanting.
Mr. or Ms. Nunn, is there any hope of seeing Ashe and Illya get their well-deserved future together? I, for one, would buy the story immediately, and treasure it forever.
December 15, 2012
A very enjoyable read. The two leads are wonderful and the ghost plot line is original and engrossing; the world is very fully drawn and richly developed. The story was not nearly as violent as Bloodraven, though there is a brutal rape scene. The book is crazily long: my Kindle puts it at over a 1000 pages. To be honest, I thought it far longer than it has to be for the story it tells, though Nunn is such an engaging writer that it doesn’t drag. Surprisingly, given the length, several of the story lines actually felt unfinished: for example, what happens with King Drane and the Guntharians, with Ashe’s father. I kept expecting Illya’s family to arrive, which they never did. I would have loved more on the ghosts.
Mild Spoilers: Instead we mostly get the courtship between Illya and Ashe, which takes hundreds of pages to reach fruition. The two leads are so likable that you don’t mind at all, and the sex when it finally arrives is wonderful. But I couldn’t help feeling it could have come at any number of points earlier, including when they are prisoners of the Guntharians or during their escape, and have been almost as satisfying.
Bottom line: I really enjoyed the book, but it did not have the same impact on me that Bloodraven did.
Mild Spoilers: Instead we mostly get the courtship between Illya and Ashe, which takes hundreds of pages to reach fruition. The two leads are so likable that you don’t mind at all, and the sex when it finally arrives is wonderful. But I couldn’t help feeling it could have come at any number of points earlier, including when they are prisoners of the Guntharians or during their escape, and have been almost as satisfying.
Bottom line: I really enjoyed the book, but it did not have the same impact on me that Bloodraven did.
January 2, 2015
I read this a while ago and wrote a review when I had my old account on here. Since I lost the review, when I re-read it, I'll write another one to do the book justice. I do remembering loving this story and the characters. It was a good 'un like Bloodraven, which I also loved.
January 31, 2011
Very good, and a true page turner... but also violent and cruel...
The Plot
I can say so little about this book! It's a "long" story (PDF file of 330 pages) but that's not a problem. There is no boring moment, and the twists and suspense made me read without stop. And that's exactly the problem... I can talk about the story because there will be a lot of facts and secondary characters, so if I talk much I can spoil the surprise of the reading.
Talisar Ash-Vri is the heir of a very powerful throne, Aldania. He is a prince knight, in a bloody war started a long time before his born. Illya is a common citizen, an Archer in the Aldania army. Both men will fight against something inevitable... love. Of course it's not what the heir should do, love another man (how can he have a son to pass of the throne?), neither what someone raised to be a priest, as Illya,must do. So it's only matter or time, and they will start to embrace their love, or it's a doomed relationship? Read to discover it... or better... to try to understand it...
It's also a paranormal-novel because Illya it's not so common, as I said before... he can see and interact with ghosts. He never tried to discover more about this power, but during the war, and for more drastic motives, he will be obligated to be use his ability. I loved it... really loved all the ghosts and his ingenuity... it's a really great character, and without doubt Illya is my favorite character of this book.
But i can't give more than 3 stars because I was a little disappointed with the end.
No, I'm not addicted to HEA.
No, it's not boring.
No, I didn't hate it...
I miss it... yeah, I think the end is missing. It's more like the end of a chapter, not the end of the book. It's disappointed me because I can accept a sequel, but I think the best way to tease the reader is not leave the story in the middle but write a compelling end, that will made me want to read more to see again the character, not to read more because I'm obligated. I got annoyed with it... I'm obligated to read more or will not know how things will (or not) be solved. That's annoying in my view, but it's a very personal opinion... maybe you will not agree with me and like it...
And unfortunately there is another motive to my 3 of 5 stars...
Religium is a dictum of false rhetoric and anyone who use it for an excuse only seeks a crutch
No, it's not a discussion between characters, it's a statement, said by someone, and left there... always if it's just another phrase in this long book.
Anyone who use religion for an excuse only seeks a crutch
would get my stand ovation because it's what I think... religion must not be used as excuse for hate or racism... but:
Religium is a dictum of false rhetoric
is offensive... writers use words to express their feelings, and words have weight... Buddhism, Protestantism, Catholicism, Islamism etc... all dictum of false rhetoric?
Sorry I don't agree... and I know... maybe you are thinking: "if a writer create a assassin it's not himself, but a character". Yes, it's true, but also a writer use words... words have meaning and weight... somethings should be respected, and I think it's a very strong phrase, and didn't (and will never) take it lightly such affirmation.
3 stars, because I enjoy very much this book, but to be honest (brutal honest) I prefer P.L Nunn dawns (like this cover, beautiful) than writing... the lack of a true end, and that unpleasant phrase, ruin the fun for me. I'll not read more of this serie.
June 13, 2019
**grm**
For many years this book was in my "reading" list, like a skeleton lurking in the shadow of a crypt, then I finally decided to read it and I must say that I quite hated the story.
This book had all that I usually don't like, all the worst tropes someone could use. And also while writing this review, my rating isn't so sure as I'd have liked it to be.
In the end I'm going with 1 star, because the story was way too long and the epilogue didn't tell us anything real about the MCs and their future.
There is still the possibility that Ashe, being the heir to the Throne, will have to marry and have a child, and we know that his bride will arrive the next summer. I wanted to know more, to understand what will happen. There were also so many scenes that made me angry and quite disgusted. For 60% of the book, I really disliked Illya, the was a judgemental whiny kid and a tease. Sure maybe the first time he and the prince had sex wasn't so consensual, but the prince didn't "rape" him, he thought that they both wanted the same thing, they were drunk, and Illya never asked him to stop nor cried.
Probably he thought that nothing would change, since Ashe was a prince and could do whatever he wanted, but he could have tried and tested this theory, and not just stayed like a dead fish, that quite enjoyed what was being done to him, and later feel ashamed by it, and fearing for his immortal soul started calling the prince a rapist, wishing for him to die. This was his attitude for almost all the book, and only at 60% he changed abruptly, and professed he was in love and jealous of other people getting Ashe's attention. Ashe was another thing...I can't say that I was fond of him, but He is the only one I save from this story. He wasn't a bad person(I wish I knew how old he was..), he really tried with Illya, when I would have given up after that night. I could also almost ignore the scene where he slept again with one of his previous lovers, since he and Illya weren't really a couple and the boy had declared his will they stayed that way, but still left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm not a fan of reading about one of the Mc sleeping with another after they have already met the other Mc. All this was eclipsed in comparison to the shit that went down after, like the nonsense of the ghost princess being a voyeur to Ashe and Illya's funny times, and the fact that she fell in love with Illya, when for over 2 centuries she wanted to find her prince, the one that had left her at the altar, and know what had happened to him, because she had loved him for all that time and still did.
Then there was the brutal rape. Something that wasn't really needed, but that we knew was going to happen(most probably). This scene was described in details and was terrible to read. That was the only moment where I really pitied Illya, bcs also if he was and indecisive and annoying kid, he didn't deserve this.
I wasted so much time with this book, and I wish the author had written some warnings about these themes, before they slapped us in the face, during the reading.
For a story so long, way too many things were left unclear and unresolved. What's happening with the war? where are the assassins? where is the 2nd man that raped Illya?(bcs yes, that was a group rape..as if that wasn't already bad with one)Will Ashe marry his betrothed, a girl he never met? What will happen btw him and Illya if that really happens? Could the young ranger really be happy watching the man he loves try for an heir with that woman? I wouldn't.
So many more questions.... that never will be answered.
For many years this book was in my "reading" list, like a skeleton lurking in the shadow of a crypt, then I finally decided to read it and I must say that I quite hated the story.
This book had all that I usually don't like, all the worst tropes someone could use. And also while writing this review, my rating isn't so sure as I'd have liked it to be.
In the end I'm going with 1 star, because the story was way too long and the epilogue didn't tell us anything real about the MCs and their future.
There is still the possibility that Ashe, being the heir to the Throne, will have to marry and have a child, and we know that his bride will arrive the next summer. I wanted to know more, to understand what will happen. There were also so many scenes that made me angry and quite disgusted. For 60% of the book, I really disliked Illya, the was a judgemental whiny kid and a tease. Sure maybe the first time he and the prince had sex wasn't so consensual, but the prince didn't "rape" him, he thought that they both wanted the same thing, they were drunk, and Illya never asked him to stop nor cried.
Probably he thought that nothing would change, since Ashe was a prince and could do whatever he wanted, but he could have tried and tested this theory, and not just stayed like a dead fish, that quite enjoyed what was being done to him, and later feel ashamed by it, and fearing for his immortal soul started calling the prince a rapist, wishing for him to die. This was his attitude for almost all the book, and only at 60% he changed abruptly, and professed he was in love and jealous of other people getting Ashe's attention. Ashe was another thing...I can't say that I was fond of him, but He is the only one I save from this story. He wasn't a bad person(I wish I knew how old he was..), he really tried with Illya, when I would have given up after that night. I could also almost ignore the scene where he slept again with one of his previous lovers, since he and Illya weren't really a couple and the boy had declared his will they stayed that way, but still left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm not a fan of reading about one of the Mc sleeping with another after they have already met the other Mc. All this was eclipsed in comparison to the shit that went down after, like the nonsense of the ghost princess being a voyeur to Ashe and Illya's funny times, and the fact that she fell in love with Illya, when for over 2 centuries she wanted to find her prince, the one that had left her at the altar, and know what had happened to him, because she had loved him for all that time and still did.
Then there was the brutal rape. Something that wasn't really needed, but that we knew was going to happen(most probably). This scene was described in details and was terrible to read. That was the only moment where I really pitied Illya, bcs also if he was and indecisive and annoying kid, he didn't deserve this.
I wasted so much time with this book, and I wish the author had written some warnings about these themes, before they slapped us in the face, during the reading.
For a story so long, way too many things were left unclear and unresolved. What's happening with the war? where are the assassins? where is the 2nd man that raped Illya?(bcs yes, that was a group rape..as if that wasn't already bad with one)Will Ashe marry his betrothed, a girl he never met? What will happen btw him and Illya if that really happens? Could the young ranger really be happy watching the man he loves try for an heir with that woman? I wouldn't.
So many more questions.... that never will be answered.
May 23, 2015
I loved this book. When I started it I thought, hell, its a long book...then half way through, it was just not long enough for me! What a fantastic classic fantasy novel, with none of the torture and bdsm violence I expect from Nunn. Which was refreshing! Illya is a second son of a nobleman from a devoutly religious region, he has a look of the fey and an unwanted gift of seeing ghosts. He had two choices the priesthood or the army- he chose the army and became a bowman in the Ranger Regiment. Prince Ashe is used to getting everything he wanted, until his head is turned by Illya. The story is vast and intricate with war, imprisonment and political manouvering and court intrigue. The relationship a wonderful long slow burner...I love reading stories that show the transformative power of falling in love. I loved how it changed both Ashe and Illya. The two illustrations of the couple in the book are gorgeous. I couldn't put this book down and I want more!...I guess it's on the re read list!
This illustration by Nunn of Ashe and Illya is totally adorable!
This illustration by Nunn of Ashe and Illya is totally adorable!
July 19, 2010
This is a wonderful, very well written 'once upon a time...' sort of story for grown-up adults. War, imprisonment, treachery, and ghosts form the backdrop to a love story between Illya, a fey young man and Ashe, heir to the throne.
For about three quarters of the book Ashe woos and Illya resists. Finally Illya succumbs to a physical relationship and their love flourishes.
I found this to be a very touching story, as well as exciting and gripping. I cannot recommmend this enough to lovers of love and fantasy.
For about three quarters of the book Ashe woos and Illya resists. Finally Illya succumbs to a physical relationship and their love flourishes.
I found this to be a very touching story, as well as exciting and gripping. I cannot recommmend this enough to lovers of love and fantasy.
Read
June 20, 2017No voy a puntuarlo porque la verdad he ido leyendo a saltos, este libro es largo, pero su principal problema a mi entender es que se empiezan muchas tramas que quedan olvidadas a medio camino del mismo, por momentos pensaba que seguía viendo la última temporada de supernatural con su infinidad de obvios 'malvados' que quedan impunes y los flecos constantes. Lastima que no estuvieran por ahí Sam y Dean para dar cuenta de los fantasmas, porque ese es otro asunto que queda en el aire. Mejor no opino del final. O de las mujeres del libro o de la primera escena entre ellos :'(
December 30, 2010
I LOVED this book! Illya, Ashe, Rhu, the feuding kingdoms; Nunn's descriptions were all intricately nuanced and captivating. I freaking HATED Davad! Ugh!!! He was the scum of the scum of the earth. I wanted to read about him being tortured in exquisite detail and yeah I might be strange but I rather enjoy being moved to despise a character.
BUT!!!! I cannot tell a lie; I felt cheated at the end. I was enamored with Nunn's Bloodraven. It was a complete novel, though I would love to read a sequel. Dynasty of Ghosts in contrast had a STRONG beginning, a distressing climax (I gather Nunn has a thing for BRUTAL rape), and a what-the-heck-was-that ending. It almost felt like the author got disinterested :/ Nevertheless it is told skillfully and I will continue to support the author's work. This is only my humble opinion; go read the book for yourself already!
BUT!!!! I cannot tell a lie; I felt cheated at the end. I was enamored with Nunn's Bloodraven. It was a complete novel, though I would love to read a sequel. Dynasty of Ghosts in contrast had a STRONG beginning, a distressing climax (I gather Nunn has a thing for BRUTAL rape), and a what-the-heck-was-that ending. It almost felt like the author got disinterested :/ Nevertheless it is told skillfully and I will continue to support the author's work. This is only my humble opinion; go read the book for yourself already!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2016
OK, so I really liked this book, it is one high fantasy epic though at almost 1,000 pages. It is also very slow going so if you like a very leisurely and protracted story then grab it. I did get frustrated at times when the sexuality of one of the MC's actually becomes painfully annoying, he's very young and came from a backwater keep which had instilled a strict religious background. As he is almost asexual in nature his first foray with anyone, in this case being another man was not nice. This story appealed to me mainly as I personally saw it as a blossoming love story, not a romance at all.
May 29, 2012
4.5 stars.....it doesn't end like a sequel is in the works but some unanswered questions.
She is quite the meticulous and detailed writer and doesn't fail with this story. Succintly, this is a story of the evoloving love bewteen a common soldier (ranger) and the prince heir. They are captured together during a skirmish and help each other to cope and survive. The rest is dealing with how the rest of the kingdom deals with (or not!) their relationship.
She is quite the meticulous and detailed writer and doesn't fail with this story. Succintly, this is a story of the evoloving love bewteen a common soldier (ranger) and the prince heir. They are captured together during a skirmish and help each other to cope and survive. The rest is dealing with how the rest of the kingdom deals with (or not!) their relationship.
October 5, 2012
I finally managed to finish this.
I think the first thing that impacted my rating was the difference between what I expected and what I got from this book. I had imagined a story similar to Bloodraven and got something much less. I realised only after starting the book, that is was written before Bloodraven.
Their story indeed is only HFN. And if you look at it throughout the whole book and what it hints to in the epilogue, it's not realy all that happy actually. Both Illya and Ashe felt like rough characters with too many traits that ended up butting heads. There was an abundance of squirmishes in the plot line that distracted from a clear line in the intrigue(or maybe that's just a personal preference) and there was a flood of descriptions that weighted the story down instead of giving it depth.
It could have been better. For me, this felt like a rough draft that needed polishing. It was interesting enough, but not something that left an impression.
I think the first thing that impacted my rating was the difference between what I expected and what I got from this book. I had imagined a story similar to Bloodraven and got something much less. I realised only after starting the book, that is was written before Bloodraven.
Their story indeed is only HFN. And if you look at it throughout the whole book and what it hints to in the epilogue, it's not realy all that happy actually. Both Illya and Ashe felt like rough characters with too many traits that ended up butting heads. There was an abundance of squirmishes in the plot line that distracted from a clear line in the intrigue(or maybe that's just a personal preference) and there was a flood of descriptions that weighted the story down instead of giving it depth.
It could have been better. For me, this felt like a rough draft that needed polishing. It was interesting enough, but not something that left an impression.
June 22, 2013
The book was aggravating. Some brainstorming on the storyline, beta-reading and editing could make it exceptional. As it is, it's deeply flawed, but still captivating read.
I've read it for 5 days, using every free time I had between working, sleeping and eating. I'm a terrible reader with very short attention span and when my fancy changes I can set aside even 5-stars book and return to it in several days or several months. 5 days sticking to one book is my personal record.
One of the secret was the author's writing style. There were chapters after chapters describing very ordinary things: war marches, servants life in a court, recovering from some illness, and Ms Nunn made it interesting. What helped were good distribution of emotional accents. There were usually connected to Illya and his misfortunes. I discovered, to my great surprise, I loved these passages full of pain and misery, waiting with hold breath for the catharsis that was always coming after. Also everything connected to ghosts – their mindless existence, vulnerability, different rules they were bound by – was fresh and intriguing. Here the list of positives finishes.
The story had a problem with direction. First I though it will be about the war between Gunther and Aldania, later that about reconnecting the long dead lovers, later still - about rivalry between the new and old prince Ashe favorites. It was all these things, plus dozen subplots, and none of the plot lines got proper conclusion. The most disappointing was probably the ending of romantic subplot (Ashe-Illya). I might say a blasphemy, but I think the death of them both would be stronger and more satisfying ending that the 'blahhh' we got.
Second problem I had with the book were its protagonists. I didn't like them much. Ashe was selfish and self-absorbed, Illya lacked assertiveness and often behave like TSTL. What I did like even less was their relationship. I wouldn't call it love. It was lust mixed with an obsession (the kind that doesn't allow you function normally if you stay away from the other person). I think this quote, from the second part of the book, shows it nicely: “Gods, he honestly didn’t know what Ashe’s political motives were. Ashe hardly spent hours discussing those sorts of things with him. Ashe hardly had the stamina when they were alone to go for more than ten minutes without putting his hands on him. He frowned over that realization. Over the fact that he didn’t know why Ashe had supported the tariff, or even that he’d gone to some lengths to have it instituted. He never talked to Illya about the politics or what he planned to do when he was king.”
Do I recommend the book? Yes, with my whole heart. Is it worth 5 stars? No.
(I must read Bloodraven that most reviewers thinks is superior book by far).
I've read it for 5 days, using every free time I had between working, sleeping and eating. I'm a terrible reader with very short attention span and when my fancy changes I can set aside even 5-stars book and return to it in several days or several months. 5 days sticking to one book is my personal record.
One of the secret was the author's writing style. There were chapters after chapters describing very ordinary things: war marches, servants life in a court, recovering from some illness, and Ms Nunn made it interesting. What helped were good distribution of emotional accents. There were usually connected to Illya and his misfortunes. I discovered, to my great surprise, I loved these passages full of pain and misery, waiting with hold breath for the catharsis that was always coming after. Also everything connected to ghosts – their mindless existence, vulnerability, different rules they were bound by – was fresh and intriguing. Here the list of positives finishes.
The story had a problem with direction. First I though it will be about the war between Gunther and Aldania, later that about reconnecting the long dead lovers, later still - about rivalry between the new and old prince Ashe favorites. It was all these things, plus dozen subplots, and none of the plot lines got proper conclusion. The most disappointing was probably the ending of romantic subplot (Ashe-Illya). I might say a blasphemy, but I think the death of them both would be stronger and more satisfying ending that the 'blahhh' we got.
Second problem I had with the book were its protagonists. I didn't like them much. Ashe was selfish and self-absorbed, Illya lacked assertiveness and often behave like TSTL. What I did like even less was their relationship. I wouldn't call it love. It was lust mixed with an obsession (the kind that doesn't allow you function normally if you stay away from the other person). I think this quote, from the second part of the book, shows it nicely: “Gods, he honestly didn’t know what Ashe’s political motives were. Ashe hardly spent hours discussing those sorts of things with him. Ashe hardly had the stamina when they were alone to go for more than ten minutes without putting his hands on him. He frowned over that realization. Over the fact that he didn’t know why Ashe had supported the tariff, or even that he’d gone to some lengths to have it instituted. He never talked to Illya about the politics or what he planned to do when he was king.”
Do I recommend the book? Yes, with my whole heart. Is it worth 5 stars? No.
(I must read Bloodraven that most reviewers thinks is superior book by far).
October 21, 2011
All I can say is "wow". There aren't many words to describe a novel of this nature; this length and depth and breadth and convoluted plot details so filled with characters both striking and mundane that evolves with such unpredictability and sharpness.
You, P.L. Nunn are a genius.
I loved the first book I read by this author, Bloodraven, which was passionate and had a plot and yet so dark as to be nearly depressing. Somehow this book was both better and worse than that one. There wasn't a clear aim to the plot line, a point in the distant horizon that the characters were working towards (well, other than their own happiness) and I felt like a lot of possible thread-lines were unfortunately dropped (say, the whole Gunthar attacking plot) but overall it really was a much happier and smoother story to read through.
I love Nunn's writing style. It's so clear and easy to follow. Yet filled with enough details to let us really feel what is going on around the characters. I adore his character development the most, though, I believe. He really has a way of making you admire and yet perhaps even despise a little one of his main characters (or perhaps even both).
I had a terribly lovely time reading this book, and it may have taken me almost two weeks, but that was mostly due to being in midterm session right now.
I really cannot believe that I have finished. It was an incredible journey. I really did not want the story to be complete! And somehow, I know that Ashe and Illya will continue to live on. Happily ever after.
You, P.L. Nunn are a genius.
I loved the first book I read by this author, Bloodraven, which was passionate and had a plot and yet so dark as to be nearly depressing. Somehow this book was both better and worse than that one. There wasn't a clear aim to the plot line, a point in the distant horizon that the characters were working towards (well, other than their own happiness) and I felt like a lot of possible thread-lines were unfortunately dropped (say, the whole Gunthar attacking plot) but overall it really was a much happier and smoother story to read through.
I love Nunn's writing style. It's so clear and easy to follow. Yet filled with enough details to let us really feel what is going on around the characters. I adore his character development the most, though, I believe. He really has a way of making you admire and yet perhaps even despise a little one of his main characters (or perhaps even both).
I had a terribly lovely time reading this book, and it may have taken me almost two weeks, but that was mostly due to being in midterm session right now.
I really cannot believe that I have finished. It was an incredible journey. I really did not want the story to be complete! And somehow, I know that Ashe and Illya will continue to live on. Happily ever after.
February 4, 2013
I'm done! I'm done! I didn't think I'd ever get to the end.
Despite how it may seem, I actually really enjoyed this book. P.L. Nunn is the author of one of my top favorites (Bloodraven) and this had many characteristics of that one, if almost mild in comparison.
I liked the how big hero dominated over the little hero (it's a m-m story) but that the little guy was resistant and gave the big one what for. I liked the basic plot and associated conflict (Fey little hero, jealous exes, murder attempts, etc.).
But what I could've done without was how freaking long everything took. The slow burn was forever. Although I liked that the little hero was resistant, he was too damn resistant for too damn long! On the positive side, I was so eff'ing glad to get to the end that I didn't mind that half the story was left unresolved. Though I'm trusting that they got their HEA even if it left off at a HFN.
If you aren't squicked out with same sex heroes, like a little paranormal activity in your historical romances (sort of historical-more fantasy), and like one hero to kind of power on the other, then you'll like this story. There is at least one hard limit, though not necessarily perpetrated by the big hero (). But don't expect another Bloodraven (if you even read that one.) This has some of the same relationship elements but a lot less squick. Alas (*sigh*)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2012
I adore this book. I absolutely love it. Maybe I shouldn't, maybe I should only give 5 stars to books that are nobel prize worthy but I can't make myself pretend to be that kind of person.
I first read this story a long, long time ago. While laying home sick from school on my mobile phone's tiny screen. It blew me away. Since then I have read it countless times. I'm always a bit apprehensive before re-reading it, thinking; perhaps I only loved it because I was so young, perhaps I remembered it wrong. But it never disappoints, I lose myself in the story.
This story takes pretty much all my guilty pleasures and make them awesome. It shouldn't work as well as it does. But somehow it does.
The number one reason why I love this story is the two main characters. Their love relationship is one of my top ten of all time. Perhaps that is insane but I love the characters together. Ashe and Illyas chemistry is so natural and perfect. While them self aren't. They're not square ideas that the author has thought up with and then tried to put to paper. Instead they naturally comes alive on paper, their personalities and choices just flows so naturally. Ash a handsome prince that naturally always has gotten what he wants, arrogant. But still has the past that makes him humble.
I could go on and on about this story. But I will stop here. If you love a GOOD and EPIC well written fantasy slash story. READ THIS!
I really wish PL Nunn would write more novels :(
I first read this story a long, long time ago. While laying home sick from school on my mobile phone's tiny screen. It blew me away. Since then I have read it countless times. I'm always a bit apprehensive before re-reading it, thinking; perhaps I only loved it because I was so young, perhaps I remembered it wrong. But it never disappoints, I lose myself in the story.
This story takes pretty much all my guilty pleasures and make them awesome. It shouldn't work as well as it does. But somehow it does.
The number one reason why I love this story is the two main characters. Their love relationship is one of my top ten of all time. Perhaps that is insane but I love the characters together. Ashe and Illyas chemistry is so natural and perfect. While them self aren't. They're not square ideas that the author has thought up with and then tried to put to paper. Instead they naturally comes alive on paper, their personalities and choices just flows so naturally. Ash a handsome prince that naturally always has gotten what he wants, arrogant. But still has the past that makes him humble.
I could go on and on about this story. But I will stop here. If you love a GOOD and EPIC well written fantasy slash story. READ THIS!
I really wish PL Nunn would write more novels :(
August 17, 2011
A is for Ashe. A is for asshat. Who does that stand for? Ashe the Prince of self centeredness. Then again is that a noble trait because it seems to happen in the genre and if the truth be known real-life. A Prince went slumming with a plucky yet emotionally squished Ranger and basically claimed first night rites and raped the man on the battlefield. He liked the taste of it so hounded Illya throughout the whole book until the ranger found it easier to give in. Of course this left the poor boy without allies and protection in the middle of castle intrique and as the fourth man in the Prince's mange-a-trois. So was it a question of love or just a stituation of nowhere better to go for Illya? For my opinion Prince Asshat could ride a fat horse off a short bridge and I wouldn't care. As for Illya. He needs to be back in the forests of the Hunting Lodge.
So I gave it five stars? Ya pissed me off. Ya made me care at least about one of the characters. Will I read more PL Nunn? Already reading The Winter King.
So I gave it five stars? Ya pissed me off. Ya made me care at least about one of the characters. Will I read more PL Nunn? Already reading The Winter King.
February 8, 2016
4.5 stars
So long and so good that I didn't even care it's an HFN ending and gave it 5 stars because I really enjoyed this book so much, I really enjoyed their romance. Hard to believe that I kinda opposed them together at first but now totally worshipped them.
Oh, Nunn, I'm begging you...please write its sequel... T____T I believe there's a way for them to achieve more solid future, not this fragile temporary solution.
So long and so good that I didn't even care it's an HFN ending and gave it 5 stars because I really enjoyed this book so much, I really enjoyed their romance. Hard to believe that I kinda opposed them together at first but now totally worshipped them.
Oh, Nunn, I'm begging you...please write its sequel... T____T I believe there's a way for them to achieve more solid future, not this fragile temporary solution.
March 7, 2012
3.5 Very good except for the lack of any real conclusion ... I agree with a previous reviewer who said it seemed like the writer just lost interest. If the finish had even come close to being as strong as the first three quarters of the book, it would've come close to a "5" for me. As it is, it was still a good read, but somehow lacking.
February 22, 2022
Enjoyed this one a surprising amount. It’s long, but I couldn’t put it down. I found both the plot and the romance compelling, and thought they worked together well. I deducted a star because of the non-ending.
October 17, 2013
So much to say about this book, where do I begin? I think I have to say that I found this book to be one of the most well-written, well-structured, well-built novels I've seen in a while. The world building was fantastic and amazingly strong, and the detail that was behind the characters' interactions and personalities was appropriate for the setting and well-based. I don't usually get too drawn into the emotions of characters, but perhaps because the characters were created so well and the detail of the story was so great, I found myself actually loving certain characters. Ilya... Ilya is an amazing character. I absolutely loved that poor dear. He's a shy, gentle, shrinking violet type who's honest and loyal to a fault. I think P.L. Nunn should be commended on her ability to create a "young, low self-worth despite rare beauty, innocent, caught-between-worlds" character without it becoming cliche and irritating. (I'm looking at you, Stephanie Meyers, with your flimsy, paper cut-out Bella Swann.) Ashe was a lovable character as well. He's pig-headed, selfish, and manipulative like a child is when it wants something from its parents. He's not malicious, and he shows himself to be capable of great care and love. It's so endearing, really~
The writing doesn't brew angst over Ilya's various hurts or create gross drama about his ability to commune with ghosts. It's a balance between 'as factual as fiction can be' and 'just enough darker detail to keep the story riveting'. I think that's a bit difficult to find with fantasy romance, or romance in general. The writing always wants to dwell on the dramatics, the deep emotional hurt, and it's sickening after a while. I think what I want to say is, the writing is on a very mature level.
Some reviewers said they found the story a bit dull at times, as if steam was momentarily lost at times, but I didn't find it to be so. There were periods, yes, where the action isn't fast-paced and it's just Ashe, Ilya, and the rest of their world going about their regular lives, but I liked that because 1) it gave me the chance to put down the book, breathe, and get back to work and 2) it gave a more in-depth look into the lives of the characters and made you love them more. However, I do agree that the ending was a bit...weak. It's the reason I couldn't give "Dynasty of Ghosts" 5 stars. It was after an intense story development (horrid developments that make you want to kill the perpetrators of the crime) and the ending was just a weak "beginnings of a Happily Ever After". It was as if the politics and machinations that drove the latter half of the book ceased to exists. But perhaps Nunn did grow tired of the book. It IS 330, small-type, pages. One other thing that bothered me was the infrequent spelling and grammar errors sprinkled throughout the book. I thought it was a shame, since the authour clearly has so much experience with the English language. Such as "desert", the sandy, dry place, when "dessert", the after-dinner sweet, was clearly meant. Or "barely", the adjective, instead of "barley" in a description of a soup. Small nicks in an otherwise nicely crafted work, though.
I picked up this book after "Bloodraven" and "Neko" (Don't read "Neko", I'm begging you. I think it really mentally traumatised me. It left horrible images in my mind. It's a horridly, unnecessarily, ugly, violent book.) thinking it would be a very violent and explicit book, but it was actually an expression of the art of skirting graphic descriptions with well-put-together phrases and leaving much of it to you to imagine as you will. I wouldn't call the book's love scenes "erotic" because they're truthfully beautifully written and emphasise the long-awaited, love-centred relationship between Ashe and Ilya. Neither would I call the scenes where violence is shown against the characters overly brutal. Or perhaps "Neko" traumitised and desensitised me to the point where I didn't find it so? One must wonder... The "major development" (there's another review spoiling this if you wish to be spoiled) near the end is brutal only because the act committed is one that is brutal in itself. It wasn't brutal in the sense that "Bloodraven" was.
Oh, I've written a lot... but I've so much on my mind after this book! "Dynasty of Ghosts" is such a wonderful story, and I just think the quality it's written in is so difficult to find~ If you're sick of mindlessly reading cheaply written romance that places too much value on cliche emotions and Adult Scenes, then I think you'll appreciate "Dynasty of Ghosts"~~
The writing doesn't brew angst over Ilya's various hurts or create gross drama about his ability to commune with ghosts. It's a balance between 'as factual as fiction can be' and 'just enough darker detail to keep the story riveting'. I think that's a bit difficult to find with fantasy romance, or romance in general. The writing always wants to dwell on the dramatics, the deep emotional hurt, and it's sickening after a while. I think what I want to say is, the writing is on a very mature level.
Some reviewers said they found the story a bit dull at times, as if steam was momentarily lost at times, but I didn't find it to be so. There were periods, yes, where the action isn't fast-paced and it's just Ashe, Ilya, and the rest of their world going about their regular lives, but I liked that because 1) it gave me the chance to put down the book, breathe, and get back to work and 2) it gave a more in-depth look into the lives of the characters and made you love them more. However, I do agree that the ending was a bit...weak. It's the reason I couldn't give "Dynasty of Ghosts" 5 stars. It was after an intense story development (horrid developments that make you want to kill the perpetrators of the crime) and the ending was just a weak "beginnings of a Happily Ever After". It was as if the politics and machinations that drove the latter half of the book ceased to exists. But perhaps Nunn did grow tired of the book. It IS 330, small-type, pages. One other thing that bothered me was the infrequent spelling and grammar errors sprinkled throughout the book. I thought it was a shame, since the authour clearly has so much experience with the English language. Such as "desert", the sandy, dry place, when "dessert", the after-dinner sweet, was clearly meant. Or "barely", the adjective, instead of "barley" in a description of a soup. Small nicks in an otherwise nicely crafted work, though.
I picked up this book after "Bloodraven" and "Neko" (Don't read "Neko", I'm begging you. I think it really mentally traumatised me. It left horrible images in my mind. It's a horridly, unnecessarily, ugly, violent book.) thinking it would be a very violent and explicit book, but it was actually an expression of the art of skirting graphic descriptions with well-put-together phrases and leaving much of it to you to imagine as you will. I wouldn't call the book's love scenes "erotic" because they're truthfully beautifully written and emphasise the long-awaited, love-centred relationship between Ashe and Ilya. Neither would I call the scenes where violence is shown against the characters overly brutal. Or perhaps "Neko" traumitised and desensitised me to the point where I didn't find it so? One must wonder... The "major development" (there's another review spoiling this if you wish to be spoiled) near the end is brutal only because the act committed is one that is brutal in itself. It wasn't brutal in the sense that "Bloodraven" was.
Oh, I've written a lot... but I've so much on my mind after this book! "Dynasty of Ghosts" is such a wonderful story, and I just think the quality it's written in is so difficult to find~ If you're sick of mindlessly reading cheaply written romance that places too much value on cliche emotions and Adult Scenes, then I think you'll appreciate "Dynasty of Ghosts"~~
February 29, 2016
5 stars..
Nooooooo..just nooooooo..i dont want it to end!! *weep weep weep
I took days and nights to read it just because i didnt want it to end..but came the ending and i was like noooooo T^T i'll miss illya and ashe so bad..
I did skip most of the part when illya got tormented by *f*ckin Davan and his cronies just because my weak heart couldnt stand the scene..then i shed my tears and have a heartache for the first time this year when Ashe found him and went ballistic as a result for almost lost his beloved illya..its like i could felt his rage and pain..shame that the douche Argi died before Ashe gave him the taste of what he had done..and i do believe that nunn spare Davad's life in this book because Nunn will show Davad slow and painful Death at the sequel! Because its not fair for illya at all that the bastard Davad still lurking in wherever cave he's hiding and i'll really savour the scene..
I'll be fine with the ending for now..but i really need the sequel more than anything now..hiks hiks :'(
Nooooooo..just nooooooo..i dont want it to end!! *weep weep weep
I took days and nights to read it just because i didnt want it to end..but came the ending and i was like noooooo T^T i'll miss illya and ashe so bad..
I did skip most of the part when illya got tormented by *f*ckin Davan and his cronies just because my weak heart couldnt stand the scene..then i shed my tears and have a heartache for the first time this year when Ashe found him and went ballistic as a result for almost lost his beloved illya..its like i could felt his rage and pain..shame that the douche Argi died before Ashe gave him the taste of what he had done..and i do believe that nunn spare Davad's life in this book because Nunn will show Davad slow and painful Death at the sequel! Because its not fair for illya at all that the bastard Davad still lurking in wherever cave he's hiding and i'll really savour the scene..
I'll be fine with the ending for now..but i really need the sequel more than anything now..hiks hiks :'(
March 4, 2016
Читая этот роман, я конечно невольно сравнивала с «Бладрейвеном». И сравнение, надо сказать, не в пользу «Династии призраков». Хотя есть и общий момент – человек, отрицавший и боявшийся своих способностей, постепенно принимает их.
«Династия» - вполне добротное, интересное фэнтези, но в ней меньше событий, а персонажи слишком часто сидят на одном месте. Вся середина затянута и проседает, а книга при том огромная. Зато вот конец безбожно скомкан. К тому же один из главных героев получился уж больно беззащитным на мой вкус. И ломался он так долго, что где-то с 50% уже хотелось его стукнуть. Но, слава Богу, жести в этой книге значительно меньше.
П.С. Персонально для Лалы: здешний принц тоже не Лорен.
«Династия» - вполне добротное, интересное фэнтези, но в ней меньше событий, а персонажи слишком часто сидят на одном месте. Вся середина затянута и проседает, а книга при том огромная. Зато вот конец безбожно скомкан. К тому же один из главных героев получился уж больно беззащитным на мой вкус. И ломался он так долго, что где-то с 50% уже хотелось его стукнуть. Но, слава Богу, жести в этой книге значительно меньше.
П.С. Персонально для Лалы: здешний принц тоже не Лорен.
October 11, 2016
I liked it. I didn't love it, but I liked it just fine. It's well-written (although using nauseous instead of nauseated bugs me, no matter how common the use has become) but it could stand to be shorter. It rambles on for quite a long time for a book that doesn't really have an ending. Plus, Illya is pretty stupid, which was cute in the beginning, but it would have been nice to see him gain some common sense over the course of the story, just for the sake of character development.
And I did actually like this. I don't want it to seem like I didn't. The world is well-developed and the MCs make a good couple when they're given a chance. There's a sweet romance in here under all the ghosts and horror and court intrigues and abuse.
And I did actually like this. I don't want it to seem like I didn't. The world is well-developed and the MCs make a good couple when they're given a chance. There's a sweet romance in here under all the ghosts and horror and court intrigues and abuse.
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