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Tales of Gymandrol #1
The Seventh Blessing
Not all fairy blessings are enchanting . . .
Unlike most royal eighteen-year-old girls, Samantha finds it difficult to be a prim and proper princess. When she discovers her seven fairy blessings that were bestowed at her birth are a lie, her entire world is turned upside down. Although she can forgive the feuding fairies who made this large error on her behalf, she must find a way to control her real blessings--which may be more trouble than its worth.
Things start to become complicated when her best friend's brother becomes seriously injured just weeks before the annual knight competition. Samantha realizes the only way to help him and his family is to enter the competition by disguising her true identity. Balancing her mandatory princess lessons while hiding her secret blessings on top of this becomes difficult, but things begin to get challenging when Prince Nolan, a childhood friend, reenters her life. Samantha, bitter about their constant bickering relationship, suddenly begins to see Nolan in a new, and often confusing, light.
But when she finds out her seventh blessing has yet to be decoded from the ancient tongue, Samantha's most dangerous quest of all is discovering the true power her real blessings hold. Now, the fate of herself, her future, and her kingdom lie in her hands.
Unlike most royal eighteen-year-old girls, Samantha finds it difficult to be a prim and proper princess. When she discovers her seven fairy blessings that were bestowed at her birth are a lie, her entire world is turned upside down. Although she can forgive the feuding fairies who made this large error on her behalf, she must find a way to control her real blessings--which may be more trouble than its worth.
Things start to become complicated when her best friend's brother becomes seriously injured just weeks before the annual knight competition. Samantha realizes the only way to help him and his family is to enter the competition by disguising her true identity. Balancing her mandatory princess lessons while hiding her secret blessings on top of this becomes difficult, but things begin to get challenging when Prince Nolan, a childhood friend, reenters her life. Samantha, bitter about their constant bickering relationship, suddenly begins to see Nolan in a new, and often confusing, light.
But when she finds out her seventh blessing has yet to be decoded from the ancient tongue, Samantha's most dangerous quest of all is discovering the true power her real blessings hold. Now, the fate of herself, her future, and her kingdom lie in her hands.
262 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 2011
216 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Buell
13 books49 followersMelissa Buell has always had a vivid imagination and would fall asleep to scenes she would make up. She is an English teacher by day and an author by night. She is also a voracious reader who loves many genres. She lives in her native Southern California with her husband and two sons.
Favorite pastimes include spending time with her husband and kids, taking photographs, baking, blogging, sewing, and reading!
Things that make her smile: white daisies, Milano cookies, costume parties, super fine tip pens, book speaking with friends, singing loudly in the car to Disney musicals and random songs, writing for hours at Panera, drinking coffee, playing video games with her kids.
Favorite pastimes include spending time with her husband and kids, taking photographs, baking, blogging, sewing, and reading!
Things that make her smile: white daisies, Milano cookies, costume parties, super fine tip pens, book speaking with friends, singing loudly in the car to Disney musicals and random songs, writing for hours at Panera, drinking coffee, playing video games with her kids.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 5, 2011
This is a fun tale of Princess Samantha who is anything but dainty. Her gifts that were bestowed on her by the fae were really meant for a boy becoming a king. So, a false ceremony bestowing her fake gifts was given and she was trained in secret to become a knight. I really enjoyed this story as Sam was no wilting flower. She was still a princess and stayed to her duties as a princess despite her dislike of those duties. Nolan, a man who finds her incredibly attractive and interesting, was her nemesis as a child and she never forgave him until they both met as young adults. As their friendship grew so did their attraction to each other. I found this attraction frustrating as it too FOREVER for them to both settle down and admit they had this attraction to each other. The back and forth was a bit too much, but was nice when it was finally settled.
There was also a prologue which prefaced a war that set things up for the final battle. I actually found this to be unnecessary and actually confusing to the whole story. Also, when the bad guy had a bit of his past shown to Sam in the climax, I thought it was a bit too much there as well. I think the back story of Dagan (the bad fae) would be best totally taken out of this story and made into his own book. It just seemed like it was a story that wanted to be told, but didn't quite fit into the tale that was being told in this book.
I think this is a fun book that might need a bit more editing, and I give it 3 stars. It is a delightful tale of a princess who stood on her own to learn to become a leader rather than arm candy.
There was also a prologue which prefaced a war that set things up for the final battle. I actually found this to be unnecessary and actually confusing to the whole story. Also, when the bad guy had a bit of his past shown to Sam in the climax, I thought it was a bit too much there as well. I think the back story of Dagan (the bad fae) would be best totally taken out of this story and made into his own book. It just seemed like it was a story that wanted to be told, but didn't quite fit into the tale that was being told in this book.
I think this is a fun book that might need a bit more editing, and I give it 3 stars. It is a delightful tale of a princess who stood on her own to learn to become a leader rather than arm candy.
September 26, 2011
Well...I wrote this book! So, I hope that I love it! :)
Let me know what your thoughts are. I love to hear from readers.
-Melissa
Let me know what your thoughts are. I love to hear from readers.
-Melissa
Read
April 16, 2012While THE SEVENTH BLESSING isn't a straight-forward fairy tale retelling, it does incorporate elements of one, especially the tale of SLEEPING BEAUTY. In SLEEPING BEAUTY, fairies come and leave gifts for the newborn princess. Melissa Buell latches onto this when creating the first novel in her (stand-alone) THE TALES OF GYMANDROL series. Babies are given blessings when they're born--with a twist. Because of something that happened in the past, babies now receive as many blessings as the month they're born in. Princess Samantha was born in July, so she received seven blessings.
While it was intended for her to have blessings suited for a princess such as dancing gracefully, giggling gently, and sipping soup quietly, it wasn't to be. Everyone had expected the heir to be a prince and right before the blessing ceremony, two fairy advisors who always tried to outdo one another started boasting about what gifts they would have given a prince. Unfortunately, they do so right in front of a magical scroll and quill, which begins recording blessings meant for a warrior or a scholar, resulting in Samantha growing up unlike any other princess.
Her mother hides the secret and Samantha grows up in ignorance...until the day she finds a scroll revealing the truth. Now realizing why she's so different, Samantha leaves on a knight tour, her father proud of her prowess and her mother intent on her finding a husband. She balances between the attentions of two suitors, one prince a childhood friend and the other the crown prince of a neighboring kingdom. She tries to keep the truth about her blessings hidden and act the way a princess would despite the fact that she's masquerading as a knight in the tournament with no one the wiser. But love isn't all that's at stake. What no one realizes is that a hidden evil is hiding, ready to tear the kingdom in two. Samantha's unusual blessings may just be the thing needed to save her kingdom from ruin.
I really enjoyed the way Buell pulled the traditional aspect of fairy blessings out of the fairy tales and wove her own unique tale. There was a little too much focus on unnecessary back story, and at times, contemporary dialogue is slipped in that pulled me out of the world, but for the most part, it was easy to slip into the world of Gymandrol. I loved seeing a feisty princess who is able to leave on a tour. Samantha does so much more than most of the princesses I've read about from similar time periods. It was fun to see a princess who is more of a tom boy and struggles to be prim and proper. I'm looking forward to reading the second novel in the series, THE HIDDEN BLESSING, in June.
While it was intended for her to have blessings suited for a princess such as dancing gracefully, giggling gently, and sipping soup quietly, it wasn't to be. Everyone had expected the heir to be a prince and right before the blessing ceremony, two fairy advisors who always tried to outdo one another started boasting about what gifts they would have given a prince. Unfortunately, they do so right in front of a magical scroll and quill, which begins recording blessings meant for a warrior or a scholar, resulting in Samantha growing up unlike any other princess.
Her mother hides the secret and Samantha grows up in ignorance...until the day she finds a scroll revealing the truth. Now realizing why she's so different, Samantha leaves on a knight tour, her father proud of her prowess and her mother intent on her finding a husband. She balances between the attentions of two suitors, one prince a childhood friend and the other the crown prince of a neighboring kingdom. She tries to keep the truth about her blessings hidden and act the way a princess would despite the fact that she's masquerading as a knight in the tournament with no one the wiser. But love isn't all that's at stake. What no one realizes is that a hidden evil is hiding, ready to tear the kingdom in two. Samantha's unusual blessings may just be the thing needed to save her kingdom from ruin.
I really enjoyed the way Buell pulled the traditional aspect of fairy blessings out of the fairy tales and wove her own unique tale. There was a little too much focus on unnecessary back story, and at times, contemporary dialogue is slipped in that pulled me out of the world, but for the most part, it was easy to slip into the world of Gymandrol. I loved seeing a feisty princess who is able to leave on a tour. Samantha does so much more than most of the princesses I've read about from similar time periods. It was fun to see a princess who is more of a tom boy and struggles to be prim and proper. I'm looking forward to reading the second novel in the series, THE HIDDEN BLESSING, in June.
February 27, 2011
I purchased the Nook version of this novel.
It is very easy to be turned off by the somewhat generic-looking cover of The Seventh Blessing. There are no shortage of novels that use basic foliage photography as their face. This is unfortunate, since Seventh Blessing has a lot to offer a prospective reader.
Samantha is the princess of Mittra, a land where newborns are blessed by the resident fairies with various life-long gifts as a custom. By somewhat foolish luck, Samantha is granted six talents that are not generally considered becoming for someone of her gender and status. She is also covertly granted a seventh blessing, a gift that becomes central to the overall story.
Although the first few chapters cover a bit of backstory and earlier years of Samantha's life, the vast majority of the book takes place after her 18th birthday. Throughout the book, we are offered a number of chances to explore the ways that fairy blessings grant special boons to those gifted and also the ways that those same blessings can also compel the recipient into impulsive or even dangerous actions. The princess often finds herself trapped between the conduct expected of her as a member of the royal court and her own need to fulfill her ethical obligations to her friends.
During Sam's travels, we get many opportunities for innocent romance and friendship. I felt that Samantha's own romantic prospects were somewhat pat, but may be less obvious to the younger readers for which this book is intended. Her primary love triangle consists of two men and the allegiance and intentions of each is quite clear from the beginning.
Although the dialogue is in a relatively 'universal' English, characters will occasionally use phrases or words that are a part of contemporary language. This doesn't make the book difficult to understand, but it sometimes breaks the atmosphere of a fantasy setting.
In terms of formatting, Seventh Blessing has a full table of contents, something not every author manages to include in their ebook volumes. There are occasional and unexplained changes in text size, mostly in the very beginning and end, but these do not detract from the overall quality of the work. There are no overt spelling or grammatical errors that take away from the novel's enjoyment.
It is very easy to be turned off by the somewhat generic-looking cover of The Seventh Blessing. There are no shortage of novels that use basic foliage photography as their face. This is unfortunate, since Seventh Blessing has a lot to offer a prospective reader.
Samantha is the princess of Mittra, a land where newborns are blessed by the resident fairies with various life-long gifts as a custom. By somewhat foolish luck, Samantha is granted six talents that are not generally considered becoming for someone of her gender and status. She is also covertly granted a seventh blessing, a gift that becomes central to the overall story.
Although the first few chapters cover a bit of backstory and earlier years of Samantha's life, the vast majority of the book takes place after her 18th birthday. Throughout the book, we are offered a number of chances to explore the ways that fairy blessings grant special boons to those gifted and also the ways that those same blessings can also compel the recipient into impulsive or even dangerous actions. The princess often finds herself trapped between the conduct expected of her as a member of the royal court and her own need to fulfill her ethical obligations to her friends.
During Sam's travels, we get many opportunities for innocent romance and friendship. I felt that Samantha's own romantic prospects were somewhat pat, but may be less obvious to the younger readers for which this book is intended. Her primary love triangle consists of two men and the allegiance and intentions of each is quite clear from the beginning.
Although the dialogue is in a relatively 'universal' English, characters will occasionally use phrases or words that are a part of contemporary language. This doesn't make the book difficult to understand, but it sometimes breaks the atmosphere of a fantasy setting.
In terms of formatting, Seventh Blessing has a full table of contents, something not every author manages to include in their ebook volumes. There are occasional and unexplained changes in text size, mostly in the very beginning and end, but these do not detract from the overall quality of the work. There are no overt spelling or grammatical errors that take away from the novel's enjoyment.
September 15, 2011
A head strong princess, a charming prince, and fairy magic. How could it possibly get better?
The Seventh Blessing is very well paced. It starts when Samantha is born and steadies at the age of 18. I was able to see how Samantha grew to be the adult she'd soon become.
While other girls are giggling softly and having long fingernails, Samantha is learning self-defense and becoming a knight. She's not afraid to speak her mind and make sacrifices for others. The person she becomes is actually based off of accidental gifts. Each child is given an amount of fairy blessings based on the month they were born. Samantha was born in July which equals to seven blessings, but the blessings she received weren't meant for a princess. The blessings were meant for a prince who would one day become a king.
When the power of fairies are scattered across different kingdoms there most likely be chances of power abuse. With an unknown evil causing trouble no one is aware of but Nolan and his family.
Once upon a time, Samantha hated Nolan for all the times he got her in trouble and scold at for not acting lady-like. When that little boy grows up he learns a few things about smooth talking, which is somewhat close to his gift. Nolan and Samantha's relationship was rough, really rough. At times I had a hard time figuring out how Samantha felt about Nolan, but I never doubted Nolan. I did find myself liking Nolan's character, but I wanted just a little bit more from him.
The Seventh Blessing was a well paced book that was highly entertaining and can be easily enjoyed.
Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5
The Seventh Blessing is very well paced. It starts when Samantha is born and steadies at the age of 18. I was able to see how Samantha grew to be the adult she'd soon become.
While other girls are giggling softly and having long fingernails, Samantha is learning self-defense and becoming a knight. She's not afraid to speak her mind and make sacrifices for others. The person she becomes is actually based off of accidental gifts. Each child is given an amount of fairy blessings based on the month they were born. Samantha was born in July which equals to seven blessings, but the blessings she received weren't meant for a princess. The blessings were meant for a prince who would one day become a king.
When the power of fairies are scattered across different kingdoms there most likely be chances of power abuse. With an unknown evil causing trouble no one is aware of but Nolan and his family.
Once upon a time, Samantha hated Nolan for all the times he got her in trouble and scold at for not acting lady-like. When that little boy grows up he learns a few things about smooth talking, which is somewhat close to his gift. Nolan and Samantha's relationship was rough, really rough. At times I had a hard time figuring out how Samantha felt about Nolan, but I never doubted Nolan. I did find myself liking Nolan's character, but I wanted just a little bit more from him.
The Seventh Blessing was a well paced book that was highly entertaining and can be easily enjoyed.
Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5
August 12, 2011
The Seventh Blessing by Melissa Buell is a charming story about a princess named Samantha. Samantha longs to do what is expected of her as a princess but the seven blessings she received as a baby keep getting in her way. She must learn to be true to herself while becoming the princess she is meant to be.
There are many things that I like about this book and the main character Samantha is definitely one of them. Samantha is a funny, smart and courageous character. She is wildly independent and also fiercely loyal. I loved reading about her journey of self discovery. Her gifts, unusual for a princess, make her a unique character. Her parents, King Bennett and Queen Adelaide are anxious for her to settle down. Samantha doesn't share her parents opinion nor does she like her suitors, Prince Nolan and Prince Linden. I had so much fun reading the banter between Nolan and Samantha. They have a tumultuous history that makes their relationship complicated.
The story line in The Seventh Blessing is good. The story begins with Samantha receiving her blessings as a young infant, then we get to see certain periods in her childhood and how her 'blessings' affect her and those around her. Most of the story takes place when Samantha is a teenager. There are several themes in this book including being true to who you are, standing up for yourself, forgiveness and love.
Overall this is a great story. This would be the perfect fantasy book for middle grade and up. This book is full of action, adventure and a little romance. I really enjoyed this novel and I look forward to reading more about the Tales of Gymandrol.
There are many things that I like about this book and the main character Samantha is definitely one of them. Samantha is a funny, smart and courageous character. She is wildly independent and also fiercely loyal. I loved reading about her journey of self discovery. Her gifts, unusual for a princess, make her a unique character. Her parents, King Bennett and Queen Adelaide are anxious for her to settle down. Samantha doesn't share her parents opinion nor does she like her suitors, Prince Nolan and Prince Linden. I had so much fun reading the banter between Nolan and Samantha. They have a tumultuous history that makes their relationship complicated.
The story line in The Seventh Blessing is good. The story begins with Samantha receiving her blessings as a young infant, then we get to see certain periods in her childhood and how her 'blessings' affect her and those around her. Most of the story takes place when Samantha is a teenager. There are several themes in this book including being true to who you are, standing up for yourself, forgiveness and love.
Overall this is a great story. This would be the perfect fantasy book for middle grade and up. This book is full of action, adventure and a little romance. I really enjoyed this novel and I look forward to reading more about the Tales of Gymandrol.
August 9, 2011
Right from the beginning this story peaked my interest. It reads like an epic historical fantasy without all of the confusing and hard to remember names. Yes, there are a lot of characters in the book, but not too many where you lose track of who’s who and no one is introduced as filler or fluff, they are all there for a purpose in the storyline. I don’t read many princess tales because usually the princess is annoying, too prim, too proper, too much for me. Princess Samantha is none of those things – she is more Joan of Arc than princess and more realistic because of this. The story has a bit of A Knight’s Tale feel to it since she’s posing as someone she isn’t in order to enter competition, but her reasonings are always honorable. The love story isn’t overwhelming or one that I would roll my eyes at either, everything unfolds perfectly. I look forward to seeing where this story goes and who Princess Samantha becomes.
Reviewed by Jessica for Book Sake.
Reviewed by Jessica for Book Sake.
October 2, 2012
I was rather sceptical of this book as the cover didn't really grab my attention or excite me in any way. The saying 'don't judge a book by its cover' is definitely relevant to this book as although the cover seemed very generic the story was nice and refreshing. I love books about fairies and this was no different. The pacing wasn't perfect, in my opinion, at first it was too fast. Then it did slow down somewhat, which made it easier for me to understand what was happening, but during the middle where they're all travelling I felt it was too slow I was eager to get to the end and find out what Sam's seventh gift was. There where little clues throughout the book as to what the last gift is but I was always guessing wrong, which was mainly the reason why I was so into this book. It isn't perfect and there's loads of places I feel could have been cut out completely because they didn't add anything to the story. Although I did enjoy this story I won't be rushing out to buy the next in the series.
January 22, 2012
I have to admit that I was a little put-off by the "princess" story line. But I know the author and she's an absolute doll, so I said, "Frankie, get over yourself and read the darned book."
I'm glad I did. It's just simply adorable and a fun-fun read! Sam's not your typical princess, though there were moments where she was. LOL! It's to be expected, but she turned out to be really tough!
There's some extra back story stuff that probably didn't have to go in this book, but that's just my opinion. I'm the type of person who likes to piece the story together as I get to know the characters and I like to discover back story as the character does. But that's me.
I really enjoyed traveling with Sam as she grew and discovered who she was. Great job, Melissa!
I'm glad I did. It's just simply adorable and a fun-fun read! Sam's not your typical princess, though there were moments where she was. LOL! It's to be expected, but she turned out to be really tough!
There's some extra back story stuff that probably didn't have to go in this book, but that's just my opinion. I'm the type of person who likes to piece the story together as I get to know the characters and I like to discover back story as the character does. But that's me.
I really enjoyed traveling with Sam as she grew and discovered who she was. Great job, Melissa!
October 10, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the dynamic between Prince Nolan and Samantha. So often we read books where the main protagonists are basically in love at first sight, so it's refreshing to see quite the opposite here.
Although I found myself rooting for Nolan, I wish his character had a little more development. The journal entries from Samantha help keep the pace of the book moving forward at a quick pace, but I think there was some missed opportunity here for us to get to know Sam and Nolan better as well as some of the other characters. The quick pace also makes things seem to come together a little too fast and convenient at the end.
It was still an entertaining read and I look forward to more stories from Gymandrol.
Although I found myself rooting for Nolan, I wish his character had a little more development. The journal entries from Samantha help keep the pace of the book moving forward at a quick pace, but I think there was some missed opportunity here for us to get to know Sam and Nolan better as well as some of the other characters. The quick pace also makes things seem to come together a little too fast and convenient at the end.
It was still an entertaining read and I look forward to more stories from Gymandrol.
March 15, 2011
Loved it! Here's the thing. I totally enjoy indie authors so when I was offered this for review I was excited. It's YA and has Fairies! You can't beat that!
I completely enjoyed this fantasy and the world building that was contained within the pages. I will admit to be slighty confused at first because it's almost like a fast forward to what was going to come. But then once it "slowed" down I was totally drawn in.
I loved the main character Sam, with all her spunk and determination, she made an excellent chick! I think semi-tomboys would probably really enjoy this one.
If you like to support Indie authors then this might be one to check out.
I completely enjoyed this fantasy and the world building that was contained within the pages. I will admit to be slighty confused at first because it's almost like a fast forward to what was going to come. But then once it "slowed" down I was totally drawn in.
I loved the main character Sam, with all her spunk and determination, she made an excellent chick! I think semi-tomboys would probably really enjoy this one.
If you like to support Indie authors then this might be one to check out.
November 2, 2017
In a style similar to Gail Carson Levine, Buell's "Seventh Blessing" shines as a fast-paced girl powered adventure. There's plenty of love, sorcery, fairies & dragons and action to delight its readers. Samantha is a heroine worthy of her seven secret gifts, and though the climax doesn't happen until the very end, it allows her to rock as a real "warrior princess." I very much enjoyed the characters, especially Nolan and Dawes. A delightful fairy tale for a modern day princess.
February 23, 2016
Although this is not a fairy tale retelling, it certainly resembles a fairy tale. There is a princess who received seven fairy blessings and evil is lurking. However, this princess received very unconventional blessings and she is not a typical princess in a fairy tale which I really liked. The story is well-written and entertaining, although predictable (but which fairy tale isn't?). People who enjoy fairy tales and their retellings, will also like this book.
July 6, 2011
Excellent world building!
Want to read
October 6, 2012I personally know the author so I said I would read her book so when I get to it I will let you know how GREAT it will be
July 4, 2013
Excellent full review to come. 4.5
September 11, 2011
Review to come on readinglark.blogspot.com
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews