The Arrival (BirthRight Trilogy #1)
I am giving this 4.5 stars, not amazing but as close as you can get without being there. This story unfolds slowly but moves along to lay out what is important so that you can see it all tie together. The characters get a chance to develop in a natural way without having having to wait until the end to feel like you know who they are. Even the pets are allowed to have personalities that need a chance to get to know. The foundation is set to allow you to see that the girls are being prepared for all the things that they are going to encounter during their adventure and beyond. The thing that made this just a bit dizzying for me was the fact that it is told from the perspective of all the characters, even though they let you know at the beginning it is sometimes hard to be sure who is speaking/thinking until a name is given. It does make for more interesting however because you do not wonder about what they think about situations.
Catherine, Sian, Kassandra, and Laura are best friends and have known each other for years. They do everything together and support each other in all their separate and joint endeavors. Before the girls attend a costume party Sian convinces them to perform a spell to find their soul mates when they return home. When they arrive home they perform the spell and then all fall asleep on the floor right after never believing it would really work. When they wake up they find themselves in another place and confused as to how they got there, and also to how they can find their way home.
These girls found themselves in a land very different from the one they left behind but a place of magic, myth, and technology. They have a destiny that they would never have dreamed possible and the love that they sought.
I don’t know what I was expecting but this was way more than I thought I would get. Once The story started moving I found I did not want it to end because I was coming to really like all the characters. The idea that all those creatures we think of as only existing in fairy-tales and as part of mythology are real and can be a part of your life. The romance is sweet and romantic, not just a sexual attraction but that kind where you want it to be special. I flew through this book because I was just completely entranced by the whole thing. And now I need to get to the next book because it left me on a cliff and I want to know if things work out.
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Awakening (BirthRight Trilogy #2)
The story begins 2 months after the attack at the end of book one with Cat and Alek both asleep after stopping Jenviet, while everyone waits for them to Awaken. The other girls have been given the whole truth about their situation and have chosen to deal with it in their own ways. Loi ( Laura) has stayed at the castle to wait for them to wake up, while Sian has gone to stay with Citaan and Gredel to help the soon to be parents, and Kassie has gone to the home of her man, Rumal, to get away from the pressure. No matter where they are though, they still want their friends to finally wake up.
When Catherine finally wakes she is told something which changes her way of thinking about her past and present. She at least has a little time to assimilate it all while she waits for Alek to wake up as well. When he finally does it is time to start training in earnest for the attack to destroy an enemy who has no conscious and would do anything to gain their powers. But as they train they are also aware of the fact that they all may not come back, including the men they have grown to love.
I really appreciated the attention to detail, but could have done with fewer training sessions and trips to the practice room. But since we were there so often it would have been nice to get more background on Patel and Rashid since we got so much more into Ignatius and his warped thinking. I do not like Iggy, he is a creepy guy who thinks he is better than everyone and is a nasty kind of voyeur. Once again we end things with a cliff-hanger (not my favorite thing)but it was a good one and I just have to know what happens next. This left me in tears because I so wanted things to be different. I say, go for it.
Alek and Yakov have been kidnapped by Jenviet and presumed dead or broken. Cat’s link to Alek has been severed by Elena in order to keep her sane and spare the death of the man she loves. They are finally sailing to confront and destroy the evil that has tried to take over their world for centuries, she has only fueled their hatred by her actions of taking those they love. The girls are as ready as they can be for what lies ahead.
Ignatius is taking full advantage of Cat’s loss and hopes to worm his way into her affections and find himself as her King. But what they find at the end of their journey will surprise them all and bring back the hope they thought was lost.
I do love a happy ending and was afraid I was not going to get it this time. This is a great ending that ties everything up wonderfully and gives each of the characters a chance to shine in their own right. Good action, good romance, great villains!
“Soldiers and allies of Elion, denizens of Gar’nyse, today we gather to do battle. Today we make a stand for those who can’t, for the innocent lives snatched, for those who stood against her and lost. For our loved ones in far away realms. I can’t guarantee any of us will make it home, but I can promise that victory will protect those loved ones and realms we left behind. Freedom from tyranny is a luxury few on Gar’nyse know. Here today we make a stand against the tyrant. Against those who desire to possess our world. Whether we rise or fall, all will know of this battle, of this stand we make. We will shake the ground. We will topple the castle and we will bring about the end of the DeNaga line!”
― Nicole MacDonald, Feel the Burn
“They said you’re an Elemental. You don’t look like an Elemental, more like a cheap maid from Slemnask.’ She spat the words out, the inference obvious. My rational voice had a field day while I observed her costume; a belt for a skirt and a belt for a top. ‘Pot, meet kettle,’ I replied in a pleasant tone.”
― Nicole MacDonald, The Arrival
The action gets better
Vampires v The Mob v The Police
Dresden does it again
Bookgirl 