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The Chosen Saga #1
Girl of Myth and Legend
A girl with a past she tries to forget, and a future she can’t even imagine.
Leonie Woodville wants to live an unremarkable life. She wants routine, she wants repetition, she wants predictability. So when she explodes in a blaze of light one morning on the way to her college, it’s enough to put a real crimp in her day.
And things only get weirder…
Leonie learns from her father that she is last of the Pulsar, a phenomenally powerful member of a magical species called the Chosen. It will be her sole duty to protect the Imperium, a governing hierarchy, from all enemies, and to exceed the reputation of the Pulsar before her. So – no pressure there, then.
Leonie is swept away from her rigorous normality and taken to a world of magic. There, she is forced into a ceremony to join her soul to a guardian, Korren, who is both incredibly handsome and intensely troubled, a relationship for which ‘it’s complicated’ just really doesn’t cut it.
But Leonie is soon to learn that this ancient world is no paradise. With violent dissidents intent to overthrow the Imperium, and dark entities with their own agenda, she and Korren find themselves caught in a war where they will have to overcome their differences if they are to survive.
Dare to dream. Dare to hope. Dare to be a legend.
Book One in The Chosen Saga.
Leonie Woodville wants to live an unremarkable life. She wants routine, she wants repetition, she wants predictability. So when she explodes in a blaze of light one morning on the way to her college, it’s enough to put a real crimp in her day.
And things only get weirder…
Leonie learns from her father that she is last of the Pulsar, a phenomenally powerful member of a magical species called the Chosen. It will be her sole duty to protect the Imperium, a governing hierarchy, from all enemies, and to exceed the reputation of the Pulsar before her. So – no pressure there, then.
Leonie is swept away from her rigorous normality and taken to a world of magic. There, she is forced into a ceremony to join her soul to a guardian, Korren, who is both incredibly handsome and intensely troubled, a relationship for which ‘it’s complicated’ just really doesn’t cut it.
But Leonie is soon to learn that this ancient world is no paradise. With violent dissidents intent to overthrow the Imperium, and dark entities with their own agenda, she and Korren find themselves caught in a war where they will have to overcome their differences if they are to survive.
Dare to dream. Dare to hope. Dare to be a legend.
Book One in The Chosen Saga.
363 pages, Paperback
First published December 29, 2015
About the author
Giselle Simlett
2 books32 followersGiselle Simlett was born in England. She has studied Creative Writing at both Gloucestershire University and the Open University. She has a diploma in Creative Writing, Language and Literature and will soon complete her BA Hons Open Degree.
She does not as yet have a degree in the power and responsible use of magic, but she does have a young son, which amounts to the same thing.
She currently lives in Australia with her husband and son.
Visit her on her website or on Facebook.
She does not as yet have a degree in the power and responsible use of magic, but she does have a young son, which amounts to the same thing.
She currently lives in Australia with her husband and son.
Visit her on her website or on Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
March 27, 2016
"Arc provided generously in exchange of an honest review."
This book did have some cliches TBH. The whole chosen trope is definitely significant here. There is also a part where the author keeps telling readers that the MC is strong and has a special gift.
So then, why did I like reading this?
♣ The world building is solid. The author described the world perfectly. There were no plot holes, and it's so interesting in its own way.
♣ The social classes is so intriguing. This book is unique because of the social problems it bought. The relationship between a Kytan and a chosen is nothing but a slave and a master.
♣ The fantasy aspect. The fantasy elements in this novels is very different than other books. Although the starting idea is similar to so many others, later on the book develops into it's own.
Now I can't wait till the second book! I really want to read more about this, and I hope that the second book has a better romance then here.
This wasn't one of my favorite books, but I still enjoyed reading it.
November 13, 2016
Rating: 1.5 stars
*insane laugh*
*tries to regain herself*
This is gonna be hilarious.
Soooooo. Uhm... this book.
Let me get one thing straight: I hated this book. Like, I really did. It had everything I would and could never enjoy, all the tropes and clichés that you could ever think about.
Annoying main character? Check.
Unexplainable insta-love? Check.
"The chosen one" complex, where a plain normal teenager becomes the saviour of the world even though they are not that special? Check.
Broody love interest who despises you but is anyway unconditionally drawn to her? Check.
I could go on, seriously. I'm not even half way down my mental list.
BUT. Ha, here's the funny part. I had to keep reading this book. I have no idea whatsoever what compelled me to keep reading instead of just DNFing it. Maybe I was waiting for something to happen? Maybe I was looking for something that could redeem the story? Maybe I just wanted to torture myself with some witty but totally predictable banter between "him" and "her". I don't know but I got to the end of it (almost, since I skimmed through the last 10%) and that's gotta mean this book earned some extra points, right?
"Girl of Myth and Legend" is about a girl who one day finds out she's a Pulsar, the last of a magic extinct race. In a parallel world, she's considered as a deity walking earth, she has the duty of protecting her people and be this legend everyone was expecting. Being a Pulsar also means she gets a kytaen, an immortal "guardian" with whom she'll be soul bound for the rest of her life and whose only responsibility is to protect her.
You can already see where this is going, right? She's gonna fall for the kytaen. Because kytaens are considered as tools, as mere objects or mindless pets but naturally our Leonie's kytaen has the resemblance of a 20 years old hot guy who does push-ups every chance he gets, his divine handsomeness couldn't be explained otherwise.
Now, we don't want to make things easy. Obviously our kytaen has a millenary grudge against Pulsars and Thrones (magic people who have a kytaen) since they have been used as animals instead of sentient beings and is therefore set on getting his revenge.
Again, we can already see where this is going, right? She's gonna treat him differently and he'll understand that maybe things can change, that she's special and she doesn't deserve to get punished. Maybe he needs to revise his plan, because how could he ever hurt that unique girl that's turning his world and believes upside down?
These are ALL things I'd normally hate. And I did hate them. But I still kept reading. I still wanted to read how it was going to play out, how he would have overcome his convictions for this random girl who came out of nowhere. Not that I was satisfied with the result, mind you. But hey, I gave it a try.
The author's writing style was so weird. I don't quite know how to put it into comprehensible words, but it was as if the characters only existed on paper and were not real entities; they were words and thoughts instead of flesh and blood and action.
It put me off for more than half of the book, which was where the whole world building was analysed and described and I don't remember absolutely nothing of it. Too much information crammed up together. There was more action in the second half, but by then I already knew I was definitely not going to continue on and I had lost almost all my interest even in the banter between the main characters.
All the secondary characters fell flat for me, so I'm not even considering them.
The only quite original and interesting aspect was the death of a girl who was important to Leonie. That trauma really affected our main protagonist, the pain still strong and evident and shone through her words but it wasn't enough to keep me going.
I won't read the sequel, I don't think I could even stand Leonie for another page. She's that kind of person who tries to be sarcastic and witty and smart but comes across as annoying, whiny, mean and disrespectful. I would have gladly punched her in the face multiple times.
*insane laugh*
*tries to regain herself*
This is gonna be hilarious.
Soooooo. Uhm... this book.
Let me get one thing straight: I hated this book. Like, I really did. It had everything I would and could never enjoy, all the tropes and clichés that you could ever think about.
Annoying main character? Check.
Unexplainable insta-love? Check.
"The chosen one" complex, where a plain normal teenager becomes the saviour of the world even though they are not that special? Check.
Broody love interest who despises you but is anyway unconditionally drawn to her? Check.
I could go on, seriously. I'm not even half way down my mental list.
BUT. Ha, here's the funny part. I had to keep reading this book. I have no idea whatsoever what compelled me to keep reading instead of just DNFing it. Maybe I was waiting for something to happen? Maybe I was looking for something that could redeem the story? Maybe I just wanted to torture myself with some witty but totally predictable banter between "him" and "her". I don't know but I got to the end of it (almost, since I skimmed through the last 10%) and that's gotta mean this book earned some extra points, right?
"Girl of Myth and Legend" is about a girl who one day finds out she's a Pulsar, the last of a magic extinct race. In a parallel world, she's considered as a deity walking earth, she has the duty of protecting her people and be this legend everyone was expecting. Being a Pulsar also means she gets a kytaen, an immortal "guardian" with whom she'll be soul bound for the rest of her life and whose only responsibility is to protect her.
You can already see where this is going, right? She's gonna fall for the kytaen. Because kytaens are considered as tools, as mere objects or mindless pets but naturally our Leonie's kytaen has the resemblance of a 20 years old hot guy who does push-ups every chance he gets, his divine handsomeness couldn't be explained otherwise.
Now, we don't want to make things easy. Obviously our kytaen has a millenary grudge against Pulsars and Thrones (magic people who have a kytaen) since they have been used as animals instead of sentient beings and is therefore set on getting his revenge.
Again, we can already see where this is going, right? She's gonna treat him differently and he'll understand that maybe things can change, that she's special and she doesn't deserve to get punished. Maybe he needs to revise his plan, because how could he ever hurt that unique girl that's turning his world and believes upside down?
These are ALL things I'd normally hate. And I did hate them. But I still kept reading. I still wanted to read how it was going to play out, how he would have overcome his convictions for this random girl who came out of nowhere. Not that I was satisfied with the result, mind you. But hey, I gave it a try.
The author's writing style was so weird. I don't quite know how to put it into comprehensible words, but it was as if the characters only existed on paper and were not real entities; they were words and thoughts instead of flesh and blood and action.
It put me off for more than half of the book, which was where the whole world building was analysed and described and I don't remember absolutely nothing of it. Too much information crammed up together. There was more action in the second half, but by then I already knew I was definitely not going to continue on and I had lost almost all my interest even in the banter between the main characters.
All the secondary characters fell flat for me, so I'm not even considering them.
The only quite original and interesting aspect was the death of a girl who was important to Leonie. That trauma really affected our main protagonist, the pain still strong and evident and shone through her words but it wasn't enough to keep me going.
I won't read the sequel, I don't think I could even stand Leonie for another page. She's that kind of person who tries to be sarcastic and witty and smart but comes across as annoying, whiny, mean and disrespectful. I would have gladly punched her in the face multiple times.
February 26, 2016
(I apologize in advance for the cursing and general vexation in this semi review)
GOD DAMMIT ALL TO THE FARTHEST REACHES OF LITERARY HELL.
I thought that this book would help me lose my obsession with fanfiction, it SOUNDED perfectly suited to me, but DAMMIT.
Look this book...I find the cover engaging, I found the entire idea of the "Chosen" intriguing, I thought it started decent well since hey I live by my routines to ignore my pain too. I get it Leonie. I really so.
But it fell off the rails pretty quick.
Firstly let's talk about repetition and why if I notice it, that means it's too much. No less than four different ways did Leonie tell the reader (yes tell, when it could have easily been shown) how not PEOPLE people her and her father are. They're not social types guys. They don't randomly chat neighbors up. in fact they try to never see their neighbors.
See that redundancy there? That's what it felt like in the first 3% of the book. Leonie TELLS US THIS when really her actions spoke well for it. Leonie's routine, which she assures us, ad nauseum is what she does every day, doesn't include friends or talking to classmates. her solitary walk every morning means she goes it alone. her lack of caring she left her phone behind is a pretty good indicator in today's YA that she isn't tied to it waiting for all her friends to call.
If she had mentioned just once that she isn't social, then relied on the reader to infer just how NOT social she is thru her normal activities I would have been delighted.
Second, and this is a personal pet peeve, but her bloody father is a seer right? Such so that he knows where to find her when she's distressed. Here's a thought--don't let your soon to be incapacitated daughter travel either alone or without her phone during "the worst snow" in history for North Yorkshire. I'm not saying tell her not to go, I'm saying be a NORMAL concerned parent and remind her about her phone or offer to walk with her since you're going to town. Ya don't need powers to think of that.
and to round this out, Leonie annoyed me. Look her past is rough. Got it. She's anti-social so normal teen shit doesn't come easy. Got it. She's freaked out about this major secret her dad kept from her. Got that too. But my gods the pessimism this girl spouted both in her head and out loud made me want to stab her. She's disrespectful of everyone (even her dad before the secret is out), prickly when even I--reading as I am from her POV--could tell the person meant well and just.. miserable that I felt myself falling into that dark hole.
GOD DAMMIT ALL TO THE FARTHEST REACHES OF LITERARY HELL.
I thought that this book would help me lose my obsession with fanfiction, it SOUNDED perfectly suited to me, but DAMMIT.
Look this book...I find the cover engaging, I found the entire idea of the "Chosen" intriguing, I thought it started decent well since hey I live by my routines to ignore my pain too. I get it Leonie. I really so.
But it fell off the rails pretty quick.
Firstly let's talk about repetition and why if I notice it, that means it's too much. No less than four different ways did Leonie tell the reader (yes tell, when it could have easily been shown) how not PEOPLE people her and her father are. They're not social types guys. They don't randomly chat neighbors up. in fact they try to never see their neighbors.
See that redundancy there? That's what it felt like in the first 3% of the book. Leonie TELLS US THIS when really her actions spoke well for it. Leonie's routine, which she assures us, ad nauseum is what she does every day, doesn't include friends or talking to classmates. her solitary walk every morning means she goes it alone. her lack of caring she left her phone behind is a pretty good indicator in today's YA that she isn't tied to it waiting for all her friends to call.
If she had mentioned just once that she isn't social, then relied on the reader to infer just how NOT social she is thru her normal activities I would have been delighted.
Second, and this is a personal pet peeve, but her bloody father is a seer right? Such so that he knows where to find her when she's distressed. Here's a thought--don't let your soon to be incapacitated daughter travel either alone or without her phone during "the worst snow" in history for North Yorkshire. I'm not saying tell her not to go, I'm saying be a NORMAL concerned parent and remind her about her phone or offer to walk with her since you're going to town. Ya don't need powers to think of that.
and to round this out, Leonie annoyed me. Look her past is rough. Got it. She's anti-social so normal teen shit doesn't come easy. Got it. She's freaked out about this major secret her dad kept from her. Got that too. But my gods the pessimism this girl spouted both in her head and out loud made me want to stab her. She's disrespectful of everyone (even her dad before the secret is out), prickly when even I--reading as I am from her POV--could tell the person meant well and just.. miserable that I felt myself falling into that dark hole.
July 8, 2017
+Received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you WWS Publishing!
I didn't know what to expect from this book but it surprised me for the good! The summary kind of reminded me of Daughter of Smoke & Bone for some reason and I can still see some resemblance but I do not mind resemblances. Every book has "copy-cat" others in one way or another. A lot of humans and a lot of different ideas but most of them overlap at some point, that's okay. I truly enjoyed this book.
THE WORLD: We start in Earth. Our dimension but soon we move over to the Chosen realm called Duwyn which is controlled by the Imperium. The Imperium is like a capital... you know they have a Council formed by the strongest and smartest Chosen. Well, that's in theory but I bet you having the right connections does wonders. Anyway, by the description in the book I picture Duwyn as very beautiful and bright, it has 3 moons instead of 1 and trees have weird colors and shapes... I don't know why but I picture the Imperium a little bit like Asgard in the Thor movie. Something similar to this:
Well, the story doesn't exactly happen at the Imperium but at a temple in Duwyn where Leonie and Korren have to be soul-bound and Leonie has to learn how to control her powers but anyway, I tell you that the Imperium thingy is important. Hold on to that knowledge.
CHARACTERS: The main character is Leonie Woodville. She's a 16 year old girl living somewhere in the middle of nowhere with her dad Orin but suddenly one day she finds out she's a Chosen, people with powers who lived in a different realm but sometimes are allowed to live on Earth. The Chosen are divided into 4 "categories" according to strength and guess what? Leonie is la crème de la crème, she's a Pulsar. The Chosen with more power (after Pulsar) are Thrones and there are quite a few of them for example the majority of the Council members. Thrones and Pulsar, because they're so important, receive protection from a different species, the Kytaen, that get to soul-bind to the Chosen. The selected bodyguard for Leonie is Korren, the angriest and most revengeful kytaen of all (bwahaha!).
Things get really messy in the last half of the book, we have Leonie and Korren dealing with their soul-binding, we have rebels doing what rebels do, we have the Council planning their own stuff... etc etc. Basically it is a chessboard and everybody is playing the game.
LOVE: There is no romance per say but there is definitely some tension between two characters . I ship them already, darn I'm so going to suffer.
PLUS: I don't know, I liked all. I like Leonie and Korren as characters the best because they're the most interesting ones. I liked the whole plot which I can already tell is going to get even messier! yay I live for fantasy plots which include a lot of different possibilities but managed to stay straight forward... sometimes they get so complicated that you don't know what you're reading anymore but Giselle writes this one very well. Everything relevant and necessary for this book is explained well.
MINUS: Sometimes Leonie had this complex of "I cannot be so powerful, I suck, I'm just a girl" that we commonly see in a loooot of YA books but it wasn't too annoying so I really enjoyed the book in general. Bravo, an applause. The ending is a cliffhanger though! Why do you do this to me? I need the second one!
OVERALL: 4.5 stars. Great debut! I need my answers though, I won't be happy until I read the finale and know if my favorite characters will be fine forever and ever...
Girl of Myth and Legend will be published at the end of December. You can pre-order it on Amazon. It could be a great late Christmas present, we all have that one relative who is always late right? It is also available via NetGalley right now! So go get it!
—P.S. I Love That Book!
I didn't know what to expect from this book but it surprised me for the good! The summary kind of reminded me of Daughter of Smoke & Bone for some reason and I can still see some resemblance but I do not mind resemblances. Every book has "copy-cat" others in one way or another. A lot of humans and a lot of different ideas but most of them overlap at some point, that's okay. I truly enjoyed this book.
THE WORLD: We start in Earth. Our dimension but soon we move over to the Chosen realm called Duwyn which is controlled by the Imperium. The Imperium is like a capital... you know they have a Council formed by the strongest and smartest Chosen. Well, that's in theory but I bet you having the right connections does wonders. Anyway, by the description in the book I picture Duwyn as very beautiful and bright, it has 3 moons instead of 1 and trees have weird colors and shapes... I don't know why but I picture the Imperium a little bit like Asgard in the Thor movie. Something similar to this:
Well, the story doesn't exactly happen at the Imperium but at a temple in Duwyn where Leonie and Korren have to be soul-bound and Leonie has to learn how to control her powers but anyway, I tell you that the Imperium thingy is important. Hold on to that knowledge.
CHARACTERS: The main character is Leonie Woodville. She's a 16 year old girl living somewhere in the middle of nowhere with her dad Orin but suddenly one day she finds out she's a Chosen, people with powers who lived in a different realm but sometimes are allowed to live on Earth. The Chosen are divided into 4 "categories" according to strength and guess what? Leonie is la crème de la crème, she's a Pulsar. The Chosen with more power (after Pulsar) are Thrones and there are quite a few of them for example the majority of the Council members. Thrones and Pulsar, because they're so important, receive protection from a different species, the Kytaen, that get to soul-bind to the Chosen. The selected bodyguard for Leonie is Korren, the angriest and most revengeful kytaen of all (bwahaha!).
Things get really messy in the last half of the book, we have Leonie and Korren dealing with their soul-binding, we have rebels doing what rebels do, we have the Council planning their own stuff... etc etc. Basically it is a chessboard and everybody is playing the game.
LOVE: There is no romance per say but there is definitely some tension between two characters . I ship them already, darn I'm so going to suffer.
PLUS: I don't know, I liked all. I like Leonie and Korren as characters the best because they're the most interesting ones. I liked the whole plot which I can already tell is going to get even messier! yay I live for fantasy plots which include a lot of different possibilities but managed to stay straight forward... sometimes they get so complicated that you don't know what you're reading anymore but Giselle writes this one very well. Everything relevant and necessary for this book is explained well.
MINUS: Sometimes Leonie had this complex of "I cannot be so powerful, I suck, I'm just a girl" that we commonly see in a loooot of YA books but it wasn't too annoying so I really enjoyed the book in general. Bravo, an applause. The ending is a cliffhanger though! Why do you do this to me? I need the second one!
OVERALL: 4.5 stars. Great debut! I need my answers though, I won't be happy until I read the finale and know if my favorite characters will be fine forever and ever...
Girl of Myth and Legend will be published at the end of December. You can pre-order it on Amazon. It could be a great late Christmas present, we all have that one relative who is always late right? It is also available via NetGalley right now! So go get it!
—P.S. I Love That Book!
January 20, 2016
https://celebrityreaders.wordpress.co...
I received this copy from NetGalley and this book is amazing. The main character is a teenager in every sense of the word. She is stubborn, hardheaded, she bucks authority. She is contrary just to be contrary. Doesn’t think things through and is pretty immature. She definitely is a teenager and the author wrote her perfectly, it was just brilliant. And her counterpart is written really well. The whole book is just written flawlessly. It had a great balance of dialogue vs action vs internal and external struggle. It had it all.
And I’m kind of upset, honestly because this book isn’t even out yet and I want to read the next one already so now I gotta put it on this list of authors that I follow so I can find out when the next book comes out. :) There was a lot of intrigue in this book. It had a lot of political aspects to it with regards to the government power versus the rebels and it threw a nice layer into the book. For a book that is not romantic in any way I still felt some undertones to it. The flashbacks and the visions were some of the best parts of the book. While you don’t see them come to fruition it sits in the back of your mind. I tried my hardest to try and put it together and figure out how it’s going to come to be but in all honesty I couldn’t.
The characters were very developed and I think the plot is complex. But it wasn’t so complex that you can’t figure it out which I like, because I can be a bit dense sometimes. I predict this series to have many side stories and twists in it. I highly recommend it. I can’t wait till the next book comes out. I’m would go snatch up all her other books but this is her first one!!!!! I have found that authors writing tend to progress the more they write. I’m kinda floored because I can’t imagine it getting any better.
This is one to watch guys.
I received this copy from NetGalley and this book is amazing. The main character is a teenager in every sense of the word. She is stubborn, hardheaded, she bucks authority. She is contrary just to be contrary. Doesn’t think things through and is pretty immature. She definitely is a teenager and the author wrote her perfectly, it was just brilliant. And her counterpart is written really well. The whole book is just written flawlessly. It had a great balance of dialogue vs action vs internal and external struggle. It had it all.
And I’m kind of upset, honestly because this book isn’t even out yet and I want to read the next one already so now I gotta put it on this list of authors that I follow so I can find out when the next book comes out. :) There was a lot of intrigue in this book. It had a lot of political aspects to it with regards to the government power versus the rebels and it threw a nice layer into the book. For a book that is not romantic in any way I still felt some undertones to it. The flashbacks and the visions were some of the best parts of the book. While you don’t see them come to fruition it sits in the back of your mind. I tried my hardest to try and put it together and figure out how it’s going to come to be but in all honesty I couldn’t.
The characters were very developed and I think the plot is complex. But it wasn’t so complex that you can’t figure it out which I like, because I can be a bit dense sometimes. I predict this series to have many side stories and twists in it. I highly recommend it. I can’t wait till the next book comes out. I’m would go snatch up all her other books but this is her first one!!!!! I have found that authors writing tend to progress the more they write. I’m kinda floored because I can’t imagine it getting any better.
This is one to watch guys.
February 23, 2016
**I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
This book is incredible. I am in awe of Simlett's writing chops.
She has developed a well-conceived story world, deeply dynamic characters, and a plot that keeps you guessing page after page. I am enamored with this series.
The cover is simply stunning, and I cannot wait for the next book...I am disappointed that I must wait to find out what happens next. The book is not too heavy on the fantasy, to where you lose your bearings because of the complicated background: Simlett lays everything out in a way you can follow along, and makes sure to describe every scene like you are living it.
I plan on recommending this book to all I encounter. I can imagine this book as an actual movie: it is that easy to visualize all that is happening throughout the story. It is rare for me to be this satisfied with a book....usually I have at least some criticism for editing errors or plot holes or annoying protagonists...this book has nothing that needs to be improved.
Sign me up for the sequel: I'm so there.
I also have a feeling this author is going to be big. Just can tell when someone writes with passion and talent. I'm glad I stumbled across the Chosen saga. Big fan over here.
This book is incredible. I am in awe of Simlett's writing chops.
She has developed a well-conceived story world, deeply dynamic characters, and a plot that keeps you guessing page after page. I am enamored with this series.
The cover is simply stunning, and I cannot wait for the next book...I am disappointed that I must wait to find out what happens next. The book is not too heavy on the fantasy, to where you lose your bearings because of the complicated background: Simlett lays everything out in a way you can follow along, and makes sure to describe every scene like you are living it.
I plan on recommending this book to all I encounter. I can imagine this book as an actual movie: it is that easy to visualize all that is happening throughout the story. It is rare for me to be this satisfied with a book....usually I have at least some criticism for editing errors or plot holes or annoying protagonists...this book has nothing that needs to be improved.
Sign me up for the sequel: I'm so there.
I also have a feeling this author is going to be big. Just can tell when someone writes with passion and talent. I'm glad I stumbled across the Chosen saga. Big fan over here.
March 15, 2016
Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy, Teens/YA
Age:16+
Recommendation: I have mixed feelings, read the review and decide for yourself.
Type: Series,not sure when additional books will be released
Summary: It was OK but I think it could be great.+good chemistry +some original themes -wordy -under-developed +decent world building +interesting male lead -weak female lead
Full Review:
This book has so much potential but it definitely needs a bit of work. In an effort to clarify my thoughts I am just going to basically explain the main things that I loved/hated.
The main thing that kept me enthralled in the book was the dynamics between Leonie and Korren. For a bit of back story without any spoilers, Korren is basically a protector assigned to keep Leonie safe. The way that you can see his mind working as he gets to know her and she him, really enables the reader to get into their developing relationship. This is one instance where I actually enjoyed the author’s use of inner-monologues. I enjoyed the plot because well, even though it is not wholly original, it is what I look for in most YA books (whether I like to admit it or not). The author gives you a heroine, a male savior, action, emotional distress and chaos.
Unfortunately the aspects I didn’t like about this book out number the good. Let’s start with the actual basic ideas behind the story. We find out that Leonie is not as average a girl as she thinks, but rather a chosen. One thing this book forgets to mention is, what exactly a chosen is. Sure she is super special, but WTF is she exactly? That seems to be something pertinent that should be explained. Another thing about this book is how wordy it is. There are seriously paragraphs that could just be edited out that are full of her inner thoughts and her trying to figure things out. I get it, she is thrust into this new world but I really got turned off at points and found myself skimming. The ideas behind what she is and what it means are really promising, the writing just didn’t deliver fully.
There is nothing I despise more than a super whiny heroine. Leonie has all the makings of a total badass but they are completely wasted on her being like ‘I am so weak, I just can’t do anything’. She is written as someone who is so determined to be a part of this new world, and talks about wanting to help but she does nothing to try. As I was reading, I seriously wanted to yell ‘ find your girl balls, suck it up and get awesome already!’ But it just didn’t happen.
Lastly, I was disappointed in how Korren was portrayed. We are introduced to him as this terrifying beast bred to protect the ultimate gift to man kind (or whatever she is) that is wrapped up in a delicious but normal looking skin. One minute he is a sexy looking dude, next he is this evil looking killing machine with his only goal to be protecting this fragile girl. Except, he falls flat. He isn’t shredding people left and right, he is weak and that is the ultimate insult to any attempt to create an alluring alpha male. I don’t want weak, I want sweaty, strong and unstoppable.
All in all, I got into the book, and I will probably read the next one just because I want to know what happens. This book is on the Kindle Unlimited list so if you are a member there really isn’t any harm in checking it out.
Disclaimer: I obtained a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Thank you, Giselle Simlett & WWS Pubishing Limited.
Age:16+
Recommendation: I have mixed feelings, read the review and decide for yourself.
Type: Series,not sure when additional books will be released
Summary: It was OK but I think it could be great.+good chemistry +some original themes -wordy -under-developed +decent world building +interesting male lead -weak female lead
Full Review:
This book has so much potential but it definitely needs a bit of work. In an effort to clarify my thoughts I am just going to basically explain the main things that I loved/hated.
The main thing that kept me enthralled in the book was the dynamics between Leonie and Korren. For a bit of back story without any spoilers, Korren is basically a protector assigned to keep Leonie safe. The way that you can see his mind working as he gets to know her and she him, really enables the reader to get into their developing relationship. This is one instance where I actually enjoyed the author’s use of inner-monologues. I enjoyed the plot because well, even though it is not wholly original, it is what I look for in most YA books (whether I like to admit it or not). The author gives you a heroine, a male savior, action, emotional distress and chaos.
Unfortunately the aspects I didn’t like about this book out number the good. Let’s start with the actual basic ideas behind the story. We find out that Leonie is not as average a girl as she thinks, but rather a chosen. One thing this book forgets to mention is, what exactly a chosen is. Sure she is super special, but WTF is she exactly? That seems to be something pertinent that should be explained. Another thing about this book is how wordy it is. There are seriously paragraphs that could just be edited out that are full of her inner thoughts and her trying to figure things out. I get it, she is thrust into this new world but I really got turned off at points and found myself skimming. The ideas behind what she is and what it means are really promising, the writing just didn’t deliver fully.
There is nothing I despise more than a super whiny heroine. Leonie has all the makings of a total badass but they are completely wasted on her being like ‘I am so weak, I just can’t do anything’. She is written as someone who is so determined to be a part of this new world, and talks about wanting to help but she does nothing to try. As I was reading, I seriously wanted to yell ‘ find your girl balls, suck it up and get awesome already!’ But it just didn’t happen.
Lastly, I was disappointed in how Korren was portrayed. We are introduced to him as this terrifying beast bred to protect the ultimate gift to man kind (or whatever she is) that is wrapped up in a delicious but normal looking skin. One minute he is a sexy looking dude, next he is this evil looking killing machine with his only goal to be protecting this fragile girl. Except, he falls flat. He isn’t shredding people left and right, he is weak and that is the ultimate insult to any attempt to create an alluring alpha male. I don’t want weak, I want sweaty, strong and unstoppable.
All in all, I got into the book, and I will probably read the next one just because I want to know what happens. This book is on the Kindle Unlimited list so if you are a member there really isn’t any harm in checking it out.
Disclaimer: I obtained a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Thank you, Giselle Simlett & WWS Pubishing Limited.
February 4, 2016
I really enjoyed this adventure though the first chapter wasn't great. I didn't get the wow factor until I was further into the book. Due to the poor beginning I could see some people dropping the book. If they progress they will be rewarded with an amazing, gripping story. I have to say Korren intrigued me. I absolutely adore his character, his disdain for leonine and all that she represents is conflicting within him.
(In book two they are going to get it together, THEY HAVE TOO! (Though it would be a little odd as he can shapeshift))
The story line is makes this book unputdownable, I like Leonie as a charter too, sting, independent and comical (especially where Korren is concerned).
I have to read book 2.
An amazing fantasy adventure, 5 stars...
(In book two they are going to get it together, THEY HAVE TOO! (Though it would be a little odd as he can shapeshift))
The story line is makes this book unputdownable, I like Leonie as a charter too, sting, independent and comical (especially where Korren is concerned).
I have to read book 2.
An amazing fantasy adventure, 5 stars...
December 31, 2015
DNF at 25%
5 Words: Not my cup of tea.
I just couldn't click with this in the way that I so badly wanted to. I think that this is going to be one of those hit-or-miss books that, like Marmite, you either love or hate.
There was too much telling, not enough showing. I felt that it was very repetitive too, and a little wordy. What was a paragraph could have been condensed into a sentence and those second, third and fourth repeats could have been cut out.
At 25%, and with my eyes glazing over, I decided to call it quits.
I received a copy of this for free via NetGalley for review purposes.
5 Words: Not my cup of tea.
I just couldn't click with this in the way that I so badly wanted to. I think that this is going to be one of those hit-or-miss books that, like Marmite, you either love or hate.
There was too much telling, not enough showing. I felt that it was very repetitive too, and a little wordy. What was a paragraph could have been condensed into a sentence and those second, third and fourth repeats could have been cut out.
At 25%, and with my eyes glazing over, I decided to call it quits.
I received a copy of this for free via NetGalley for review purposes.
January 26, 2016
I received an advanced e-book copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Girl of Myth and Legend is book 1 in the series.
Leonie Woodville likes to have routines. But one day when she explodes with light, she finds out that she's not normal; she is the only Pulsar left and she is the Chosen.
When I started the book, I thought that I was really going to like it but half way through, it got really troublesome and I wasn't too satisfied with the ending either.
Girl of Myth and Legend is book 1 in the series.
Leonie Woodville likes to have routines. But one day when she explodes with light, she finds out that she's not normal; she is the only Pulsar left and she is the Chosen.
When I started the book, I thought that I was really going to like it but half way through, it got really troublesome and I wasn't too satisfied with the ending either.
December 15, 2015
Well, well, well. It's been awhile since I had a really tough time rating something. The first 5% of this book was awful; I felt like I was reading an uninspiring high school student's essay. After that, it became slightly better up until about 10% of the book. Then...
...I couldn't stop reading anymore!
So yes, the first chapter wasn't remarkably fabulous. We get introduced to Leonie and her dad. The seventeen-year-old girl seems like this very stubborn, annoying and slightly emo kind of teenager I did NOT feel like reading about. Then, to make things worse, there's a whirlwind of happenings all crammed up into a couple of pages. Leonie discovers that she's different, that her dad is different, that there's another realm (Duwyn) which they secretly belong to, that there are other Chosen at her doorstep, coming to pick her up to take her to Duwyn. WHAM-BAM-THANK-YOU-MA'AM!
While the first chapter was from Leonie's point of view, the second one was narrated by Korren, of whom we know nothing at that point. His chapter ended with a scene that reminded me too much of the arena entrance scene from The Hunger Games. Korren needs to fight his own to the death and the winner will become the next guardian of a Chosen one. This is obviously a standard issue in any arena, yet the presentation of this one was just too much like the one in The Hunger Games, I suppose.
From now on, most chapters will be alternated by Korren and Leonie's points of view.
After arriving in Duwyn through a portal located somewhere in a cove in the UK, we leave Earth behind us for the rest of the book. Now this is where it finally became interesting for me. They're barely in Duwyn when an attack, aimed for Leonie, takes place. The magic used in this fight by both parties was very interesting. Everyone seems to have a unique kind of personal power. When Leonie is finally safely escorted to the Temples, the story really kicks off.
As you can read in the synopsis above, Duwyn's inhabitants are the Chosen, a magical species. There are four groups of Chosen. The lowest rank belongs to the Zeros, Chosen who barely possess any magic. Second are Phobien, Chosen who have a reasonable amount of magic. Then, there are Thrones, considered powerful and holding many influential positions. The fourth group, the Pulsar, are the strongest of the Chosen, revered as almost god-like beings. The last Pulsar was wiped out 200 years ago, but with Leonie, a new one has arisen and must be protected by the Imperium at all costs.
This is why Leonie is introduced to Korren of whom we now know to be a Kytaen, an immortal mixture of a demon and a beast who can also transform into a human (which then happens to be a ridiculously handsome one *rolls eyes a little*). He's the designated Kytaen to protect Leonie with his life (I guess he's not THAT immortal now, is he). For higher efficiency levels regarding protection, every Chosen who is a Throne or a Pulsar (the lower ranks don't get a Kytaen) gets soul-bound to their Kytaen. The connection they have after the binding reminds me a little of the daemons in the 'His Dark Materials'-series by Philip Pullman. Just a little less intense and confined.
If you think the rest of the story will be about Leonie training to unleash her magic, you're mostly wrong. The Imperium is being threatened by rebels and since Leonie will be the poster girl for the Imperium as soon as she's properly trained, she's target numero uno. Hence, the attack mentioned before.
A BIG part of the story is focussing on the relationship between Leonie and Korren. He's quite a McGrumpypants with emotional issues and Leonie desperately tries to win his friendship. Which is highly uncommon, since Kytaen's are considered as mere tools without a soul by the rest of Duwyn.
The dialogues are definitely unusual. Leonie's banter starts off as very annoying, yet becomes quite amusing later on. I guess you can say it just grows on you (or well, on me at least).
Something I noticed during scenes with heavy dialogue between two people is that characters who are also present in that particular scene are not mentioned anymore until after the two active characters are done talking. For example, there was a scene where Korren and Leonie are sitting outside together in the freezing cold. Leonie's dad comes over and basically, that's the end of Korren's existence until they're done talking. No glances, references or whatnot. I thought that was quite odd.
Another thing I noticed was the repetitiveness of words. Three seems to be the magic number here. "Why is it pulling pulling pulling?" (my note here said "That's what your mom said"...so mature), "I cry and cry and cry.". Sometimes, three wasn't even enough: "I'm tired, tired and tired and tired of surviving...". We get it, you're tired.
Then there were some contradictions and exaggerations which also didn't float my boat. After being constantly reminded of how special a Pulsar is, we also keep being reminded of how NOT special Leonie is ("My keeper isn't anything special, you know."). Or after Korren had already been nice a few times to Leonie (which flabbergasted everyone involved), a couple of chapters later she's thinking "Is it because he's never said anything nice to me before?" again (my note here was "He HAS, you dumbo").
Exaggeration annoyances occurred when we were being reminded how terribly hard Leonie's past was. She didn't have an easy life. If only she grew up in a better way. Blah, something awful DID happen to her, but my god, I can imagine a lot more awful things. Take Korren's suffering for example. Now that's legit. And the worst part is that Leonie finds it hard to empathize with him. He's thousands of years old. You think he's been watching 'Days of our Lives' for the past centuries and before? Sheesh, anyone with a working brain can guess HE's been through a lot.
My last point of criticism is the dog, Pegasus. Without spoilering the shit out of things, I'm just going to say: why? Why was he in there in the first place and why did he have to come along to Duwyn?
Now you might wonder why it's so hard for me to rate this one. It's because, despite all the annoyances, I also enjoyed it tremendously. I think I finished the last 90% in two evenings, neglecting all other things. As I said before, Leonie starts to grow on you. Then there's fast paced action, a very interesting world building setup, romance, murder, and eeriness. I actually think I kinda love Duwyn. The night is literally coming alive in it, which is awesome! I'm looking forward to reading part 2 now *gasps*
3.5 stars it shall be, based on my level of enjoyment. And a freaking awesome cover.
An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher and Giselle Simlett via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. You can read more about the book on Giselle's Website. There's even a cool soundtrack here!
...I couldn't stop reading anymore!
So yes, the first chapter wasn't remarkably fabulous. We get introduced to Leonie and her dad. The seventeen-year-old girl seems like this very stubborn, annoying and slightly emo kind of teenager I did NOT feel like reading about. Then, to make things worse, there's a whirlwind of happenings all crammed up into a couple of pages. Leonie discovers that she's different, that her dad is different, that there's another realm (Duwyn) which they secretly belong to, that there are other Chosen at her doorstep, coming to pick her up to take her to Duwyn. WHAM-BAM-THANK-YOU-MA'AM!
While the first chapter was from Leonie's point of view, the second one was narrated by Korren, of whom we know nothing at that point. His chapter ended with a scene that reminded me too much of the arena entrance scene from The Hunger Games. Korren needs to fight his own to the death and the winner will become the next guardian of a Chosen one. This is obviously a standard issue in any arena, yet the presentation of this one was just too much like the one in The Hunger Games, I suppose.
From now on, most chapters will be alternated by Korren and Leonie's points of view.
After arriving in Duwyn through a portal located somewhere in a cove in the UK, we leave Earth behind us for the rest of the book. Now this is where it finally became interesting for me. They're barely in Duwyn when an attack, aimed for Leonie, takes place. The magic used in this fight by both parties was very interesting. Everyone seems to have a unique kind of personal power. When Leonie is finally safely escorted to the Temples, the story really kicks off.
As you can read in the synopsis above, Duwyn's inhabitants are the Chosen, a magical species. There are four groups of Chosen. The lowest rank belongs to the Zeros, Chosen who barely possess any magic. Second are Phobien, Chosen who have a reasonable amount of magic. Then, there are Thrones, considered powerful and holding many influential positions. The fourth group, the Pulsar, are the strongest of the Chosen, revered as almost god-like beings. The last Pulsar was wiped out 200 years ago, but with Leonie, a new one has arisen and must be protected by the Imperium at all costs.
This is why Leonie is introduced to Korren of whom we now know to be a Kytaen, an immortal mixture of a demon and a beast who can also transform into a human (which then happens to be a ridiculously handsome one *rolls eyes a little*). He's the designated Kytaen to protect Leonie with his life (I guess he's not THAT immortal now, is he). For higher efficiency levels regarding protection, every Chosen who is a Throne or a Pulsar (the lower ranks don't get a Kytaen) gets soul-bound to their Kytaen. The connection they have after the binding reminds me a little of the daemons in the 'His Dark Materials'-series by Philip Pullman. Just a little less intense and confined.
If you think the rest of the story will be about Leonie training to unleash her magic, you're mostly wrong. The Imperium is being threatened by rebels and since Leonie will be the poster girl for the Imperium as soon as she's properly trained, she's target numero uno. Hence, the attack mentioned before.
A BIG part of the story is focussing on the relationship between Leonie and Korren. He's quite a McGrumpypants with emotional issues and Leonie desperately tries to win his friendship. Which is highly uncommon, since Kytaen's are considered as mere tools without a soul by the rest of Duwyn.
The dialogues are definitely unusual. Leonie's banter starts off as very annoying, yet becomes quite amusing later on. I guess you can say it just grows on you (or well, on me at least).
Something I noticed during scenes with heavy dialogue between two people is that characters who are also present in that particular scene are not mentioned anymore until after the two active characters are done talking. For example, there was a scene where Korren and Leonie are sitting outside together in the freezing cold. Leonie's dad comes over and basically, that's the end of Korren's existence until they're done talking. No glances, references or whatnot. I thought that was quite odd.
Another thing I noticed was the repetitiveness of words. Three seems to be the magic number here. "Why is it pulling pulling pulling?" (my note here said "That's what your mom said"...so mature), "I cry and cry and cry.". Sometimes, three wasn't even enough: "I'm tired, tired and tired and tired of surviving...". We get it, you're tired.
Then there were some contradictions and exaggerations which also didn't float my boat. After being constantly reminded of how special a Pulsar is, we also keep being reminded of how NOT special Leonie is ("My keeper isn't anything special, you know."). Or after Korren had already been nice a few times to Leonie (which flabbergasted everyone involved), a couple of chapters later she's thinking "Is it because he's never said anything nice to me before?" again (my note here was "He HAS, you dumbo").
Exaggeration annoyances occurred when we were being reminded how terribly hard Leonie's past was. She didn't have an easy life. If only she grew up in a better way. Blah, something awful DID happen to her, but my god, I can imagine a lot more awful things. Take Korren's suffering for example. Now that's legit. And the worst part is that Leonie finds it hard to empathize with him. He's thousands of years old. You think he's been watching 'Days of our Lives' for the past centuries and before? Sheesh, anyone with a working brain can guess HE's been through a lot.
My last point of criticism is the dog, Pegasus. Without spoilering the shit out of things, I'm just going to say: why? Why was he in there in the first place and why did he have to come along to Duwyn?
Now you might wonder why it's so hard for me to rate this one. It's because, despite all the annoyances, I also enjoyed it tremendously. I think I finished the last 90% in two evenings, neglecting all other things. As I said before, Leonie starts to grow on you. Then there's fast paced action, a very interesting world building setup, romance, murder, and eeriness. I actually think I kinda love Duwyn. The night is literally coming alive in it, which is awesome! I'm looking forward to reading part 2 now *gasps*
3.5 stars it shall be, based on my level of enjoyment. And a freaking awesome cover.
An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher and Giselle Simlett via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. You can read more about the book on Giselle's Website. There's even a cool soundtrack here!
January 28, 2016
"A land of impossibility, a land made of myth and magic."
The Good
The POV is alternating between our main character, Leonie who is a Chosen and her kytaen, Korren. Kytaens are basically the bodyguard for the Chosen and are considered as tools to use and are not regarded as friends or comrades in arms. The Chosen are broken down into groups based on who has the most magic. These two are very different from all others of their kinds. Leonie was raised in the human realm so she grew up with different beliefs than other Chosen in the story. Korren is a kytaen who is done with it all and ready to bring the Chosen down. He's a little bent on revenge. I enjoyed getting to know these characters and watch them change throughout the story. Their backgrounds and beliefs are very different and the POVs were well done in keeping those voices separate. Korren is the one that I'm most drawn to because his story as an immortal and all that he's gone through grasps me.
The world and setting in Girl of Myth and Legend is fantastically drawn out and unique. I love that they entered a portal and were taken to a different realm called Duwyn. With rebels attacking almost the second Leonie arrives, to the night becoming alive around her in the creepy, be-scared-of-the-dark way, this setting is one that I enjoyed. I am looking forward to exploring this world more in future books.
There is quite a lot going on throughout the pages. There are attacks after attacks, training for Leonie's powers, learning about this world, and it ends with another wild situation. There are deaths already in the first one which I enjoy seeing. It makes this despair real and the attacks mean more and it also means that Simlett isn't afraid to kill off characters. I'm very excited to see where this story goes in future books.
The Bad
If you are not a fan of cliches, you will immediately see the heroine that has the best power of everyone and just realizes that she has it. While this doesn't bother me in the least, those of you that get tired of seeing certain things in YA will be affected.
The dialogue was a little odd to me. It grows on you eventually, but my copy has all discussion in a single quotation instead of double quotation marks so it makes it more difficult to see when dialogue started. I did get used to it after a bit and wasn't a problem anymore.
The very beginning is harder to swallow than all the rest of the book. Leonie is a little hard to relate to when we first meet her and she is thrust immediately into a new world with new powers and finding out that her dad has lied to her all her life. It all happens in a very short amount of time and there is quite a bit of an info-dump with it. It all smooths out rather quickly however.
The Romance
There is no romance to discuss in this one. I enjoyed the friendship (if they would even admit to that) between Korren and Leonie. Korren has been raised around kytaens being treated rather poorly and having to do whatever the Chosen say. Leonie comes on to the scene not caring that she's supposed to treat him a certain way, she wants to be is friend and learn more about him. They make quite a pair and I was very glad to see that Leonie never succumbed to treating Korren badly.
Conclusion
This is a good one. The interaction between the characters is very amusing. I also like that they stand firm on their own moral beliefs instead of preconceived notions or the community's idea of right and wrong. The setting was imaginative and unique and I can see the potential this series has to go in the future. The pacing was very nice with a nice balance of action and dialogue. Recommended.
*Netgalley for honest review
The Good
The POV is alternating between our main character, Leonie who is a Chosen and her kytaen, Korren. Kytaens are basically the bodyguard for the Chosen and are considered as tools to use and are not regarded as friends or comrades in arms. The Chosen are broken down into groups based on who has the most magic. These two are very different from all others of their kinds. Leonie was raised in the human realm so she grew up with different beliefs than other Chosen in the story. Korren is a kytaen who is done with it all and ready to bring the Chosen down. He's a little bent on revenge. I enjoyed getting to know these characters and watch them change throughout the story. Their backgrounds and beliefs are very different and the POVs were well done in keeping those voices separate. Korren is the one that I'm most drawn to because his story as an immortal and all that he's gone through grasps me.
The world and setting in Girl of Myth and Legend is fantastically drawn out and unique. I love that they entered a portal and were taken to a different realm called Duwyn. With rebels attacking almost the second Leonie arrives, to the night becoming alive around her in the creepy, be-scared-of-the-dark way, this setting is one that I enjoyed. I am looking forward to exploring this world more in future books.
There is quite a lot going on throughout the pages. There are attacks after attacks, training for Leonie's powers, learning about this world, and it ends with another wild situation. There are deaths already in the first one which I enjoy seeing. It makes this despair real and the attacks mean more and it also means that Simlett isn't afraid to kill off characters. I'm very excited to see where this story goes in future books.
The Bad
If you are not a fan of cliches, you will immediately see the heroine that has the best power of everyone and just realizes that she has it. While this doesn't bother me in the least, those of you that get tired of seeing certain things in YA will be affected.
The dialogue was a little odd to me. It grows on you eventually, but my copy has all discussion in a single quotation instead of double quotation marks so it makes it more difficult to see when dialogue started. I did get used to it after a bit and wasn't a problem anymore.
The very beginning is harder to swallow than all the rest of the book. Leonie is a little hard to relate to when we first meet her and she is thrust immediately into a new world with new powers and finding out that her dad has lied to her all her life. It all happens in a very short amount of time and there is quite a bit of an info-dump with it. It all smooths out rather quickly however.
The Romance
There is no romance to discuss in this one. I enjoyed the friendship (if they would even admit to that) between Korren and Leonie. Korren has been raised around kytaens being treated rather poorly and having to do whatever the Chosen say. Leonie comes on to the scene not caring that she's supposed to treat him a certain way, she wants to be is friend and learn more about him. They make quite a pair and I was very glad to see that Leonie never succumbed to treating Korren badly.
Conclusion
This is a good one. The interaction between the characters is very amusing. I also like that they stand firm on their own moral beliefs instead of preconceived notions or the community's idea of right and wrong. The setting was imaginative and unique and I can see the potential this series has to go in the future. The pacing was very nice with a nice balance of action and dialogue. Recommended.
*Netgalley for honest review
November 4, 2015
I want the next book. I need to know Korren’s fate and Leonie will she stay Leonie that Korren trusts and dare I say love? What vision of the future will come true? Can Korren help her? What of Korren and Lorren and their relationship? what is in the urn? What of Sersu? Who is Jupiter really? And Grato what of him? Will Leonie stay away from Imperium as her dad wants? Soo many questions I am left with ugghhhh!!!!
The writing is masterful in how it pulls you into the cause of Korren and to an extent Leonie. I fell more for Korren than Leonie. I think because of all he has gone through. Don’t get me wrong Leonie was good but Korren draws you in more. You see his tale and you understand his wariness and anger towards Chosen and Leonie.
When Korren does his speech about the naive bird and the betrayal it is heartbreaking. You want to just reach out and hug him. You feel all he is thinking and his emotions are just on the surface.
Leonie you warm up to. She is strong when encouraged but is lost. She was excited to be chosen for the wrong reasons and as the world is revealed to be not what she thinks, the realization is alot to take in. she sees hypocrisy and brutality that is unwarranted. She begins to understand why her dad did what he did. I hope she becomes strong enough to overcome the obstacles in front of her. she is a honorable and trusting girl. Sometimes too trusting and I have to say I love how she treats Korren as a friend and equal. There is definitely more to them than meets the eye and I hope that we see this played out.
Orin, Leonie’s dad is a mystery to me. You want to be angry at him for some of his actions but you can’t be dangit. He loves his daughter so much that you can see why he did some of what he did. I don’t agree with him and his wifes actions when she was born but he learned from that mistake.
Each character draws you in one way or another. Whether with anger or smiles you will have an emotional tug happen. The story itself is a spider web. It is like Anne Rice. You are happy in your story feeling satiated and enjoying a nice tale than suddenly whomp the dread comes into play. In this book it is the violence and politics. Suddenly you are again feeling happy there is a Korren Leonie special moment and whomp another dread comes in. You are kept on your toes. Truly on your toes once she gets to the temples. the myster
The writing is masterful in how it pulls you into the cause of Korren and to an extent Leonie. I fell more for Korren than Leonie. I think because of all he has gone through. Don’t get me wrong Leonie was good but Korren draws you in more. You see his tale and you understand his wariness and anger towards Chosen and Leonie.
When Korren does his speech about the naive bird and the betrayal it is heartbreaking. You want to just reach out and hug him. You feel all he is thinking and his emotions are just on the surface.
Leonie you warm up to. She is strong when encouraged but is lost. She was excited to be chosen for the wrong reasons and as the world is revealed to be not what she thinks, the realization is alot to take in. she sees hypocrisy and brutality that is unwarranted. She begins to understand why her dad did what he did. I hope she becomes strong enough to overcome the obstacles in front of her. she is a honorable and trusting girl. Sometimes too trusting and I have to say I love how she treats Korren as a friend and equal. There is definitely more to them than meets the eye and I hope that we see this played out.
Orin, Leonie’s dad is a mystery to me. You want to be angry at him for some of his actions but you can’t be dangit. He loves his daughter so much that you can see why he did some of what he did. I don’t agree with him and his wifes actions when she was born but he learned from that mistake.
Each character draws you in one way or another. Whether with anger or smiles you will have an emotional tug happen. The story itself is a spider web. It is like Anne Rice. You are happy in your story feeling satiated and enjoying a nice tale than suddenly whomp the dread comes into play. In this book it is the violence and politics. Suddenly you are again feeling happy there is a Korren Leonie special moment and whomp another dread comes in. You are kept on your toes. Truly on your toes once she gets to the temples. the myster
December 8, 2015
Reasons I didn’t want to read this book:
Modern fantasy is a genre I just can’t understand. I don’t want to read about vampires and magicians stopping for coffee or browsing the internet, I want to hear about battles and kings and queens and a world different than mine. For me, reading is a form of escapism, so the further away from my world I can get, the better. When I saw that the book summary mentioned the main character “walking to college”, I couldn’t help feeling skeptical.
Overall rating: ★★★★ 1/2
Originality: ★★★★
Character Development: ★★★★
Writing: ★★★★
Emotional Involvement: ★★★★★
Here are my exact thoughts while reading the first chapter: “What is this, amateur hour?” I felt like I was re-reading my attempts at writing a novel from back in high school. You’re introduced to the main character then BAM something crazy happens then BAM you find out how super special the character is then BAM they’re off on a quest… all in the first 10 pages.
Luckily, the first chapter was not representative of the quality of the rest of the book. In fact, almost immediately after the first chapter, the writing style seemed to change. All of the sudden I was drawn in- and boy, did I ever get the world-change that I was looking for.
The main character, Leonie, is a girl just like me-living an ordinary life- when she is swept into another world of magic and monsters. She finds that, though she’s felt she’s a nobody her entire life, she is vitally important in the minds of this worlds’ citizens. Leonie embraces the new world eagerly because she’s trying to run away from her past and from her loneliness. She gets exactly what she need- a friend- but he’s not exactly what she expected.
While Girl of Myth and Legend fits squarely in the Young Adult category, alongside books like Throne of Glass and Red Queen, it can certainly hold its own. It’s hard for me to believe, sometimes, that there are more ideas and plots that haven’t yet been written, but clearly Giselle Simlett has thought of one, and it’s great.
You know you love a book when you get two thirds of the way through and feel a deep disappointment the the next book isn’t out yet. I just hope the wait isn’t too long!
Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Modern fantasy is a genre I just can’t understand. I don’t want to read about vampires and magicians stopping for coffee or browsing the internet, I want to hear about battles and kings and queens and a world different than mine. For me, reading is a form of escapism, so the further away from my world I can get, the better. When I saw that the book summary mentioned the main character “walking to college”, I couldn’t help feeling skeptical.
Overall rating: ★★★★ 1/2
Originality: ★★★★
Character Development: ★★★★
Writing: ★★★★
Emotional Involvement: ★★★★★
Here are my exact thoughts while reading the first chapter: “What is this, amateur hour?” I felt like I was re-reading my attempts at writing a novel from back in high school. You’re introduced to the main character then BAM something crazy happens then BAM you find out how super special the character is then BAM they’re off on a quest… all in the first 10 pages.
Luckily, the first chapter was not representative of the quality of the rest of the book. In fact, almost immediately after the first chapter, the writing style seemed to change. All of the sudden I was drawn in- and boy, did I ever get the world-change that I was looking for.
The main character, Leonie, is a girl just like me-living an ordinary life- when she is swept into another world of magic and monsters. She finds that, though she’s felt she’s a nobody her entire life, she is vitally important in the minds of this worlds’ citizens. Leonie embraces the new world eagerly because she’s trying to run away from her past and from her loneliness. She gets exactly what she need- a friend- but he’s not exactly what she expected.
While Girl of Myth and Legend fits squarely in the Young Adult category, alongside books like Throne of Glass and Red Queen, it can certainly hold its own. It’s hard for me to believe, sometimes, that there are more ideas and plots that haven’t yet been written, but clearly Giselle Simlett has thought of one, and it’s great.
You know you love a book when you get two thirds of the way through and feel a deep disappointment the the next book isn’t out yet. I just hope the wait isn’t too long!
Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 14, 2015
I'm really sorry for giving this book a rating so low, but seriously, it was awful. Like, awful awful. It was so awful... Okay, okay, no need to become Leonie.
For one thing, I feel weird for hating the main character, because I'm not even sure that she was a character in the first place. She was just there, trying to be someone but failing so very epically. I felt more positively towards the Kytaen, but that's only because he was the less annoying one. The rest of the cast wasn't even there.
For another, the writing style is, ahem, awful. I did my best to keep an open mind to the different ways the authors might try to explain themselves, but this wasn't one of those situations, I assure you. I understand that this is the first published work of the author, and I don't want to be too judgmental, but if I'm not wrong, it says in her GR profile that she is on her way to get her second diploma on Creative Writing. I think I have the right to be judgmental.
Leaving those aside, the book is not creative. I can connect almost every single detail to an over-used, almost clichéd subject. The plot is a cliché in and of itself: Leonie, a teenager, finds out that she is not the your everyday anti-social but, in fact, the remaining member of a high class that has been (almost) extinct, until she came around. This new piece of information changes her life dramatically. Then, as a result of her new status, she is acquantanced with another character who hates her for her status, then falls in love with her, and she loves him back. Together, they save the world or something. I won't even bother to count just how many times the very same subject has been used.
I don't have the patience to go on with this review, you get the point. I hope the author decides to revise her work, because otherwise, according to me at least, it's just another product of the "hey, let's combine this, this and this popular elements and try to come up with a seemingly new series!" generation of authors. Straight to the 0/5 shelf.
For one thing, I feel weird for hating the main character, because I'm not even sure that she was a character in the first place. She was just there, trying to be someone but failing so very epically. I felt more positively towards the Kytaen, but that's only because he was the less annoying one. The rest of the cast wasn't even there.
For another, the writing style is, ahem, awful. I did my best to keep an open mind to the different ways the authors might try to explain themselves, but this wasn't one of those situations, I assure you. I understand that this is the first published work of the author, and I don't want to be too judgmental, but if I'm not wrong, it says in her GR profile that she is on her way to get her second diploma on Creative Writing. I think I have the right to be judgmental.
Leaving those aside, the book is not creative. I can connect almost every single detail to an over-used, almost clichéd subject. The plot is a cliché in and of itself: Leonie, a teenager, finds out that she is not the your everyday anti-social but, in fact, the remaining member of a high class that has been (almost) extinct, until she came around. This new piece of information changes her life dramatically. Then, as a result of her new status, she is acquantanced with another character who hates her for her status, then falls in love with her, and she loves him back. Together, they save the world or something. I won't even bother to count just how many times the very same subject has been used.
I don't have the patience to go on with this review, you get the point. I hope the author decides to revise her work, because otherwise, according to me at least, it's just another product of the "hey, let's combine this, this and this popular elements and try to come up with a seemingly new series!" generation of authors. Straight to the 0/5 shelf.
February 6, 2016
Thanks to the Author/Publisher for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I would give the book 3.5 stars as I'm at war with myself over it! The cover is stunning and the whole concept I really like but it took me until over half the book to really get into it.
Leonie Woodville is a "sort of" normal teenager who lives on her own with her father in the middle of nowhere who forgets to mention to her that she is some sort of magical bean. One day on the way to college she nearly combusts and finds out the hard way that she is a Chosen, and not just any old Chosen... a Pulsar. She learns that there is another realm where her kind is actually from and she is the only Pulsar to be born in hundreds of years. No pressure!
Leonie grated on me to begin with, I found her irritating and the kind of person that I could not put up with especially at the start of the book she just came across very rude and ignorant, I wanted to slap her but then after the story moves into the other realm I started to warm to her. She became funny, witty and so spunky she actually made me laugh at times.
Korren really drew me in but I believe it's the way the banter went on between him an Leonie that I liked. It wasn't the usual YA straight into undying love where if I can't kiss you I will die on the spot kinda scenario, was there tension? of course but it wasn't pushed into your face straight from the start of the book.
What I did find about the book was that sometimes something was explained far too much, it was really repetitively long winded where a paragraph would have sounded better as just a sentence instead of all the unnecessary wording.
All in all, it was an ok book and I can't wait to find out what happens next, I just hope the whole over explaining is cut out in the next book.
I would give the book 3.5 stars as I'm at war with myself over it! The cover is stunning and the whole concept I really like but it took me until over half the book to really get into it.
Leonie Woodville is a "sort of" normal teenager who lives on her own with her father in the middle of nowhere who forgets to mention to her that she is some sort of magical bean. One day on the way to college she nearly combusts and finds out the hard way that she is a Chosen, and not just any old Chosen... a Pulsar. She learns that there is another realm where her kind is actually from and she is the only Pulsar to be born in hundreds of years. No pressure!
Leonie grated on me to begin with, I found her irritating and the kind of person that I could not put up with especially at the start of the book she just came across very rude and ignorant, I wanted to slap her but then after the story moves into the other realm I started to warm to her. She became funny, witty and so spunky she actually made me laugh at times.
Korren really drew me in but I believe it's the way the banter went on between him an Leonie that I liked. It wasn't the usual YA straight into undying love where if I can't kiss you I will die on the spot kinda scenario, was there tension? of course but it wasn't pushed into your face straight from the start of the book.
What I did find about the book was that sometimes something was explained far too much, it was really repetitively long winded where a paragraph would have sounded better as just a sentence instead of all the unnecessary wording.
All in all, it was an ok book and I can't wait to find out what happens next, I just hope the whole over explaining is cut out in the next book.
December 31, 2015
You can read this review on my blog: https://makingdaysbetter.wordpress.co...
I read Girl of Myth and Legend at the beginning of the month and it was really cool :D . I liked the way is narrated a lot and that we have Korren's and Leonie's point of views. My favorites were Korren's ones because I was able to feel all the power he had too. ;)
The only thing I can say I didn't enjoy so much was the beginning, I was waiting to see a little bit more of her "normal" life.
I love Leonie so much! I loved that she was so sarcastic and hilarious, her attitude was incredible. <3 At the same time she was honest, curious and brave when she had to. I didn't find anything wrong about her. Another great thing about her is that she never gave up, and the way she thinks is extraordinary, always really positive. :)
Korren was amazing! I really liked his personality, so deep, determined and courageous. But it were times when I just thought "Man, she has feelings. Could you be a little more comprehensive?" However, I liked him a lot and I could see that he wasn't all bad. :P
Oh! The end was espectacular The last quote was fantastic! I loved it and after reading it I just couldn't stop smiling for an hour.
** I received an e-copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange of my honest review **
I read Girl of Myth and Legend at the beginning of the month and it was really cool :D . I liked the way is narrated a lot and that we have Korren's and Leonie's point of views. My favorites were Korren's ones because I was able to feel all the power he had too. ;)
The only thing I can say I didn't enjoy so much was the beginning, I was waiting to see a little bit more of her "normal" life.
I love Leonie so much! I loved that she was so sarcastic and hilarious, her attitude was incredible. <3 At the same time she was honest, curious and brave when she had to. I didn't find anything wrong about her. Another great thing about her is that she never gave up, and the way she thinks is extraordinary, always really positive. :)
Korren was amazing! I really liked his personality, so deep, determined and courageous. But it were times when I just thought "Man, she has feelings. Could you be a little more comprehensive?" However, I liked him a lot and I could see that he wasn't all bad. :P
Oh! The end was espectacular The last quote was fantastic! I loved it and after reading it I just couldn't stop smiling for an hour.
December 7, 2015
At first, I was kind of confused, the formatting of the book does not lend itself to easy understanding. I was intrigued by Korren and Leonie's stories and I felt like they were really well developed. Leonie annoyed me a bit in the beginning, she seemed like she was all emotion all the time, never able to think rationally. However, I loved the dialogue and the interaction with the characters and THE WORLD. THE WORLD CREATION WAS SPECTACULAR. The whole idea of there being absolutes and no grey area was quite intriguing and made me very interested in the future of the series.
December 4, 2015
For those who love magical worlds, women being awesome, excellent plot, and fantastic writing.
This book was awesome, and I loved every minute of it!
The only downside was the cliffhanger at the end.
But it definitely leaves you yearning for more.
I highly recommend this, it's so good that I am going to get a copy in hardback when I can!
This book was awesome, and I loved every minute of it!
The only downside was the cliffhanger at the end.
But it definitely leaves you yearning for more.
I highly recommend this, it's so good that I am going to get a copy in hardback when I can!
May 9, 2016
Caution!!! - This is not a pleasant review. Being honest is often excruciating.
Dear author, I know you will hate me for this. Being an author myself gave me that insight. There are readers that will badmouth you, put you intentional abyss of despair and will give a bad rating even without reading it. With luck you will experience all these and much more. But being an author means pushing through all those and shine like a star bright enough to extinguish most of the troubles. You have the power within you, your storytelling skills are good enough, you just need to organize it well.
Now, lets dive in to the real thing.
For the one fourth of the book I felt great. Really! There were common ideas all over, but I didn't mind as long as it was entertaining. Myth and magic were getting defined, spark happened to main protagonist, people came to make the nightmare/dream real, and so on. I was wondering why the hell people rated it as they did! In my mind it was shaping out to be a 4-5 star book already! But then, came Korren and the weird understanding between him and Leonie. With endless talks and thoughts they had steadily made me bored and I kept hoping they would remain as simple as possible (which is friends as best case scenario). By the end their true relation is yet to be defined.
Nightmare broke free down on earth soon. From here on I don't know if I can give opinions without spoiling anything, so it will go under the spoiler section frequently down below.
Many death were not necessary in the book. I do understand it was all to make our ignorant Leoine stronger, but even then deaths of people who doesn't even have minimal attachment with her, shouldn't bother her anyways.
Our heroine is the chosen one, so is the sprite beast of her! But neither can do what they are supposed to do. Also I have never read about such a characters like Leoine before who makes so many bad choices and took so many wrong steps by the end. As for Korren, I mean come on dude! You are suppose to have power to protect your master. So don't feel human pain and fail more times than you succeed protecting. It kinda kills the purpose of having a protector. But if it were to define that Master needs to be powerful to empower his/her sprite beast, then all the struggle of Korrien would have been justified.
To make a great character you don't need to give him/her all the powers in earth and haven. Lets look at the bright example of Harry Potter. He is chosen and all things, but does he have immense power? No. Dumbledore helps him, Hermione casts all the useful magic, Ron becomes the pawn and the comic relief, and with all that somehow Harry saves the day. That makes it a great example. And by the end each story feels rewarding because even if the whole saga didn't end, even if they had somewhat of cliff hangers, yet some part of the mysteries were solved, little wins came and new dimension of possibility slowly opened.
Here in this book, nothing gets solved or explained properly. Just two-three things were certain, Leoine was a Pulsar, and had all the potential. Korren is her sprite beast. Crato is supposedly a bad guy who has rebels to worry about. But why did rebels became rebels? What do they actually want? And so on. I have so many question, which needs to be answered. And after reading this book, with an abrupt ending, I don't feel rewarded at all. All it did was putting clouds of expectations over the head, rain was forever an impossibility. That made me sad. I understand anticipation was being built intentionally to make emotional explosions even greater in the upcoming books. But you need to give your readers some sort of completeness or assurance since they invested valuable time on the story.
Anyways, enough badmouthing. Lets talk some positive. Author has a great writing style. It's easy read. The dialogs are alright. Classes were described well enough. Leoine as a character was flawed, but her father seemed quite humane. O'Sah is one of the well written characters of this book, people will hate him, but that's the purpose. Harriad had small appearance but it was well defined. At parts Sersu was well written too. Environmental description was nice at times. In the sand or over the hill, darkness or the horror were visible. Last one third of the book was very fast paced (with a little pause around the middle).
Girl of myth and Legend remains a myth. I want to see more story than the myth in future, so that Leoine can turn into a legend with pride and power.
Dear author, I know you will hate me for this. Being an author myself gave me that insight. There are readers that will badmouth you, put you intentional abyss of despair and will give a bad rating even without reading it. With luck you will experience all these and much more. But being an author means pushing through all those and shine like a star bright enough to extinguish most of the troubles. You have the power within you, your storytelling skills are good enough, you just need to organize it well.
Now, lets dive in to the real thing.
For the one fourth of the book I felt great. Really! There were common ideas all over, but I didn't mind as long as it was entertaining. Myth and magic were getting defined, spark happened to main protagonist, people came to make the nightmare/dream real, and so on. I was wondering why the hell people rated it as they did! In my mind it was shaping out to be a 4-5 star book already! But then, came Korren and the weird understanding between him and Leonie. With endless talks and thoughts they had steadily made me bored and I kept hoping they would remain as simple as possible (which is friends as best case scenario). By the end their true relation is yet to be defined.
Nightmare broke free down on earth soon. From here on I don't know if I can give opinions without spoiling anything, so it will go under the spoiler section frequently down below.
Many death were not necessary in the book. I do understand it was all to make our ignorant Leoine stronger, but even then deaths of people who doesn't even have minimal attachment with her, shouldn't bother her anyways.
Our heroine is the chosen one, so is the sprite beast of her! But neither can do what they are supposed to do. Also I have never read about such a characters like Leoine before who makes so many bad choices and took so many wrong steps by the end. As for Korren, I mean come on dude! You are suppose to have power to protect your master. So don't feel human pain and fail more times than you succeed protecting. It kinda kills the purpose of having a protector. But if it were to define that Master needs to be powerful to empower his/her sprite beast, then all the struggle of Korrien would have been justified.
To make a great character you don't need to give him/her all the powers in earth and haven. Lets look at the bright example of Harry Potter. He is chosen and all things, but does he have immense power? No. Dumbledore helps him, Hermione casts all the useful magic, Ron becomes the pawn and the comic relief, and with all that somehow Harry saves the day. That makes it a great example. And by the end each story feels rewarding because even if the whole saga didn't end, even if they had somewhat of cliff hangers, yet some part of the mysteries were solved, little wins came and new dimension of possibility slowly opened.
Here in this book, nothing gets solved or explained properly. Just two-three things were certain, Leoine was a Pulsar, and had all the potential. Korren is her sprite beast. Crato is supposedly a bad guy who has rebels to worry about. But why did rebels became rebels? What do they actually want? And so on. I have so many question, which needs to be answered. And after reading this book, with an abrupt ending, I don't feel rewarded at all. All it did was putting clouds of expectations over the head, rain was forever an impossibility. That made me sad. I understand anticipation was being built intentionally to make emotional explosions even greater in the upcoming books. But you need to give your readers some sort of completeness or assurance since they invested valuable time on the story.
Anyways, enough badmouthing. Lets talk some positive. Author has a great writing style. It's easy read. The dialogs are alright. Classes were described well enough. Leoine as a character was flawed, but her father seemed quite humane. O'Sah is one of the well written characters of this book, people will hate him, but that's the purpose. Harriad had small appearance but it was well defined. At parts Sersu was well written too. Environmental description was nice at times. In the sand or over the hill, darkness or the horror were visible. Last one third of the book was very fast paced (with a little pause around the middle).
Girl of myth and Legend remains a myth. I want to see more story than the myth in future, so that Leoine can turn into a legend with pride and power.
December 19, 2015
A girl with a past she tries to forget, and a future she can’t even imagine.
Leonie Woodville wants to live an unremarkable life. She wants routine, she wants repetition, she wants predictability. So when she explodes in a blaze of light one morning on the way to her college, it’s enough to put a real crimp in her day.
And things only get weirder…
Leonie learns from her father that she is last of the Pulsar, a phenomenally powerful member of a magical species called the Chosen. It will be her sole duty to protect the Imperium, a governing hierarchy, from all enemies, and to exceed the reputation of the Pulsar before her. So – no pressure there, then.
Leonie is swept away from her rigorous normality and taken to a world of magic. There, she is forced into a ceremony to join her soul to a guardian, Korren, who is both incredibly handsome and intensely troubled, a relationship for which ‘it’s complicated’ just really doesn’t cut it.
But Leonie is soon to learn that this ancient world is no paradise. With violent dissidents intent to overthrow the Imperium, and dark entities with their own agenda, she and Korren find themselves caught in a war where they will have to overcome their differences if they are to survive.
Dare to dream. Dare to hope. Dare to be a legend.
Book One in The Chosen Saga.
- - - - -
Rating: 3 (???)/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: fascinating, mostly-unique read; intriguing characters; annoying, arrogant protag; the devil is not in the details—because there really aren't any; where there IS detail, the prose is gorgeous; a lot of confusing action and unanswered questions
Huge thanks to Giselle Simlett, WWS Publishing, and Netgalley for an ARC of this read in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered how I read/reviewed this book.
I'm a bit iffy on my star rating.
The blurb made this sound amazing—characters who kick butt and take names, an intriguing world filled with magic and myth... Just my kind of read, I thought! Unfortunately, this didn't quite match up to my expectations.
Now, that's not to say is isn't good! There are moments when the prose swept me off into that promised fantasy land. These snippets are poetic, descriptive, and gorgeous. They are also few and far between. In fact, most of this reads rather like a string of diary entries. The two points of view we “see” the world through remain wholly flat, unemotional (even when the characters are meant to be emotional, they aren't) and robotic.
The world, also, didn't really leap to life. What little information we're given about the different lives/societies is often conflicting and confusing. Creatures like Pulsar and Kytaen are explained in the simplest ways...and left vastly undescribed. This makes the characters, the world, the scenery very hard to imagine. There's SO MUCH packed into this read, I feel as if some of the finer, more important details fell to the wayside instead of being allowed breathing room. Things that should have been the main focus instead felt like trivial details.
And while the characters are fascinating and their stories promise excitement, there isn't much personal growth for either. The author played around, instead, with the idea of an unexplained/unwanted connection...but didn't do it justice enough to make it work smoothly in the grand scheme of story telling.
The main protagonist, Leonie, comes off as crass, arragant, and often cruel. Korren, also, is rather stubborn and mean. Their stories make sense, when taken as a whole...but together they're more drama than I'd have liked, with almost no redemption for either at the end. It's a nice setup for book two...but it doesn't make me care for them, or feel anything for their struggles.
So, while I enjoyed the uniqueness and creativity of this read, I found myself mostly bored and disgruntled with the characters. While I see a LOT of potential in this author's style, there's also a lot of work to do to make this series seamless. I'd recommend to lovers of sci fi/fantasy, mythology, and unique otherworlds. For now, I guess we'll wait and see what book two promises—perhaps it'll patch up some of these loose ends!
Leonie Woodville wants to live an unremarkable life. She wants routine, she wants repetition, she wants predictability. So when she explodes in a blaze of light one morning on the way to her college, it’s enough to put a real crimp in her day.
And things only get weirder…
Leonie learns from her father that she is last of the Pulsar, a phenomenally powerful member of a magical species called the Chosen. It will be her sole duty to protect the Imperium, a governing hierarchy, from all enemies, and to exceed the reputation of the Pulsar before her. So – no pressure there, then.
Leonie is swept away from her rigorous normality and taken to a world of magic. There, she is forced into a ceremony to join her soul to a guardian, Korren, who is both incredibly handsome and intensely troubled, a relationship for which ‘it’s complicated’ just really doesn’t cut it.
But Leonie is soon to learn that this ancient world is no paradise. With violent dissidents intent to overthrow the Imperium, and dark entities with their own agenda, she and Korren find themselves caught in a war where they will have to overcome their differences if they are to survive.
Dare to dream. Dare to hope. Dare to be a legend.
Book One in The Chosen Saga.
- - - - -
Rating: 3 (???)/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: fascinating, mostly-unique read; intriguing characters; annoying, arrogant protag; the devil is not in the details—because there really aren't any; where there IS detail, the prose is gorgeous; a lot of confusing action and unanswered questions
Huge thanks to Giselle Simlett, WWS Publishing, and Netgalley for an ARC of this read in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered how I read/reviewed this book.
“You say immortality isn't a burden and you may think it a wonderful, divine thing; maybe it is for those who have freedom. But if all your days are kept within this cage, with no way to escape, how can you call that living?”
I'm a bit iffy on my star rating.
The blurb made this sound amazing—characters who kick butt and take names, an intriguing world filled with magic and myth... Just my kind of read, I thought! Unfortunately, this didn't quite match up to my expectations.
Now, that's not to say is isn't good! There are moments when the prose swept me off into that promised fantasy land. These snippets are poetic, descriptive, and gorgeous. They are also few and far between. In fact, most of this reads rather like a string of diary entries. The two points of view we “see” the world through remain wholly flat, unemotional (even when the characters are meant to be emotional, they aren't) and robotic.
“So now imagine this companion, a bird we'll say, exotic, beautiful, and created from a powerful love that began with a promise. The magial being it adores is not itsmaster, but its friend, and they live side by side as equals for many years. But the bird is naive: it doesn't realize the fragility of a mortal's kindness, or the quickening of their temper, nor the malice and hate they can weave. The bird is made only of love, of trust, and so when their friend lays breadcrumbs, the bird doesn't doubt them and follows their trail. Then the door of a cage shuts behind it.”
The world, also, didn't really leap to life. What little information we're given about the different lives/societies is often conflicting and confusing. Creatures like Pulsar and Kytaen are explained in the simplest ways...and left vastly undescribed. This makes the characters, the world, the scenery very hard to imagine. There's SO MUCH packed into this read, I feel as if some of the finer, more important details fell to the wayside instead of being allowed breathing room. Things that should have been the main focus instead felt like trivial details.
And while the characters are fascinating and their stories promise excitement, there isn't much personal growth for either. The author played around, instead, with the idea of an unexplained/unwanted connection...but didn't do it justice enough to make it work smoothly in the grand scheme of story telling.
The main protagonist, Leonie, comes off as crass, arragant, and often cruel. Korren, also, is rather stubborn and mean. Their stories make sense, when taken as a whole...but together they're more drama than I'd have liked, with almost no redemption for either at the end. It's a nice setup for book two...but it doesn't make me care for them, or feel anything for their struggles.
His voice grows dark. “But when the sun sleeps and gives way to the moons, the serpent slips silently into the deepening pockets of darkness, and it is then that the enchantment of this world dissolves into something perilous, when instead of dreams and wishes it is twisted into nightmares and curses.”
So, while I enjoyed the uniqueness and creativity of this read, I found myself mostly bored and disgruntled with the characters. While I see a LOT of potential in this author's style, there's also a lot of work to do to make this series seamless. I'd recommend to lovers of sci fi/fantasy, mythology, and unique otherworlds. For now, I guess we'll wait and see what book two promises—perhaps it'll patch up some of these loose ends!
May 4, 2016
Rating: 2/5
(I received a free copy from the publisher, WWS Publishing Limited, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
***Minor spoilers***
Leonie has lived a life of routine and sameness for so long. She thinks she's happy with this life, but soon learns that maybe something different is what she needs. Her entire life changes when one day, she suddenly starts glowing, and she feels like she's on fire. When her dad finds her, she expects him to be concerned like any dad would, but he's utterly calm. He later tells her that she has been awakened as a Chosen, a race that calls another realm home and has different powers, himself being a Seer. Leonie is a Pulsar - the first to have been awakened in over 200 years. They are the most powerful of the Chosen, and the Imperium have come for her and her father to bring her to their realm. She goes with them, and begins to train to be the saviour everyone is looking for.
In my opinion, this book started off well and it just went down from there. In the beginning I was intrigued with this whole Chosen idea, and the different types of Chosen. The first 30% of the book was a lot of info dropping, but it was pretty interesting so I didn't mind. However, I soon began to find it quite dull. It was dragging on and on and nothing was happening. I thought she was going to be trained in combat and taught to use her magic, but she was literally only taught how to meditate. She doesn't get trained in combat and she by the end of the book, she doesn't even have powers. I feel like it would've been a much better book if Leonie knew how to do anything at all. She was quite helpless throughout the book and it made her seem weak.
I was quite tired of Leonie's horrible decision making skills. Whenever she doesn't get what she wants, she tends to act like a child, sometimes demanding things, saying she has a right because she's the Pulsar. She goes from not wanting to be "just the Pulsar" and just wanting to be another person to throwing her title around to get what she wants. She also goes all philosophical a lot. If you take it out of context it could be quite beautiful, but she's just a 17 year old girl. Sure, she's been through a lot, but she goes from immature to speaking like she's 1000 years old in a heartbeat. It's quite awkward from my perspective.
Overall, I feel like this had the potential to be great, but some of the more interesting parts of the plot weren't explored as much as I wish they were. It was dull for most of it, Leonie didn't even have any powers, all she knew how to do was meditate, and I didn't like her that much as a character. I wish she was more relatable, but I just didn't know enough about her and her past to relate or sympathize with her. I felt the same was about Korren, her guardian. I wouldn't really recommend this but if you're still interested you can get it on Netgalley here: https://s2.netgalley.com/catalog/book... until May 24th.
(I received a free copy from the publisher, WWS Publishing Limited, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
***Minor spoilers***
Leonie has lived a life of routine and sameness for so long. She thinks she's happy with this life, but soon learns that maybe something different is what she needs. Her entire life changes when one day, she suddenly starts glowing, and she feels like she's on fire. When her dad finds her, she expects him to be concerned like any dad would, but he's utterly calm. He later tells her that she has been awakened as a Chosen, a race that calls another realm home and has different powers, himself being a Seer. Leonie is a Pulsar - the first to have been awakened in over 200 years. They are the most powerful of the Chosen, and the Imperium have come for her and her father to bring her to their realm. She goes with them, and begins to train to be the saviour everyone is looking for.
In my opinion, this book started off well and it just went down from there. In the beginning I was intrigued with this whole Chosen idea, and the different types of Chosen. The first 30% of the book was a lot of info dropping, but it was pretty interesting so I didn't mind. However, I soon began to find it quite dull. It was dragging on and on and nothing was happening. I thought she was going to be trained in combat and taught to use her magic, but she was literally only taught how to meditate. She doesn't get trained in combat and she by the end of the book, she doesn't even have powers. I feel like it would've been a much better book if Leonie knew how to do anything at all. She was quite helpless throughout the book and it made her seem weak.
I was quite tired of Leonie's horrible decision making skills. Whenever she doesn't get what she wants, she tends to act like a child, sometimes demanding things, saying she has a right because she's the Pulsar. She goes from not wanting to be "just the Pulsar" and just wanting to be another person to throwing her title around to get what she wants. She also goes all philosophical a lot. If you take it out of context it could be quite beautiful, but she's just a 17 year old girl. Sure, she's been through a lot, but she goes from immature to speaking like she's 1000 years old in a heartbeat. It's quite awkward from my perspective.
Overall, I feel like this had the potential to be great, but some of the more interesting parts of the plot weren't explored as much as I wish they were. It was dull for most of it, Leonie didn't even have any powers, all she knew how to do was meditate, and I didn't like her that much as a character. I wish she was more relatable, but I just didn't know enough about her and her past to relate or sympathize with her. I felt the same was about Korren, her guardian. I wouldn't really recommend this but if you're still interested you can get it on Netgalley here: https://s2.netgalley.com/catalog/book... until May 24th.
December 6, 2015
Girl of Myth and Legend by Giselle Simlett is the first book in the Chosen Saga and it is off to an amazing start! If you enjoy reading fantasy novels, this will most certainly be the book for you. Girl of Myth and Legend is the story of Leonie a not so ordinary girl living an ordinary and predictable life. One day all of that changes as she is marked Chosen. Soon she learns of a world that she never imagined could have existed. A world of magic and rules, friends and foes. All Leonie knows is that visiting that world will change her life, oh and she also just may destroy it, a lot of responsibility to bear for a 17 year old who is also the last Pulsar in existence and the first in 200 years. If that is not enough, she also has to deal with Korren, her Kytaen guardian that just cannot seem to decide if he wants to guard or forsake her. After all, he has a lot of anger inside.
In Girl of Myth and Legend, Simlett has created a vivid and deep literary landscape as we alternate between the viewpoints of Leonie and Korren. I have not read anything like this before, and the uniqueness kept me guessing. This first novel is the story of Leonie as she struggles to understand her place, to bear the burden of being the last Pulsar, to stand apart from those who would control her, and maybe, just maybe, to defend Korren and heal his hurt. Leonie is unique in more ways than one. As a heroine, it was her compassion that drew me to her the most. She’s not powerful in strength, but in purpose she is mighty, she is legion. Korren meanwhile also struggles to understand his place and reconcile the hurt he has suffered whilst serving the chosen. Will he be able to separate Leonie from all that came before her? Will he fight to save her even as he rages to be free and escape his chains?
I am giving Girl of Myth and Legend 5/5 stars for a simply amazing book that is more than just a fantasy novel. While some of the mythical aspects of this book definitely were hard to understand, the author does an admirable job of trying to explain some of the ‘mistier’ aspects of them. Leonie and Korren are main protagonists I want to know more about. They have depth to them and a mutual history of suffering that I believe will one day forge an unbreakable bond or shatter the world in to pieces.
I received this book for free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
In Girl of Myth and Legend, Simlett has created a vivid and deep literary landscape as we alternate between the viewpoints of Leonie and Korren. I have not read anything like this before, and the uniqueness kept me guessing. This first novel is the story of Leonie as she struggles to understand her place, to bear the burden of being the last Pulsar, to stand apart from those who would control her, and maybe, just maybe, to defend Korren and heal his hurt. Leonie is unique in more ways than one. As a heroine, it was her compassion that drew me to her the most. She’s not powerful in strength, but in purpose she is mighty, she is legion. Korren meanwhile also struggles to understand his place and reconcile the hurt he has suffered whilst serving the chosen. Will he be able to separate Leonie from all that came before her? Will he fight to save her even as he rages to be free and escape his chains?
I am giving Girl of Myth and Legend 5/5 stars for a simply amazing book that is more than just a fantasy novel. While some of the mythical aspects of this book definitely were hard to understand, the author does an admirable job of trying to explain some of the ‘mistier’ aspects of them. Leonie and Korren are main protagonists I want to know more about. They have depth to them and a mutual history of suffering that I believe will one day forge an unbreakable bond or shatter the world in to pieces.
I received this book for free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
May 4, 2016
Before I started reading this book, it sounded really good. I was excited to read a book about someone overcoming difficulties. It sounded really cool that someone (Leonie) was the last of the Pulsar. I thought that the book would really focus on her overcoming her struggles of being the only one. For some reason, this book reminded me of H2O by Virginia Bergin. Or at least when I read the summary. I am not sure why, maybe because it was about someone being the last of something and trying to struggle for survival against all odds.
Although I did have some things I didn't like, there were some things that I liked about the book:
*The book didn't have any issues involving the plot. It made sense and all the aspects were different and there was always something different going in.
*There was nice fantasy to the book. It wasn't really like a lot of the fantasy books that I have read before in just the way that it was executed. It was different because it had a dystopian element with the struggle of really trying to find your true self within what people know and think of you. Although that sounds corny, it isn't written like that in the book.
*There were some good characters but also some characters I wasn't fond of. I liked the character Sersu who treated Leonie as if she was a human, not just the last Pulsar. They had a nice relationship.
However, I didn't really like Leonie. I didn't feel an attachment to her. I found her to be annoying and unlikable. She did develop over time, but especially in the beginning I sort of hoped something tragic would happen to her. I apologize to anyone who did like her, but I didn't.
I actually would reread this book to see if I seem to like Leonie, or just the book a little more, and I will read any following books to see if they make my opinion change. This may be a good book to some people, however, I just didn't seem to enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Happy Reading!
-Madelyn
Review in GIF form:
Although I did have some things I didn't like, there were some things that I liked about the book:
*The book didn't have any issues involving the plot. It made sense and all the aspects were different and there was always something different going in.
*There was nice fantasy to the book. It wasn't really like a lot of the fantasy books that I have read before in just the way that it was executed. It was different because it had a dystopian element with the struggle of really trying to find your true self within what people know and think of you. Although that sounds corny, it isn't written like that in the book.
*There were some good characters but also some characters I wasn't fond of. I liked the character Sersu who treated Leonie as if she was a human, not just the last Pulsar. They had a nice relationship.
However, I didn't really like Leonie. I didn't feel an attachment to her. I found her to be annoying and unlikable. She did develop over time, but especially in the beginning I sort of hoped something tragic would happen to her. I apologize to anyone who did like her, but I didn't.
I actually would reread this book to see if I seem to like Leonie, or just the book a little more, and I will read any following books to see if they make my opinion change. This may be a good book to some people, however, I just didn't seem to enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Happy Reading!
-Madelyn
Review in GIF form:
December 6, 2015
Surprising and very well written!
Since I'm reading marketing and digital books lately, I was looking for something perfect to relax before going to bed. As I like Fantasy, the summary caught my eyes and the art of the cover too.
I wanted to escape reality and this story was promising.
And it really was!
I've not been able to put the book down. Every time I was trying to read only a few pages, I was staying up late just to know what will happen to Leonie.
It's not really the monsters, powers, assassins that got me interested, it was the characters.
I've appreciated Leonie for her simplicity and humility. The fact that she will become someone powerful but is currently helpless and unable to save the people she likes. Maybe I'm strange but I'm tired of the superheros that discover their powers and master them in the blink of an eye.
She is useless but she has strength and a great heart.
Like the subjects, the author is trying to focus our attention on: racism, difference, all the decisions we make to protect the people we love that hurt them even more. The power we own in our own hands.
It's a really great story.
And of course, there is Korren and his somber, rude, grumpy attitude. I like that he is a monster who wants to die as much as fight for his beliefs and freedom.
Really enjoyed the characters and their depth. Of course, there is a lot of adventures, dead people and the promise of the great sequel!
Can't wait!
It was really a great discovery!
Lucie
http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr...
Since I'm reading marketing and digital books lately, I was looking for something perfect to relax before going to bed. As I like Fantasy, the summary caught my eyes and the art of the cover too.
I wanted to escape reality and this story was promising.
And it really was!
I've not been able to put the book down. Every time I was trying to read only a few pages, I was staying up late just to know what will happen to Leonie.
It's not really the monsters, powers, assassins that got me interested, it was the characters.
I've appreciated Leonie for her simplicity and humility. The fact that she will become someone powerful but is currently helpless and unable to save the people she likes. Maybe I'm strange but I'm tired of the superheros that discover their powers and master them in the blink of an eye.
She is useless but she has strength and a great heart.
Like the subjects, the author is trying to focus our attention on: racism, difference, all the decisions we make to protect the people we love that hurt them even more. The power we own in our own hands.
It's a really great story.
And of course, there is Korren and his somber, rude, grumpy attitude. I like that he is a monster who wants to die as much as fight for his beliefs and freedom.
Really enjoyed the characters and their depth. Of course, there is a lot of adventures, dead people and the promise of the great sequel!
Can't wait!
It was really a great discovery!
Lucie
http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr...
December 16, 2015
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
Wow, can I just say that was a great book. Lately I can tell how good a book is based on how long it took to read it(especially since I have a 4 month old and can't just sit and read all day like I used to). This book took less than 3 days. It would have been done even faster but like I said...4 month old and a full time job. I thought this was a great story set in a wonderful world of fantasy. Leonie and Korren are just fantastic with the way they get along, they kind of remind me of a romantic version of Vanellope and Ralph from Wreck it Ralph(you know if Vanellope was a teenager and Ralph was a broody immortal). The banter between the two(or should I say the one sided comments Leonie has) are just hilarious. Serious at times while still making me laugh, just great. I could hardly put it down. One thing I thoroughly enjoyed was that there was no love triangle. I am so sick of every fantasy book lately being a love triangle so this was very refreshing. The only part of the plot I didn't enjoy was what happens to Jacob. I'm more of a happily ever after type so I was sad that she didn't keep him around to be like a little brother to Leonie. And of course I was highly disappointed at the end as I knew this was book one of who knows how many but what I failed to realize was that this book isn't even out yet! So I have to wait even longer for book 2 to come out. Other than that I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a serious fantasy with a side of comedy.
Wow, can I just say that was a great book. Lately I can tell how good a book is based on how long it took to read it(especially since I have a 4 month old and can't just sit and read all day like I used to). This book took less than 3 days. It would have been done even faster but like I said...4 month old and a full time job. I thought this was a great story set in a wonderful world of fantasy. Leonie and Korren are just fantastic with the way they get along, they kind of remind me of a romantic version of Vanellope and Ralph from Wreck it Ralph(you know if Vanellope was a teenager and Ralph was a broody immortal). The banter between the two(or should I say the one sided comments Leonie has) are just hilarious. Serious at times while still making me laugh, just great. I could hardly put it down. One thing I thoroughly enjoyed was that there was no love triangle. I am so sick of every fantasy book lately being a love triangle so this was very refreshing. The only part of the plot I didn't enjoy was what happens to Jacob. I'm more of a happily ever after type so I was sad that she didn't keep him around to be like a little brother to Leonie. And of course I was highly disappointed at the end as I knew this was book one of who knows how many but what I failed to realize was that this book isn't even out yet! So I have to wait even longer for book 2 to come out. Other than that I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a serious fantasy with a side of comedy.
December 14, 2015
**I received this ARC copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review**
I ended up reading this in a day. I almost didn't read it but it's cover was just too stunning to pass over. I was concerned that the main character being "Chosen" would translate to a special but boring person who was capable of everything but who had no substance. Leonie was anything but boring! I thought she was great and liked everything about her. She is was complex, every bit the teenager, brave, loyal and sarcastic in the best of ways. Korren is her opposite and without spoiling anything I will just say he's great and so is his back story. This book has everything I love in it. Multiple POV's from two characters I adored, wonderful writing, interesting world building without it overtaking the story, a fast paced plot and a very interesting magical story. I could not put this book down! What a wonderful surprise & debut! This is one is going on my favorites list and I will be waiting anxiously for book # 2 and following this author so I can buy everything she writes in the future. Highly, highly recommended!!!
I ended up reading this in a day. I almost didn't read it but it's cover was just too stunning to pass over. I was concerned that the main character being "Chosen" would translate to a special but boring person who was capable of everything but who had no substance. Leonie was anything but boring! I thought she was great and liked everything about her. She is was complex, every bit the teenager, brave, loyal and sarcastic in the best of ways. Korren is her opposite and without spoiling anything I will just say he's great and so is his back story. This book has everything I love in it. Multiple POV's from two characters I adored, wonderful writing, interesting world building without it overtaking the story, a fast paced plot and a very interesting magical story. I could not put this book down! What a wonderful surprise & debut! This is one is going on my favorites list and I will be waiting anxiously for book # 2 and following this author so I can buy everything she writes in the future. Highly, highly recommended!!!
September 12, 2016
Original reading dates: Dec. 12-14, 2015
Actual rating: 4.5
Dear Leonie,
You foolish, foolish girl.When someone stabs you in the back once, then you can be sure that they're going to stab you again no matter how many platitudes they give you nor how much they promise that they're going to help you. You have to be wary with this kind of people. Betrayal is a painful thing, I know that very well, and it will only get worse from now. You did unleash an unknown evil from an unknown, clearly evil urn. I thought you've watched The Mummy? But you have to heed your father (even if he was not a very good one), you just have to be yourself.
Full review at Whatever You Can Still Betray.
------------------
Re-read rating: 4.5/5
I am still over the moon with Leonie's and Korren's relationship.
Actual rating: 4.5
Dear Leonie,
You foolish, foolish girl.When someone stabs you in the back once, then you can be sure that they're going to stab you again no matter how many platitudes they give you nor how much they promise that they're going to help you. You have to be wary with this kind of people. Betrayal is a painful thing, I know that very well, and it will only get worse from now. You did unleash an unknown evil from an unknown, clearly evil urn. I thought you've watched The Mummy? But you have to heed your father (even if he was not a very good one), you just have to be yourself.
Full review at Whatever You Can Still Betray.
------------------
Re-read rating: 4.5/5
I am still over the moon with Leonie's and Korren's relationship.
January 31, 2016
*This book was provided to me via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
I really loved this book. In the beginning I was really annoyed with Leonie's character and how she bossed her father around. However, as the book progressed i liked her more and more and the story really started to pick up. I love the interactions between Korren and Leonie and the alternating POV's (Korren's and Leonie's) was really effective. I can't wait to see more of them both in the next book and really hope they become even better friends. BUT....that cliffhanger. Why oh why would you torture us Miss Simlett? Why? Why?
I can't wait to read the next installment of this promising new series.
I really loved this book. In the beginning I was really annoyed with Leonie's character and how she bossed her father around. However, as the book progressed i liked her more and more and the story really started to pick up. I love the interactions between Korren and Leonie and the alternating POV's (Korren's and Leonie's) was really effective. I can't wait to see more of them both in the next book and really hope they become even better friends. BUT....that cliffhanger. Why oh why would you torture us Miss Simlett? Why? Why?
I can't wait to read the next installment of this promising new series.
December 17, 2015
ARC provided for an honest review
4.5 stunning stars
I absolutely loved this book. The heroine in the story is strong and courageous in a human way unlike most heroines who seem emotionless. I did want to slap her a few times which made the book better because I became emotionally attached to the characters. I can honestly say I'm waiting on the edge of my seat for the next installment of this saga.
4.5 stunning stars
I absolutely loved this book. The heroine in the story is strong and courageous in a human way unlike most heroines who seem emotionless. I did want to slap her a few times which made the book better because I became emotionally attached to the characters. I can honestly say I'm waiting on the edge of my seat for the next installment of this saga.
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