Silent Orchids (The Age of Alandria #1)
Morgan Wylie
Published: 5th May, 2013
American Majestic Entertainment
Genre: Fantasy
Age: Young Adult
From: YA Bound Book Tours
Summary:
A dying realm.
The ancient evil of the Droch-Shúil has been unleashed.
The Orchids have been silenced… but for how long?
Daegan, elite of the Ferrishyn warrior tribe of Faeries, is charged with a mission to find the Sol-lumieth, a mysterious new power that could change the fate of all in the realm of Alandria. But he is conflicted by his purpose, and he cannot trust the motives of those he serves. He has too many questions and they must be answered.
Kaeleigh, a girl abandoned as a small child just outside Missoula, Montana, is now 18. She is trying to discover who she is and where she belongs. In her heart, she feels she has family out there… somewhere. Desperate to unravel the mysteries of her past, she embarks on a journey that will forever change her along with her two best friends, Finn and Chel—who have secrets of their own.
What I liked: I really liked how Alandria’s existence was explain in the beginning, so that we understood how and where it existed and that was honestly a pretty fascinating piece. Plus the author gave us a glossary of terms before the start of the book so that we knew a few things about Alandria going into it, something I was happy to see even though I never used it while reading it. Alandria itself proved over the course of the book that it has a rich, interesting history that I can’t wait to learn more about in the next book as we learn more about it alongside Kaeleigh. Daegan is a character who I also liked, although for the first half of the book I tended to have mixed feelings about him because I wasn’t so sure about him. I still have mixed feelings about him, but don’t get me wrong I’m a little on the hopeful side that he’ll help Kaeleigh through it all. I also liked how Kaeleigh’s friends, Chel and Finn, were pulled into the story. They both had secrets that they didn’t tell Kaeleigh, just like she didn’t tell them something about herself. I also thought it was cool to see that Kaeleigh was still trying to find out who she is and what she wanted to do, because not everyone knows what they want to do when they’re eighteen.
What I didn’t like: I did have some problems with the writing style of the story. It just really didn’t do it for me, leaving me feeling detached from the story for most of it even during the parts that should have had some emotional impact on me as I read about it. Yes, I thought “poor so-and-so” or “oh wow, that’s awful” when something bad happened, but it wasn’t…it didn’t elicit an emotional response from me like I was hoping for.
Overall Review: Despite my lack of being able to connect with the story (and therefore the characters), I actually liked the overall story. It’s not completely different, but the pieces that it brings in and the way the story uses some are different, although there were some pretty familiar tropes and such going on that I picked up on. They weren’t all bad, so that was a bonus to me as I read it. The world building for this story was definitely my favorite part, as I learned more about Alandria and it’s history the more intrigued about the world I became. I was certain that the author did pay plenty of attention to that portion of the book and I quite liked that.
Recommend?: Despite myself not being able to connect to the characters like I had hoped, I do think there will certainly be some of you who will enjoy this book.
Goodreads: 3.7/5 Amazon: 4.1/5 Barnes&Noble: 4/5
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My Rating: 3.8/5
Rated Materials:
Cover: 4.1
Idea: 3.9
Story: 3.7
Characters: 3.7
Veiled Shadows (Age of Alandria #2)
Morgan Wylie
Published: 1st October, 2013
Red Cabin Publishing
Genre: Fantasy
Age: Young Adult
From: YA Bound Book Tours
Summary:
Shadows linger where light is obstructed, and truth is veiled.
Evil is an untreated disease in the once beautiful realm of Alandria.
Kaeleigh is faced with a revelation that she must reconcile. She will decide if discovering the truth is worth the unknown consequences to both herself and her friends.
Daegan, the Ferrishyn warrior, is conflicted by more than his loyalties, and is confronted with emotions he doesn’t know how to deal with. A choice must be made. A choice… that may cost him more than he ever wanted to give.
The Droch-Shúil—enforcers and servants of the ancient darkness—continue to cast their shadow over Alandria seeking those who can be turned to their side.
The magic of The Orchids is growing, but not everyone will survive what is to come.
What I liked: This book certainly upped the stakes when comparing it to the first book. More questions, few answers, adventure, and even a wild card thrown into the mix when someone joins our little band of adventurers. I like how even though there are definite romantic undertones to the story, Kaeleigh realizes that saving Alandria is more important than her love life. It’s a definite change up from what I’m used to in books where there’s a love interest. There was more world building weaved into the story, and it was great to see that in here. It certainly helps give the world just more and more depth with each tidbit that gets revealed. This book was more of a setup for “the battle” than anything, but it was good to see how the characters are getting there. Plus some of the reveals were really interesting and made me have to rethink several things about different characters, especially Daegan. I really enjoy how Kaeleigh has grown as well, she’s becoming more like she will need to be to face off against the evil that is consuming Alandria.
What I didn’t like: I’m seriously not liking the sudden endings to the books. It’s a bit unexpected, like there was something left to the story but whatever that was it didn’t happen. It just throws me off.
Overall Review: A better book than the first, Veiled Shadows was a good addition to this series that made me more connected to the story and the characters by extension. Seeing the characters grow, and seeing how they handle the unexpected twists in events that happened was neat, and I liked that. I enjoyed learning more about Alandria and I feel like I’m coming to know the world even better with each book.
Recommend?: Sure! It’s a good book for fans of fantasy and those who enjoyed Silent Orchids.
Goodreads: 4.2/5 Amazon: 4.6/5 Barnes&Noble: 4.5/5
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My Rating: 3.9/5
Rated Materials:
Cover: 4.3
Idea: 3.8
Story: 3.8
Characters: 3.7
Fractured Darkness (Age of Alandria #3)
Morgan Wylie
Published: 29th January, 2015
Red Cabin Publishing
Genre: Fantasy
Age: Young Adult
From: YA Bound Book Tours
Summary:
The darkness in Elnye is growing.
There is screaming in Exhile.The mysterious woman, known only as “She”, is in a rage. Her pawn, Maleina has made a dangerous move and severed her communications with the dark mistress. Now as dueling dark forces, master and willing initiate, they begin to jockey for power as the stage is set for the coming war.
Kaeleigh and her small band of loyal companions have escaped the dungeons of Elnye and found their way to the secret home of the Ehsmia. After breaking the vicious bond that enslaved Daegan to Maleina’s will, the walls between Kaeleigh and her Ferrishyn warrior begin to fall, as their feelings for each other begin to give way to passion.
The darkness is fractured, but its relentless quest for power goes unabated. A war is coming. However, the power of the Sol-lumieth has finally come together and found its light. A blinding light of freedom, that may be the salvation for all of Alandria.
What I liked: Despite my qualms about this series because of the first book, Veiled Shadows and now Fractured Darkness have shown that this was indeed an enjoyable series. Watching the romance between Daegan and Kaeleigh form over the series so far has made it much more believable, and much better. Kaeleigh herself has come a long way from who she was back in Silent Orchids, not only in the terms of who she is now, but what she knows about herself and can do with her abilities. Plus her friends certainly are not who they were then, Chel and Finn have certainly changed from who they were in Silent Orchids as well. The introduction of a new, even more sinister antagonist in the series has certain made me more interested in how the next book will handle everything that happened in this book as well.
What I didn’t like: Fresh off this book, I can’t think of much that bothered me in this one (which happens every now and again). I’m still not a fan of the narrative style of these books, but its something that I have become used to over the series.
Overall Review: Fractured Darkness was a fantasy book that has a great mixture of characters who have grown and events that are shaping the way they have to go about winning against She, the woman who is behind so much of the darkness in dying Alandria. I really enjoyed this book and most everything it offered to me as I read it, and I look forward to the potential with the next book.
Recommend?: Yes, certainly! It’s a good book, and this series has plenty of potential still.
Goodreads: 4.1/5 Amazon: /5 Barnes&Noble: 4.6/5
US Paperback | UK Kindle | UK Paperback | Kobo | iBooks | Smashwords
My Rating: 4/5
Rated Materials:
Cover: 4.4
Idea: 4
Story: 3.9
Characters: 3.8
Don’t miss the rest of the series!
Daegan (Age of Alandria #2.5)
Morgan Wylie
Published: 27th February, 2014
Red Cabin Publishing
Genre: Fantasy
Age: Young Adult
Summary:
Everyone has a story, and Daegan’s began with darkness…
As a child, Daegan Waethní witnessed the murder of both his parents. He buried the tragedy in the past, desperate to forget, but the past seems to be haunting him from the Beyond. Now he is an Elite in the royal guard for the Paladin, the rulers of Feraánmar. A loyal Ferrishyn Faerie warrior, he battles the darkness that is once again stirring in Alandria.
Things are not what they seem in Alandria, and Daegan must find light before the darkness consumes himself and all he cares about. Against his will, the darkness is using him to destroy his own people. Daegan is determined to fight it with all that he is, but will it be too late? And if he can’t stop it, who will he hurt next?
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About the Author
Morgan Wylie, originally from the Pacific Northwest, now resides near nashville, TN with her husband and daughter. She and her husband work everyday at their individual and combined creative pursuits while she learns to balance being “Mama”, wife, and mediator to the many voices and muses constantly chattering in her head.
Links:
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