- Pam from Bookalicious was advertising this one and the synopsis caught my eye.
I also recommend:
- The Battle for Skandia by John Flanagan
- The Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson
Summary from GoodReads:
She believes she is only a blacksmith’s daughter, but he must discover the truth or risk losing his land—and his life.
Acwellen Lex’Magen rules as liege lord of a small country bounded by forbidding mountains and powerful neighbors. When the neighboring baron, allied with a powerful wizard, attempts to take over his land, first by political, then by covert means, Acwellen finds an ally of his own in Enith Roweson, an unassuming blacksmith who possesses powers he’s only known of in legends. As he attempts to unravel both the plots against him—-including the nature of the monsters sent to assassinate him—-and the mysterious powers Enith is only beginning to understand she has, he also finds himself falling in love with the blacksmith’s daughter.
My Review:
So, I expected good. I mean, when Pam from Bookalicious started hyping this book I figured it had to be good – I trust her judgement, and so I took the leap. I was not disappointed.
There’s something about good, wholesome, feel-good, fairy-tale-like fantasies that just make my heart warm, give me goosebumps and cause my to walk around my house with my nose buried in the book (or in this case, pressed to the screen of my Kindle). Arley Cole takes tried and true methods to set up the scene, providing her readers with an incredibly strong female heroine who is smart, sassy, strong, clever, and magical – all combined into a short package. And I loved her.
This book has tricks being played, wars being planned, good and evil wizards, mean fathers, a ditzy girl, loyal followers, strong hero and heroine, history, world-building and more. And best of all – for those of you who are scared of getting into the reading of a fantasy book, this is what I like to call “Fantasy-lite”. Yes, there are strange names and beings – but it’s all put together in a nice package that will have you flipping pages in your hurry to get to the next one, rather than using the book (like some seriously intense fantasies inspire me to do) for a coaster.
I very much recommend picking up this book, especially if you have a teenage son or daughter interested in fantasy. It’s good, clean fun.
