Saturday, 3 May 2014

Mishel reviews: Caedmon's Curse - AJ Nuest

The two years Prince Caedmon suffered in the dungeons of Seviere’s keep left him with more than just lash marks lacing his back. He now retains the secret behind the key, and is the only one who understands its grim connection to his beloved Rowena. Torn between telling her the truth and risking their future, he agrees to join her perilous quest. But their enemies to the north are not the only menace determined to see them fail and, to prove his love, he must conquer the demons of his past.

Join Caedmon and Rowena as they rediscover a love bound by fate, and struggle to unravel the significance behind Caedmon’s Curse, Book III in The Golden Key Chronicles.

My Take:
Having now completed the entire series I must say Caedmon’s Curse is my favorite! Although you may start reading out of order, I’d recommend starting this series with book one, Rowena’s Key, to fully appreciate what has happened until now. The romance aspect of the overall story slowed down a bit in the previous installment but I’m happy to report that AJ Nuest definitely turned up the heat! It is equal parts realistic, modern, and oh-so-dreamy. Fantasy elements truly take flight with the introduction of magical places and mythical creatures and the use of magic. Danger is around every corner as Rowena and Caedmon embark on a quest for the truth behind the key that will hopefully save Caedmon’s kingdom and their very lives.

Starting right after book two finishes, Rowena escapes the confines of the castle and decides to journey north in search of the key. Not your ordinary key, it holds the power to destroy entire realms if it falls in the wrong hands. Prince Caedmon is not far behind Rowena since he refuses to let his beloved go off into danger by herself. Their relationship has been a hell of a ride ever since they first met in the book one, separated not only by distance but by time periods as well. Despite having learned the secret involving Rowena and the mystical key during his horrible captivity in an enemy dungeon, Caedmon doesn’t know what to do with his knowledge. Rowena, ever the stubborn one, is determined to find answers and Caedmon reluctantly joins her. The couple faces danger from all sides and a gauntlet of obstacles with no true relief in sight. 

Rowena was a true bad ass warrior in book two. And although she’s still fierce as ever in Caedmon’s Curse, her snarky self returns and I hadn’t realized how much I missed that part of her. She softens a bit as things calm down and she learns to trust her own feelings. One of my favorite parts about the book is the interaction between her and Caedmon. Rowena’s sarcasm pairs so well with Caedom’s old-world charm. Their funny banter is sweet and endearing and I found so much joy in reading the scenes when they were together. They reminded me a lot of my own relationship with my other half and it made the book that much better for me.

The progression of the overall story is very well-paced and I’ve come to really enjoy the ease and finesse of AJ Nuest’s writing. There’s beauty, dangerous battles, magic, love, friendship wrapped in vivid and easy to read descriptions that will leave you breathless at times. I definitely recommend the series as a whole and I’m looking forward to reviewing the final book in The Golden Key Chronicles. If you haven’t started these yet, what are you waiting for?!

Caedmon’s Curse by AJ Nuest
The Golden Key Chronicles, #3
Published February 13, 2014 by HarperImpulse
eBook
Rating: 4.25/5
Tags: Fantasy Romance
Received eBook for review

 

Posted by Blodeuedd at 14:46
Labels: , , , , ,

28 comments:

  1. Unknown03 May, 2014 20:57

    sounds like a great fantasy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mishel03 May, 2014 22:24

      It is :) I hope you'll check these out!

      Delete
    2. AJ Nuest04 May, 2014 01:07

      Thank you Mishel for saying so, and Lily, one of the things I love about this story is that its both fantasy and contemporary. I had a complete blast writing the entire series. So much, I'm working on a spin off right now! Whoot! Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete
    3. Mishel04 May, 2014 04:21

      Ohh I had no idea, that's exciting!

      Delete
    4. AJ Nuest04 May, 2014 13:56

      Yep! I'm excited too!! Harper has already contracted it so I'm hoping to have the first installment out before the end of the year! Whoo Hoo! *fist pump* LOL

      Delete
  2. Blodeuedd03 May, 2014 22:38

    Thanks Mishel :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yvonne03 May, 2014 23:43

    I should try a fantasy romance. This sounds really good but I would want to start at the beginning.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mishel04 May, 2014 00:45

      That's what I recommend Yvonne. This series doesn't have a heavy fantasy element but it's such a fun series!

      Delete
    2. AJ Nuest04 May, 2014 01:09

      Thank you so much for stopping by Yvonne! And here's the good news...right now Rowena's Key is FREE in the UK! So you can try out the first installment with no strings attached! Yippee!

      Delete
  4. AJ Nuest04 May, 2014 01:03

    Mishel! Mishel! I love, love, LOOOOVE this review! Thank you so much for your kind and generous words, lovely! I'm thrilled! I'm ecstatic! I'm over the moon! Thank you! xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unknown04 May, 2014 04:03

    St. Martin's Press doesn't like me :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AJ Nuest04 May, 2014 13:58

      Sorry to hear that Braine. :-( This series is listed by HarperImpulse.

      Delete
  6. Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer04 May, 2014 05:56

    Adding Rowena’s Key to my wishlist! Delightful review you have me excited!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AJ Nuest04 May, 2014 14:00

      Whoo Hoo, Kimbacaffeinate! Right now, Rowena's Key is FREE in the UK, and the entire Golden Key Collection is on super sale for 99/p. In the US you can get the collection for less than $5, so still a pretty good deal! Thank you!!

      Delete
  7. Anachronist04 May, 2014 12:04

    A very nice review - I will read this series if I can find it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AJ Nuest04 May, 2014 14:03

      Hi Anachronist! I know it's hard to find. Amazon has promised me that they are trying to fix the issue. Here are the links, both US and UK. :-)
      Amazon US: http://tinyurl.com/kyjgbaf
      Amazon UK: http://tinyurl.com/kptthlf

      Delete
  8. Aurian04 May, 2014 13:18

    Very nice review Mishel, thank you. I am glad you really enjoyed this series.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AJ Nuest04 May, 2014 14:03

      Thank you so much for stopping by Aurian! Mishel is the best EVER!! x

      Delete
  9. The Bookworm04 May, 2014 16:45

    Hi Mishel! Sounds like a fun series and I do like the name Rowena.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AJ Nuest04 May, 2014 18:37

      Hi Naida! Thank you so much for stopping by. Rowena is one of my favorite names too! x

      Delete
  10. Carole Rae05 May, 2014 02:41

    Congrats on finishing the series!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AJ Nuest05 May, 2014 03:30

      Thank you so much Carole Rae! I can't even tell how much of a blast it was to write. AND the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. HarperImpulse has been very good to me! xx

      Delete
  11. AJ Nuest05 May, 2014 03:30

    Thank you so much Heidi! I'm excited!! x

    ReplyDelete
  12. Melinda05 May, 2014 13:13

    I like the cover of the book! Sounds like a good read, especially since you gave it such a nice rating :)

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Contributors

Copyright © 2008-2020 Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell All Rights Reserved. Proudly powered by Blogger

  © Blogger template Starry by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008 Modified by Lea

Back to TOP