Star Series, book 1
A cold and beautiful mercenary known as Red Gloves finds Josiah, a lone figure emerging from the torched fields and razed farms of his homeland.
All Josiah knows about the mysterious woman is her dagger-star birthmark, a sign that she is destined to free the people from a ruthless usurper's reign of terror…
Red Gloves is a mercenary that together with her friend Bethral laves their country to go to Palins to find some work. This land is in turmoil after an usurper to the throne killed the royal family and tried to kill the high lords too. There has been some fighting but for now everything just stands still, an unsteady truce of a kind that will rupture at any moment. After buying a half dead slave the return to the barn and goat herder they had sheltered with. Josiah is living with his 5 goats in a burned out country, a land that fell hard in the beginning of the war and lit's people are gone. But he has seen her birthmark and he will not leave that alone. She could be what he has been waiting for, and he is not either what he seems to be.
I read and reviewed book 2 back in March and then I got this one, thanks Amy! :D Now some things started to make sense, like where those elves came from. The tricky question about red Gloves and why everyone talked about Josiah. Still book 2 can still easily be read before, you will just know certain things then when you read this one. But that doesn't matter at all since I was mostly wondering if they would end up together.
Red Gloves can sure kick some ass, that is for sure. She is the big strong warrior in this book (though with a haunting past). Josiah is sad and vulnerable, and Red Gloves takes charge in this kind of relationship. Which is refreshing. Bethrael, well I really don't know about her, she is a side-kick, and she and the slave she rescued gets their story in book 3, so I guess it's there we would learn more about her. And I think that is needed. Of course we also meets the heroine from book 2, and I must say that those looks giving at the end would have had me curious about the next book.
What I do end up thinking about is a certain high lord elf and his wife. I would so love to know their story since Evie And Josiah has some things to say about him. That is what leave me wanting, their story. It feels like she is teasing me and then ripping it out from under me.
But in the end, this book has the romance, war, evilness and zombies (oh those zombies so had me in book 2, they are just creepy). I liked reading it and it made me wonder, if i enjoy this, then for sure I have to enjoy her war series since everyone says they are so much better.
I am really getting into the whole romance fantasy genre, I mean there is romance, which I love. And fantasy and some fights. But in the end my heart belongs to high fantasy, I like the big fights, darkness, and everything. But you just can't compare them in the end, and I will love both. I just have to read more, this is only like my second book.
So glad you enjoyed this one! I was expecting something totally different with regards to why she wears the gloves. Like magic or something! I really liked it though.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of the Warlands trilogy. It doesn't even have the same feel as this series does. It claims to be set in the same world but I you really wouldn't know, except for Kavage and I think there was a firelander in White Star, right? Otherwise that's it!
I am really looking forward to reading Bethrael and the story tellers book!
I would recommend you read Pati Nagle's book, The Betrayal, if you are really getting into the fantasy romance genre! It's light on the sex but has a great plot and characters! A really awesome world, if you ask me!
Hi Amy,
ReplyDeleteI was expecting something really strange, like she takes them off and everyone dies. Never expected that though. And it made perfect sense.
Firelander, I don't remember but yes kavage. That they do talk about all the time. I would sure love a map to see where everything is, since I am a fantasy love I do love maps. But the different feeel sounds good.
I will keep Nagle in mind. And the light sex is perfect for me, I am too a fantasy addict, and they never seems to have sex there so I always get surprised to see it here.
oh checked her out, it was the book that had the "evil" character on the cover right?
And she had a map, I already like her ;)
B,
ReplyDeleteI have this one on the TBR shelf. I'm glad to know you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review. :)
Have a wonderful weekend.
M
Yes, Pati's book had the villian on the cover, rather than the heroine! You read that book already?
ReplyDeleteI agree, maps are always a major bonus when I'm reading a fantasy.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing with her gloves! That something tragic would happen, but your right, it made sense and it worked for me too.
I haven't heard of this before and I'm not entirely sure I'd like it. On the other hand it does sound good. I may have to give the romance fantasy genre a try one of these days. As usual, a great review. You spark my interest in things I might not normally read which is good.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this series - sounds really interesting.
ReplyDeleteGreat Review Blodeuedd!
ReplyDeleteThe zombies were pretty freaky, huh? I scare easily. It's sad really. ;)
I've had Elizabeth's War series on Wish List forEVER! Honestly, I don't know what holding me back from purchasing them.
Thanks for the recommendation!
;) VFG
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteThey were a fun read so I am sure you will like it :)
Have a grea weekend!
Amy,
No, but I rememeber commenting on the cover, and then found out who was on the cover.
I love maps, it makes it easier to imagine things cos I want to know where they are going, if there is a mountain somewhere, where is the nearest river and so on...
She did have us guessing and I could never have imagine the truth.
Dar,
Romance fantasy might not be for eveyone, luckily I tend to go for many genres, not all though. And after loving fantasy the next step for me was this, lol.
You could always give it a try for fun some day :)
Scrap girl,
It was pretty nice indeed. I enjoyed it a lot.
VFG,
Oh zombies scare me so much, that is why I watch zombie movies before the evening. They are too freaky, like robots.
Forever you say, aye that is the way it usually is. My TBR pile is standing still while I am discivering new things.
Hi Blodeuedd!
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds great and I remember Amy saying how good the series was. I love fantasy, but I've yet to look up this series. I'll starting look for the books, love the covers!
Dottie :)
Evening Dottie!
ReplyDeleteThe covers are great, I do wonder what the 3rd book will look like.
You cna have a look at them to see if they are something for you
This sounds quite different, hmm I might look into it a bit more.
ReplyDelete