Rosie’s #BookReview Team #RBRT PRINCE OF THE VALE by @KellyRMichaels #Fantasy

Today’s second team review is from Teri. she blogs at http://teripolen.com/

Rosie's Book Review team 1

Teri has been reading Prince Of The Vale by Kelly R Michaels

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My review:  3.5 stars

First, let me say I didn’t read the first book in this series, but I really don’t feel like that detracted from understanding what happens in this book.  Yes, there’s a history between two of the characters, but enough information is given so that I wasn’t confused.

This book contains much that a good fantasy story requires:  elves, princes, werewolves, magic, etc.  If you’re a fantasy fan, your heart rate probably increased a little after reading that sentence.  The action begins almost immediately and continues at a good pace throughout the story.

With Calelfel, I had a love/hate relationship.  I like that she’s spirited, a bit of a rebel, and not afraid to shake things up in Kanetalm, but she occasionally places herself above others.  By the end of the book, she seems to have overcome those issues.  Brenin is very easy to like – more of a down to earth kind of guy without all the princely airs.  Overall, the author does a good job with characterization, both with MCs and supporting and the action sequences are well-planned and exciting.

Just when I thought I had the ending figured out, the twist at the end took me by surprise and is a wonderful springboard for the next book.

This novel would benefit from a tad more editing and attention to formatting.   The story encompasses a broad scope and with multiple subplots and so many characters, it was difficult to keep things straight at times.  Tightening the plot would have made for a more cohesive book.  On the flip side of that, I’m not sure how many books the author has planned for this series and, by the end, everything may fit into place.

I enjoyed Prince of the Vale would recommend it to fantasy fans.  If you’re not a fantasy fan, but are interested in branching out, this would be a good series to test the waters.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review through Rosie’s Book Review Team.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

September Edition of Fleet Life and Elvetham Heath Directory

Here are the books that I have had featured in this month’s Fleet Life magazine. For the online version go to http://www.fleetlife.org.uk, click on the online directory and once it is loaded find my page of book reviews on page 6.

September Fleetlife

This month you’ll see;

Gypsy by Cynthia Harrison

Archer of the Lake by Kelly R Michaels

The Silence of Juliet Mann by Joanne Phillips

Ignoring Gravity by Sandra Danby

and The Last Observer by Dr Gary Vasey.

For the Elvetham Heath Directory, find a copy of the online version at http://www.ehd.org.uk. Click on the online directory and once it’s loaded turn to page 6

EHD Sept

This month you’ll find;

Kings and Queens by Terry Tyler

Business As Usual by E.L. Lindley

Some People Prefer Hotels by Nigel Hicks

The Birr Elixir by Jo Sparkes

A Woman’s Choice by Annie Thomas

 

Guest Author Kelly R Michaels

Today our guest is Kelly Michaels author of yesterday’s book Archer of the Lake. Here is a link to the post if you missed it. http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-5gm

Kelly R Michaels

Let’s find out more about Kelly.

1) Where is your home town?
It’s a small, rural town in southern Tennessee called Fayetteville, and I’ve lived here my entire life.
2) How long have you been writing?
 I’ve always created stories as a result of childhood insomnia, but I recall actually writing them down when I was about twelve years old.  I was very ambitious then, trying to compose a six book epic.  That particular endeavour faded away, but all throughout high school and college I’ve been very persistent about writing constantly. I have pile of old notebooks completely filled as well as abandoned Word files saved on flash drives.  It’s hard to actually put a quantifying number on how much I’ve written.
3) Is Fantasy your preferred genre?
Yes, you could definitely say that, but my interests also expand to science fiction, historical fiction, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and other genres as well. But fantasy is my favourite.  There’s a quote by J. R. R. Tolkien–“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory…” And I think that nicely sums up my fascination with fantasy.
4) What idea sparked the writing of Archer of the Lake?
 I hate to sound cliche, but it came from a dream.  In early 2012, I awoke from a very vivid dream, and it wasn’t exactly a dream in the sense of something happened. The last thing I remember before waking up that morning was a specific tableau.  The scene was a certain congregation of elves, all sitting about in a room.  There was one elf who sat alone, an obvious outcast to the others.  Another elf was not secluded from the main group but she was distinctly reaching out to the outcast, as a gesture of friendship and goodwill.  The image was so inspiring to me that I developed a story around these two elves, who eventually turned into today’s Feraan and Caelfel.
5) Can you tell the readers briefly about the seer’s first prediction
The Seer sees a dead city in flames.  She sees that the culprit behind this appalling act has the power and ability to use this method of mass destruction to wreak havoc and death across the world.  However, the one thing she cannot see is who is behind it.  The Seer charges Feraan with the task of eradicating this evil and bringing the one responsible to justice.
6) Why is Feraan a wanted elf?
Before the incident, Feraan had been widely known as an elf with a penchant for mischief.  Quite simply, he did not fit in with the typical serenity of elves.  After the incident, when Feraan completed his task of eradicating the evil in their forest, the Councilors are left with no explanation of how this evil came to be. Thus they seize the opportunity to frame Feraan for the crime, and his previous reputation easily casts him as the scapegoat in the eyes of his community.
7) What is it that the Princeling wants from Feraan?
The Princeling simply wants revenge from Feraan.  Feraan, with his notoriety as the Wandering Elf, often meddles in affairs when he believes powers are left uncheck.  A few years before the main events of the book took place, Feraan defeated a human sorcerer who was very dear to the Princeling, and the Princeling never forgave him.
8) What is the importance of Caelfel being called The Archer of the Lake?
When Caelfel is called into battle, she is an archer.  In fact, her primary combat skill is archery.  I mentioned in the book how her parents named her after a lake, Rumfel Lake, to be precise.  Specifically, it is where she was conceived, so the lake is her namesake.  It is a part of her.  Feraan has a dream about the Archer of the Lake, who is symbolically a guardian of the forest, as evinced in the battle hymn Olwen sings to himself.

So Caelfel essentially becomes the Archer of the Lake, fulfilling a role in the threads of fate, even so that her bow becomes significant, receiving the name the Lake Bow from the Seer.  The Blind Seer knows Caelfel has an important role to play, and Caelfel’s journey has not ended as Archer of the Lake.
I also took careful measures in choosing Caelfel’s name from a linguistic perspective.  “Ceallach” is a Gaelic words which can have many meanings, but a primary usage would be “warrior”.  And what is a warrior if not a defender of homestead?  The importance of the Archer of the Lake is a protector, and Caelfel fills that role many times.
9) Are you writing a second book in the series?
 I am!  I tentatively plan to title it “Prince of the West,” and as I mentioned before, Caelfel’s journey is not over.  I am about a third of the way completed with the first draft, and I can safely inform you that Caelfel has to confront another mythical creature on her ventures!
10) Where can readers find out more about you?
Readers can visit my website at www.kellyrmichaels.com
Archer of the Lake
Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Thank you Kelly and Good Luck with the next book.