Jennifer Hudock’s novel The Goblin Market references several canonical works of prose and poetry from the past which will evoke familiar memories in any fan of fantasy literature. While, as a result, parts of the plot feel very familiar, they are reworked in a way which is exciting and original. Meredith begins with a commitment to save her sister from the goblin king, no matter the cost, but finds that bargains of that kind are rarely simple.
While Meredith’s physical journey to the goblin king’s castle to rescue her sister, and possibly the whole world, it is her internal journey from a girl who has sacrificed her happiness to give her sister everything she needs to a confident woman who is willing to give up even more for a greater cause. Hudock’s descriptive prose puts the reader in Meredith’s mind and the reader is quickly drawn into a relationship with the protagonist.
While it is clear that the novel could be extended into a sequel, the conclusion doesn’t confirm this, while also lacking resolution to some plots points. This is a pet peeve of mine, as I like each novel to stand alone as well as possibly part of a series, but as it was only some minor points which were not fully answered it did not impact on my enjoyment too much, and I will likely buy the sequel if it is written. The number of errors, a common problem with independently published ebooks, might also bother some readers, as it did me. These criticisms are minor though when you consider the enjoyable fairy-tale feeling and exciting plot that Jenifer Hudock has created in The Goblin Market.
Stats
Title: The Goblin Market
Author: Jennifer Hudock
Style: Fantasy / Romance
Price: $0.99
Date of publication: January 26, 2011
Length: 85,000 +
Can be found at:
Smashwords (Kindle, ePub, PDF, RTF, LRF, PDB, Plain Text & Online)
Amazon (Kindle)
Thanks to Jennifer Hudock for sending me this novel for review, I am always happy to accept works from authors for review. These reviews are conducted following the guidelines on the policy page.
Kimberly Montague’s first novel, Racing Outside the Line: A Love Story at 190mph is a romance centered around the racing world and focusing on central character Alexis’ love for Seth, whose father has been her and her brother’s guardian since her parents died. The novel focuses on not just the beginning of the relationship but what follows and covers an extended period of time in order to fully establish the characters and their connections These family relationships and their impact on Alexis and Seth’s romance are a focus of the novel, as is the scrutiny and judgment of others, and it is this broad range of interconnected themes which, for me, makes this novel more interesting than a conventional romance.
Alexis, who narrates the novel, is not perfect; she is at times selfish, manipulative and childish, and it is often these flaws which cause her many of the problems she has to overcome. It is these flaws though which make Alexis an interesting and appealing character and which got me involved in the plot of the novel. Montague’s writing engaged me in her character’s emotions, which are well described and believable, although the dialogue is at times less so. As with many first novels any flaws in the beginning are far overshadowed by the end of the novel, where Montague’s writing becomes natural, original and enjoyable.
Montague’s husband races and her familiarity with this world allows her to explain the interesting parts in just enough detail that it doesn’t bore those with little knowledge of or interest in racing like myself. This focus also adds interest to the novel as Alexis must reacquaint herself with the racing world, and those for whom it is a living, if her romance with Seth is to have any hope. Romance is not a genre I usually read but the engaging characters, interesting focus and broader focus on relationships outside of the main couple’s romance helped me to really enjoy Racing Outside the Line: A Love Story at 190mph.
Stats
Title: Racing Outside the Line: A Love Story at 190mph
Author: Kimberly Montague
Style: Romance
Price: $2.99
Date of publication: January 25, 2011
Length: 100,000 +
Can be found at:
Smashwords (Kindle, ePub, PDF, RTF, LRF, PDB, Plain Text & Online)
Amazon (Kindle)
Thanks to Kimberly Montague for sending me this novel for review, I am always happy to accept works from authors for review. These reviews are conducted following the guidelines on the policy page.
Dawn of Avalon by Anna Elliott is a prequel to her Twilight of Avalon Trilogy, which so far includes Twilight of Avalon and Dark Moon of Avalon
both of which focus on the romance of Tristan and Isolde. Set in Arthurian England Dawn of Avalon looks further back at the beginning of the romance between Morgan and Merlin and establish the family relationships prior to the events of Elliott's other novels. As this novel is set apart in time, it stands alone as a complete, if short, work and it is not necessary to be familiar with the Elliott's other books to enjoy it.
Morgan is a seer and a healer who is serving in the camp of Uther's enemies with the hope of assisting in his down fall. Disguised as a young boy and assisting in the torture of an enemy soldier, she finds that her cover may be blown and must make a choice whether to save the soldier's life and risk her own or allow him to die. It is this choice and the possible consequences she can foresee which force Morgan to confront her anger and doubts about who it is foretold she will become and question her commitment to her country.
While this is, at its heart, a romance, Elliott skillfully puts us in the mind of a young woman of great power who has to make choices which impact much more widely than just herself. The novel is fast paced as the event progress and I felt swept along with the predicament the characters find themselves in. While you might expect this 'free' novel to merely advertise Elliott's other novels, it is a fully complete, stand-alone novel with an engaging plot and characters. This type of publication is one of the many hidden gems of the ePublishing industry, and one I hope many other authors will take note of.
Stats
Title: Dawn of Avalon
Author: Anna Elliott
Style: Historical/ Fantasy/ Romance
Price: FREE
Date of publication: September 22, 2010
Length: 25 000 +
Can be found at:
Smashwords (Kindle, ePub, PDF, RTF, LRF, PDB, Plain Text & Online)
Amazon (Kindle)
