After the unexpected deaths of her parents, young Lucinda is thrown on the kindness of her uncle and his second wife. She spends her days as a servant in their jewel shop, ducking her aunt’s wrath and dreaming of a different future.
Three visitors to the shop change the course of her life: a prince, a wealthy woman rumored to be a witch, and an overconfident young thief. In different ways the visits inspire Lucinda to try to reclaim her lost family home. She will need help from all three if she is to succeed in her venture.
It’s been called a loose retelling of Cinderella, but there are enough unexpected characters and threads of story to give the novel added depth. The young thief and his antics bring welcome humor. The Amaranth Witch and her tale are not what one expects to encounter within this sort of fairytale realm. Lyrical prose and sweet romance also add a sense of enchantment to this story.
After being swept off my feet by Berry’s debut novel, All the Truth That’s In Me, I think I expected a bit more angst and inner conflict from these characters. The conflict was there, but much more subdued. The Amaranth Enchantment is a much gentler story, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After the power and strength of her first novel, I expected more bite and found myself a little bit disappointed.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
No profanity or crude language.
Sexual Content Brief kissing.
Spiritual Content A strange woman rumored to be a witch seeks to recover a magical stone she claims contains her soul and a vast power to its wielder. She comes from another planet. Not much information is given about her home. When asked if her home is heaven, she says it is not, nor is she a witch.
More than one character learns about accepting responsibility for one’s actions and seeking forgiveness.
Violence A young thief befriends Lucinda but also relieves her of some of her belongings in the process. Lucinda uncovers a dark secret about her parents’ deaths. An evil man attacks Lucinda to kill her. Descriptions of his attack are brief.
Author Anne Elisabeth Stengl is ready to reveal the cover of the eighth novel in the Tales of Goldstone Wood series. Here it is, along with the intriguing back cover copy:
In the Darkness of the Pit
The Light Shines Brightest
Drums summon the chieftain’s powerful son to slay a man in cold blood and thereby earn his place among the warriors. But instead of glory, he earns the name Draven, “Coward.” When the men of his tribe march off to war, Draven remains behind with the women and his shame. Only fearless but crippled Ita values her brother’s honor.
The warriors return from battle victorious yet trailing a curse in their wake. One by one the strong and the weak of the tribe fall prey to an illness of supernatural power. The secret source of this evil can be found and destroyed by only the bravest heart.
But when the curse attacks the one Draven loves most, can this coward find the courage he needs to face the darkness?
Coming May 25, 2015
Stengl is hosting a giveaway in which three lucky winners will get Advance Reading Copies of her new novel before its release in May. Who can resist that?! Keep reading to get a sneak peek at one of the scenes from the new book.
He heard the drums in his dreams, distant but drawing ever nearer. He had heard them before and wondered if the time of his manhood had come. But with the approach of dawn, the drums always faded away and he woke to the world still a child. Still a boy.
But this night, the distant drums were louder, stronger. Somehow he knew they were not concocted of his sleeping fancy. No, even as he slept he knew these were real drums, and he recognized the beat: The beat of death. The beat of blood.
The beat of a man’s heart.
He woke with a start, his leg throbbing where it had just been kicked. It was not the sort of awakening he had longed for these last two years and more. He glared from his bed up into the face of his sister, who stood above him, balancing her weight on a stout forked branch tucked under her left shoulder.
“Ita,” the boy growled, “what are you doing here? Go back to the women’s hut!”
His sister made a face at him, but he saw, even by the moonlight streaming through cracks in the thatch above, that her eyes were very round and solemn. Only then did he notice that the drumbeats of his dream were indeed still booming deep in the woods beyond the village fires. He sat up then, his heart thudding its own thunderous pace.
“A prisoner,” Ita said, shifting her branch so that she might turn toward the door. “The drums speak of a prisoner. They’re bringing him even now.” She flashed a smile down at him, though it was so tense with anxiety it could hardly be counted a smile at all. “Gaho, your name!”
The boy was up and out of his bed in a moment, reaching for a tunic and belt. His sister hobbled back along the wall but did not leave, though he wished she would. He wished she would allow him these few moments before the drums arrived in the village. The drums that beat of one man’s death . . . and one man’s birth.
His name was Gaho. But by the coming of dawn, if the drums’ promise was true, he would be born again in blood and bear a new name.
Hands shaking with what he desperately hoped wasn’t fear, he tightened his belt and searched the room for his sickle blade. He saw the bone handle, white in the moonlight, protruding from beneath his bed pile, and swiftly took it up. The bronze gleamed dully, like the carnivorous tooth of an ancient beast.
A shudder ran through his sister’s body. Gaho, sensing her distress, turned to her. She grasped her supporting branch hard, and the smile was gone from her face. “Gaho,” she said, “will you do it?”
“I will,” said Gaho, his voice strong with mounting excitement.
But Ita reached out to him suddenly, catching his weapon hand just above the wrist. “I will lose you,” she said. “My brother . . . I will lose you!”
“You will not. You will lose only Gaho,” said the boy, shaking her off, gently, for she was not strong. Without another word, he ducked through the door of his small hut—one he had built for himself but a year before in anticipation of his coming manhood—and stood in the darkness of Rannul Village, eyes instinctively turning to the few campfires burning. The drums were very near now, and he could see the shadows of waking villagers moving about the fires, building up the flames in preparation for what must surely follow. He felt eyes he could not see turning to his hut, turning to him. He felt the question each pair of eyes asked in silent curiosity: Will it be tonight?
Tonight or no night.
Grasping the hilt of his weapon with both hands, Gaho strode to the dusty village center, which was beaten down into hard, packed earth from years of meetings and matches of strength held in this same spot. Tall pillars of aged wood ringed this circle, and women hastened to these, bearing torches which they fit into hollowed-out slots in each pillar. Soon the village center was bright as noonday, but with harsh red light appropriate for coming events.
Gaho stood in the center of that light, his heart ramming in his throat though his face was a stoic mask. All the waking village was gathered now, men, women, and children, standing just beyond the circle, watching him.
The drums came up from the river, pounding in time to the tramp of warriors’ feet. Then the warriors themselves were illuminated by the ringing torches, their faces anointed in blood, their heads helmed with bone and bronze, their shoulders covered in hides of bear, wolf, and boar. Ten men carried tight skin drums, beating them with their fists. They entered the center first, standing each beneath one of the ringing pillars. Other warriors followed them, filling in the gaps between.
Then the chieftain, mighty Gaher, appeared. He carried his heavy crescent ax in one hand, and Gaho saw that blood stained its edge—indeed, blood spattered the blade from tip to hilt and covered the whole of the chieftain’s fist. Gaher strode into the circle, and the boy saw more blood in his beard. But he also saw the bright, wolfish smile and knew for certain that his sister had been correct. The night of naming had come.
“My son,” said the chief, saluting Gaho with upraised weapon.
“My father,” said Gaho, raising his sickle blade in return.
“Are you ready this night to die and live again?” asked the chief. His voice carried through the shadows, and every one of the tribe heard it, and any and all listening beasts of forests and fields surrounding. “Are you ready this night for the spilling of blood that must flow before life may begin?”
Gaho drew a deep breath, putting all the strength of his spirit into his answer. “I am ready, Father.”
Gaher’s smile grew, the torchlight flashing red upon his sharpened canines. He turned then and motioned to the darkness beyond the torchlight.
Starra never asked for an invisible guardian to step in and make her life extraordinary. Yet when Joy began watching over her, she just couldn’t help herself. How can Starra not want the world to know how amazing she is? Unfortunately, Joy’s aid brings Starra more attention than she ever wanted. But when some serious creeps try to shut down her island home, Starra depends on Joy and her friends to bring help before someone gets hurt.
Joy is a mysterious three-toed Deeem. She has the ability to control the movements of humans and remain unseen. She hopes Starra will become a friend not only to herself but also to a young girl who is part Deeem and part human, who needs a friend more than anything else. Becoming their friend may turn out to be the most dangerous thing Starra has ever done.
The idea of these two vastly different creatures living side by side is pretty fascinating. Joy is a perky, cute character and Starra is very empathetic and caring. Especially in scenes with a lot of dialogue, the narrative sometimes gets confusing. It’s as if the author was writing so quickly that a lot of clarifying details got skipped. It’s hard to know who spoke which dialogue lines or what’s happening in the scene. There were a lot of passages I had to go back and reread several times and sometimes I had to just guess at what was happening.
The plot itself feels like two separate stories strung together to make a longer novel out of two novellas. Each had a good set-up for conflict and an interesting twist (the second resolved a little abruptly.) They weren’t really deeply tied together as one story, though.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content In this story, humans live alongside invisible creatures called Deeems. Those with one human parent and one Deeem parent are referred to as Deeemans and sometimes possess special powers.
Violence A team of men infiltrate Starra’s hometown and hold the people hostage. Gunshots are fired in a confrontation, and a teenager ends up in the hospital. A boy with abnormal strength beats up other young men who attempt to assault a young woman. A woman tries to kill a teenaged girl and is killed as a last-resort effort to stop her. Scenes are brief.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
After her parents die in a suspicious fire at their family estate, Imogen wants nothing more to do with her family or her heritage at Rockford manor. When her cousin, once her closest friend and ally, also perishes, Imogen stands as the last relative capable of inheriting the property. She returns home alone to the site of countless childhood memories, of which she is now the last survivor. When police uncover evidence that her cousin’s death may not have been accidental, Imogen realizes the murderer must be among the faithful few left nearest to her. The truth will shock her.
This is one of those stories which begins at the climax and leaps back to its beginning to retell events as they happened. It’s not my favorite plot device, but it’s difficult not to invest in this story for its own sake. The pace is quick and the stakes only get higher, sort of like one part Princess Diaries, one part fairytale and one part suspense. It has this sort of otherworldly yet historical flavor to it. Seems odd, but in this case it turns out to be a great mix.
The storytelling is solid and the characters thoughtful and sometimes surprising. The plot is peppered with these really strange moments that at the time seem too bizarre to work into the plot, but the author does a great job of pulling all those odd moments together to make the whole story make sense.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
One instance of very mild profanity.
Sexual Content Brief kissing.
Spiritual Content Imogen has the power to cause plants to grow and flourish rapidly. There are rumors of a curse on the Rockford family from generations past and rumors of a secret hidden within the garden.
Violence Police investigate the violent death of a teenaged girl. Few details given, but the cause of death was head trauma.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Drew has little memory of her existence before waking at a science lab. She’s a creature of perfection – an android – beautiful and strong. Her Creators have a special mission for Drew and others like her. She must join human teenagers in a local school setting, observe them and occasionally bring them to the lab.
At first Drew is mystified by the intricacies of human behavior. Gradually she begins to admire the strange beings. Soon she longs to be one of them, especially when she learns the story of Christian salvation.
As she experiences greater pressure to bring teens into the lab, even when force is required, Drew begins to question her mission and the Creators who would ask her to do such a thing. Why would they do this? Is it wrong? Can she stop them?
While observing teen culture as an outsider makes for an interesting premise, Drew seldom behaves like a classic android. Her responses are much more emotional than logical, even from the beginning of the story. The plot outcome does explain this in part, but it’s still kind of an obstacle from a reader’s perspective. I just kept expecting her to be more steadfast and methodical rather than impulsive and fearful.
The pacing of the plot, while interesting, was also uneven. In the last couple of scenes the story kicks into high gear, roaring up to a cliff-hanger, which seems designed to leave the reader desperate to crack the cover of the sequel. It’s good stuff, but I found myself wishing the plot had taken off earlier in the story. I liked the way Harris wove in some spiritual elements, though.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
No profanity.
Sexual Content Brief kissing.
Spiritual Content Some of the kids Drew encounters at school describe their Christian faith. Drew is fascinated and longs to know whether God cares for her, too. A fellow android cruelly points out that without a soul, she can’t qualify for salvation.
Violence Drew and the other androids bring students to the lab, using force if necessary.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
