BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Warrior’s Rise by L J DeLeon
19 Jan 2012 7 Comments
in L J DeLeon Tags: action, epic, L J DeLeon, magic, paranormal, urban fantasty, War, Warrior's Rise, Warriors of Light
Author: L J DeLeon
Original Release Date: March 20, 2011
Others In Series: Dragon Child (#2, available), Absolution (#3, available)
Format: ebook
ISBN #: B004T39Y88
FTC Disclaimer: Received finished copy of this book for the purpose of an honest review.
(promo blurb)
For Fae-human half-breed Deva Morgan life as she knows it changes on her thirtieth birthday. One moment she’s a barkeep, the next she is a warrior fated to save Earth from the Dark Lord and his demon hoard. Shunned by both her races, she faces a danger-filled quest with few allies. Too bad her powers haven’t fully emerged or stabilized.
For Deva it is life or death, on-the-job training with her companion, Padraig O’Neal, a Fae warrior with a shadowed past. Can he quiet the storm raging inside her, help her harness the growing power within her, and provide a barrier between Deva and a fatal outcome? Will their love be enough to save Deva and stop the Dark Lord’s demons from entering Earth?
WOW!
If you’re looking for an epic tale of good vs. evil… this book has got it in spades! Deva and Padraig were fantastic leads, and they became fantastic leaders. I have to say, though, that some of the things I liked most about the book, are also some of the things that ended up becoming an issue for me.
The world building was just incredible. I loved the mythology of the Goddess choosing a warrior, and having so much detail about different creatures and the “present day” earth. I liked that the magical world didn’t stay hidden for the whole story. There’s a whole different dynamic to a book when there is full disclosure, and it’s much more “realistic” to read a story about all hell breaking loose if all the beings involved are aware. The humans’ reactions (for the most part) didn’t exactly thrill me. I’d like to think that the majority of people, although uncertain, would try to be understanding. Thankfully, there were some that did try to help those that were essentially fighting to keep the human race alive.
The characters were interesting, the flip side was there were sooooo mannnnyyyy of them! Each had a place, but the places seemed to get muddled from time to time just because of the sheer number of creatures involved. I really enjoyed the initial introductions of each of Deva’s “posse”, but it would have been nice to get to know them all a little better. Unfortunately, that’s just not possible when there are so many and only a limited amount of space in the book and other stories to tell. I’m really hoping that some of them get some focus in the other two books in this series, because the interaction is great to see. The dialog is really well written, and the one liners are perfectly timed (and hilarious)! I just wish we had more time with each of them. (Especially Fritz, lol!!)
The romance was a little bit of a disappointment. Now… I understand that Urban Fantasy is NOT Paranormal Romance. But I still would have liked to see more of a buildup of feelings between Deva and Padraig. I knew when I started reading that they would end up together, and they definitely respected each other throughout the book. Maybe my PNR preference just made this one hard for me to feel. If you’re more of a UF reader, this might well be enough for you. I CAN say that when they DO get together, it’s a wonderful thing, lol.
When I first started reading this, I really wasn’t sure if I would be interested enough at the end to continue with the series. At this point, I’m definitely planning to read the second book, Dragon’s Child. For all the issues I had with it (some minor gramatical problems tripped me up from time to time, as well, but it wasn’t anything that derailed me for too long) the story was still exciting. I’m hoping that the next books are a little more focused, but I’m certain they’ll be just as entertaining.
