| Title | : | Evensong (Meratis Trilogy, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 317 |
| Publication | : | First published January 28, 2014 |
most recent edition
Author Jeff Powell wakes up to find the impossible has happened. He is within his own novel—summoned into the fictional world of Feldall’s Keep by a spell he didn't write. One the House enchantress hasn't figured out how to reverse.
When the villain he's been struggling to write reveals himself, unleashing waves of terror and chaos, Jeff must use more than his imagination to save the characters he created—and the woman he loves.
Trapped within a world of his own creation, he must step outside the bounds of his narrative to help his characters defeat an evil no one anticipated, even if he must sacrifice his greatest gift. In the end, he has to ask: are novels really fiction, or windows into other worlds?
The Meratis Trilogy centres around author Jeff Powell, who wakes up in his sword-and-sorcery fantasy world. Initially an arrogant and close-minded character, Jeff has his eyes opened to a world of dragons, magic, and assassins. Faced with an evil he could never have imagined, Jeff is pushed to his limits and forced to rise to the most unusual challenges.
Evensong (Meratis Trilogy, #1) Reviews
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4,5 stars - English Ebook 🦋🦋🦋
*** Dragon breath billowed across the peaks of Feldall Forest, waves of green flame bursting into tongues of orange and red as it caught the trees in its path. The creature swooped, serrated wings shopping down the blazing tree topps to spread the flames along the forest Floor. Its screams shook the earth and set the horses to panic, but the three riders held their position along the edge of the tree line. Lady Jasmine of Feldall cursed as her Frisian, reared, and struggeld to stay in her Seat.*****
This story has a onwillig Hero in the writter of the story. He does not understand what happend to him, but he does not have the time to think about it much. He has to Ambrace the fact that he is stuck in his own story and that he has to help te world he did create. 🌹🌹🌹 -
Full disclosure: I didn't even finish this book.
Can I just say how super creepy it is for this lonely, deadbeat writer to fall into his own world, where apparently every woman is super sexy with huge boobs spilling out of their corsets? I, too, am a writer, but I treat my creations with respect; I don't imagine every character of the opposite sex as my own personal harem because THAT'S DISGUSTING. Jeff is supposedly a writer but he seems to have forgotten what it means to write: if you play god, you have to act like one. I'm all for unsympathetic characters gradually worming their way into my heart, but I'm not waiting around for this nasty sleazebag to have a complete personality shift. This would have been much better from Jasmine or Jayden's point of view, but this brings up another issue: what's with the names? They seem rather mundane for a fantasy world--I'll give that a pass-- but there's no cohesiveness. Every good author has rules-- from Robert Jordan's corruption of existing names to Tolkien's complex linguistic system-- but the characters from Jeff's supposed "best-selling" series seem to have names he just pulled out of nowhere because they sounded kinda neat. Perhaps it's a silly thing to get bothered by, but a *good* fantasy novel should have covered those bases *cough* like Eragon didn't *cough*.
Bottom line: I got offended reading about the way this guy treats his characters, because it sure as heck isn't how I'd treat mine. I guess this is just what happens to horny middle-aged men who profess to be half-decent writers, but I digress; I read books for sympathetic characters, and found none that I had even an inkling of a chance of liking or respecting. As the old adage goes, life's too short to read bad books. On to the next, and I pray it's more decent than this. -
This was a fantasy tale with a fun premise but that never quite managed to become anything more than an average story.
Author Jeff Powell is dealing with everyday issues like trying to work up the courage to ask his crush out on a date and trying to finish writing his new book in time to meet its deadline when his life takes a weird turn after he finds himself sucked into the fantasy world he created! From there it is a dealing with dragons, magic, and swords while trying to find his way back home!
The premise should have been really fun but they book never really capitalised on the fun sounding premise. The tale was light on humour and what we got was a fairly run of the mill portal fantasy tale with rather forgettable characters.
The other thing that surprised me was learning this was written by a female author as it has that typical slightly internalised misogyny that is usually associated with male written tales from the 80s and 90s. Nothing overtly offensive. Just that all the female characters are written as attractive and tend to be described in such a fashion as well as a tad of minor leering from the male lead character.
I’ll press on to the next instalment as these books are not giant in size but this is pretty run of the mill stuff.
Rating: 3 stars.
Audio Note: Gary Tiedemann did an OK job with the audio. -
I liked this book,it was more than guy walks into a fantasy realm.
An author of a book goes to sleep and he is magically transformed into the book.
His book is a fantasy with dragons,magic-users,heroes and mystical creatures abound.
But here's the thing,all he can do is write not fight.And when he wakes up he is surrounded by people with swords on their hips.They refer to him as the creator because if he hadn't written some books they wouldn't exist so to speak.
He is truly a fish out of water,he can't do anything the others can.It's even hard for him to ride a horse.Something everyone else in this world are accustom to.
While he is trying to adapt,he also can't shake the feeling that this isn't really happening,it's all a dream.
But that's why I like the book,he doesn't appear and is a great horseman and knows how to handle a sword in a fight to the death.
He is only a writer from the 20th century who happens to be there. -
I won a book that the author was part of on BookLikes. After receiving the copy, her and I ended up in a conversation ... and I walked away with this book as well. (No, I did not talk to her just for a free book, but being a book-ish blogger and an avid reader, when someone offers me a book, I always accept the offer.)
I have always wondered, in the back of my mind, while reading a book, what would happen if an author got pulled into their own story somehow. How would they fare in the land they created, with the characters they created? How would those characters feel about them? Would things be the same as they wrote or different? Would there be secrets that even the author didn't know, things that happened when he/she wasn't writing? Would he want to stay or try his hardest to leave? Could the characters take advantage of the fact that the author is there in front of them? Would they come home and change everything? And the biggest question of all - how would the time spent their affect them?
THIS is that story - and more. It is very well written and thought out, includes those twists and turns that I love in a story AND, even better, things that are believed to be one way that turn out to be another. It even includes dragons, sorcerers, magic - the battle of good and evil (I always love those) - and a pretty awesome horse. The anticipation and emotion throughout this whole story was just wow. Until the very last page. I couldn't put the book down, no matter how hard I tried. I can't wait until book 2 is out so I can pick it up.
Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. -
I'm not sure where to start with this review. There is a lot of stuff happening in this book and yet, it kind of feels like there's nothing happening.
I guess I'll start with the ending. It wasn't an ending. It was kind of like the author had created a villain so powerful he couldn't be defeated, so instead of coming up with a valid way for the protagonists to defeat him she just wrote him out of the story? I don't know! I can't tell you because she didn't tell me! It's ridiculous! Maybe I'm supposed to buy the second book to find out. I don't really want to.
On to the characters: I wanted to like them. I wanted so badly to like them. They weren't unlikeable or anything, they just weren't memorable. There was lots of ridiculous posturing which I kind of hate. There wasn't much character growth. I think Siobhan had the most and she's an incredibly minor character. Maybe even the sisters, the sisters were cool.
Overall I think the author got caught up in building her world and forgot about the plot. It was like "Ooh, I'll add a dragon! And Zombies! And super bad cyborg bears and panthers! And let's borrow a page from GRRM and kill them all! Evil sorcerers! Twisty turny keeps! Romance!" It was just too much. This was an assault on my senses. Nothing about the way the world is told to you feels organic. It's not subtle world building, it's smack you with a sack of bricks look at this! World building. And to reiterate my original point, it didn't lead to a whole lot of anything. There are still some plot points that have yet to be tied up, like they were just forgotten. (I'm pretty sure they were.)
I gave it 3 stars because I did manage to read through to the end- it took me a lot longer than usual. I think I ate up another Saxon Story while I was reading this. I think the idea was cool- what happens when an author gets stuck in their own story? Or what if writers aren't writers but narrators to/of other worlds? And it was mostly well-edited, and I think I picked it up for free on the kindle store, but I don't know if I'll continue on with the series. I am curious to know what all actually happened, but I'm now wary of buying the second book and being sold the same non ending. -
Loved, loved, loved right up to the 80% mark for the action, the humor, the characters (a bit one-dimensional, but with potential for development) and the plot. Then, bam - 80% into it on my Kindle and I'm not sure what happened. Where was the plucky protagonist/writer from the beginning of the book? Why did the author have to resort to what amounts as a deus ex machina in my opinion? Why didn't the other characters start pulling some weight? I liked it enough to try number 2 in the series......
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I'm in two minds about this book. One: I read through it fairly quickly. It kept me engaged enough to keep going (though not enough to stop me reading another couple books at the same time). Two: I felt the characters were very weak, especially the main character.
He just felt so unbelievable. He is supposedly a successful author of an ongoing fantasy series yet he knew nothing about the world he created. Not even what was where. It just really stuck out and to me dragged the book down. I generally avoid self-published books and this reminds me why. Not because of the writing itself but because it needed a better editor and better test readers to help the author. -
"Nothing is ever lost, it only changes into something different."
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“Dragon breath billowed across the peaks of Feldall Forest, waves of green flame bursting into tongues of orange and red”
As fantasy readers, we immerse ourselves in fictional worlds. Worlds filled with magic, lush green forests and - if we’re lucky - dragons. Books that help us to escape to somewhere new. Imagine being transported into a fantasy novel. You go to bed and simply wake up inside a Castle where the world is terrorised by drought, a dragon and an all-powerful sorcerer who’s out to get you.
Author Jeff Powell knows the feeling. He wakes up in Feldall - his critically acclaimed fantasy saga - brought there by a spell he didn’t write. Faced with characters he planned to kill who are still alive (awkward), the actual peril of death and a looming submission, he’s going to have to think fast to save the world, himself and his publishing deadline. Oh, and he’s got a crush on the barista back home, but she might be in Feldall too…“He hoped Maggie figured out this Meratis spell to send him home soon, otherwise, his novel might actually kill him”
Evensong was the first self-published fantasy I reviewed on Goodreads and back in 2016 I gave it 5 stars. I’ve read a lot since then - self-published and traditional published fantasy - and I can see that Evensong is not without its flaws. But, it’s still a darn good portal fantasy. Jeff is transported to Feldall by way of a spell and Evensong contains elements that make me giddy about fantasy - a lush green forest, magic, a dragon, a keep, castle library and horses plus sword fights, a nefarious villain and heroic rescues.”Frustration built up in Jeff’s chest until he felt he might burst.
“You’re fiction!”
There are some fantasy character tropes with the good witch Magdalen, Lord and Lady of Andvell Jasmine and Jayden, rogue-ish warrior Corey, the scholar Brady and evil sorcerer Raul which, with the addition of a loveable horse named Swish and three witches who think as one, solidify the classic-fantasy nature of Evensong. We have our reluctant hero, author Jeff, thrust into a world where he suddenly has no power, a kingdom and the girl of his dreams to save. The story has adventure, daring rescues and romance: complete with a love triangle.“I’m a writer. The biggest adventure I experience on a regular basis is going shopping on sale days”
Krista Walsh has a very natural writing style. I would describe it as effortless: simple with touches of humour. I felt very much like this slightly self-centered author was transported into his novel. In all fairness, I’m a sucker for a portal fantasy - but this was a perfect bedtime read on my Kindle: an escapist, easy and soothing read. This was also a re-read and, even noting its flaws, held its interest for me.”Would you be so opposed?” Jeff asked.
“She’s beautiful, strong, good in bed.”
The biggest flaw with Evensong is Jeff, although I think that’s intentional (how many “less than likeable” main characters do we end up rooting for?) Jeff has an -ahem- eye for the ladies. A female’s “substantial chest” causes “his instant arousal”. He takes no convincing to bed her - although he has a crush back home, and it’s a character he’s written - based on her physical appearance. There are a few other instances in a similar vein. It’s not enough to take away from this being a good story, but it stops it from being an excellent one.“He was an author. He sat at his computer eight hours a day and delved into his imagination as a career. What did he know about strategising against earthquake causing sorcerers?”
I enjoyed the adventure, but c'mon Jeff, get your act together.
I’ll be reviewing
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I'm a big MST3K fan, and all of the bad movies that go with it. If it's terrible enough, bad writing is perversely delightful. For whatever masochistic reason, I have a deep appreciation for two-dimensional characters and poor world-building.
And yet, I couldn't even suck that small amount of pleasure from this blob of an idea that had, against all odds, survived long enough to be turned into an entire book.
It took me months to slog through this story because it offered no incentive for me to read it (other than completing the fifty book goal I've set for myself this year). The plot took entirely too long to get off the ground, and the real action didn't start until around the 60% mark. Maybe if the characters had been even a little interesting or relatable, I could have forgiven the writer. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
The main character was a creepy man who viewed all of his characters as things he could have sex with instead of, you know, seeing his own creations as actual people. I audibly groaned every time either breasts or "Jeff's arousal" were mentioned. I'm certainly not a shrinking violet, but it just crossed the line into "gross" territory.
The F-bombs were also a problem. Now, I'm the type of girl who swears like a sailor, but even I know when to show some restraint. Throughout the book, the stilted dialogue was peppered with swears. It's not the fact that they were there that bothered me -- believe me, that's fine -- but it was the degree of awkwardness in which they were used. It was almost as if they were thrown in to make the story, as the kids say, 2edgy4u.
I could go on and on about the villain, but I'll just leave it at this: He was so stereotypical and poorly developed that I actually wondered aloud when he was going to start twirling his Snidely Whiplash mustache.
I have many more complaints, but I have laundry to do, so I'll sum it up. If you're looking for Manos: The Hands of Fate: The Book, then this is the story for you. Otherwise, don't waste your time. -
Evensong, book 1 of the Meratis Trilogy, is a fantasy novel by indie author
Krista Walsh.
Protagonist Jeff Powell awakens to find that his discontented fiction characters have magically transported him to Feldall’s Keep, a world he created within his novels. Confronted with hardships he’s inflicted in the name of entertainment, Jeff must reconcile that his reality is now irreversibly tied to the people he created.
With spots of self-effacing humour, Walsh did a good job tying the character-based theme to the genre. By using symbols, such as a toothbrush, to illustrate subtle differences between the worlds, the reader is able to relate to Jeff’s tribulations. The novel’s structure supports the shift between worlds with lucidity, eliminating the dreaded flip-flop confusion.
Evensong sports a hefty cast of characters but unique traits personalize each one, and, for the most part, the characters’ indirect delineation promotes readers’ empathy. One small complaint is pacing – the middle of the book dragged a bit. Action drove forward the story but the sub-plots seemed to deflect from the main theme, creating reader impatience.
While typically not a fan of fantasy genre, I recommend Evensong. There is sufficient mystery/suspense and believability for it to cross genres. This is an escapist read well suited to young adults and fantasy audiences. -
Great read
Loved it. The premise of an author getting the chance to meet his characters was fantastic, and it was even better that some of them disliked him cause of their part in the story -
After reading the summary of this book, I was very intrigued. It sounded like an adult version of A Kid in King Arthur's court, or maybe a reverse Inkheart - pretty awesome either way. However, after starting to read, I was immediately struck by how very flat and boring the characters were. I made it a quarter of the way through the book and not a single one of them became in any way likeable or compelling. The main character, perhaps the worst culprit, was the typical snarky-wit-covering-deep-insecurity-and-awkwardness that has become so popular. I usually like that archetype, but here he just seemed very forced and uninspired. The rest of the characters came off as very one-dimensional. Granted, I could not bring myself to finish the book, so that problem may have been addressed later on, but still. Most readers I know are very character driven; if you cannot find a single character that you like or relate to in a book, they must at least be written in such a way that they are unlikable but still compelling enough to engage the reader. This book managed neither of those things, so what is the point in wasting time reading what may very well turn out to be a continual disappointment?
On top of that, the plot somehow managed to feel stuck even though stuff did seem to be happening. Not much, but some. A quarter of the way through the book, I would hope that the plot is well under development and some sort of intrigue or obstacle has been well established - unfortunately, the best this book gives by that point is vague mentioning of three different problems created by the main character and two problems that are stated as existing but no further information is given. That counts five major plot points that should be creating tension and a sense of drama at the very least, if not urgency. Instead, they manage to just pile on top of each other until I was left feeling like there was too much to do without reason for me to want to force myself to complete it.
The last issue that caused me to throw in the towel was the world building. More specifically, how poor it was. The world is filtered through the eyes of the author (who I have already made clear that I found boring and unlikeable), so it is a very biased perspective. Regardless, he was the author and creator of the world, there should have been a lot to draw on there whether or not his perspective was constricted by his own plot lines. He theoretically created a line of very successful fantasy novels with it, you would think we would have more to draw us in. For instance, there is very clearly magic in this world - enough to have sucked him out of reality into the book's pages. And yet there is no explanation or even consideration given to the kind of power and work achieving that feat would require. You expect me to believe that the sorceress who could do something like that can't figure out a way to magically fix a drought off-screen? I don't think so.
To sum up: What I expected to be a fun, whimsical romp was an utter disappointment made up of too many vague plot lines and boring, unremarkable characters. I do not begrudge anyone that enjoyed this novel, but I for one could not bring myself to even bother finishing it. -
As a kid, I fell in love with Fantasia and all the promise it held. For years I would play a game in my head where every character I cam across, be it from books, movies, TV shows, or some other medium, lived in one giant fantasy world. They formed organizations, opened businesses, built relationships, and fought the bad guys, who happened to be on a neighboring planet. What all that meant, was that these characters existed outside their creator's mind. They lived entire lives that were not influenced by their creator's arbitrary decisions. That last concept is why I fell in love with this book, and why I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy.
When Jeff wakes up in the world he thought he created, he's just a tad bit confused. At first he thinks it's an elaborate prank, but quickly decides he is simply dreaming. He plays along with the characters he though he invented, humoring them when they tell him they brought him there to solve some major problems. Of course they lecture him a bit on the way he is handling some of the plot points, and quickly inform him that what he's writing is only a small fraction of their daily lives. Over time, as he gets to know them, to understand their history, he realizes that he is in fact in the world he created. When he is faced wit the death of one of his "creations", a death he did not plan, his world is turned upside down.
To be blunt, I couldn't stand Jeff in the beginning. I thought he was just a tad bit too egotistical, but he's an author who loves creating worlds, so what else should I expect from someone with a godlike complex. And for the most part, his characters modeled that attitude. As he matured, he softened up and I grew to like him. And oddly, as he became less rigid, so did his characters. As they turned to face a common threat, they grew as a unit, and really began to understand each other. The one relationship I never understood or even liked was with the "love of his life." It made no sense in the structure of the story, and I kept waiting for her to be killed off. My wish was never granted, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the next two books.
I still don't think Jeff, nor his characters, know whether Jeff dreamed them up, or if he just tapped into their world, influencing their actions when he could. I don't think I have a strong opinion on it either, and I'm okay with it. I'm just looking forward to what happens next. -
Totally not sold on this book at all.
I could have dealt with the walking dead if they hadn't first been referred to as zombies. I mean zombies and dragons in the same story? really? No. Just no. Not for me.
There were elements of the book that were well thought out hence 2 stars and not 1.
But I found a lot of it unbelievable such as Siobhans change of heart for a reason felt like it had been given purely to allow the change of heart.
Raul was pretty crappy for a bad guy too. Without any real reasoning for being the bad guy he was just a means to an end.
Can't say I will get the next book. Just didn't suit me at all. -
Interesting story
I liked the different take on a fantasy. I did not like the fact the fictional characters swore in the same way people do in this world...seemed lame on the author's part. I also don't get the need for the token steamy sex scene. If I wanted that I'd read those kind of books, which I don't care to read. Without the "f" word and the sex, I'd given this book 4 stars. There was too much sadness to give this book 5 stars. -
I like the idea of this, but some of it was overly cringe worthy. One of the first things the author does in his own book world is drop his trousers for a character he wrote because she’s so sexy. Because your first thought should be sex when dropped into another dimension. And it didn’t even fit with the character, because he was actually this really awkward clumsy dude with a giant crush on another woman he could never seem to talk to. It reads as a misogynistic male author (which I guess it was trying to be, so kudos?) but at that point it wasn’t from the character’s POV that we saw it. And why would he challenge someone to a sword fight? He knows they’re an expert, he literally wrote them that way.
It gets weirder in the middle, and the end doesn’t make any logical sense. Then it creates a giant plot hole with the Sisters. And after all that, it still just feels… flat. -
First book by this author and I'm hooked!
Author Jeff Powell wakes up in his own story, well as a writer I have often thought of this myself: how would it be? What would I think, what would I do? How would I get out?
From the moment Jeff Powell awakes, I felt his uneasiness, disbelieve, and trouble of coping with this new reality. This book is so well written, I bought the complete series half way through the first book.
This is not a straightforward, author knows the story best and influences the outcome, no not this book!
I am a fan! -
The premise had me hooked. What writer wouldn't want to read about an author sucked into their own book! BUT you may not look at writing or your characters in the same way again.
It was a humorous tale, at times a touch on the gruesome side but nothing you wouldn't expect from a fantasy. I liked the blend of our everyday reality and the fantasy world of Andvell. It was refreshing to have modern language and swearing in a fantasy setting, and there were some very funny moments when Jeff tries to ride a horse and is challenged to a fight by one of his own characters. He is totally out of his depths in his own fantasy world and quickly realises it.
As readers we can enjoy the tale as it unfolds. As writers we can relate to some of Jeff's problems and learn a thing or two about the process of writing, and maybe we can even consider going a little easier on our own characters!
I rate this 4 stars - I think because of the format of the story, it was hard to emotionally connect with all the characters. However, it was still a great read and I will definitely be continuing with the story. -
Every writer who is just getting started should read this novel. In addition to the story, there is buried treasure in the telling of it. When opened, the treasure chest contains some brilliant insight into how to really stop and smell the roses rather than rush through to get on with the storytelling. By that, I mean dress up your characters, feel what they feel and then show it to your reader.
This is a very imaginative story with lots and lots of surprises.
I loved it.
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I really liked the twists in this book. It hooked me quickly and kept me turning pages. I enjoyed Jeff and the adventure that unfolds as he writes his fantasy story. I started off thinking this would be like all the other Sifi stories I have read, but I was pleasantly surprised.
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Most of it was decent, but the ending felt sudden. And how'd they get the bad guy to stand in the circle long enough? What about his army? They wouldn't just disappear and wouldn't run away quickly when they didn't know he disappeared....
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LOVED IT!!! Loved the characters, the plot twists and the uniqueness of the story:)
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I really liked the idea of this story. It's something I wished would happen to me as well, but I can't help but think I'd have done a better job getting sucked into my own novel than Jeff did. Jeff didn't really strike me as a very creative person to start with. He's written a love triangle and drawn it out for this long series, he's introduced a dragon and tons of conflict just for conflict's sake, without much of an idea as to why...he honestly doesn't seem to have very many innovative ideas. If the climax of the entire thing hinged on him sacrificing his creativity to save a girl, he's not really losing that much. I didn't notice much of a difference in Jeff before and after that happened, so I don't think that was as high-stakes a sacrifice as it could have been, especially since he can still rely on observational storytelling and not much has changed. I've always thought that all storytelling needed to have some observational element to it anyway. I also am having trouble believing that someone without an imagination can still figure out a way to break out of a cell by playing the long game and probing into his captor's private life until he hits a nerve and she cracks. That comes from someplace that's a lot harder to tap than straight-up observation.
Aside from that one thing, though, it was a fun read. I liked the characters, especially Jayden and Maggie. I'm not sure I'd go looking to buy the rest of the series on purpose, but if I were to stumble upon them in a bookstore or something, I'd certainly give them a go. -
While I can´t say I really really enjoyed reading this book, I can say I am ecstatic I picked it up.
Basically because of the whole author entering his own story thing.
It set my mind spinning, my imagination reeling and my heart soaring. It was such a great experience to be, together with Jeff, confronted with his decisions, with controlling lives that are always much more complex then we realize.
I am a writer so reading this has been most fascinating. The crash of the reality with the story was great. The glimpses into the mind of a writer, how we imagine our thoughts can be converted into reality... The way a story is made, how things are ever-changing, how a single scene can stop the whole book for sometimes as long as months... How events and places and characters just have to be added for this or that idea to work...
I am really grateful I got to read the book. Even if there were some issues that make the book hard for me to enjoy. Does not matter. I won´t mention them. This book was not meant for me as a reader but as a writer.
Still, if you are, as probably every reader out there, wondering, sometimes, what would happen If Only They Were Real... Definitely give this book a chance. -
The entire concept of an author being pulled into their own book by their own characters they wrote about immediately peaked my interest in this book. I'd been trying to find something like this for a long time after reading a snippet of a writing example that touched on a similar idea, only Evensong goes a bit further with the whole Inception thing of an author writing a book about an author writing a book that gets magically teleported into his own fictional world (literally).
Walsh did a good job bringing to life this idea and how characters might interact with their creator. It's hilariously unique, and the writing style is very satisfying to read.
My only major hiccup was about 70% of the way in, when the main character risks everything - and I mean everything - on a girl who he really doesn't know much about other than that he has a serious crush on her and she works at a coffee shop... and that's when I got bored with the story. Maybe coming back to it later with a fresh mind will overcome that.
Favorite character/s:
If I had to pick, it would be Maggie because she's an eccentric witch, but otherwise, none of the characters really stood out enough for me to 'favorite' them overall.
What drew me to this book?
The cover. It gave me The Hunger Games vibes when I saw the design.
Stars:
3.5/5 because I'm still debating whether or not to finish the book despite how good the concept is. I'll update if I do finish at some point, but for now, this one's on hold. -
Great idea + great characters = great entertainment from the front cover to the back!
Some parts of the book were a bit drawn out allowing for a quick trip to the kitchen for a snack or to flip a load of laundry from washer to dryer however the overall pace was fast and kept this reader glued to her seat, mostly.
The magic world established by Walsh, which inludes an assortment of spells and magical entities, is similiar to what other fantasy writers include in their books. "The Sisters" was a nice addition to Walsh's magic world but oh my the dialogue between them and the other characters was really annoying!
The characters were likeable - with the exception of Cassie (just didn't like her) and of course evil guy Raul and his cohorts.
Despite the few flaws I've mentioned the book is well worth reading. I would reccomend it and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series - Eventide. -
Evensong was ok as a straightforward, simple fantasy adventure novel. I appreciate that it was well edited and an interesting fish-out-of-water story in a fantasy setting, but on a whole it wasn't as satisfying as I had hoped.
It covers many of the fantasy bases, like some world-building, character development, realism, steady to fast pacing, and magic thrown in. It also covers an author's internal struggle to separate fact and fiction, or vice versa, and the definitions of heroism. Those are all things I like and yet... It may be because I couldn't connect with the characters, which never become likable or seem fleshed out enough, MC included, or that I'm just not in the mood for the content or there are more questions left than answers, like why is there some good description and yet not enough? My image of the world and its characters is restricted to Jayden and Jasmine while the rest is a bit of a blur in my head. It's not a bad book, though I do not think I would recommend it to others. I liked the character growth Jeff goes through and was entertained. There is also much potential for better things in the next books, so I'm giving it 3-stars.
