| Title | : | Ammey McKeaf (The Chronicles of Azulland, #) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 321 |
| Publication | : | First published August 29, 2012 |
Ammey McKeaf (The Chronicles of Azulland, #) Reviews
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SPOILERS
I felt like this book could have been one of my favorites, but as I reflected on all I had just read I realized that there was a certain aspect that has almost completely ruined this for me.
Ammey, despite being irresistibly beautiful is a strong female character who for the most part, demonstrated strength and backbone. She lives in a country divided by war with her well known army general father and her brothers.
After the brutal murder of her best friend at the hands of the enemy, her family sends her into hiding, to a place deemed secret and safe only to find it in the process of being attacked. Her escorts are killed but she is saved by a group of assassins, thus beginning her journey and introducing readers to love interest number one.
At this point, I didn't realize there was going to be a love triangle, although I should not have been surprised, as they just keep popping up everywhere. Ammey spends time with them and they teach her to be strong and basically how to kill, before enlisting her help in the assassination of a key player for the other side.
Shortly thereafter based on the prophecy of some divine fey-like women, Ammey goes on without them. Her pre-destined path is different than theirs and she is to be essential in bringing peace to their nation. I loathe pre-destined paths but this isn't what got me so irritated. Ammey eventually gets captured by the enemy, the same enemy responsible for the destruction of her intended safe haven and also for the brutal murder of her best friend. The king of these evil men is Marko Corin who doesn't have any idea of the brutality of their methods basically due to his own gullibility and turning a blind eye.
He stops Ammey from getting killed and takes her to his castle where he orders his physicians to nurse her back to health.
During her captivity, he coddles her, he tortures her, he falls in love with her and he eventually rapes her. It's not a violent rape, he actually has the gall to try and make it romantic. Soft music, candles, drugged wine to make it easier. She also gets a gift from those fey like women who sent her down this road, she gets to experience the ordeal as if it was the sweet and consentual act of losing her virginity with love interest number one. I don't care how you dress it up, a rape is a rape. He never gave her any choice. He just told her it was going to happen eventually and then one night instructed the maids to get her prepared. I was cringing and disgusted but I had no idea he was going to become love interest number two. At that point I would have stopped reading.
A significant amount of time goes by and he doesn't touch her again. He begs her forgiveness, he tries to talk to her but she won't speak. Eventually he wears her down and befriends her. In the eyes of his evil advisors he is becoming obsessed and they don't like it, but it's not until he catches them torturing her for her true identity that he puts his foot down and stops listening to them. However he too wants to know who she really is, but her injuries give her the perfect opportunity to fake memory loss, but it also gives him the opportunity to fake a marriage and a history with her. So now she's been outplayed and has to go along with it. During this time he becomes a better man, he withdraws troops and stops the attacks. Word spreads that it is due to his new wife, the lady jade who is responsible for the change, yet no one outside his court has seen her or knows who she really is. His former evil advisors cannot allow this to stand and devise a plan to have her murdered, placing blame on his cousin Mehr, the other thorn in their sides. Nothing goes according to plan, she escapes but they fake her death, and soon he becomes bitter and gullible once again and the attacks resume.
This probably seems like a recap of the entire book but it's not. Loads of other things happen and the details were necessary in trying to illustrate what a terrible love interest Marko is. It wasn't until the end of the book that I was even clear that he was a contender but it's stated very clearly that Ammey has developed feelings for him and cares for him. I could have forgiven this if it was faked, a sacrifice she would make to establish peace, or to ensure her own survival but it's not, and thus the love triangle and Ammeys choice get a lot more significance in a story that didn't need a love triangle and would have been extremely good without it. -
Umm... This started out very well. Action right at the beginning. Honestly, the book kept me hooked the entire time. But it also irritated me. This may be because it is about a girl who is stunningly gorgeous and everyone falls in love with her. What does that mean? Yes. A friggin love triangle. And the book just STOPS. No ending. Carries right on into the second book. I know this because it has the first chapter at the end. Anyway, I think I could have given it a 4 if the silly girl would pick the right guy and stick with her choice. Uncertain girls with more than one perfectly decent guy (and an obvious CORRECT choice) ruin books for me. If you don't mind that, it is a pretty cool story to get lost in.
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DNF- falling for your rapist- hell no.
Stopped reading it, read the goodreads reviews for more info on how story continues in the next few books which doesn't make me want to invest more time on this series.
Love triangle with rapist-just NO. -
Okay, my true rating for this is more like a 3.5, and it's for the audio version of the book.
Now, the plot was great, and I loved Ammey. I don't think everyone loved her for her looks, but for her heart and courage, her loyalty. She is an amazing character! I don't mind the love triangle, I'm very interested to see how things develop. I'm am solidly #TeamVincent.
What got to me was the rape. I could never even pretend to care for someone who did that to me, and it continued to niggle in the back of my mind whenever she thought fondly of him and seemed to completely forget the horror of what happened to her. I know this is just fiction, and even in reality, I suppose some women could SOMEHOW get past it. But it really bothered me, and so it had to affect my rating.
I wasn't really fond of the narrator at first, but I grew accustomed to her voice and actually quite like her now! Her tension doesn't always feel right for the scene, but in general, she was pretty good. One thing DID bother me, though. At one point she pronounces Amaris, "AM er iss", and another time, "uh MARE iss". And now I am confused lol. It's not a big thing, just one of those things that caught the attention of my weird brain and wouldn't let go.
In general, I would recommend this to those who like fantasy with a strong female lead. I definitely will be continuing this series.
Bob says: 3.5 Platypires -
I will preface this review by saying that I actually really liked this book. I have a couple of things that bug me about it, which affect my rating. Ammey is a great character, strong and loyal, able to do what needs to be done at the expense of herself. That's always a great character to read about, especially when adventure (or misadventure) seem to follow said character. I definitely got lost in the plot and enjoyed where it went.
My biggest issue is that the book could really use a good editor. Typos abound, and that's a bit distracting for me. I was also confused about why so many women were showing up claiming to be Ammey. This isn't like a Grand Duchess Anastasia type thing, where she disappeared as a child and never came back. Ammey was gone for months. I was a little puzzled as to why these women thought they could get away with claiming to be her.
Other than those things, I really liked the story and would be interested in continuing the series.
Three out of five stars.
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A lot of stuff happened in here, which was a bit much, but it was still very nice to read.
I wished it was resolved in one book, as I heard the 2nd one isn't that great. -
Shoup has woven an intricate plot with a strong female heroine. Ammey McKeaf is definitely not a damsel in distress waiting on anyone to rescue her. The male characters are not perfect, just very human, which creates part of the dilemma that the heroine faces throughout the story. Shoup's descriptions of Azulland in the opening of the book are almost lyrical. She has a wonderful talent for setting a scene for the reader. **Spoiler alert** I gave the book a four simply because I felt as though I'd been left with a cliff hanger. (Yes, I'm one of those people who can't stand them, although I realize there are readers who don't mind that.) Ammey's story is well worth the read...just be prepared.
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Wow! this story had real promise - I really liked the character of Ammey and her strength and determination. Thought the world was very detailed and complex. It had a taste of a real mythic adventure with even a prophecy thrown it. But for me it fell a bit short...
Love the slow build of the story of Vincent & Ammey. Definitely felt they had a connection and spark. Marco is a complex, both likeable at moments and hate-able at others. Yes, he fell to the famous ploy and advice of "evil" advisors - but my main dislike of him came from his treatment of Ammey - he kept her prisoner and then rapped her - then when she seems to have amnesia - instead of facing the truth he lie to her and builds this elaborate world for her and still keeps her prisoner. Granted she really didn't believe the lies - but I'm concerned that he says he loves her during this time and in my mind love involves trust and honesty. Just saying.
My other concern is about Ammey and her feelings towards Marco - I get that she sees behind the facade that the advisors has built - but can't buy her feelings for him so quickly after the abuse - even at his own hand. Maybe in time - but seems to happen fairly quickly - she feels "safe" with him and yet all this happens under his watch.
Definitely. Tabling the sequel on this one for now - not sure if I will continue - I do however, care about some of the other players and may read it eventually just to see their fates. -
LOVED IT!! This book is amazing mix of the action of the war that is brewing, personal disaster, romance (love triangle no less!) and strength of family and friends. I couldn't put this book down and I can't wait to buy the next one to see what is to come next as though many of the questions were answers were answered by the end of this book there are still many I am asking and problems that need resolving.
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read my book review here
http://melieli88.wordpress.com/2012/1... -
Review to follow. I've read this book 3 times now because I love it so much. I want to read it one more time before I give a proper review.
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Wow! What a fantastic and engaging read! I love it and can't wait to read the next book!
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Amazing! I loved this author style and composition. I was hooked till the end.
