BOOK BLITZ: Surrender (The Ferryman & The Flame #1) by Rhiannon Paille

Today we're helping Girls *Heart* Book Tours spread the news about Surrender by Rhiannon Paille! This book is a couple years old - it was published in October 2012 - but it's still a good one and if you're a fan of high fantasy, definitely one you don't want to miss. Ashley enjoyed it, and you can find her review here (she also read and enjoyed Lantern & Poison (TFTF #1.5), Justice (TFTF #2), and Blood & Gold (TFTF #2.5)).

About the Book 

Goodreads | Paperback | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Title: Surrender (The Ferryman & The Flame #1)
Author: Rhiannon Paille
Publication Date: October 2, 2014

Synopsis: How far would you go to save everything you ever loved?

Kaliel was warned about her love for the Ferryman. One day he will marry the land and leave Avristar forever. She doesn't listen, and because of what she is-- a Flame-- one of nine apocalyptic weapons, she sparks a war. In a desperate attempt to save her home and her love, Kaliel tries to awaken Avred, not knowing she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

About the Author

Rhiannon is an up and coming Indie Author that writes Young Adult Fantasy books and some non fiction. She has a PhD in Metaphysical Science and Parapsychology. When she’s not writing books she’s reading minds, singing karaoke, burning dinner and sipping iced cappuccino despite her allergy to coffee. Some day she’d like to own a unicorn—as long as it doesn’t eat her. She's sold over 25,000 copies of her books worldwide.

Amazon | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Web

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read about Surrender and Rhiannon Paille! Don't forget to pick up your copy of the book! 

--Ashley & Paul

Blood & Gold (The Ferryman + The Flame #2.5) by Rhiannon Paille - Ashley's Review

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Blood & Gold
Author: Rhiannon Paille
Year Published: 2013

My Justice Review
My Lantern & Poison Review

Synopsis: This is Justice from the villain's POV.

The Daed are pawns to one of the most powerful members of the Valtanyana. Crestaos is insane, his hunger for the Flames insatiable. The closer the Daed get to achieving his goal, the more expendable they become.

-------------------------

Review: While I love reading short stories from the perspectives of minor characters, I'm not sure that it's fair to say this is Justice from the villain's POV. I mean, it's a very condensed Justice, that's true. But we're not really seeing things through Crestaos' eyes. We actually get to view things from some of the Daed, and through the eyes of one of the Flames. And it's certainly interesting, but not really what I was hoping for. 

We are able to learn a little bit more about some of the Daed, and I think it's fascinating that they don't really support Crestaos as much as it appears in Justice. They're terrified of him, and rightly so. I mean, he's freaking crazy. And this story really portrays how crazy he is - we even learn that he's not human/elven/etc, he's actually a Mithronian (some sort of giant lizard creature). I think that really helps the reader understand him a little bit better, and since his people were banished to the center of the earth it kind of makes sense why he hates everyone.

I thought that this story flowed quite a bit better than Lantern & Poison, so that was nice. The plot is more cohesive, and I enjoyed seeing events from another viewpoint. I think this story actually helps broaden the world and gives a better insight into the conflict, so there's that too. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has started reading The Ferryman + The Flame series, and would rate it as a 3/5. 


--Ashley

Justice (The Ferryman + The Flame #2) by Rhiannon Paille - Ashley's Review

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Justice
Author: Rhiannon Paille
Year Published: 2013

My Pre-reading

Synopsis: How far would you go to destroy yourself?

Krishani always knew he would have to go to the Lands of Men, but he never thought it would be like this. Enemies everywhere, an ancestor he can't respect, elders he can't trust, a curse he can't stop and friends he can't help but hate. Desperate to end the pain, he sets out on a quest to find the other Flames and face the enemy that took everything from him.

-------------------------

Review: I really want to like this series. It has the makings of a really good fantasy series, and the world building is really excellent. Every time I picked up this book, I was amazed by how complex Paille's world is because I often forgot that there are so many more lands than just the few that Krishani and his companions travel to. Although each Land isn't described completely in depth (the story would be so long if they were!), Paille gives just enough detail to make the reader feel like they are familiar with all of them. And I just think it's crazy how different all of them are - the amount of creativity and imagination required to come up with these lands is astonishing. So definitely props for that! 

This story is quite a bit more serious and more grimy than Surrender was. Although the elements of the love story are definitely there, this is more of a revenge story. Krishani is devastated, and his reason for continuing to live is just to avenge Kaliel. I really liked this this book was so much darker; I don't think I could have handled another love story, and I really enjoyed how this series did a complete 180 as far as themes and such. And I thought it was done well - Krishani's descent into the dark place he's in makes complete sense and isn't just something that comes out of the blue.

Although I like most of Paille's writing style, I did find myself confused at points throughout this book. It's a lot more stream of consciousness than I anticipated, and I found myself having to go back and read passages to figure out how we switched people or places or times. There was very little indication that we were no longer with Krishani on Terra, or that we were now several days in the future - or months in the past. I liked the flashbacks/dreams with Kaliel, but sometimes I felt like they were out of place or the transitions were very weak. So just be aware that this story isn't entirely linear and might not flow as easily as other YA fantasy books.

I thought the Vultures were really interesting, and I'm hoping we get to learn more about them in the next book. I also hope we get to learn more about some of the more minor characters (like the witches). Krishani was one of my least favorite characters in this book, but I just haven't really liked him from the beginning so I wasn't surprised that I still didn't like him. He's just not the hero type but I'm pretty sure that's the point, but I can't bring myself to like him. I think the Flames were my favorite characters, even if we don't know much about them yet. Especially Klavotesi. I didn't realize some of the Flames were male, and I thought that was really cool that they can basically be anyone. 

Overall, I think this series has a lot of potential. I enjoyed this book more than Surrender, but I still feel like I'm missing something. I will probably continue to read this series, since I've already invested the time to read the first two books and short stories,and I hope they continue to get better. I would recommend this book to anyone who read Surrender, even if you didn't like it - I think it's an important continuation to the story and might be more up your alley. If you haven't read Surrender, I think fans of YA Fantasy would like this series. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone very young though, since there are sexual situations and gory battles and such. I would rate this book a 3/5.


--Ashley

Justice (The Ferryman + The Flame #2) by Rhiannon Paille - Ashley's Pre-Reading

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Justice
Author: Rhiannon Paille
Year Published: 2013

Synopsis: How far would you go to destroy yourself?

Krishani always knew he would have to go to the Lands of Men, but he never thought it would be like this. Enemies everywhere, an ancestor he can't respect, elders he can't trust, a curse he can't stop and friends he can't help but hate. Desperate to end the pain, he sets out on a quest to find the other Flames and face the enemy that took everything from him.

Why?: I read the first book in the series, Surrender, as well as the short story, Lantern & Poison. I  wasn't a huge fan of the romance in the first book, but I loved the world and the cliffhanger ending pretty much demanded that I continue this series. Plus, it was available for a little while for free on the Kindle, which made it something I couldn't pass up!

Expectations: I expect this book to be a lot darker than the first one. Krishani is on a mission to avenge Kaliel, and wants to do something that will make the pain of losing her end. Since he's on a quest to face the enemy, I'm pretty sure there's going to be a lot more death and violence and a lot less romance than Surrender. I'm actually pretty excited to read it.

Judging a book by its cover: I'm kind of torn on this cover. It looks like something than an epic fantasy would have on the cover, but it's also not anything terribly special. At least I don't think so. I might pick this up if I saw it on a shelf somewhere, but probably not. 


--Ashley

Lantern and Poison (The Ferryman + the Flame #1.5) by Rhiannon Paille - Ashley's Review

Amazon | Goodreads

Title: Lantern & Poison

Author: Rhiannon Paille

Year Published: 2012

Synopsis: This is Surrender from the villain's POV.

Hadwen is no more. The Daed have no choice but to travel to Avrigost to awaken Crestaos. They're thrown into a whirlwind quest for the Flames, not knowing how ruthless and sadistic Crestaos can be.

-----

I'm not going to lie, Surrender was not really on the top of my list of books that I've read in the past few months. It was just too much romance for me, and not enough epic adventure and magic and all of the good things like that. But when I heard this novella was released and was Surrender from the villain's perspective, I had to have it.

Although the writing in this story is very choppy and sometimes hard to follow, I like it more than Surrender. It was darker, and it made me more anxious than Surrender did. Which is kind of what I was expecting from the first book. And we were also given more background on the Flames, and who and what they are. Some things still aren't really explained (like why the Daed are using a lantern to travel to the different worlds, and why only one of them knows how to work it properly), and I still don't know why Crestaos was awakened in the first place, when it seems like none of the Daed even want him there.

But we're getting there, I think. I hope. Also, if these sections had been in Surrender, I don't think they would have worked as well as they do as a separate entity. Although I wasn't a huge fan, the story flowed nicely in Surrender and the villain's point of view would really have messed that up. 

After reading this story, I'm actually looking forward to the rest of the series. From what I hear, they're a lot darker and more of my speed. I would give this a 3/5, and recommend it to anyone who read Surrender and wants a little more information from the other side. Without as much romance. 

--Ashley

Surrender by Rhiannon Paille - Ashley's Review

My Pre-Reading

Amazon | Goodreads

I'm not usually a fan of romance novels, and I was really hoping that this one be more magic and mystery and pending apocalypse than romance. Sadly, I was mistaken. Although as far as romances go, at least this one was manageable! 

I think I was a little disappointed in this book because it was so much romance. Girl meets boy, girl and boy fall in love, girl and boy can't be together, etc. Kaliel is kind of annoying, and I really didn't connect with her on any level. She comes across as worthless unless Krishani is around, and it was disappointing that she had no other character development until the last couple of chapters. Her character has so much potential! I mean, she's one of nine apocalyptic weapons for crying out loud.

Which was another gripe I had about this book. I still have no idea what the Flames are, or why they're being hunted, or how they can be used apocalyptic weapons. At least I know what the Ferryman does... but at the same time, I have no idea why Krishani is chosen to be the Ferryman. Is he born into that responsibility? Is he randomly chosen? A lot of the world building/background is really missing from this book, and that made me very sad.

For being a romance novel though, this book did at least keep my attention. I wanted to finish it to find out if Kaliel and Krishani ended up together. And I also wanted to find out more about the Flames and the Ferryman, but you already know my thoughts on that subject. The romance was a little forced (I'm not a huge fan of "love at first sight" plot lines), but I think it ended up working out in the end. Well... as much as their story could work out. I hope there's more to it though, because that ending was definitely a tear-jerker. I am glad she went with the ending she did instead of the alternate one though, because the alternate ending was just terrible.

I'm not really sure how there will be a sequel to this book, or even a whole series, but I want the sequel to be better. I want Paille to delve deeper into the fantasy side of this world and to stay away from the romance. I want to know more about the Flames and the Ferryman and what happened to Kaliel, and how Krishani will deal with his newfound career! Oh, and more about the world. Please give us more world-building!

Since most of my issues with this book were because it was a romance, and I didn't really dislike it except for that, I would rate this book as a 3/5. People who enjoy the romance genre and want a little bit of magic and such thrown in would probably like this book. But don't go into it thinking it's going to be fantasy with a side of romance - you'll be sorely disappointed. I would suggest giving it a try anyway though, because you never know. Maybe you'll fall in love with Kaliel and Krishani and their world!


--Ashley

Surrender by Rhiannon Paille - Ashley's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Coscom Entertainment (through CreateSpace) on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Goodreads

Title: Surrender
Author: Rhiannon Paille
Year Published: 2012

Synopsis: 

How far would you go to save everything you ever loved? 

Kaliel was warned about her love for the Ferryman. One day he will marry the land and leave Avristar forever. She doesn't listen, and because of what she is-- a Flame-- one of nine apocalyptic weapons, she sparks a war. In a desperate attempt to save her home and her love, Kaliel tries to awaken Avred, not knowing she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Why?: I'm not usually a huge fan of romance novels, but this one sounds like it has just enough magic and mystery to hold my attention. And there's a war, and a pending apocalypse... Yeah, I think I can handle the romance with all of those other things.

Expectations: I expect this to be mostly a romance with a little bit of war, magic, and all of the fun stuff. And some cool other-worldly creatures.

Judging a book by its cover: The cover reminds me of a lot of other paranormal YA books, so although I think it's very pretty, I might not pick it up in a a bookstore or library based on the cover alone.


--Ashley