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73rd out of 2,255 books
—
3,363 voters
The Arrival (BirthRight Trilogy #1)
by
Nicole MacDonald (Goodreads Author)
Cat, Kassie, Sian and Loi are anything but damsels in distress.
Fed up with a lack of decent male specimens they cast a love spell in the hopes of finding their soul-mates. And inadvertently land themselves on another planet. Oops.
The Arrival, follows the girls' adventures as they stumble through a foreign and often hostile world where humans are NOT at the top of the food...more
Fed up with a lack of decent male specimens they cast a love spell in the hopes of finding their soul-mates. And inadvertently land themselves on another planet. Oops.
The Arrival, follows the girls' adventures as they stumble through a foreign and often hostile world where humans are NOT at the top of the food...more
ebook, 438 pages
Published
December 22nd 2010
by self published
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I'm little more than a strumpet when it comes to book covers, and this one had me rolling over and practically purring. It's not obvious but subtly engaging.
At first the numerous points of view annoyed the hell out of me because I wanted to crawl into one characters head and stay there, letting the rest of the story envelop me. But I have to humble myself and say by doing this I was able to glean a broad and comprehensive understanding of the story, of the characters in a way I don't think I ha...more
At first the numerous points of view annoyed the hell out of me because I wanted to crawl into one characters head and stay there, letting the rest of the story envelop me. But I have to humble myself and say by doing this I was able to glean a broad and comprehensive understanding of the story, of the characters in a way I don't think I ha...more
Writing this review is difficult. In no way I want to offend the author, but I disagree with the high rating.
This book strongly needs a good editing, both for length and grammar and punctuation mistakes. (Real mistakes, not style choices.)
I had to read some paragraphs 3 or 4 times to understand (and often I had to skip.) [i.e. the world they came, from magic...]
To me the alternating POV (third person, first person) was confusing as hell. I know it's a willingly made choice (the author said so),...more
This book strongly needs a good editing, both for length and grammar and punctuation mistakes. (Real mistakes, not style choices.)
I had to read some paragraphs 3 or 4 times to understand (and often I had to skip.) [i.e. the world they came, from magic...]
To me the alternating POV (third person, first person) was confusing as hell. I know it's a willingly made choice (the author said so),...more
This is an original review from http://bookedandloaded.com
It was bound to happen, right?!?! This is my first formal 1 bullet review. My 1 Bullet means = I did not finish this book. I tried. Honestly, I tried SO hard! This is one of my favorite genre’s EVER – Fantasy/Sci-fi Romance. First off I am normally VERY lenient on grammatical issues in books. First, because my grammar royally blows a big one. Second, because I read a lot of ARC’s that are not completely finished with editing, so I have b...more
It was bound to happen, right?!?! This is my first formal 1 bullet review. My 1 Bullet means = I did not finish this book. I tried. Honestly, I tried SO hard! This is one of my favorite genre’s EVER – Fantasy/Sci-fi Romance. First off I am normally VERY lenient on grammatical issues in books. First, because my grammar royally blows a big one. Second, because I read a lot of ARC’s that are not completely finished with editing, so I have b...more
When I requested an ARC copy of The Arrival by Nicole MacDonald, I was so excited to read it, a paranormal fantasy/ romance with not one, but four kick ass heroines, bring it on! Unfortunately, a clever story was not enough to pull a five star rating with me.
This story is about a group of four friends, with extensive martial arts training, that can’t seem to find love. So they do what any strong, independent woman would do, they cast a love spell. But, as they must, the spell goes awry. They ar...more
This story is about a group of four friends, with extensive martial arts training, that can’t seem to find love. So they do what any strong, independent woman would do, they cast a love spell. But, as they must, the spell goes awry. They ar...more
Originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/book-rev...
Cat, Kassie, Sian and Loi are fed up with not having any men in their lives, so they decide to cast a love spell. Instead of uniting them with their soul mate, the spell transports them to a different planet where nothing is at seems. Oh, and their cat and dog are tagging along as well for good measure. A bit in “Alice in Wonderland” fashion the four girls have to find their way through the mystical island to get back to their ho...more
Cat, Kassie, Sian and Loi are fed up with not having any men in their lives, so they decide to cast a love spell. Instead of uniting them with their soul mate, the spell transports them to a different planet where nothing is at seems. Oh, and their cat and dog are tagging along as well for good measure. A bit in “Alice in Wonderland” fashion the four girls have to find their way through the mystical island to get back to their ho...more
The Arrival is an exciting book with a clever premise and likable characters. The four heroines really define the word girl-power and stick together through any adversity. After being transported to a mythical land after casting a spell to find their true loves they gamely adjust to the changes and work diligently to refine the mystical powers bestowed on them to save this new world they've entered. Each heroine has unique talents and distinct personalities that set each apart and I admired thei...more
OMG! When I signed up to review this book it sounded familiar but when I started reading it I then realized it was a book I had read about a year ago and couldn't remember the name of the author so I couldn't find it among the the thousands of books on my Kindle (what? no I don't have a reading obsession ;o) LOL)
I was so excited to reread this to see if it was as good as I remembered and to make sure I marked it down so I could finish the trilogy as it came out.
This is such a fun book with trave...more
I was so excited to reread this to see if it was as good as I remembered and to make sure I marked it down so I could finish the trilogy as it came out.
This is such a fun book with trave...more
This book and the following book were amazing!!! Four best friends (who are kick-ass girls) from earth cast a love spell that transports them to another planet. They find out they are “elementals” each one gifted with air, fire, water, or earth. In combination with all of their jujitsu training from earth and their powers they find out they are expected to defeat an evil Sorceress. I’m not going to give any other details away, except that the “love spell” did truly work. You have to read the boo...more
I found this book to be a bit of a tough read simply because it hit on my biggest pet peeve: bad editing. I struggled with multiple names of characters in addition to a nickname for nearly every one of them. Many of the characters expressed thoughts that were difficult to follow with the point of view shifting nearly every paragraph. Also difficult to process was the overuse of words (more specifically “and”) and misuse of verb tense (such as using has instead of had). The problem is that most o...more
I don't think it is difficult for anyone to imagine the frustrations accompanied by searching for your soul mate. In The Arrival, by Nicole MacDonald, her four protagonist are in just such a frame of mind. After a night out in New Zealand they gather to cast a love spell and end up along with their pet dog and cat in a different world. Here, magic is real and fantastical creatures abound. The girls have their hands full from the start but are delighted to discover clothes and weapons along with...more
This book is an adventure and a half. It had me laughing and turning green with envy over Nicole's eye for detail. I love a good fantasy meets sci-fi novel. Think Lord of the Rings meets a really interesting and witty chick lit book. At first I was afraid I would be thrown off by the switching point of views. I knew she was going to do it, but I hadn't quite prepared myself for how it would work. But it did work out well. It is actually a very interesting way to read a book. You get to try on di...more
I do not normally read much paranormal or fantasy fiction and was seriously wondering if I should be reviewing this book at all. Was it going to be fair to the author when I was prejudiced against the genre without even reading a word. I like my fiction based in reality and this novel is about as far removed from reality as you can possible get.
As I started to read about the heroines Cat, Kassie, Sian and Loi my doubts continued because it was confusing with the continual switching between the d...more
As I started to read about the heroines Cat, Kassie, Sian and Loi my doubts continued because it was confusing with the continual switching between the d...more
This was the first e-book I have ever read and purchased. I have to say, it was worth so much more than the modest price of $2.99!
The Arrival is the first of The Birthright Trilogy by Nicole MacDonald, a proud Kiwi woman who's bold blog title philosophy "Damsel in a Dirty Dress, screw being the damsel in distress!" is reflected in the attitudes of her four main heroines. Of all the highlighting features of this story, her characterization of these feisty females is by far my favorite. Miss MacD...more
The Arrival is the first of The Birthright Trilogy by Nicole MacDonald, a proud Kiwi woman who's bold blog title philosophy "Damsel in a Dirty Dress, screw being the damsel in distress!" is reflected in the attitudes of her four main heroines. Of all the highlighting features of this story, her characterization of these feisty females is by far my favorite. Miss MacD...more
I loved this book, it would just sit next to me on my iPad and be like "Read me....Read me....you know you want to." Eventually i would cave and read it. Hence the reason its finished....i tried to stretch the amount of time it took me, but it didnt last as long as i hoped.
The only downfall was the ending, i like where the story was going but it left me disapointed because i didnt know what was going to happen with Alek and Cat + the other Griffin Guard and Elementals.
I found it really easy t...more
The only downfall was the ending, i like where the story was going but it left me disapointed because i didnt know what was going to happen with Alek and Cat + the other Griffin Guard and Elementals.
I found it really easy t...more
When Catherine “Cat”, Sian, Laura “Loi” and Kassandra “Kassie” from New Zealand cast a love spell one night to find their soul mates, they couldn’t imagine that this will transport them to another world, where magic, other creatures and evil are normal.
Waking up outside in the woods, along with Lucky the cat and Audrey the dog, they discover that all they have are the clothes they are wearing, some food, weapons and strange money. They realize that they are not on Earth anymore and know that the...more
Waking up outside in the woods, along with Lucky the cat and Audrey the dog, they discover that all they have are the clothes they are wearing, some food, weapons and strange money. They realize that they are not on Earth anymore and know that the...more
No problems regarding the plot. The story itself was good. The changing of the POV's though, OMG!! I have never read a book like this one. I usually have no issues when the author chooses to use multiple POV's but this one, had WAY TOO MANY! I had to keep rereading parts where I have no clue who was even talking/thinking. It was really confusing. I'd like to say that it got easier throughout the story, but not really. After the 4 ladies meet with the Griffin guys (5 total) and then their 5 griff...more
There's good news and bad news when it comes to reading this book. The good first - the premise of the story is enjoyable and original.
As previous reviewers have also stated - I found it difficult, especially in the beginning, to remember which of the four main character was which as they kind of blend together. The four big male characters (the four main characters are all female) were even more difficult to tell apart, but it didn't make much of a difference. For some people having relatively...more
As previous reviewers have also stated - I found it difficult, especially in the beginning, to remember which of the four main character was which as they kind of blend together. The four big male characters (the four main characters are all female) were even more difficult to tell apart, but it didn't make much of a difference. For some people having relatively...more
This book was definitely entertaining, but not good enough for me to buy the next book in the trilogy. I may have been considering it, but the book ended in the middle of a scene, which seemed like a really desperate way to convince people to buy the next installment, and it turned me off of the series.
There really isn't a whole lot going on in this book as far as overarching plot goes; it seems to just be a lot of introduction and getting ready for the plot that will be happening in the rest of...more
There really isn't a whole lot going on in this book as far as overarching plot goes; it seems to just be a lot of introduction and getting ready for the plot that will be happening in the rest of...more
This is such a bumpy read to be considered a good read. I want to make it clear, though, that the plot is not bad, but there are aspects of the book that didn't help earn stars for this review. My major frustrations:
1: The different points of view-- this book by far has the most rapid shifting points of view I've ever encountered, so much so that it swings around to the next before I could even grasp whose thoughts I am into. The quick succession of POV shifts is literally confusing. A first pe...more
1: The different points of view-- this book by far has the most rapid shifting points of view I've ever encountered, so much so that it swings around to the next before I could even grasp whose thoughts I am into. The quick succession of POV shifts is literally confusing. A first pe...more
Four young women from New Zealand cast a "love spell" to find their soul mates and are transported to another world - so starts this cracking book, the first in the Birthright series.
The Arrival has good world-building and history. The characters come up with a decent explanation as to why they can speak with and understand the natives. The interraction and relationship developments between the Girls and the Griffon guards is not too cloying and girly. The blurb may lead people to think this boo...more
The Arrival has good world-building and history. The characters come up with a decent explanation as to why they can speak with and understand the natives. The interraction and relationship developments between the Girls and the Griffon guards is not too cloying and girly. The blurb may lead people to think this boo...more
The Arrival is the first book in the Birthright Trilogy by Nicole MacDonald. I must say when I first started to read The Arrival, I had my doubts. The main characters Cat, Kassie, Sian and Loi seemed very one dimensional and lacked depth. But as the book progressed, I realized this was a result from the author's writing style. From the very first page the author jumps around from different points of view,which makes for a very confusing read. This distraction took away from the lure of the chara...more
How did I miss leaving a review for this book!!
If you haven't read it - go get it. The girls have no shortage of character, the boys are rather stubborn and sexy. I'd love to run into them anywhere! The plot is really well thought out and the writing is well sculpted and just plain fun.
Can't wait for the next book.
Awesome read from a gifted new author.
Sarah
If you haven't read it - go get it. The girls have no shortage of character, the boys are rather stubborn and sexy. I'd love to run into them anywhere! The plot is really well thought out and the writing is well sculpted and just plain fun.
Can't wait for the next book.
Awesome read from a gifted new author.
Sarah
I wasn't sure what to expect with this book - some of the reviews nearly put me off it but MAN am I glad I tried it. I'm a guy, normally I avoid chick lit but this was so far from what I'd expected. And written in such a cool way. I really don't get some of the reviewers comments about it being hard to read or make sense of. It was straight forward - seriously if you have issues with making it out maybe you should be reading a lower grade. Multiple POV makes this story fast paced and on the ball...more
This book got off to a slow start due to the changes in POV, the use of different nicknames, and the general lack of structure. But the story was good and full of action, especially toward the end. It was definitely worth the $0 I paid for it (many thanks to the author for the freebie) and I am willing to pay for her next ebook.
Kindle freebie. I almost didn't read beyond chapter 5. There are four women and the POV bounces between them without warning and is frequently confusing. Several times I had to go back to the previous paragraph to figure out if it was the same narrator or someone new. And each girl has a nickname- so keeping eight names straight right off the bat was off-putting. It was about the time I was thinking about quitting when the men joined the story. So now, you get to keep track of about ten POVs. I...more
This book is hard to review.
I loved the story. It was a great plot line, original idea, and the story moved. I liked the characters, I liked how they developed, and overall this story was really good.
However, at points I was so confused over who was talking or thinking. On top of that, I still can't tell you which girl is with which guy other than Alek and Cat. You have 4 girls, 4 guys, and 4 griffins who you are occasionally getting points of view of. It isn't neatly organized either so from o...more
I loved the story. It was a great plot line, original idea, and the story moved. I liked the characters, I liked how they developed, and overall this story was really good.
However, at points I was so confused over who was talking or thinking. On top of that, I still can't tell you which girl is with which guy other than Alek and Cat. You have 4 girls, 4 guys, and 4 griffins who you are occasionally getting points of view of. It isn't neatly organized either so from o...more
It really, really, scares me how close I came to putting down this book around Chapter Three and never finishing it. I ended up forcing myself to keep reading, and thank goodness for that!
I'll start with the things I really liked about this book. Nicole MacDonald has created a very detailed and interesting fantasy world, and then made it even better by adding likeable and engaging characters to it. The story centers around four best friends who cast a spell looking for their soul mates, and the...more
I'll start with the things I really liked about this book. Nicole MacDonald has created a very detailed and interesting fantasy world, and then made it even better by adding likeable and engaging characters to it. The story centers around four best friends who cast a spell looking for their soul mates, and the...more
Jul 16, 2012
Nicole MacDonald
rated it
5 of 5 stars
· (Review from the author)
Shelves:
books-i-ve-written
Okay so I wrote it *grin* and I'm totally allowed to love it!! I survived 18months of creating this story and still love it so it bodes well - for me at least *lol*
I could not finish the book. Honestly I have no qualms about the spelling or grammar mistakes, it really doesnt get to me, though there are these problems throughout the novel (or through chapter 6 which is as far as I got) I think the story/plot is okay, the description sounds a lot better than the actual novel. My biggest issue though with this novel was the changing POV, if the POV was in different chapters then I would have been okay with it, but the constant POV Changing every couple of par...more
I enjoyed this one, the varying points of view gave a good flow to the storyline. Cat and the girls are great characters because they are far from average. Their interests alone in varies combat techniques like ju-jitsu and archery make them extremely fascinating to follow along.
their humanism as the story unfolds is recognizable and in many respects shockingly honest. What I loved most and feel many readers could agree, is the intro to the alternate realm. It is chock full with all sorts of gr...more
their humanism as the story unfolds is recognizable and in many respects shockingly honest. What I loved most and feel many readers could agree, is the intro to the alternate realm. It is chock full with all sorts of gr...more
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Nicole MacDonald is the Independent author of The Arrival, and, Awakening, the first two books in the BirthRight Trilogy. Writing had never been a life long dream for her but it now is an all consuming passion.
A proud Kiwi (New Zealander) Nicole dreams that one day Peter Jackson will be in touch to option the film rights for the BirthRight Trilogy. When she's not daydreaming about that she's worki...more
More about Nicole MacDonald...
A proud Kiwi (New Zealander) Nicole dreams that one day Peter Jackson will be in touch to option the film rights for the BirthRight Trilogy. When she's not daydreaming about that she's worki...more
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May 26, 2012 07:40am
Dec 06, 2012 12:40pm