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Eolyn

by Karin Rita Gastreich (Goodreads Author)

4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 · rating details · 40 ratings · 17 reviews

From PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "Vigorously told deceptions and battle scenes will satisfy fans of traditional epic fantasy with a romantic thread." Sole heiress to a forbidden craft, Eolyn lives in a world where women of her kind are tortured and burned. When she meets Achim, destined to assume the throne of this violent realm, she embarks upon a path of adventure, friendship, be...more

Hardcover, 328 pages

Published May 6th 2011 by Hadley Rille Books (first published January 1st 2011)

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Apr 25, 2013 A.E. Marling added it

Shelves: fantasy

If you’re looking for a YA fantasy about a witch burning her world’s sexism at the stake, then Eolyn might be for you. The tale is alive with nature magic, beautiful prose, and sensuality.

The story begins with a fairy-tale aura, a girl in the woods chasing the spirit of her lost mother. Eolyn is born into a family of witches, “magas” as they are called, in a world shackled by prejudice. Women fear to leave their homes or try any profession, lest a competitor brands them as a witch. The ruling ma...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Like a spider creates a web, Karin Rita Gastreich, builds a complex world in her high fantasy novel, Eolyn. With a likable heroine and hero, well developed secondary characters and good dialogue, I was transported to a world full of magic I never wanted to leave. Fully engaging my emotions, Ms. Gastreich created a reading experience I won't forget any time soon.

As this tale begins, Eoly...more I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Like a spider creates a web, Karin Rita Gastreich, builds a complex world in her high fantasy novel, Eolyn. With a likable heroine and hero, well developed secondary characters and good dialogue, I was transported to a world full of magic I never wanted to leave. Fully engaging my emotions, Ms. Gastreich created a reading experience I won't forget any time soon.

As this tale begins, Eolyn and her older brother are being raised by their parents in a small rural community. Loving her "nature" hikes through the woods with her mother, Eolyn is slowly being taught the basics of natural magic. It's only when her family is destroyed that Eolyn learns the danger of learning magic, and the dangers of being a female in possession of any knowledge. Seeking refuge in the woods, Eolyn is taken in by an older Maga, whose presence and teachings will forever change her life.

Born to a King, who is both a warrior and a Mage, and his Maga princess, Prince Akmael is expected to follow in his father's footsteps. With the kingdom being ruled by strength and the magic of the Mages, Akmael is not quite what his chief tutor is expecting; he's independent, bright and magically gifted. He's also lonely and good at keeping secrets.

When fate brings Eolyn and Akmael together as children, neither one knows how important their bond will become or that they'll end up on opposite sides of a future battle. Even as their friendship grows and blossoms into early love, Akmael fears for Eolyn's safety - if his father's soldiers and mages find her practicing magic, she could be found guilty of violating the king's law and being burned at the stake. Ms. Gastreich does a wonderful job providing us with the experiences they have together in the woods, and then the experiences they each have individually when they begin to go separate directions. As Akmael is forced to take on more responsibilities in the Kingdom and is given further instructions by the mages, Eolyn begins her own journey to discover her destiny and begins to try to bring the old magical ways back. Even if she has to move slowly and secretly at first.

As the political and magical machinations of others around them continue to escalate, Eolyn and her new found friends become the opposition. They see no reason for women not to be trained to be whatever they want to be and it soon becomes clear the war between the mages and magas is far from over. As Akmael is forced to face the growing treachery among the mages - he'll have to make a choice too.

Will Eolyn and Akmael's friendship and early love lead to their salvation or their destruction? And what will the future hold for them both? You'll have to read Eolyn to find out, I enjoyed this and can't wait to read the next book, High Maga, due out in 2012. I do want to caution romance readers that while there is some romance in this book - this is not a romantic fantasy - most of the focus of this story is on the destiny and future of the world the two primary characters live in. (less)

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Feb 17, 2012 Julia Dvorin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, spec-fic-chicks

Eolyn, the debut novel by Karin Rita Gastreich, is an epic fantasy adventure with rich worldbuilding and a strong romance subplot, is the eponymous story of a girl who is the last remaining maga (trained magic-user) of a long tradition of women’s magic in a world which has brutally purged and repressed that tradition. She survives an attack on her village, takes refuge in the ancient woods with an old crone who has also survived the purges, and is trained in the arts of magic. While growing up,...more Eolyn, the debut novel by Karin Rita Gastreich, is an epic fantasy adventure with rich worldbuilding and a strong romance subplot, is the eponymous story of a girl who is the last remaining maga (trained magic-user) of a long tradition of women’s magic in a world which has brutally purged and repressed that tradition. She survives an attack on her village, takes refuge in the ancient woods with an old crone who has also survived the purges, and is trained in the arts of magic. While growing up, she meets a mysterious boy in the woods who comes and goes; he too is learning magic. They become friends and as they grow, begin to have inklings that they could be more than friends to one another. But when Eolyn undertakes her final training in High Magic, their paths must part, though both swear to see each other again.

Eolyn’s mentor dies and leaves her alone, so that she must leave the forest that has sheltered them and go out into the world. She meets and joins up with a troupe of performers led by a mage, all the while hiding who she truly is. But secrets can’t be kept forever and the forces of rebellion and civil war begin to swirl around her and her companions. Eolyn must make tough choices and stay true to herself and her commitment to her magic, even when she discovers who her childhood love has become: the powerful Mage-King of this country who has systematically destroyed women like her.

As a reader, there are certain topics or themes I really like in a book, certain tropes I particularly love no matter how many times I encounter them. Eolyn has a great many of my favorite fantasy tropes: innocent girls with good morals and big destinies, strong women surviving in and subverting an oppressive system, love of forests and the natural world, wise mentors, star-crossed lovers, dragons, circus performers, tough decisions, sacrifices for the greater good, bad guys who think they’re doing the right thing, complex magic systems...I could go on and on. The thing that made this book a joy to read and not just another familiar, commonplace fantasy novel is that each of these tropes were thoughtfully and deftly handled by Gastreich, often tweaked in satisfying and unexpected ways, and not just invoked as trite clichés that don’t offer anything new or interesting to a reader. The characters were dimensional and sometimes flawed, and they and their motivations generally felt realistic (even the villains had justifiable-to-them reasons for doing what they did, which I appreciate). Even the setting is an enjoyable, thorough, well-thought out, realistic and richly detailed version of your standard medieval European fantasy world. It made me want to explore it more and find out more about some of the things that Gastreich only offers tantalizing hints about in passing.

I especially appreciated the feminist themes and questions of this book, which echo real life themes and questions in our world. (And isn’t that precisely what good speculative fiction should do?) In the context of this particular fantasy world, Gastreich comments on sexism, sexuality, autonomy and personal choices, work vs. relationships, our relationship to our bodies and the natural world, and more. Her romance between Eolyn and the Mage-King feels true in its messiness and difficulties, and not just like a stereotypical fairytale.

The only trope/part of the book that wasn’t fabulously successful to me was the part where we discover that Eolyn’s brother—whom she thought dead—is the one leading the rebellion against the Mage-King, and the inevitable pitting of her loyalty to her brother against her loyalty to her new friends, her loyalty to her magic, and her feelings about the man she thinks she loves. To me at least, the brother, Ernan, wasn’t quite as dimensional or interesting of a character as the others, and thus I felt less engaged in Eolyn’s choices around what to do and whom to do it with. Because the whole rebellion seemed to spring up quickly and without a lot of buildup, I also felt a little rushed into the last part of the book, with its epic battle scenes and heroic trip to the underworld (even though they were beautifully written). Considering that this feels like “epic” fantasy, it’s actually a relatively short book—I would have liked to spend a little more time in this world and with these characters before getting to the big climax.

Overall Impressions:

I very much enjoyed this book. As I said before, this book really “hit my buttons” as a fantasy reader, and if you like well written epic fantasy, romance, and the same tropes I like (innocent girls with good morals and big destinies, strong women surviving in and subverting an oppressive system, love of forests and the natural world, wise mentors, star-crossed lovers, dragons, circus performers, tough decisions, sacrifices for the greater good, bad guys who think they’re doing the right thing, complex magic systems, etc.), you’ll like it too.(less)

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Feb 16, 2012 Gemma Seymour-Amper rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: most-treasured

Here is the review I posted to Amazon:

I came to "Eolyn", oddly enough, by a Google Image Search, where I found the cover art, was intrigued, and decided to investigate, and I am very, very glad that I did so. "Eolyn" is the sort of book that comes along rarely in this genre, a book from a small press by a little-known author that while paying solid tribute to the forms of the past manages to chart interesting territory nonetheless. Downloading the Kindle sample, it took only two pages into Chapt...more Here is the review I posted to Amazon:

I came to "Eolyn", oddly enough, by a Google Image Search, where I found the cover art, was intrigued, and decided to investigate, and I am very, very glad that I did so. "Eolyn" is the sort of book that comes along rarely in this genre, a book from a small press by a little-known author that while paying solid tribute to the forms of the past manages to chart interesting territory nonetheless. Downloading the Kindle sample, it took only two pages into Chapter 2 before I hit the quote that is the title of my review and was hooked. I purchased the Kindle version, but when you read the rest of my review, you will understand why I am planning on also purchasing the hardcover edition.

A cautionary note: The cover is of the sort of artwork that I would tend to expect to find on a young adult fantasy novel, and while at first the title character's age is unclear, it is clear that she is young, and soon we find that she is nine years old at the beginning of the book. This may lead some to conclude that this is a children's book. It is, put bluntly, not; Eolyn's early years are merely the set-up. The bulk of the story takes place after Eolyn reaches the age of 20, and adult themes of sexism, sexuality, coercion, and violence feature centrally in the plot.

I believe that I am going to have to read this book several times over to fully grasp its elegance.

In the grand tradition of many previous fantasy novels, our heroine occupies a world in which the gods had granted magic of various forms to the people, but bound them not to allow their rulers to practice magic, so as to avoid the conjoining of both magical and civil power in one person. This stricture is broken, and Tzeremond, a mage of great ambition and even greater enmity teaches Prince Kedehen in the ways of High Magic. Battle lines are drawn, war erupts, and in the process, the Old Orders of both Mages (male) and Magas (female), who have risen up in protest of the new King's magical power, are utterly destroyed. The few who escape death go into hiding or flee to foreign lands. The practice of magic by women becomes outlawed by the King and Tzeremond, and a new age of patriarchal domination follows. The King, however, has captured the Maga Briana, and coerced her into bearing his child, Akmael.

In the purges that follow the war, where Kedehen and Tzeremond seek to ensure that all women with the gift of magic are hunted down and killed, Eolyn's mother feels the frustration of remaining in hiding, and leaves the village where she had lain hidden in order to confront her fate, but she is discovered, and the King's Riders raze her village. Nine-year-old Eolyn, warned by her now-dead mother's spirit, escapes to the forest, where she encounters the Maga Doyenne Ghemena, who while living in hiding deep within the forest, tutors Eolyn in the ways of the Old Orders. During these years, she befriends a boy of her own age who she meets in the forest unbeknownst to Ghemena, a boy who is also study magic under the Mage Tzeremond, a boy who she knows only by the name Achem, but who is in reality, the Prince Akmael, who witnessed the death of his mother at the hands of one of her fellow Magas. The two are parted for several years when they each must dedicate their teenage years to their respective studies in High Magic. Eventually, Eolyn must leave the forest and face the task of restoring the magic of the Magas to her people.

True to her mother's words, during nearly every stage of Eolyn's life, the path of her life is a wandering path that brings her to new experiences, and each step reveals the way to the next stage of her life. Eolyn falls in with a band of rebel practitioners of magic, and though she conceals the extent of her magical abilities from them, she is uncovered during a festival in the King's City where she is forced to choose between allowing a comrade to perish, or reveal her powers. She is arrested, and taken to the King, whom she discovers to be her beloved Achem, but twisted beyond recognition. Akmael releases her against the wishes of Tzeremond, and here we begin to see that Akmael is playing a deeper game than Tzeremond, who believes his former pupil in in perfect agreement with his ambitions, suspects.

It is not long before Eolyn, against the deepest wishes of her teacher, becomes the heart of an armed rebellion against Akmael, a rebellion led by her brother, Ernan, who managed to escape the destruction of their village so long ago, and has returned to his homeland a seasoned warrior. It is less long still until Akmael marches in full force with his army of Knights and Mages to crush them once and for all. But, what is the true game which Akmael seeks to win? What role will the bonds between Akmael and Eolyn ultimately play? And who was Eolyn's mother?

The threads woven throughout "Eolyn" are not, as with most other books in this genre, neatly tied off and snipped, and they do not form a perfect tapestry depicting "Happily Ever After". Some of the most important characters in the story are portrayed as complex personae with ambiguous morality and hidden motivations that are never revealed. It is this aspect of the book that readers will find at once disturbing and disturbingly realistic. It is hard to determine who truly "wins" in the end, if anyone can indeed said to "win" in the end, but perhaps the genre has seen enough of Fantasy, per se, enough of "Happily Ever After", and perhaps it is this which lends the book more strength and poignancy than most.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough, and it has already earned a place on my "Most Treasured" shelf. It is in a class of its own, and I hope to read more soon from Karin Rita Gastreich. A sequel, "High Maga", is planned for release in 2013. (less)

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Jan 07, 2012 DelSheree rated it 5 of 5 stars

High fantasy isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but Eolyn is a different story. What turns a lot of people off of fantasy is complex magic systems, outlandish characters, epic journeys that last forever, and long drawn out backstories. While Eolyn captures the basic elements of fantasy very well, she dodged the bits that make people shy away.

Eolyn is the journey of a young woman whose life has been torn apart by war. Running from further cruelty, Eolyn is set upon a path that changes the path of not...more High fantasy isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but Eolyn is a different story. What turns a lot of people off of fantasy is complex magic systems, outlandish characters, epic journeys that last forever, and long drawn out backstories. While Eolyn captures the basic elements of fantasy very well, she dodged the bits that make people shy away.

Eolyn is the journey of a young woman whose life has been torn apart by war. Running from further cruelty, Eolyn is set upon a path that changes the path of not only her destiny, but that of an entire kingdom. While trying to unravel her destiny Eolyn discovers more than she ever imagined. Magic, friendship, betrayal, death, and love are her companions on her journey.

One of my favorite aspects of the first part of the book is watching Eolyn grow up. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I don’t usually like this approach because of the choppy, rushed feel the “growing up” chapters usually exhibit. This was not the case in Eolyn. Karin did a wonderful job of starting off the book from a young girl’s point of view. The innocence of Eolyn was expressed in her unfailing belief in the around her. This was made even better by the hints Karin gave through other characters eyes that maybe the people ein Eolyn’s life were not as pure as she believed. It was a fabulous tactic that lead into the later chapters were Eolyn is forced to confront lies and deceptions.

As Eolyn grows there was a subtle progression of her character from naïve child to a more understanding young woman. The change is not complete, of course, or Eolyn would see future conflicts too easily, but it is realistic.

Woven throughout the story is the love story of Eolyn and Akmael. While the story in general was beautifully written, the innocence of secret childhood friends turned into lovers on opposite sides of a war enhances every aspect of the story. In the beginning their relationship is sweet tempered by lies. As it grows it turns more passionate, but held off by circumstance and fear. In the end…well I don’t want to spoil too much, but trust me, it is a beautiful and heart wrenching love story from the first day.

In the background of love, lies, and battle are the descriptions of the world in which Eolyn lives. Vivid descriptions have long been a tradition in high fantasy, but Karin managed to resist the four and five page cataloging of every single detail some authors get trapped by, and keeps her painting of the surroundings simple yet captivating. In her interview Karin mentioned wanting to give people who have never had the chance to experience the forest a chance to do so in Eolyn, and she was successful. The descriptions of the South Woods and the journey to the King’s City are difficult not to get sucked into. You’ll find yourself reading a little slower just to take it all in.

Overall, I really loved joining Eolyn on her journey. My only critique-and this is really just a personal preference-is that I thought the book could have ended a little sooner. I say this not because I didn’t find the final few chapters fascinating and beautiful (especially the last scene) but because the battle and excursion to the underworld were so breathtaking and climactic that the final chapters felt slow in comparison. Having read the first few chapter of book to I thought it might have been interesting to have seen the book end after the battle and insert the final chapters of book one into book two. Like I said, this was by no means a flaw in the book, just my thoughts. For those of you who have read my work, you know I like things to end on a dramatic note!

Eolyn was a beautiful story, one I highly recommend.

Check out my other reviews and author interviews at www.theediblebookshelf.blogspot.com (less)

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Dec 09, 2011 Eliabeth Hawthorne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, romance

Fear and prejudice against female magic in a corrupt kingdom leads to an attempt to purge female magic from the kingdom and the destruction of Eolyn's entire villiage. Led by her mother's spirit, Eolyn finds the hidden dwelling of Ghemena, one of the last surviving Maga. Ghemena takes Eolyn in and teaches her the ways of old. Meanwhile, the sole heir to the throne is a mage prince. Mourning the passing of his mother, he fiddles with one of the gifts she left behind and appears at Eolyn's side.Th...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Carlyle Clark rated it 5 of 5 stars

Eolyn, Karin Gastreich's debut novel, is an excellent example of the other breed of Epic Fantasy epitomized by the works of Guy Gavriel Kay, which is to say, not the traditional "unlikely but fated and/or prophesied hero must face the dreaded return of dark lord." Instead, Gastreich's Eolyn focuses on the emotional, political, and physical conflicts between powerful and three-dimensional characters. You don't have any villains who do villainy because, well, that's just what villains do. Each cha...more

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May 13, 2011 Terri-lynne Defino rated it 5 of 5 stars

There are few things better than curling up under a blanket, in front of a fire to read a great adventure tale--unless it's lounging in the sun to read a great adventure tale. Whatever the season or weather, you won't notice once you start reading Eolyn, by Karin Rita Gastreich. When it's summer within the story, you'll feel the heat, smell the warmed earth and flowers. When it's winter, you'll feel the chill down to your bones. Ms. Gastreich's uncanny talent for truly creating a world her reade...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Trish Heinrich rated it 3 of 5 stars

THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS!!!!

"Eolyn" has strands of epic fantasy and romance that satisfied my love of romantic adventure. Having read the first few chapters of this book when it was work-shopped on tNBW, I was really excited to see how the story turned out.

The first few hundred pages focus on Eolyn as a child, her education into the now forbidden magic of her ancestors and her friendship with Achim/Akmael, the Prince of a Kingdom that kills women who possess magic.
This part of the book was charm...more THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS!!!!

"Eolyn" has strands of epic fantasy and romance that satisfied my love of romantic adventure. Having read the first few chapters of this book when it was work-shopped on tNBW, I was really excited to see how the story turned out.

The first few hundred pages focus on Eolyn as a child, her education into the now forbidden magic of her ancestors and her friendship with Achim/Akmael, the Prince of a Kingdom that kills women who possess magic.
This part of the book was charming, full of rich world building. Gastreich was able to weave recognizable bits of fairy tale, folklore and legend into the stories that surrounded Eolyn's childhood and education of her mystical inheritance. There's also a very strong thread of Feminism that runs through this book; and I mean that in an awesomely good way. Women being stripped of their magic has thrown the kingdom into a terrible imbalance, it's robbed the people of their magic as a people. It's subtly done, and it really moved me. Valuing the "magic" of men and women in our world today would solve a lot of societies ills I think.

Though this part of the book is virtually devoid of any fighting, it moved a good pace, covering Eolyn and Achim's childhood and early adolescense with very little drag on the story. Though this part was rich in detail and I thought beautifully written, I do think it went on a little longer than necessary.

The middle part was my absolute favorite; I almost think Gastreich could've started the story here, making Eolyn's identity as much a mystery to us as it is to the rest of her new friends. Once Eolyn leaves her sacred forest and becomes a member of The Circle; a group of traveling performers and secret Mages and Magas, the story really picked up I thought. The characters were so rich and intriguing, I absolutely loved them. I wanted to know more about them, wanted to see more of them, in particular Mage Corey. This character was mysterious, sensual and someone I was dying to get to know better. I must say, I even liked him better than Achim as a love interest for Eolyn, though that never happens. For me this was some of the most tense, intriguing and best written parts of the book.

The transition into the last 1/3 of the book felt a bit off to me. There's very little foundation laid for a transition into a full on rebellion. Even though it's obvious a show down is coming, and that it will likely be a battle between Eolyn's forces and Achim's, the transition into this part of the book felt very abrupt to me, and the tone changed along with it. We are suddenly introduced to Eolyn's not so dead brother, and she's suddenly thrown into the middle of the rebellion as a leader. I would've liked a few more clues thrown in about her brother in particular, even if it would've given away the surprise because it was very jolting to suddenly have him alive and to me it's part of what felt very off about the story.

Akmael and Eolyn's lust/love for each other is a heat that is felt throughout the book, and towards the end is built to a fever pitch. Though Gastreich doesn't go into the details, you feel their passion. Though Akmael becomes a very different man than the boy Eolyn knew, and by different I mean dark, dangerous and often times dickish (in other words the sometimes perfect romantic hero) I still wanted them together. This is absolutely because of the way Gastreich wrote them. They were so very real to me, I cared a great deal about them; especially Eolyn. Towards the end, when the battle is done, and Akmael saves Eolyn from a fate way far worse than death, Eolyn has recovered and has (understandably) mixed feelings of love and bitterness toward Akmael. I expected a reconciliation, but to be honest Akmael had done so much to hurt Eolyn in such a deep way that I did not believe it was possible; and a part of me would've been ok with that in spite of wanting them together. The scene of reconciliation fell a bit flat for me, and I think that's because after all the sexual tension that has built up the only thing that is seen is a kiss and that felt incredibly unsatisfying.

All in all, I really liked this book, and am going to recommend that The Discriminating Fangirl read this, I think it's right up their ally.
Great job Rita, you should be bursting with pride. (less)

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Jan 28, 2012 Shauna rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fantasy readers

This fantasy is set in a world in women's magic has been brutally repressed, leading to women themselves being oppressed. The heroine is one of the few who survived the purges of maga, and she becomes the most powerful practitioner of women's magic in the land, although she must hide it or be executed. I won't give away more of the plot than that, other than to say that I was surprised at many turns. Although rooted in traditional fantasy, EOLYN stretches and breaks the bounds in many ways, lead...more

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Feb 09, 2012 Jack rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

I came upon this book because the author is a member of the Dead Horse Society, whom I have been meeting with recently. I am not a big fan of fantasy novels, but chose to give it a shot because of the author. I was not disappointed. The book was well-written, especially towards the end when the conflict truly escalated. The book could be seen from a feminist interpretation and contains many strong female characters. It is an entertaining fantasy book and a quick read. I recommend it to fans of t...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Camille rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, look-for-sequel

I really enjoyed this book, largely because of its fairytale-esque storyline and also because Eolyn is a very strong female protagonist. The author does a great job of weaving magic and intrigue into the story, and all the characters, even the "bad" guys, are dynamic and well rounded. I really appreciate that the author goes beyond merely telling a black-and-white story of good vs. evil--the author paints a complex story that emphasizes the notion that perspective is everything and that when per...more I really enjoyed this book, largely because of its fairytale-esque storyline and also because Eolyn is a very strong female protagonist. The author does a great job of weaving magic and intrigue into the story, and all the characters, even the "bad" guys, are dynamic and well rounded. I really appreciate that the author goes beyond merely telling a black-and-white story of good vs. evil--the author paints a complex story that emphasizes the notion that perspective is everything and that when perspective is considered, no one is ever quite as evil and we'd like to believe. In this respect, the author weaves a reflection of reality in with fairy tale, a beautiful combination of the fantastical with realism.

I have to say, though, that the fantasy-reality combination stopped short in the author's portrayal of sex--the topic of sex is portrayed in a one-dimensional, fairytale-like way. I think the author is asking for criticism by delving into a controversial topic that so many people have differing, strong opinions about. It seems that current culture puts a huge emphasis personal sexual readiness as well as finding personal meaning in sex, and perhaps the book's reversal of these prevalent views is why I was caught so off-guard: the ritual of sex mandatorily begins at the young age of 15, places focus on the "gods" instead of the individuals who are involved in the act, and takes place between who people who may or may not care about each other or even know each other. And as nice as it would be to believe that sex is only about pleasure and that free-love beginning at a young age has no lasting aftermath, life and love are never quite that simple. Sex complicates relationships much more than the author lets on, and the author's pretty packaging of love and sex, IMO, is simply not reflective of reality. But then again, I guess this is supposed to be just a fairy tale.

Overall, I appreciate the fun, magical storyline, and I like that empathy is begged of nearly every character. Eolyn is a strong female lead who can hold her own (although I must admit, I would have preferred **spoiler** Eolyn to save herself in the end instead of needing prince charming to come save the day). I will certainly be looking out for the sequel, as it will be interesting to see how the author further develops each character and continues to unravel the plot.

**I received this book from Goodreads giveaways(less)

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Jun 20, 2011 Dane Grannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

I want to preface this by saying that I know Karin through the Dead Horse Society Writing Group in Kansas City. I've been reading the sequel in our critique group.

As a middle-aged man, I don't feel like I'm the true demographic for this novel. I rarely read novels with a young female protagonist. It is a challenge for me to relate.

The book starts with a gripping sequence. There are many important bits of information which are necessary to understand the narrative, and they are given in just enou...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Jeanne Bannon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent read. Karin is a wonderful author and has such a fluid, beautiful way with words. Eolyn is very well written and I recommend it to fans of fantasy and high magic.

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Dec 15, 2011 J.a. Campbell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

This book is beautifully written. The imagery is so intense you really feel like you are in that world. The story and characters are engaging. I highly highly recommend this book.

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Jun 24, 2011 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

i'd give this 3.5. standard fantasy fare.

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Feb 21, 2013 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this refreshing fantasy.

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May 07, 2013 faeriecrone rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Shelves: witches-and-wizards

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SciFi and Fantasy...: All Heroines of Fantasy titles on sale for $0.99 (Nook and Kindle)	1	11	Sep 04, 2012 06:31am
Q&A with Kari...: Is there life after EOLYN?	3	5	Jun 17, 2012 08:28am
Q&A with Kari...: * Introduce yourself!	8	7	Jun 17, 2012 08:26am
SciFi and Fantasy...: Adventure. Magic. Betrayal. War.	4	29	May 02, 2012 08:22am
Q&A with Kari...: The Origin of Magic	5	6	Apr 22, 2012 09:17am
Q&A with Kari...: Why Eolyn?	1	4	Apr 17, 2012 02:42pm

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About Karin Rita Gastreich

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KARIN lives in Kansas City and Costa Rica. She is an ecologist and professor of biology at Avila University, and a recipient of the Spring 2011 Andrews Forest Writers Residency. The relationship between characters and their environment is a central theme of her work in fantasy fiction.

Her publications include the novel Eolyn, availabl...more

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