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91st out of 1,919 books
—
2,532 voters
First Chosen (Tears of Rage #1)
by
M. Todd Gallowglas (Goodreads Author)
On her twenty-first birthday, Julianna frees an ancient god of vengeance, from his thousand-year prison. In his "gratitude," the god names her his high priest and commands her to lead his people to greatness once again. However, it is now a capital crime for any of Julianna's people to worship one of the five ancient gods - the punishment is the destruction of the offender...more
Kindle Edition, 188 pages
Published
June 10th 2011
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In a world where gods and goddesses reign supreme, mortals must choose their path, and which gods they will follow. They must choose carefully, because following some gods can mean death.
On the day of her birth, Julianna Taraen was blessed by a Saent of one of the ancient gods, Grandfather Shadow. He has been banished, forced to endure imprisonment for a thousand years.
He bides his time, waiting for the time when Julianna will call out to him, and free him.
When she finally frees Grandfather Sha...more
On the day of her birth, Julianna Taraen was blessed by a Saent of one of the ancient gods, Grandfather Shadow. He has been banished, forced to endure imprisonment for a thousand years.
He bides his time, waiting for the time when Julianna will call out to him, and free him.
When she finally frees Grandfather Sha...more
Oct 22, 2011
Diana (Offbeat Vagabond)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
adventure,
angels,
demons,
dragons,
epic-fantasy,
fantasy,
gods,
great-heroines,
magic,
werewolves
Review posted here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2011/10/indie-book-review-first-chosen-volume-i.html
I have been lucky enough to be asked to review First Chosen by the author himself. M. Todd Gallowglas. This is a part of the Blog Tour de Force. First Chosen is set in a beautiful dark and epic fantasy world. It is about a girl (a duchess) named Julianna, who has been chosen as the Lord Morigahn (high priest) to protect and lead the Morigahnti (followers of Grandfather Shadow), physically...more
I have been lucky enough to be asked to review First Chosen by the author himself. M. Todd Gallowglas. This is a part of the Blog Tour de Force. First Chosen is set in a beautiful dark and epic fantasy world. It is about a girl (a duchess) named Julianna, who has been chosen as the Lord Morigahn (high priest) to protect and lead the Morigahnti (followers of Grandfather Shadow), physically...more
3.75 Stars!
OK, I probably need to explain the 3.75 star rating. It's an odd number, true, but although I thoroughly enjoyed this story there was something nagging at me while I read it. I finally figured out as I finished and my problem was I wanted a little more. A little more background into the hierarchy of gods, a little more depth into the characters and a little more World-building.
Having said that, this novel did not disappoint me at all. I felt the premise was unique, the battles and ty...more
OK, I probably need to explain the 3.75 star rating. It's an odd number, true, but although I thoroughly enjoyed this story there was something nagging at me while I read it. I finally figured out as I finished and my problem was I wanted a little more. A little more background into the hierarchy of gods, a little more depth into the characters and a little more World-building.
Having said that, this novel did not disappoint me at all. I felt the premise was unique, the battles and ty...more
First Chosen by M. Todd Gallowglas follows the birth and life of Julianna Taraen. At birth she is imbued with the faith of the Saent of Grandfather Shadow as a hidden gift that will come into play at a point later in her life. Because of this unwanted gift her life is visited by tragedy on a regular basis as the Goddess of Lies Yrgaeshkil seeks to manipulate Julianna into using the gift at a time and in a way that will be to her own benefit. The plot is woven very skillfully and I can't really s...more
This story was well thought out & very intricate. It has a great story line & like able characters (including some despicable ones too. ;•) LOLz). I did find it took me a lot longer to read, because I was constantly having to remember who was who & how each character affected the other. There was so much happening so quickly, & so many characters involved in each scene that it took my undivided attention to focus on the extravagant details. If I had had the time to read it straig...more
Very good story indeed. This one came highly recommended, and with very good reason. Strong characters, interesting world, neat but familiar pantheon gods. Not happy it is part of a series... Wasn't expecting that, but oh well. What can you do? If I were going to mass market this book I would have the author rewrite the opening... I find so many foreign, hard (actually I found impossible) to pronounce names daunting, and almost gave up before the story started, which would have been a real loss....more
This book is a captivating, complex read. It is a tale of many realms, creatures and the battle for power. Our central character, Julianna, is headstrong, beautiful and a great character to fall in love with.
Any fan of the genre will be missing out if they do not read this epic tale, and first time readers of fantasy will be sucked in by the descriptive, fast paced writing. It is a dark world of magic, power struggles, Gods, desires, and battles for supremacy.
The characters have substance, and...more
4.5 stars. I love this book and it ended way to quickly! An intriguing world and mythology. The characters were excellent. The fight scenes are fantastic (I wish I could write fight scenes like that!) Happy to hear this is part of a series and I would definitely recommend as a great epic fantasy read.
The missing half a star is me wishing there was a bit more connection to the main characters. The characters themselves were great, however I love to see more of how they are feeling, more emotion....more
The missing half a star is me wishing there was a bit more connection to the main characters. The characters themselves were great, however I love to see more of how they are feeling, more emotion....more
“First Chosen: Tears of Rage” is a dark fantasy ride-of-a-read that centers on the lead female character, Julianna, who finds herself entwined in political and divine intrigue as she summons powerful forces to her aid at her darkest hour. What’s also interesting are the events following the darkest hour; her journey continues, with a complex world of good vs. evil, pushing the danger with bladed action and emotional reaction, part of the greatness of epic stories. My only critique is some confus...more
I attempted to not like this story, starting it out as a "well this should shut my brain down for a while" escapism. I was pleasantly surprised to find this not to be the case. The usage of mythology and the interplay between the celestial beings and humanity was actually quite interesting and different and the characters are such that not only are they subtly nuanced but even the ones that die quickly end up being cared for. The magic as miracles bit is not much more than changing words to have...more
I have been reading for a long time, and can't remember the last time a book drew me in so completely as this one did. With the recent fiction of late falling flat for me, this book renewed my hope that good fantasy was still out there. Mr. Gallowglas has a wonderfully natural story telling style and fantastically fleshed out characters that feel like real people. A great start for anyone who has yet to fall in love with the fantasy genre, and an amazing read for those of us whom have already lo...more
Eh I'm not sure what I'm supposed to take away from this first book in the series.
It was odd, too. I was at 50% on my Kindle and then suddenly it was over, and there was another copy of the same book on there again. Obviously just a mistake with the e-file, but it felt apropos -- the story felt half-told. By the end, I wasn't sure who I was supposed to care about or what story was actually driving me to read the next book.
I kind of like our main character, but I feel like I already understand...more
It was odd, too. I was at 50% on my Kindle and then suddenly it was over, and there was another copy of the same book on there again. Obviously just a mistake with the e-file, but it felt apropos -- the story felt half-told. By the end, I wasn't sure who I was supposed to care about or what story was actually driving me to read the next book.
I kind of like our main character, but I feel like I already understand...more
Sep 19, 2011
Katy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of fantasy w/ rich mythologies and strong world-building
Recommended to Katy by:
M. Todd Gallowglas
Shelves:
ebook
“First Chosen” is a complex story, multi-layered and containing a rich mythology and large amount of world building. I was impressed with the word that Gallowglas has apparently put into creating not only his world, but its various cultures, mythologies, religions and even languages. The rich interactions of his characters fill the story with a sense that you know these people and you grow to care very much what happens to them.
I can’t really explain the plot too well without spoiling some of th...more
I can’t really explain the plot too well without spoiling some of th...more
I love fantasy novels and I especially enjoy reading ones from new authors and this one certainly stands out. To put it simply, it's a truly great read. I must admit to being somewhat confused in places at the start, but it was hardly anything to moan about.
There are some really interesting characters in this book and Julianna would have to be my favorite. She, to put it bluntly,rocks! The whole premise of the book is fascinating and the ability to peer into souls is awesome!
A truly entertaining...more
There are some really interesting characters in this book and Julianna would have to be my favorite. She, to put it bluntly,rocks! The whole premise of the book is fascinating and the ability to peer into souls is awesome!
A truly entertaining...more
I am of course a bit biased in regards to the works of M Todd Gallowglas. That being said this is a good story with compelling characters and not a cookie cutter fantasy. I like that the female character has not fallen into any stereotypes that I abhore and that the story has a good pace to it.
First Chosen grabbed me from the beginning and never let go. Its a great tale of love and loss, friendship and betrayal. Definitely a must read for any Sci-Fi/Fantasy book reader. I will definitely be reading many more books by M. Todd Gallowglas in the future.
The unique theology in the world of First Chosen grabbed me right away. Gallowglas paints characters with such rich detail that I regretted the deaths of minor characters more than the main characters in most books. I couldn't put it down, and I can't wait to read the next installment.
Read the full review at http://sciyourfi.blogspot.com/2012/01...
I enjoyed reading this book. It is the first in a series and am planing to read each of them.
Wow! Fresh approach to mythology, loved how it was so real. I will be reading more of this series.
A new and interesting twist on traditional fantasy lore. Good start to a series. Can't wait to start the next part and see how it continues.
I couldn't quite give First Chosen full stars, because it started out slow. There was a great deal of background, and lore to push out. Normally, I like that, but in this case I feel it could be done more elegantly.
However, once the book got rolling, it was wonderful. The characters were rich, and interesting. The politics of the gods, and various other beings was delightful.
Overall, great book, I'd definitely recommend it.
However, once the book got rolling, it was wonderful. The characters were rich, and interesting. The politics of the gods, and various other beings was delightful.
Overall, great book, I'd definitely recommend it.
I read this book for the first time a few weeks ago. I recently reread it and found that I love it even more. If you are a fan of fantasy books, you should defiantly pick up this book. The story sucks you in and grabs a hold of you, and it doesn't let go. First Chosen isn't just a book - it is a window into another world.
Nov 25, 2012
Angela
marked it as to-read
trying to read.. I get frustrated with tying to keep track of who is who. I pick it up to read, get a chapter or so and put it down.. so i guess i dont really like it, or my attention span sucks. i will eventually finish this book and the next one seeing that i downloaded both of them to my kindle. who knows maybe the next book will be better.
May 17, 2013
Diana
is currently reading it
May 16, 2013
Beke
marked it as to-read
May 15, 2013
Jared Roberts
is currently reading it
May 14, 2013
Cristina
marked it as to-read
May 14, 2013
Bethany Lovell
marked it as to-read
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blog Tour de Force | 1 | 2 | Oct 20, 2011 09:52pm | |
| Q&A with M. T...: First Chosen | 1 | 10 | Aug 13, 2011 12:56pm | |
| Favorite Character | 1 | 3 | Jun 21, 2011 12:46pm |
M Todd Gallowglas has been a professional storyteller at Renaissance Faires and Medieval Festivals for over twenty years. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University in 2009, he used his storytelling show as a platform to launch his fiction career. He is the author of the Tears of Rage and Halloween Jack series, which have spent time on various best...more
More about M. Todd Gallowglas...
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