Tranquility's Blaze (Tales of Tranquility, #1)

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Tranquility's Blaze (Tales of Tranquility, #1)

by Krista D. Ball (Goodreads Author)

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 17 ratings · 10 reviews

"What will I do? What I do best. I'll find him and I'll kill him. And then I'll kill Garran's murderer." Even if the killer is my sister. A half-breed and a female, Lady Bethany clawed her way to the ranks of the Elven Service's top military elite. They only knew her as their champion against Magic, and not the daughter of a Goddess. She'd expected a long, rewarding life p...more

ebook, 260 pages

Published April 17th 2012 by Mundania Press LLC

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Sep 05, 2012 Nenia Campbell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: x-2012s, arc-stands-for-a-readers-xmas, x-series-bk-1, first-reads

goodreads giveaway authors could take a page from ms. ball's book. when i received tranquility's blaze in the mail, after much squeeing and rejoicing, i said to myself, "huh. i'm going to need a bookmark for this." and right as i began to sift through my wastebasket for scraps of paper, i realized that ms. ball had included a bookmark. how considerate! in fact, she seems like a very hilarious, very nice lady. her bio at the end made me laugh: "...is hiding from necromancers. better safe than dea...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lady Bethany is the first Lady Champion of the Knights. And she has a secret that will destroy her if it ever gets out. But when her sister, Sarissa goes mad from Magic use and tries to destroy everything Bethany holds dear, she has no choice but to embrace her true nature. Even if it means unleashing her own powers on an unsuspecting world.

Tranquility's Blaze is a fantastic, epic fantasy with some of the best characters I've ever read. It's funny and heartbreaking and romantic and brutal at the...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Melissa Hayden rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Oh, I do want more from Bethany and this fantasy world.

***** Full Review *****
In a world where woman are thought to be the baby producers of more males, Bethany holds the third highest position in the most powerful army in the world, The Elven Service of the Silver Knights. She is also much more than anyone realizes, having only a select few know that her blood is mixed with that of a goddess' along with her elf origin as well, these two things and the first born of the Goddess makes Bethany to...more Oh, I do want more from Bethany and this fantasy world.

***** Full Review *****
In a world where woman are thought to be the baby producers of more males, Bethany holds the third highest position in the most powerful army in the world, The Elven Service of the Silver Knights. She is also much more than anyone realizes, having only a select few know that her blood is mixed with that of a goddess' along with her elf origin as well, these two things and the first born of the Goddess makes Bethany to fit in a prophecy. Bethany receives an urgent letter during the new spring session of fresh human recruits, a letter that tells of her Kings, and betrothed, death. This is the start of the foretold prophecy and Bethany is thrown off a little by this, as she fears losing what she has built as a normal life for herself. Bethany finds there is one recruit not ready for the service of knight, and finds her heart softens to help this young human who was raised by Elven monks as she helps prepare him for next years recruit time and keeping an eye on him after her vision. Bethany's world might change forever while she fights to prevent the visions she sees, and the magic users, lead by her twin sister, who are coming for her.

Bethany figures out it's her sister who is killing and coming for her with her dark magics. She is the only one that knows enough about the prophecy and who the people are that could fit the pieces, along with the magic notes and happenings; her exiled twin sister. Now, with her "protector" dead Bethany is vulnerable to the Viper, whoever it is, to kill her. And she won't be the liberator of the world as thought. There is a dark magi on the lose and Bethany wants to find him (or her) for the death of Garren, and passing a magic text to an initiate inside the Temple of Tranquil Mercies, home to the Goddess of Apexia.

This has an older fantasy feel to it for me, a deep feeling and meaning behind it, yet there is a newer take to it as well. We have a prophecy, a strong soldier, gods, and magic. We have Bethany, a strong female, and a potential love for her. This love could open her up to understand more than she expected, especially about a people that she grew to hate for what they did in the past. But, how will he react to her heritage, this is why Bethany doesn't want to acknowledge that side of her so she can live as normal a life as possible.

We have a few views of magic here. The magic is described as being dangerous and the dark is deadly to who you are as it eats away inside to take over twisting all thoughts. We have the dark magic, which is used and grown more by Bethany's twin sister, Sarissa. Then we have the Rygents, which are a group of people who's god died for them leaving a touch of his powers in them. They range from healers to those how can see into ones thoughts. And lastly we have the Power which Bethany possesses, being the eldest child to a goddess.

I found I would sit down with my two hour block of reading time and before I knew it, It was gone! And I'm completely bummed I had to stop reading to go to bed so I could get up to do that dreaded work thing in the morning.

This character driven fantasy novel hit the spot for me. I had all I love in fantasy here; magic- good and bad, prophecy the main character is fighting - to just be normal, fighting and bloodshed. Not everything is perfect and happy. And left me wanting to keep reading this series. The world building is done nice and neat through the characters and their personalities and heritage.

We mostly see through Bethany's eyes in the book. But we do get a few different point of views, which are short, but helps us learn about the other characters and Bethany too. They are: Arrago, Sarissa, Apexia, and Amber. Sounds strange, but once you get going, you will see what we learn. I loved the strength in Bethany to be a hard character, but she quickly became one that I thought had more heart to share and she was just afraid to do so. I enjoyed the friendship she has with Javon and Kiner. The three carry one tormenting each other, but also are not afraid to tell Bethany the way it is either, even if it means a fat lip.

I have to mention the chapter headings, or phrases. This has to be parts of the prophecy, and as a fantasy sucker, I LOVE it. I love having these present, and I did go back through just to read them all when I was done.

I ended the story looking forward to the next book. I need more of these characters. I have my suspicions with Arrago. There is more of a reason and bigger plan with him, especially if Apexia is involved. And I want to see where Bethany goes after this fireworks of an ending, it sure ended with a bang.(less)

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Jan 17, 2013 Kay rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. **SPOILER ALERT**

My book reviews are written as a discussion of a book, and not as an advertisement. Please be aware that there may be information that some would consider spoilers and continue on at your own risk!

I couldn't pass up a book about a half elf /human girl who kicks butt...and happens to be the daughter of a goddess. It ended up being an easy book to read with a few bumps...here's what I thought:

Plot

Bethany, a half elf, half human, daughter of a goddess (the elf side), falls in love...more

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Aug 29, 2012 J.w. Schnarr rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is not a YA novel, but young women should be reading it.

The book is set as a classic fantasy with nothing overly shocking or surprising about the setting. You will get what you expect from a fantasy novel in that regard. This book, however, like so many great novels, relies instead on dynamic, interesting characters that draw you into the world they inhabit.

Tranquility's Blaze is something of a new experience for me. Rarely have I read a book with such an unapologetically strong female lead...more This is not a YA novel, but young women should be reading it.

The book is set as a classic fantasy with nothing overly shocking or surprising about the setting. You will get what you expect from a fantasy novel in that regard. This book, however, like so many great novels, relies instead on dynamic, interesting characters that draw you into the world they inhabit.

Tranquility's Blaze is something of a new experience for me. Rarely have I read a book with such an unapologetically strong female lead. Bethany as a main character is a red-headed knight of Valkyrie-esque proportions, and Ball had me hooked on her from beginning to end.

As I was reading, I kept waiting for the crack to appear in her armour. You know, the one where she lets someone in and we find out she's a bowl full of sun-warmed kittens under the claws and teeth. It never really happened, and for that I was grateful. Instead we discover Bethany is capable of both great brutality and great compassion, and Ball wove the two with a precision I haven't seen often.

The love interest in the story, a strapping young man by the name of Arrago, created an interesting dynamic with Bethany. He takes on a more traditionally feminine role in the relationship, a break from the classic warrior vs. warrior animal love trysts seen so often in the genre. He's a soft spoken character, patient, and perfect for the role reversal Ball set them up for. Watching the pair figure out their place in each other's worlds made for some great drama.

There are just a few small things I took issue with in the book, and this is based on personal taste more than anything (and believe it or not, a real reason I don't read a lot of fantasy). The Elven names were sometimes a little too similar for me to casually read through, and I found myself stopping on several occasions wondering which character I was reading. Some of the more dramatic, full scale battles were written with a very tight focal point when I was interested in seeing a larger view of the fights as a whole. It simply meant instead of the large clashes I like reading about were replaced instead with close, one-on-one battles instead that seemed to take away from the epic scale of the confrontations. Again, a personal preference thing entirely.

Anyone who is sick of their daughters reading about girls in love with creepy, stalker boyfriend-type vampires (and by God, I know we ALL are) should definitely pick up Tranquility's Blaze. A great book and I eagerly await the next one.(less)

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Jul 01, 2012 Kevis Hendrickson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I wasn't sure what to think of this novel when I first started it. I'm a fan of the author and find her books to be well-written, witty, and even whimsical at times. But this story was darker and grittier than what I encountered in my previous excursions into Ms. Ball's work. But it was clear from the very outset of the tale that Tranquility's Blaze wouldn't lack for imagination.

As the story unfolded, I was intrigued by the very realistic and convincing quasi-medieval setting. There was a notice...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Nereid rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: june-reading-challenge

I had high expectations for this book and after finishing it last night, I was disappointed. Bethany is the daughter of the prophecy being half human and half goddess and she is third in command at the Elven Military Elite forces. She is a strong no nonsense kind of woman who never had time for love or romance and was more comfortable taking down an enemy soldier. Her younger sister Sarissa who has succumbed to the the evil of magic, been banished and is now determined to kill her sister and the...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Edwin Downward rated it 5 of 5 stars

I had the privileged of reading a small part of the earliest drafts of this novel. When I got word Tranquility's Blaze had been accepted for publication I couldn't wait for a chance to see how it turned out. It has more than lived up to the promise. From the angst filled opening to bittersweet conclusion, it kept we hungering to see where Krista would take the story next.

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Dec 04, 2012 Tina Hunter rated it 5 of 5 stars

I very much enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to the next two books in the series. The world is well built and Bethany is a very strong heroine. I really like her.

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Jul 04, 2012 Rick rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was drawn into the book by the characters; both their weaknesses and strengths. Interesting extrapolation of magic vs clergy/knights. Fast read for me - kept my interest.

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Shelves: do-not-own

Apr 04, 2013 Ashley rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Shelves: ethical-authors, author-supports-readers

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Jan 15, 2013 Kevin marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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Shelves: to-read-2

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Shelves: to-read-owned

Dec 27, 2012 Tyche Books rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dec 13, 2012 Michael marked it as amazon-wish-list · review of another edition

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Shelves: maybe-read-more-research-needed

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Tranquility's Blaze (Tales of Tranquility, #1)

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