Warprize (Chronicles of the Warlands, #1) by Elizabeth Vaughan

Mar 18, 2009 new_user rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

Warprize disappointed me. I had my first clue a few pages in when I realized the prose I could expect would be basic at best, for a romantic fantasy.

While I liked the premise of Warprize and Vaughan's grasp of relationships and human dynamics, the plot was mild, with little conflict to speak of and thus, little suspense or action or even upset. It's all very ho-hum.

I liked the hero Keir -he was to all appearances strong and charming and everything nice, an admittedly refreshing change from the...more Warprize disappointed me. I had my first clue a few pages in when I realized the prose I could expect would be basic at best, for a romantic fantasy.

While I liked the premise of Warprize and Vaughan's grasp of relationships and human dynamics, the plot was mild, with little conflict to speak of and thus, little suspense or action or even upset. It's all very ho-hum.

I liked the hero Keir -he was to all appearances strong and charming and everything nice, an admittedly refreshing change from the normal gamut of romance heroes- but we only know him superficially, through the heroine's eyes. For those who don't like first person narratives, Warprize embodies all that form's weaknesses. Readers are treated to a painstaking list of the heroine's every mundanity in a flood of monotony:

"I...went into the bathing area to remove the dress carefully. I tried to fold it, but the material slipped and slid, the dress ending up on the floor every time. Tired, frustrated and upset, I finally gave up and left it lay on one of the benches. A tunic and trous were set out for me, and I climbed into them for sleeping. After washing out my undergarments, I washed up quickly. My hair was windblown from the tower and the ride, so I gathered up a comb and returned to the other room to try to deal with the tangled mess."

Was her editor unavailable that day? I've heard my GoodReads friends describe first person narratives as journal writing. Warprize is journal writing if the writer were a drone. The heroine lists events, lifelessly recounts her reaction in brief (if that) and repeats indefinitely. There is next to no internal dialogue, so we never know the heroine. Since most of these events revolve around her work in the field as a healer, the account becomes excruciatingly repetitive and descends into unnecessary detail (as above). I can't count the number of times I read about Lara brewing fevers foe, but I'm sure a recipe would sum up the book nicely.

I can understand completely when readers question whether Warprize can be called a romance. Since the heroine, or more properly, the disinterested observer, has no feelings, there's no sexual tension or tension of any kind. Nine times out of ten, we see the hero from a distance. He's gone fishing most of the time. Else, we receive only a brief report of his dialogue with a woeful lack of body language, or any insight into Keir's character.

Warprize is certainly not like the passionate romances, explicit and non-explicit, to which I'm accustomed. It is more appropriately an account of a foreigner in an army camp or a remote ballad. I've seen romances with too much inner dialogue where the heroine stews and wrings her hand endlessly. This is the other end of the spectrum entirely. Two-thirds through the book I finally realized, nothing is happening. It's essentially about the heroine learning about her new people and caring for them. A travelogue, in short.

I would recommend this book for someone wanting a calm, mild, relaxed romance with no moral questions, darkness or turbulent emotion. Perhaps on a rainy day. Also, for those wondering, this is PG, maybe 13 for some "kissing" and a vague sex scene. I'm sure this is someone's cuppa. At least the ending was nice.

Just a note: there is no middle-eastern culture. Someone mentioned such a label on the book in another review. Just a clarification. (less)

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Dec 19, 2008 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

With an incompetent king on the throne, the kingdom of Xyian is in danger of falling to the Firelanders who swarm outside the city's gates. Thrust into a war that she can do nothing to prevent, Master Healer Xylara, sister to the king, does what she can to prevent the suffering of the men on both sides of the war. Heedless to her brother's demands that she stop treating the enemy, Xylara continues visiting the prisoners, doing the best she can to ease their conditions, and in doing so, brings he...more With an incompetent king on the throne, the kingdom of Xyian is in danger of falling to the Firelanders who swarm outside the city's gates. Thrust into a war that she can do nothing to prevent, Master Healer Xylara, sister to the king, does what she can to prevent the suffering of the men on both sides of the war. Heedless to her brother's demands that she stop treating the enemy, Xylara continues visiting the prisoners, doing the best she can to ease their conditions, and in doing so, brings herself to the attention of the great Warlord himself. If Xyian wishes peace, he demands tribute in the form of Xylara. Proclaimed the Warprize and hailed by the Firelanders, she's told by her spineless brother that she will be nothing but a slave, brought to the Warlord for his pleasure. With a heavy heart, she allows herself to be carried off to the enemy camp, fearful of the future. With miscommunication heavy between them and an enemy intent on destroying the tenuous peace between their two lands, Lara and the Warlord hardly have time to explore the budding desire between them, but explore it they must. For the peace and prosperity of two nations rests on the off chance that the Warlord can claim Lara's heart.

This was such a fabulously interesting romantic fantasy done entirely in Lara's POV. I thought this was different and a nice change of pace from what I normally read. While there was a nice romantic element in this story, most of this book is about the cultural gaps between the Xyians and Firelanders and if they will ever be able to bridge them. The antagonist of this story was a little pathetic and it was obvious it was him, but I didn't care. I was mostly interested in the incredible worldbuilding. My absolute favorite part were the "pattern dances" that go on during the middle part of the book. They are intricately choreographed dances that were beautifully described. That part of the story just came to life for me and I enjoyed it immensely. There was alot of humorous little bits running throughout this story, least of which, everyone ignoring Lara's continued pleas that someone call her by her name, instead of constantly referring to her as the Warprize. My only drawback was that I wished this story had more romance in it, a few more one on one interactions between Keir and Lara, but there are two more books in this series so hopefully I can get more from those.

Keir, known as the Warlord, was a magnificent male specimen. Your typical rough, tough and brawny warrior who lays claim to his Warprize. He constantly tried to be thoughtful and respectful and was almost too good to be true with his understanding and courteous treatment of Lara. While he doubtlessly wished he could spend his days lounging in naked splendor with his Warprize, he did have a war camp to run and a country to reorganize so that unfortunately left Lara free to roam about the camp. She might be unsure of her place within the hierarchy of the camp but she knows she's a great Healer so she quickly finds her niche.

There was a great bunch of characters that Elizabeth Vaughan created and I can't wait to continue indulging in their stories. This wasn't an overly graphic war story, no descriptive battle scenes, nor was the sex overly explicit. The fantastical elements in this story aren't over the top either. There wasn't a huge need to suspend reality. A lot of times I forgot this was a fantasy and thought I was reading a medieval romance. I highly recommend this story and can't wait to read more.(less)

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Aug 10, 2008 Brownbetty rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Princess Xylara (who luckily goes by the name Lara, the Xy appears to be a requirement of her station) is demanded by the Firelanders attacking as the price for peace. Her kind of evil-for-no-reason brother cheerfully agrees and gives her to them in a sack.

This is all pretty standard (well, work with me here) in the maiden-kidnapped-by-chief-of-warrior-tribe genre, but it's a little smarter than it needs to be. Lara is terrified, but at the same time, she's trying to make the best of her new sit...more Princess Xylara (who luckily goes by the name Lara, the Xy appears to be a requirement of her station) is demanded by the Firelanders attacking as the price for peace. Her kind of evil-for-no-reason brother cheerfully agrees and gives her to them in a sack.

This is all pretty standard (well, work with me here) in the maiden-kidnapped-by-chief-of-warrior-tribe genre, but it's a little smarter than it needs to be. Lara is terrified, but at the same time, she's trying to make the best of her new situation, and she's a healer and capable of ignoring pretty much anything else when her skills are needed.

Of course, there is the fact that she's clearly set up for a romance with her captor, and since I don't want to spoil you, I can only assure you it's considerably less dodgy than it sounds; this is no The Sheik. Much of the action is in Lara getting to know everyone else in the military camp, and earning their respect with her medical skill, as they earn hers.

Lara very quickly comes to see she had made some embarrassing assumptions about her captors, and that her culture is not the only and correct way of doing things. Although the font on the cover to says 'vaguely middle-eastern', the Firelanders are actually much more ethnically diverse than Lara's people, and their culture is coherent without being an obvious pastiche of any existing culture.

(Okay, not totally coherent. At one point, we learn of a custom which-- is a spoiler, but roughly as if some culture had an irrevocable law that when a swan carrying a lily in its beak crashes from the sky and lands on your dinner plate, you must immediately marry the person to your left. Both oddly specific, and unlikely to be convenient!)

(Oh, and also, I question whether there ever existed a society in the world unaware of bone-setting. Hey, this bone looks like it's in a different shape ever since the pain started! Maybe we should put it in a straight line and strap it down, eh?)

(But other than that!)

Anyway, not a great work of literature, but if this is the sort of thing you like, than this is the sort of thing you'll like.(less)

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Jun 14, 2008 Ana T. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed, fantasy, read-in-2008

always hesitate when I am offered fantasy books, it might be a bit of a prejudice because I end up loving many of those recommended to me. This one was no exception.

SHE MUST CHOOSE BETWEEN HER PEOPLE AND HER FREEDOM..Xylara is the Daughter of the Warrior King, Xyron. With her father dead and her incompetent half-brother on the throne, the kingdom is in danger of falling to the warring Firelanders. Before she was old enough for a marriage-of-alliance, Xylara was trained as a healer. She can't us...more always hesitate when I am offered fantasy books, it might be a bit of a prejudice because I end up loving many of those recommended to me. This one was no exception.

SHE MUST CHOOSE BETWEEN HER PEOPLE AND HER FREEDOM..Xylara is the Daughter of the Warrior King, Xyron. With her father dead and her incompetent half-brother on the throne, the kingdom is in danger of falling to the warring Firelanders. Before she was old enough for a marriage-of-alliance, Xylara was trained as a healer. She can't usurp her brother or negotiate a peace--but she can heal the brave ones injured in battle. But not only her countrymen are wounded, and Xylara's conscience won't let Firelander warriors die when she can do something to save them. She learns their language and their customs and tries to make them as comfortable as possible, despite their prisoner-of-war status. She never expects that these deeds, done in good faith, would lead to the handsome and mysterious Firelander Warlord demanding her in exchange for a cease-fire. Xylara knows must trade the life she has always known for the well-being of her people, and so she becomes..The Warprize.

The story had a definite medieval feel to it and I think one of the good things was how well Vaughan makes me believe in that world. Right from the beginning I was sucked into it and in the problems Xylara was facing. To save her countrymen her brother tells her she must become a slave to the conqueror, she accepts ready to face an unknown future but in fear of what is to come. I really enjoyed discovering with her the very different society of the Firelanders and how things were not exactly how she had been told. At times I found her a bit too good to be true, healing friends or enemies equally and immediately starting to give orders and organise things as soon as she arrives to her master's encampment.

It soon becomes obvious that Xylara is not the slave she believes to be and that Keir, her master, treats her with much consideration and is ready to give her time before consummating their union. I found Keir to be a wonderful hero. Kind and interesting, determined and a natural leader his goal is to unite the Firelanders and the Xyans (Xylara's people) hoping the cultural differences will benefit both and make them stronger. For that he claimed Lara has his Warprize, the woman with whom he will share his life, after having seen her helping his friends prisoners of the Xyans.

Much of the book is about Xylara and Keir getting to know each other better and Xylara discovering a new culture and a new society but there's also a mystery subplot about who is trying to harm Lara and destroy the hard won peace with will be derterminant to their future.

This is the first book in a trilogy and in fact I think the 3 books read like just one book divided in 3. If you start this one be sure to have the other 2 around because you will definitely want to continue.

Grade: A(less)

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Jul 29, 2011 joy *the clean-reader extraordinaire* rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to joy by: Cindy

Shelves: mystery-or-romance, pop-fiction, pg13-green

*3.5 stars* or even perhaps *4* considering the genre -- popular fantasy romance

the big reveal was my favorite part. i did not see that coming, but it made me like the book a lot more!

for similar, and if you like this type of book to have more 'fantasy' than romance, try Sharon Shinn's thirteen houses series, or perhaps rachel neumeier's The Griffin Mage trilogy.

pg13 green for grownups. non-explicit sex scene. very occasional language. no drinking or drug use. a few fights and a little blood &...more

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Jan 12, 2011 Shera (Book Whispers) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romantic-fantasy, epic-fantasy

Thoughts:

Having already read the first book in Elizabeth Vaughan's Star series, it's safe to say that I am a huge fan! This is the first in the Warlord series, which happens to be Vaughan's debut novel.

For a first book, it's really impressive. Solid writing, the world has a history and the politics are well thought out. The cast of characters come from standard fantasy worlds, but of course Vaughan makes them her own and the characters end up being quite lovable. This book is more of a getting t...more

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Mar 29, 2007 Rhapsody rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fantasy romance readers

Shelves: romance, fiction, romance-fantasy, fantasy

A pretty good book, although I expected it to be better. Laura is a princess and a healer. When her country is invaded and the barbarians force her brother, the king, to surrender, she is given to Keir, the leader of the invading force, as a warprize. Laura is a feisty, strong-willed character and she gains the respect of her new people relatively quickly. I think I would've enjoyed it more if the barbarians had been a little more barbaric, though; I was looking forward to her slowly earning the...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Dangermousie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aaangst, fantasy, romance, sexy-barbarians

was extremely reluctant to try Elizabeth Vaughan's adventure/romance Warprize (too little romance to be a proper romance novel, too much romance to be an adventure novel. It makes me think of a woman-centric take on those pulpy novels from the turn of the 20th century).

Our heroine, Xylara, is a princess of a medieval-type kingdom but, more importantly, is a skilled doctor. She is getting plenty of work - her kingdom is at war. Eventually, the capital itself gets besieged by fierce barbarians k...more was extremely reluctant to try Elizabeth Vaughan's adventure/romance Warprize (too little romance to be a proper romance novel, too much romance to be an adventure novel. It makes me think of a woman-centric take on those pulpy novels from the turn of the 20th century).

Our heroine, Xylara, is a princess of a medieval-type kingdom but, more importantly, is a skilled doctor. She is getting plenty of work - her kingdom is at war. Eventually, the capital itself gets besieged by fierce barbarians known as 'Firelanders,' led by a fearsome warlord who's been sweeping all lands before him. Despite the orders of her horrid brother, the current king, Xylara tends to the enemy wounded as well. Eventually, the king decides to surrender and the barbarian warlord demands Xylara as a war prize. Xylara's brother is only too happy to get rid of her and Xylara decides to go along with it in order to get peace for the people. She expects rapey times or human sacrifice, but instead she finds herself treated with respect, gets involved in setting up a medical practice in the barbarian camp, and is shocked to discover the warlord (who is the foreigner she met while treating the prisoners. Note to self - if one's kingdom is besieged by a barbarian horde, take time to have encounters with foreign-sounding hottie. That might be your way to becoming barbarian queen) has no intention of forcing his attentions on her. Too bad someone(s) are trying to kill her and the warlord, to disrupt the peace.

The set-up - a fantasy medieval-type world where the heroine gets claimed by a victorious 'barbarian' warlord as a prize from a defeated kingdom, had sooooooo many ways in which it could go wrong or plain horrific. But I was craving a pulpy romance and it had a hella lot of recs, so I decided to take a chance. I am so glad I did! I loved it to bits and have already got parts 2 and 3 of the trilogy on my kindle.

First (and I can't believe that I even have to state it, but such is the world of romance novels), there is no raping or forced attentions of any kind. Second, the hero is hot and alpha without being a bastard and heroine is competent and level-headed without having all sorts of Mary-Suish abilities (she is a very competent doctor but is not skilled in fighting or similar). There is also plot and adventures. Plus, while the world-building isn't particularly amazing, it's competent and is certainly something different from the tired "sexy Duke loves impoverished but genteel heroine" trope that annoys the hell out of me.

Anyway, very fun.(less)

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Jan 09, 2013 Jami rated it 2 of 5 stars

Overall I thought this book was able to hold my interest but it definitely lacked a fair amount as well. First off, the names. The names just felt like something the author thought up right from the beginning and no matter how ridiculous they were, she would just not let go. Xylara but called Lara? Just name her Lara. Xyson, Xymund, Xy, it's all a little redundant and silly. But as a fan of J.R. Ward's Dark Brotherhood series I guess I am used to overlooking ridonkulous naming choices.

The world...more Overall I thought this book was able to hold my interest but it definitely lacked a fair amount as well. First off, the names. The names just felt like something the author thought up right from the beginning and no matter how ridiculous they were, she would just not let go. Xylara but called Lara? Just name her Lara. Xyson, Xymund, Xy, it's all a little redundant and silly. But as a fan of J.R. Ward's Dark Brotherhood series I guess I am used to overlooking ridonkulous naming choices.

The world itself seems large but we are given only mere snippets of all of it so it makes it seem really, really shallow. There are healing guilds but we don't get to see enough of them to be really interesting. We don't get enough of Lara's other potential options, maybe as a Priestess, or a merchant, or a lady at court, we don't really get why she's a healer other than a really short explanation about a friend's childhood injury, or at least we don't see why she rejected other choices.

After reading books like Dune with world building that's so intricate and epic, Warprize really pales in comparison. Also in the Stranger in a Strange Land theme, this book brought to mind Catherine Anderson's Comanche Moon and that book outshines Warprize in EVERY aspect as well.

For being written in first person, we really don't get to know much about Lara. She doesn't seem all that upset about being taken as a slave. She doesn't seem to mind too much about being labelled a prostitute among her own people, either. I feel like the book would have served the reader better if it had really plumbed the depths of Lara being forced to live in a military camp with an unfamiliar race of people and all the uncertainty and confusion that would entail.

At many points in the story Lara has an opportunity to ask Keir exactly what her role as a Warprize is and what is going to happen to her now that she's been surrendered as tribute, but she never does. I think this is mostly because the author wants to keep that in suspense, which is totally fine, BUT I felt like we really should have seen more of Lara's insecurities in that case. Lara seems to throw herself into the role of camp healer and never really spends too much time thinking about ingratiating herself to these people so she won't be executed.

The fact that Vaughn doesn't spend too much time showing us Lara's insecurity about her future means that we, as the audience, never really care about her future, either. We should be more afraid for her. We should be more curious about what's going to happen to her. We should really be rooting for her. But we're not.

Nitpick time. There were two glaring instances of editing errors. One not so big with the sentence being rearranged with speaking tags being jumbled in with the rest of the sentence. The second one, Lara and Keir are talking about an event that won't be introduced for another two pages. Clearly that was a cut and paste error where the paragraphs got switched around. It had me flipping back through the book, though, trying to figure out what they were talking about and when I finally gave up searching and kept reading, I discovered the misplaced paragraph further ahead. It was the only big error I noticed but it was kind of an important plot point that got spoiled by bad editing so I was irritated.

Overall it was interesting. Some of the culture of the Firelanders seems like it was taken straight from Native American culture. It doesn't seem like Vaughn's adding anything new to this world, just taking what exists in our world and putting a different name on it. There's even a few weird scenes with a Talking Stick which Vaughn renames a Token. You know, if you're holding the stick you get to stand up and say what you feel without repercussions? She's not exactly creative with her world building.

But there's enough action to keep the story moving and if the subsequent novels are available at the library (Warprize was not) or discounted I might check out the next one in the series to see if it gets better. It's really 2.5 starts almost three, but Goodreads lists their two stars as "It's okay" and that's what I felt the book was, just okay.(less)

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Nov 10, 2012 Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love this book, I stumbled on it by mistake several years ago and threw it into my to be read pile. Where it stayed for about six months, gathered dust bunnies, and then...I read it. Reader, I loved it.

I was captured and drawn into the world that Vaughan creates -- Xylara is a healer, and her royal half brother is a sneaky snake who doesn't see her value as a healer. When the warring Firelanders come to her kingdom and are captured, she helps the wounded against her brother's demands that she...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Kerry rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2005, 7, fantasy, romance

This book comes from Tor's relatively new Paranormal Romance imprint. I'm guessing it was started as a challenge to Luna, which is doing very well with its range of fantasy with a good dose of romance. Like the Luna novels, Warprize is a fantasy novel before it is a romance novel, but it does focus sharply on the interactions between the main characters Xylara and Keir. It has its fair share of misunderstandings as well, but these are due to different cultures rather than mutton-headed stupididy...more This book comes from Tor's relatively new Paranormal Romance imprint. I'm guessing it was started as a challenge to Luna, which is doing very well with its range of fantasy with a good dose of romance. Like the Luna novels, Warprize is a fantasy novel before it is a romance novel, but it does focus sharply on the interactions between the main characters Xylara and Keir. It has its fair share of misunderstandings as well, but these are due to different cultures rather than mutton-headed stupididy, which makes them a reasonable challenge rather than straight out annoyance. I thoroughly enjoyed it, although it does fall into my 'good, solid read' range as there didn't feel like there was anything extra that pushed it up to outstanding. For all that, it was indeed a good, solid read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Xylara is a good heroine, determined and strong and thrown into a culture and position she doesn't understand. She makes the best of it and soon builds a place for herself based on her own personality rather than the one custom - and foreign custom at that - has given her. Once most of the misunderstanding are cleared up, she uses her brains and her knowledge to find a solution that isn't only what she wants, but will be best for her kingdom. I would have been disappointed if she had either followed her heart without considering her people, or done the noble sacrifice thing without considering her own wishes. Instead, she manages to find a workable solution that is going to lead to more adventures but hopefully has staved off total disaster.

Keir did suffer a bit from mule-headed-hero syndrome, but he was working on changing it and he deserves points for that. He does also need to learn to talk to people a bit more - or at least to Xylara, as he seems to manage fine with his warriors. I'll be interested to see how he copes with his warprize in the next book, especially now he knows exactly how determined she can be. In a book that is as much a fantasy as a romance, he is a good, strong leader who is trying to bring about change, but is himself caught up in the customs and assumptions with which he grew up. His focus is on his army and his his warriors and their futures as much as his building relationship with Xylara, which is all to the best.

Vaughan has also created a solid cast of minor characters who step off the page as people rather than ciphers. I'm especially interested to learn more about Altira and Xylara's self-appointed apprentice Gils, while there seems to be a major storyline awaiting Joden once the party reach the Plains.

[Copied across from Library Thing; 16 October 2012](less)

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Aug 29, 2012 Patricia Sayana rated it 5 of 5 stars

SHE MUST CHOOSE BETWEEN HER PEOPLE AND HER FREEDOM...

Xylara is the Daughter of the Warrior King, Xyron. With her father dead and her incompetent half-brother on the throne, the kingdom is in danger of falling to the warring Firelanders.

Before she was old enough for a marriage-of-alliance, Xylara was trained as a healer. She can't usurp her brother or negotiate a peace--but she can heal the brave ones injured in battle.

But not only her countrymen are wounded, and Xylara's conscience won't let Fi...more

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Jun 10, 2012 PM rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, fantasy

Book 1 of trilogy plus 1 more, 4 total.
My husband ranked this is his favorite fantasy/romance series so far. For me, it was very good, but at the same time, kind of average. (Perhaps my "How good was it?" gauge is skewed for fantasy books, because I have only read a few highly recommended fantasy series.)

The primary couple was sweet and brave and the events that happened to them were interesting and not predictable. Very good qualities! Some of the life-changing decisions they made, however, wer...more

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May 24, 2012 Brook rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

oh dear fantasy books that are cloaked behind crazy covers--how i have come to love you. i will add warprize to the list that includes these hidden gems under crazy covers. . . daughter of the forest, sharon shinn's archangel, and the original blue sword cover.

loved this. as soon as i finished, i started it again and bookmarked my favorite scenes. fantastic premise, tension, and all my favorite little details that i love in a book. there were tastes of blue sword, archangel, and the maria snyder...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Renee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is my all-time favorite book EVER, as in of-the-read-it-to-tatters variety.

The heroine Xylara takes pity on enemy prisoners, defying her brother's orders to do so. When the enemy leader defeats her brother's army, the conqueror's demands are straightforward - Xylara as his slave, in exchange for peace. In order to save her people, she goes. But her "master" Keir isn't what her brother has told her to expect. He treats her with respect, allowing her to practice her healing arts and make fri...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Aeslis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, strong-female-leads, would-re-read

+ Lara is spirited and has quite the backbone. She is willing to take responsibility in order to do what is right, even if it's to her own detriment, and she never whines or complains about it. It's good to have a leading lady not feel sorry for herself.

+ Keir is pretty hot okay. I really love when men are comparable to big cats.

+ The nature of the relationship between Keir and Lara is just what I like. Truly. It is much more fulfilling than you are originally led to believe. There is a great de...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Steph rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm unsure whether to classify these books under Fantasy Romance or PNR. But I either way, this is one very good story and one of the best romances I've read. A very fast-engaging read, and a must for any PNR lover.

The first three books follow Xylara, daughter of the Warrior King, Xyron. With her father dead and her incompetent half-brother on the throne, the kingdom is in danger of falling to the warring Firelanders. Before she was old enough for a marriage-of-alliance, Xylara was trained as a...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Liz B rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, fantasy, romance

4.5 stars, and the best book of the summer for me. (I went back to work today, so summer is officially over. :P)

This is what I used to love in McCaffrey, and later, Lackey--it's really fantasy, but it has equally satisfying (usually) romance. I think this is actually sold as romance, although I'm not quite sure. In any case, Vaughn is not following any kind of trend or trying to shake things up by writing a book set in a fantasy world; instead, she comes across a fantasy writer who also holds as...more

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Jun 10, 2011 Jade Walker rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: rated-a

Original review at http://inkscratchers.blogspot.com/

I actually only bought this book because it was very cheap on Amazon, so i wasn't really expecting much from it. From the blurb, I was expecting magic and romance - basically a rip-off of Robin McKinley's The BLue Sword.

I will be the first person to admit that, yes, I was wrong.

The storyline for this book is fantastic, and it wasn't really a cheap rip-off of The Blue Sword, some of the aspects are the same; the main character is taken by a des...more Original review at http://inkscratchers.blogspot.com/

I actually only bought this book because it was very cheap on Amazon, so i wasn't really expecting much from it. From the blurb, I was expecting magic and romance - basically a rip-off of Robin McKinley's The BLue Sword.

I will be the first person to admit that, yes, I was wrong.

The storyline for this book is fantastic, and it wasn't really a cheap rip-off of The Blue Sword, some of the aspects are the same; the main character is taken by a desert population and becomes one of them, but the way they are executed are different.

I loved the characterisation. Xylana is a strong character, strong enough to give herself up as little more than a slave to save her people. What I loved about the way Xylana's character developed is that she already had a trade; healing. In many books, our lead will just suddenly learn a new skill and be fantastic at it, whereas Xylana's trade has come from years of practice. She isn't a spoiled brat, like many female leads are, while she can be whiny (the end of the book :( ) she is also strong and determined. I liked this. Her love interest, Keir, is lovely, strong and kind but with a temper, he will kill anyone who tries to harm his Warprize, he is the complete opposite of what I expected from a Warlord but I liked it that way. I also loved the way their relationship progressed, it was slow, but not too slow, and it didn't take over the whole book. There was other things going on.

There is a very entertaining set of side characters, from Joden and Simus, two fighters who take Xylana on and help theach her the way of their people, they crack plenty of jokes and serve as a sort of comic relief, to Marcus, who plays a Mother Bear role, and cares for Xylana, reprimanding her when she misses meals, which is quite funny.

If I had a problem with anything at all, it is Xylana's half brother Xymund, who is the ruling king of Xy. I couldn't understand why he disliked his sister enough to lie to her about what she would be to the Warlord. I do with Vaughan had better developed this plot as I'd like to be able to understand his behaviour a little better.

I have to point out right now that this is not particularly suitable for young people. There are adult scenes in it and while they are not particularly descriptive, if you don't want to read some sex scenes, don't read this book! I am 17 (18 in 11 days!!!!!) and had no problem with it, but it's really about what you are comfortable reading.

Overall rating: A -(less)

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Jun 08, 2011 Judith rated it 4 of 5 stars

What a delightful book, set in the time when human civilization was far less technological than it is now, and the entire issue of healing was still based largely in herbal remedies, external observation, and in some cases, lots of superstition. The heroine of this novel is a royal princess but she is far more comfortable being a healer for anyone who needs her--friend or foe. Her jeolous and selfish brother sends her to the conquering Warlord as a Warprize, convincing her that this is a master/...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Tara SG rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-kindle

* * * 1/2

- slightly predictable but still very entertaining -

I’ve been in the mood for a fantasy (which I’m not sure that this really is one) and Spaz at Wicked Lil Pixie gave this 5 stars. While this didn’t contain any magical elements (is that what makes something a “fantasy” novel), it was set in a time period resembling medieval times and I loved that. It took a few chapters for me to get used to the prose, but when I teared up in the third chapter, I knew that I was going to enjoy the book....more

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May 27, 2011 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-romance

Synopsis: "Xylara is the Daughter of the Warrior King, Xyron. With her father dead and her incompetent half-brother on the throne, the kingdom is in danger of falling to the warring Firelanders.

Before she was old enough for a marriage-of-alliance, Xylara was trained as a healer. She can't usurp her brother or negotiate a peace--but she can heal the brave ones injured in battle.

But not only her countrymen are wounded, and Xylara's conscience won't let Firelander warriors die when she can do some...more

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Sep 15, 2010 ALPHAreader rated it 4 of 5 stars

‘Warprize’ is set in an ambiguous era. Vaughan never confirms whether the book is set in the past, future or in a fractured timeline/alternate universe. The setting has a ‘Holy Crusades’ feel to it, with Medieval atmosphere. The timeframe isn’t really that important – since war is timeless, but as a reader you may be slightly frustrated trying to figure out the stories point in time.

At first I was thrown by Keir and Lara’s romance. Because I hadn’t pegged Keir as the books male protagonist. He d...more ‘Warprize’ is set in an ambiguous era. Vaughan never confirms whether the book is set in the past, future or in a fractured timeline/alternate universe. The setting has a ‘Holy Crusades’ feel to it, with Medieval atmosphere. The timeframe isn’t really that important – since war is timeless, but as a reader you may be slightly frustrated trying to figure out the stories point in time.

At first I was thrown by Keir and Lara’s romance. Because I hadn’t pegged Keir as the books male protagonist. He doesn’t appear until chapter 2 or 3; before which Lara has met and cared for another wounded Firelander soldier whom I thought was going to be her love interest. I was initially a little disappointed that this solider, Simus, wasn’t Lara’s fated warlord. I liked him, aesthetically, because he is a big black man and Lara interestingly enough has never seen a dark-skinned person before. Simus turns out to be one of the best secondary characters I’ve read in a long time, and despite the fact that I did come to like Keir, I was still a touch disappointed that Simus wasn’t the stories hero.

I was at once swept up in Keir and Lara’s romance, but also somewhat disappointed in it. On the one hand, their love is epic - their union brings peace to the Xyron lands and the romance takes place amidst heated battles. It has a ‘Troy’ feel to it (think Brad Pitt and Rose Byrne’s Achilles/Briseis). There is bound to be sparkage when a fearsome Warlord takes a virginal princess as his sex slave. But for all the potential eroticism such a storyline conjures, Vaughan falls surprisingly short in the sex scenes. I don’t mean to sound like a sex-crazed reader, but Vaughan really shied away from anything above a PG13 rating. I was doubly shocked and disappointed at Vaughan’s reluctance to write sex scenes because there was such build-up to Keir and Lara’s coupling. I thought for sure, with such a sweet build-up, combined with an inherently erotic plot, that Vaughan would really let loose with the sex scenes – not the case.

I was swept up and over his shoulder. The move made me squawk, but I doubted that the noise could be heard above the noise of the crowd. He started to move. Through the soft cloth, I could hear his men chanting his name. I squirmed, but the cloak had me pinned, unable to move my arms or see anything.
Then I squirmed for another reason. His hand was on my buttocks, its warmth burning through the cloak. There was a caress, and then a soft swat… a warning to keep still.
I stopped squirming.
The hand stayed where it was.

Despite the lack of gratuitous sex (damn!) I did feel satisfied with Keir and Lara’s romance. Because it is undoubtedly, romantic. Keir is that gruff and rough Alpha hero that I love to read about – but with Lara he reveals his soft side. There’s a big plot twist toward the book’s end that sheds a whole new light on the Warlord/Warprize relationship, and its reveal makes the entire plot all the more heart-stopping and romantic.

I was really happy to discover that the other two books in Vaughan’s ‘Chronicles of the Warlands’ also follow Keir and Lara’s journey. There are at least three other Alpha males in ‘Warprize’ who could have potentially carried their own narratives; but I am relieved to know that Keir and Lara’s epic love story continues in ‘Warsworn’ and ‘Warlord’. Because the ending to ‘Warprize’ definitely leaves their story open-ended – it’s not a cliffhanger exactly, just a promise that there are more adventures in store for these two.

I went into ‘Warprize’ thinking it would be a sexy, romantic read. Well, it was and it wasn’t. The sex is seriously lacking, despite a steamy plot Vaughan shies away from explicit sex scenes that would have been entirely befitting the story. But, there was plenty of romance. Keir and Lara have an epic story, and I am pleased to know that it continues through two more books. I will definitely be reading ‘Warsworn’ and ‘Warlord’ ASAP because (despite the lack of sex) this was a great story.(less)

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Oct 20, 2011 Mithrendiel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

There are some books we read because they make us think, others we read for their nail biting action, and then there are books we read simply because they entertain us. They are warm, and light, and delicious like a hot cup of coco on a cold night. Warprize is one of those books. It’s not profound, or deep, but it is a delightful, action filled romp of an adventure story, with a fantastic, drool worthy romance thrown in to make us melt. It’s the kind of book I see myself reading over and over ag...more There are some books we read because they make us think, others we read for their nail biting action, and then there are books we read simply because they entertain us. They are warm, and light, and delicious like a hot cup of coco on a cold night. Warprize is one of those books. It’s not profound, or deep, but it is a delightful, action filled romp of an adventure story, with a fantastic, drool worthy romance thrown in to make us melt. It’s the kind of book I see myself reading over and over again just because it makes me feel great.

~ Premise ~

Lara is a princess of the land of Xy, but she’s not your normal royal. Early in life she took up studies as became a healer, much to the chagrin of her family. Instead of attending royal functions, she spends her time in sick tents in stained frocks, with blood up to her elbows, assisting the any who need her arts. And there are many in need, for Xy is at war. A warlord from the Firelands has been campaigning across Xy, intent on conquering it.

When the armies of the Warlord arrive at her city, Lara defies the wishes of her brother the king, and provides healing for capture enemy prisoners, even making friends amongst them. It is this friendship that drives her to help hide the identity of a prisoner of high station, it also drives her to help the prisoners escape before her brother, the king, can slaughter them, and it’s what ultimately causes the Warlord himself to lay claim to her as a Warprize – the price paid to broker peace arrangements between Xy and the Fireleands, which sets the stage for a glorious adventure that where princess becomes a slave, and a slave becomes a hero worthy of songs.

~ My thoughts ~

Here’s what I think makes Warprize really shine – characters, romance, and adventure.

The characters are just fantastic. Lara is strong but also vulnerable. She speaks her mind, but is wise enough to know when to listen. She’s not a bad ass and doesn’t need to pick up a sword once in the story, but this makes her no less of a hero. Her strength and heroism lies in her honor, the sacrifices she makes for her people, and her healing arts.

Our Warlord, Kier, is just delicious. He’s 100% man, an alpha male with actual character and depth. Don’t you just hate those alpha males in romances that are all bluster and hotness, with no real personality or motivations for their actions? Kier is a refreshing change from those one dimensional archetypes – he has a past that’s not made 100% clear to us in book 1 that strongly motivates his actions. We’re tantalized with hints of what makes Kier tick, left wanting to know more. He’s a character you understand, care about, and feel connected to.

The romance delicious in Warprize builds slowly. Character’s don’t fall in love at first sight or jump into the sack at the first opportunity. Instead we are enticed by smoldering attraction, and growing romantic tension. We see things only through Lara’s eyes and we’re left wondering at Kier’s feeling, pondering his motivations, yearning for the moment they finally connect. It’s just plain delicious.

Despite the epic and completely swoon worthy romance, Warprize isn’t just a romance book. The adventure in the story starts from page 1 and doesn’t let up. There are daring escapes, betrayals, mysteries, night attacks, and a host of other events that guarantee you’ll keep turning the pages on this story long into the night.

Warprize is the perfect book for a rainy day, or when you are feeling a bit blue. It’s such a fun, light hearted, feel-good read. It is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. It will definitely be a book I read again.
(less)

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Aug 09, 2011 Scribs rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lara is the daughter of the recently deceased king Ky. Her step-brother rules now, a haughty tyrant fighting a losing war against the Warload of the firelanders. She defies her brothers orders and practices her craft as a master healer for the wounded on both sides.

I was hesitant to pick up this book because I don't like to get too much into world building or I just get bored. I much prefer characters and relationships to take the forefront. I lucked out with this book because Lara is my favori...more

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Jun 23, 2012 Gabriela rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those who liked The Golden Dynasty, those who liked Poison Study, fantasy lovers, everyone

What's to say about this one? Frustrating, that's what there is to say. I had this kind of system set up where I would read 20-30 pages but every time I neared one of my goals, it would seem I was on a cliffhanger so I had to change my goal. Only ten minutes more, I would say before plunging into a 45 minute read and then admonishing myself for it... All in all, it was addictive...

For some reason, this story vaguely reminded me of two favorites: The Golden Dynasty and The Study Series Bundle an...more

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Jan 21, 2012 Dianne Socci-Tetro rated it 5 of 5 stars

Adventurous, Romantic and Thoroughly Satisfying, January 21, 2012

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This review is from: Warprize (Chronicles of the Warlands) (Kindle Edition)

A wonderful example of what a romantic futuristic book can be (this is how it is being marketed). This book also has a very lovely historical romance feel to it. Yet never once does it feel like a bodice ripper. This is a sweet and almost innocent love story. The author will give you just enough narrative in the love sce...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, review, read-in-2012

Joint review originally posted here: http://thebookpushers.com/2012/04/02/...

MinnChica: I’m probably the one bookpusher who doesn’t read that much fantasy. I have a few authors I’ve enjoyed, but it’s not my go-to genre. I have no idea when, but at some point, I picked up Warprize and bought it. It sat on my shelves for who-knows-how-long and when the girls as if I wanted to join them in this joint review, I jumped on the chance to finally get around to reading it. And boy am I glad I did. I abso...more Joint review originally posted here: http://thebookpushers.com/2012/04/02/...

MinnChica: I’m probably the one bookpusher who doesn’t read that much fantasy. I have a few authors I’ve enjoyed, but it’s not my go-to genre. I have no idea when, but at some point, I picked up Warprize and bought it. It sat on my shelves for who-knows-how-long and when the girls as if I wanted to join them in this joint review, I jumped on the chance to finally get around to reading it. And boy am I glad I did. I absolutely adored the world that Vaughan created with Lara and Kier. As the story unfolded I found myself more and more enchanted with each and every character, so much so that I went and purchased the 2nd book on my nook the moment I finished this!

Has: Oh I am so glad you finally got to read it! This is one of my all time favourite books and it has become a comfort reread for me because this book is the epitome of magic and romance -- even though there is hardly any magical elements in the story. The romance, the setting, and the premise is nothing new but Elizabeth Vaughan adds such a unique twist with the details and the emotions in the romance and story that it does feel refreshing. I remember reading Warprize for the first time, and it was a book which I inhaled. Keir and Lara and their differences as well as being from two contrasting cultures was explored beautifully and with such rich and vivid details which really stood out for me from other similar books.

Lou: I can remember Has recommending me Warprize, and it was when we met online. I remember Has telling me you have GOT to read this series. So I bought the first book, and oh my goodness. Waprize had everything that I had been waiting for -- which sounds weird, but I’ll explain. I’ve always been a fan of fantasy, but I’ve always wanted romance to be the central focus of the story but without losing any impact of the fantasy and world building. Warprize did this in spades and so much more. Lara’s and Keir’s relationship I believe will be remembered as one of those never forget reads. It had the epic scope of a fantasy with a sweeping romance, a world that was built strong with different factions and tribes. And even though it does lack magical tendencies, it doesn’t suffer.

MinnChica: I’ll admit that I felt a little letdown at first when I realized there would be no magic in this story, and then I got so swept up with Lara, her desire to heal, her kind heart and her never wavering sense self and worth. Add in Keir who was a strong leader, but a kind and caring man. Their love story was so sweet and epic. I loved that they were both so open to learning each other’s customs and ways, and how open they were to integrating their lives. I hoped that Lara would work up the courage to ask for further explanation on word translations though... although that was part of the fun of reading their story.

Has: I think this sums up what was so magical about their romance; it never falls into cliched pitfalls of an angsty misunderstanding which can feel forced. But there is a core conflict about their differing cultures and trying to compromise and to cement an understanding. However their romance which is so integral to the story was fantastic, I love the idea behind the Warprize and the meaning it has - especially when Lara learns of what it truly means to be one and her realisation of what that entails for her being as a healer and a lover. I ADORED that scene so much!

Lou: I think the conflict between the two of them was very realistic with Lara and her healing nature, and Kier with his warring ways. Lara’s healing was a great contrast to Kier, and it becomes a factor in their relationship when Kier realises just how much Lara risks by doing so. Not only does Lara have to deal with her brother giving her away, she has to deal with a new culture of people and try to understand where she fits in amongst it all -- along with her growing attraction and closeness to Kier. The romance is so strong and I loved that it stood up in a Fantasy book. Just makes me fall in love with the Fantasy genre again because there is no limits and restrictions.

MinnChica: All in all I am so glad I was pushed into reading this book. The world Vaughan created was absolutely magical in its charm and characters. There are so many secondary characters to love, and the romance between Lara and Keir was just so incredible well done I melted throughout the entire book. I’ve already got (and read) book two, so now it’s onto book three for me!
I give Warprize an A

Has: I have recced this book countless of times and I will continue to do so because I know most people will adore this book even if they aren’t fans of epic fantasy. The contrasting cultures, and characters from opposing sides is a great premise and Warprize definitely delivers that element. But for me, the love story is what is truly engrossing and magical. Keir and Lara’s romance is really an epic love story which really conveys wonderfully to the reader, I was enthralled when I first read the book and because of this - it has remained to be one of my all time favourite romances.
I give Warprize an A+

Lou: When we decided on doing a Fantasy feature, Warprize was one of thee first books to come to mind. A romantic sweeping tale of a hero and heroine from different cultures who have to deal with an attraction that just gets stronger and stronger as they spend more time together. For those who are not huge fans of Fantasy reads, I would recommend this book for the romance alone because it’s so memorable and it gets better with each book in the trilogy. It also doesn’t shy away from hard realities which makes it that much more realistic.
I give Warprize and A(less)

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Feb 14, 2011 MB rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-urban-fantasy-paranormals, read-in-2011, romance-and-chicklit

I picked up this book because I saw it mentioned on a romance blog as being a series that featured an alpha male who wasn't abusive. I found that intriguing, got a copy of the book and found it to be true.

In some ways the story line is quite similar to both Jaran and to The Blue Sword, although this is a less strong book than either of those two. (I thought of them because this is primarily a anthropological type of story with a woman from one culture being taken and assimilated into a very diff...more

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Sep 26, 2011 Meg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: epic-fantasy, fantasy-romance

Review: **** 4 Stars
For me, WARPRIZE hit the spot, but it was not your typical epic fantasy or fantasy romance. It reminded me a bit of the Daenerys Targaryen storyline in Game of Thrones (the sister who marries the warlord barbarian)...Xylara is given to Keir, the warlord barbarian, by her brother the king, and forced to live with him in his army camp. But the similarity ends there.

Xylara believes she is a slave. Keir demanded her as Warprize as part of a peace agreement with the Kingdom of Xy....more

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I NEED SOMETHING SIMILAR!!!!	4	35	Sep 28, 2012 10:06am
My Interview with Elizabeth Vaughan!	1	7	Sep 24, 2012 01:50am

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Warprize (Chronicles of the Warlands #1)

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