The Prism of Ashlai (The Gailean Quartet #1)

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The Prism of Ashlai (The Gailean Quartet #1)

by Christine E. Schulze (Goodreads Author)

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 32 ratings · 23 reviews

Ashlai, a Fyre who can harness powers of flame from the sun, has always felt like an outsider amongst the Forest-footer elves who raised her and her brother, Merritt. The only clue to their past is a strangely unbreakable crystal Shard left to them by their mother.

When Ashlai discovers a Fyre princess speaking to her from within their mother's Shard, she is soon launched i...more

Paperback, 128 pages

Published December 2012 by CreateSpace (first published March 1st 2010)

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Jan 10, 2013 Mark rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

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

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Jul 20, 2011 Lindsay Paige rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, own

Interest: Synopsis
Title Thoughts: It fits.
Cover Thoughts: I like it.
WARNINGS: None.

This book is full of adventure to different places with a group that becomes a family. This book is perfect for providing an escape from our world and into another one where a girl is sent on a mission.

I really enjoyed Schulze's writing and it flowed smoothly. My favorite character would have to Aryl. He is just a likeable person and has a personality that has him instantly likeable. Between the characters and...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Lacey Lane rated it 3 of 5 stars

A nice story. Ashlai is a young girl who is unsure of who she is and what her goal in life is. Her friends and brother are moving away and starting their own lives, leaving her behind with her foster father. Suddenly she becomes the leader of a group out to save the kingdom from an evil ruler.

Like I said a nice story. The descriptions are excellent, I can very easily visualize what is happening and the world it is happening in. The conflicts vary in their degree of believablility. (view spoiler)...more A nice story. Ashlai is a young girl who is unsure of who she is and what her goal in life is. Her friends and brother are moving away and starting their own lives, leaving her behind with her foster father. Suddenly she becomes the leader of a group out to save the kingdom from an evil ruler.

Like I said a nice story. The descriptions are excellent, I can very easily visualize what is happening and the world it is happening in. The conflicts vary in their degree of believablility. (view spoiler)[ The very first chapter starts out dramatic with Ashlai meeting Aryl and the flaming arrows being shot at them. Ashlai comes off as being argumentative instead of cautious when trying to verify whether Aryl is a part of her quest or not. The second chapter gives us a flashback of how Ashlai's story began. We learn about her village, and how her friends and brother are movoing to another country leaving her behind. The wedding party sets up Ashlai's typical day and we see how close she is with her brother Merritt and how much her foster father Bromwell care for her. We can see her doubts about where she belongs in life. The dialog is great and does really tell us how Ashlai feels about her brother leaving. When Ashlai's village is attacked the tension is palpable and so is her loss. Learning Aryl's story is interesting but Ashlai again comes across as judgemental and narrow minded. Which may not be a bad thing, it definitely gives her character room to develop. But then she starts her journey to find the other prism holders and it seems a little too easy, they just show up in front of her. I know it's Amiel's will and everyone is told to be at a certain place but I would have liked some obstacles and not just a 'look there's the next person who will help us'. Her companions are great and everybody has a distinct personality which I liked. I was a little confused by the Furies. They are described as being murderers and thieves but then we meet Delanus and Lani and they describe how they aren't like other Furies and the companions seem to be mesmerized by Delanus and his beauty. Then they suddenly try to kill the companions and it seemed very out of character. It would have been better just to have the Furies act somewhat evil and betray the companions at the feast. That set up definitely felt too good to be true, it seemed like the story was going there but it ended up with a very weak incarceration that was easy released by Mandolin. And why were the Furies so trusting of Mandolin, or any of the companions to begin with? I also didn't like Aryl's attitude of superiority over the Furies. Like they were all stupid and wouldn't realize he stole the first prism from them, like it was all a game with no consequences.

The attack on Mandolin's kingdom and betray by Lirit was a great twist. Gailea and Chamblin joining the quest and their interaction with each other is convincing and seems like a natural progression to the story. Having a mother figure for Ashlai is a nice touch. Hethia's arrival also seemed way to easy, along with her rescue. She seems more god-like than messenger or chaparone. The fight between Ashlai and Aryl really put me off having them end up as a couple. They do not seem on the same wavelenght and especially when Ashlai loses her temper and pulls out her sword and starts shooting flames everywhere. Pretty sure if someone did that to me I wouldn't be terribly forgiving, let alone consider being with that person. The cave of Nuala and the battle with the serpent had a lot of suspense and actually involved some loss and danger. I growing relationship between Ashlai and Aryl seems forced, I really felt like the antagonism Aryl and Mandolin displayed would turn into the relationship. I almost feel like Ashlai develops feelings for Aryl only because he's the only age appropriate guy in the group with the rest of the companions.

I enjoyed the snowball fight, it was a nice mood lifter and was decribed very realistically. The environment around the castle of Fyre could have been better described. The impression I received was of a lone castle with nothing around it. I find it hard to believe that the ruling castle of an entire people was solitary. Where was the town and townspeople. How could it possible be so easy for the group to just walk right in. Even a realistic trap would have some obstacle to entering the castle. The description of the lighthouse was also vague. Was it right next to the castle? The appearance of the group at the door to the lighthouse was incredible sudden and hardly focused on any fears the group might have had instead of just a need to continue on. I did not expect Ragnar to propose in effect a duel between himself and Ashlai. He was appropriately evil with his torture of Merritt and kidnapping of Bromwell. The twist wasn't completely surprising due to the hints at the beginning of the book about Ashlai finding out about herself but it was still rewarding to have the truth reveiled. Ashlai's acceptance and reaction to the truth was rewarding, it was good to see she had grown beyond needing to know who she was to being the person she is now. The duel was satisfying but the magical wish was a little fairy tale with everything that was broken being fixed. I would have been more impressed if things had been left broken and everyone would have had to cope and repair things themselves.

Lots of parties and celebrations in this book. I'm not sure if all of them were really necessary. Not sure how I feel about Gailea being alive either. On one hand it makes my fairytale heart happy that Ashlai and Merritt and Chamblin get to have more time with her but on the other hand it makes things just too easy. In a story about overthrowing an evil ruler it seems more realistic to have people changed permanently and some die. Then another party and now Aryl and Ashlai are in love. Rather sudden, with only a few solitary interactions between the two of them. Not buying it. (hide spoiler)]

Overall an enjoyable story and an easy read. I would like to see things get a little darker and more realistic...there was never really any question as to Ashlai being victorious at the end of the story. It was more like a narrative of her journey, but it was a very imaginative and creative story. I especially like the Oncazzas, a very creative and well described villain. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes happy endings and beautifully worded stories that you can visualize in your mind.(less)

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Mar 10, 2013 Raven rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: giveaways-entered, e-books

Although this was your typical Good vs Evil story, it was still incredibly enjoyable. The characters were memorable, the fight scenes well written, and dialogue interesting, although sometimes choppy.

The story itself was a lot of fun, although the writing sounded like it was meant for maybe a middle school reading level. I no way is this a bad thing. Personally I am willing to read at any reading level so long as it is written well and the story is enjoyable. Even though at times the writing se...more

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May 02, 2011 Colleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm reading this now and I'm finding LITERALLY NO TIME TO READ what with my college classes and load of work, but it's very frustrating to me because this book has me pretty wrapped up in the world it's set in and I keep wanting to go back! I enjoy the characters - the dynamics between all of them are fun to read and make me think of my own friends to be honest, at least how we used to be in middle school. The story, while a bit predictable, is rich in setting and description, and it makes me fe...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Cathleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wish to extend my thanks to the author, Christine E. Schulze, for providing me with a free copy to read and review. I have been honored to read several of Christine's stories to date and I can honestly say that this story is my favorite.

Though I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story, I was left with feelings of wanting more. I strongly feel that the author needs to put more adventure into the story as the pace is too fast. The descriptions of the different races and the land they inhabit is w...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Samantha rated it 2 of 5 stars

The Prism of Ashlai is the story of a young girl (Ashlai) on a quest to find seven broken shards of the Prism of Ashlai and put them together to save a kingdom, while trying to find herself along the way.
To be honest, I was not a big fan of this book. I did not think it was a bad read, and i think the storyline has a lot of potential, but certain aspects of it just didn't go over well in my opinion. I admire the journey Ashlai takes, but during the first half of the book I almost forgot she was...more The Prism of Ashlai is the story of a young girl (Ashlai) on a quest to find seven broken shards of the Prism of Ashlai and put them together to save a kingdom, while trying to find herself along the way.
To be honest, I was not a big fan of this book. I did not think it was a bad read, and i think the storyline has a lot of potential, but certain aspects of it just didn't go over well in my opinion. I admire the journey Ashlai takes, but during the first half of the book I almost forgot she was there. I didn't feel the connection to her that main characters need to make. She didn't talk much, and while I get that quietness was part of her character, it didn't leave enough dialouge with her actively participating. I kept hoping for a romance to happen to get her to be more involved in the story, but it held off until later in the book, and I was surprised at the partner. The boy, Aryl, was a big part of the story, but during the long stretches when Ashlai faded to the background, I thought he was going after a different character, a girl named Mandolin, another person helping in the quest for the shards. I was to the point of thinking Ashlai wouldn't have a love interest by the time they started leaning toward each other.
The action scenes were described very well, and the use of powers was a very interesting part of the story, but only in the scene when one of the characters "dies" did I feel that quest was difficult. Yes, they got attacked several times, but it seemed over very quickly, and they always got out of it. As ruthless as the antagonist was described, I expected a much more intense and rough journey.
Though I found many things lacking in this story, it did have its good points. I thought the family relationships were very believable and liked the scenes involving Ashlai and Gailea. Towards the end of the book, Ashlai was finally more involved in the story, and the time she spent at the front of the story wasn't bad. I think overall I just felt this could have been more. The ground work is there; there just needs to be more built off the groundwork. All in all, it is an ok read, but there is a lot of potential there to do better.(less)

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Dec 15, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

(This review may contain spoilers).

I was really excited to get a message asking if I'd like to read this book, since I really like this author's work. Once again, I found myself unable to pull myself away from reading this book, even though I've just finished three night shifts and am more than a bit tired by now.

I think this book might be my favourite one so far. I loved the characters (with a couple of exceptions) and there was a scene right towards the end that actually brought tears to my ey...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Dianne rated it 4 of 5 stars

With “The Prism of Ashlai”, Christine E. Schulze has penned a beautiful tale of a young orphaned girl destined to lead the fight against evil in her world. In spite of the recent devastation in her life, Ashlai is tasked with finding and recovering seven shards of a prism, she has one piece, left for her by the mother she has never known. She must find the other six, each held by someone with their own unique strengths, but Ashlai, who knows little of who she is or where she came from, is to be...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Kay rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: author-supplied, ebook

This book was provided to me by the author in digital form (since I entered to win but didn't) in exchange for an honest review. I do not know the author. All thoughts are my own.

This YA book is very well imagined, developed and written. The author has a very vivid imagination and the ability to put forth beautifully, descriptive words pulling in the reader.

It's a tale of a young girl, Ashlai of Fyre who, in the beginning, meets a tree sprite named Aryl. He saves her life and then she tells hi...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for a review.

The Prism of Ashlai follows the adventures of a young girl, the eponymous Ashlai, as she seeks to reunite seven prism shards in order to defeat the evil Ragnar. She is joined by six others, each of whom have found a shard, and are identified as her allies by a glowing "A" on their hands.

Schulze has built a strong world between the pages, but the pace is so quick, the reader scarcely has time to apprec...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Linda Bsss rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ashali and her brother Merritt had been left with Bromwell a friend in Vian and knew that he would protect her little children. She left only a crystal shard as proof that they were of the Frye and not Forest Footers. They grew up up and her brother adjusted but she longed to know more about her people, fifteen summers later her older brother was to sail to Loz to start his apprenticeship and as she and Bromwell watched his ship sail away, she broke down, raced to the forest and hoped the tears...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Rochelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

I would like to start off by saying thank you to Christine E. Schulze for giving me a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

It is the story of a girl named Ashlai, who must recover the seven shards of a prism in order to save the kingdom and defeat the evil Ragnar. There are six others who join her, all of whom have an A on their hand to show they are allies. Among these is the tree spirit Aryl, who I liked the best, he was cheeky and quick witted and made me smile.

Ashlai is lost, n...more

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Nov 15, 2010 Eden rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, signed-by-the-author

Ashlei's faith in Amiel isn't as strong as it should be and she's not sure why she was appointed to be the 'Ashlei', the leader of this quest for the glass shards.
But along the way, Ashlei meets many great people who she comes to call her friends. Aryl, Gail and the rest of the Six are there when Ashlei needs them and they give her support even when she is unsure of herself.
The quest is long and tiring, but with her friends, Ashlei knows that they can defeat Rachendorf.

This book was great. I'm...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of YA fantasy

Recommended to Samantha by: The author

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

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Dec 25, 2012 Melissa Levine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reader

I only made it through this book about halfway. It has a good story line but for whatever reason I just could not get into it at all. Usually when I'm reading a book it's easy for me to visualize the characters and everything I'm reading, in my head. Maybe given some time I'll try rereading it again and will change my review around.

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Dec 28, 2012 Mickey rated it 4 of 5 stars

I recieved this from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I liked all the characters but I especially loved Aryl. I think I'd get along just fine with him. This story reminded a bit of Eragon crossed with Avatar: The Last Airbender, which I liked (since I love both of those). The storyline was quite unique and different to many of the books I've read this year. I'd have to say that if this was ever made into a movie I would definetly see it.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish. I'd re...more

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Sep 20, 2010 Christina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book takes readers to a new world. A place where magic lives in music and nature, and where you don't have to think you're anything remarkable to be a hero. With a heroine who wants to see the good in everybody, and who believes in the hope and happiness of budding romances, this story is a unique one.

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Dec 27, 2012 Erika rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, first-reads

I got this yesterday, around 4 o'clock, in the mail. Not only did the story within the book itself captivate me so much so that I started reading it almost immediately and finished it at 10 this morning, but Christine's personal message also meant a lot. So, definitely a book I would recommend to my friends, not that they'll be borrowing my copy, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of the series. Truly beautiful.

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Jan 22, 2013 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I received this book from the author in exchange for a review.

This book was a fantastic read. It was very creative and imaginative. The characters, places, and all aspects of this novel were unlike any books I have read so far. It kept me wanting to know what would happen next and was a pretty thrilling read. The ending seemed a pretty final conclusion so I can't wait to see what will happen next in the series.

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Feb 05, 2013 Tony rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone with a sense of adventure

I thought this was a fast paced, constantly moving book. Ashlai is given a quest, with some help along the way, to defeat the ultimate evil of her world. While on her quest she learns about the family she couldn't remember and the "family" she didn't know she had. Inspirational and touching, I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys following a group on an adventure. I hope to see more of Ashlai and her traveling companions in the future.

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Jan 30, 2013 Alegna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christine-schultze-stories, book-series, books-i-ve-reviewed

This is such an amazing book. It has so much adventure, mystery and majestic surroundings that will have you not wanting to leave that world. I truly enjoyed this book very much. Christine E. Schulze never fails to astound me with her choice of words and detailing descriptions of such wonderous worlds.

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Feb 17, 2013 Steven Burke rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a story about faith in a higher power. A story that was full of adventure, self discovery, and choices. This was a very entertaining story that almost any age would thoroughly enjoy.

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Feb 20, 2013 Louisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

a really enjoy able fantasy book. engagable characters and lots of twist and turns during the andventure to keep the reader interested.
I will defefintely be reading more books by this author

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Dec 17, 2011 Brad rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A wonderful, original, unique & beautiful story with a gorgeous writing style with a brilliant mind of Christine E. Schuzle to craft this epic novel. Mind blowing.

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May 12, 2013 Kassandra Schneemann marked it as to-read

May 07, 2013 Diana marked it as to-read · review of another edition

May 03, 2013 Maisha marked it as to-read

Mar 12, 2013 Ryan Snyder marked it as heart-heart-maybe

Mar 04, 2013 Candi marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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About Christine E. Schulze

Christine E. Schulze has been creating books since she was too young to even write them in words. Her collection of YA fantasy books, The Amielian Legacy, is comprised of series and stand-alone books which can all be read separately but which weave together to create an amazing fantasy. She hopes to inspire readers throughout the world with these books by publishing in both traditional and electro...more

More about Christine E. Schulze...

Books by Christine E. Schulze

Silent Hero: A Tribute to The Legend of Zelda

Golden Healer, Dark Enchantress (The Stregoni Sequence #1)

Lily in the Snow and Other Elemental Tales

The Hero of 1000 Years (The Hero Chronicles, #1)

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Quotes from The Prism of Ashlai

“She was neither white nor black, Fyre nor Aquanite; she was a dame of the White King, and it was up to her, and her alone, to choose what path her life would take.” — 2 people liked it

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The Prism of Ashlai (The Gailean Quartet #1)

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