457 ratings | 10 reviews | avg rating:3.60

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Thera (Travel with Books and Coffee)

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A.F.E. Smith

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.afesmith.com

Twitter

afesmith

Genre

Fantasy, Fiction, Ebooks

Member Since

May 2014

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I'm a full-time editor, a part-time daydreamer and a constant scribbler. I have a three-year-old son (known to the internet as Small) and a baby girl (known, perhaps predictably, as Tiny). Things I like include snacks, books, complex maths problems, snacks, animated films and snacks. Send me chocolate and I'll be your forever friend. I also happen to be a robin some of the time, but you shouldn't let that bother you.

My debut novel, DARKHAVEN, is out now from Harper Voyager. It's a fast-paced fantasy whodunnit featuring love, murder and obsession, carriage chases, duels to the death and a very angry Wyvern, set in a unique city in the throes of industrial revolution. Coming soon to an ebook reader near you :-)

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A note on my book rati I'm a full-time editor, a part-time daydreamer and a constant scribbler. I have a three-year-old son (known to the internet as Small) and a baby girl (known, perhaps predictably, as Tiny). Things I like include snacks, books, complex maths problems, snacks, animated films and snacks. Send me chocolate and I'll be your forever friend. I also happen to be a robin some of the time, but you shouldn't let that bother you.

My debut novel, DARKHAVEN, is out now from Harper Voyager. It's a fast-paced fantasy whodunnit featuring love, murder and obsession, carriage chases, duels to the death and a very angry Wyvern, set in a unique city in the throes of industrial revolution. Coming soon to an ebook reader near you :-)

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A note on my book ratings: these are murky waters and I'm new to navigating them. I just want to give everything five stars to avoid hurting people's feelings (see, this is why I don't usually review stuff) but obviously that's neither helpful nor honest. So I've elaborated a bit on the Goodreads descriptions below, and if you're wondering, this is how I use my stars!

5 stars ('it was amazing'): reserved for books I love so much that I've read them more than once. Message: buy it now! Then talk to me about it!

4 stars ('really liked it'): a great book that I'd certainly recommend to others. May become a 5-star book, given time. Message: buy it.

3 stars ('liked it'): a good book. It was enjoyable - I don't feel that I wasted my time reading it - but I'm not going to rush out and evangelise about it either. Message: buy it, if it sounds like your kind of thing.

2 stars ('it was ok'): a book I have mixed feelings about. There was nothing terribly wrong with it, but it left me feeling meh. Message: borrow it from a friend.

1 star ('didn't like it'): reserved for books that, for me, had serious problems with plotting, characterisation and/or the basic rules of the English language. Sorry, but if a book is absolutely full of 'typos' then it will end up here, because I like some care to have gone into what I read. Message: avoid. ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

A.F.E. Smith Why, thank you for asking, Goodreads automatic question-poser. I would have to say the never-ending feeling of self-doubt and crushing inadequacy.

Seri…moreWhy, thank you for asking, Goodreads automatic question-poser. I would have to say the never-ending feeling of self-doubt and crushing inadequacy.

Seriously, though, aside from consistently worrying you’re not good enough – which, let’s face it, isn’t a problem restricted to those of us who aspire to authordom – being a writer is pretty great. You get to spend time with your imaginary friends without being called weird (at least to your face). You get to explore and play with ideas and words and the ‘what if’. Most importantly, you get to add a touch of enjoyment to other people’s lives.

You know … there are books that I love, that I feel privileged to have read, that changed my life; and there are a whole lot more books that didn’t have the same shattering impact but nevertheless were a wonderful way to spend a few hours. If my own writing can fall into the second category for a handful of people – or even, dare I say it, into the first category for one or two – then I will have done my job. And that’s the best thing about being a writer: the possibility that someone might lose themselves in one of my books and feel all the better for it.

Plus, I have a good excuse to eat lots of snacks. Because chocolate helps me think better. Really.(less)

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What is your favorite mythical/fantastical creature?

A.F.E. Smith For a long time the answer would have been a dragon, because really, who DOESN'T like dragons? I grew up reading Anne McCaffrey and one of my greatest…moreFor a long time the answer would have been a dragon, because really, who DOESN'T like dragons? I grew up reading Anne McCaffrey and one of my greatest ambitions was to Impress a dragon. (I should probably add that this ambition was similar to the one I had to go to Hogwarts: I knew it wasn't going to happen, for obvious reasons, but that didn't stop me wanting it A LOT.)

But these days, my answer tends to be a phoenix. I guess I like what they represent: rebirth, renewal, a brand new start arising from disaster. I find it an inspiring way to view the world, in general – if something goes terribly wrong, it's simply preparing me for a new stage in my life. It's always a comfort to believe that good things can come out of bad.

And, of course, since writing Darkhaven I also have a soft spot for unicorns, particularly the winged variety :-)(less)

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A.F.E. Smith’s books

Average rating: 4.07 · 469 ratings · 138 reviews · 11 distinct works • Similar authors

	Darkhaven (Darkhaven, #1) 3.84 avg rating — 272 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Goldenfire (Darkhaven, #2) 4.35 avg rating — 91 ratings — published 2016 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Windsinger (Darkhaven, #3) 4.30 avg rating — 43 ratings — published 2017 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dawn Rising (Marked, #1) 4.57 avg rating — 30 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Felinity by Sammy H.K. Smith (Goodreads Author) (Collected By), Brian M. Talgo (Goodreads Author), Sophie E. Tallis (Goodreads Author) 4.20 avg rating — 20 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Dark Knife (Marked, #2) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 7 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Daughter of the Sky (Marked, #3) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Destiny's Fire (Marked, #4) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Dying of the Light (Marked, #5) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Dark Knife (Marked Book 2) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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137 posts
A.F.E. Smith's Blog

An update

This blog post will not be written with any kind of skill or coherence. Just getting that out there before you actually decide to commit five minutes of your life to reading it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

So, a few things, in no particular order.

First, I SUBMITTED MY THIRD BOOK TO MY PUBLISHER. This is a pretty major event for me, because I’ve really been struggling to write for the past seven mo Read more of this blog post »

View more on A.F.E. Smith's website »

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Published on July 20, 2016 15:28

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Series by A.F.E. Smith

Darkhaven (3 books)
by

A.F.E. Smith (Goodreads Author)

4.00 avg rating — 404 ratings

Marked (5 books)
by

A.F.E. Smith (Goodreads Author)

4.68 avg rating — 40 ratings

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A.F.E.’s Recent Updates

A.F.E. Smith is now friends with John Mauro
Nov 07, 2022 06:28AM · like
A.F.E. Smith has read Dawn Rising (Marked, #1) by A.F.E. Smith (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 01, 2022 09:40AM · like
A.F.E. Smith has read The Dark Knife (Marked, #2) by A.F.E. Smith (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 01, 2022 09:39AM · like

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Quotes by A.F.E. Smith (?)

“Can we at least give him some money?” I ask.
Fabithe’s lips twist. “I think you’ve misunderstood the fundamental principles of theft.”
― A.F.E. Smith, Dawn Rising

tags: alyssia, fabithe, funny

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“He looked sad. ‘It’s hard to believe of her. She always seemed such a sweet girl.’

Sorrow rolled her eyes. ‘Your problem, Tomas, is that your natural paranoia is in constant tension with an almost pathological desire to believe the best of people. Sweet tells you nothing. Fuck it, I could be sweet if the occasion demanded.’

They looked at each other. Caraway’s lips twitched. Sorrow glared at him for a moment before conceding. ‘Maybe not. But you take my point.”
― A.F.E. Smith, Windsinger

tags: naeve-sorrow, tomas-caraway

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“My arms are wrapped tightly around my own bent legs, like a woodlouse curled up in a ball. I force myself to unfold, because what else can I do? If I stay here waiting for the world to make sense, I’ll be waiting forever.”
― A.F.E. Smith, Dawn Rising

tags: alyssia

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