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Talisma
Thrilling all age fantasy, dramatic twists and a stirring love story!
Why did Kaja – a bearer of good fortune – suddenly run out of luck? Shadow creatures are lurking in the dark, one misfortune leads to the next, and her fear of being claimed by the aristocrats increases by the hour. Furthermore, she is torn between her seaman and the wild wood wanderer, before whom all warn…
Can she escape her superior opponents? And how will her heart decide?
Why did Kaja – a bearer of good fortune – suddenly run out of luck? Shadow creatures are lurking in the dark, one misfortune leads to the next, and her fear of being claimed by the aristocrats increases by the hour. Furthermore, she is torn between her seaman and the wild wood wanderer, before whom all warn…
Can she escape her superior opponents? And how will her heart decide?
231 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 25, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 29, 2015
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to author Marie Mohn.)
“To love me is suicide for you! You have to keep away from me!”
This was an interesting fantasy-romance story, about a green-eyed girl and the two boys who loved her.
I felt quite sorry for Kaja at the start of this book, the way she lost her sister was awful, and having to hide her green eyes from everybody couldn’t have been easy either.
“Women with these deep green eyes were considered to be charms for good luck.”
The storyline in this followed Kaja as she met a boy who lived in the forest, a ‘wood-wanderer’ and the powers that she discovered because of him. There was some action, but this was strongly about the romance too.
“Never speak to a wood wanderer!” he had always warned. “Do not look to them and keep your distance! They are dangerous!”
Kaja found herself torn between her ‘wood-wandreer’ Teon, and her childhood friend Nio. At first I preferred Teon, but as the story went along I grew to prefer Nio, especially as he cared for Kaja so much.
“Had he really attempted to propose marriage to her? After their first kiss?”
The ending to this was okay, and we got a bit of action, I wasn’t 100% happy with the way the love triangle ended though!
6.5 out of 10.
“To love me is suicide for you! You have to keep away from me!”
This was an interesting fantasy-romance story, about a green-eyed girl and the two boys who loved her.
I felt quite sorry for Kaja at the start of this book, the way she lost her sister was awful, and having to hide her green eyes from everybody couldn’t have been easy either.
“Women with these deep green eyes were considered to be charms for good luck.”
The storyline in this followed Kaja as she met a boy who lived in the forest, a ‘wood-wanderer’ and the powers that she discovered because of him. There was some action, but this was strongly about the romance too.
“Never speak to a wood wanderer!” he had always warned. “Do not look to them and keep your distance! They are dangerous!”
Kaja found herself torn between her ‘wood-wandreer’ Teon, and her childhood friend Nio. At first I preferred Teon, but as the story went along I grew to prefer Nio, especially as he cared for Kaja so much.
“Had he really attempted to propose marriage to her? After their first kiss?”
The ending to this was okay, and we got a bit of action, I wasn’t 100% happy with the way the love triangle ended though!
6.5 out of 10.
March 28, 2015
I want to begin by thanking Marie Mohn for giving me the chance to read her book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Like many others have stated previously, the novel will be more enjoyable once it is polished by another translator. But nonetheless, it did not hinder me from reading Talisma and did not prevent me from understand thoroughly what was occurring. I was a bit tripped up a few times when I was unable to comprehend exactly what was being said but reading on, I grasped what had happened or what had been expressed.
Kaja, a city dweller, has compelling emerald green eyes that puts her in imminent danger if the wrong individual finds out what she truly is: a Talisma, a bearer of good fortune. Teon, a wood wanderer, bares the consequences of getting caught in the city in hopes to trade for a cure for his sick niece. Both had not expected to fall for each other and face the threat that looms over both their homes - Shadow Creatures.
All in all, I didn't hate it.
I just didn't love it.
Firstly, I hated Nio. Yeah, okay, I get it. They are childhood friends and Nio has loved Kaja for quite some time and all that fun stuff. BUTTTT, Kaja had never returned those feelings or even THOUGHT of him like that previously. Oh, and then when she didn't meet him that ONE TIME, instead of asking her what had happened, he just gets extremely offended and outraged.
LIKE:
THEN, she turned down his proposal. I anticipated him saying something about being friend zoned and stuff, especially after she openly admitted being interested in Teon later on in the story. His bruised ego was crystal clear. So you can imagine when the story began to revolve Teon how happy I was she was more interested in him than her male best friend.
I mean, TEAM TEON.
So she revolves herself with Teon and finds more about herself than she could have possibly envisioned. Kaja discovers new abilities she is able to implement and grasp that the wood wanderers are not these evil beings she was raised to think. Basically, she falls for him JUST FOR HIM TO RIP KAJA'S HEART OUT.
Then here comes Nio.
Fear of becoming enslaved by a noblesman, Nio and Kaja must marry quickly so she will be 'unavailable' to be anyone's but her husband's. I have to give the guy some credit, I mean he did save her once or twice.
Moving on from the guy issue, the Shadow Creatures
They don't look like that but I still wouldn't want that to come chasing me during the night.
Shadow creatures are evil. Aside from killing Kaja's twin sister when she was only 7 years old, they have been injuring and killing both city dwellers and wood wanderers. Teon's sister, Tea, informs her how to rid of shadow creatures for her benefit as well as all of city dwellers. Next, Kaja has a bunch of bad luck, and- well, I am not going to elaborate on the plot line. You can read to figure all that out.
I give it a 4/5.
Like many others have stated previously, the novel will be more enjoyable once it is polished by another translator. But nonetheless, it did not hinder me from reading Talisma and did not prevent me from understand thoroughly what was occurring. I was a bit tripped up a few times when I was unable to comprehend exactly what was being said but reading on, I grasped what had happened or what had been expressed.
Kaja, a city dweller, has compelling emerald green eyes that puts her in imminent danger if the wrong individual finds out what she truly is: a Talisma, a bearer of good fortune. Teon, a wood wanderer, bares the consequences of getting caught in the city in hopes to trade for a cure for his sick niece. Both had not expected to fall for each other and face the threat that looms over both their homes - Shadow Creatures.
All in all, I didn't hate it.
I just didn't love it.
Firstly, I hated Nio. Yeah, okay, I get it. They are childhood friends and Nio has loved Kaja for quite some time and all that fun stuff. BUTTTT, Kaja had never returned those feelings or even THOUGHT of him like that previously. Oh, and then when she didn't meet him that ONE TIME, instead of asking her what had happened, he just gets extremely offended and outraged.
LIKE:
THEN, she turned down his proposal. I anticipated him saying something about being friend zoned and stuff, especially after she openly admitted being interested in Teon later on in the story. His bruised ego was crystal clear. So you can imagine when the story began to revolve Teon how happy I was she was more interested in him than her male best friend.
I mean, TEAM TEON.
So she revolves herself with Teon and finds more about herself than she could have possibly envisioned. Kaja discovers new abilities she is able to implement and grasp that the wood wanderers are not these evil beings she was raised to think. Basically, she falls for him JUST FOR HIM TO RIP KAJA'S HEART OUT.
Then here comes Nio.
Fear of becoming enslaved by a noblesman, Nio and Kaja must marry quickly so she will be 'unavailable' to be anyone's but her husband's. I have to give the guy some credit, I mean he did save her once or twice.
Moving on from the guy issue, the Shadow Creatures
They don't look like that but I still wouldn't want that to come chasing me during the night.
Shadow creatures are evil. Aside from killing Kaja's twin sister when she was only 7 years old, they have been injuring and killing both city dwellers and wood wanderers. Teon's sister, Tea, informs her how to rid of shadow creatures for her benefit as well as all of city dwellers. Next, Kaja has a bunch of bad luck, and- well, I am not going to elaborate on the plot line. You can read to figure all that out.
I give it a 4/5.
May 30, 2015
This story had a lot of potential. Some of the quality of the novel may have even been lost in the translation from its original language. There were portions that I enjoyed and I wish that I had been able to enjoy it more.
The world and characters were lacking in development and I never really felt the connections that were supposed to be so strong. Every time it seemed like the magic or history of their world was going to be unfolded more it glossed over it rather than giving concrete details. I wanted more information regarding the magicians and the wood wanderers and the magic they possessed. I think that would have increased my enjoyment of this novel.
The love story was something that I did not enjoy. I understood that it was going to be a love triangle of sorts, but this was not what I expected. The relationship between Kaja and Teon seemed more an obsession and there was never enough development in their relationship for me. The side story and everything that happened with Nio just upset me more than interesting me. I just didn't enjoy how the love played out.
I think with more development into the characters and the world this could be a very interesting story. Also some more work on the translation to make the reading flow more smoothly would be a great way to improve the story. The ideas are very interesting and I really enjoyed the magic with the fire and auras and shadow creatures. This definitely had some bright spots and has a lot of potential for improvement.
The world and characters were lacking in development and I never really felt the connections that were supposed to be so strong. Every time it seemed like the magic or history of their world was going to be unfolded more it glossed over it rather than giving concrete details. I wanted more information regarding the magicians and the wood wanderers and the magic they possessed. I think that would have increased my enjoyment of this novel.
The love story was something that I did not enjoy. I understood that it was going to be a love triangle of sorts, but this was not what I expected. The relationship between Kaja and Teon seemed more an obsession and there was never enough development in their relationship for me. The side story and everything that happened with Nio just upset me more than interesting me. I just didn't enjoy how the love played out.
I think with more development into the characters and the world this could be a very interesting story. Also some more work on the translation to make the reading flow more smoothly would be a great way to improve the story. The ideas are very interesting and I really enjoyed the magic with the fire and auras and shadow creatures. This definitely had some bright spots and has a lot of potential for improvement.
March 30, 2015
I am so glad this book was translated into English!! I immediately fell in love with the characters in this book. I laughed, I cried, I wanted so much more when it was over. I cant wait to see what else Marie Mohn has up her sleeve. Kaja's story is one that you most certainly need to be apart of!!
December 14, 2015
I received a free copy of this book from the author on the condition of giving an honest review.
I gave this book 3/5 stars. Overall, I enjoyed the story line. There were parts that I was excited to read more and find out what happens, and the story is quite original in my opinion. However, the translation from German to English is quite flawed, with a lot of sayings either not making sense or not flowing in the context of the story. The language felt quite dumbed down, and was distracting as a reader to the story. I had to push myself to finish this book.
Additionally, some parts of the book were not explored in much depth. A whole day could pass in a couple of paragraphs, with not much happening. The story definitely picked up after Chapter 24, I felt these last few chapters were explored well, good visuals but then the ending was very abrupt and .
Overall, I feel the language could do with a lot of work, but the story is quite strong if it were to be improved.
I'd like to thank the author for the opportunity to read this book.
I gave this book 3/5 stars. Overall, I enjoyed the story line. There were parts that I was excited to read more and find out what happens, and the story is quite original in my opinion. However, the translation from German to English is quite flawed, with a lot of sayings either not making sense or not flowing in the context of the story. The language felt quite dumbed down, and was distracting as a reader to the story. I had to push myself to finish this book.
Additionally, some parts of the book were not explored in much depth. A whole day could pass in a couple of paragraphs, with not much happening. The story definitely picked up after Chapter 24, I felt these last few chapters were explored well, good visuals but then the ending was very abrupt and .
Overall, I feel the language could do with a lot of work, but the story is quite strong if it were to be improved.
I'd like to thank the author for the opportunity to read this book.
April 28, 2015
For to be happy, one has to enjoy the moment!
I thought that the plot of this book had quite a lot of potential. I enjoyed it but found that some portions of the book didn't feel like they had been translated as well as they could have been.
However, I very much enjoyed the relationship between Kaja and Teon. They were obviously in love from the moment they saw each other. I liked how Kaja was half human and half wood wanderer which gave her her strange and unique aura and also meant she had powers for example she could manipulate fire. It also acted as a bridge and brought the humans and wood wanderers together to fight against the shadow monsters and the evil magician who was behind them.
Overall not a bad read.
I thought that the plot of this book had quite a lot of potential. I enjoyed it but found that some portions of the book didn't feel like they had been translated as well as they could have been.
However, I very much enjoyed the relationship between Kaja and Teon. They were obviously in love from the moment they saw each other. I liked how Kaja was half human and half wood wanderer which gave her her strange and unique aura and also meant she had powers for example she could manipulate fire. It also acted as a bridge and brought the humans and wood wanderers together to fight against the shadow monsters and the evil magician who was behind them.
Overall not a bad read.
April 3, 2015
I'm sorry. I have to list this as a DNF.
I don't think I should continue on with this book. I am not enjoying the reading experience. The translation is very rough, and part of the joy of reading for me is the language. For me, the words used help give the story meaning and beauty. I am sure it is a beautiful story in the original language.
Marie, I know you worked hard on your book, and I appreciate that. I honestly think you should hire a translator so that the reading experience will be a more enjoyable one.
I don't think I should continue on with this book. I am not enjoying the reading experience. The translation is very rough, and part of the joy of reading for me is the language. For me, the words used help give the story meaning and beauty. I am sure it is a beautiful story in the original language.
Marie, I know you worked hard on your book, and I appreciate that. I honestly think you should hire a translator so that the reading experience will be a more enjoyable one.
April 6, 2015
I was one of the first to receive the corrected version (2) of Talisma in exchange for an honest review and I LOVE IT!
It has everything I want in a book:
- great characters I wish I could meet - e.g. the hot wood wanderer Teon!
- lots of suspense, emotions, an completely new fantastic world and
- it surprised me with a dramatic twists and turns.
I had to LAUGH and CRY because of it and I will definitely read it again.
I recommend it to everyone who likes thrilling and romantic fantasy like the Mortal Instruments Series, Graceling or Daughter of Smoke and Bone!
It has everything I want in a book:
- great characters I wish I could meet - e.g. the hot wood wanderer Teon!
- lots of suspense, emotions, an completely new fantastic world and
- it surprised me with a dramatic twists and turns.
I had to LAUGH and CRY because of it and I will definitely read it again.
I recommend it to everyone who likes thrilling and romantic fantasy like the Mortal Instruments Series, Graceling or Daughter of Smoke and Bone!
February 15, 2015
A fantastic book - one of my favorites! Thrilling from start to finish, with a compelling, dramatic and surprising love story. I could see the forest of shadows and the fascinating wood wanderers in my mind, didn't want to lay down the book! Hopefully there will be soon more of it! :)
April 1, 2015
Talisma
I received a read to review copy of this novel from the author. Many thanks to Marie Mohn for this opportunity!
- - -
Why did Kaja – a bearer of good fortune – suddenly run out of luck? Shadow creatures are lurking in the dark, one misfortune leads to the next, and her fear of being claimed by the aristocrats increases by the hour. Furthermore, she is torn between her seaman and the wild wood wanderer, before whom all warn…
Can she escape her superior opponents? And how will her heart decide?
- - -
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: Roughly translated from its original language (German); a convoluted information dump in the prologue; almost 1-dimensional characters throughout; awesome premise, steamy romance, cheesy fairy tale ending.
This book starts us off with a lot of information that, in the end, goes seemingly nowhere. We are introduced into the middle of the action, as Kaja's twin sister, Liana, is kidnapped for unknown . After a very quick introduction to this plot, Kaja feels her sister die. Left alone in a world where shadow creatures seem to reign, Kaja finds solace in isolation and hard work. A lot of time passes—in fact, I quickly lost track and became confused as to just how MUCH time goes by. By the end of the prologue, Kaja is 22....and we have very few answers.
It's not until later we learn of the fate of Talismas—women with green eyes who are said to bring good luck and are, therefore, open to claiming by wealthy lords and Emperors. Such was, I presume, the fate of Liana (though we lose track of this particular back story as the novel goes on. In fact, after Kaja meets her “destiny” in the form of a stranger, Liana is almost completely forgotten; we never get the whole story of what happened to her, though we are told a shadow creature kills her. It is unclear why, being such a highly sought talisma, the emperor lets her roam around on her own.)
Teon is a wood wanderer, a native to a tribe that, according to humans, is dangerous. With the warnings she grew up hearing echoing through her mind, Kaja embarks on a reckless—and intriguing—relationship with the forest dweller. The closer they become, the stronger her feelings the relationship is right. But there's a secret neither of them know about Talismas and their relationships with wood wanderers—and as Teon learns of the prophecy, strong emotions and fear separate the lovers.
There are a lot of aspects of this novel that I didn't find appealing. To start, the prologue attempts to relay a LOT of information without actually answering any questions. There are a few plot lines that we lose track of as the story progresses, such as Liana's abduction and subsequent death.
Important characters are introduced very late in the story and not fleshed out adequately (Terranon, for instance, is brought in somewhere around chapter ten?) and we, as readers, are expected to know who these characters are despite them only just being introduced. A lot of the characters fall flat—I couldn't make a connection with many of them, which made them seem more like minor cast-offs than part of the story. The closing chapter also falls short in many ways—it comes off more as a cheap, cliché fairy tale than the ending I was expecting while reading. I feel like it might have been a cop-out, to be honest; everything is “happily ever after”...but in a story of this sort, happily ever after is never really THAT happy.
However, the premise is awesome, and I found myself enjoying (for the most part!) the relationship between Kaja and Teon. It is clear throughout that they care deeply for each other—either due to “fate” or “love at first sight” or whatever you care to believe. While filled with a lot of drama (it took me back to high school romances, if I'm being honest, which I don't know worked effectively), there are a few steamy, pulse-poundingly sweet moments that redeemed the characters for me.
The shadow creatures, while not completely explained to us (their existence seems to be unknown, and while it is revealed in chapter 25 that they come from a cloud, it is unclear if they always come from the sky or if that was a one time thing. Given they couldn't come out in daylight before, i was confused by this new development.) reminds me of the monsters in Garth Nix's Sabriel.
I'd recommend this to people who enjoy fantasy-romances; there are a few “adult” moments, and Kaja and Teon's relationship, while sweet and endearing, is also caustic and volatile, so anyone who doesn't care for such things might not enjoy the read. Overall, a charming novel!
I received a read to review copy of this novel from the author. Many thanks to Marie Mohn for this opportunity!
- - -
Why did Kaja – a bearer of good fortune – suddenly run out of luck? Shadow creatures are lurking in the dark, one misfortune leads to the next, and her fear of being claimed by the aristocrats increases by the hour. Furthermore, she is torn between her seaman and the wild wood wanderer, before whom all warn…
Can she escape her superior opponents? And how will her heart decide?
- - -
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: Roughly translated from its original language (German); a convoluted information dump in the prologue; almost 1-dimensional characters throughout; awesome premise, steamy romance, cheesy fairy tale ending.
This book starts us off with a lot of information that, in the end, goes seemingly nowhere. We are introduced into the middle of the action, as Kaja's twin sister, Liana, is kidnapped for unknown . After a very quick introduction to this plot, Kaja feels her sister die. Left alone in a world where shadow creatures seem to reign, Kaja finds solace in isolation and hard work. A lot of time passes—in fact, I quickly lost track and became confused as to just how MUCH time goes by. By the end of the prologue, Kaja is 22....and we have very few answers.
It's not until later we learn of the fate of Talismas—women with green eyes who are said to bring good luck and are, therefore, open to claiming by wealthy lords and Emperors. Such was, I presume, the fate of Liana (though we lose track of this particular back story as the novel goes on. In fact, after Kaja meets her “destiny” in the form of a stranger, Liana is almost completely forgotten; we never get the whole story of what happened to her, though we are told a shadow creature kills her. It is unclear why, being such a highly sought talisma, the emperor lets her roam around on her own.)
Teon is a wood wanderer, a native to a tribe that, according to humans, is dangerous. With the warnings she grew up hearing echoing through her mind, Kaja embarks on a reckless—and intriguing—relationship with the forest dweller. The closer they become, the stronger her feelings the relationship is right. But there's a secret neither of them know about Talismas and their relationships with wood wanderers—and as Teon learns of the prophecy, strong emotions and fear separate the lovers.
There are a lot of aspects of this novel that I didn't find appealing. To start, the prologue attempts to relay a LOT of information without actually answering any questions. There are a few plot lines that we lose track of as the story progresses, such as Liana's abduction and subsequent death.
Important characters are introduced very late in the story and not fleshed out adequately (Terranon, for instance, is brought in somewhere around chapter ten?) and we, as readers, are expected to know who these characters are despite them only just being introduced. A lot of the characters fall flat—I couldn't make a connection with many of them, which made them seem more like minor cast-offs than part of the story. The closing chapter also falls short in many ways—it comes off more as a cheap, cliché fairy tale than the ending I was expecting while reading. I feel like it might have been a cop-out, to be honest; everything is “happily ever after”...but in a story of this sort, happily ever after is never really THAT happy.
However, the premise is awesome, and I found myself enjoying (for the most part!) the relationship between Kaja and Teon. It is clear throughout that they care deeply for each other—either due to “fate” or “love at first sight” or whatever you care to believe. While filled with a lot of drama (it took me back to high school romances, if I'm being honest, which I don't know worked effectively), there are a few steamy, pulse-poundingly sweet moments that redeemed the characters for me.
The shadow creatures, while not completely explained to us (their existence seems to be unknown, and while it is revealed in chapter 25 that they come from a cloud, it is unclear if they always come from the sky or if that was a one time thing. Given they couldn't come out in daylight before, i was confused by this new development.) reminds me of the monsters in Garth Nix's Sabriel.
I'd recommend this to people who enjoy fantasy-romances; there are a few “adult” moments, and Kaja and Teon's relationship, while sweet and endearing, is also caustic and volatile, so anyone who doesn't care for such things might not enjoy the read. Overall, a charming novel!
June 12, 2015
I was given this book a few months back on a read to review basis.
Let me start this review off by saying that the story itself has potential. Even the writing, which I found to be redundant at times, had a few sparks of genius hidden throughout the book. The story follows a green-eyed girl that is coveted by the nobles of the time period as a sort of good luck charm. When you take that and combine it with a love triangle and magic, you may think that it would be a brilliant tale. However, Talisma falls short on delivering the full epic that it should be.
As the reader, I did not tie myself to Kaja. I felt little connection to her or any of the other supporting characters. The world itself was vague but in a good way, it allowed the reader to actually use their imagination and then added bits of detail (like the forest village) to "fill in the blanks." As far as the love triangle is concerned, it all felt forced.
As a whole, the story itself felt forced. It was as if the writer had made up the timeline of events, and the entire structure of the book, before even allowing her characters to develop. The people seemed robotic in this nature, and it was further shown in the love aspect of the story. Kaja feels an immediate connection to a "forbidden love" (Teon- the Wood Wanderer) but meanwhile she has friend-zoned a "human" that is crushing on her big time (Nio-The seaman). It makes for a great set-up, however; none of the characters react in actual ways that seem realistic to themselves or each other or the current predicament that they have been thrown into. Take that and throw in the drama from the fact that Kaja is a Talisma, and you forced a wedding into the equation that alienates your main character further from the readers.
I love this genre. I love magic, and wizards, and strong female characters. Perhaps that is why this book fell short of par for my taste. It may be that my standard is too high. I am not familiar with this author's works, and maybe there is a language barrier that was being addressed in writing this book, but either way it was apparent. The story leaves room for the reader's imagination to have fun, but then suffocates it in the next instant with redundant sentences and poor word usage.
The potential is within the story. The characters need to be allowed to mature in a realistic fashion and then shown to the reader for what they do more than what the author thinks that they should do. If Talisma is destined to be a great story, as I feel that it may very well be, it needs to cut out the outline of events and get real with the reader. Real emotion for its characters will elicit real emotions from the readers.
I tried not to be too harsh on my review of this book, but I also didn't want to leave any falsehood in this review. I enjoyed the story that I saw in the background, not the words that I read on the pages.
Hope that is helpful.
Let me start this review off by saying that the story itself has potential. Even the writing, which I found to be redundant at times, had a few sparks of genius hidden throughout the book. The story follows a green-eyed girl that is coveted by the nobles of the time period as a sort of good luck charm. When you take that and combine it with a love triangle and magic, you may think that it would be a brilliant tale. However, Talisma falls short on delivering the full epic that it should be.
As the reader, I did not tie myself to Kaja. I felt little connection to her or any of the other supporting characters. The world itself was vague but in a good way, it allowed the reader to actually use their imagination and then added bits of detail (like the forest village) to "fill in the blanks." As far as the love triangle is concerned, it all felt forced.
As a whole, the story itself felt forced. It was as if the writer had made up the timeline of events, and the entire structure of the book, before even allowing her characters to develop. The people seemed robotic in this nature, and it was further shown in the love aspect of the story. Kaja feels an immediate connection to a "forbidden love" (Teon- the Wood Wanderer) but meanwhile she has friend-zoned a "human" that is crushing on her big time (Nio-The seaman). It makes for a great set-up, however; none of the characters react in actual ways that seem realistic to themselves or each other or the current predicament that they have been thrown into. Take that and throw in the drama from the fact that Kaja is a Talisma, and you forced a wedding into the equation that alienates your main character further from the readers.
I love this genre. I love magic, and wizards, and strong female characters. Perhaps that is why this book fell short of par for my taste. It may be that my standard is too high. I am not familiar with this author's works, and maybe there is a language barrier that was being addressed in writing this book, but either way it was apparent. The story leaves room for the reader's imagination to have fun, but then suffocates it in the next instant with redundant sentences and poor word usage.
The potential is within the story. The characters need to be allowed to mature in a realistic fashion and then shown to the reader for what they do more than what the author thinks that they should do. If Talisma is destined to be a great story, as I feel that it may very well be, it needs to cut out the outline of events and get real with the reader. Real emotion for its characters will elicit real emotions from the readers.
I tried not to be too harsh on my review of this book, but I also didn't want to leave any falsehood in this review. I enjoyed the story that I saw in the background, not the words that I read on the pages.
Hope that is helpful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2015
Many thanks for Marie Mohn for giving me this opportunity to read her book and give me honest review
Kaja is a Talisma, that is she is girl who brings good luck. Talismas have very distinct features, green eyes and they're mostly girls. They are extremely valuable to the artistocrts and once they're captured they'll be held as their servants forever. Kaja doesn't only have this nightmare hanging over her shoulders but she's also haunted by her sister's death on the hand of shadow creatures. Shadow creatures are evil and are lurking in the shadows waiting to bring chaos to the villagers and wood wanderers lives.
Now this is a paranormal romance, and Kaja has to deal with two love interest; her childhood best friend and the tempting wood wanderer which the villagers consider dangerous. No fun being Kaja that's for sure..
I thought the premise is really good. The fact the good luck is a girl is something I haven't read about yet. It was really fascinating. Also, no matter how inadequate the translation was I was invested in what is going to happen. However, I still felt some parts of this mythology especially when it comes to explaining unclear maybe due to the translation as well but I wished it was more explained.
When it comes to the characters, my feeling are torn when it comes to Kaja. One minute I think she's naive but she's definitely independent and a leader. I have more respect to her than like. The male love interests are also the same. Both Nio and Teon treated Kaja horribly; but at least they admitted it. I was ok with either man who eneded up with her to be honest. She'd find love either way she went because both guys, by the end, proven how good they'll be for her. They become kind of alike.
My only complaint was how this book lost it's beauty and the emotions in the translation. I kept thinking that it would have been really good if I knew how to read in German. Overall, fantastic start & looking forward to more book from Marie Mohn.
April 8, 2015
This book was good with all the action in it but I felt like it was dragged out and it just didn't cached my attention as much as other books. I would reccomend this book to people who prefer a lot of romance.
March 31, 2015
>Book Review – Talisma -
>I received this book from the author and Paranormal Romance and Authors that Rock. I am an independent reviewer. This is the a standalone novel that ends in an HEA.
>This story takes place in a fantasy world, where magic exists. Kaja is a special type of girl. She has green eyes which means whomever claims her will have good luck. She meets and falls in love with another species, the wood wanderer. Her people do not understand wood wandered, so they fear and despise them. Kaja and Teon buck convention until Teon reads a journal of secrets revealing what he thinks is a prophecy regarding his relationship with Kaja. He thinks Kaja may die if she stays with him, so he pretends to dump her. Heartbroken and threatened to be kidnapped as a good luck talisman by a greedy lord, she is forced to marry her childhood friend, Nio. If married, no one can claim her.
>Nio loves her. Kaja still pines for Teon. I disliked the ending. Without spoilers, all I can say is how does it set well with Kaja, Teon and Nio, to set aside the sanctity of marriage? They are all so proper and rule following, yet a huge rule is being ignored for the sake of individual happiness. This story was a bit flat to read. The dialogue was simplistic and the descriptions didn't sound quite right. When I found out the story was a translation, I have to think the beauty of the words was lost in translation. Maybe a cleaner translation would help.
>There was a huge supernatural battle being led by a strange being whose motivation is never explained. The battle was thrilling, but hard to follow. Even when it was over, it was confusing as to what was accomplished. Once again, maybe the reasoning would have been clearer with a better translation.
>This book is appropriate for a young adult (16+) audience due to mild sexual situations.
>I received this book from the author and Paranormal Romance and Authors that Rock. I am an independent reviewer. This is the a standalone novel that ends in an HEA.
>This story takes place in a fantasy world, where magic exists. Kaja is a special type of girl. She has green eyes which means whomever claims her will have good luck. She meets and falls in love with another species, the wood wanderer. Her people do not understand wood wandered, so they fear and despise them. Kaja and Teon buck convention until Teon reads a journal of secrets revealing what he thinks is a prophecy regarding his relationship with Kaja. He thinks Kaja may die if she stays with him, so he pretends to dump her. Heartbroken and threatened to be kidnapped as a good luck talisman by a greedy lord, she is forced to marry her childhood friend, Nio. If married, no one can claim her.
>Nio loves her. Kaja still pines for Teon. I disliked the ending. Without spoilers, all I can say is how does it set well with Kaja, Teon and Nio, to set aside the sanctity of marriage? They are all so proper and rule following, yet a huge rule is being ignored for the sake of individual happiness. This story was a bit flat to read. The dialogue was simplistic and the descriptions didn't sound quite right. When I found out the story was a translation, I have to think the beauty of the words was lost in translation. Maybe a cleaner translation would help.
>There was a huge supernatural battle being led by a strange being whose motivation is never explained. The battle was thrilling, but hard to follow. Even when it was over, it was confusing as to what was accomplished. Once again, maybe the reasoning would have been clearer with a better translation.
>This book is appropriate for a young adult (16+) audience due to mild sexual situations.
April 6, 2015
Who does not love a good love triangle. There are so many movies, tv shows and books based on this premise alone. So I knew things were going to get good when Kaja found herself torn between her wood-wandreer Teon, and her childhood friend Nio. We get some pretty steamy, passionate moments between Kaja and Teon that would make this book better suited for more mature readers.
I really enjoyed the shadow creatures. Although I would have like some more background and consistency with them, I really enjoyed the dark, violent, treacherous mood they set in the story. They are evil to the core and are responsible for the death of Kaja's twin sister when they were young. They also are trying to kill Kaja, Teon and Nio and it becomes up to Kaja to rid their world of their sinister ways.
The only thing I disliked about this book was that the characters were not real developed. A lot of them are one dimensional and fall flat, but I saw potential in the style of writing that would lead me to believe this something the author will grow into with more experience. At times the book did not flow as nicely as I would have liked to see, but that could also have something to do with loss within translation from the original language, German, as well.
As far as a romance/fantasy book goes this was a good read that I could recommend to those who really enjoy this genre. A few hiccups, but nothing that took away from the overall enjoyment of the story or the characters. I am looking forward to more books from this upcoming author.
I really enjoyed the shadow creatures. Although I would have like some more background and consistency with them, I really enjoyed the dark, violent, treacherous mood they set in the story. They are evil to the core and are responsible for the death of Kaja's twin sister when they were young. They also are trying to kill Kaja, Teon and Nio and it becomes up to Kaja to rid their world of their sinister ways.
The only thing I disliked about this book was that the characters were not real developed. A lot of them are one dimensional and fall flat, but I saw potential in the style of writing that would lead me to believe this something the author will grow into with more experience. At times the book did not flow as nicely as I would have liked to see, but that could also have something to do with loss within translation from the original language, German, as well.
As far as a romance/fantasy book goes this was a good read that I could recommend to those who really enjoy this genre. A few hiccups, but nothing that took away from the overall enjoyment of the story or the characters. I am looking forward to more books from this upcoming author.
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