Ariel's Tear: A Tale of Rehavan

Tales of Rehavan #1

by Justin Rose, Abraham W Feldick (Illustrator)

“Beauty is always worth protecting.”

Set in the fictional world of Rehavan, Ariel’s Tear tells the story of Reheuel, Captain of the Guards in the small human city of Gath Odrenoch. An aging soldier haunted by memories of his bloody youth, Reheuel lives a sedate but contented life with his family. Disillusioned with warfare and the glories of his nation’s conquests, he raises his children to value beauty and the wonders that enrich their lives.
His peaceful world shatters, however, when a tribe of goblins threatens both Gath Odrenoch and the nearby Fairy City. Intent on saving his family and on protecting the innocence of the childlike fairies, Reheuel sets off on a journey to save both cities. Lifting his sword once more, he rediscovers the true cost of earthly beauty.

Ariel's Tear is the first book in the "Tales of Rehavan" series. It is followed by Part 1

Genres: Fantasy

291 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2015

About the author

Justin Rose is a fantasy author from Superior, Wisconsin. He is primarily known for his multiple fantasy series "First Immortals," "Nations End," and "Myths of Rehavan."

Reviews

[Adam Sequoyah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandoned, it couldn't hold my interest.

ARC

[Jose Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met the author, Justin Rose, at Twin Cities Con in Minneapolis in 2024. His passion for his books was evident as he enthusiastically greeted and shared quick, captivating summaries and eagerly answered questions from visitors. After walking away from his booth, I found myself drawn back before the day ended where I purchased his first book, Ariel’s Tear, and I’m glad I did.

In Ariel’s Tear, the fairy city of Elicathaliss—known as “The City of Youth”—is a place of beauty, innocence, and harmony. However, its peace is shattered when goblins launch a brutal assault, stealing a powerful magical artifact that sustains the city’s vitality. This artifact, while essential to the fairies’ existence, also has the potential to become a devastating weapon against humankind. The story follows three interwoven perspectives: an aging hero forced to confront an enemy from his past, his family struggling to survive the wilderness and warn the human town, and the fairies as they grapple with the loss of their innocence and unity. As the battle for survival and justice unfolds, the characters must face hard truths about war, sacrifice, and the cost of preserving beauty in a harsh world.

Auril’s Tear is an easy but captivating read. The author’s vivid descriptions bring the world to life, painting scenes in the reader’s mind. The plot is well-developed, the characters are compelling, and there is emotional depth that adds to the novel’s richness. I recommend this book and I eagerly look forward to reading more from this writer.

[Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this fantasy story, there is a fairy city called Elicathaliss, "The City of Youth." It is a place of childlike innocence and frolicking fay creatures. As an aging hero and his family arrive for a visit, they find the city under assault by goblins. An important magical item is taken...and item that helped give life to the city but could be used as a terrible weapon against the humans.

The tale splits between the aging hero as he tries to defeat a foe he couldn't finish before, his family as they must survive the wilderness to warn the human town, and the fairies as the loss of the item begins to fracture their innocence and unity.

I feel it is a good tale, expertly woven. You can tell the author also had a good editor guiding his hand from the lack of errors and the good pace of the story. I am looking forward to reading more in the series.

[Cathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

When goblins tribes attack the innocent fairy city, followed by his home city, Reheual, Captain of the guard, must rise to the challenge to save those he loves.
It took me a few chapters to get into the story but it was very cleverly written. The characters were well thought out with clear values and morals that they stood by. The descriptive language used enables the reader to envision everything that the family members are seeing. Ariel and Randiriel were my favourite characters and I think they experienced the most character growth. I also liked this unique version of fairies. A well written and enjoyable fantasy. I received a free copy of this book from Voracious Readers in exchange for a review.

[PAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ariel’s Tear is a beautiful endearing story. The plot is well developed and the characters are strong.
The author is able to paint the world he describes in your mind, like a motion picture in words. And while the settings and character development are outstanding the actual dialogue between characters is the gift of this novel. The characters have an understanding of the actual value of humankind that is a blessing to the reader. This is an easy enjoyable read. I would love,to read more work from this author. I gave this honest, voluntary review after being given a free copy of the book with no monetary compensation

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story makes for a short and enjoyable read. What this book lacks in length, it makes up for in creativity. I loved the family dynamic; specifically in Reheuel's human family, but also within the fairy community. And I can't say that I've ever seen fairies go to war against goblins before, so that was a very unique spin!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only*

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and I'm glad that I finally read it.

I loved the concept of Fairies and humans working together to battle against goblins, the added bonus of briefly mentioning minotaur history and good triumphing over evil.

I was eagerly turning the pages as the various battles waged, hoping that the goblins would be stopped and the Tear to be returned to the Fairies!

Trigger warnings: death, war, injury

[Patty Mele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was such an amazing book that I read it from the very beginning to the very end.

I thought the character built up was very well done and this is my opinion.

I thought the storytelling was so well done and this is my opinion.

I got this book for free, with an honest review freely given.

[Divya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exciting fantasy adventure story that sees Reheuel and his family helping the fairies following a goblin attack. Reheuel then helps the fairies retrieve the Ariel's year. The story is very well written and moves at a good pace. I received a free copy of the book and this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Christina Sirota · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun adventure I was able to read on a day of travel. I was very pleasantly surprised to find fantasy that did not remind me at all of D&D but felt like its own world with its own creative lore. Definitely could see influences of the Silmarillion, which is always fun for me. Glad I picked it up.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so well written. The beginning of the book was not what I expected. It is beautiful but a different kind of story. You start with a creation story, then a prologue and then the main story. Take the time to read each of the sections and enjoy the different beauty of each.

[Jeana Budnick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fairly short novel, especially for a fantasy novel. it's still an enjoyable read. it's nice to read a book that isn't bogged down by tons of unnecessary characters. The author has a way of describing things that make you feel like you're there.

[Elizabeth Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a short book it took me longer to read. I like the story a lot. I struggled with the names(as most people do) and sometimes got lost on which characters I was following. Over all I liked the book and can’t wait to start the next one.

[Wesley Dau · Rating 5 out of 5]

As others have said, this novel is quite short, and the author intended it to be that way. I feel it does a great job introducing readers to the World of Rehavan. I really enjoyed the tale and fully look forward to reading the rest of the titles and any future books that Justin decides to release.

[Brynja]

DNF. I got this as a present (signed by the author, and with my name in it) but it was boring so I only got like 24 pages in and was feeling guilty about not reading it and now I just decided to DNF it.

[Ami Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story reminded me of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings epic fantasy series! I loved the world building, the descriptions of the characters, and the character growth that happened all along the narrative of the book! This was a clean, uplifting book, and I’m excited to read more by the author!

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a bit to get into this one.

[JenHentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read

What a fun book to read had everything-fairies, gnomes(bad),regular people some who fought the good fight and brought friendships and peace between different peoples

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story! Will absolutely be reading the rest of the books in this series. I only wish it were longer!

[Theresa Bragado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and enjoyable read. I loved this new and unique universe!

[Denise G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow start. But once I got into the story, it was wonderful! Lots of great action, character development, and growth.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of hard to get into, but overall a nice story about innocence, growth and strength

[Gemma Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
A wonderful fantasy story with an incredibly in-depth and well built world and extensive lore. The story of Ariel provides an entirely new take on the origin of fairies, and creates a tale that is full of both wonder and sadness. We follow Reheuel and his family as they travel to visit the fairy city, only to find themselves caught up in a battle with the goblins. They risk everything to preserve the innocence and childlike wonder the city stands for.
The author’s prose is brilliant, an it truly gives the feel of a great fantasy epic, while at the same time full of emotion. The story is not particularly fast paced, but that works well here as the story is allowed to unfold without being rushed. The only reason this isn’t quite 5⭐️ for me is I found it a little difficult to get into the main story at first (the creation story at the beginning of the book was so fantastic and poetically written I was hung up on that for a while!) but I would definitely recommend sticking to it and it is so worth it!

[Emmarayn Redding · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantasy story with a frontier-flavor, this one was an interesting read. As the origin story for Justin Rose's series of epic fantasy novels, this book shows how one family's struggle in a small regional conflict will come to affect the world for generations to come.

Opening with a creation myth, Ariel's Tear then introduces us to our central characters: Rehuel, an aging warrior, and his wife and children. Their short journey to the fairy city is interrupted by evidence of a goblin attack that threatens not only the innlcent fairies, but their own simple village, spurring the small family into a desperate effort to aide their magical allies as well as send warning to their people at home.

The plot is mostly action oriented, but there is a running theme of innocence and its cost throughout the story.

Rehavan, the world in which the story is set, has promise, and the rest of the books, while different in scale and tone, look intriguing! It will be cool to see where the events of this first book lead our characters in the years to come.

[Cassi Sanchez-Manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything about Fairies so this book was a must read for me! Although it did take a few chapters for me to really be hooked it was well worth it! The characters were very lovable and the world building was great. I got a vivid picture in my mind from the authors description of events (which I loved!). I look forward to more from this author!

Thank you Voracious Readers and Justin Rose for allowing me to read and review this book.

[Bethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from voracious readers only and I am leaving this review voluntarily
I enjoyed reading this book its a well written fantasy and the elements and inter stories woven in work well together the setting is original and well described and the characters are all different and original I liked Ariel's backstory and the ending is emotional and also satisfying

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a classic story of good versus bad. To my mind it is more suited to young teenagers than to adults but I enjoyed it anyway and found it very relaxing to read. I am very glad to have received a complementary copy to review from voracious readers only.

[Wendy Buchanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy from voracious readers. It was a little slow to get started, but still an enjoyable read

[Chantel · Rating 2 out of 5]

★★ - Beneath Expectations : Boring | Overhyped | Overdone