ONE LOVE. ONE ENCHANTED CITY. ONE CHANCE TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT AGAIN.
Lisa and Nathan are fatefully bonded to each other ever since their paths crossed. But Nathan carries with him an old legacy - the essence of the Dubhán - linking him to a dark past. Their love will be put to the test, forcing them to question everything they have always known... and been.
In whom can they really trust when everyone has something to win... and a lot to lose? What can they really believe in when the foundations of the City itself seem to do everything to push them apart?
Fall in love with their story, as they fight to prove that love transcends everything: rules, principles, family bonds.
Catia M Rodrigues is a writer of Young Adult Fantasy and Paranormal Romance.
Other roles may include but are not limited to, infectiology nurse, wife, and mom.
Bookworm, geek, and lover of caramel and the color purple beyond any chances of redemption or salvation.
Her cave is in Oporto, Portugal.
You can learn more about her upcoming projects (aka world domination through dragon love, Porto wine, and caramel popcorns) at: https://www.facebook.com/CatiaMRodrig...
Well, I may be a little bit bias, but I have deeply fallen in love with this book... I think it deserves 5 stars! =D It was amazing to be able to honor the Portuguese mythology (even if briefly) by revisiting our Enchanted Moors through the Dubhán people, drinking from Celtic, Spanish and Portuguese Lore. I hope you enjoy getting to know Oporto and the Dubhán a little better while falling for Lisa and Nathan and their love story. Trigger Warning from the Author: Contains Suicidal Content/References
I received a copy from the author, in exchange for an honest review.
Actual Rating: 2.75
Thank you Catia M Rodrigues for the opportunity to read your book. This was an okay read. I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with the way the book turned out. The premise of the story showed potential, but the writing style did not live up to it. The characters were not as exciting as they were in the being. I thought Lisa and Nathan were okay characters. I thought it was a bit confusing. There are some parts that were boring, while other parts were intriguing. The ending was good, but I was also a bit confused. Overall, an alright read.
Review of Dubhán Reborn Actual rating: 2.5/5 stars. · This is one of those super long books that could have been summarized in 100 pages (maybe less). · PLOT: One love. One enchanted city. One chance to make things right again. Lisa and Nathan are fatefully bonded to each other ever since their paths crossed. But Nathan carries with him an old legacy linking him to a dark past. Their love will be put to the test, forcing them to question everything they have always known… and been. In whom can they really trust when everyone has something to win and a lot to lose? What can they really believe in when the foundations of the City itself seem to do everything to push them apart? · Let's say first that my review copy counted 691 pages, while on Goodreads anyone can see that the kindle edition counts 365 pages. Anyway, both 365 or 691 pages are too many. · The story begins in a very interesting way, but then it gets boring and boring. We basically read about Nathan and Lisa's daily lives. It feels almost like an autobiography! There are too many details that are not required and too little direct speeches. Some sentences feels out of place, too many exclamations that (let's be realistic) no one uses on a daily basis ("my love!", "my everything!", "my reason to be" and stuff like that). The only thing I liked was the deep development of Nathan's character. · The real story begins at the end of the book. I was waiting for that part to show up since I was on page 20. That didn't happen. I was literally on page 491 out of 691 when the "interesting" stuff came out. Ugh. A new story unfolds: we meet new characters and a new place, but everything feels blurry and underdeveloped. Such a shame, it could have been a lot better! The book turns interesting again at the end: only 91 pages left. That last page left me speechless (therefore the +0.5 stars) but it's not enough for me. This book probably needs some more revisions and cuts!
I was given the chance to get a free copy of this one in exchange for a review, so here it goes.
This was a good book but it can do more with a bit of tweaking or something. First of, the book overview. I dont know if I just misunderstood it or not but after reading the overview, it made me expect something from Nathan while he was still alive. Even in the beginning, i already thought he already has powers, what with Lisa describing him the way she did in the book; powerful stare, hiding in the dark, etc. but turns out, it was only when (sorry spoiler) something happened to him that the Dubhan thing came into the picture.
Also, the story was giving me the Twilight-vibe, what with the "I am not good for you, I need to protect you" stuff. However, aside from that, it is a story of its own and the author was able to conjure a place and concept creatively.
The ending, however, was quite disappointing. It wasnt a good cliffhanger, in fact, it was a shocking one in a "wait what?, that was the end?" kinda way.
Also, the countless "my love" was getting annoying already. Coming from young adult teenage couple, i dont think most of us use "my love" as an endearment, much less all the time they get into a conversation.
Overall, this book is good. It also shows light on death and depression. It was like a modern Romeo and Juliet.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I was given a copy of this in exchange for my thoughts. The idea sounded intriguing, but I was - ultimately - disappointed. The love story between Lisa and Nate started off as a Twilight-style rewrite. It was never clear exactly what made them fall for each other, and I didn't really find myself convinced by the relationship. They were cloyingly close and the endless repetitions of 'my love' as they spoke to each other felt like they were trying to convince us of the seriousness of their relationship. It's hinted pretty strongly from early on that there's something unusual going on in Nathan's family, but it was hard to adjust to this as it came from nowhere and I never really got the answers I wanted. There were some interesting ideas, but the focus initially is on two people that I'm not really invested in and I wonder if some background would have created a tighter focus for us. There's a lot of glowing reviews here, but it really didn't do it for me.
This was a good book. I found Lisa to be a little annoying at first when she was all snooping around even after Vincent told her to stay away from Nathan's business but i guess that was all worth it.
The prologue was really confusing especially when i thought Peadar was Nathan. I figured it out right when i stumbled upon Mr. Peter's name for the first time, who is Nathan's Dad.
I love how the main characters love is portrayed as modern and old-fashioned. I mean old-fashioned love is just beautiful and with a mix of modernity, its becomes a perfect fantasy ❤️️
The ending confused me for a while but after reading about three times, i finally got it though i was a little saddened by it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This storyline is entirely unique and fun to read. Once you get past the introductory chapters it moves quickly and is difficult to put down. Pick it up. You won't regret it.
"I was given this book in exchange for an honest review" This review is of my own personal thoughts and opinions. I love reading a book, thinking I know what will happen next, only to be completely proven wrong. This book had my heart dropping, laughing, gut ache and tears in my eyes. I was sucked in immediately with the amazingly written prologue to the "wanting more" ending. A great YA book that you will not want to put down. I truly appreciate being able to have read this book and reading this beautiful story between Lisa and Nathan!
I quit enjoy reading books set in real places, especially when they have a supernatural twist. This story does just this, pairing modern day Portugal with an ancient and mythological being, the Dubhan. It is a story of youth, love, loss, betrayal, and rebirth.
The one area that kept this from being a 5-star read for me is the translation. This book was translated from Portuguese to English, and it is quit apparent that the translator was not a native English speaker, as many many words were simply incorrect for the meaning of the sentence. I have, however, it under goid authority that the author is aware of this, and is working on getting this fixed. Once that is done, I'd be more than happy to bump the 4 to a 5!
I really loved this book. I loved the dynamics between Lisa and Nathan. I could not put it down until late hours into the night! And the city of Porto is beautifully depicted. If you are a fun of tormented male characters haunted from the past and on the path to redemption through love, then you realy really really need to read this book!!!!
Absolutely wonderful! A great romance that doesn't disappoint the fantasy fans. Ingredients: an epic story, a beautiful set (Oporto city) and great characters, involved by mysticism.
*I was given this book in exchange for a review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I'm going to skip the intro and cut straight to the chase.
The things I liked: I liked the premise and the overall plot itself. It's an interesting concept that has great potential.
It's a beautiful love story told in a unique place. I liked the setting and the descriptions of it. I was able to follow her everyday life and see things from her own eyes and find out what she thought about the world around her.
The things I didn't like: The technical aspect of the writing needs a lot of work (mainly the English and overuse of "vocabulary" words). Overall writing, there was too much telling and not enough showing, also there was a slice of life feel to the book which took away from major plot points and added too much filler.
I didn't like how Lisa and Nathan had insta-love with no foundation, I understand that happens a lot in YA/romance books, but it's a trope that I'm not a fan of and reminded me way too much of Twilight.
Nathan was the only character that appealed to me, he's got the classic good-boy-falls-in-love thing going on that I like. I did not like Lisa at all, I found her over dramatic and judgmental (though I did like that she was caring and respectful towards her parents). There wasn't enough character development and too many characters introduced that didn't have significant roles in the book.
Before I start, I would like to thank Catia Rodrigues for providing me a copy of her book in exhange for an honest review.
And this, my dear authors and publishers, is how you make a cover. It's eye-catching, intriguing, and all in all completely beautiful. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but I had to compliment it before I talk about anything else.
Now, on to the book.
This was a very good story. And as every story that has ever been told or written, it had its good sides and bad sides. But I will talk about the good before moving on things that bothered me.
I love how this book, even though it is fantasy, doesn't rely on you typical (mostly) overused European myths. Instead, Catia chose something that feels like it was closer to her home and made it very refreshing. What also caught my eye was Lisa's relationship with her parents. In the very first chapter we are given an insight into how she respects both of them, especially her Mum.
Now, what I didn't like was the way romance was handled, which isn't very good when it is a big part of your story. It felt a lot like insta-love and at first I really didn't understand why they called each othee "My love" so much. I also think that the writing style, while very good, could use some more practice until it's great.