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The Airluds Trilogy #1
The Sacrifice
Having grown up in a harem as the favourite, if not dutiful, daughter of the ruling Godling, Airsha knew what it was for a powerful man to have more than one wife. But for her to have more than one husband, when she would have preferred none at all, felt like just one more way her fate was being taken over by a vengeful goddess.
Rescued by four legendary airling trainers when she escapes the harem, Airsha finds herself drawn into an uprising that has rebels planning to replace the Godling with the Goddess' Chosen One: Airsha herself.
But having hidden her magic to avoid being castrated, sneaked out of the harem dressed as her twin brother to learn to fight, refused to become her father's human sacrifice, and broken society's rules by falling in love with not just one unsuitable man but four, Airsha was never going to willingly follow the destiny someone else laid out for her. Not even if that someone was the Goddess of all Creation.
Some steamy (but wholly romantic) scenes may offend. Recommended for mature readers.
Rescued by four legendary airling trainers when she escapes the harem, Airsha finds herself drawn into an uprising that has rebels planning to replace the Godling with the Goddess' Chosen One: Airsha herself.
But having hidden her magic to avoid being castrated, sneaked out of the harem dressed as her twin brother to learn to fight, refused to become her father's human sacrifice, and broken society's rules by falling in love with not just one unsuitable man but four, Airsha was never going to willingly follow the destiny someone else laid out for her. Not even if that someone was the Goddess of all Creation.
Some steamy (but wholly romantic) scenes may offend. Recommended for mature readers.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 5, 2017
303 people are currently reading
518 people want to read
About the author
Nhys Glover
108 books78 followersNhys Glover is an Australian born award-winning author of over 75 romance novels. She is known for blending heart, heat, and a touch of the extraordinary in her stories. From time-traveling lovers to soul-deep polyamory connections, her work explores love in all its transformational forms.
Now living in Durham County UK, Nhys draws on her background in teaching and spiritual inquiry for inspiration in her writing. As she sits at her desk, staring out at the windy moors, she often reflects on what it means to stay human in an increasingly digital world. It is, after all, the subject of her newest book, a non-fiction called Authenticity, as Taught by a Machine.
But no matter the genre, Nhys is always chasing one thing: the truth at the heart of every story.
Now living in Durham County UK, Nhys draws on her background in teaching and spiritual inquiry for inspiration in her writing. As she sits at her desk, staring out at the windy moors, she often reflects on what it means to stay human in an increasingly digital world. It is, after all, the subject of her newest book, a non-fiction called Authenticity, as Taught by a Machine.
But no matter the genre, Nhys is always chasing one thing: the truth at the heart of every story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
April 24, 2023
2.5? So so many mixed feelings about this book. Feel free to skip ahead to the tl;dr below.
I mainly read books in this genre for the escapism value, because often, that’s all you can expect to get.
On the one hand, this book has a creative world and an interesting plot setup that goes beyond what I would normally expect and really does outshine many other fantasy RH romances I’ve read.
On the other hand…there’s zero escapism value in this book. For several reasons, not the least of which being that the views on gender, sex, and relationships expressed in this book are really…out there… (that’s the kindest way I can think to describe them)
Background about the story...
The story begins with Airsha, the daughter of a ruler called the Godling. He is allegedly the only person in the world whose children can be born with magical abilities, thus he has a specifically powerful position in this universe and also happens to keep a harem of over 40 wives who all live to bear his offspring. Magical sons are married off or sold off to other kingdoms, forging alliances that keep the Godling and lands in power.
The magic system here is pretty basic elemental-based, but the focus on people with the power to bring more magic into the world, rather than people who have magic, is super intriguing. The author did a great job setting up this world and creating a conflict that feels real and engaging.
The heroine, Airsha, is the favorite daughter of the Godling, liked by him (and disdained by others) for her strong, clever nature. She was born with air magic but has hidden it from the world because girls are forbidden to practice magic and will be castrated (!!) if found out. Being raised in an extremely, violently patriarchal society, she carries a lot of terrible beliefs she was indoctrinated with, but she is more inclined to question them than the people around her.
Some priests or something decree that the gods are displeased because no magical sons have been born recently, and so they somehow come to the conclusion that the Godling must sacrifice his favorite daughter to appease the gods. Airsha obviously is not down with this and flees the country, eventually getting picked up by four brothers (“the Airluds”) and falling in love.
So as I mentioned above, the big pros of this book are the worldbuilding and the main conflict plotline. The world was very cool, and it seems like the final battle this trilogy is building up to will be pretty epic.
The writing style is reminiscent of older, campy romantasy books, which can be irritating but in this case I was really in the mood for it. However this means you do have to expect some hilariously archaic and at times dense writing. Favorite instance was when she described PiV sex as “he occupied my channel” WOW what a turn of phrase 🤣🤣🤣
The big drawback is the absolutely wild takes on sex and relationships. As she goes on her journey and meets her four love interests, Airsha unlearns the archaic, misogynistic beliefs she was raised with and, with the help of her lovers, replaces them with new beliefs that are…also pretty bad.
So basically it’s like her character growth consisted of shaking off the shackles of misogyny then putting on some new shiny fur-lined handcuffs that are—you guessed it—still made of misogyny.
There’s a couple of glaring (to me) instances that illustrate this issue.
One being that Airsha ends up with an extremely wishy-washy attitude toward sex and purity. She starts the story as a total virgin (by which I mean she’s never even touched herself…😑😑) Her four lovers introduce her to sex. They all have pretty messed up views about women’s bodies. So when they push her on the topic of sex and women, she’ll defend herself and her gender one second…but then in the next second, she'll say something like "sex is wrong and women who have sex are TAINTED WHORES" like girl what???? She couldn’t make up her mind about purity culture and so I couldn’t make up my mind about whether or not I hate her.
On the topic of whores (a word which is used 35 TIMES in this book), the entire book’s attitude toward sex workers is atrocious. As I said, the four guys are pretty messed up about the topic, partly because their mother was forced into prostitution and they grew up in a brothel. As adults they all very frequently still go to brothels (and seem to believe that for men, sex is a biological “need”—a bullshit opinion which frequently gives me the urge to SLAP said men).
So these guys feel the need to differentiate between Airsha having sex with four dudes, which they think is fine: ”You’re no whore. Even if you gave yourself to all of us, that wouldn’t make you a whore” - Jarun
…and sex workers having sex with many men, which they think is fine only in certain circumstances. Specifically, as Rama says: ”A good woman is a woman who doesn’t happily take any man with coin to her bed.” And Airsha correctly extrapolates that ”a woman who unhappily sells herself is a good woman.”
So basically the heroes think that being a sex worker is fine as long as you are forced into selling your body and taking no enjoyment from it.
Okay, A, that’s fucked up, and B, why are you spending so much time & money having sex with sex workers then??? If you expressly want them to be forced into that line of work????? WTF??????
There’s another big issue with Rama but it’s spoilery so SPOILER WARNING
So Airsha ends up knocked up and is certain that Rama is the father. When she goes to tell him, she knows he’s not going to react well because he pretty much hates himself and thinks his child will be demon spawn. She’s right about that, but the way he reacts…
First he accuses her of cheating on him and lying about him being the father. When, rightly, she’s like, “WTF?” he then tells her that he would prefer that she had been RAPED and the RAPIST WAS THE FATHER rather than himself!
Holy mother of red flags!!
She gets pissed, obviously, so he retracts that statement, and she’s like “Rama, you’re actually a good man, I believe in you, I’m so glad to be having your baby :’)”
Um honey??? Maybe focus on loving yourself some more before you love him because this is NOT IT.
I’m all about the power of love inspiring people to change for the better and all that. But the depiction of Rama’s insecurities and the way he foists them on Airsha in this book is not that. It’s just abusive. Not the kind of thing I really dream of in my fantasies.
Which brings us to the TL;DR…
-----------------------------------------------
There’s great potential in the worldbuilding and magic of the story but the relationships are pretty messed up. This isn’t the kind of romance I would want to escape into. If I wanted to experience sex with problematic men in a patriarchal world then I would just go out and have a one night stand in real life.
Anyway, since I did like the world so much, I considered continuing with the series and just skimming the sections that pertain to sex and romance, but if I skip that, how much of the series will really be left? Seems like I would spend a lot of time scrolling through, which is time I could spend reading a series I like 100% of the way through.
I mainly read books in this genre for the escapism value, because often, that’s all you can expect to get.
On the one hand, this book has a creative world and an interesting plot setup that goes beyond what I would normally expect and really does outshine many other fantasy RH romances I’ve read.
On the other hand…there’s zero escapism value in this book. For several reasons, not the least of which being that the views on gender, sex, and relationships expressed in this book are really…out there… (that’s the kindest way I can think to describe them)
Background about the story...
The story begins with Airsha, the daughter of a ruler called the Godling. He is allegedly the only person in the world whose children can be born with magical abilities, thus he has a specifically powerful position in this universe and also happens to keep a harem of over 40 wives who all live to bear his offspring. Magical sons are married off or sold off to other kingdoms, forging alliances that keep the Godling and lands in power.
The magic system here is pretty basic elemental-based, but the focus on people with the power to bring more magic into the world, rather than people who have magic, is super intriguing. The author did a great job setting up this world and creating a conflict that feels real and engaging.
The heroine, Airsha, is the favorite daughter of the Godling, liked by him (and disdained by others) for her strong, clever nature. She was born with air magic but has hidden it from the world because girls are forbidden to practice magic and will be castrated (!!) if found out. Being raised in an extremely, violently patriarchal society, she carries a lot of terrible beliefs she was indoctrinated with, but she is more inclined to question them than the people around her.
Some priests or something decree that the gods are displeased because no magical sons have been born recently, and so they somehow come to the conclusion that the Godling must sacrifice his favorite daughter to appease the gods. Airsha obviously is not down with this and flees the country, eventually getting picked up by four brothers (“the Airluds”) and falling in love.
So as I mentioned above, the big pros of this book are the worldbuilding and the main conflict plotline. The world was very cool, and it seems like the final battle this trilogy is building up to will be pretty epic.
The writing style is reminiscent of older, campy romantasy books, which can be irritating but in this case I was really in the mood for it. However this means you do have to expect some hilariously archaic and at times dense writing. Favorite instance was when she described PiV sex as “he occupied my channel” WOW what a turn of phrase 🤣🤣🤣
The big drawback is the absolutely wild takes on sex and relationships. As she goes on her journey and meets her four love interests, Airsha unlearns the archaic, misogynistic beliefs she was raised with and, with the help of her lovers, replaces them with new beliefs that are…also pretty bad.
So basically it’s like her character growth consisted of shaking off the shackles of misogyny then putting on some new shiny fur-lined handcuffs that are—you guessed it—still made of misogyny.
There’s a couple of glaring (to me) instances that illustrate this issue.
One being that Airsha ends up with an extremely wishy-washy attitude toward sex and purity. She starts the story as a total virgin (by which I mean she’s never even touched herself…😑😑) Her four lovers introduce her to sex. They all have pretty messed up views about women’s bodies. So when they push her on the topic of sex and women, she’ll defend herself and her gender one second…but then in the next second, she'll say something like "sex is wrong and women who have sex are TAINTED WHORES" like girl what???? She couldn’t make up her mind about purity culture and so I couldn’t make up my mind about whether or not I hate her.
On the topic of whores (a word which is used 35 TIMES in this book), the entire book’s attitude toward sex workers is atrocious. As I said, the four guys are pretty messed up about the topic, partly because their mother was forced into prostitution and they grew up in a brothel. As adults they all very frequently still go to brothels (and seem to believe that for men, sex is a biological “need”—a bullshit opinion which frequently gives me the urge to SLAP said men).
So these guys feel the need to differentiate between Airsha having sex with four dudes, which they think is fine: ”You’re no whore. Even if you gave yourself to all of us, that wouldn’t make you a whore” - Jarun
…and sex workers having sex with many men, which they think is fine only in certain circumstances. Specifically, as Rama says: ”A good woman is a woman who doesn’t happily take any man with coin to her bed.” And Airsha correctly extrapolates that ”a woman who unhappily sells herself is a good woman.”
So basically the heroes think that being a sex worker is fine as long as you are forced into selling your body and taking no enjoyment from it.
Okay, A, that’s fucked up, and B, why are you spending so much time & money having sex with sex workers then??? If you expressly want them to be forced into that line of work????? WTF??????
There’s another big issue with Rama but it’s spoilery so SPOILER WARNING
So Airsha ends up knocked up and is certain that Rama is the father. When she goes to tell him, she knows he’s not going to react well because he pretty much hates himself and thinks his child will be demon spawn. She’s right about that, but the way he reacts…
First he accuses her of cheating on him and lying about him being the father. When, rightly, she’s like, “WTF?” he then tells her that he would prefer that she had been RAPED and the RAPIST WAS THE FATHER rather than himself!
Holy mother of red flags!!
She gets pissed, obviously, so he retracts that statement, and she’s like “Rama, you’re actually a good man, I believe in you, I’m so glad to be having your baby :’)”
Um honey??? Maybe focus on loving yourself some more before you love him because this is NOT IT.
I’m all about the power of love inspiring people to change for the better and all that. But the depiction of Rama’s insecurities and the way he foists them on Airsha in this book is not that. It’s just abusive. Not the kind of thing I really dream of in my fantasies.
Which brings us to the TL;DR…
-----------------------------------------------
There’s great potential in the worldbuilding and magic of the story but the relationships are pretty messed up. This isn’t the kind of romance I would want to escape into. If I wanted to experience sex with problematic men in a patriarchal world then I would just go out and have a one night stand in real life.
Anyway, since I did like the world so much, I considered continuing with the series and just skimming the sections that pertain to sex and romance, but if I skip that, how much of the series will really be left? Seems like I would spend a lot of time scrolling through, which is time I could spend reading a series I like 100% of the way through.
August 13, 2017
4.25 stars!
August 27, 2017
I give up...at 77% I just can't force myself to continue.
It started good but failed quickly. I initially liked the heroine but she became to width washy for me. Plus....on more than one occasion she referred to herself as a whore.
I wasn't thrilled with the Heros. While it's considered "safe" because they weren't with anyone after her there were two scenes I had to read about of two of them with "whores"...they used "whores" in the past and had no problems stating that fact OR calling that women "whores"
Ultimately it just wasn't for me.
It started good but failed quickly. I initially liked the heroine but she became to width washy for me. Plus....on more than one occasion she referred to herself as a whore.
I wasn't thrilled with the Heros. While it's considered "safe" because they weren't with anyone after her there were two scenes I had to read about of two of them with "whores"...they used "whores" in the past and had no problems stating that fact OR calling that women "whores"
Ultimately it just wasn't for me.
July 9, 2018
There was nothing inherently bad about this book, but I just didn't connect with the story. Not with the characters and not with their supposed bond. It was just so much sex and so little getting to know the actual characters and it fell flat. I need a character-driven story, especially with a story like this where there are so many major characters, so that I understand their motivations and desires. I did appreciate that this was a fantasy story and the world-building was decent and that the language wasn't so modern as some of the recent "fantasy" stories I've read. But I don't think I'll be picking up the next book...unless I can't find anything else that strikes my fancy in the next little bit.
July 15, 2023
I just read Helen's review and wow you said it all. I do recommend her review in my review LOL:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm keeping it short:
- I like the world building mostly it reminds me a bit of ancient greek or ancient roman mythology, where the gods are powerful.
- Patriarchy where the only use of woman of the high society is to please their man, gain his favour and bear many many sons. The daughter are raised with this believes and kept away form boys and men because they live with the mothers in the harem of the Godling.
- The godling is progeny of a god.
- Outside there is the Rebelion, but even though the woman has a harem their her guys seem to share the old believes, that the role of the woman can't be to lead.
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator has an English accent and I don't like how her voice sounds to me. I still finished the audiobook but if (and thats a big if) I will continue with the series, I'm going to read the books because I never really got used to the narrator.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm keeping it short:
- I like the world building mostly it reminds me a bit of ancient greek or ancient roman mythology, where the gods are powerful.
- Patriarchy where the only use of woman of the high society is to please their man, gain his favour and bear many many sons. The daughter are raised with this believes and kept away form boys and men because they live with the mothers in the harem of the Godling.
- The godling is progeny of a god.
- Outside there is the Rebelion, but even though the woman has a harem their her guys seem to share the old believes, that the role of the woman can't be to lead.
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator has an English accent and I don't like how her voice sounds to me. I still finished the audiobook but if (and thats a big if) I will continue with the series, I'm going to read the books because I never really got used to the narrator.
added-it
December 14, 2024🎁 FREE on Amazon today (9/22/2020)! 🎁
March 26, 2018
This one an interesting one to me. It incorporates both the traditional harem and the reverse harem, all in the same world (fantasy setting). The whole is intriguing, well-drawn, well-written, and plenty gritty and dark.
Speaking of - I was a huge fan of the fact that the author, Nhys Glover, didn't gloss over the gritty details (for example, the MC's thoughts about what to do with bodily functions as she traveled in the back of a wagon for days on end...or the grit and dirt that would naturally be part of a farm setting). It really grounded (no pun intended) her world in a realism that far too many books lack. Especially the paranormal romances that are written for escapism. It is rare that they don't polish off all those real world edges.
There was also some pretty dark content here as I recall, and a set of harem members that are not only diverse but are definitely outside the usual RH mold - huge age variety and damaged and scarred individuals. But it all worked in the context of the complex world that Glover built. (Though I can't say I was particularly into any of them, unfortunately)
That said, I haven't managed to continue the series past this first book, perhaps in part because of that gritty realistic detail. It is lacking that complete escapism I have been seeking recently.
There is no denying, however, that this is an engrossing, immersive, visceral read (and world), and is well worth the time and effort. I look forward to returning to this one day, when I am looking for a solid, gritty fantasy (that happens to have my favorite RH thrown in).
Note: I read this one a while ago, so some of the details escape me.
Speaking of - I was a huge fan of the fact that the author, Nhys Glover, didn't gloss over the gritty details (for example, the MC's thoughts about what to do with bodily functions as she traveled in the back of a wagon for days on end...or the grit and dirt that would naturally be part of a farm setting). It really grounded (no pun intended) her world in a realism that far too many books lack. Especially the paranormal romances that are written for escapism. It is rare that they don't polish off all those real world edges.
There was also some pretty dark content here as I recall, and a set of harem members that are not only diverse but are definitely outside the usual RH mold - huge age variety and damaged and scarred individuals. But it all worked in the context of the complex world that Glover built. (Though I can't say I was particularly into any of them, unfortunately)
That said, I haven't managed to continue the series past this first book, perhaps in part because of that gritty realistic detail. It is lacking that complete escapism I have been seeking recently.
There is no denying, however, that this is an engrossing, immersive, visceral read (and world), and is well worth the time and effort. I look forward to returning to this one day, when I am looking for a solid, gritty fantasy (that happens to have my favorite RH thrown in).
Note: I read this one a while ago, so some of the details escape me.
August 12, 2017
Well, I can't say that the story was mind blowing, but It wasn't bad. Not bad at all.
So, one day Airsha'a mother approaches her and tells her that, seeing as how Airsha is her father's (the king's) favorite daughter, she will be sacrificed for the greater good of the people. It's a great honor and she should be happy. Yeah, thanks, but no thanks.
There is something about being made a sacrifice by your own father that just makes you want to run. So she did.
I liked how Airsha questioned everything around herself. She did not do it in an annoying kind of way, denying things just because. She did it in a way that meant she will not blindly believe in anything as fact, needing to hear the counter arguments and see some proofs and I liked that about her.
About the guys. I know that they "felt the connection" between themselves from the start, but it did not compel anyone to proclaim their undying love for one another from the star, and for that I'm thankful. And I know we're kind of not supposed to have favorites here, but mine would totally be Calun. There's something about that silent man. And I love that connection he has with Airsha.
But, okey, let's address this issues, because someone has to.
“Girls are fragile, emotionally volatile creatures who would be damaged, and might damage others, if they were allowed to have magic. They are not as physically strong as males, who were better equipped to protect, so it was best to leave the fighting to them. Is it not nice to feel protected?”
Well. Someone would definitely be damaged if they told me this load of crap.
And, come one, if a girl is found to have magic, she is to be castrated .
The amount of "what the fuck"s going through my head during those first few chapter were like you wouldn't believe.
The story has captured my attention from the start, though it did not managed to hold on to it. The last fifty pages dragged on and I was bored out of my mind.
So, yeah, some parts of the story were good, some were completely ridiculous (like, let's get rid of your virginity, pulling straws as to who you'll do it with, and then send a letter to the king telling him about it. Why not just simply send a letter? It's not like anyone will know any better). But, overall, it wasn't bad and I want to see how the story plays out later on.
So, one day Airsha'a mother approaches her and tells her that, seeing as how Airsha is her father's (the king's) favorite daughter, she will be sacrificed for the greater good of the people. It's a great honor and she should be happy. Yeah, thanks, but no thanks.
There is something about being made a sacrifice by your own father that just makes you want to run. So she did.
I liked how Airsha questioned everything around herself. She did not do it in an annoying kind of way, denying things just because. She did it in a way that meant she will not blindly believe in anything as fact, needing to hear the counter arguments and see some proofs and I liked that about her.
About the guys. I know that they "felt the connection" between themselves from the start, but it did not compel anyone to proclaim their undying love for one another from the star, and for that I'm thankful. And I know we're kind of not supposed to have favorites here, but mine would totally be Calun. There's something about that silent man. And I love that connection he has with Airsha.
But, okey, let's address this issues, because someone has to.
“Girls are fragile, emotionally volatile creatures who would be damaged, and might damage others, if they were allowed to have magic. They are not as physically strong as males, who were better equipped to protect, so it was best to leave the fighting to them. Is it not nice to feel protected?”
Well. Someone would definitely be damaged if they told me this load of crap.
And, come one, if a girl is found to have magic, she is to be castrated .
The amount of "what the fuck"s going through my head during those first few chapter were like you wouldn't believe.
The story has captured my attention from the start, though it did not managed to hold on to it. The last fifty pages dragged on and I was bored out of my mind.
So, yeah, some parts of the story were good, some were completely ridiculous (like, let's get rid of your virginity, pulling straws as to who you'll do it with, and then send a letter to the king telling him about it. Why not just simply send a letter? It's not like anyone will know any better). But, overall, it wasn't bad and I want to see how the story plays out later on.
August 15, 2017
Airsha has grown up as the favorite daughter of the Godling living in his palatial harem. She's little more than a pampered prisoner, but her nature doesn't allow for her to live a passive life like the other women. She has regularly snuck out disguised as a boy to watch her twin and the other males train as elite soldiers. She also has hidden magic; hidden because only males are allowed to have magic. Women found to have magic suffer castration/death to remove it. She lives a life of secrets. When word comes that she is to be sacrificed to the gods to bring favor back to her father and the kingdom, she plans a risky escape instead. This sets her on the road to her true loves, four brothers, Darkin, Rama, Calun, and Joran, who are airling trainers and riders. She is also following her destiny.
I liked Aisha despite her stubbornness. She is an intelligent woman with spirit, yet she continued to believe the sexist teachings of her upbringing. Once she threw away her former life, it seemed like she would be more open to new ideas. I liked the men. The brotherly bond and rebellious nature was endearing. The connections seemed rushed at times, but overall the relationship worked for me. I like the political turn that the book took and look forward to watching Airsha and the men balance family with the fight against the Godling in the next book.
I liked Aisha despite her stubbornness. She is an intelligent woman with spirit, yet she continued to believe the sexist teachings of her upbringing. Once she threw away her former life, it seemed like she would be more open to new ideas. I liked the men. The brotherly bond and rebellious nature was endearing. The connections seemed rushed at times, but overall the relationship worked for me. I like the political turn that the book took and look forward to watching Airsha and the men balance family with the fight against the Godling in the next book.
May 1, 2018
Very good start
This was a very good start to the trilogy. I took off one star solely because the MC in the last 3/4 of the story was acting like a spoiled child with fingers in her ears yelling nah, nah, nah in order to not hear the truth being spoken. She was in denial for an extreme despite so much evidence to the contrary. And she actually did this about several things. Accepting her guys, who she really is, denying her talents and walking away from her destiny. Which was a little disappointing, as in the beginning she showed so much depth and wisdom. Then suddenly, boom she's a child. At the end she finally came out of it and I really hope she doesn't revert. I absolutely loved every one of her guys. They were all so well fleshed out and individual. I love the story and plot. It's a unique world the author has created, although all the lunds struck me as strange. Anyway, overall this is shaping up to be a great z Tory and I look forward to the next book.
This was a very good start to the trilogy. I took off one star solely because the MC in the last 3/4 of the story was acting like a spoiled child with fingers in her ears yelling nah, nah, nah in order to not hear the truth being spoken. She was in denial for an extreme despite so much evidence to the contrary. And she actually did this about several things. Accepting her guys, who she really is, denying her talents and walking away from her destiny. Which was a little disappointing, as in the beginning she showed so much depth and wisdom. Then suddenly, boom she's a child. At the end she finally came out of it and I really hope she doesn't revert. I absolutely loved every one of her guys. They were all so well fleshed out and individual. I love the story and plot. It's a unique world the author has created, although all the lunds struck me as strange. Anyway, overall this is shaping up to be a great z Tory and I look forward to the next book.
August 11, 2017
Great read!
Fun RH! I really like the fantasy setting and world building. I feel like I got a fully fleshed out fantasy world with backstory and mythology, which is rare these days. It was a little fast-paced, but I loved all of the characters and wanted more of them. Airsha was a strong, intelligent woman who went for what she wanted and each of the guys in the harem has his own personality and story. Great read!
Fun RH! I really like the fantasy setting and world building. I feel like I got a fully fleshed out fantasy world with backstory and mythology, which is rare these days. It was a little fast-paced, but I loved all of the characters and wanted more of them. Airsha was a strong, intelligent woman who went for what she wanted and each of the guys in the harem has his own personality and story. Great read!
Read
May 24, 2020I got more than half way through then I just had to stop... I lost interest, but I am not sure why. I may try to pick this up again another time.
May 6, 2023
This was such a fascinating read. The world building was fantastic and the mythology really amazing.
August 9, 2017
Very good!
The Sacrifice has everything you could ask for in a Paranormal Reverse Harem; adventure, magic, humour, strong female lead and most important 4 great guys to fall in love with! The story was engaging, and I was able to connect with the characters. Thankfully this was a full book and not short like allot of the reverse harem serials that have been released recently. I am looking forward to the next installment.
The Sacrifice has everything you could ask for in a Paranormal Reverse Harem; adventure, magic, humour, strong female lead and most important 4 great guys to fall in love with! The story was engaging, and I was able to connect with the characters. Thankfully this was a full book and not short like allot of the reverse harem serials that have been released recently. I am looking forward to the next installment.
September 6, 2017
Overall, it was a great read and I enjoyed getting to know the characters. It is a unique reverse harem series which is well written.
However, I won't give it five stars because the story seems to focus on sex a little too much and everything happened just too early (they knew each other barely a day and they already got physical). But that is my personal preference -I enjoy slow-burn romances (well mostly) ;)
Also, the heroine was suddenly this "all-knowing" goddess who isn't allowed to fight even though that was initially everything she loved to do. Although reasons for that were mentioned, I think it's a pity.
However, I won't give it five stars because the story seems to focus on sex a little too much and everything happened just too early (they knew each other barely a day and they already got physical). But that is my personal preference -I enjoy slow-burn romances (well mostly) ;)
Also, the heroine was suddenly this "all-knowing" goddess who isn't allowed to fight even though that was initially everything she loved to do. Although reasons for that were mentioned, I think it's a pity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2017
Good read!
I really enjoyed the world this author created! I loved the characters and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series 💕
I really enjoyed the world this author created! I loved the characters and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series 💕
August 9, 2017
So it is written
A jolly good reverse harem read. A well developed fantasy world with hierarchy and beasts, action packed and steamy too! Definitely a book to get into. 🎏💚
A jolly good reverse harem read. A well developed fantasy world with hierarchy and beasts, action packed and steamy too! Definitely a book to get into. 🎏💚
August 8, 2017
Great new RH
I couldn't put it down. I neglected everything until I could finish. So glad I found this book. It was a very refreshing read. Can't wait to read what happens next.
I couldn't put it down. I neglected everything until I could finish. So glad I found this book. It was a very refreshing read. Can't wait to read what happens next.
August 22, 2017
Slow start,but grew to love it...
A very slow start soo slow at least for a wasn't sure I was going to like it.... so much info at times, all just from Airsha's pov,which as 1st was far more inner monologue than outer dialogue,and that's a definite pet peeve of mine... but once she escaped the Harem and found her men, I stared to finally find my p,ace in the story...
I loved the idea that this young sheltered woman had the brains and the guts to strike out in her own and not except the fate her evil heartless has planned for her,what got me was at around 1/2 way thru almost it was like we lost our brave young woman for a while for a stupid reckless martyr willing to die, partly it felt to save those she loved and partly because she just seemed tired of the struggle....
Thankfully her men loved her to much to let her foolishness succeed,I was relieved and thrilled by that !!!
But just as my Wooooooooohoooooooo!!! Was dying down, she decided to frustrate me yet again by showing everyone and their brother, just how pigheaded and stubborn ,almost to the point to stupidity she could be...
Honestly ?!? I wanted yet again to shake her or slap her, now sure she was being told all she'd been raised to believe was either false,lies or misconstrued to fit power,greedy godlunds wants but the way she was soo dead set against her new role in the world, almost pathologically soo ?!?
I mean the just knew she was right and didn't want to be wrong and DIDN'T want to hear anything to the contrary , I was starting to dislike her for her attitude on that ....
Sure accepting all she was being told would be/was scary and over whelming but if she just been willing to have an open mind and look at it the least bit logically, it just made soooo much sense,looking at her life and all the things that had happened to her... but deep sigh, for the longest she did everything to deny it all most but stick her fingers in her ears while she screamed lalalalalalalalala at the top of her voice ...
Honestly, I just love a string h who owns who she is regardless the romance genre ( PNR, contemporary, steam punk, Time travel, historical,menage,cowboys to bosses,to billionaires to military ) I want her to own it, regardless of her age or station in life or hair color or skin color and powerful ,seeming weak or meek and especially if she doesn't fit the "normal" standards " for beauty ( especially then) ( I don't care if she's 10 pounds over weight or 100) I want her to own who she is and be proud!!
Because she's telling me to do the same when she does and even when what your reading is nothing but pure escapism at its best we all need to be reminded of that ....
Sometimes daily ... but by the end I was loving it all en the times I wanted to bop her upside the head...
Shame she could see what soo many of them needed like Rama,Calun and Jaron ( sadly she didn't spend as much time with Darkin as the other 3) she never had alone time with Darkin for more than a few moments , but the knew what they needed and gave it,sadly she seemed mostly blind w/herself ...
Loved it, works highly recommend it, just would love less words w/ ling or lund too many words had that at the end and Kinglund, godlund, childlings, clifflings , beastlings , aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
I soo wanted to scream "MAKE IT STOP"!!!!!
But loved it and can't wait for more ;)
A very slow start soo slow at least for a wasn't sure I was going to like it.... so much info at times, all just from Airsha's pov,which as 1st was far more inner monologue than outer dialogue,and that's a definite pet peeve of mine... but once she escaped the Harem and found her men, I stared to finally find my p,ace in the story...
I loved the idea that this young sheltered woman had the brains and the guts to strike out in her own and not except the fate her evil heartless has planned for her,what got me was at around 1/2 way thru almost it was like we lost our brave young woman for a while for a stupid reckless martyr willing to die, partly it felt to save those she loved and partly because she just seemed tired of the struggle....
Thankfully her men loved her to much to let her foolishness succeed,I was relieved and thrilled by that !!!
But just as my Wooooooooohoooooooo!!! Was dying down, she decided to frustrate me yet again by showing everyone and their brother, just how pigheaded and stubborn ,almost to the point to stupidity she could be...
Honestly ?!? I wanted yet again to shake her or slap her, now sure she was being told all she'd been raised to believe was either false,lies or misconstrued to fit power,greedy godlunds wants but the way she was soo dead set against her new role in the world, almost pathologically soo ?!?
I mean the just knew she was right and didn't want to be wrong and DIDN'T want to hear anything to the contrary , I was starting to dislike her for her attitude on that ....
Sure accepting all she was being told would be/was scary and over whelming but if she just been willing to have an open mind and look at it the least bit logically, it just made soooo much sense,looking at her life and all the things that had happened to her... but deep sigh, for the longest she did everything to deny it all most but stick her fingers in her ears while she screamed lalalalalalalalala at the top of her voice ...
Honestly, I just love a string h who owns who she is regardless the romance genre ( PNR, contemporary, steam punk, Time travel, historical,menage,cowboys to bosses,to billionaires to military ) I want her to own it, regardless of her age or station in life or hair color or skin color and powerful ,seeming weak or meek and especially if she doesn't fit the "normal" standards " for beauty ( especially then) ( I don't care if she's 10 pounds over weight or 100) I want her to own who she is and be proud!!
Because she's telling me to do the same when she does and even when what your reading is nothing but pure escapism at its best we all need to be reminded of that ....
Sometimes daily ... but by the end I was loving it all en the times I wanted to bop her upside the head...
Shame she could see what soo many of them needed like Rama,Calun and Jaron ( sadly she didn't spend as much time with Darkin as the other 3) she never had alone time with Darkin for more than a few moments , but the knew what they needed and gave it,sadly she seemed mostly blind w/herself ...
Loved it, works highly recommend it, just would love less words w/ ling or lund too many words had that at the end and Kinglund, godlund, childlings, clifflings , beastlings , aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
I soo wanted to scream "MAKE IT STOP"!!!!!
But loved it and can't wait for more ;)
August 8, 2017
Wow! I've been waiting and wondering what would be next for Nhys Glover and this has blown my socks off!
Airsha, twin to Airshin and favourite daughter of the Godling.
Holder of Air Magic where her brother has none! All daughters of the Godling who show magic are castrated which binds off their magic! Only Airshin's half sister, Mina holder of Fire Magic, died from the castration (at least that was the story). So Airsha has locked down her magic to stay safe.
But now her time is up for the priests have declared that the only way to bring back magic to the sons is for the favourite virginal daughter to be sacrificed.
Airsha refuses to accept her fate and, dressed as a young boy, she makes her escape. Unfortunately, or fortunately as things turn out, she misjudged the length of the journey and ends up more dead than alive in the Badlunds rather than on the coast.
She is taken in by four brothers, Darkin and Rama; and Calun and Joran, who are airling trainers and riders.
With them she finds peace and love.
But her father does not stop looking for her and the inevitable happens. Things then go from the frying pan into the fire and Airsha's stubbornness in all things comes to the forefront.
She questions why a man can have a harem but not a woman?
Especially since she loves each of her men for different facets of them. They also love her and would be jealous if she picked one of them over the others.
I have never been comfortable with menage situations but Nhys handles this so beautifully that it seems natural.
The action adds to the story and I, for one, can't wait for book two!
Airsha, twin to Airshin and favourite daughter of the Godling.
Holder of Air Magic where her brother has none! All daughters of the Godling who show magic are castrated which binds off their magic! Only Airshin's half sister, Mina holder of Fire Magic, died from the castration (at least that was the story). So Airsha has locked down her magic to stay safe.
But now her time is up for the priests have declared that the only way to bring back magic to the sons is for the favourite virginal daughter to be sacrificed.
Airsha refuses to accept her fate and, dressed as a young boy, she makes her escape. Unfortunately, or fortunately as things turn out, she misjudged the length of the journey and ends up more dead than alive in the Badlunds rather than on the coast.
She is taken in by four brothers, Darkin and Rama; and Calun and Joran, who are airling trainers and riders.
With them she finds peace and love.
But her father does not stop looking for her and the inevitable happens. Things then go from the frying pan into the fire and Airsha's stubbornness in all things comes to the forefront.
She questions why a man can have a harem but not a woman?
Especially since she loves each of her men for different facets of them. They also love her and would be jealous if she picked one of them over the others.
I have never been comfortable with menage situations but Nhys handles this so beautifully that it seems natural.
The action adds to the story and I, for one, can't wait for book two!
August 21, 2017
This is a great reverse harem story about Airsha, favourite daughter of the godling, forced to live in the harem with her mother, her twin brother sent off to train at a very early age, she feels trapped and suffocated.
Then she is told she has to do something she does not want to do, instead she runs for her life and meets airlum brothers, Darkin, Rama, Calun and Jaron, men who feel compelled to protect her
This story is well written with amazing characters and I did not want to put it down, I have pre ordered book two and am very excited to read it
Then she is told she has to do something she does not want to do, instead she runs for her life and meets airlum brothers, Darkin, Rama, Calun and Jaron, men who feel compelled to protect her
This story is well written with amazing characters and I did not want to put it down, I have pre ordered book two and am very excited to read it
dnf
April 1, 2018DNF around 65-70%.
I dislike every character.
I dislike every character.
September 24, 2017
Interesting
Once you get past the language difference- the luds, the lings and how they apply to people, territories and beings; it becomes easier to read. The beginning seems to be a bit Scheherazade like with her wanting to escape death and harem life. Life structure seems to be a sort of Middle Eastern version of a fiefdom. There is the Godling, ruler over all the other kinglings. Lud applies to lands, sealud, Godlud, and so forth. Like I said, a language issue. But once you figure it out the story flows.
Airsha learns of her father's ruling that she be sacrificed to bring back his waning powers. Since she is young and has never desire to die she decides to escape the harem she and the other women (40 wives and at least as many female children that haven't been married off or killed) live in. Her mom being a dutiful wife and her brother a thoughtless jerk, she decides to do this on her own. After nearly dying in her attempt she comes to the attention of 4 brothers. After her brief taste of freedom they realize that dear old dad isn't about to give up his throne and power without a fight and Airsha decides to try to save the guys by being a martyr and turning herself in. Dad, in a homicidal rage, decides that since she has been (gasp) sullied he'll just have her killed as a warning to others and claim she's demon possessed. Just as things seem darkest rescue arrives. More than just her 4 loves, there's a rebellion and a prophecy. According to this prophecy, she has a bigger role than just trying to stay alive, and that's already proving to be tough enough.
I liked this. I like kick butt heroines and Airsha learned how to fight. Even locked in a harem she discovered how to escape on her own. She's watchful, and patient, and above all determined. She didn't go looking for the fight but she won't back down from it. Running got her nowhere. She's not afraid of her loves and even though the way she goes about it was looked at sideways she follows her heart and thumbs her nose at them.
Once you get past the language difference- the luds, the lings and how they apply to people, territories and beings; it becomes easier to read. The beginning seems to be a bit Scheherazade like with her wanting to escape death and harem life. Life structure seems to be a sort of Middle Eastern version of a fiefdom. There is the Godling, ruler over all the other kinglings. Lud applies to lands, sealud, Godlud, and so forth. Like I said, a language issue. But once you figure it out the story flows.
Airsha learns of her father's ruling that she be sacrificed to bring back his waning powers. Since she is young and has never desire to die she decides to escape the harem she and the other women (40 wives and at least as many female children that haven't been married off or killed) live in. Her mom being a dutiful wife and her brother a thoughtless jerk, she decides to do this on her own. After nearly dying in her attempt she comes to the attention of 4 brothers. After her brief taste of freedom they realize that dear old dad isn't about to give up his throne and power without a fight and Airsha decides to try to save the guys by being a martyr and turning herself in. Dad, in a homicidal rage, decides that since she has been (gasp) sullied he'll just have her killed as a warning to others and claim she's demon possessed. Just as things seem darkest rescue arrives. More than just her 4 loves, there's a rebellion and a prophecy. According to this prophecy, she has a bigger role than just trying to stay alive, and that's already proving to be tough enough.
I liked this. I like kick butt heroines and Airsha learned how to fight. Even locked in a harem she discovered how to escape on her own. She's watchful, and patient, and above all determined. She didn't go looking for the fight but she won't back down from it. Running got her nowhere. She's not afraid of her loves and even though the way she goes about it was looked at sideways she follows her heart and thumbs her nose at them.
September 14, 2017
I absolutely loved this story! Of course, it's outside the norm, but I love how the heroine is always questioning what most of the characters take for societal norms. This book is about self discovery and pushing boundaries in the search for your own personal truth. I thought it was beautifully written. The author's writing style reminded me of Jacqueline Carey. The main character is someone who has always been rebellious, but grew up cloistered in a Harem so she is very innocent. It's about her adventures in her quest for freedom and to find what makes her happy. Lots of magic, romance & adventure. If you can keep an open mind to non-traditional thinking and just enjoy the story, it is a fantasy/romance after all, then I highly recommend it. Also looking forward to the next book one which will be out soon.
**Also, I disagree with some of the other opinions I read. I don't believe the character was wishy washy. She was naiive, sheltered, confused, overwhelmed and unprepared at times during the book. She did what she felt was right, based on circumstances and her own life experiences. I thought her moments of uncertainty made her more realistic. **
**Also, I disagree with some of the other opinions I read. I don't believe the character was wishy washy. She was naiive, sheltered, confused, overwhelmed and unprepared at times during the book. She did what she felt was right, based on circumstances and her own life experiences. I thought her moments of uncertainty made her more realistic. **
June 25, 2018
Very intriguing read
The Sacrifice is a magical world with boys and girls being born with magic. The godslund, or King if you will, is not happy his daughters are being born with magic. Little does he know,his favorite daughter is hiding her magic as to not be punished.
This story is intriguing and wraps you into it. You can not wait to see what happens next. The only reason I am giving it a 4 rating instead of 5 is that I found it hard to stay interested in the story until around Chapter 6. But once more things started happening, I was hooked. The beginning does give a lot of information important to the rest of the book. Going to start book 2 now. Thank you Nhys for sharing your story!
The Sacrifice is a magical world with boys and girls being born with magic. The godslund, or King if you will, is not happy his daughters are being born with magic. Little does he know,his favorite daughter is hiding her magic as to not be punished.
This story is intriguing and wraps you into it. You can not wait to see what happens next. The only reason I am giving it a 4 rating instead of 5 is that I found it hard to stay interested in the story until around Chapter 6. But once more things started happening, I was hooked. The beginning does give a lot of information important to the rest of the book. Going to start book 2 now. Thank you Nhys for sharing your story!
August 20, 2017
Meh
The author made some choices that I found odd, and some choices that just irritated me. Trying to be different, changing "land" to "lund" served no purpose and adding "ling " to the end of words wad just annoying. Then you have theMC doing an about face for no real reason, just "Knowing " after emphatically denying the issue for chapters. There isn't an actual relationship between Airisha and Darkin like there is between her and the others, yet we're supposed to believe that he's the leader of the group? These are all issues that any decent editor would have brought up, so was the editor subpar or did the author ignore the issues?
The author made some choices that I found odd, and some choices that just irritated me. Trying to be different, changing "land" to "lund" served no purpose and adding "ling " to the end of words wad just annoying. Then you have theMC doing an about face for no real reason, just "Knowing " after emphatically denying the issue for chapters. There isn't an actual relationship between Airisha and Darkin like there is between her and the others, yet we're supposed to believe that he's the leader of the group? These are all issues that any decent editor would have brought up, so was the editor subpar or did the author ignore the issues?
September 17, 2017
I loved this fantasy reverse harem series starter so much! I found it by accident and only put down when I absolutely had to (pesky job gets in the way every time!) The characters are strong and complex - not perfect, which I love, and as with most RH there is no way to pick a favorite hero (#whychoose?) The world is built well and is very interesting and the beliefs of some will have you shaking your head and frustrated but they provide such a nice tension and challenge to the story. I hadn't read anything by this author before but will definitely check out her other work, and of course I cannot wait for the second book in this series.
September 11, 2022
DNF at 68%. I know, I know. Why read so much of it only to not finish? Because I so desperately wanted this book to be good. It had all the makings of a great novel - spoiled princess has secret magic and runs away after learning she's going to be sacrificed, then is rescued by a bunch of cute rogue airling/dragon riders. What's not to like? Apparently, a lot. My main issue was the writing. Everything just happened too fast and was too easy. Followed by soldiers? Men are ready to lay down their lives after a day. Virgin sacrifice? Let's draw straws to fix that. Captured? Intro rebels that they apparently knew about all along and failed to mention. It just...fell a little flat.
September 13, 2017
Unrealistic Character Building
I was looking forward to reading this book as there is now a multitude of books coming out on this genre of reverse harem. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. I actually cared so little about the characters, the plot, and the world building that I stopped at 88%. One of the main deterrents was that the main characters' interactions with each other seemed superficial. Everyone was okay with telling their life story and it went on and on...The beginning part of the story I actually did enjoy; however, it just sort of fell apart in the second half.
I was looking forward to reading this book as there is now a multitude of books coming out on this genre of reverse harem. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. I actually cared so little about the characters, the plot, and the world building that I stopped at 88%. One of the main deterrents was that the main characters' interactions with each other seemed superficial. Everyone was okay with telling their life story and it went on and on...The beginning part of the story I actually did enjoy; however, it just sort of fell apart in the second half.
May 9, 2018
At first I was bored with the female protagonist - she seemed more apologist. Towards the end of the book she finally grew up a little. I'm going to read the next one to see if she continues to grow on me. I liked the plot, really liked the guys, her mother and a few of the "rebels".
This theme of have unaware teens be the heroine in reverse harems books is enough to make me not want to pursue the genre in the future. I've read a few and they seem to fall in the category of teens filled with angst who are virgins. Ah come on!!!
This theme of have unaware teens be the heroine in reverse harems books is enough to make me not want to pursue the genre in the future. I've read a few and they seem to fall in the category of teens filled with angst who are virgins. Ah come on!!!
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