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Prophecy of Thol: Book 1 in the Thol series
Readers' Favorite 5-Star Silver Medallion 8-18-2018.
Recurring nightmares haunted D’laine Jackson when she woke from an eight-month coma following a tragic accident. Four images were branded in her head: a dark-haired, handsome princely young man, a fierce reptilian monster, a white furry creature whose red eyes implored her with some unspoken message, and an ominous black robot.
Now, five years later, D’laine was getting ready to go off to college. During one last shopping trip with her father and brothers for dorm supplies, a blanket of fog rolled out of the sky at the mall, in broad daylight in plain sight of dozens of witnesses. When the fog pulled back D’laine was gone.
When she woke, her nightmare turned into reality.
Recurring nightmares haunted D’laine Jackson when she woke from an eight-month coma following a tragic accident. Four images were branded in her head: a dark-haired, handsome princely young man, a fierce reptilian monster, a white furry creature whose red eyes implored her with some unspoken message, and an ominous black robot.
Now, five years later, D’laine was getting ready to go off to college. During one last shopping trip with her father and brothers for dorm supplies, a blanket of fog rolled out of the sky at the mall, in broad daylight in plain sight of dozens of witnesses. When the fog pulled back D’laine was gone.
When she woke, her nightmare turned into reality.
406 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 6, 2017
3 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Dawn Greenfield Ireland
97 books70 followersD.E. Greenfield is the award-winning author of 21 published novels and 7 nonfiction books. Her five series consists of cozy mystery, sci fi/fantasy, billionaire shapeshifters, and dystopian. There's also a stand-alone sci-fi romantic adventure, and she adapted 4 of her screenplays into book format. She also has created over 50 themed notebooks.
Two of her screenplays were optioned, and she worked on a screenwriter-for-hire project. Dawn has a certificate from the Professional Program in Screenwriting from UCLA (2002) and is currently in classes with ScreenwritingU.
Artistic Origins, has been around since 1995. Besides writing, she coaches writers, edits, formats and publishes clients’ books.
Her former day job as an award-winning technical writer played a major role in her fiction writing. She is detailed-oriented, the organizational queen of the known universe, and never misses a deadline.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/degreenfi...
You will find two online classes on my website.
If you would like to discuss editing, formatting, coaching, or publishing services, send an email to Dawn@dawngreenfieldireland.com, or visit the website for more information.
https://www.degreenfield.com
Two of her screenplays were optioned, and she worked on a screenwriter-for-hire project. Dawn has a certificate from the Professional Program in Screenwriting from UCLA (2002) and is currently in classes with ScreenwritingU.
Artistic Origins, has been around since 1995. Besides writing, she coaches writers, edits, formats and publishes clients’ books.
Her former day job as an award-winning technical writer played a major role in her fiction writing. She is detailed-oriented, the organizational queen of the known universe, and never misses a deadline.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/degreenfi...
You will find two online classes on my website.
If you would like to discuss editing, formatting, coaching, or publishing services, send an email to Dawn@dawngreenfieldireland.com, or visit the website for more information.
https://www.degreenfield.com
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 10, 2018
Many years after recovering from the accident that put her into a coma, Dlaine's nightmares have started all over again. When she finds herself pulled through a portal from Earth into Thol, her nightmares come true as she meets the creatures, both good and evil, from her dreams. She has a destiny to fulfill in Thol before she will be able to find a way back home to her family.
The reading was good, with the narrator able to do a range of different and distinct voices, and to convey many different emotions.
The reading was good, with the narrator able to do a range of different and distinct voices, and to convey many different emotions.
February 28, 2018
This five-star beauty of a story is so well done I hardly know where to start. First of all, while it is definitely suitable for teens and young adults based on its content, as someone who has grandkids in that age group I thoroughly enjoyed it, too. More than enjoyed, actually. I loved it!
The author did a fabulous job of transitioning the heroine, seventeen year old D’Laine, from what had been a very trying time, to some semblance of normalcy as she prepared to go to college, to being plunged unexpectedly into an entirely different world. Her premonitions in the form of nightmares provided great background and suspense. In most cases, giving the reader more information instead of less actually builds more suspense as you have so many more things to consider and worry about. Not only did D’Laine fall through a portal and find herself on another planet with a variety of weird creatures, she also was introduced to powers she possessed of which she had no idea! Her transition into the role effectively took the reader along for the ride in a very smooth and credible manner.
The unusual sentient creatures and their respective cultures were well-drawn, full of imagery, and convincing, as well as their interactions among themselves and the planet as a whole. The humans were just alien enough, being somewhat medieval in some senses, yet high-tech on another, making them relatable.
The advantage of having a modern earthling as a protagonist is that the descriptions can be familiar. Some of the comparison and references to sci-fi icons such as the Star Wars movies were effective and often humorous. The science element was convincing as well, the physicists involved straight out of “The Big Bang Theory.” I loved the characters left behind on Earth and their efforts to find the portal so they could bring back D’Laine. On a subjective level, I thoroughly enjoyed the fact they were in Houston, where I used to live. Thus, I enjoyed the references to familiar places including the Katy Mills Mall and local roadways. It’s always a plus when the location details are authentic, which adds credibility. Those who have never been there never know the difference, but to those who have it makes the story come even more alive.
I’ll even forgive the fact the story broke one of my cardinal rules of writing, about starting a story with the main character. I can forgive any deviance that works, in this case giving it a story-telling flavor similar to “The Princess Bride.” (However, if I had been the editor, I would have recommended using a prologue.)
For a while I was worried that the story would end with a cliff hanger. Fortunately, it had a very satisfying conclusion, yet I definitely look forward to the promised sequel, which is the perfect ending. This is a great story for all ages. Don’t miss it! An audio version is also available.
The author did a fabulous job of transitioning the heroine, seventeen year old D’Laine, from what had been a very trying time, to some semblance of normalcy as she prepared to go to college, to being plunged unexpectedly into an entirely different world. Her premonitions in the form of nightmares provided great background and suspense. In most cases, giving the reader more information instead of less actually builds more suspense as you have so many more things to consider and worry about. Not only did D’Laine fall through a portal and find herself on another planet with a variety of weird creatures, she also was introduced to powers she possessed of which she had no idea! Her transition into the role effectively took the reader along for the ride in a very smooth and credible manner.
The unusual sentient creatures and their respective cultures were well-drawn, full of imagery, and convincing, as well as their interactions among themselves and the planet as a whole. The humans were just alien enough, being somewhat medieval in some senses, yet high-tech on another, making them relatable.
The advantage of having a modern earthling as a protagonist is that the descriptions can be familiar. Some of the comparison and references to sci-fi icons such as the Star Wars movies were effective and often humorous. The science element was convincing as well, the physicists involved straight out of “The Big Bang Theory.” I loved the characters left behind on Earth and their efforts to find the portal so they could bring back D’Laine. On a subjective level, I thoroughly enjoyed the fact they were in Houston, where I used to live. Thus, I enjoyed the references to familiar places including the Katy Mills Mall and local roadways. It’s always a plus when the location details are authentic, which adds credibility. Those who have never been there never know the difference, but to those who have it makes the story come even more alive.
I’ll even forgive the fact the story broke one of my cardinal rules of writing, about starting a story with the main character. I can forgive any deviance that works, in this case giving it a story-telling flavor similar to “The Princess Bride.” (However, if I had been the editor, I would have recommended using a prologue.)
For a while I was worried that the story would end with a cliff hanger. Fortunately, it had a very satisfying conclusion, yet I definitely look forward to the promised sequel, which is the perfect ending. This is a great story for all ages. Don’t miss it! An audio version is also available.
December 22, 2018
I thought that this was a good book. Just like the second one. I cannot wait until she writes another one. Excellent book. Would recommend this book to anyone. Very good.
December 18, 2018
Prophecy of Thol, the first book of Dawn Greenfield Ireland’s Thol trilogy, is a richly detailed story set partly on our familiar Earth and partly on Thol, a planet in a parallel dimension. D’laine Jackson, the seventeen-year-old protagonist, travels to this world by the most freakish of accidents as she and her family are leaving the local shopping mall.
The author makes it clear in the first Thol book that there is much more of this sprawling story that will be told in the upcoming books. That being said, and with all due appreciation for her wish to avoid overloading the reader with exposition—always a clear and present danger in world-building sci-fi—I did feel the lack of certain foundational details, starting with the origin of the heroine’s name. “D’laine” struck me as an homage to Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series, in which many of the characters’ names consist of a consonant, an apostrophe, and a syllable, e.g. F’lar or T’ron. How did her father choose her name, or did he? Did someone use a dimensional portal to leave the infant D’laine on Lee Jackson’s doorstep?
Because D’laine figures so prominently in a sacred prophecy of an alien world, and because she regularly has dreams about some of the characters she meets in this other plane of existence, I would have liked to see more evidence of her linkage with Thol. She already has an instinctive understanding of the powers she will learn to develop and use on Thol; we see this when she invokes “the Spirit and the Universe” to heal her brother when he is injured at a baseball game. However, given the calm maturity she displays at this time of crisis, and given the fact that she was raised by an astrophysicist who has long fantasized about being able to travel to other worlds, I was disappointed by how petulant she is when she is first transported to Thol. At various times, she insults her hosts’ dwelling, their language, their culture, their modes of expression, and their pace of technological development. Granted, it’s impossible to know how any of us would react if we were swept up in a tornado-like construct to a place much farther away than Oz, and adolescence is probably a difficult time on any world, but I had too hard a time reconciling the predestined savior of an advanced extraterrestrial civilization with this sulking brat.
However, I was gratified by the swift pacing of the story, particularly once D’laine learns to develop her innate sorcery. There are unmistakable parallels between Ghury teaching D’laine to use her mental powers and Yoda teaching Luke Skywalker to use the Force, but she learns quickly, and none too soon to save everybody’s bacon when a marauding tribe attacks their city.
The author meticulously describes the differences in how fundamental concepts are understood and expressed on Thol as opposed to Earth, but in stories of this type, great care must always be taken to maintain internal consistency. For instance, there are places near the end of the book where Tholians refer to weeks and months instead of notches and kelds. I wanted to know, though, how closely their time corresponds to ours. The lack of explanation of such details seemed to imply that their days, weeks and months are precisely the same as ours. Not only is this improbable in the extreme (D’laine even mentions their similarity, and given her upbringing, she would probably have been familiar with the huge disparities in this context between even the planets in the solar system), but there would have been a lot of room to explore her difficulty in adjusting to a place where at least one sun is in the sky for four or five days in a row, and where what they think of as a “week” lasts about two Earth months.
There is an old showbiz aphorism: “There are no small parts, only small actors.” I commend the author for how richly developed the secondary characters are in this story, and in one particular case, she could have gone much further. I felt an instant kinship with Dr. Stanley Daigle, and would have liked to see more of his inner personality. In all probability, the author wanted to keep him from devolving into a caricature of the absent-minded professor, but the passage on page 99, where he jumps up and starts covering his colleague’s wall with diagrams because he can’t contain his excitement, provides a marvelous hint of what drives him. His colleague often says that it is difficult and sometimes impossible to keep up with him, but I had hoped to see concrete examples of this. Perhaps while he was setting up his detection equipment in the parking lot of the mall where D’laine vanished, he could have been mumbling to himself about Eigenvectors, biomolecular resonances, and other aspects of physics that are too esoteric even for his bosses. I would look forward to seeing him play a much larger role in the later books, perhaps even helping D’laine uncover and understand the central mystery of her identity.
In Prophecy of Thol, Dawn Greenfield Ireland introduces the reader to a planet that is much like ours in many ways, and altogether different in others. It will be interesting to see, in the sequels, how deeply she delves into the emotional and interdimensional connections between the worlds that shaped D’laine Jackson into who she is and who she is becoming.
The author makes it clear in the first Thol book that there is much more of this sprawling story that will be told in the upcoming books. That being said, and with all due appreciation for her wish to avoid overloading the reader with exposition—always a clear and present danger in world-building sci-fi—I did feel the lack of certain foundational details, starting with the origin of the heroine’s name. “D’laine” struck me as an homage to Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series, in which many of the characters’ names consist of a consonant, an apostrophe, and a syllable, e.g. F’lar or T’ron. How did her father choose her name, or did he? Did someone use a dimensional portal to leave the infant D’laine on Lee Jackson’s doorstep?
Because D’laine figures so prominently in a sacred prophecy of an alien world, and because she regularly has dreams about some of the characters she meets in this other plane of existence, I would have liked to see more evidence of her linkage with Thol. She already has an instinctive understanding of the powers she will learn to develop and use on Thol; we see this when she invokes “the Spirit and the Universe” to heal her brother when he is injured at a baseball game. However, given the calm maturity she displays at this time of crisis, and given the fact that she was raised by an astrophysicist who has long fantasized about being able to travel to other worlds, I was disappointed by how petulant she is when she is first transported to Thol. At various times, she insults her hosts’ dwelling, their language, their culture, their modes of expression, and their pace of technological development. Granted, it’s impossible to know how any of us would react if we were swept up in a tornado-like construct to a place much farther away than Oz, and adolescence is probably a difficult time on any world, but I had too hard a time reconciling the predestined savior of an advanced extraterrestrial civilization with this sulking brat.
However, I was gratified by the swift pacing of the story, particularly once D’laine learns to develop her innate sorcery. There are unmistakable parallels between Ghury teaching D’laine to use her mental powers and Yoda teaching Luke Skywalker to use the Force, but she learns quickly, and none too soon to save everybody’s bacon when a marauding tribe attacks their city.
The author meticulously describes the differences in how fundamental concepts are understood and expressed on Thol as opposed to Earth, but in stories of this type, great care must always be taken to maintain internal consistency. For instance, there are places near the end of the book where Tholians refer to weeks and months instead of notches and kelds. I wanted to know, though, how closely their time corresponds to ours. The lack of explanation of such details seemed to imply that their days, weeks and months are precisely the same as ours. Not only is this improbable in the extreme (D’laine even mentions their similarity, and given her upbringing, she would probably have been familiar with the huge disparities in this context between even the planets in the solar system), but there would have been a lot of room to explore her difficulty in adjusting to a place where at least one sun is in the sky for four or five days in a row, and where what they think of as a “week” lasts about two Earth months.
There is an old showbiz aphorism: “There are no small parts, only small actors.” I commend the author for how richly developed the secondary characters are in this story, and in one particular case, she could have gone much further. I felt an instant kinship with Dr. Stanley Daigle, and would have liked to see more of his inner personality. In all probability, the author wanted to keep him from devolving into a caricature of the absent-minded professor, but the passage on page 99, where he jumps up and starts covering his colleague’s wall with diagrams because he can’t contain his excitement, provides a marvelous hint of what drives him. His colleague often says that it is difficult and sometimes impossible to keep up with him, but I had hoped to see concrete examples of this. Perhaps while he was setting up his detection equipment in the parking lot of the mall where D’laine vanished, he could have been mumbling to himself about Eigenvectors, biomolecular resonances, and other aspects of physics that are too esoteric even for his bosses. I would look forward to seeing him play a much larger role in the later books, perhaps even helping D’laine uncover and understand the central mystery of her identity.
In Prophecy of Thol, Dawn Greenfield Ireland introduces the reader to a planet that is much like ours in many ways, and altogether different in others. It will be interesting to see, in the sequels, how deeply she delves into the emotional and interdimensional connections between the worlds that shaped D’laine Jackson into who she is and who she is becoming.
February 18, 2018
This is my review of the audio version as posted on Audible:
What would you do if you suddenly found yourself in a completely different world and met creatures you had vividly seen in your nightmares before? And how would you react if you found out there was only the tiniest of tiny possibilities that you'd ever go home again? These are the questions that D'laine Jackson has to answer. She also has to decide whethere she's ready to accept the situation and adjust to the new world or fall a victim to the first "monster" she faces. But there is even more in store for her during her adventures in Thol - she'll meet friends and foes, she'll change foes into friends, she'll acquire some magical powers and she will fulfill an ancient prophecy, saving the world... Not bad for a 17-year-old girl, right?
Prophecy of Thol is one of those books which you read or listen to with pleasure even though you have the general idea of what will finally happen right from the start - you obviously don't expect the main character who is "the one from the prophecy" to suddenly die and not fulfill the prophecy, right?:) So we know it will end well. But we don't know what will happen on the way and that's the interesting part. That part is very well executed in the story of D'laine Jackson.
Dawn Ireland created the world of Thol that is so different from ours and yet also in a way so similar that like D'laine we are in awe of it and yet miss our home. Thol is populated by numerous races of creatures, some living in peace, some constantly at war with others. D'laine has to come to terms with all this and quickly learn how to live there and how to use her newly discovered powers. I like the fact that as her knowledge and awareness of the world around her grow, she also becomes more and more mature, and while at the beginning of the story she simply reacts and makes hasty decisions, like a typical teenager, at the end her decisions are thought out and concern the good of everyone, not only herself.
There are also other very interesting, well developed characters, many of them, in fact. Some of them will even surprise you a few times:)
The plot itself is fast-paced, "hopping" from Thol to Earth now and then, which adds a lot of dynamics to the story as we have the insight into both D'laine's thoughts and feelings and the emotions of those she has left here, at home... The ending may seem a little bit rushed and give you a feeling of being a little out of the blue, but when you think about it, there are hints as to what can happen throughout the whole book, so I can excuse it... Well, to be honest, I really liked it:)
As for the interpretation by Ms Hazen, it's very good. She's great at giving characters very distinctive voices. It's not that I always love all the voices, some of them kind of irritate my ears, but I do appreciate the fact that I always recognize who is speaking just because there are no two characters that have exactly the same manner of speaking. Also, Ms Hazen is great at conveying emotions and equally good in narrative parts.
So, all in all, it's a great interpretation of a very engaging and entertaining book. I can't wait to read/listen to the next part.
DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
What would you do if you suddenly found yourself in a completely different world and met creatures you had vividly seen in your nightmares before? And how would you react if you found out there was only the tiniest of tiny possibilities that you'd ever go home again? These are the questions that D'laine Jackson has to answer. She also has to decide whethere she's ready to accept the situation and adjust to the new world or fall a victim to the first "monster" she faces. But there is even more in store for her during her adventures in Thol - she'll meet friends and foes, she'll change foes into friends, she'll acquire some magical powers and she will fulfill an ancient prophecy, saving the world... Not bad for a 17-year-old girl, right?
Prophecy of Thol is one of those books which you read or listen to with pleasure even though you have the general idea of what will finally happen right from the start - you obviously don't expect the main character who is "the one from the prophecy" to suddenly die and not fulfill the prophecy, right?:) So we know it will end well. But we don't know what will happen on the way and that's the interesting part. That part is very well executed in the story of D'laine Jackson.
Dawn Ireland created the world of Thol that is so different from ours and yet also in a way so similar that like D'laine we are in awe of it and yet miss our home. Thol is populated by numerous races of creatures, some living in peace, some constantly at war with others. D'laine has to come to terms with all this and quickly learn how to live there and how to use her newly discovered powers. I like the fact that as her knowledge and awareness of the world around her grow, she also becomes more and more mature, and while at the beginning of the story she simply reacts and makes hasty decisions, like a typical teenager, at the end her decisions are thought out and concern the good of everyone, not only herself.
There are also other very interesting, well developed characters, many of them, in fact. Some of them will even surprise you a few times:)
The plot itself is fast-paced, "hopping" from Thol to Earth now and then, which adds a lot of dynamics to the story as we have the insight into both D'laine's thoughts and feelings and the emotions of those she has left here, at home... The ending may seem a little bit rushed and give you a feeling of being a little out of the blue, but when you think about it, there are hints as to what can happen throughout the whole book, so I can excuse it... Well, to be honest, I really liked it:)
As for the interpretation by Ms Hazen, it's very good. She's great at giving characters very distinctive voices. It's not that I always love all the voices, some of them kind of irritate my ears, but I do appreciate the fact that I always recognize who is speaking just because there are no two characters that have exactly the same manner of speaking. Also, Ms Hazen is great at conveying emotions and equally good in narrative parts.
So, all in all, it's a great interpretation of a very engaging and entertaining book. I can't wait to read/listen to the next part.
DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
November 4, 2017
My blog - https://lfbooks.blog/
(Disclaimer: I requested a copy of the book from the Author. This does not affect my review in anyway.)
Review: You know books where you take your time and just read, purely out of enjoyment? This one of them books. The world that is made is so beautiful done and layered. Most things are explained but not to the point where your getting annoyed with them telling you the story. It helps add to the story, knowing the details about all the different species, animals and plant life on the planet? Or is it called plane/place. Still little confused on that one.
The science is used very well, and very detailed. It not over used, or here let’s just slap a really big long word and confuse people. It all had it purpose and context. Again it added to the layers in the story. It felt like the author knew what she was talking about when using scientific terminology, which is always a plus.
There was a lot that happened in the book, but at the same time not really. It was just the right amount, it didn’t feel rushed. Maybe the end a little, but then again it was part of how the story played out. I like how the main character had to work at getting good, work at using her gifts. Nothing worse than a character having abilities, and just being amazing straight away. It not realistic.
I like how it shifted view points. You got to see more of the story from a range of different sides. There were some errors; 4 total. Just basic basic errors, nothing major. I sent them off to the author, should be fixed straight away.
(Jamie stared up at Ghury. “Wow, a Wookie!”
Ghury grumbled.) – Had me in stitches.
(Disclaimer: I requested a copy of the book from the Author. This does not affect my review in anyway.)
Review: You know books where you take your time and just read, purely out of enjoyment? This one of them books. The world that is made is so beautiful done and layered. Most things are explained but not to the point where your getting annoyed with them telling you the story. It helps add to the story, knowing the details about all the different species, animals and plant life on the planet? Or is it called plane/place. Still little confused on that one.
The science is used very well, and very detailed. It not over used, or here let’s just slap a really big long word and confuse people. It all had it purpose and context. Again it added to the layers in the story. It felt like the author knew what she was talking about when using scientific terminology, which is always a plus.
There was a lot that happened in the book, but at the same time not really. It was just the right amount, it didn’t feel rushed. Maybe the end a little, but then again it was part of how the story played out. I like how the main character had to work at getting good, work at using her gifts. Nothing worse than a character having abilities, and just being amazing straight away. It not realistic.
I like how it shifted view points. You got to see more of the story from a range of different sides. There were some errors; 4 total. Just basic basic errors, nothing major. I sent them off to the author, should be fixed straight away.
(Jamie stared up at Ghury. “Wow, a Wookie!”
Ghury grumbled.) – Had me in stitches.
August 31, 2018
“Prophecy of Thol” can best be classified as a young adult (YA), coming of age story, written by Dawn Greenfield Ireland. It is a story centered around a young woman (D’lane) who is suddenly whisked away into a parallel universe where she has to utilize all her skill and knowledge to survive the recurring nightmare which has come true. As a listener, we are given the privilege of seeing this young woman grown into a more mature lady in all aspects. The audiobook edition is quite well narrated by Kelley Hazen who is a veteran to the craft with over seventy titles available on Audible; at the time of this review. It appears there may be an agreement between the author and the narrator as she has voiced all of the author’s current audiobooks. If you are someone who enjoys a decent coming of age story, with a few twists, I think you may find “Prophecy of Thol” a book you will want to listen too. The book is over eleven hours of audio, so it is worth the time and credit if you are able to get past a few bumps in the road along the way.
Let me say up front that I’m not one who is a fan of either young adult nor coming of age stories. And, based on the book’s summary, this is not made clear as I assumed I was a more in deep and complex science fiction tale. If you come to the book understanding where it is coming from, it may be less of a shock when you listen. I did want to say that the book’s opening was what drew me in and kept me wanting to listen. The author did a good job of hooking the listener from the beginning. In the opening chapter, we are presented with a father telling his young boy about this mysterious person in a picture with odd looking creatures. It is like we are watching a flashback of events as the book unfolds. For me, the writing style felt more Young Adult (YA) based on the sentence structure, character communication, and the descriptive nature of the scenes or objects. At time, I felt that the author was overly verbose and did not give the listener enough creativity in their own minds. There were even a few items that seemed to be referenced incorrectly such as using Bluetooth as a device and not as a communications protocol, etc.
The characters, overall, seemed defined and multi-dimensional. At times, I felt the main character’s family had just too many tragedies making it a bit too complex at times. Maybe this is due to my rather uneventful upbringing. Our main character also seems to be rather confused in her spiritual beliefs, and much of her faith comes by way of new age beliefs; including the power of crystals. The rest of the family, though loving to one another, seems quite dysfunctional as a whole. The author does a decent job of creating a new and unique world. We are shown very different creatures, some distinctive plant life, and various means of communication. The book felt like a modern day take on Alice in Wonderland set in a science fiction realm having dual suns. Although the book mentioned many different technologies, often these gizmos lacked details on how they worked or why they were created in the first place. I simply wanted more details on these items and at times less on the scene description.
The book was told as if it were read out of a diary. It felt more like someone was telling facts of events and not a grand journey. Yet, the book at times felt like it lacked personality, action, and suspense. Sure, there were elements of action and suspense along the way, however these did not seem to really surface until the last few chapter of the book. Apart from this, the tale felt like it lacked the more traditional story aspects keeping the listener engaged. That is not to say that the book lacked twists and turns, but it was not overly suspenseful nor mysterious as I would have liked it to be. I did like the author’s use of switching back and forth between the two worlds from chapter to chapter. It was good to get an understanding of how the family was coping with the loss of their daughter/sister and the steps being taken to get her back. The conversations between the characters as times felt forced and rather predictable. The use of language also did not always match the characters age or personality in a few of the characters. It seems the author intended a couple of characters, such as Stanly, to be comedic relief, but this often did not work for me. He seemed less like a true scientist and more like the character Beaker from the Muppets.
The book’s narration was what I would expect from someone having a number of performances behind them. The audio quality was solid, and I do not recall any issues with background noises or volume inconstancies. The many characters all felt unique and the voicing was dependable throughout the book. A few areas that I will say could have been improved were some of the younger character’s voices and the voice of Stanley. At times, these voices were simply annoying, and you wanted to get past them as soon as possible. Other than this, the narration was spot on and professionally produced.
For parents or younger readers, I’m sorry to say that this book contains vulgar language which mostly occurs during the last few chapters. I was going to say that the book would be great for younger readers as the violence was not overly excessive and the romance was light and not overly sexualized, yet I was surprised that vulgar words were thrown in last minute. There was no reason these words needed to be added and I was quite surprised that the one character I assumed would not use vulgar language was the one who did. Apart from this language usage, I would recommend this to younger audiences. However, if you are offended in any way, I would advise you not listen.
In summary, the book was an average coming of age young adult story. If you go into it based on this understanding, or if you like this type of book, I would recommend it as long as you are not offended by the use of vulgar language. It took a bit longer than I would have liked to get into the meat of the story, but once there, the unique worlds, creatures, and events made the book interesting. If you are planning on picking up this book, you should be aware that it is the first in what appears to be a series of books. This is not clearly stated on the Audible page, so you should know that the book ends with many of the book’s plots unanswered. There is some closure given, but not enough to call this a stand-alone title.
Let me say up front that I’m not one who is a fan of either young adult nor coming of age stories. And, based on the book’s summary, this is not made clear as I assumed I was a more in deep and complex science fiction tale. If you come to the book understanding where it is coming from, it may be less of a shock when you listen. I did want to say that the book’s opening was what drew me in and kept me wanting to listen. The author did a good job of hooking the listener from the beginning. In the opening chapter, we are presented with a father telling his young boy about this mysterious person in a picture with odd looking creatures. It is like we are watching a flashback of events as the book unfolds. For me, the writing style felt more Young Adult (YA) based on the sentence structure, character communication, and the descriptive nature of the scenes or objects. At time, I felt that the author was overly verbose and did not give the listener enough creativity in their own minds. There were even a few items that seemed to be referenced incorrectly such as using Bluetooth as a device and not as a communications protocol, etc.
The characters, overall, seemed defined and multi-dimensional. At times, I felt the main character’s family had just too many tragedies making it a bit too complex at times. Maybe this is due to my rather uneventful upbringing. Our main character also seems to be rather confused in her spiritual beliefs, and much of her faith comes by way of new age beliefs; including the power of crystals. The rest of the family, though loving to one another, seems quite dysfunctional as a whole. The author does a decent job of creating a new and unique world. We are shown very different creatures, some distinctive plant life, and various means of communication. The book felt like a modern day take on Alice in Wonderland set in a science fiction realm having dual suns. Although the book mentioned many different technologies, often these gizmos lacked details on how they worked or why they were created in the first place. I simply wanted more details on these items and at times less on the scene description.
The book was told as if it were read out of a diary. It felt more like someone was telling facts of events and not a grand journey. Yet, the book at times felt like it lacked personality, action, and suspense. Sure, there were elements of action and suspense along the way, however these did not seem to really surface until the last few chapter of the book. Apart from this, the tale felt like it lacked the more traditional story aspects keeping the listener engaged. That is not to say that the book lacked twists and turns, but it was not overly suspenseful nor mysterious as I would have liked it to be. I did like the author’s use of switching back and forth between the two worlds from chapter to chapter. It was good to get an understanding of how the family was coping with the loss of their daughter/sister and the steps being taken to get her back. The conversations between the characters as times felt forced and rather predictable. The use of language also did not always match the characters age or personality in a few of the characters. It seems the author intended a couple of characters, such as Stanly, to be comedic relief, but this often did not work for me. He seemed less like a true scientist and more like the character Beaker from the Muppets.
The book’s narration was what I would expect from someone having a number of performances behind them. The audio quality was solid, and I do not recall any issues with background noises or volume inconstancies. The many characters all felt unique and the voicing was dependable throughout the book. A few areas that I will say could have been improved were some of the younger character’s voices and the voice of Stanley. At times, these voices were simply annoying, and you wanted to get past them as soon as possible. Other than this, the narration was spot on and professionally produced.
For parents or younger readers, I’m sorry to say that this book contains vulgar language which mostly occurs during the last few chapters. I was going to say that the book would be great for younger readers as the violence was not overly excessive and the romance was light and not overly sexualized, yet I was surprised that vulgar words were thrown in last minute. There was no reason these words needed to be added and I was quite surprised that the one character I assumed would not use vulgar language was the one who did. Apart from this language usage, I would recommend this to younger audiences. However, if you are offended in any way, I would advise you not listen.
In summary, the book was an average coming of age young adult story. If you go into it based on this understanding, or if you like this type of book, I would recommend it as long as you are not offended by the use of vulgar language. It took a bit longer than I would have liked to get into the meat of the story, but once there, the unique worlds, creatures, and events made the book interesting. If you are planning on picking up this book, you should be aware that it is the first in what appears to be a series of books. This is not clearly stated on the Audible page, so you should know that the book ends with many of the book’s plots unanswered. There is some closure given, but not enough to call this a stand-alone title.
January 20, 2018
Dawn Greenfield Ireland does it again. This is my third work with Dawn. We have won awards together and always have a wonderful collaboration. IN PROPHECY OF THO Dawn creates a dynamic new world - it has a whiff of STAR WARS but purely through the eyes and creativity of Dawn Greenfield Ireland. Our heroine, D'laine Jackson, is smart and spunky. I loved feeling her mature as the story continued. The world of Thol was unusual and unpredictable - I think that's very challenging and a real accomplishment for any author that ventures into the sci-fi world - to create a 'new' world. The species and cultures that inhabit Tho are unique and refreshing. The landscape and technology is inventive. What I voed most about this story were the folks back home in TX who are trying to figure out what happened to D'laine. Her father and brothers, and friends but aso the scientists, reporters and local color. The two world, parallel storylines make for great fun and intrigue and give a breadth to the story you do not often find. PROPHECY OF THOL is the first of three and I can't wait to begin the rest of the series. Folowing the THOL SERIES, Dawn and I will be working on recording THE LAST DOG audiobook!
November 25, 2018
“Four images were branded in D’laine’s head night after night: a dark-haired, handsome princely young man, a fierce reptilian monster, a white furry creature whose red eyes implored her with some unspoken message, and an ominous black robot.”
This is a coming-of-age book unlike any other I have read. The character of D’laine, at times, reminds me of the Dr. Doolittle “push me-pull you” as she comes out of a coma after an accident that killed her mother as well as almost killing her, and then finds herself partly on earth and partly connected to a place called Thol and she really can’t be totally “whole” until the portals align again.
So she waits as the nightmares keep coming. All the while, she’s going through normal teenaged maturing which changes her thinking less about herself and more about the whole.
It took me a while to get into this, but all I can say is WOW. Dawn Greenfield Ireland can write. This will not be my last of her books. Highly Recommended 5/5
[disclaimer: I received this book from the author and voluntarily reviewed it]
This is a coming-of-age book unlike any other I have read. The character of D’laine, at times, reminds me of the Dr. Doolittle “push me-pull you” as she comes out of a coma after an accident that killed her mother as well as almost killing her, and then finds herself partly on earth and partly connected to a place called Thol and she really can’t be totally “whole” until the portals align again.
So she waits as the nightmares keep coming. All the while, she’s going through normal teenaged maturing which changes her thinking less about herself and more about the whole.
It took me a while to get into this, but all I can say is WOW. Dawn Greenfield Ireland can write. This will not be my last of her books. Highly Recommended 5/5
[disclaimer: I received this book from the author and voluntarily reviewed it]
March 20, 2023
❤🌌AN EXCITING SCIENCE-FICTION/YOUTH NOVEL !
In his office, Victor Bennett was reading his scientific journal, with his dog sleeping next to him.
Victor stared at the wall filled with memories and diplomas. A very particular photo held all his emotional attention.
His 8-year-old son Darren suddenly entered the room with a loud bang. He had something to show him urgently...
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An exciting science fiction/children's novel to read, with a very mysterious background plot, from the first page of the book.
The author meticulously details a very original science fiction universe and very original characters.
The main character of D'Laine is also extremely successful and I think he makes the whole story interesting.
Note the illustrated drawings of certain characters and a lexicon of explanations at the beginning of the novel.
I am really very curious and impatient to see how the rest of the series will evolve.
A must-read novel for fans of the genre.❤
In his office, Victor Bennett was reading his scientific journal, with his dog sleeping next to him.
Victor stared at the wall filled with memories and diplomas. A very particular photo held all his emotional attention.
His 8-year-old son Darren suddenly entered the room with a loud bang. He had something to show him urgently...
----------------------
An exciting science fiction/children's novel to read, with a very mysterious background plot, from the first page of the book.
The author meticulously details a very original science fiction universe and very original characters.
The main character of D'Laine is also extremely successful and I think he makes the whole story interesting.
Note the illustrated drawings of certain characters and a lexicon of explanations at the beginning of the novel.
I am really very curious and impatient to see how the rest of the series will evolve.
A must-read novel for fans of the genre.❤
November 17, 2018
I received this book as an ARC from the author. Another amazing book by Ms Ireland. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy, time travel, paranormal or just plain fun reading. At first I was a bit leary of this book but the more I read the more entranced I became. You can Not read this book without coming to love the characters. They are so real and life like. The story is “out of this world” and keeps you on your toes hoping one of the characters isn’t about to become extinct. You have got to read this story to ever understand it fully. Time travel and fantasy barely touch the realm of the book. I love love love the book. I highly recommend it.
January 28, 2018
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the narrator and found it very intriguing. The story is woven around the adventures of a young woman following her destiny as she's dragged to a parallel world. The characters are wonderfully written and the plot is supported with action, suspense and humour. The narrator's presentation of all the strange characters is superb and enhances this very enjoyable tale. I'm looking forward to book 2.
March 10, 2023
What an intriguing story. D’laine wakes from a coma to have recurring nightmares. There are strange things happening. How will they get resolved. Strong characters, well written story.
April 14, 2023
This is an exciting story, with a great take on the scientific theory of parallel worlds. I enjoyed the world building and the descriptive writing that clearly formed the images in my head. Through and through, this story kept my attention and stayed on my mind when the book wasn't in my hands.
Keith Yagerman- author of
Braxton Rogers and the Brave New Beyond
Keith Yagerman- author of
Braxton Rogers and the Brave New Beyond
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews