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Halith
Can one ever recall the very moment when the first step of destiny was taken? Retrospect can make this possible; or in 462 BC, the aid of a powerful relic can bring the needed clarity. However, for Halíth, it might have been but a slip of the tongue; a fleeting lack of sensibility…
Or one Bitter Black ale too many…
Sixteen-year-old Halíth, known by her friends and comrades as stubborn and reckless, rarely listens. Choosing joy and youth, she tends to delve into her wellspring of purity for her own brand of truth. Often she closes her ears to whispers of destiny, even when they speak her name. In a fit of passion, she runs away in the deep of night, with nothing to her name, to a place she can barely recall the way to: Nordanshire Abbey. There, she hopes to reunite with only woman she has known as a caring mother figure: Mother Superior Almara. Yet, her idyllic fancy of a peaceful hamlet life is dashed. In a harrowing incident, young Halíth discovers that bandits have invaded her holy land. The world, as she knew it, would be forever altered, and Haleth is the key for her land’s survival!
Or one Bitter Black ale too many…
Sixteen-year-old Halíth, known by her friends and comrades as stubborn and reckless, rarely listens. Choosing joy and youth, she tends to delve into her wellspring of purity for her own brand of truth. Often she closes her ears to whispers of destiny, even when they speak her name. In a fit of passion, she runs away in the deep of night, with nothing to her name, to a place she can barely recall the way to: Nordanshire Abbey. There, she hopes to reunite with only woman she has known as a caring mother figure: Mother Superior Almara. Yet, her idyllic fancy of a peaceful hamlet life is dashed. In a harrowing incident, young Halíth discovers that bandits have invaded her holy land. The world, as she knew it, would be forever altered, and Haleth is the key for her land’s survival!
424 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 18, 2011
My Rating: 3.75/5 stars!
I haven’t read many fantasy quest novels yet but I’m slowly working on adding more of the genre into my reading. Halith isn’t an epic tale by any means but it successfully transported me into another world without over-complicating things for me. Even if the map of Aessyra wasn’t provided for reference I still wouldn’t have felt lost. Kirsten does a remarkable job describing the different parts of Halith’s world and all of the characters she comes into contact with. I will admit that the novel started out a bit awkwardly for me though. After spending four years at an abbey Halith is sent to live with her uncle but chooses to run away from nobility life. She spends a great deal of time worrying about others (including the reader) thinking her a wayward brat for running away. I kind of admired and liked the fact that she was determined to make sure people knew the reasons for her actions. She doesn’t want to spend her life as a broodmare. She has a calling to be a warrior just like her father, the High King.
Now that is all fine and dandy, absolutely no issues there for me. But one or two chapters later Halith does this 180-turnaround thing. I respect that she wants to be a warrior, even in Halith’s world women warriors are very rare, but her personality shifts a little too quickly from shy and timid to fierce warrior-girl/woman. The transitioning just kind of smacked me in the face a little bit. But soon after her 180 freak-out Halith started to really grow on me. The middle part of the book consists of her on different missions, meeting different people, and discovering who she is. It reminded me of quest-like video games (which I love to play). Every time she completed something it seemed some other issue would pop up for her to deal with. Although I’m sure if was frustrating for her character, I rather enjoyed it!
Something I really personally liked in the book was the violence. Weird, I know, but let me explain. The violence wasn’t sugarcoated or tip-toed around. It also wasn’t blown out of proportions with blood and guts flying in every direction. It was written just right where it was realistic and bold. It was a part of the book I really appreciated. I also loved the characters, especially the female ones. While Halith meets many different male characters that she becomes close with and/or enemies with, it was the different female characters that grabbed my attention. They sort of formed this motley crew of strong girls/women that were independent and strong yet still needed support from one another. I loved the fact that they were so different and yet fit together nicely like a puzzle.
The ending was a little disappointing for me just because I enjoyed the middle of the book so much. I appreciated that Kristen kept up the camaraderie between characters until the very end though. I just felt everything was a little too rushed for my tastes. I still really enjoyed Halith overall. The tale is one of self-discovery and independence. Halith has not only solid enemies but unseen ones as well as she must battle a prophecy laid before her and a fate she’s determined to undermine. I’m really interested to see what Kristen will come out with next and if in fact Halith will have a sequel or at least be revisited in another book. I think adventure fans or fantasy fans will really like Halith and Kristen’s writing.
I haven’t read many fantasy quest novels yet but I’m slowly working on adding more of the genre into my reading. Halith isn’t an epic tale by any means but it successfully transported me into another world without over-complicating things for me. Even if the map of Aessyra wasn’t provided for reference I still wouldn’t have felt lost. Kirsten does a remarkable job describing the different parts of Halith’s world and all of the characters she comes into contact with. I will admit that the novel started out a bit awkwardly for me though. After spending four years at an abbey Halith is sent to live with her uncle but chooses to run away from nobility life. She spends a great deal of time worrying about others (including the reader) thinking her a wayward brat for running away. I kind of admired and liked the fact that she was determined to make sure people knew the reasons for her actions. She doesn’t want to spend her life as a broodmare. She has a calling to be a warrior just like her father, the High King.
Now that is all fine and dandy, absolutely no issues there for me. But one or two chapters later Halith does this 180-turnaround thing. I respect that she wants to be a warrior, even in Halith’s world women warriors are very rare, but her personality shifts a little too quickly from shy and timid to fierce warrior-girl/woman. The transitioning just kind of smacked me in the face a little bit. But soon after her 180 freak-out Halith started to really grow on me. The middle part of the book consists of her on different missions, meeting different people, and discovering who she is. It reminded me of quest-like video games (which I love to play). Every time she completed something it seemed some other issue would pop up for her to deal with. Although I’m sure if was frustrating for her character, I rather enjoyed it!
Something I really personally liked in the book was the violence. Weird, I know, but let me explain. The violence wasn’t sugarcoated or tip-toed around. It also wasn’t blown out of proportions with blood and guts flying in every direction. It was written just right where it was realistic and bold. It was a part of the book I really appreciated. I also loved the characters, especially the female ones. While Halith meets many different male characters that she becomes close with and/or enemies with, it was the different female characters that grabbed my attention. They sort of formed this motley crew of strong girls/women that were independent and strong yet still needed support from one another. I loved the fact that they were so different and yet fit together nicely like a puzzle.
The ending was a little disappointing for me just because I enjoyed the middle of the book so much. I appreciated that Kristen kept up the camaraderie between characters until the very end though. I just felt everything was a little too rushed for my tastes. I still really enjoyed Halith overall. The tale is one of self-discovery and independence. Halith has not only solid enemies but unseen ones as well as she must battle a prophecy laid before her and a fate she’s determined to undermine. I’m really interested to see what Kristen will come out with next and if in fact Halith will have a sequel or at least be revisited in another book. I think adventure fans or fantasy fans will really like Halith and Kristen’s writing.
January 31, 2011
Review for readersfavorite.com
This author of high fantasy writes with warmth and in a way that preteen and teens will find friendly. The descriptions in this book are beautifully written. They paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind.
The story is that of a sixteen-year-old young woman by the name of Halith. She has grown up partially with her mother, then in a convent with a superior priestess that really cares for her and finally with her uncle, who wants to marry her to a fat merchant.
To the exasperation of her tutors, she grows up with an indomitable desire to become a warrior. No one knows how, in between the stitches of embroidery and other feminine instruction, she has arrived at that decision. Nonetheless, with the help of the goddesses, she is blessed to become their warrior.
Now in the land of Aessyra there is a high king and he happens to be Halith’s estranged father. He had to renounce to her and her mother in order to marry another woman to secure a more powerful alliance for his people. Both feel betrayed by him, yet they both love him.
All is well in the kingdom until a dark force starts to move in, un-noticed by the leaders of the different kingdoms. However, the smaller lands suffer the strong and insipid hand of the fowl being that is awakening. Halith, with the blessing of the superior priestess, unites herself to the militia. There she learns how to use a sword and to kill without squeamish. She also shows her great ability at strategy and the sword.
Her life progresses slowly until she goes on a quest to retrieve an artifact that will help her prove to her father that the dark forces are on the move and they need to prepare. To be able to do so, her father must look into the artifact and see what it shows him, but nothing happens. One of the legends says that a pure child will be able to obtain the artifact’s secrets or death … a life.
Halith meets many people during her assignments that cross her path off and on through this tale. The book is open ended to allow for a sequel.
I found the story compelling, though it needs more dialogue and action to make it fast paced. Kids in our days don’t stay focused long enough in a book to get to the action if they have to go through a page of narrative first.
Also, it is hard to believe that in medieval times, when a woman lived in the shadow of men, an unknown girl would be accepted as an equal warrior five minutes after she meets a dwarf warrior. In those times, women were used by men and considered many time less than their animals. Halith needs to prove herself in more ways than a man before she will be just looked upon as anything but a thing for pleasure. I feel the author didn't do a good job at that.
This author of high fantasy writes with warmth and in a way that preteen and teens will find friendly. The descriptions in this book are beautifully written. They paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind.
The story is that of a sixteen-year-old young woman by the name of Halith. She has grown up partially with her mother, then in a convent with a superior priestess that really cares for her and finally with her uncle, who wants to marry her to a fat merchant.
To the exasperation of her tutors, she grows up with an indomitable desire to become a warrior. No one knows how, in between the stitches of embroidery and other feminine instruction, she has arrived at that decision. Nonetheless, with the help of the goddesses, she is blessed to become their warrior.
Now in the land of Aessyra there is a high king and he happens to be Halith’s estranged father. He had to renounce to her and her mother in order to marry another woman to secure a more powerful alliance for his people. Both feel betrayed by him, yet they both love him.
All is well in the kingdom until a dark force starts to move in, un-noticed by the leaders of the different kingdoms. However, the smaller lands suffer the strong and insipid hand of the fowl being that is awakening. Halith, with the blessing of the superior priestess, unites herself to the militia. There she learns how to use a sword and to kill without squeamish. She also shows her great ability at strategy and the sword.
Her life progresses slowly until she goes on a quest to retrieve an artifact that will help her prove to her father that the dark forces are on the move and they need to prepare. To be able to do so, her father must look into the artifact and see what it shows him, but nothing happens. One of the legends says that a pure child will be able to obtain the artifact’s secrets or death … a life.
Halith meets many people during her assignments that cross her path off and on through this tale. The book is open ended to allow for a sequel.
I found the story compelling, though it needs more dialogue and action to make it fast paced. Kids in our days don’t stay focused long enough in a book to get to the action if they have to go through a page of narrative first.
Also, it is hard to believe that in medieval times, when a woman lived in the shadow of men, an unknown girl would be accepted as an equal warrior five minutes after she meets a dwarf warrior. In those times, women were used by men and considered many time less than their animals. Halith needs to prove herself in more ways than a man before she will be just looked upon as anything but a thing for pleasure. I feel the author didn't do a good job at that.
July 20, 2011
In Aessyra, war is imminent. The wise ponder the meaning of an ancient prophesy of destruction. Scattered across the land on fragments of parchment, these cryptic words consume them, spurring them into action...
But what if the wise are wrong?
Sixteen year old Halith only wants to meet her father, the High King, but her mother and a strange man have other plans for her. She is sent away for fosterage, 'for her own good'. Plans go astray, and Halith rails against her fate, longing to know who she really is in this world. As she begins her journey along the Way of the Warrior, she becomes entangled in the Third Great War, and learns the meaning of both friendship and betrayal.
In the novel, Halith by Kirsten Kelly, the adventure begins when Halith leaves her mother after learning they plan on marrying her to someone that she does not love. Fleeing in the middle of the night, taking nothing with her, she heads into the deep forest in hopes of remembering her way back to the Abbey that was home to her long ago.
Upon arriving she learns that if she does not want to go back to her mother and marriage plans then the Sister gives her the option of becoming a warrior. She aims to make her father proud and even though she is inexperienced under Captain Garrin, she hopes to earn her way in the world ridding the land of thieves and goblins to pay for her training. She is alone and though she remains strong, she still has a lot to learn before the war begins.
I received this book compliments of Pump Up Your Book Tours and Kirsten Kelly for my honest review and was hooked from the very beginning. Reminiscent of Lord of the Rings but dealing with a young girl named Halith, trying to make it in a difficult world that is preparing for war among thieves, goblins, orcs, dwarves and elves, she will learn who she can trust and who will ultimately betray her. What makes the character unique is her strength, bravery and courage in the face of all that she comes up against. At sixteen, I know just leaving for a long journey alone not knowing what I would face, would have challenged me. Halith is a great character for young women to look up to.
This book is available in paperback and eBook formats and in my opinion rates a 5 out of 5 stars. The content is amazing, filled with detail and action on every page, you feel you are a quiet observer along for the ride of your life.
But what if the wise are wrong?
Sixteen year old Halith only wants to meet her father, the High King, but her mother and a strange man have other plans for her. She is sent away for fosterage, 'for her own good'. Plans go astray, and Halith rails against her fate, longing to know who she really is in this world. As she begins her journey along the Way of the Warrior, she becomes entangled in the Third Great War, and learns the meaning of both friendship and betrayal.
In the novel, Halith by Kirsten Kelly, the adventure begins when Halith leaves her mother after learning they plan on marrying her to someone that she does not love. Fleeing in the middle of the night, taking nothing with her, she heads into the deep forest in hopes of remembering her way back to the Abbey that was home to her long ago.
Upon arriving she learns that if she does not want to go back to her mother and marriage plans then the Sister gives her the option of becoming a warrior. She aims to make her father proud and even though she is inexperienced under Captain Garrin, she hopes to earn her way in the world ridding the land of thieves and goblins to pay for her training. She is alone and though she remains strong, she still has a lot to learn before the war begins.
I received this book compliments of Pump Up Your Book Tours and Kirsten Kelly for my honest review and was hooked from the very beginning. Reminiscent of Lord of the Rings but dealing with a young girl named Halith, trying to make it in a difficult world that is preparing for war among thieves, goblins, orcs, dwarves and elves, she will learn who she can trust and who will ultimately betray her. What makes the character unique is her strength, bravery and courage in the face of all that she comes up against. At sixteen, I know just leaving for a long journey alone not knowing what I would face, would have challenged me. Halith is a great character for young women to look up to.
This book is available in paperback and eBook formats and in my opinion rates a 5 out of 5 stars. The content is amazing, filled with detail and action on every page, you feel you are a quiet observer along for the ride of your life.
March 7, 2015
Halith has always had a love/hate relationship with her destiny. On the one hand, she has always known she was meant to be a warrior, despite the obvious gender stereotype issue. On the other hand, people in her life keep pointing her toward her true destiny, and she doesn’t like following directions. In keeping with her defiance of the norm, she gathers her friends and makes plans to thwart the war of the inevitable. At the heart of it though, is her desire to meet her famous father and find out if he is the missing piece she always assumed he was.
Fans of RPGs will see a lot of familiar elements, the fantasy world, the races, the series of increasingly more difficult quests, random objects picked up that play a part in the story later, a team of differently abled people that form a cohesive unit because each has a skill necessary for the group. This one is chock full of girl power, although honestly that isn’t as rare in the fantasy world. Although the gamer in me cringed a few times, and the writing critic in me a few more, I think it is a solid first novel, although I suspect as the series progresses you might cringe a little if you go back to read the first attempt. The writing is a little flat, and sometimes jumps back and forth from strange old English to modern, and the relationships progress rather fast and conveniently, but still a story emerged, and I hope it’s one that digs a little deeper in the next installment.
Fans of RPGs will see a lot of familiar elements, the fantasy world, the races, the series of increasingly more difficult quests, random objects picked up that play a part in the story later, a team of differently abled people that form a cohesive unit because each has a skill necessary for the group. This one is chock full of girl power, although honestly that isn’t as rare in the fantasy world. Although the gamer in me cringed a few times, and the writing critic in me a few more, I think it is a solid first novel, although I suspect as the series progresses you might cringe a little if you go back to read the first attempt. The writing is a little flat, and sometimes jumps back and forth from strange old English to modern, and the relationships progress rather fast and conveniently, but still a story emerged, and I hope it’s one that digs a little deeper in the next installment.
July 27, 2010
Halith is a wonderful YA Fantasy novel that can be enjoyed by everyone. I am glad to see a young adult woman figure with strength and courage leap off the pages with every turn. From the moment Halith found out she was to marry an old fat merchant she began taking her own destiny in her hands. Halith just knew she had to escape this arranged marriage her uncle set up for her.
Halith's (who was only 16) journey began one night as she ran away from her home where she lived with her uncle. She headed into a dark and scary forest where she learned how much courage she had to have to make it threw her first night. Although small this was her first journey and obstacle to overcome on her quest to be a warrior and a great warrior she turns out to be.
This book was action packed from the start and quickly became hard to put down at times. This was one of those I have to see what the next page brings kind of reads for me. This read is defiantly well worth the price of the book. I love a good fantasy novel and this one has proven to me to be one.
* I have been provided a complimentary copy of Halith for review from The Author Kirsten Kelly. By receiving a complimentary copy it in no way obligates me to write a good or bad review. I am an honest reviewer and my reviews are based on my own opinion and only written by me.*
Halith's (who was only 16) journey began one night as she ran away from her home where she lived with her uncle. She headed into a dark and scary forest where she learned how much courage she had to have to make it threw her first night. Although small this was her first journey and obstacle to overcome on her quest to be a warrior and a great warrior she turns out to be.
This book was action packed from the start and quickly became hard to put down at times. This was one of those I have to see what the next page brings kind of reads for me. This read is defiantly well worth the price of the book. I love a good fantasy novel and this one has proven to me to be one.
* I have been provided a complimentary copy of Halith for review from The Author Kirsten Kelly. By receiving a complimentary copy it in no way obligates me to write a good or bad review. I am an honest reviewer and my reviews are based on my own opinion and only written by me.*
March 2, 2012
I have always had a soft spot for the female heroine, which is why I gave Halith, by Kirsten Kelly, a try. Halith is an epic tale about a 16 year old girl named Halith, who, in the midst of war, discovers her destiny.
Standing an intimidating 6 feet tall, with broad shoulders and masculine hands, Halith notices that she is not like the other girls her age. The daughter of the High King, whom she has never met, his warrior blood line has always called to her. The opportunity to live her dreams abounds when her uncle, King Elemond, makes plans for her to marry a less than appealing male suitor. Halith, determined not to marry, runs away and returns to her childhood home, the place which she was raised, when she was taken away from her mother at a young age. Back home, Halith dares to go where many females before her have failed to go. She takes the path of the warrior and rather effortlessly adapts. Judging her natural abilities, it is apparent that fate was indeed calling. With the threat of the Third Great War looming, Halith learns some life altering things about herself, as well as about those in her life. The role she plays is much more important than she ever expected...
http://www.simplystacie.net/2011/07/b...
Standing an intimidating 6 feet tall, with broad shoulders and masculine hands, Halith notices that she is not like the other girls her age. The daughter of the High King, whom she has never met, his warrior blood line has always called to her. The opportunity to live her dreams abounds when her uncle, King Elemond, makes plans for her to marry a less than appealing male suitor. Halith, determined not to marry, runs away and returns to her childhood home, the place which she was raised, when she was taken away from her mother at a young age. Back home, Halith dares to go where many females before her have failed to go. She takes the path of the warrior and rather effortlessly adapts. Judging her natural abilities, it is apparent that fate was indeed calling. With the threat of the Third Great War looming, Halith learns some life altering things about herself, as well as about those in her life. The role she plays is much more important than she ever expected...
http://www.simplystacie.net/2011/07/b...
April 20, 2010
I thought Halith was a wonderful YA fantasy!
Kirsten Kelly did some amazing world-building in this story. She's a descriptive writer who manages to form a picture in your mind. After reading up on the book I found out that Kirsten managed to intertwine fact and fiction into her world of Aessyra. I love that because I think it always manages to make a story come to life.
The main character Halith is fantastic. I loved the fact that she was a female warrior. Why's this you ask? Well, in this story it was rare to see females warriors; the women were either married or of the clothe. I LOVED the fact that the main character chose her own path. She decided to do what was right for her and not follow the pressures of the ones around her. Now that was awesome!
To touch on the plot....very good! I enjoyed it as there were many twists and turns to the story and not everyone was who they appeared to be.
Overall, this was an excellent story that really hit home on the message to follow your heart and do what's right for you. Very nice book in my opinion!
Kirsten Kelly did some amazing world-building in this story. She's a descriptive writer who manages to form a picture in your mind. After reading up on the book I found out that Kirsten managed to intertwine fact and fiction into her world of Aessyra. I love that because I think it always manages to make a story come to life.
The main character Halith is fantastic. I loved the fact that she was a female warrior. Why's this you ask? Well, in this story it was rare to see females warriors; the women were either married or of the clothe. I LOVED the fact that the main character chose her own path. She decided to do what was right for her and not follow the pressures of the ones around her. Now that was awesome!
To touch on the plot....very good! I enjoyed it as there were many twists and turns to the story and not everyone was who they appeared to be.
Overall, this was an excellent story that really hit home on the message to follow your heart and do what's right for you. Very nice book in my opinion!
September 15, 2012
I stopped reading this book after about 149 pages because it was so hard to read. It was just way too formal, way too, "Ello, would you prefer cake or crumpets with your tea?" So I read it, I just didn't read all of it. Really boring... that's basically how to describe it. It took me a year and a half to get through 149 pages.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews