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The Summoning #1
Guardian Of Honor
With Their Magic Boundaries Falling and Terrible Monsters Invading, the Marshalls of Lladrana Must Follow Ancient Tradition and Summon a Savor from the Exotique Land…
For Alexa Fitzwalter, the Marshall's call pulled the savvy lawyer into a realm where she barely understood the language, let alone the intricacies of politics and power. Armed only with her wits, a mystical companion and the help of the chevalier Bastien, Alexa must use her very human mind and skills to fight the encroaching evil—and resist manipulation by the Marshalls to force her to stay in Lladrana.
Now torn between her affinity for this realm and Earth, will she return home if given the chance? Or dare she risk everything for a land not her own?
For Alexa Fitzwalter, the Marshall's call pulled the savvy lawyer into a realm where she barely understood the language, let alone the intricacies of politics and power. Armed only with her wits, a mystical companion and the help of the chevalier Bastien, Alexa must use her very human mind and skills to fight the encroaching evil—and resist manipulation by the Marshalls to force her to stay in Lladrana.
Now torn between her affinity for this realm and Earth, will she return home if given the chance? Or dare she risk everything for a land not her own?
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
33 people are currently reading
1580 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
April 20, 2012
Reads like bad fanfic.
When I read the summary for this, I was intrigued by a premise that had previously been used by Modesitt in "The Soprano Sorceress," bringing a woman from our world into a magical one where she suddenly finds herself in possession of great power. Unfortunately, Ms. Owens is no Modesitt. I strongly suspect that she's a former, or current, fanfic writer and this book is one of her recycled fics that she "cleaned up" for professional publication. It certainly reads like it, starting out mediocre and rapidly spiraling downward into badfic land.
Again, the premise is promising and I was looking forward to seeing a different author's take on it. The opening, while not great (far too much telling the reader what Thealia is feeling instead of showing it, not letting readers get any feel for it themselves), was catchy. A mysterious land with a mysterious problem that needs a mysterious savior. I can go with that. It could've been laid out far better, more exposition and description and less spoon-feeding of facts and anvil-over-the-head, "This is a Bad Guy," but it was still readable.
The second part of the first chapter, the introduction of Alexa, our main protagonist, while still readable, was even weaker. Her motivations are understandable, as is her circumstances and grief, but I couldn't feel them. They're just laid out, stated baldly, and no emotional connection is made. I found her remote and her grief unapproachable; I couldn't empathize with her because there'd been no good description, nothing to draw me in. Everything about her past was one huge info-dump of emotionless information. Facts, facts, and more facts, and much of it telling me how she feels and therefore (presumably), how I should feel. Note to author: doesn't work like that. Give me a reason, some character exploration, some build-up, something other than a big mess of facts randomly interspersed with sketchy mentions of Alexa reacting to her info-dump memories. But that's all we're given, and no emotional connection is made.
And why is she up in the mountains at night, following auditory hallucinations? She passes it off as an aspect of mourning, grief, unable to explain it to herself. Well, that's a pretty bad explanation for the reader, too. Maybe the chimes and gongs and singing really were that compelling, but you wouldn't know it from the description. None of it felt at all compelling to me. There was no sense of urgency or need there, despite being told over and over that it was, no sense of what drove Alexa out into the dark and dangerous wilds of the mountains against all common sense, and that just makes her look like an idiot instead of a sympathetic heroine.
That's a complaint I keep coming back to with this author's writing; I can't feel anything from it. The descriptions are dry and factual, and I felt like the author was beating me about the head with those facts, hoping I'd accept them that way instead of troubling herself to use any description.
All of this I might have been able to accept. I've certainly read worse. If it'd stayed only this mediocre, I probably would've finished the book and just not bothered reading any others in the series. But then Alexa was pulled into Thealia's world and the true badness commenced.
Oh, for the love of Strunk & White! Ms. Owens, get thee to a writing class!
If you must use more than one point of view in one scene (and really, why must you?), you do not change them out constantly to where the reader feels like they're watching a point of view ping-pong match.
I can't imagine a worse way the "tests" Alexa goes through could have been written. It's like reading a grocery list. First A happens, and Alexa reacts like B, and then C happens and Alexa reacts like D, and then E happens, and so forth. It's so unbelievably dry and factual and methodical. Absolutely nothing there in the way of description to engage the reader in either the events or the emotions they engender. It's supposed to be shocking and exciting, instead it's dull and formulaic.
The last straw for me came when Alexa started deducing and deciding things about these new people around her, based not on any facts that we're ever made aware of, but on...well, we're not made aware of any reason for this, actually, just that she does. For instance, this sentence:
"The big man wearing rust red turned to the angular woman - Alexa had decided they were the most important two."
She decided how? Based on what evidence? That's never explained, and this is something she continues to do, jump to completely illogical decisions and come to equally illogical conclusions. (Or, they may well be very logical, but we'd need this thing we call "exposition" coupled with the ever-popular "description" to help us see the logic.) This is a perfect example of lazy writing. The author is simply telling the reader something instead of working to support the conclusions Alexa comes to via fleshing out the narrative.
The worst of these conclusions, the one that demonstrates how much the author needs to take a few classes on writing and perhaps even get a new editor, is this:
"[The woman] wore a robe of dark red, with a coat of arms over her left breast, but in the center of her chest was a big white cross. Not hard to deduce that she was a doctor."
I was left speechless for a few moments after reading this.
Speechlessness quickly gave way to snark and eye rolling, however. Who, other than a complete imbecile, upon finding themselves in a different world (a different planet, even), would presume that their societal, cultural and dress rules would be the same as our world's? In our culture, a white cross can mean Christianity or a medic or both. In this world, what's to say it doesn't mean, "I sacrifice babies at midnight over a medium flame with a mild garlic sauce?" There is no way to know. Not from Alexa's perspective. So how she came to this conclusion is either an example of her stupidity or the author's inability to form a coherent narrative. Since I doubt Alexa was meant to come off as a moron, I tend towards the latter explanation.
I read through page 24 of this crime against good narration before giving up in utter disgust. I later scanned a few more chapters to make sure it didn't abruptly improve somewhere along the way and turn into a decent story. It didn't and it doesn't.
Save your money. There are far more interesting fantasy books out there (I'm not overly fond of Modesitt's style of narrative, but that's just a personal choice and he's a good starting point for this particular brand of fantasy). It'd be free to get this from the library, but unless it's the only book left in the sci-fi/fantasy section, I wouldn't bother with doing that, either. Move along, dear reader, there is definitely nothing worth seeing here.
When I read the summary for this, I was intrigued by a premise that had previously been used by Modesitt in "The Soprano Sorceress," bringing a woman from our world into a magical one where she suddenly finds herself in possession of great power. Unfortunately, Ms. Owens is no Modesitt. I strongly suspect that she's a former, or current, fanfic writer and this book is one of her recycled fics that she "cleaned up" for professional publication. It certainly reads like it, starting out mediocre and rapidly spiraling downward into badfic land.
Again, the premise is promising and I was looking forward to seeing a different author's take on it. The opening, while not great (far too much telling the reader what Thealia is feeling instead of showing it, not letting readers get any feel for it themselves), was catchy. A mysterious land with a mysterious problem that needs a mysterious savior. I can go with that. It could've been laid out far better, more exposition and description and less spoon-feeding of facts and anvil-over-the-head, "This is a Bad Guy," but it was still readable.
The second part of the first chapter, the introduction of Alexa, our main protagonist, while still readable, was even weaker. Her motivations are understandable, as is her circumstances and grief, but I couldn't feel them. They're just laid out, stated baldly, and no emotional connection is made. I found her remote and her grief unapproachable; I couldn't empathize with her because there'd been no good description, nothing to draw me in. Everything about her past was one huge info-dump of emotionless information. Facts, facts, and more facts, and much of it telling me how she feels and therefore (presumably), how I should feel. Note to author: doesn't work like that. Give me a reason, some character exploration, some build-up, something other than a big mess of facts randomly interspersed with sketchy mentions of Alexa reacting to her info-dump memories. But that's all we're given, and no emotional connection is made.
And why is she up in the mountains at night, following auditory hallucinations? She passes it off as an aspect of mourning, grief, unable to explain it to herself. Well, that's a pretty bad explanation for the reader, too. Maybe the chimes and gongs and singing really were that compelling, but you wouldn't know it from the description. None of it felt at all compelling to me. There was no sense of urgency or need there, despite being told over and over that it was, no sense of what drove Alexa out into the dark and dangerous wilds of the mountains against all common sense, and that just makes her look like an idiot instead of a sympathetic heroine.
That's a complaint I keep coming back to with this author's writing; I can't feel anything from it. The descriptions are dry and factual, and I felt like the author was beating me about the head with those facts, hoping I'd accept them that way instead of troubling herself to use any description.
All of this I might have been able to accept. I've certainly read worse. If it'd stayed only this mediocre, I probably would've finished the book and just not bothered reading any others in the series. But then Alexa was pulled into Thealia's world and the true badness commenced.
Oh, for the love of Strunk & White! Ms. Owens, get thee to a writing class!
If you must use more than one point of view in one scene (and really, why must you?), you do not change them out constantly to where the reader feels like they're watching a point of view ping-pong match.
I can't imagine a worse way the "tests" Alexa goes through could have been written. It's like reading a grocery list. First A happens, and Alexa reacts like B, and then C happens and Alexa reacts like D, and then E happens, and so forth. It's so unbelievably dry and factual and methodical. Absolutely nothing there in the way of description to engage the reader in either the events or the emotions they engender. It's supposed to be shocking and exciting, instead it's dull and formulaic.
The last straw for me came when Alexa started deducing and deciding things about these new people around her, based not on any facts that we're ever made aware of, but on...well, we're not made aware of any reason for this, actually, just that she does. For instance, this sentence:
"The big man wearing rust red turned to the angular woman - Alexa had decided they were the most important two."
She decided how? Based on what evidence? That's never explained, and this is something she continues to do, jump to completely illogical decisions and come to equally illogical conclusions. (Or, they may well be very logical, but we'd need this thing we call "exposition" coupled with the ever-popular "description" to help us see the logic.) This is a perfect example of lazy writing. The author is simply telling the reader something instead of working to support the conclusions Alexa comes to via fleshing out the narrative.
The worst of these conclusions, the one that demonstrates how much the author needs to take a few classes on writing and perhaps even get a new editor, is this:
"[The woman] wore a robe of dark red, with a coat of arms over her left breast, but in the center of her chest was a big white cross. Not hard to deduce that she was a doctor."
I was left speechless for a few moments after reading this.
Speechlessness quickly gave way to snark and eye rolling, however. Who, other than a complete imbecile, upon finding themselves in a different world (a different planet, even), would presume that their societal, cultural and dress rules would be the same as our world's? In our culture, a white cross can mean Christianity or a medic or both. In this world, what's to say it doesn't mean, "I sacrifice babies at midnight over a medium flame with a mild garlic sauce?" There is no way to know. Not from Alexa's perspective. So how she came to this conclusion is either an example of her stupidity or the author's inability to form a coherent narrative. Since I doubt Alexa was meant to come off as a moron, I tend towards the latter explanation.
I read through page 24 of this crime against good narration before giving up in utter disgust. I later scanned a few more chapters to make sure it didn't abruptly improve somewhere along the way and turn into a decent story. It didn't and it doesn't.
Save your money. There are far more interesting fantasy books out there (I'm not overly fond of Modesitt's style of narrative, but that's just a personal choice and he's a good starting point for this particular brand of fantasy). It'd be free to get this from the library, but unless it's the only book left in the sci-fi/fantasy section, I wouldn't bother with doing that, either. Move along, dear reader, there is definitely nothing worth seeing here.
August 28, 2013
Good lord I hated this book so much.
UPDATE:
So I wrote my one line "review" back in June, and now that it's the end of August I'm prepared to write more about it. I bought this book at least in 2008 (I found a ticket stub for a concert in that year as bookmark). I picked up at least three times and put it down, unwilling to put in the effort of reading it. I remember back when I WAS reading it after buying it initially, a friend of mine was also reading the series. She told me that while this book wasn't very good, the subsequent books got better. However, I really, really hated this book so I won't be reading any more volumes even if they are 500% better.
A lot of my problems with this book are centered on the abysmal prose. It reads like something I might have written in my teens, with perhaps the tiniest bit more polish (not much, some of the descriptions made me cringe hard-core, especially when Alexa was first transported to Lladrana).
It took me several months to slog through this book. It shouldn't have if it was written in a more engaging style, with a better plot. I actually started it at the end of 2012 and finished it in June of 2013. To me, it read more like a detailed, padded outline than a real, rounded work. There is a remarkable amount of telling instead of showing, and considering Alexa doesn't even speak the language for so long, that's pretty cringe-worthy.
I didn't like Alexa, or Bastien or whatever his name was. I don't remember most of the story because it flitted out of my head as soon as it entered. I don't require 100% originality in my stories; that would be impossible. But this is so standard and uninspired that it really didn't click with me. I understand what the author was trying to do with this story, but I don't think she managed to pull it off.
I realize this is a very harsh review, but for something so dull, it managed to inspire a really strong reaction from me. I honestly didn't care at ALL about the fate of Lladrana, or any of the characters themselves (and there was a total contrivance between the love interests that made me want to bang my head against the wall. I LOATHE "Big Misunderstanding" plot devices).
So, to make a long story short (too late!) I refer back to my original review:
Good Lord I hated this book so much.
UPDATE:
So I wrote my one line "review" back in June, and now that it's the end of August I'm prepared to write more about it. I bought this book at least in 2008 (I found a ticket stub for a concert in that year as bookmark). I picked up at least three times and put it down, unwilling to put in the effort of reading it. I remember back when I WAS reading it after buying it initially, a friend of mine was also reading the series. She told me that while this book wasn't very good, the subsequent books got better. However, I really, really hated this book so I won't be reading any more volumes even if they are 500% better.
A lot of my problems with this book are centered on the abysmal prose. It reads like something I might have written in my teens, with perhaps the tiniest bit more polish (not much, some of the descriptions made me cringe hard-core, especially when Alexa was first transported to Lladrana).
It took me several months to slog through this book. It shouldn't have if it was written in a more engaging style, with a better plot. I actually started it at the end of 2012 and finished it in June of 2013. To me, it read more like a detailed, padded outline than a real, rounded work. There is a remarkable amount of telling instead of showing, and considering Alexa doesn't even speak the language for so long, that's pretty cringe-worthy.
I didn't like Alexa, or Bastien or whatever his name was. I don't remember most of the story because it flitted out of my head as soon as it entered. I don't require 100% originality in my stories; that would be impossible. But this is so standard and uninspired that it really didn't click with me. I understand what the author was trying to do with this story, but I don't think she managed to pull it off.
I realize this is a very harsh review, but for something so dull, it managed to inspire a really strong reaction from me. I honestly didn't care at ALL about the fate of Lladrana, or any of the characters themselves (and there was a total contrivance between the love interests that made me want to bang my head against the wall. I LOATHE "Big Misunderstanding" plot devices).
So, to make a long story short (too late!) I refer back to my original review:
Good Lord I hated this book so much.
May 23, 2009
I think compared to many romance novels out there, this story was decent.
One thing bothered me: Alexa just kept accepting dramatic changes in her life too easily. I'm sure each person has their own unique response to changes and disorientation but I think the extreme switch from Denver, Colorado to a magical world called Lladrana filled with magic-users, flying horses, and monsters, would be enough for most logical people to question their own sanity. It troubles me that the novel claims she primarily works as a defense lawyer (lawyers tend to be up to date on how the law treats those with special mental conditions) yet she doesn't consider herself to be a unique headcase who has dreamed up such a world. After consulting a fairy, she seemed to accept that "home" was beyond her reach rather than try to wake up for a bad dream. Then her hair turns silver when she wakes and she seems to accept that incident pretty easily as well. Yes, I get it: once people accept the fact that they're in a crazy world, then the rest is no big deal. But the author doesn't cover HOW Alexa coped without going into hysterics. Absolutely no explanation is offered. And it was hard for me to let it go since the novel kept referring back to her profession on Earth and how it influenced her decision making in Lladrana. Now if it really WAS a dream...then it would be an entirely different story.
I'm quite aware that this is "fantastical romance," and not a realistic or psychological novel. But compared to a lot of other fiction out there today, the protagonist is just behaving too abnormally once I noticed it and I was frustrated bc the author didn't provide a way for me to buy into the story. But it's probably just my personal little tick. Maybe I should back off romances for a while.
One thing bothered me: Alexa just kept accepting dramatic changes in her life too easily. I'm sure each person has their own unique response to changes and disorientation but I think the extreme switch from Denver, Colorado to a magical world called Lladrana filled with magic-users, flying horses, and monsters, would be enough for most logical people to question their own sanity. It troubles me that the novel claims she primarily works as a defense lawyer (lawyers tend to be up to date on how the law treats those with special mental conditions) yet she doesn't consider herself to be a unique headcase who has dreamed up such a world. After consulting a fairy, she seemed to accept that "home" was beyond her reach rather than try to wake up for a bad dream. Then her hair turns silver when she wakes and she seems to accept that incident pretty easily as well. Yes, I get it: once people accept the fact that they're in a crazy world, then the rest is no big deal. But the author doesn't cover HOW Alexa coped without going into hysterics. Absolutely no explanation is offered. And it was hard for me to let it go since the novel kept referring back to her profession on Earth and how it influenced her decision making in Lladrana. Now if it really WAS a dream...then it would be an entirely different story.
I'm quite aware that this is "fantastical romance," and not a realistic or psychological novel. But compared to a lot of other fiction out there today, the protagonist is just behaving too abnormally once I noticed it and I was frustrated bc the author didn't provide a way for me to buy into the story. But it's probably just my personal little tick. Maybe I should back off romances for a while.
July 9, 2016
This book was surprisingly nice. Ok, it's nothing earth shattering, and perhaps because of that 4 stars are too much. On the other hand, I really enjoyed it and I'm going to let that count for more than how good the book is.
The story is about Alexa, who gets Summoned to another world. There she finds she has magic and is needed to fight evil. She also finds her soulmate. As you can see, a simple story, nice and unpretentious. It has fantasy, it had romance, and, what I really liked, it is unprejudiced. The highest magic-users, the Marshalls, form up in Pairs, and these Pairs are not necessarily same-sex pairs. One of them is the Shield, and one the Sword, for defensive and offensive fighting. Alexa turns out to be the Sword and her lover to be the Shield. There is some mention about how it is usually the woman who is the Shield, but it is minimal, and most of the comments are made by the most reprehensible person in the book. Although Mr. Soulmate makes some stupid mistakes, the amount of misunderstandings are kept to a minimum, and in the end they have a true partnership. I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series!
The story is about Alexa, who gets Summoned to another world. There she finds she has magic and is needed to fight evil. She also finds her soulmate. As you can see, a simple story, nice and unpretentious. It has fantasy, it had romance, and, what I really liked, it is unprejudiced. The highest magic-users, the Marshalls, form up in Pairs, and these Pairs are not necessarily same-sex pairs. One of them is the Shield, and one the Sword, for defensive and offensive fighting. Alexa turns out to be the Sword and her lover to be the Shield. There is some mention about how it is usually the woman who is the Shield, but it is minimal, and most of the comments are made by the most reprehensible person in the book. Although Mr. Soulmate makes some stupid mistakes, the amount of misunderstandings are kept to a minimum, and in the end they have a true partnership. I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series!
March 10, 2011
Guardian of Honor by Robin D. Owens is book one in the Summoning series.
The world where the story takes place is Lladrana, a world based on the feudal system with castes and roles for everyone. When Alexa steps through the portal from the human world to Lladrana, she tests into one of the highest places in society: guardian. She is the newest member of an elite group of magical people who are rich and control all information being dissipated to the people of Lladrana. Her love interest is the son of the guardian’s leader, a rogue and excellent chevalier or warrior.
For over half of the book, Bastien and Alexa have little to no contact with one another. So that doesn’t leave very much time for the two would-be lovers to form a connection strong enough to affect Alexa’s possible return to the human world. Sure they are in like with each other. Yes, Owens tells early on that Alexa has nothing holding her to the human world. But that does little to make me believe in the super quick, permanent relationship that the two build.
Guardian of Honor is a fantasy romance that seems to equally follow a relationship between Alexa and Bastien and the danger facing the world of Llandrana. The premise for the story is interesting. I mean who can resist the idea of being yanked from one reality as the possible savior to another reality. Dislike of the characters and disbelief in their actions left me feeling disappointed in the book.
It’s not that the book is horrible, or badly written. It’s just that I didn’t connect to the world of Lladrana or its people, who more often than not, seemed cold. Most importantly, I didn’t believe the romance between Alexa and Bastien. I’ve read several positive reviews on Good Reads and Amazon, but I can’t honestly say I’d recommend this book to anyone.
Scooper Speaks
The world where the story takes place is Lladrana, a world based on the feudal system with castes and roles for everyone. When Alexa steps through the portal from the human world to Lladrana, she tests into one of the highest places in society: guardian. She is the newest member of an elite group of magical people who are rich and control all information being dissipated to the people of Lladrana. Her love interest is the son of the guardian’s leader, a rogue and excellent chevalier or warrior.
For over half of the book, Bastien and Alexa have little to no contact with one another. So that doesn’t leave very much time for the two would-be lovers to form a connection strong enough to affect Alexa’s possible return to the human world. Sure they are in like with each other. Yes, Owens tells early on that Alexa has nothing holding her to the human world. But that does little to make me believe in the super quick, permanent relationship that the two build.
Guardian of Honor is a fantasy romance that seems to equally follow a relationship between Alexa and Bastien and the danger facing the world of Llandrana. The premise for the story is interesting. I mean who can resist the idea of being yanked from one reality as the possible savior to another reality. Dislike of the characters and disbelief in their actions left me feeling disappointed in the book.
It’s not that the book is horrible, or badly written. It’s just that I didn’t connect to the world of Lladrana or its people, who more often than not, seemed cold. Most importantly, I didn’t believe the romance between Alexa and Bastien. I’ve read several positive reviews on Good Reads and Amazon, but I can’t honestly say I’d recommend this book to anyone.
Scooper Speaks
November 28, 2008
WOW doesn't really cover it. Amazing world, amazing characters, very creative use of magic and song and telepathy. I actually only read it because I saw book 3 (Protector of the Flight) with the pegasus on the cover, and figured I'd better begin at the beginning (hoping I wouldn't be disappointed). I think I've found a new favorite series. Warning for some of my friends that I know this might offend: There is some sex, and the society in general has no morays against homosexuality (nothing overt, however, or detailed --told but not shown). However, it was not so detailed in either way to be really offensive or in any way "pornographic", in my opinion. The scenes, what there are of them, are brief and are far overshadowed by the incredible characters and the world they inhabit.
November 11, 2025
I absolutely LOVE this series! Its very original and written so well! It seems very realistic and the situations the characters get involved in seem plausible (within the story line) It is a fantasy fiction where on woman from Colorado is brought into another dimension by the inhabitance of this alternate realm to help save them from an evil being. This evil being is sending creatures through the rain and past the failing protective barrier to attack and kill. This first book is full of internal conflict, some romance, and fighting to stay alive. I really recommend this book and series to anyone who wants something new and original and entertaining!
February 18, 2008
arg! Good ideas, but smashed together with too much. Unique stuff in the world she creates, but she basically went down the laundry list of girly fantasy novels and picked one of each variety-
add
1 depressed earth girl
1 furry shapeshifter pet guide
1 magical horse of any telepathic sentient variety
stir with plug and play magical powers
add 1 hot hero w/ magical sex skills
1 prophecy/fate
fold in demony creatures of any dark flesh-eating variety
bake one hour or until our suspencion of desbelief is completly dead.
add
1 depressed earth girl
1 furry shapeshifter pet guide
1 magical horse of any telepathic sentient variety
stir with plug and play magical powers
add 1 hot hero w/ magical sex skills
1 prophecy/fate
fold in demony creatures of any dark flesh-eating variety
bake one hour or until our suspencion of desbelief is completly dead.
December 3, 2011
I really enjoy Owens' Celta series, and thought this might grab me the same way. While it was enjoyable, it isn't as compelling as her other series.
The novel started out really slow. 50 pages in I was still having a hard time falling into the story. There were parts that drew me in, but I didn't find myself eager to get back to the book if I set it down.
I may try the second book to see if the world captures me more, but I'm not in a hurry to grab it.
The novel started out really slow. 50 pages in I was still having a hard time falling into the story. There were parts that drew me in, but I didn't find myself eager to get back to the book if I set it down.
I may try the second book to see if the world captures me more, but I'm not in a hurry to grab it.
January 14, 2008
I have found myself really enjoying Luna books. The style is a romantic adventure. It deals with Marshalls and sorcery and a summoning from present day Earth to a world of monsters and a race of humanoids that are similar yet very different.
This was a very enjoyable read. Took me about a day to read it. Slurp!
This was a very enjoyable read. Took me about a day to read it. Slurp!
December 28, 2019
Extraordinary
Very rarely do I re-read books. I don't enjoy reading something when I already know the ending. This book is the exception. I return to this series from time to time. And just like visiting an old friend, I find the story still thrills me even though I know it so well.
Very rarely do I re-read books. I don't enjoy reading something when I already know the ending. This book is the exception. I return to this series from time to time. And just like visiting an old friend, I find the story still thrills me even though I know it so well.
January 8, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. I bought one of the later books in the series years ago, and never got around to reading them because I try to by everything secondhand from local shops and I couldn't find anything by Robin Owens anywhere. I'm glad I eventually gave up and order them (used!) online.
So I went into this thinking it was a Romance/Fantasy novel, which I usually associate with books published by Luna. It was definitely a Fantasy with romantic side plot. It took over 100 pages for Alexa and Bastien to even really meet, and a lot less for them to hop in the sack. The story was good though, and did feel like it built organicly. It does get pretty steamy at some parts. Wink wink.
I spent the entire book hating Reynardus, bemoaning the weakness of the supposed leaders and begging for everyone to grow a pair. Of what, I'm not sure, but something. They needed to put on their big girl panties and DO SOMETHING. I feel like just a little bit more and it really could have been 5 stars, but it fell just oh so short for me. I will applaud it for avoid the 'bury your gays' trope, and hope to see a same sex partnership/romance in a future book. I won't expect it, but I'll hold out hope, as two lesbian couples did play a large side role in the story. I do hope to see more of some of the characters in future books, Owens is very good at creating side characters you'll like, and a few you'll wish dead with every breathe you take.
TW: Death of a friend/sibling, foster homes, death of a parent, abandonment, attempted rape.
So I went into this thinking it was a Romance/Fantasy novel, which I usually associate with books published by Luna. It was definitely a Fantasy with romantic side plot. It took over 100 pages for Alexa and Bastien to even really meet, and a lot less for them to hop in the sack. The story was good though, and did feel like it built organicly. It does get pretty steamy at some parts. Wink wink.
I spent the entire book hating Reynardus, bemoaning the weakness of the supposed leaders and begging for everyone to grow a pair. Of what, I'm not sure, but something. They needed to put on their big girl panties and DO SOMETHING. I feel like just a little bit more and it really could have been 5 stars, but it fell just oh so short for me. I will applaud it for avoid the 'bury your gays' trope, and hope to see a same sex partnership/romance in a future book. I won't expect it, but I'll hold out hope, as two lesbian couples did play a large side role in the story. I do hope to see more of some of the characters in future books, Owens is very good at creating side characters you'll like, and a few you'll wish dead with every breathe you take.
TW: Death of a friend/sibling, foster homes, death of a parent, abandonment, attempted rape.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2019
I liked the tone on which the book started. An arrogant marshall, a savior from another world and magic. But it failed to keep me engaged. I was waiting for the book to end so that i can start a new series.
The things which i didn't like:
1) The savior from another world concept is good but only if the character has something unique to offer. There wasn't anything unique about Alexa. She was just a powerful marshal. The gods could have created a powerful person in their country itself. There was no need to call an alien.
2) There was no spark or connection between the characters in terms of romance. It was forced upon the characters. They didn't even spent time together to fall in love. I have read insta romance books, but even those books have relationship growth. I didn't see any growth in any of the characters.
3) A character in the book cannot remain the same throughout the book. They grew, they learn, they make mistakes, they realize the mistake and try to become a better person or they pickup wrong side and go towards their doom. But nothing like that happened in this entire book which was written 400 pages long.
I rarely rate a book this low but i couldn't help it.
The things which i didn't like:
1) The savior from another world concept is good but only if the character has something unique to offer. There wasn't anything unique about Alexa. She was just a powerful marshal. The gods could have created a powerful person in their country itself. There was no need to call an alien.
2) There was no spark or connection between the characters in terms of romance. It was forced upon the characters. They didn't even spent time together to fall in love. I have read insta romance books, but even those books have relationship growth. I didn't see any growth in any of the characters.
3) A character in the book cannot remain the same throughout the book. They grew, they learn, they make mistakes, they realize the mistake and try to become a better person or they pickup wrong side and go towards their doom. But nothing like that happened in this entire book which was written 400 pages long.
I rarely rate a book this low but i couldn't help it.
January 14, 2024
La prophétie de Lladrana est donc une agréable découverte.
Il s’agit d’une bataille du Bien contre le Mal (comme souvent dans ce genre de littérature fantasy), l’intrigue se passe dans un univers qui tout magique qu’il est n’en est pas moins plein de contradictions. (les politiciens sont chiants dans n’importe quel monde.)
Alexa, l’héroïne, ne s’en laisse pas comptée, déstabilisée au début, elle finie par ne pas se laisser faire et imposer ses choix. Ok, elle veut bien faire “ Jeanne d’arc “ mais a ses conditions à elle.
Les personnages de ce livre ont tous un caractère bien particulier et Bastien le chevalier Noir et blanc saura gagner la confiance d’Alexa.
J’ai beaucoup aimé Sinafin qui prend diverse forme, il aide Alexa et lui sert d’intermédiaire.
Si vous aimez la fantasy je ne peut que vous conseiller ce premier tome.
Il s’agit d’une bataille du Bien contre le Mal (comme souvent dans ce genre de littérature fantasy), l’intrigue se passe dans un univers qui tout magique qu’il est n’en est pas moins plein de contradictions. (les politiciens sont chiants dans n’importe quel monde.)
Alexa, l’héroïne, ne s’en laisse pas comptée, déstabilisée au début, elle finie par ne pas se laisser faire et imposer ses choix. Ok, elle veut bien faire “ Jeanne d’arc “ mais a ses conditions à elle.
Les personnages de ce livre ont tous un caractère bien particulier et Bastien le chevalier Noir et blanc saura gagner la confiance d’Alexa.
J’ai beaucoup aimé Sinafin qui prend diverse forme, il aide Alexa et lui sert d’intermédiaire.
Si vous aimez la fantasy je ne peut que vous conseiller ce premier tome.
April 18, 2021
This was an OK fantasy, the world building was good and the author took time to develop the main characters before they entered into a relationship. I liked that the female protagonist was challenged physically in the new word she was sent to and managed to meet and conquer all of them. She manages everything herself without having to wait for the man to "save" her. When the relationship develops Bastion provides support and it is a partnership but at any point when Alexa does not feel comfortable she leaves him and does what she needs to according to her she feels comfortable with. It is an entertaining romance with lots of action.
March 22, 2024
I bought book 3 of this series at a used book store, originally to have a book to carry around for waiting periods. I found the book so interesting that I had to order book 1, Guardian of Honor. I wasn't disappointed. Now I'm ordering book 2. Love this series, Not really a romance fan, but the fantasy aspect is intriguing.
July 22, 2019
This one was interesting. I loved both Alexa and Bastian, and there were real things happening in an interesting world. This is a really good first book for a series. It made me want to read the others.
July 16, 2017
This book is one of my favourite re-reads. It's light, easy not too complicated and different enough to be intriguing even when you've already read it half a dozen times.
December 20, 2018
Fabulous Book. I don't typically re-read books, but this book (and series) I am now reading for the third time. Highly recommend. Does contain some adult content.
January 22, 2016
Alexa is still mourning the death of her friend and partner in law, Sophie, when the call comes and spirits her away to another world. Lladrana is a world under siege by dark forces, protected only by the magical fenceposts that form a barrier around the country. A failing barrier, these days. Alexa is supposed to fix that. She's supposed to be Llandra's savior, the hopes of all Marshalls realized---but she doesn't have any idea how. And Alexa doesn't care for the Marshalls and their attempts to define and manipulate her.
I liked this, although it's best read as a light fantasy-romance. The imagery is strong, and I like the ties to color and music in the working of magic. Alexa's natural proficiency with magic tends to be balanced in her horrendous grasp of the local language (and I appreciate the fact that she has to learn it, and that she never quite manages to lose her accent). My favorite character is probably Luthan. His abrupt switch from honorable dislike to familial friendliness towards Alexa disorients both Alexa and his brother Bastien. And he tries his best to nudge things along, even when his brother protests the end game.
The bulk of the novel is more about Alexa's conflict with the Marshalls than Alexa's confrontations with the creatures of darkness. And that's good, because the Marshalls are both infuriating and necessary, and Alexa has to figure out how to integrate without succumbing to the same traps of thinking they've fallen into. It isn't as easy as saying she'll reject the Marshalls and do everything her own way. Nor can she charge straight into the evil hordes and take them down without their help.
The romance is amusing, in its own way, but left me wishing for more depth. Alexa pretty much falls into Bastien's arms after a near-death experience and decides she really wants to have sex with him. Then they have great sex. Then after a few snags get worked out they have lots more great sex. Especially coming fresh from the Shifters trilogy by Sarah Hoyt, I was struck by how little there is holding these two together besides sex. They shared an emotional, physical, and magical bond through sleeping together, granted, but it would've been nice to see them working out some of the more mundane aspects of their relationship. It made the Song Quest and the Snap both feel cheap. Alexa is tempted by a husband who will be kind and compassionate, by kids, by a successful career---and oddly enough, her main objection to the other guy is that there isn't the same love there (by which she almost certainly means great sex). So . . . it just diminished Bastien as a character to get less of his colorful backstory in favor of lots of time in bed together.
Overall it's an interesting alternate world, and since I have the third book I'll likely keep going with it. I rate this book Neutral (I liked it enough to finish, but there are definitely plot, character, and world problems).
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
I liked this, although it's best read as a light fantasy-romance. The imagery is strong, and I like the ties to color and music in the working of magic. Alexa's natural proficiency with magic tends to be balanced in her horrendous grasp of the local language (and I appreciate the fact that she has to learn it, and that she never quite manages to lose her accent). My favorite character is probably Luthan. His abrupt switch from honorable dislike to familial friendliness towards Alexa disorients both Alexa and his brother Bastien. And he tries his best to nudge things along, even when his brother protests the end game.
The bulk of the novel is more about Alexa's conflict with the Marshalls than Alexa's confrontations with the creatures of darkness. And that's good, because the Marshalls are both infuriating and necessary, and Alexa has to figure out how to integrate without succumbing to the same traps of thinking they've fallen into. It isn't as easy as saying she'll reject the Marshalls and do everything her own way. Nor can she charge straight into the evil hordes and take them down without their help.
The romance is amusing, in its own way, but left me wishing for more depth. Alexa pretty much falls into Bastien's arms after a near-death experience and decides she really wants to have sex with him. Then they have great sex. Then after a few snags get worked out they have lots more great sex. Especially coming fresh from the Shifters trilogy by Sarah Hoyt, I was struck by how little there is holding these two together besides sex. They shared an emotional, physical, and magical bond through sleeping together, granted, but it would've been nice to see them working out some of the more mundane aspects of their relationship. It made the Song Quest and the Snap both feel cheap. Alexa is tempted by a husband who will be kind and compassionate, by kids, by a successful career---and oddly enough, her main objection to the other guy is that there isn't the same love there (by which she almost certainly means great sex). So . . . it just diminished Bastien as a character to get less of his colorful backstory in favor of lots of time in bed together.
Overall it's an interesting alternate world, and since I have the third book I'll likely keep going with it. I rate this book Neutral (I liked it enough to finish, but there are definitely plot, character, and world problems).
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
July 8, 2019
Romance reads are a guilty pleasure for me, except I don’t feel that guilty about it anymore. I love the expectations that come with the genre, and I love seeing how writers subvert or meet those expectations. It’s not my first love, when it comes to writing and reading—but a well-crafted romance can drop me into a new and absorbing world and usually knows how to elicit emotions, which is my favorite thing about writing in general.
This first installment of the Summoning series hits all the right romance notes you would expect, but does it in a fantasy world that is strange and wonderful. You can tell there’s a lot of thought that went into the world and the culture that the protagonist gets dropped into (sorry, Summoned, into). There are flying horses! And monsters to fight, which help put you into the through-line of the series, so that even as this novel wraps up Alexa’s part of the story, it still makes you want to pick up book two.
Alexa, the protagonist of this first book, is fiery and passionate, an ex-lawyer, and a damn good fighter (verbally and physically!). She’s headstrong and emotionally strong, and I admire her in a lot of ways. That’s the best kind of romance—when the protagonist is someone you could see yourself being friends with, or someone you want to be like.
This is my second time through, reading this series, and I really enjoy it. Fans of romance, fantasy, and strong female protagonists would enjoy these books. The prose is sometimes more purple than I’m personally a fan of, but it’s still done well and fits with the culture and world, so it isn’t just gratuitous. I keep this series around in physical books, because I know I’m going to want to revisit it periodically. :)
This and other reviews by me can be found at www.annaimber.com
This first installment of the Summoning series hits all the right romance notes you would expect, but does it in a fantasy world that is strange and wonderful. You can tell there’s a lot of thought that went into the world and the culture that the protagonist gets dropped into (sorry, Summoned, into). There are flying horses! And monsters to fight, which help put you into the through-line of the series, so that even as this novel wraps up Alexa’s part of the story, it still makes you want to pick up book two.
Alexa, the protagonist of this first book, is fiery and passionate, an ex-lawyer, and a damn good fighter (verbally and physically!). She’s headstrong and emotionally strong, and I admire her in a lot of ways. That’s the best kind of romance—when the protagonist is someone you could see yourself being friends with, or someone you want to be like.
This is my second time through, reading this series, and I really enjoy it. Fans of romance, fantasy, and strong female protagonists would enjoy these books. The prose is sometimes more purple than I’m personally a fan of, but it’s still done well and fits with the culture and world, so it isn’t just gratuitous. I keep this series around in physical books, because I know I’m going to want to revisit it periodically. :)
This and other reviews by me can be found at www.annaimber.com
January 31, 2011
Rather than posting a review of each book in the series, here's the summation of them all!
The series started out strong, with a nice balance between the fantasy world and the romantic aspect Owens brings in to most of her work. My enjoyment faded with each subsequent book. This isn't to say I didn't enjoy the writing and move quickly through each book, but I think I liked the characters less as the series progressed. For example, the heroine of book 2 seemed strong and smart in her book, but comes across as pushy and arrogant in subsequent books when she isn't the focus.
The final book moved a bit too quickly when it could have helped to slow down and bring the urgency across in a different way, almost as though the author just wanted to get it finished. It is possible I would have enjoyed this series more if I had spaced out each installment rather than reading them all in a row.
I do feel as though there should be a follow-up book or short story focused on the judge and his wife; there seemed to be a little something missing there.
I would definitely read more set in this world. As critical as I could be about this series, I do enjoy this author's work and will certainly look for more by her.
The series started out strong, with a nice balance between the fantasy world and the romantic aspect Owens brings in to most of her work. My enjoyment faded with each subsequent book. This isn't to say I didn't enjoy the writing and move quickly through each book, but I think I liked the characters less as the series progressed. For example, the heroine of book 2 seemed strong and smart in her book, but comes across as pushy and arrogant in subsequent books when she isn't the focus.
The final book moved a bit too quickly when it could have helped to slow down and bring the urgency across in a different way, almost as though the author just wanted to get it finished. It is possible I would have enjoyed this series more if I had spaced out each installment rather than reading them all in a row.
I do feel as though there should be a follow-up book or short story focused on the judge and his wife; there seemed to be a little something missing there.
I would definitely read more set in this world. As critical as I could be about this series, I do enjoy this author's work and will certainly look for more by her.
October 26, 2013
Some of the negative reviews made me a little nervous about this one, but I found it very enjoyable. It is at heart a romance, but there is a lot of fantasy elements that make it interesting and unusual. I mean, who wouldn't want to be drawn into another world where you are not only kick-butt powerful, but desperately needed for their very survival?
Here's the Summoning series:
www.goodreads.com/series/41660-the-su...
1. Guardian Of Honor
2. Sorceress Of Faith (The Summoning, #2)
3. Protector of the Flight
4. Keepers Of The Flame
5. Echoes In The Dark
Here's the Summoning series:
www.goodreads.com/series/41660-the-su...
1. Guardian Of Honor
2. Sorceress Of Faith (The Summoning, #2)
3. Protector of the Flight
4. Keepers Of The Flame
5. Echoes In The Dark
July 20, 2018
A solid story. An interesting premise. An engaging world. And part of a series.
A series that only cost me $10 to pick up the entire series. So, not bad.
Each book focuses on a different character. This one focuses on Alexa. She is summoned into a world where she is very powerful and alien. She has to find her feet, learn the language, learn how to use her power and learn to work with a diverse group of people.
The characters are interesting, but there are a lot of them. In some cases, it took a second to remember who someone was. A clash of cultures happens. There is a lot of mystery about this world that will likely be addressed in the future books.
This book does have sex scenes (a few in total) so if that is a deal breaker for you just a heads up. They aren't the focus.
I liked the focus on Alexa and her daily struggles in a new world. That is really what kept me reading and not the battles (which there are a few of). So, if that sounds like something interesting to you you'll probably like this book.
A series that only cost me $10 to pick up the entire series. So, not bad.
Each book focuses on a different character. This one focuses on Alexa. She is summoned into a world where she is very powerful and alien. She has to find her feet, learn the language, learn how to use her power and learn to work with a diverse group of people.
The characters are interesting, but there are a lot of them. In some cases, it took a second to remember who someone was. A clash of cultures happens. There is a lot of mystery about this world that will likely be addressed in the future books.
This book does have sex scenes (a few in total) so if that is a deal breaker for you just a heads up. They aren't the focus.
I liked the focus on Alexa and her daily struggles in a new world. That is really what kept me reading and not the battles (which there are a few of). So, if that sounds like something interesting to you you'll probably like this book.
September 4, 2011
I had tried to read this book about a year ago and for some reason, put it down despite really enjoying the beginning. I picked it up again yesterday - and couldn't put it down again. I loved it - a great book of overcoming the odds and defeating prejudices as well as 'evil'. I think because I had already read some of the 'world', I found it really easy to immerse myself in the fantasy. In a strange way my delay increased my enjoyment of the book. I have the next 3 books in the series - I can't see them staying unread and on the TBR shelf for long!
I will prefice this comment by saying that all my legals friends are great BUT - I find it quite amusing that the 'lawyer' brought across from earth is the 'honourable' character! The legal profession rates with 'used car salesmen' in Australia for 'least liked' in business dealings. ;)
I will prefice this comment by saying that all my legals friends are great BUT - I find it quite amusing that the 'lawyer' brought across from earth is the 'honourable' character! The legal profession rates with 'used car salesmen' in Australia for 'least liked' in business dealings. ;)
December 8, 2008
Fantasy is not my usual choice but i found this series by accident on amazon and bought the first 3. I am so glad, because this series has enthralled me. It is well written and fast paced. This series is about magic, love, good and evil, faith, tollerance and community.
Read them all...you will not be disappointed.
This book, the first in the series is about Alexa being "summoned" from earth to another place Lladrana to help fight invading evil.
Monsters, magic, love, a beautiful other world, and a beautiful girl who can help.
Another part of what I love about these books is though this book has an ending that feels comforable it is not tied up in a nice bow with everything fixed. This heroine is not THE solution but a part of a bigger pattern.
Read them all...you will not be disappointed.
This book, the first in the series is about Alexa being "summoned" from earth to another place Lladrana to help fight invading evil.
Monsters, magic, love, a beautiful other world, and a beautiful girl who can help.
Another part of what I love about these books is though this book has an ending that feels comforable it is not tied up in a nice bow with everything fixed. This heroine is not THE solution but a part of a bigger pattern.
August 27, 2013
The premise of the book sounded interesting - young lawyer pulled into another world to help fight Evil. However I only got about 40 pages in before giving up because it was so painful to read. The entire opening was telling us about what was going on instead of showing us, the language could have used another few rounds with proof reading. The antagonist was so horribly over the top I couldn't stop rolling my eyes ever time he did anything. I didn't feel any connection to the characters and the Evil was still far enough away I didn't feel any threat from it either. I saw a reviewer elsewhere compare the beginning to a police report - very dry listing of what happened with no emotion behind it and have to agree.
June 3, 2020
I would like to give this book 2.5 stars.
The Good: The world and concept are well thought out and portrayed. The voice is overall clear and relatable.
The Not So Good: There are some timeline discrepancies that really should have been caught before publication, some of the scenes are choppy, there's a lot of unnecessary backstory given about the main characters, and there is an overabundance of adjectives.
It was a fun and light read. I'd have enjoyed it more if I were someone who could more easily turn off my inner editor. I think this author has potential. I may not finish this particular series, but I'll look to see if she has any more recent, and hopefully more polished, work out there.
The Good: The world and concept are well thought out and portrayed. The voice is overall clear and relatable.
The Not So Good: There are some timeline discrepancies that really should have been caught before publication, some of the scenes are choppy, there's a lot of unnecessary backstory given about the main characters, and there is an overabundance of adjectives.
It was a fun and light read. I'd have enjoyed it more if I were someone who could more easily turn off my inner editor. I think this author has potential. I may not finish this particular series, but I'll look to see if she has any more recent, and hopefully more polished, work out there.
February 28, 2008
This book takes place in another place called Lladrana though it does connect to our earth. It's about a woman called Alexa Fitzwalter who stumbles into another world through their calling song to her. She is the chosen one who must help to defend the strange new land she's been called to. being an orphan in our world she finally finds what she's been deprived of in our world and decides to stay and help fight the monsters that tries to kill the only home where she's been accepted. i learned that no matter where you go or your status in life, you'll always strive to be accepted by those around you.
May 15, 2011
I tried to read this book but I found it rather stupid. With great reviews and high praise I though it might be worth my time, but every time I picked the book up, I kept asking myself: Why am I reading this crap... I rarely give up on a book, but I was well after the 100th page and I had given it a fair chance. The characters seemed fickle, the fantasy element was so vague it was pointless, and who in any world has sex with a faceless stranger just because you're bored and he smelled good? Again, I thought it was stupid, and unless I can find no other book to read in the next 20 years, I won't be picking this up again.
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