The Heart of Arcrea (The Arcrean Conquest, #1) in The Arcrean Conquest

Oct 18, 2013 Deborah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, made-me-laugh, books-i-own

I just want to say, right from the get-go, that this book is a great beginning to this Christian Fantasy series. Even though it starts out a bit slow, the rest of the book makes up for it after you get going. Nicole has “a way with words” you could say.

The characters are awesome; I laughed out loud a few times with Nathaniel, my heart broke with Renny and I was in there teasing Bracy right along with Talon. It was a joy to see all the characters personalities bought out and see them grow in thei ...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Caity rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, to-re-read, own_to-read

This is an AMAZING-christian-medieval-fiction book that everyone of ALL ages NEEDS to read! It has a fast moving plot that never gets boring and is so exciting(with tons of unexpected turns and discoveries you never even thought to expect), and TONS of amazing characters; some that you love, and some...not so much. ;)
6 out of 5 stars! READ this book!

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Apr 17, 2013 Star Shining Forever rated it it was amazing

Shelves: christian-fiction, illustrated, cp-groups-pgp-2013, fantastic-fantasy, favorites, e-book

This was a great read! No magic but clearly a fantasy because of some fictional names, creatures and plants. I loved the strong Christian message! Not often you get that in a fantasy. What it really reminded me of was the Burns Family Studios movie "Pendragon," which I LOVE B-) A boy's father being taken from him, a passionate quest, a strong moral character, an important sword, a girl archer, a sword dance, spies, a princess who changes sides, a gentle giant, a betrayal, a marriage at the end.. ...more

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Nov 23, 2012 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: homeschool-author, received-for-review, 2013-reads

Age Appropriate For: Ages 12 + (some mild violence)

Best for Ages: 12-18

Some self-published books leave you wanting to toss the book in the trash and write a horrible review, no matter how well intentioned the book was. Some of them leave you apathetic. Some make you wonder why a publisher hasn’t picked it up. A few leave you amazed and thankful that the author stepped out in faith and published. The Heart of Arcrea was one of those few.

From the moment I opened this book I didn’t want to put it d ...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Nicole rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

Shelves: favorites, good-enough-to-read-again, books-i-wrote

Each writing project proves to me more and more how great God is, and how fully capable He is to strengthen me and teach me! And yes, I love this book, and I'm constantly amazed by how much I still enjoy looking through it and reading it (you'd think after staring at the same words on a screen for months I'd get kinda sick of it!). I only hope that this story is as enjoyable for you to read as it was for me to write, and that it blesses you even half as much as it has blessed me!
"Let God be magn ...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Rachel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: christian-fiction, favorites, fiction

I found this for free on Amazon...normally I steer away from anything that may be too fanciful but judging by the description on Amazon and taking a helpful peak at the book itself (and written by a homeschooler!) I decided it was worth the try. :)

"Only the man who has truly discovered the heart will be able to join the seven regions in a lasting union. All other attempts will fail." -- the story of one man on his quest for the heart...what is the heart and where to find it, no one for generatio I found this for free on Amazon...normally I steer away from anything that may be too fanciful but judging by the description on Amazon and taking a helpful peak at the book itself (and written by a homeschooler!) I decided it was worth the try. :)

"Only the man who has truly discovered the heart will be able to join the seven regions in a lasting union. All other attempts will fail." -- the story of one man on his quest for the heart...what is the heart and where to find it, no one for generations has been able to discover. Along the way friendships are formed and lessons are learned and a faith in God is put to the test again and again. "We need a man to be king; a man who will rule by God's standards and not His own."

Nicole has woven a tale so beautiful, so exuberant that it will enchant anyone who reads it! Though I found a few little things here and there in the writing that could have been improved upon it didn't hinder from the story at all - the farther along in the book I went the more I enjoyed it and the better her writing became! She has painstakingly illustrated the book herself adding a nice charm to it. As I said I do not like a lot of fantasy but I found a "Narnian" quality to her book in the way she described the few creatures she had created; no magic whatsoever; and a wholesome story overall that I think both young and old would be delighted to read. :)

My favorite part about this story? The faith! Nicole is bold in proclaiming her faith in the Lord through her characters and I believe this even may be a book some would be able to gift to unbeliever's that enjoy the more fanciful readings with a good conscience. "Whether you find the heart of Arcrea or no, God has a purpose for this journey just as He does for all others."

I wavered between rating this book 4 stars to 5 stars all throughout my reading of it...the unique, surprising (and hilarious) proposal scene clinched a 5-star rating for me. {I can't wait to read book #2!}

I would say if you absolutely don't like fanciful creatures...don't read this book, but if you don't mind the occasional Narnian fanciful Christian-based tale and like your adventure books to encourage your faith in the Lord then give this one a try! Other than the 4 types of creatures I found nothing else that would discourage others in the reading of it (it wasn't even scary, so younger reader's are welcome to it!).

I am so proud to see another young Christian homeschooler making her mark and sharing her faith with the world and I pray the Lord would continue to use her. :) ...more

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Jun 14, 2016 Sarah Allerding rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed this book! The story got so exciting that I could hardly put it down. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I look forward to reading more in this series.

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Dec 18, 2014 Micaiah Keough rated it really liked it

This was an enjoyable read, and big thanks to the author for creating a fun series!! (Rating: 3.75 stars, I think)

My brother's rating: 5 stars...he loved it! And was really sad when we finished it! ...more

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