Review & #Giveaway: Magelight by Kacey Ezell
- Debbie
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
@AuthorKaceyEzell @GoddessFishPromotions @debbiereadsbooks
@kaceyezell @goddessfishpromotions @debbiereadsbook
Fleeing her sheltered life, a noblewoman must trust a warrior, a forester, and a thief to unlock her true power and face her destiny.
Embrace Your Power and Forge Your Destiny
All her life, Aelys of Brionne had been weak. As the noble daughter of one of the empire’s most powerful magic-wielding families, it should have been easy for her to live her dream of bonding with a warrior protector and joining the Imperial Battlemage Corps. But when her weakness robs her of her dreams, her best friend, and the man she loves, Aelys makes the only choice she can see: she takes her fate into her own hands and she runs, leaving her safe, protected world behind.
Now she must find a way to work with three dangerous strangers—a warrior, a forester, and a thief—to escape the bandits stalking her, fight through the dangers of the untamed forest, and make her way back home, where her family and her destiny await.
Only . . . her violent protectors might be the key to the power and freedom she’s always craved. Can Aelys find the strength to choose her own destiny and become the sorceress she was born to be? Or lose herself on the path to power?
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“I make a lot of mistakes,” Aelys said, squaring her shoulders. “Most of the time—well, often, anyway—I have no idea I’m doing it, but I make them anyway. I thought perhaps this was one of those times. Maybe I was walking too loudly, or too close to you, or—”
“I don’t think you could ever be too close to me.”
Daen hadn’t intended to say the words out loud, but he didn’t wish them back.
“Oh.” Her voice got smaller, quieter. “I see. I suppose that’s the geas as well.”
“Must it be? Cannot I just like you? Like having you near me?”
Aelys looked up at him, a flash of heat in her eyes. “Are you making fun of me?”
“Not really.” He gave her a smile. “Men do, occasionally, decide that they like pretty women, you know.”
Aelys snorted, but then her shoulders drooped and she looked down again in what he was coming to think of as her “collapsed” posture. “At least I have that going for me, for a time.”
Daen let out a snort of his own. “Many women would—and do, in some places—pay quite a few Imperials to look half as beautiful as you. Perhaps you should consider a bit of gratitude for your natural luck, Bella.”
She sighed. “I know, and I am grateful. And thank you for the compliment. It’s just that . . . as you said. Anyone can be pretty. I wanted . . . something else.”
“And what was that?”
“Power.”
4 out of 5 (very good)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Ok so. You know when you read a blurb, and your mind automatically plans out how it's gonna go? No?? Just me then! Well my mind went one way with this blurb, and the book went the other and I thoroughly enjoyed it BECAUSE it went the opposite way!
Aelys bonds with Vil, Romik and Daen, albeit while trying to save them. They are then bonded in ways long since outlawed in this world. What I especially liked about this, was the fact that all four of them were fighting the bond, right almost til the end. There was none of that MINE thing, and, also, no smex! Some reference to it, and there is an amusing scene or two when Aelys is doing something with her power and the power of the guys, but absolutely no smex and this was where I was surprised. I thought, when I read this blurb, it was gonna be all about the smex and the reverse harem thing. And it really isn't and I loved that it surprised me!
What I am left with though, are questions. And for once, I can voice them!
Is there a next book? I felt the ending was kinda meh, and then there was the epilogue that kinda threw me.
The aunt issue?? What happened there?? I was sideswiped by that and I did not see it coming!
Why have I not come across Ezell and her work before?? She has a massive backlist! I would love to read more, especially about this group!
High octane fantasy, at its very best.
4 very VERY good stars.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
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Kacey Ezell writes emotionally charged adventure fantasy and science fiction. She is a two-time Dragon Award Finalist for Best Alternate History and won the 2018 Year’s Best Military and Adventure Science Fiction Readers’ Choice Award. She has written multiple bestselling novels published with Chris Kennedy Publishing, Baen Books, and Blackstone Publishing. Additionally, she is a retired helicopter pilot with 3000+ hours in the UH-1N Huey, Mi-171, and EC130 helicopters. She is married with two daughters. You can join her fan community and get free stories at https://kaceyezell.net/the-dragons-horde/
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Tour hosted by: Goddess Fish Promotions
Sounds like a good read.
Thanks for the great blurb and excerpt. The book sounds amazing. Love the cover art.
This sounds like quite the read.
Thanks for sharing. Sounds really good.
Thank you so much for reviewing MAGELIGHT today.