Blood Ties (Book) - 8/9/2018 8:51:15 PM
Blood Ties
by A. L. Wright
Book 2 of the Noble of Blood Trilogy, following Blood Price, takes us into the life of Dartein and his now-grown daughter, Nikka, 19 years after they fled the Patriarch's palace.
As written, I would award this book 3 out of 5 stars.
I downloaded this book in EPUB format, the preferred format of my reader with little difficulty. Having read the book entirely this is my review.
Though the story was entertaining, the book was difficult to read in my reader due to formatting issues.
1) On my 10” tablet, Page numbers did not format properly appearing in many locations throughout the manuscript as part of the dialog rather than in a static location at the bottom of each page.
Author should look into the original format of the manuscript and alter to a suitable format.
2) On my 10” tablet, The print was apparently set to a limited number of characters per line and as such, only half my screen carried script as each line reached the max number of characters and a hard return continued the sentence on the next line.
3) On my cell phone, In horizontal orientation, the lines were even more separated, making hard returns and punctuation incorrect and frustrating to understand as I read.
4) On my cell phone, In vertical orientation the returns and punctuation were understandable again but as in the tablet, the hard returns came long before my screens inability to show characters.
Summation. This manuscript in epub format is only readable using your reader in a vertical orientation and then it’s still frustratingly inefficient.
5) Having not read the 1st book of the series I was confused nearly all the way through the story line as to the specie of the main characters. No explanation came for the unusual eating, sleeping and diet of the characters and that was disappointing. I kept expecting to read some explanation and none ever came.
I should think some mention in passing perhaps, should be made early in the book to remind the reader who read the first book or to help the reader who didn’t, to understand the history of the specie and its habits?
6) The main character Nickola (I assume she is the main character?) was sometimes lost in relevance to the second main character, Friesa (I assume she is the 2nd?).
No easy fix, both are interesting characters with sufficient fill to make them relatable and both have significant parts in the story line itself so limiting or minimizing exposure of either would be difficult.
7) It is apparent that the view point of the story line is predominantly feminine since the male roles in the story take a far in the back seat to the action and dialog of the females.
The author might reconsider the position and add more weight to the male roles to at least bring them par with the female roles unless this was preplanned?
The storyline itself was well thought out and original to my knowledge. I was pleasantly entertained by the differing places descriptions and by the journeys along the way as well.
I’ve read a great number of “Goblin and Troll books and most seem to mimic the Hobbit to closely for comfortable acceptance but Blood ties, though it to had its share of Goblins and Trolls, was original enough in story that I wasn’t constantly jarred by Hobbit memories.
The entire story was entertaining and after I got used to the print format issues (really needs attention) and accepted that I’d never learn who these unusual specie people were or why they were the way they were, I was still interested enough to keep reading on.
MC Spangler
~I was sent a free copy of this book from AuthorsDen and awarded no compensation for an honest review~
Blood Ties (Book) - 6/30/2018 12:49:09 AM
I really enjoyed this book. I read the first book in the series and now the second. I feel both can stand alone but obviously go well together. Its a nice fantasy will follow through. Easy to read and follow. I would recommend it to those who enjoy fantasy. Thank you for the opportunity to review.
Blood Ties (Book) - 6/19/2018 8:12:32 AM
This one is even better than the first oneI I loved the relationships more than anything else. Though the goblins were quite a fun storyline. Even though this is a Novella, it's so jammed pack full of content that the pages will fly by on their own. This is a a classic fantasy and I loved it.
Blood Price (Book) - 4/26/2018 2:23:25 AM
I was a little confused at first reading the beginning and all the character backstories but when the book was said and done, everything came into place. The world is rich and I really enjoyed this one!
Blood Price (Book) - 4/23/2018 1:09:12 PM
I really enjoyed reading Blood Prince. I felt a pinch confused at the characters back stories but all in all found it to be a moderate read. The length seemed perfect and the setting was clear. I would recommend it.
Blood Price (Book) - 3/22/2018 2:57:16 PM
I have some conflicting thoughts on this story - I liked the idea of the Nobles and the build up of an impending war...I just wasn't a fan of the characters. This is definitely a personal preference issue - I couldn't connect with either Josaleen or Dartein. I think if this was combined with the sequel (haven't read that yet, just a guess) it would make sense and if the author had a prequel. She does incorporate some background info, but at that point it was just hard to connect with them.
Crushed Velvet (Book) - 12/17/2017 2:49:45 PM
Crushed Velvet by Alicia L Wright is a unique approach to an erotic novel that causes one to focus more on the main character’s issues, before diving into the romance. The story is intense and
dark, but easy to read, presenting many characters with different emotions. Our main character, Theresa, finds herself in the sex business from an issue from her college years. Under a contract to perform sexually, living with a roommate that reminds her of her past mistakes, she paints us a vivid picture.
She is given a new bodyguard by her employers, Andrew. He is new to this line of work, but is curious once he meets Theresa. Their relationship grows, giving us a story to enjoy. I enjoyed the writing and the viewpoint.
Hartman House (Book) - 10/28/2017 9:08:55 AM
My Horror literary diet began w/'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes written by Roald Dahl and Robert Bloch. A L Wright is neither of these writers. She infuses the genre with a modern air but still maintains the suspense and shock using classic trophes. While not my standard fare of reading I gave it a go and was pleasantly suprised.
This is a fast paced character driven story that begins w/a take to prisoner action scene and dives right into the plot line w/o the expected backstory development usually employed in contempory lit of this nature.
Wright's characters speak and develope themselves and build the suspense necessary to move the story along w/o long descriptive passages and cumbersome detail.
The story moves nicely, the characters have a genuine feel and the overall tone is believeable and fresh. If anything it is a bit brief. Not to be confused w/rushed. When finished I was left w/the impression that this was an initial offering of a much larger work. If so I look expectantly ahead to reading more of A L Wright's work, seeing where she goes w/the story and where she takes these characters next!
Hartman House (Book) - 10/8/2017 2:28:26 PM
"Hartman House" by A L Wright.
As a little-known author, I read this book with an open mind and no expectations. I was hoping for a few hours to escape into a book. This is not a book to relax to. This is however a thrill ride from the opening page clear to the end. A death in the opening, revenge and regret. Witches and vampires all perfectly blended. Although, in my opinion this book is much too short. Only 16 chapters leaves much to be desired. Hopefully a second book is in the works… if it is… it is already on my to-be read list. Over all a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
Hartman House (Book) - 10/3/2017 4:33:47 PM
"Hartman House" is a compelling story with intrigue,drama and seduction! Every character is interesting and well thought out, and the "stars of the show" are absolutely captivating! The story line carries you along on a powerful fantasy ride that leaves you holding your breath for the sequel. A.L.Wright got it right! *****
