Kindle Edition Audiobook Amazon Sorrowfish Category:  Fantasy Publisher: Anne C Miles ISBN-10:  0578612194 Type: Fiction Pages: 398 Copyright: August 30, 2019 ISBN-13: 9780578612195 Price: $4.99 (eBook) A bard, a wizard, and a college student from Kentucky join forces to break an ancient curse. TWO WORLDS ONE FATE A bard. A wizard...and a college student from Kentucky. Sara Moore is having crazy dreams. Gryphon and dragon crazy. The scary part? Waking up, with scratches and splinters. Is she losing it because of stress? Her twin sister is in a coma. One more unfinished sculpture will fully tank her grades. Goodbye bachelor's degree, hello failure. It's enough to make anyone sleepwalk. Choosing to defy the Conclave, Trystan risks capture and mind control to find a magical lute through a shadow network. Dane meets a sinister stranger and barely escapes with his life. Together, guided by a fae only known as Sara, they will end an ancient curse…or die trying.

Inspiring and Beautiful Fantasy Novel with a Dash of Contemporary Times
Inspiring and Beautiful Fantasy Novel with a Dash of Contemporary Times June 4, 2020
The Song is everywhere. It is what keeps the world alive. But it was broken long ago, and now Dissonance manifests itself as evil. Whenever someone lies or tricks another, the Dissonance grows. Lately, Dissonance has been overpowering The Song in Canard, and crops have not been growing as well as they should. Dane, the dewin luthier practices The Song in secret and creates illegal enchanted instruments for bards to use. Trystan is one such bard, dedicated learning more about The Song and ridding the world of Dissonance. They, along with Dane’s gnome friends, must risk everything to try to fix the Tree and restore The Song to its former glory. Will the Storm King awaken in time to defeat the evil Wyrm again? Luckily, Sara, a normal girl from our time, may be able to help as she crosses over into Dane’s world while she sleeps. Can she hear the song and use it to help his world?

This book was absolutely amazing. Let me just say that right now. If you were already thinking about reading it, go ahead and pick this book up; you don’t even have to read the rest of my review! I will say that I was a little hesitant from the title of the novel, as “Sorrowfish” just sounds a bit …strange. And not in a good way. But, the book definitely ties it in and actually makes me want to use this new word in my own daily life! Miles created something beautiful–with this one word and her entire novel, both.

As I read through, I discovered that I needed to grab a pencil and keep it with me. I normally HATE annotating books I read for fun, because I love keeping them as pristine as possible. But, I had to make an exception with this novel. There were just so many amazing insights into my own life and thoughts that I needed to record. These are lines that I know I will be going back to again and again in my life, and they were scattered throughout the novel. Each time I came across one, it resonated within my being, within my mind. This wasn’t just a book I was reading for fun–this was a book I needed to read. I needed to see these pieces of advice and insights into the world. I know that I will now become a better person because of them 🙂

Even if this book is not as awe-inspiring for you as it was for me, it is still a great, fun read! It takes you on an adventure, not just through one magical fantasy world, but also through our own contemporary world. There are all kinds of different races, each unique in their own right and each with their own motivations and lore. There are gnomes, Cyntae, fae, dewin, and chymaera. There are humans and stone riders, The Storm King and the Wrym. All of which are intertwined and have vital roles to play in this universe. The characters themselves are all fully fleshed, dynamic, and sympathetic. I felt as if I were traveling along beside them, ready to hear The Song.

I was also very impressed with the dialogue. I tend to be very picky with my dialogue, and if it sounds just a bit off or awkward, it throws me out of the book. But in this case, the dialogue was natural and witty. Each character had their own specific way of talking, especially Sara, who speaks in old movie quotes–a quirk to her character that was just enough to give her more realism, but not enough to become an overpowering idiosyncrasy. The dialogue flows smoothly throughout, and I could see each character’s motivations and thoughts behind what they were saying.

The writing style itself is also beautiful. The cadence of the words and sentences are even and each character fits with the others nicely. If each piece of this novel–dialogue, character, plot, writing style, etc.–were puzzle pieces, this novel was a large and fully completed puzzle. Each piece fit snugly with the others.

I seriously cannot gush enough about this novel. It was inspiring and honestly, life-changing. It helped change my perspective on a few things, and I am all for opening my eyes to the intricacies of the world around me. I just didn’t expect it in a fantasy novel! This was a great beginning to The Call of the Lorica series, and you can bet that I am going to continue with the next books! I’m all lined up to grab the second book as a pre-release!

See this and my other book reviews at thebookdragondotblog.wordpress.com

A Beautiful Story, with Surprising Plot Turns and Interesting Characters
Canard is a world in trouble. It is sustained by a life-giving song which emanates from a huge, damaged tree. The Conclave, a severe religious order, is purportedly working to keep the tree alive and nurture it back to health. Yet the tree continues to grow weaker.

Trystan dan Tenkor, a prince and bard-in-training, Danethor Thomas Whitley, a dewin (wizard), and Sara Moore, an artist and college student in our world, are linked to the attempt to rescue the tree. Anne C. Miles, weaves their stories together with great skill. I learned to love the beauty of Canard and was troubled by the unfolding evil in the leadership of the Conclave. It is a beautiful story, with surprising plot turns and characters that captured my interest and allegiance.

There were many surprising and delightful moments in the plot. Without giving away too much, in one poignant moment, Danethor had been captured by the Conclave and was being pressured to cooperate. To me it was clear he would be tortured until he broke or died. I was calling for him, as a reader, to pretend to collaborate. He did not and the following events, although unexpected, were very satisfying.

The world that Anne Miles has created is also filled with very imaginative and enthralling entities: gnomes, fae, Chymaera, tunebells, grotesques, and Caprices, to name a few. They each have unique properties and characteristics. They lend excitement to the world exploration that is a significant part of this story.

At this point, I would like to add a personal note describing why this story was particularly significant to me. As a scientist and Christ-follower, I tend to see God through the lens of the things I love and cherish. That is to say my love of physics, chemistry, and biochemistry leads me to see God as The Great Mind, The Supreme Logician, The Designer and Sustainer of the cosmos.

In writing this story, Anne Miles has taken a deliberately artistic and musical path. The world is sustained by the Song. Musical notes and the octave play a significant role in the world building. One of the key protagonists (Sara) is working on a sculpture that captures her “heartfire.” As a reader, seeing the world through the artistic eyes of the main characters, I received a whole new perspective that led me to see God not only as a Great Scientist but also as The Great Artist. In writing this story, Miles filled in a blind spot for me.

In closing, this is a wonderful book that I will likely read again and again. I rate it five stars.

A Rich, Lyrical Fantasy-Adventure w/ a Redemptive Arc, & Memorable Characters!
"Sorrowfish" (Book One of the Lorica Series) by Anne C. Miles, is an adventure-fantasy, with a dash of romance. Wonderfully written and creative, Miles has woven a rich tale that is as much lyrical as it is moving and engrossing.

I was fascinated by Miles' world-building within Canard, a place humans visit in their dream state. Miles includes glimpses into the fascinating world of gnomes (and their affectionate bonds with humans), gargoyles/Watchers, a gryphon race known as the Chymaera, dwarves, dragons, a mysterious World Tree, and a central, ancient figure known as the Storm King. Though fantastical, the novel's characters are unique, memorable, and I cared.for them. The author masterfully fleshes out each character--their characteristics and descriptions easy to picture.

The story revolves around three main characters: Trystan, a Prince/bard who begins courting a supernatural, forbidden instrument; Dane, a cabinetmaker who uses his mysterious gift-talents to create illegal, supernatural instruments; and earthbound Sara; a university art student grappling with family issues, questions about her own identity, and mental health concerns. The three characters eventually collide where each is forced to face the Cantors, a monk-priestly religious order that maintains a firm grip on Canard and uses any means necessary to destroy those who run counter to them.

Any weaknesses for this novel? There is a glossary provided at the rear of the book due to mostly unfamiliar terms that may take a bit of time to adjust to. Perhaps moving the glossary to the novel's front might be helpful? But this is a minor issue for me.

"Sorrowfish" is unforgettable and unique, with a redemptive arc within the story that is natural and subtly told. I recommend this novel to lovers of fantasy, especially fantasy with a redemptive arc. I hope it gets made into a film someday!

I look forward to Book Two!