"Definitely a worthwhile read..." Dreamthief by @TCGrantham #fantasy
Cover links to Amazon.com
Dreamthief
Fairy World MD, Book One
Written by Tamara Grantham
Genre(s): Fantasy
Visiting Faythander is a nasty business. Forget the fairies and unicorns, most people come back with lost memories and mental problems. Olive Kennedy knows. She's the therapist who treats patients suffering from Faythander's side effects. Despite her empty bank account, she takes pride in her job as Houston's only Fairy World medical doctor. She's never failed to cure a client--until now.
Traveling back to Faythander wasn't on Olive's to-do list. But she has no choice. The fate of both Earth and Fairy depends on her ability to stop an ancient being called the Dreamthief. To complicate matters, she may be losing her heart to someone who can't love her in return. Saving the world, she can handle. Falling in love--not so much.
As if battling the forces of evil wasn't difficult enough...
Traveling back to Faythander wasn't on Olive's to-do list. But she has no choice. The fate of both Earth and Fairy depends on her ability to stop an ancient being called the Dreamthief. To complicate matters, she may be losing her heart to someone who can't love her in return. Saving the world, she can handle. Falling in love--not so much.
As if battling the forces of evil wasn't difficult enough...
The Killdeer's Review
Expansive, rich fantasy world; hot-headed but insightful main guy
I’ve read a number of indie- and self-published books in the last few years, and this one stands out. Anyone can hire an editor to clean up their book, but it doesn’t do much good if it wasn’t a good book to start with, and I’d say this one was worth the investment. The plot is well-paced; the prose is clear and engaging, with a nice sprinkling of humor; the characters are varied and interesting. The world of Faythander is expansive and rich with a variety of more—or less— human-like creatures.
There’s a minimum of predictability. When the main guy enters, there’s no doubt this is going to be a romance, even as heroine Olive’s initial reaction to him is convincingly negative. Not so convincing when, later, the reader is told that Olive has trust issues. I could see that, in her lifestyle and relationships with her parents; but I didn’t see it in her thinking throughout the book. Showing a person’s flaws and/or blind spots is tricky in a first-person narrative such as Dreamthief.
I love how the character of Kull is hot-headed, impulsive, and violent, but also keenly insightful of the characters and motivations of the people around him. He never feels forced or flat.
The villains are thoroughly scary. There is a bit of the good-vs.-evil theme, which I guess most readers like, but I find tedious and superficial. However, there are discoveries along the way about the history of Faythander and its inhabitants (history is important? How interesting . . .), and some of the “evil” characters turn out to be acting from motives that are complex. Looking ahead to the next Faythander book (due to be released in November, 2015), it looks like there might be even more discoveries which will convolute the question of who is good, and who is bad.
I didn’t quite keep up with all the history, but I enjoyed the book enough that I didn’t really care.
Dreamthief is definitely a worthwhile read. I’ll be looking for Book 2 next month.
I’ve read a number of indie- and self-published books in the last few years, and this one stands out. Anyone can hire an editor to clean up their book, but it doesn’t do much good if it wasn’t a good book to start with, and I’d say this one was worth the investment. The plot is well-paced; the prose is clear and engaging, with a nice sprinkling of humor; the characters are varied and interesting. The world of Faythander is expansive and rich with a variety of more—or less— human-like creatures.
There’s a minimum of predictability. When the main guy enters, there’s no doubt this is going to be a romance, even as heroine Olive’s initial reaction to him is convincingly negative. Not so convincing when, later, the reader is told that Olive has trust issues. I could see that, in her lifestyle and relationships with her parents; but I didn’t see it in her thinking throughout the book. Showing a person’s flaws and/or blind spots is tricky in a first-person narrative such as Dreamthief.
I love how the character of Kull is hot-headed, impulsive, and violent, but also keenly insightful of the characters and motivations of the people around him. He never feels forced or flat.
The villains are thoroughly scary. There is a bit of the good-vs.-evil theme, which I guess most readers like, but I find tedious and superficial. However, there are discoveries along the way about the history of Faythander and its inhabitants (history is important? How interesting . . .), and some of the “evil” characters turn out to be acting from motives that are complex. Looking ahead to the next Faythander book (due to be released in November, 2015), it looks like there might be even more discoveries which will convolute the question of who is good, and who is bad.
I didn’t quite keep up with all the history, but I enjoyed the book enough that I didn’t really care.
Dreamthief is definitely a worthwhile read. I’ll be looking for Book 2 next month.
Disclaimer: Book provided by the author free of charge in exchange for an honest review.
