Monday, April 1, 2013

My Review of Aire

Here's a description of the book from Goodreads:

"A tale of Legends reborn, of royal intrigue, and an unforgettable, heart-melting romance that will sweep you away.

Annalisia is a seer, a princess with a courageous spirit—and a soft spot for Legends.

Jovanni is a Legend, a commoner with no patience for pampered royals.

Principessa Annalisia is stunned and conscience-stricken when an unknown enemy mistakenly abducts her maidservant. Determined to find the girl, Annalisia disguises herself as plain Anna and slips away from the palace. She tracks down Jovanni, her maidservant's daring older brother, they soon begin to search together. As they uncover clues, Anna also discovers a kindred spirit in Jovanni. But would he be so free with her if he knew who she really was? Doubtful. Even so, she reveals her secret gift of visions to him, and in so doing disobeys the orders of her beloved grandmother, the queen.

With Jovanni, Anna can almost imagine she’s like any other seventeen year old girl, free to pursue the longings of her heart. When she learns that he also has a secret—he's a sentinel, an ancient shapeshifter who can take the form of a falcon—it seems as if they were destined to be together, as in the legends of il Sentiro. Though Anna is tempted to wish otherwise, she can’t forget that she’s a princess and it's her duty to marry another. Meanwhile, their hunt leads Anna ever closer to danger, for she herself is being hunted.

A princess and a commoner.

They never should have fallen in love...but they did.

AIRE is a lush, romantic fantasy, inspired by ancient Italy and Turkey."


My Rating

Spring/Summer

My Review

Lena Goldfinch has a wonderful talent for creating vivid, beautifully imagined fantasy worlds. I loved the sweetness of her novella, The Language of Souls, and I love the added "epic" quality to this longer fantasy romance. Aire is an exciting story that expounds on the ideas of sacrificial love and the existence of realities beyond the common.

I had the pleasure and honor of being a beta reader for this story, and it was a treat to see it grow and to fall in love with it a little bit at a time. With great suspense, enjoyable romance, a grand setting, and some intriguing secondary characters, Aire is a wonderful read. This book has solidified my "fan" status, and I can't wait for Lena to share more of her stories with readers! 

*With many thanks to the author for allowing me to read an early copy of the story in exchange for my feedback and my honest opinion.*

2 comments:

Tales of Whimsy said...

Sounds great. You're making me excited to read it. :)

Amber Holcomb said...

Juju,

I really enjoyed it - so much fun to be a beta reader for Lena, let me tell you! :)

Glad that I could make you excited to read it! ;) Thanks for reading my review; I hope you love the book!

~Amber