Reviewed by Micky Barnard
The Golden Dynasty by Kristen AshleyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was recommended to me by a number of friends but I read the blurb and just thought, this is totally not my kind of thing at all. Parallel universe? Magic? No. I also read a few reviews disliking some minor scenes. Anyway, curiosity got the better of me and I read the first few pages and thought, I HAVE to know what happens. Long story short, I need to be more open minded about stepping into other genres because this was a stunning read. It had all the richness of a contemporary KA book but with a twist in the setting. For me, this was like reading the setting of native Americans a few centuries ago and it worked so well.
Circe was a woman of adaptability, strong, kind, stubborn but with a big heart. She was plunged into a place of unrecognisable and primitive culture and she rallied. The man of mans in this book is Lahn, I went through Hate, love, hate, love with this man. He was a character I'll remember because he was unique in all ways but so compelling. The electricity between these two could power a town.
Language is a big deal in this book. Words and their meaning were not taken for granted. This was an aspect to the story I loved. I looked forward to the few translations at the end of each chapter and as time passed, I knew some of the common words. How Circe and Lahn connected over, through and despite language was just beautiful, funny and brought great frustration at times.
I am of the opinion that Kristen Ashley can do little wrong. She has abounding versatility, can write in multiple genres so well, but still keep her style that let's you know it is a KA book you're reading. I now have a new series of hers to go at which makes me very pleased and I look forward to more from Fantasyland. Never say never!
Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog
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