The Tombs of Atuan Review

This book reads like a myth. I felt like I was one of many villagers sitting around a fire centuries ago our ears cocked in rapt attention as we listened to the storyteller reveal her tale. It all began long ago in a poor but loving household where a toddler rushes into her mother’s arms. Father cautions Mother from getting too attached as this girl-child is not theirs and soon will be taken to fulfill her destiny. Since she was born at the same hour of the High Priestess’s death all believe her to be the guardian of the tombs reborn. Taken at just five years old, she is then raised as has been done for countless generations. She tries to accept her role as Arha,she who is eaten but then when she is in her teens a stranger appears who makes her question everything she has ever been taught.

About Laurie: The author of the recently released Finding Joy as well as The Pharaoh’s Cry, Portal Shift, Kidnapped Smile, and Dragon Sky of the fantasy series The Artania Chronicles, and Forests Secrets. Laurie Woodward is also a screenwriter who co-authored Dean and JoJo: The Dolphin Legacy. Her poetry has been published in multiple journals and anthologies and she was a collaborator on the popular anti-bullying DVD Resolutions. Bullied as a child, Laurie is now an award-winning peace consultant, poet, and blogger who helps teach children how to avoid arguments, stop bullying, and maintain healthy friendships. She writes on the Central Coast of California. More about her work can be found at Author Laurie Woodward — Next Chapter ia.net

A Work of Art Dies Not

Leonardo da Vinci said, “A beautiful body perishes, but a work of art dies not.”

I have read many quotes by this genius and others while researching my Artania Chronicles books. Many were profound and wise, but this one really spoke to me.

I believe, like da Vinci, that our artistic expression is eternal. It never ages nor wrinkles nor swells with arthritic pain. When we are creating, we are as free as toddlers running over soft grass or swans taking to flight. Our souls soar, touch the edge of sky and the eternity of meadow. Our hands become floating clouds and our feet dandelions on the wind.

We are beauty and expression.

Living on.

Sharing the hearts of others.

Furyborn: A Review

I recently was looking for a new book to read so went onto Goodreads to find some recommendations. One group was reading Furyborn by Claire Legrand and it sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try. What were my thoughts?

The first chapter pulls you right in with, “The queen stopped screaming just after midnight.” Then you meet a boy given an impossible task and start to root for him, only to change POV and time to years before. This made it challenging for me to continue because I didn’t like Queen Rielle at first and couldn’t relate to her. But I had committed to read the book in a Goodreads group who encouraged me to keep on. I’m glad I did! As the chapters unfold we get to know, Rielle and Eliana, two women struggling to find their way in two different worlds. For years Rielle has hidden the fact that she has all seven of the prophesied powers. When she uses them to save her best friend Prince Audric, Rielle finds herself participating in trials to find out if she truly is the queen of legend. Eliana, on the other hand, is a reluctant assassin. She is doing anything she can to protect her brother and find her kidnapped mother and finds herself waged in a war that is centuries old. She is hiding an important part of herself from the world for fear of how it will be used and who it could hurt. Both women are on separate journeys, but connected in ways they couldn’t imagine. In the end one of these women will save the world and one will doom it. A good start to a new fantasy series!