RISING SUN
Fantasy Romance
AUTHOR:
Donna Grant
RELEASE DATE:
May 14, 2024
PUBLISHER:
DL Grant, LLC
ISBN/ ASIN NUMBER :
9781958353301
RATING:
4
AUTHOR LINK:
https://donnagrant.com/
Yasmin is a human woman living in an elven-dominated
kingdom. She has a secret ability she has never revealed to another. When
Yasmin is caught stealing, she is given a choice: guide an agent to a certain
stronghold in the mountains or face prison time. She dreads returning to Shaldorn,
a hellish place she had escaped from four years prior. Can Yasmin survive her
return to Shaldorn? But at what price?
Ravi is a Sun Elf working as an agent for the Defense
Intelligence Agency. He needs to apprehend a device dissenters intend to use to
start a war with the dragons. Ravi’s superior coerces a human pickpocket to
take him to an exclusive mountain stronghold. He expects Yasmin to betray him
during the trek. However, she surprises him. Can Ravi trust Yasmin with the
importance of his mission? Or will he find something more important than his
job?
Yasmin is a survivor. She has escaped a diabolical place
with her humanity intact. However, the trauma still haunts her. What I like the
most about Yasmin is how she rescued human children from unsafe and/or harrowing
households. She wanted to give them a safe atmosphere, something she did not
have growing up.
Ravi did not leave much of an impression on me. He came
off too much of a jerk to me, especially towards Yasmin and the things she did
to survive. I understand that Ravi is good at his job, one his superiors could
depend on. I did like how he started to come around. Ravi started to see Yasmin
in new light.
RISING SUN is the first book in Donna Grant’s new
spin-off series, ELVEN KINGDOM. It ties in with her DARK KINGS and DRAGON KINGS
books. It can be read separately. Characters from DRAGON LOVER, book five, are
mentioned or make minor appearances.
High Fantasy is a genre that I LOVE. From books (Forgotten
Realms and Dragonlance are my absolute favorites) to anime to movies. I am also
a HUGE elf lover. My old role-playing friends can vouch on this. Plus, it is
evident by the resin figures my husband prints out for me to pain. Drows (aka
dark elves) are my favorite (I blame R.A. Salvatore for this) with sylvans a
close second.
I do have some nitpicks. Preferences and little things that
threw me off the fantasy vibe. Terminology. Some word choices felt too modern
for the setting. It would have been different if one of the main characters
came from Earth (as in the Dragon Kings). Then I can see using such words.
What bothered me the most was elves and facial hair. Ravi
growing a beard did not work for me because I am so used to D&D elves. I continuously
reminded myself that this is the author’s rendition of elves. I could not get
passed it, again my preference. I do have to say I like the reversal where elves
dominate more than humans. That was a nice twist to the norm in the genre.
The other small thing that bothered me is the back-to-back
sex scene near the end. It felt unnecessary to me. I did not feel it contribute
to the story’s momentum or the characters’ growth.
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