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Published: July 19, 2012
Words: 120,277 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781301358571
Short description
Kara Magari is about to discover a beautiful world full of terrifying things—Ourea. Fans of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and Eragon will enjoy this contemporary remix of the classic epic fantasy genre.Extended description
"The writing is flawless. The kingdoms and surrounding landscapes breathtaking. The Grimoire is a piece of imaginative genius that bedazzles from the moment Kara falls into the land of Ourea. -Nikki Jefford, author of the Spellbound TrilogySpring 2013 Amazon Rankings
#6 Kindle Store | #1 Science Fiction & Fantasy | #1 Epic Fantasy | #1 Sword & Sorcery | #1 Teens (Read more)
Tags
romance, vampire, love, adventure, action, fantasy, magic, war, muse, epic fantasy, battles, contemporary fantasy, wizard, high fantasy, world buildingAvailable ebook reading formats
This book is free. How to download ebooks to e-reading devices and apps.| Format | Full Book |
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| Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps) | Download |
| Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others) | Download |
| PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing) | Download |
| RTF (readable on most word processors) | Download |
| LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub) | Download |
| Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices) | Download |
| Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting) | Download |
| Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page) | View |
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Review by:
Ashley Casselman
on May 11, 2013 :
I really enjoyed this book. I thought the character development and world building was excellent. Ourea is an intense and fascinating land. Each of the kingdoms that Kara visited was distinct and unique in its own way. Hillside has protected Braeden for years from his past, but holds its own secrets. Losse is a magical underwater world, and Kirelm is a traditional world, where men are warriors and women embody beauty.
I loved Braeden. I fell for him the moment he called Kara, Miss Kara. I think he will always protect Kara. His intentions were not noble at first, but I think he would always put her first. I don't know if I trust him entirely. His weakness to his father is obviously his greatest downfall, but it will be something he will struggle with. He thinks in order to protect Ourea from his people is to destroy the Stelian race. I don't think a massive genocide of one race in his world is the answer. I think this is something he will be struggling to come to terms with throughout the series. Kara's right in which it is not up to us to decide who deserves to live or die. He does want peace, but peace must come from compromise, not bloodshed.
"Life requires balance. Though a dandelion is never as stunning as an orchid, we would never appreciate a flower's beauty without also appreciating a weed's simplicity. Therefore we must accept that there is evil if we are to understand what it means to be good."
Kara I truly liked. She was a sarcastic and quick witted, which is my favourite kind of heroine. She's just a regular girl who got sucked into another world and told she was the one everyone has been waiting a millennium for. She will have a long, lonely road ahead of her, but she can trust and rely on Braeden. There are a few characters that can go either way in helping or betraying her along the way, the Muses, Twin, Heir Aurora, etc. She will need to learn who to trust in order to succeed.
"If this world didn't want her, she would try to save it anyway: for her dad, for her mom, and because being the Vagabound was all she had left."
I wish I had a Xlijnuhl. Flick sounds adorable. A miniature fox with massive ears, zebra stripes, random magical powers, and hatches from an egg! I think every girl should have one of those.
I think I will definitely be reading the next book very soon.
(review of free book)
Review by:
Books4Tomorrow Reviews
on April 27, 2013 :
Lichgates captivated me from the start and took me on a fantastic journey into incredible worlds with wonderful, if sometimes scary, creatures and people. If you see a flash of blue from the corner of your eye and feel a kicking sensation in your gut, know that you might have just passed from the world as you know it into the extremely different world of Ourea. This is what happens to Kara just before her life changes forever. Still grieving for her recently deceased mother and worried about her father, Kara is unprepared for the storm of action, suspense, frightening experiences and highly dangerous responsibility that is about to enter her life. Along with Braeden, heir to the Stelian throne, she embarks on a complicated mission as the new vagabond.
I found the author's world building to be easily the strongest feature of this book. What an imagination! Although she includes known mythical creatures like griffons, dragons, and centaurs, she also adds a vast selection of her own unique creations. Two headed dogs that can serve as weapons as well as transport, and a creature that can pass through solid walls with riders on its back, are just some of these magnificent beings living in the kingdoms of Ourea.
The truly bad guys, the Stelians, who seem to be into destruction, torture and control; and the soul stealing Isen make Ourea an unpleasant and extremely dangerous place to live in. The Yakona kingdoms, the Hillsidians, Ayavelians, Kirelms, and Lossians have their own problems and selfish goals. All this combined make the vagabond's mission to bring peace to the realm a very difficult one. The only beings who seem to be able to really assist her are the drenowith, shape shifting muses with some awesome powers. The question is: will they?
Kara has this to say about this torn and dangerous world:
"I'm starting to wonder if there's anything in Ourea worth saving."
The author does character development throughout the story and, at least the two main characters, Kara and Braeaden, show growth in their personalities by the end of this book. I highly recommend Lichgates to readers who want to go on a fantastic journey of beautiful but dangerous worlds. This is a thrilling five star read which you don't want to miss! (Ellen Fritz)
(review of free book)
Review by:
cheryl mackey
on Dec. 31, 2012 :
Lichgates (Book 1 of the Grimoire trilogy)
by S.M. Boyce
Note: I am reviewing my own Kindle copy that I bought.
Lichgates is a YA Fantasy novel that breathlessly and easily folds the reader into the world of Ourea and its dark secrets. Human Kara Magari has unwittingly become the Vagabond after becoming trapped in a sunken library and opening a mysterious red book called the Grimoire. It's pages reveal only what is needed and when, and now Kara must continue the previous Vagabond's journeys to reunite the splintered kingdoms within Ourea. Unfortunately, her first step into Ourea lands her in hot water and she is captured by the most feared kingdom alongside a mysterious man, Braeden. Braeden's secrets are even darker than most in Ourea, but his strength of honor and his drive for freedom from his secrets make for an amazing partnership with Kara. Help is found in unexpected places, as is danger and deceit. Love and lies go hand in hand.
I won't go into more details...this has to be read to give it full justice! This is the kind of fantasy, mixed with contemporary, that gives our imaginations freedom while grounding us. It makes it believable on every level.
Positive: The depth of the characters, all of them, not just the main characters...is astonishing and does not slog down the story but helps it move forward and bring Ourea to life. I began to care about the characters right away, and was driven to finish the book in one sitting. The narrative is thoughtful and deep, and like the characters, does not bog down the plot at all, but is tastefully woven in with the action.
Negative: Um, it ended? (I had to buy the sequel and read that in one sitting too. Book 3 isn't available yet *cries*)
Rating: 5 stars of 5
(review of free book)
Review by:
cheryl mackey
on Dec. 31, 2012 :
(no rating)
Lichgates (Book 1 of the Grimoire trilogy)
by S.M. Boyce
Note: I am reviewing my own Kindle copy that I bought.
Lichgates is a YA Fantasy novel that breathlessly and easily folds the reader into the world of Ourea and its dark secrets. Human Kara Magari has unwittingly become the Vagabond after becoming trapped in a sunken library and opening a mysterious red book called the Grimoire. It's pages reveal only what is needed and when, and now Kara must continue the previous Vagabond's journeys to reunite the splintered kingdoms within Ourea. Unfortunately, her first step into Ourea lands her in hot water and she is captured by the most feared kingdom alongside a mysterious man, Braeden. Braeden's secrets are even darker than most in Ourea, but his strength of honor and his drive for freedom from his secrets make for an amazing partnership with Kara. Help is found in unexpected places, as is danger and deceit. Love and lies go hand in hand.
I won't go into more details...this has to be read to give it full justice! This is the kind of fantasy, mixed with contemporary, that gives our imaginations freedom while grounding us. It makes it believable on every level.
Positive: The depth of the characters, all of them, not just the main characters...is astonishing and does not slog down the story but helps it move forward and bring Ourea to life. I began to care about the characters right away, and was driven to finish the book in one sitting. The narrative is thoughtful and deep, and like the characters, does not bog down the plot at all, but is tastefully woven in with the action.
Negative: Um, it ended? (I had to buy the sequel and read that in one sitting too. Book 3 isn't available yet *cries*)
Rating: 5 stars of 5
(review of free book)