Location: United States
Member Since: July 29, 2010

Arador Araglas

Smashwords book reviews by Arador Araglas

  • Again on Dec. 09, 2010

    I received a free digital copy of Again as part of the LibraryThing member giveaway. The books plot seemed interesting and I was glad when I won this book. However the book turned out to be far different than expected; I thought it would be more fantasy based, and it turned out to be more sexual than I was comfortable with. I quit reading about halfway through because I lost interest. The book focuses on two romances centered on the females Lady Catherine (historic) and Eryn (modern). The chapters bounce back and forth between eras and both women encounter the same relationships, both good and bad. Married to a man they don’t love, with antagonistic friends, and tempted by an extramarital relationship. I enjoyed the historical Lady Catherine and Jonathan more than I enjoyed Eryn and Bryce, but that was probably personal preference. I just seemed to get annoyed with Eryn and that whole plot line. The reincarnation/repeated lives was an interesting concept. Sadly not my favorite free book so far. I would like to see how the author develops and grows as she writes more. Perhaps her next attempt will be more personally appealing.
  • The Ash Spear on Jan. 29, 2011

    I have enjoyed reading the Storyteller Series. I had read the first two books before reading The Ash Spear and I liked all three. The backstory from the earlier books comes to something of a conclusion in this book, but some openness is present (suggesting more books to come?). Reading the other two books is not necessary, each book can stand on their own, but the reader has a fuller experience with all three. Gwernin is an interesting character, his ordeals and successes are believable and Grove is a talented author. It's clear the time period has been carefully researched. I'm a fan of any medieval/Authurian era fiction; and a 6th century traveling Welsh apprentice bard was definitely a topic to spark my interest. I look forward to reading more from Grove in the future.
  • The Colleen Colgan Chronicles-Book1-Flowers from Cannibals-2nd Edition on March 04, 2011

    I received a free e-book in return for a review. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It's aimed for middle school readers but is a fine read for adults. Once I got to the halfway point I couldn't stop til the end. Phelan packs a lot into this book: cloning, human-animal genetic combinations, time travel, a human communicating with animals, and cannibals are all in there. The time travel bit was interesting, I am not good with physics so I just had to accept the explanation. At the end Colleen is confused by how someone in the future was using technology that, to Colleen, hasn't been invented yet. How had the inventor known when to activate the time travel device unless someone came from the future to warn them? She finally decides it's like the "chicken and egg" problem, and thinking too hard about it would not help things. The part where Colleen discovers she can talk to animals reminded me a bit of Harry Potter in that she doesn't realize that she's no longer speaking English. The way her gift works is unique and works with many types of animals. The reader watches her frustrations as she struggled to master it. Some of the content might be hard for young readers to grasp but the basic storyline is easy to understand and it has good qualities. The book has strong themes of friendship, loyalty, trust, overcoming fears, and stopping bullies. I loved Colleen's sidekick Fred the ferret. A good, clean, entertaining book, suitable for younger readers. In conclusion this book was a great read and I would recommend it to folks who like young adult sci-fi. I would be interested in reading future books in the series.
  • The Last Key on March 04, 2011

    Pretty good for a first novel. While it started off a bit slow once it got going I wanted to know how it would end. It followed some pretty normal fantasy themes, but had the author's original spin to it. The world and character building were well done. There were some inconsistancies and at times it seemed to mirror fantasy classics, but it was an enjoyable read. Rob left the readers on a cliffhanger ending, hopefully implying another book in the near future. All around, a good first effort.
  • Republic: A Novel of America's Future on April 08, 2011

    Republic provides a futuristic look at the United States, while remaining realistic and relevent enough to make the reader wonder if it could actually happen. It makes you wonder just what could happen if Americans give up more and more of their freedoms, in order to feel "secure." Sheehan-Miles created some good characters, he shows their flaws and strengths. The book is well written, and keeps the reader engaged from start to finish.
  • The Bone Trail on June 04, 2011

    The Bone Trail is a book which I thought had a good premise. It combines western, mystery and romance. I enjoyed the content, the book had a good storyline and good characters. It didn't always flow smoothly, and there were some rough spots that could use some work. Overall a good start from a new author.