My Review: Adversarius: Shadow of the Rose, Book 1 by M.L. Chesley

I feel this review, more than any other, should come with a disclaimer. Yes, ML Chesley is my sis in law. But, for those of you who have family--that doesn't necessarily mean I like her or her work. Because I do like her, it doesn't follow that I love her writing. I do have some bias, but I'll explain that as we go.

First of all, Mel is a genius at creating characters I'm comfortable liking. I haven't really read a lot of her work before Adversarius, so I was a little anxious picking it up. What if I hated it? How do you tell your sis that her baby's ugly? You know? Fortunately, we didn't have to go there. :)

The world of Adversarius is an intricate one. I don't generally read high fantasy (I generally lean toward a lighter fare), so at times it was harder for me to follow along than it would be for someone who cut their eye teeth on Tolkien. But I still kept up. Harder doesn't exactly mean hard or impossible. And, yes, because I know you're wondering, I DID identify with the assassin more than any other character.

All of that said, and I'd give this book four or 5 stars because of what I loved, I'm going to talk about what I didn't like so much. Here's where my bias comes in because I'm more willing to forgive because she's my sis and because this is her first book. I'm also more willing to blame her editors and proofers than the writer herself. Some of the wording was flawed. Words were used out of place or the wrong words were used (affect vs. effect comes to mind). These are things that a good editor will catch. Mel's languages were wonderful. I loved that aspect of her writing. Her prose flows well and is engaging. Her character dialogue is smart, sassy, and snappy. I liked that a lot. And the flaws were minor enough that, after the first few chapters, I could let it go and enjoy the book.

Really I don't know what you're still doing here. GO BUY Adversarius: Shadow of the Rose, book 1. You won't regret it.

Upcoming Book Launch/Tour

Hi there! I'm collecting bloggers for my upcoming book launch and tour for The Tyrant King. What's super-duper exciting (I seriously just said super-duper, wow) is that I'm launching my book in conjuction with my sister-of-my-heart's FIRST book being published!!! Are you excited? I totally am.

Here's the skinny: Her author name is M.L. Chesley, and her pirate-fantasy novel is called Adversarius: Shadow of the Rose, Book One

What's it about? Glad you asked: When it comes to politics, Kayta likes to let her sword arm do the talking. The only way to gain peace for her kingdom would be to enter into an arranged marriage with her enemy's son, Alabassin. There are worse ways to end wars.

And, of course, who is this lady? Aside from my friend and fellow author who happens to be married to my husband's brother, this is M.L. Chesley: M. L. Chesley is an Alaska based author, online blogger and MMORPG junkie. She has been writing fantasy for several years. Between writing, work and family she barely has time for much gaming, but some days, raids take precedence over all. If you would like to
learn more about her world, created in this book, go to www.mlchesley.webs.com. You can also follow her blog at www.caledonialass.blogspot.com.

I would LOVE to share with you a book cover for Adversarius, but, alas, it's not live yet. I CAN share with you (again) the cover for The Tyrant King (sequel to The Peasant Queen, my 1st novel), along with my book blurb:

The kingdom of Fayterra has enjoyed four years of peace since Jareth was crowned King and married Krystal. But, on the eve of Alana’s wedding, a stranger arrives with a link to the family that threatens to change everything. An enemy is revealed. Their people are under attack. War is declared. And not everyone will survive.
As the future becomes bleaker and the mystery continues to unravel, Krystal’s enemies will learn just how far she will go to defend the people she loves.

Now for the details. Our book launch/blog tour fun will happen in June. Participating bloggers will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card, and those who enter the contest will be entered to win a prize package of books and candy. So far, for that package, I have Watched by Cindy Hogan, Ireland's Pirate Queen, Variant by Robison Wells, Michael Vey by Richard Paul Evans, and a beautiful leather bound journal. I will also throw in a copy of The Wild Queen, which is the prequel to The Peasant Queen.

Both books (Adversarius and The Tyrant King) will be available in print and e-book formats to cater to all readers, so never fear. You will get your copy. :)

Now, who wants to volunteer for all this fun? I need to collect at least 15 willing blog participants to host my tour. I've had a couple volunteers trickle in, but not nearly enough. This is my official plea. Please comment with your email if you are willing to be a host so I can contact you. You might also want to specify which book you'd like to spotlight or review, or if you'd rather do an author interview (and which of us you'd like to pick on lol).

Thanks!