Review: Impressed
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 9, 2013
This review is for the complete The Raie'Chaelia trilogy.Wow!  I don't know where to start.  It was recommended to me by a friend, so I started with the prequels, The Journey Begins and The Vanishing, which were more than enough to whet my appetite.  The two prequels give you the story of the hero and heroine before the beginning of the first book.  Although I do think The Journey Begins could have been incorporated into book one as it is provides much needed insight into Chalice and her character motivations, but I suppose it doesn't really matter.  The prequels were still very good.After starting book one, The Raie'Chaelia, I immediately thought the story would be a poor derivative of other books, with a cliched plot and cookie cutter characters.  Boy was I wrong.  The further I read, the more I realized that there was much more than what appears to be on the surface: a girl who would be Princess and a boy who loves her.  There is so much more going on in the Raie'Chaelia and so much of it is utterly original.  It really is a world of its own.  In book one, you learn about the Terravail and the Naeon, about the unique system of magic and how it is tied to the earth, and you get your first glimpse into Chalice's own powers which are truly unique.  The rich descriptions made me want to go live in that world and be a part of it.  I loved it!  Everything I wanted to happen in book one did happen.  Even more than I expected and once I was finished, I jumped right into book two.In book two, the story actually got better!  The author goes into more depth about the characters and their history.  You also learn more about their world and the secrets of the underground city that tie in with our own world today.  So many questions brought up in book one were answered in book two, but not all which keeps the reader intrigued and wanting more.  Especially the ending.  Omg!  Nooooo!  Can't say though.  Don't want to spoil it.Now I'm chomping at the bit for the final book.  I read on the author's blog that it will be available this year.  I'm really hoping it will be sooner rather than later because I can't wait to find out what happens at the end!