Customer Reviews

Elphame's Choice (Partholon)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

With "Elphame's Choice" P.C. Cast continues in the same vein as her breakout novel, "Goddess by Mistake." Elphame, the half-human, half-centaur daughter of Etain, beloved of Epona, is very unhappy. As a human/centaur hybrid, Elphame is human from the waist up but her two legs resemble those of a centaur, ending with hoofs. Because she was so obviously marked by the Goddess, all who see her worship her. While she is revered and worshipped, outside of her own family she is not seen for who she is on the inside. It is this longing for acceptance that prompts Elphame to take her younger brother and seek her destiny in the ruins of the MacCallan.

Castle MacCallan was destroyed in a war over 100 years ago by a race of bloodthirsty demonic creatures called Fomorians. And ever since she was a child, Elphame has been captivated by the legends of the ancient keep. So, with a small band of humans and centaurs at her disposal, she sets about recapturing the grandeur and splendor of the castle. Before leaving, her brother has a premonition that Elphame will meet her destiny, and her life mate, while at this castle. Soon, these visions come true in the form of a half-man, half-Fomorian named Lochlan. Terrible events begin to unfold: will her new clan support Elphame's decision or will their hatred of an ancient enemy be too strong to overcome?

While I enjoyed this book, I found myself becoming more interested in the secondary characters than I was in the main characters. The love story of Elphame's warrior brother Cuchulainn and a scarred healer named Brenna was just as interesting, if not more so, than the romance between Lochlan and Elphame. While the story and plot were good, the characters weren't as dynamic as Cast usually writes. Barring a few small flaws, "Elphame's Choice" was a wonderful novel, and I'm waiting for the next installment!

To be honest, I can't quite figure out for what audience this novel is intended. On one hand, we have this cute (that's right, cute) fantasy world of half-centaur girls and cool-sounding names and a plot that certainly would attract fantasy-loving teenage girls. The book is also in a teen market. On the other, we've steamy sex scenes with reference to marriage that would best be understood by adults. And yet the story is too simple to attract adult audiences. So I'm just confused. This novel does not know where it wants to go.

And that's not just with story and sex. Cast creates a lovely-if-vague world of old-time Goddess faiths, crumbling castles, and warring clans--and then goes and peppers it all with anachronistic words and references. It makes it nearly impossible to be swept up in the story with these jarring reminders that it's "just a book" every few pages.

This is the story of Elphame, the half-centaur, half-human girl (but she's not a satyr) worshipped as a goddess. She of course just wants to be normal, and seeks this by gathering a bunch of people together and setting off to repair an old ruined castle so she can rule as Cheiftan. Great way to be just like everyone else. However, the ruins have an ugly history that may not be quite dead. But if it ever comes to intense, the obligatory Harlequin romance jumps in.

Sadly, the story is just okay, and the romance is dull, cheesy, and unrealistic (yes, I know it's a fantasy). But I've never fell for the whole love-at-first-sight concept in books. It's not fun, it's not interesting. Rather than any emotional connection, the characters just takes these moments to release their passion via cliched erotic scenes.

Sorry, fantasy and romance lovers. But this is one book I would not choose to read again.

This book is marketed as Harlequin Teen. It's too explicit for teenagers, in my opinion, and I would not recommend it for them.

It is a fantasy novel set in a not very technologically advanced culture that brings together various elements of actual history (e.g., Scottish) with mythology (e.g., Greek) in a creative manner. And it has a vampire element as well, since vampires are so of the moment these days.

Elphame is the physical incarnation of the goddess Epona. Because it is a burden being a goddess, she sets off with her handsome brother in tow to start a new community, mostly formed of other young people wanting a fresh start. As she takes on the leadership role, by divine right, she finds that she possesses leadership qualities she did not know she had. She also meets a mysterious stranger.

The pacing of the book is a little off. A great deal of time is spent describing relationships and the progress of the new community. However, there is a suspenseful element that I will not describe in great detail to avoid giving it away. The author rushes through the resolution of this suspenseful element way too quickly, and the pace of the last 1/6 of the book is inconsistent with the rest of it.

I can always count on P.C. Cast for a compelling fantasy that takes my breath away and "Elphame's Choice" is no exception. I was skeptical when "Goddess by Mistake" touted love between and centaur and a human. Didn't seem physically possible and not necessarily a sexy/romantic/something I could day-dream about. I ate crow when I was proven wrong, but somehow, experienced the same doubts when I read that Elphame has hooves (only two not four) and her one, true love has wings and is half demon. But Lochlan is tortured and sexy and slightly edgy, my all time fav, and Elphame is strong, insecure, lonely, beautiful, and successful, just like all of my very best friends. A glass of wine and "Elphame" makes for a very satisfying night. I can't wait for "Brighid's Quest" in 2005.

I think I'm just not meant to read P.C. Cast. Maybe I'm just anal-retentive; maybe I just have too much trouble shutting off the "mythology geek" section of my brain. I crack open a Cast novel, and instead of sinking into the story, I find myself thinking, "Celtic mythology doesn't have centaurs," or "Apollo would make a lousy Prince Charming," or in this case, "Elphame's a place name, darn it, not a character name! It means fairyland." _Elphame's Choice_ is so called because its heroine is named Elphame, and this never quite stopped being distracting.

Elphame is a descendant of the heroine of Divine by Mistake (Partholon). She lives a cushy but lonely existence as the daughter of Epona's Chosen, and wants to strike out on her own and find her destiny. She finds it in the form of MacCallan Castle, which once belonged to her ancestors but was destroyed by the Fomorians generations ago. Elphame assembles a team of people to rebuild the castle, and soon the team becomes a family of sorts. I liked the scenes in which Elphame discovers leadership skills within herself, and those in which the ruined castle begins to shine again. But when Elphame sustains an injury in the woods, the plot switches gears. Her friends finish the bulk of the renovations during the five days she's laid up, and the true heart of Elphame's Choice--the romance--comes to the forefront.

I should say, the romances. There are two. One is between Elphame and the half-Fomorian, Lochlan, who believes she holds the key to the redemption of his people. They quickly fall in love, but Lochlan fears that the vampiric influence of his Fomorian ancestry will cause him to hurt her. I remember Divine by Mistake as being pretty raunchy and I'd been wondering why its sequel had been repackaged for the young adult market. Now I think I know. Elphame's Choice predates Twilight, and is much steamier, but I think the "boy meets girl, boy is afraid he'll drink girl's blood" aspect may appeal to some of the same readers.

The other romantic plotline focuses on Elphame's brother, Cuchulainn. Cuchulainn is something of a Casanova, but finds himself out of his depth when he falls deeply in love with Brenna, a young healer and artist who bears physical and emotional scars. I actually liked this secondary romance better than Elphame's story, at least until the very end. (Details below the spoiler alert.)

This is one of Cast's earlier books, and it's rough in places. Most noticeably, there's a ton of head-hopping and a long sagging middle in which nothing much happens except lust and bickering. Then there's the Mary Sue-ness; I felt like the book would be half as long if the narrative didn't stop so often to mention how beautiful Elphame is. The copy-editing is spotty as well. Lots of typos.

But none of this would have been so bad if it hadn't been for two plot developments that occur toward the end.

SPOILER ALERT:

1) The prophecy. It makes no sense. Now, I love stories that hinge on an ambiguous or misinterpreted prophecy, the "no man of woman born" kind of thing. But this one quite simply left me scratching my head. The "real" meaning of the prophecy doesn't match the actual words of the prophecy. The Goddess Epona would have had to be brainless to word it the way she did. There's no logical way that the "real" meaning follows from what she said. And the consequences would have been disastrous if the characters had interpreted the prophecy in the only way that actually makes sense. Elphame would have been dead, and the half-Fomorians left with no hope of regaining their sanity.

2) Brenna. Way to ruin a perfectly good "reformed rake" plot. Cuchulainn learns to love and to appreciate inner beauty, and Brenna overcomes her fears, and for what? Cast kills her off a few days after they get engaged, and then partners him with a strikingly beautiful woman in the next book, Brighid's Quest. So, if you're pretty, you get a happy ending, but if you're not, you get to be the vehicle for some guy's character development? Ugh.

Also, and this isn't the author's fault, but what is with the new cover art? Elphame is described as having brown skin...

Elphame is the daughter of the goddess incarnate but she was born different than most, half human and half centaur. She doesn't fit into the human world and although it is assumed she is the next goddess she doesn't feel it is her destiny. Her destiny lays in the far off ancestral castle of her clan which she must rebuild. Intertwined with that destiny is a demon lover and the fate of his people.

For those of you looking for the laugh fest found in Goddess By Mistake I'm telling you right now this isn't it. This story is much darker, almost a tragedy. While it is well written and a pleasure to read for the most part if you don't like sad endings don't read it.

I liked it but not to the extent of Goddess, I'll RECOMMEND it but it is not going to be for everyone.

It took a hundred pages for me to get even a little interested in this story. If I hadn't meant to review it, I would have put it away. I was uninterested in the protagonist and found the world-building to be nebulous for the most part. Very easy book to put down. I rearranged a junk drawer and an over-flowing cupboard while reading this book. Not a good sign.

I'd never read PC Cast, but I was interested in picking something of hers up because of how ubiquitous she is in the YA sections in my favorite book stores. Now I see why. Sex sells. A lot.

Now, I love a good sexy romance. My first adult romance was 'borrowed' from my mom when I was sixteen. I definitely get the draw. But there has to be a story that needs it. There has to be chemistry between the characters. And there has to be a reason for the sex scenes in the first place, otherwise they're either just padding or prurience.

The lead romance had the foundation of having the hero see the heroine in dreams for her entire life. Without ever having met her, he was in love. The heroine first sees him in her own dreams shortly before she meets him and she's just as smitten. I've read plenty of romances where couples mate immediately based on being fated, but I found their interaction so bland that their passion seemed out of place. It seemed like adding a sex scene was the purpose rather than furthering the story, which, sorry to say, seems disturbing and smarmy in a book written specifically for teenagers.

But let's get away from sex, if we can. Although it's difficult with all the 'throbbing' the hero was doing for the first two thirds of the book.

We start the story in an inaccessible world, with an unlikely couple and a vague goddess (one goddess, a number of 'goddess incarnates', a 'chosen one' and another 'goddess'). We know there's love and beauty, but there's no real context for any of it. It just sort of floats out there for a prologue and a chapter before we really get to know anyone.

It wasn't until the action moved to a totally different place that the world started to take shape. We learn next to nothing about the hero's world, though. Wastelands, apparently, where his people thrive but suffer. They suffer because the darkness in their blood is making them go insane. Good enough, I suppose, but we have no visual on the place itself. Maybe in a later book it will be explored a bit, but it was needed here and in this story.

The fix for the madness is a vague prophecy that our hero realizes has been misinterpreted and is worse than even he thought it was. His reinterpretation frankly does not fit with the words of the prophecy, so that whole sequence of plot is contrived. And, in the end, the execution of the prophecy doesn't make much sense even with his reinterpretation.

Add to this four interesting characters (I won't say who), three of which make it to the end of the tale. The character death here does impact the story but isn't necessary in the actual world the author has given us. Except, of course, that Cast seems to be setting up a book for another character. Again, contrived.

And finally we get an actual, true to it's name deus ex machina. What else would you expect with a goddess in the lead?

Sadly, I really wanted to like this book. But I didn't and I won't be continuing the series.

Ephame is the offspring of a mating between a human and a centaur; from the waist up she is human, but from the waist down she is covered with brown hair and has cloven hoofs. Her genes make her stronger and faster than her human counterparts. Although she loves her mother, she needs to make a life for herself. She intends to return Castle MacCallan to its former glory and become the new clan chieftain. Centaurs and humans welcome her as the rightful owner.

Ephame meets the half-human half Fomonian Lachlan; they fall in love even though their races are enemies ever since his invaded Parthelon, destroyed Castle MacCallan, and kidnapped human women because their own are sterile. Lachlan believes that Ephame is the person that the prophecy foretold would lift the curse of the hybrids and allow the evil Fomonian side to vanish. He also fears the cost to his beloved is too high, but his race plans to insure the fulfillment of the prophecy.

EPHAME'S CHOICE is a beautiful adult fantasy about two "Romeo and Juliet" hybrids falling in love with the backdrop of cross species hatred to keep them apart. Ephame always felt like the odd person although her neighbors and family respect her. When she strikes out on her own she gains the self confidence that she lacked and quickly becomes a leader worthy of ruling. Her mate is her equal prepared to ostracize himself amidst his people to help his beloved. Together they cast the keeper shelf spell on readers.

Harriet Klausner

Not only does Ms. Cast have creative story settings, and interesting characters, but she nicely ties in (without losing a new reader) to her previous novel in the same world, "Goddess by Mistake". Now, it's not a perfect novel by any means, but I like a book that keeps me up wanting to read it, makes me laugh, makes me cry, and makes me feel thrilled where the romantic characters are involved!
If you like a paranormal romance with adventure thrown in, and characters that make you luagh and cry..then Ms. Cast definitely will fit the bill.
With the huge amount of paranormal romances out lately, most are either vampires or werewolves, so the characters in these novels are a refreshing change!

I wished I'd read Goddess by Mistake when I read Elphame's choice. I enjoyed the novel, but it wasn't until I'd read Cast's first book that this one really made a lot more sense. The book stands alone just fine, but it's amplified by Goddess by Mistake.

Despite being a fantasy novel, this really fits in with Casts' other romance novels. Like them all, there's plenty of other things to keep you interested, a twisting plot, some action, a good dose of magic, all the things that make a romance novel so much more than heaving bosoms and tragic love, and mundane things.

Anyone who's ever been an outcast can sympathize with Elphame. Born half-human, half-centaur, she's obviously touched by the goddess Epona, and revered by the people of her lands. But being touched by a goddess and revered does not equate out to acceptance or friendship, and that's what she desires. Undertaking the restoration of McCallen Castle, her ancestral home, is how Elphame hopes to find her place in the world.

The supporting cast is an interesting lot, there's Lochlan, a half demon soul mate for Elphame, her strong willed brother Cuchulainn, who has Feelings about what going to happen, and the scarred Healer Brenna, who plays a bigger part in the novel then you'd originally think.

The only part of the book I disliked was Elphame's Feeling about her brother's relationship. I find Cast often uses tragedy to cause diversions in her book, and this is no exception. I really dislike killing off characters, and she killed one I really liked.

If you like PC Cast's boos, or like fantasy romance novels, this is a good choice to read. If you prefer your romance non paranormal, or your fantasy non romantic, then skip this one. I preferred Goddess of The Sea to this, but this is an enjoyable read.