Customer Reviews

Sorcha's Heart

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sorcha knows the war between humans and dragons cannot continue or both species may be wiped out. When she seeks and finds an ancient magical pendant, The Heart of Fire, she is transformed into a dragon. Living the life of a dragon is not easy for Sorcha, but she soon is caught up in learning the culture and history of the dragons. Drawn sexually to her first dragon mentor, she defies the elders and mates with him. What will happen to their half-dragon, half-human offspring?

This is not a fantasy for young adults due to the sensuous nature of the relationship between the two main characters. However, for those who enjoy a sizzling relationship without the graphic descriptions of what body part goes where, this is an excellent book. So what are you waiting for? Go read it!

good story. pity it was so short. i would have like the characters to have more depth. would have liked more back story and details. good for what it was though.

I enjoyed the world concepts of this book, the dragon society, the wizards, etc.

It is a pleasant enough story, however it feels both short and incomplete as if this was a second or third draft. There are a lot of areas, plot points, and characters that could stand to be fleshed out and have some meat put on their bones, so to speak.
While I enjoyed the read, if the author ever went back, re wrote and expanded on some parts, I think it could grow from something pleasantly mediocre to a really great addition to the fantasy genre.

Overall, this is a nice enough book to read through on a rainy afternoon, and I certainly can't argue with the free cost.

*Spoiler Warning*

If I had to critique this book from a writing stand point, this is what I'd point out to the author:
I think this book suffers from its lack of length and transitions. The opening was ok, but the sudden jump from Sorcha's conversation with her mother to suddenly finding the mysterious magic Jewel was jarring, as if she teleported there without thought. Here the book could have benefited from a chapter or few pages of Sorcha still at home, and what triggers her to ignore her mother's warning, perhaps a pulling feeling, or witnessing some gruesome event in the war.
I loved the parts where Sorcha is introduced to dragon society, and I would have liked to spend more time in that part, perhaps with some more written out dialogue of Sorcha flirting with her suitors, interactions with her teachers, maybe learning a new form of dragon magic, etc, perhaps some more conversations with the dragon who she 'likes'. They fall in love and choose a life bond far to quickly for my taste and have surprisingly little internal conflict in making huge life altering decisions. I mean, he gives up a kingship for her seemingly on a whim! Surely she must have more going for her then exotic colored scales.
It could also benefit from fleshing out the war a bit more, spending some time using Sorcha to see the war's effects on both sides. She talks about them, but I think 'show, don't tell' applies here. There is also the possibility of political or courtly intrigue when convincing the human king to make peace. The human society could stand some fleshing out, perhaps with protest from different advisors, courtisans, craft-masters, and more about the wizards, their society and their impact on the king's laws.

When I first started reading SORCHA's HEART, I really was enjoying it. It seemed well-written and imaginative. But as the story progressed, both the plot and the characters seemed to lack depth. In addition, there was an increasing amount of sexual innuendo ending with some very strong sexual content. The concerned parent would probably appreciate the warning that this book is not appropriate for the younger reader.

This novella-length story is a great exploration of the origins of some of the myths about dragons.

Sorcha is a young and gifted wizard who is living an unconventional life. Against tradition, her mother Elspeth kept her as a baby and raised her as a wizard from a very young age. She has no knowledge of her father, but is a bold and brave young lady. Their kingdom is on the brink of warfare with dragon kind, and Sorcha will do anything to prevent the dragons from destroying humanity, even finding the Heart of Fire. The Heart of Fire is a magical amulet that is very powerful, but there is always a price for wielding it. She invokes the magic of the triune threshold to call forth the Heart of Fire, but she is not alone - a dragon has joined her. To prevent the enemy from capturing the amulet, she places it over her head and is transformed into a dragon! As she learns about dragon culture as one of them, she also finds herself at the mercy of her dragon's body and its instincts for survival.

A story of different cultures and species clashing, as well as great love, "Sorcha's Heart" is a fun paranormal romance/fantasy. There is very mild sexual relations for readers of traditional paranormal romance - nothing very explicit - but you may not want anyone younger than emotionally mature teens reading it. The writing is well-done, with Sorcha's character developed fairly early on and the conflict summarized in just a couple of pages. Other characters could use more development, but it is a novella, not a novel. The story is completed satisfactorily, but there is a novel involving the same characters and world if you want more.

Sorcha's Heart by Debbie Mumford is a lazy and unchallenging romance
between a human girl and a dragon. Dragons and humans have been fighting, and
the current king (all the humans seem to be in one country, and all the
dragons live together too) seems determined to provoke a war which will surely
wind up with the dragons getting wiped out. So Sorcha, girl wizard
extraordinaire, goes on a quest for the Heart of Fire -- a quest which she
accomplishes between page 3 and page 4. The dragon Caedryn (whose name my
slapdash Welsh wants to translate as 'Take the deal') is there to claim it
too. Sorcha snags it and puts it on, and it turns her into a beautiful pink
dragon. Without the least hesitation, Caedryn flies her back to the ice aerie
where all the dragons live. Events proceed romantically from there. All plot
arcs are resolved with minimal effort or risk on anyone's part. There are a
few surprises, but so quiet and bland and quickly-passed that they shouldn't
disturb anyone in the slightest. We get to read a lot more of how horny
Caedryn makes Sorcha than we do about, oh, that war to extinction between
their species. At least he makes her horny in a lizardly sort of way, with
scent more than appearance.

I normally don't enjoy novellas. To me, they seem like the middle of a novel, without a beginning to breathe life into the characters and provide the history needed to appreciate the story, and also without a satisfying ending. I often feel as if I'm expected to read the author's mind. Because of that, I prefer novels or, even better, a series.

I have to say this story is one I could easily see separated into a trilogy.

1 - We have our map of the land and learn about the people in it, then the war with dragons begins, and it ends after a major event leads to a peace all know is temporary. During it all, we get to know Sorcha and follow her progress as she becomes more powerful.

2 - Sorcha makes her choice after the peace is disrupted, and we follow her on her journey to the lagoon and share in her adventures after becoming a dragon. Maybe more adversity to overcome with the flight. It ends with her eventual acceptance while trouble still brews between the races.

3 - Not going to spoil it more than I have, so let's just say the last of the series could encompass all that happens next, only more detailed.

The story does feel a little rushed, especially if you're accustomed to longer novels or series that would usually spread the high points farther apart while providing more to emotionally engage you and add drama.

Otherwise.... The way I see it, if the main fault of a story is that you crave more of it, it's a pretty good story!

To address the sexual content some reviewers complained about, there are only 2 scenes. They are not detailed or vulgar or lengthy. They are not casual encounters of promiscuity but natural expressions of a couple bonded for life. It does bother me that it's becoming increasingly harder (in general) to find books without romance or sex in them, but in this case it wasn't cheesy and didn't seem out of place like it does when authors are just throwing it in because they think people won't read it without it.

Mumford did a very good job overall. It was so well written and creative, I was preparing to buy the next one within a minute of finishing this one; however, a reviewer revealed that number 2 IS unfortunately centered around romance and more explicit sexual encounters.

I'll pass on that, but if she ever decides to rewrite this appetizer and make a meal of it, I'm in!

Picked this up because it was a free read...still fairly disappointed with it. Had the story been well-executed (a possibility already denied by the author's rather amateur, romance-novelesque style of writing) it would have required a more novel-length medium to tell the tale. The result here is that story moves farrrrrrr too fast. In the span of 10 pages Sorcha seems to not only overcome the gut-wrenching transformation from human to dragon, but manages to vacillate so fully from one end of the emotional spectrum to another as to find her one, interspecies true love.

I'll be the first to admit dragon-cenric fantasy is not my favorite genre, but even removed from the context of dragons, the pacing of the story is far too quick to be believable or even enjoyable. Characters form lifelong bonds instaneously, and there is never any real source of tension (OK, so one young dragon is trapped for only about half a page by some farmers? Short-lived) that gives you the impression this is anything more than the author's own Mary-Sue dragon sex fantasy come to life.

If it's still a free download while you're reading this, I say read at your own risk; otherwise, do not waste your money. Please.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this work, but for a novella (slightly under 2,000 location), the author has done a good job of crafting a world that is interesting and characters that you want to learn more about.

I grabbed it due to the name (Sorcha is name that my wife has used in the past - though as Sorsha), so I was predisposed to like it.

I think a lot of this is explained by who (or perhaps what) was Sorcha's father, as I have my opinions. The event at the end helps me to think that Sorcha is right about who the Heart of Fire was for.

It's interesting watching Sorcha be consumed by her new feelings and desires - imagine how you would be if you were changed in such a manner.

Seems like a good free introduction to the world and later stories.

Due to the sex, not suitable for children.

It really irritates me when romance novels masquerade as fantasy. When I first consider purchasing a book, I almost always check the reviews to see if there is any explicit sexual content, as I don't enjoy reading that. If I wouldn't let my daughter read it, why should I? I saw nothing at the time; maybe I just didn't read enough reviews.

I really enjoyed this book to start; it seemed well-written, if a little short on back story and not as in-depth a fantasy as I usually enjoy, but it was good. About a third into it, though, the sexual content starts, and my enjoyment went down as I had to scan for a couple of pages to find the rest of the story. Totally detracts from the story if there is too much detail of anything, and sex more than others.

On the plus side, it is a short, mostly good read, very good and fresh ideas regarding dragon/human relationships. I won't read the others in the series, though, simply because that kind of writing is not for me.