Customer Reviews

Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A unique and absorbing fantasy based on the "wising" of stones. The mysterious story builds to a climax full of startling revelations. Am now reading the second book, and it is also riveting. Cudos to Dora Machado, a fantasy author to watch. Peace. Donald

I just finished reading this book and LOVED it. It took me to an entirely new world and made me truly think as I read and followed the life of Sariah. It's fun to travel to a new place and time and this book caught my attention from the very first page. Dora Machado has created a wonderful cast of characters - and has a powerful way with words. Now I can't wait to get the second book.

Dora Machado is a wonderful writer. I just finished reading STONEWISER The Heart of the Stone and I must say it caught my interest from page one and I couldn't put the book down. I don't usually read Fantasy stories but this story sounded so real that I could picture it actually happening.

The characters are all unique , the story itself is unique and I can't wait for the second book of the series to be released.
Lorraine

A person's word is cannot compare to stone truth. "Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone" is a novel about Sariah, the leading stonewiser of her time. She seeks the truth of the world through her art of reading stories from the stones, but finding the truth is not without its perils, and she is forced to bind her fate with that of a rebel leader in order to save her dying world. "Stonewiser" is a finely crafted fantasy with unique concepts, and a vivid living world that will draw readers in and not let go.

The book had some interesting ideas, and as other reviewers have said, this is not standard fantasy fare. However, the writing was clunky and the book was full of grammar and spelling mistakes (the author couldn't even keep her own made-up names straight; one town is sometimes spelled "Atica" and sometimes "Attica"...). The ideas weren't fully explored, and that's a pity.

The characters in this book are hard to relate to. Their motivations are not well explained, and their dialog is stilted and wooden. The plot is mainly about Sariah's quest for knowledge about a monumental series of events that changed the face of the world she lives in. She cares about this "stone truth" so much that she will lie, cheat and risk herself to get it. The reader is expected to somehow relate to this, without ever being told *why* the truth about some stuff that happened generations ago would be so important to Sariah (or to anyone, really; almost everyone in this book is consumed with figuring out this fragment of ancient history). The other characters are mostly two-dimensional stereotypes ("muscle-bound hero", "fat, evil wizard", "bad guy with a tragic past who is secretly lonely and misunderstood"...). For some reason all the bad guys want to rape the heroine (and all the good guys want to sleep with her, too). In general, the author seems to exult in gratuitous descriptions of gore and disease. The romance felt contrived; we never see any chemistry between the main characters. One minute they're sniping at each other, the next minute they're in love. Lazy writing.

The first half of the book is slow and boring; there is not much action, and the characters are so flat I could not care about them at all. The pace did pick up in the second part. I wish this setting and these ideas had been explored by a competent writer.

I must confess that I seldom read fantasy. However, I just finished reading Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone and was very impressed by Ms. Machado's creativity. I liked the language she used, strong, crisp, smart. The story parallels our world and I could relate to it in many ways. The characters are engaging. I really liked the way the heroine, Sariah, is strong and sexy but still able to show her emotions and learn from her actions. Ms. Machado shows us that you can write a smart book that is intelligent, action-packed and romantic at the same time. Good for her!

A thrilling tale filled with adventures and laughs, Dora Machado's Stonewiser is a definite must-read.

I started to read this book and was trapped in a different world full of surprises and adventure. I forgot about my routine and my stress. I felt connected to Sariah, to her struggles as both heroine and woman. I was mesmerized by her quest to find justice for others and for herself. Using a fictional world, Dora Machado shows the difficulties of finding a path as a woman, combined with the glory of that journey. I didn't want the book to end.

This is a real treat and a surprise. Not a "typical" fantasy with magic and elves, but a world you can believe in and characters that are real - they face real challenges and overcome them in believable, if unpredictable ways. Sariah is a strong heroine, but not so invincible that we don't root for her in the end. If you are looking for something different and intriguing - this is it!!

I loved this book! Once I started I couldn't put it down. This is definitely an author to watch. The complex plot and character interaction kept me going and going. I can't wait for her next book.