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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful Beyond Description, April 6, 2007
What would you do to save something you loved? What would you do if you were threatened? Would you cower? Or would you fight with everything you had, every ounce of strength and magic you possessed? Some of us aren't even given that choice.
When Jamieson Drake, evil sorcerer, attacks the settlement of Treown, Amanda Chariss is left with no choice. To escape Drake and his army, she teleports herself and her mentor, the wizened old wizard Hrazon to the Taiman family home. There, they may find help and Chariss may find a cure for the magic that has infected her blood.
Chariss has the geasa, magic older than time, and she must use it if she and the people of Onweald are to stay alive. For Drake hunts her, wants her dead on his blade. Why is anyone's guess, but Chariss is has an inkling. For years, Drake has hunted her with the sole purpose of killing her. Chariss suspects that Drake is hungry for her power. But, in reality, Drake is in love with her.
He has enlisted the help of a Dragon who now walks in the human form of Julette. Older than time itself, she uses Drake like a pawn. She has her own plans, her own agenda and knows that she must help Drake to get what she wants. Of course, the fact that she is a Goddess doesn't hurt either.
Chariss must depend on all the help she can and her unsteady magic if they are to survive this first battle. She must be careful though, for she must make choices meant for Gods and one wrong move, one mistake, could lead all of them to death...
As a general rule, I don't read high fantasy. The whole genre bores me; it's grown stagnant with nothing new added to it. Each author that tries to write an engaging high fantasy tale fails to write anything new, anything fresh. Thankfully, Sandy Lender has changed all that. She has changed the very face of high fantasy itself.
Choices Meant for Gods is without a doubt the freshest most engaging high fantasy novel to come out in years and breathes new life into a tired genre. The characters leap off the page and the plot is lightning quick and deftly written with many layers that tease the mind and imagination.
What I love most about Choices Meant for Gods are the characters and how they interact with each other. She has thrown a new spin on what is good and what is bad and her characters are flawed and imperfect. They are people you grow to care for and, indeed, I didn't want the novel to end; I couldn't stand knowing that it would be some time before I saw them again.
She has reworked the standard quest into something meaningful and engaging. She has mixed magic with romance, battles, sorcerers, danger, and suspense; there is everything here that makes up a good store. My meager review doesn't even do justice to the plot. The pages flew by as I became ensnared under Lenders spell as she weaved her story. She writes with such assurance, such poise, that it is hard to believe that Choices Meant for Gods is her first novel.
Choices Meant for Gods is not a mere novel; it is a gorgeous piece of written art. I can hardly wait for the second book! If you read only one good novel this year, no, this decade, read Choices Meant for Gods. I'm going to be reading it for a second time. But read it yourself, won't you?
It will leave you breathless
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
And I never buy hardcovers., June 22, 2008
I knew Sandy in college, and I'd heard about how much work she was putting into getting her book out. So I bought a copy; it's the least that old friends can do. I happen to read fantasy almost exclusively, so it wasn't even a reach for me.
I decided that if the book was good, I'd review it, and if it was bad that I would just remain politely tacit. I really enjoyed it, so here's my plug. It's clear that I'm going to be picking up the sequels when they come out (which means hardcover, and I never buy hardcover).
I love Chariss, the main character. I was interested in her story within a couple of pages, and by page 19 I realized I was already sucked in. I love her irreverent playfulness. She is both vulnerable and tough.
I found the world enjoyingly different than the other fantasy I read, and yet it felt very real right away. That the gods sometimes choose to walk among the mortals, and are gods but somehow not entirely invulnerable, was very interesting.
If you like fantasy, and especially if you want your fantasy to offer a woman lead character, I'd definitely recommend "Choices Meant for Gods" even if it means you grab them all in hardcover and they use up that precious bookshelf space in your library.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent reading and one to be read more than once--a KEEPER, June 10, 2009
Incredible! Exciting, intriguing, and compelling characters interact to propel a plot that bit by piece encompasses a fantastic world full of gods, goddesses, wizards, sorcerers, gifted mortals, and dragons (the baby dragon--not to be missed--such a sweetie). As Good and Evil pit spells, wits, abilities, and strength against each other, the amazing characters still find love.
Amanda Chariss Derdriu, orphaned at age four, has been in the care of Hrazon, a wizard, ever since. They've evaded Jamieson Drake, a powerful sorcerer that killed her family, for sixteen years. As they moved about, Hrazon taught and trained Chariss to be ready for the job The Ultimate One has for her.
Using a spell she has not learned how to control, Chariss nearly kills herself but she teleports them 2,000 leagues in one day to Arcane, the fortress-like estate of Godric Alan Taiman, a former student of Hrazon. They escape Drake, as he steps up his efforts to take over all of Onweald, a land so long at peace its inhabitance are complacent.
Nigel, the eldest son of Godric, is intrigued by Chariss, the violet-eyed visitor with a jewel in her cheek that matches her eyes. His dark heritage makes him not his father's favorite and it also influences his attitude and actions, but Nigel's feelings for Chariss bring about changes in him that lift him to a new level of life. Oh yes, there is more than meets the eye in this dark, mysterious hero.
As the plot of Choices Meant for Gods unfolds, Chariss learns to cope with The Master, The Ultimate One's son and Kora's father, as He takes control of her training and her life and presses her to her limits. At one point, she retaliates in a way that shocks all the supernatural entities that see it. The Master did get a surprise also. She fought demons, monsters, and spells conjured by The Master as well as some conjured by Julette also called The Dragon, Evil incarnate, and SO much more.
Sandy Lender creates a world fraught with political maneuvering, debauchery, complacent mortals, and supernatural entities that are all bent on their own agendas. The symbolism and allegorical elements woven into the story make it rich and thought-provoking as well as mesmerizing as "geasna", spells, and all kinds of supernatural happenings engage the emotions, imagination, and intellect of the reader.
When Chariss calls Mahsilette, The Master's sister that has not visited the world in centuries and the goddess comes to her aid, The Master and others know her mission in life is of the Greatest Importance.
But what about her love for Nigel? Can it be or must it be sacrificed for the greater good? Many questions go unanswered in this book. There is a sequel. When the story ended with "To be continued", I knew I'd be looking for the sequel. I need answers.
Choices Meant for Gods is excellent reading and one to be read more than once--a KEEPER.
Originally posted at http://www.longandshortreviews.com
http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/choices-meant-for-gods-by-sandy-lender.html
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