ARC Review: Mine to Tarnish (Mine, #0.5) by Janeal Falor

Tags

arranged marriage, fantasy, indie author, indie book review, indies, janeal falor, mine series, mine to tarnish, novella, paranormal romance, self-published, series, ya, you are mine, young adult

Katherine’s place is the same as any woman’s—on the shelf next to the dresses and bolts of cloth. When she’s sold to a warlock, life grows even bleaker. Her new owner is as old and rancid as he is cruel, driving her to do the unthinkable: run.

Nothing prepared her for being on her own. And she’s definitely unprepared for the warlocks hunting her down. But she must stay one step ahead because if caught, the best she can hope for is death.

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

5 out of 5 stars

I don’t know why this novella has been incurring 2 and 2.5 star reviews. I enjoyed it very much and am not sure why the things that bothered the other reviewers did.

The Mine series takes place in the fantasy land of Chardonia where both men and women are born with magic in their blood, but only men can use it. Women are valued based on the amount of magic they will gain their husbands and their potential to bear powerful sons. This makes for an interesting twist on the traditional arranged marriage stories and Falor’s imagination builds a fascinating and original world of power hungry warlocks and daring rebels seeking change.

The plot:

I read You Are Mine, the proceeding novel to this story, first and was pleased to find the same tasteful balance of suspense and danger here. There were a few twists, a few turns, and more than enough action to keep me breezing through until I reached the end.

The characters:

Katherine is a supporting character in You Are Mine, so I was already a little acquainted with her, but it was nice to have a deeper look into her backstory and how she came to be who she is. From the very beginning, we see she has a rebellious, indomitable streak, but it takes awhile for that part of her to come out enough for her to take full control of her own life. She was a very brave character who I thoroughly enjoyed reading and didn’t give in when most other people would have.

I might be mistaken, but I think Charles and Mavis, two principle characters here, were both mentioned in You Are Mine. I very much appreciated how forgiving Katherine was toward Mavis and the budding romance between Katherine and Charles was incredibly sweet.

The main villain, Nigel, Katherine’s new owner and would-be husband, was disgustingly nasty and incredibly easy to loathe. He represented all that was wrong with Chardonian society—a warlock drunk on power with no respect for women, servants, or anyone he considers beneath him. (Though I could have cared less about him being old. I thought it more mattered that he was vindictive, cruel, and perverted.) I liked what happened to him at the end a bit too much and when he got his comeuppance, all that came to mind was, “Good for you, Katherine!”

I found this to be an exceptional piece of literature and I recommend it to people looking for a different kind of fantasy novel—one where the focus is less on swords and sorcery and more on courage and morality.

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{Author Interview + Giveaway} Janeal Falor

Tags

eBook, fantasy, Giveaway, indie author, indies, janeal falor, just for fun, magic, mine series, paranormal, self-published, series, ya, you are mine, young adult

Today the very awesome Janeal Falor has taken the time to drop by and talk a little about her YA fantasy series and herself! Take a peek at her answers to my wildly creative (okay, so maybe I’m exaggerating) questions and don’t forget to check out her links and the giveaway below!

Janeal Falor lives in Utah where she’s finally managed to live in the same house for more than five years without moving. In her spare time she reads books like they’re nuts covered in caramel and chocolate, cooks whatever strikes her fancy, and enjoys the outdoors. Her husband and three children try to keep up with her overactive imagination. Usually they settle for having dinner on the table, even if she’s still going on about the voices in her head.

What was the first book that made you want to write one?

Ooohhh. Good question! It’s been so long it’s hard to remember for certain, but it was probably A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. It transported me to another world in a way I could relate to and then made me want to figure out how to make that type of magic happen.

Where did you get the idea to write You Are Mine?
I had been reading a lot of marriage of convenience/arranged marriage-type books. Then I thought: What if these girls weren’t being sold off for money? What if they were being sold for something they had of great value, but something they couldn’t control. Something like–Magic! And You Are Mine took over my life.

Is there a particular character in the Mine series you consider to be the head villain? Who is it and why?

For the series it would be a toss up between the Grand Chancellor and the Chardonian society as a whole. Society’s ideals and expectations are what the heroines have to face and over come, but those ideals and expectations have been set, in large part, by the Grand Chancellor.

Do you have any writing rituals? What are they?

Being a homeschooling mother of three kids it’s hard just to find time to write. Because of that, I really don’t have any rituals. I have to write whenever, wherever, however I can. One thing I do have to have, though, is quiet. Noise distracts me to no end. Thank the stars children sleep and that libraries exist!

What do you think is the key ingredient to a good heroine?

Being relatable. If I can connect with a heroine, whether or not their circumstances are something I’ve been through, I can feel what they are feeling and cheer them on through whatever task they must overcome.

If you could have afternoon tea with any author, living or dead, who would it be?

Eep! So hard to choose just one. I don’t drink tea, but I’d love to have a cup of hot chocolate with Gail Carson Levine. Her stories are magic.

Thor or Ironman?

That’s like asking chocolate or caramel. Why both of course! Put them in the same movie, even better. Better yet, they can both come to my house. Wait, on second thought, I’d rather my house stay in one piece…

What’s a question you’ve wanted to be asked in an interview? What’s your answer?

I’ve wanted to be asked: Do you believe in happily ever after endings?

Why this is what I’ve wanted to be asked, no idea, but: Yes! Most definitely. Except… I believe very strongly in realistic happily ever afters. If there’s not a dose of realism, it’s hard not to roll my eyes and then not want to think about the story again. A touch of reality to endings makes the happiness more believable and usually gives me more to think about.

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My Review of You Are Mine

Giveaway

For an eBook copy of You Are Mine, leave a comment answering this question: Is fighting for your freedom worth it, even if someone you care about might get hurt?

Review: You Are Mine (Mine, #1) by Janeal Falor

Tags

book review, fantasy, indie author, janeal falor, magic, paranormal romance, self-published, series, you are mine, young adult

Serena knows a few simple things. She will always be owned by a warlock. She will never have freedom. She will always do what her warlock wishes, regardless of how inane, frivolous, or cruel it is. And if she doesn’t follow the rules, she will be tarnished. Spelled to be bald, inked, and barren for the rest of her life—worth less than the shadow she casts.

Then her ownership is won by a barbarian from another country. With the uncertainty that comes from belonging to a new warlock, Serena questions if being tarnished is really worse than being owned by a barbarian, and tempts fate by breaking the rules. When he looks the other way instead of punishing her, she discovers a new world. The more she ventures into the forbidden, the more she learns of love and a freedom just out of reach. Serena longs for both. But in a society where women are only ever property, hoping for more could be deadly.

Blurb and cover from Goodreads

5 out of 5 stars

First of all, I would like to lead a round of applause for Ms. Falor. You Are Mine deals with tough topics, mainly sexism, with an admirable amount of balance. Usually, books, movies, etc. that discuss women being treated as commodities end up sounding (to me) overtly feminist and going the other way. You Are Mine is an excellent tale of a young woman learning she doesn’t have to live on her knees, that not all men are domineering and abusive, and that things can change for the better if you are willing to fight for them.

The plot:

I finished this book essentially in one evening. While there isn’t so much action as in fighting, there is a firm helping of suspense to keep the reader from relaxing or getting too comfortable. I highly enjoyed the story’s progression and how very developed the plot is. Ms. Falor clearly put a great deal of effort into this story and I would say it more than paid off.

I can’t help but wonder why women can’t use the magic that flows in their veins. That part didn’t make sense to me and I began to wonder if it was due to some other oppression tactic from the Chardonian men. But it seems the Envadi women can’t use it either, so I suppose there is some other explanation.

The characters:

Serena, our main character, wants to be the good daughter, the good sister, and the eventual good wife, yet can’t help but be dissatisfied with her subservient station as a woman. I liked how the author shows Serena has the capability for spunk, but at the same time it is clear how many times Serena has been beaten down. It was wonderful to see how she slowly comes out of her shell once out from under her father’s iron thumb and how she begins to explore other, freer ways of living than what she has been subjected to her whole life.

Zade, the foreigner who wins Serena in a tournament, is a wonderful character. He secretly seeks to better the tyrannical conditions in Chardonia at extreme risk to himself and puts forth a great effort to protect Serena though he barely knows her. The budding romance between the two was a side note, but extremely sweet all the same.

I absolutely loathe Serena’s father. Councilman Stephen is controlling, arrogant, sadistic, vindictive, greedy, and downright horrid. However, he isn’t the only one in this story who fits that description, far from it. He merely makes a fine addition to this story’s cast of despicable antiheroes, who are too many to mention in detail.

The relationship between Serena and her sisters is touching and adds an extra layer to the storyline. Though the second oldest sister I don’t trust, she strikes me as potentially mercenary. It was tragic to learn how Serena’s mother was broken as a young woman and turned into a broodmare for their father, but explains why she is so adamant that Serena play the doormat. While she demands her daughters adhere to the rigid social conventions, it’s hard to hate her because one feels so sorry for her.

In summary, You Are Mine is a tale to keep you awake late at night. With no cardboard characters to be found and a sophisticated, clean plot, this is one that I highly, highly recommend.

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