Thursday, April 3, 2014

The Archers of Avalon

Allow me to start out this post by just saying that I am seriously shaking from excitement as I write this. I JUST set down my Nook after finishing the thrilling conclusion to Chelsea Fine's The Archers of Avalon series. I know this isn't her newest book, but I still really wanted to share my thoughts with you guys. For those of you unfamiliar with Chelsea Fine here is some information about her!



Chelsea lives in Phoenix, Arizona where she spends most of her time writing stories, painting murals, and avoiding housework at all costs. She’s ridiculously bad at doing dishes and claims to be allergic to laundry. Her obsessions include: superheroes, coffee, sleeping-in, and crazy socks. She lives with her husband and two children, who graciously tolerate her inability to resist teenage drama on TV and her complete lack of skill in the kitchen.




Now that we are somewhat familiar with Chelsea, let me say a little about this amazing book series. 

I read a lot. I mean A LOT of paranormal "young person" novels, many of which are series. I can honestly say with complete truth that it has been a very long time since a fantasy series pulled me in the way Archers has. The trilogy (Anew, Awry, and Avow) is different from anything else I have ever read. It's funny, it's romantic, it's historic, it's amazing. Since I read all the books in one sitting, I am going to discuss the overall series as a whole and try not to put any spoilers, which is really hard! Here is an official Goodread synopsis and a little information about each of the three novels in the trilogy. 


Anew
Two years ago, Scarlet awoke in the forest alone, afraid, and unable to remember anything. Lost and confused, her life was a mystery...until she met a boy with a familiar voice.

Gabriel Archer has a voice from her past, and Scarlet's determined to remember why. She immerses herself in his life only to discover he has a brother he's kept hidden from her: Tristan Archer.

Upon meeting Tristan, Scarlet's world becomes even more muddled. While she's instinctively drawn to Gabriel, she's impossibly drawn to Tristan--and confused out of her mind. As she tries to piece together her history Scarlet realizes her past...might just be the death of her.







Awry
Three curses. Two brothers. One love triangle.
Sometimes love is meant to be. But sometimes...love is the death of you.

Seventeen-year-old Scarlet has just died. Only, dying isn't unusual for a girl under a centuries old curse that left her semi-immortal.

This time, though, she comes back to her current life instead of awaking in a new one, and she realizes her curse is changing. With the help of the immortal Archer brothers, Scarlet tries to piece together her life and break the curse before her impending death comes again.

 
Avow
Scarlet remembers. Everything. Her past lives, Tristan, Gabriel, Nate: she remembers it all--including how to get to the Fountain of Youth. But time is running out.

Heather and Gabriel have been kidnapped by Raven, while the curse that has plagued Scarlet and Tristan for centuries has shifted, putting the star-crossed lovers in more danger than ever before. Water from the Fountain of Youth is the only thing that can save Scarlet and her loved ones. But the water comes at a price.

With lives--and hearts--at stake, Scarlet leads her friends on a dangerous journey to the Fountain of Youth. Where eternal life is possible, but death is certain.
 
 




Without going into too many details, I’d like to say what I found appealing about this series. As a HUGE history buff, I loved that the series took place over a series of 500 years (well, kind of) as told through flashbacks through the different characters POV. I will admit I was a little confused at times as to who was speaking where, but overall, I think this was one of the most well written multi-POV stories I had ever read. 

Character wise, this is where most of you will love this series. The series does not only focus upon the life of Scarlet (our female heroine), but also focuses upon the Archer brothers, Gabriel and Tristan (who form the “love triangle” for the series), and the two best friends Nate and Heather. All five characters play a major role in the story and each of them has an entire story of their own. Honestly that is how well written this series is. Any reader will quickly understand how special this series really is. 

The story line for these novels is an awesome original idea. Honestly, how many books are talking about teenagers looking for the Fountain of Youth? Not many! The storytelling is phenomenal as well. Fine has quite the way with words and never leaves her readers unsatisfied. That being said, I hope once you start this series you have time to finish it, because each book ends with a MAJOR cliffhanger that leaves you clawing to get your hands on the next book! Seriously guys, it really is THAT good. 

Honestly, I could review and chat about this book all night long, but I really think the reviews speak for themselves, on Goodreads alone the three books have garnered over 18,000 combined ratings with an average rating well above 4/5 for each book in the trilogy! 

I have never met Chelsea Fine personally (I have connected with her via Twitter), but when I eventually get the opportunity to meet this amazing author, I will definitely be singing the praises of The Archers of Avalon series. Hands down, one of the best series I have read in a very long time. Check out all the links below to learn more about Chelsea Fine, The Archers of Avalon, and to get your copies now! 

Chelsea Fine's official website: http://chelseafinebooks.com/ 



Chelsea Fine on Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/chelsea-fine
 
***Note***
I've also recently read Chelsea Fine's The Best Kind of Broken and let me just say now, it's amazing and will be getting it's own post as soon as I get some more time. Be on the lookout! 

Until next time, Happy Reading!
-Ethan 



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