Book Review: The Seahorse Legacy by Serena Chase

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Title: The Seahorse Legacy

Author: Serena Chase

Series: Eyes of E'veria #3

Genre: Fantasy/FairyTale

Audience: Young Adult

~ MY REVIEW ~ 

**5 stars**

Oooh … I have just finished reading an utterly thrilling fantasy/fairytale retelling. Did I ever mention to you that EYES OF E’VERIA by Serena Chase is a fantastic series? The Seahorse Legacy is the third book to this series, and I was quite blown away!

At the wedding party for the Ryn and her beloved, Erielle de Gladiel dances obliviously with many a handsome young man, enjoying herself quite immensely, for the most part. With her new knighthood, and her big brother and dear friend so happily in love, she at ease with life.

     But from the shadows, a darkly handsome pirate watches her silently, knowingly. A deep secret burns within him, not letting him be. A secret pertaining to keeping his Legacy alive that will effect wild, green-eyed Erielle more than she could ever know.

     And in the land beyond the ballroom, strange and terrible disappearances are being reported far and wide.

     Will the rakish Cazien de Pollis and hot-headed Erielle be able to do as The First calls them to? Or will their selfish desires bring things to utter ruin?

Ah! Excuse me while I fangirl a little! *grins* Daring, sea-faring adventures in fantasy realm with a fairytale touch at its best!! After loving The Ryn and The Remedy, I was captured entirely by The Seahorse Legacy; it exceeding my expectations. Serena Chase writes with such fantastical touch! I was delighted again and again by the fairytale-ish wonders I found within her third novel! What beauty! What mythic!

The whole tale sent a shivery thrill through my heart; and not to mention, a romantic one, as I watched this epic love story unfold between pirate and lady knight. (Mind you, it hasn’t quite yet all the way unfolded). I was delighted with Julien and Rynnaia’s new roles as husband and wife, and it was fun to connect with their characters this way. And it was great to reunite with all the others as well.

Cazien!! What is it about that roguish, brooding, altogether too handsome, young pirate? *winks* He’s unforgettable and epic at once. I was so excited to read his story after finishing The Remedy! A witty, sarcastic, and delightfully entertaining heart-breaker for sure! It was lovely to journey along with him and watch him mature and grow and encounter The First in a beautiful way. He’s the best, *grins* I can’t wait to read more about this intriguing character.

Erielle was a lovely heroine at points, and a spoiled little girl at other moments. She had a lot to learn in The Seahorse Legacy, and as with Cazien, I am so excited to find out what happens next in her story.

The romance of this book … was great! Nothing like an arranged marriage (by order of The First, mind you) between two stubborn, fiery, and imperfect individuals. At some points I felt a tinge of disappointment at how things were going, but in the end, it worked out just perfectly! (Except for it didn’t quite … end … oh where is book 4??)

A note to follow that. The Seahorse Legacy definitely seems to be in a whole new category than the first two books when it comes to audience. While I was perfectly alright with letting my twelve-year-old sister read The Ryn, I was a little less certain with The Remedy, and definitely won’t be having her read The Seahorse Legacy until she’s a mite older. There’s some violence/gore/creepy feel that goes a bit beyond what the first two books had; and also some mature themes throughout the book: (scenes concerning women getting attacked; a certain few horrid moments with an evil, lecherous pirate; and a scandalous, though actually innocent, incident between a young woman and man. Also some conversations about indiscretion). There was a little bit of crudeness too. Which I could certainly have done without …

The interactions between Cazien and Erielle, and Julien and Erielle. Oh, this heroine is going to lead you on a wild ride. Fiery, headstrong, and clever, yet with a fair amount of naivety, she’ll have you on the edge of your seat. She certainly did me! I was shaking my head, “You foolish girl!” And then of course, we had a certain young man step in, obscured by mist …

Sorry. Before I give too much away, I’ll stop. Just read this series. I don't believe that you will regret it! *smiles*

As always, I must mention the allegory. EYES OF E’VERIA has a wonderful Christian allegory, I feel. Very good. Perhaps one of the best I’ve read. I LOVE the encounters between our characters and the Creator. I love how Serena Chase deals with nasty issues like arrogance and selfishness. I love how she creates special moments that a loving God gives his precious children. Ah, you have to read The Seahorse Legacy (and the first two books) for that wonderful parable even if you don’t exactly love fantasy or fairytale! ^_^

If you haven’t read my reviews of the other books in this series, there is “magic”, or special abilities and such. But the supernatural abilities come either from The First (for the good people) or a deep evil (for the bad people). I find the magical part of EYES OF E'VERIA enchanting and mysterious for the most part.

So yes. EYES OF E'VERIA is an adventurous, romantic, mystical series filled with tales in fantasy setting and brilliant fairytale feel. I loved The Seahorse Legacy, and absolutely can hardly wait to read The Sunken Realm!!

Book Review: The Remedy by Serena Chase

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Title: The Remedy

Author: Serena Chase

Series: Eyes of E'veria #2

Genre: Fantasy/FairyTale

Audience: Young Adult

~ MY REVIEW ~

**5 stars**

A lovely sequel to The Ryn, The Remedy continues with adventure, excitement, drama, and love. It was easy to return to its pages and journey along with Princess Rynnaia. And what an incredible journey! Thrilling and mysterious to say some.

Now that Rose knows she's the crown princess, Rynnaia, and also the prophesied Ryn, she sets out with her "brother" Kinley, Knight Julien, his older brother, younger sister, Erielle, and a few other brave souls to seek the remedy to the Cobeld's curse. Many dangers assail them. Mysteries are undone, and important things are realized.

I'm left breathlessly wondering what will happen next! This is a great fantasy series, with a Christian allegory ever present, plenty of adventure, and a good amount of beautiful romance. I appreciate Serena Chase putting in little lessons about pride, especially since our main character is "The Ryn", quite a popular figure. Also, the romance was sweet, though a bit more mature than in The Ryn I believe. Erielle developed even more in this book, and I'm so excited to read more about her. Oh, and Cazian the pirate. I'm so intrigued by his strange behavior. And Erielle's green eyes!! The Seahorse Legacy is going to be epic I think! *grins*

A complaint ... A few times I felt that Rynnaia was revered a bit too much. She's only human after all. Appointed the Ryn by The First, able to do all this stuff because of Him, given all her gifts and abilities by Him. None of it she attained herself. And while this is said clearly in the book, I still felt she was revered too much at times. The pride scene did help me feel better about that. ***SPOILER ALERT*** But when she "defeats" Cobeld, who I assume represents Satan, I was left quite confused. Yes, she did it only through The First (God), but still, people said, "You defeated Cobeld". Which only God can do. Our only hope of "defeating" Satan, is through Christ living in us. Him. He's the only one who can destroy evil. So that's what happens to a certain extent, but ... I don't know. Read it and see what you think! ***SPOILER ALERT ENDS***

Anyway, overall it was an amazing read. I love the magical, whimsical, fae, fairy feel. Yes, lots of words that mean basically the same thing. But I just felt I had to use them all in order to convey how lovely this storyworld really is. I love fairytales!!! The Ryn, The Remedy, and The Seahorse Legacy are all supposed to have perhaps multiple fairytale retellings woven into their lines. So The Remedy was grand. I felt it portrayed a Christian allegory in a very good, beautiful way for the most part. Very lovely as well.

As I mentioned maybe a few times, I'm so excited to read The Seahorse Legacy. This series is enthralling, people. If you like fantasy, Christian allegories, fairytales, adventures ... you should really try it out! *smiles*

Book Review: The Ryn by Serena Chase

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Title: The Ryn

Author: Serena Chase

Series: Eyes of E'veria #1

Genre: Fantasy/FairyTale

Audience: Young Adult

~ MY REVIEW ~ 

**5 stars**

Enthralling. The Ryn was a mixture of fairytale retelling and fantasy, with a beautiful allegory woven throughout. I believe the retellings included Snow White and Rose Red and Sleeping Beauty. The fantasy world was rich, and whimsical, and enthralling. And the allegory very evident, taking a prominent place amidst the adventure and intrigue of this tale.

In The Ryn we meet Rose, a rather independent red-headed girl of sixteen. She lives with the Whittiers, a family who've become like parents and brothers to her. As for her true, blood-related family, she's only heard that her mother died and her father is unable to see her. She has to do strange things, like dye her red hair black, occasionally move to a whole new location and family, and is forbidden to know her real father's name.

     She's never really questioned these oddities. Until strange things began happening. Rumors of frightening creatures called Cobelds. A letter from the king. A meeting with a bear-man. A poem about a girl with jeweled-blue eyes and flame red hair ...

     Is she Rose? Or is there more to her life than she could have ever imagined?

Truly a stunning debut from Serena Chase. This novel had everything one could want from a fairytale. It was so beautifully imaginative, so fae and sweet. Yet its plot held my attention, its characters captured my notice.

The romance of The Ryn was truly lovely. It started as a friendship, and grew gently in something more. There were little moments between Rose and her knight that were so much more than physical attraction, but rather things that pointed to a true and deep love. It was so sweet, so beautifully unfolded! Very much a sweet, young love story that you don't see very much in books these days. *sigh*  … what a chivalrous knight! ^_^

I wasn't expecting much of a Christian allegory when I picked up this novel, but I was greatly surprised. The depth and feeling of the allegory in The Ryn moved me to tears more than once. It was bold, and beautiful, and ever so heartfelt. When I say Christian allegories make things realer than life, I mean books like The Ryn. What an amazing testimony of God's infinite love and power. My heart was touched. Serena Chase fantastically wove fairytale with Christian allegory, it was perfect, *happily smiles*

The Ryn is definitely an adventure. From Storytellers, to Andoven, to pirates, to ennikkas, we never stop being surprised and delighted. Its an epic story from beginning to end. A fight against ancient evil. A journey to the heart of the Creator. A path to knowing oneself and their destiny ...

I would say the preferred audience for The Ryn would be about 14 and up ... but I think 12 and up would be fine too. There is a near kiss, hand holding, and talk of romantic feelings, but that's as far as the romance goes. As for violence and gore, there's nothing really of that. Cobelds may be a bit frightening to younger children. All in all, for those who enjoy fairytale, Christian allegories, fantasy, and even just historical settings and adventures ... do try out this book!!

As for myself, I'm excited to get started on The Remedy and then The Seahorse Legacy. I have found a series to cherish!