The Akoran Trilogy by Josie Litton
Title: Dream Island
Author: Josie Litton
Rating: B-
Cover:
Summary: Royce, Earl of Hawkforte, works for the government. He goes to Akora to try to talk to the Vanax, the leader, but disappears en route. Joanna, his sister and the only person left of their family, goes to London in hopes of getting aid to help Royce. The only person who can help her, Lord Alex Darcourt, Prince of Akora, refuses to help her, so Joanna takes matters into her own hands. She boards the Prince's ship bound for Akora in search for her brother. Joanna, whom has the gift to find what is lost, injures herself while stowing away. Alex finds her and with no options, reluctantly decides to help her. She meets Alex's sister, Princess Kassandra who also shares a gift. She can see possible futures, like the doomed princess of Troy. What she sees is the invasion and conquering of Akora by the British. Troubles abound in Akora, a paradise that is like Ancient Greece preserved in time, where changes need to be made, but opposition abounds. Heading one group is the Radicals whom want big changes to the extent of Revolution, such as France, while a group wants no change and wants to stick with the traditions. The Vanax is in the middle wanting small changes, but Delios, a treacherous councilman, wants to overthrow him. As Joanna and Alex fall in love, she discovers where he is and goes to save him. He is almost dead from deprevation and exhaustion when they find him held in captivity on one of the islands. He is taken back to the palace to be treated, but when he awakens, he is terrified because he was supposedly held captive because the Vanax wanted him held prisoner. Joanna and her brother flee back to England, leaving Alex on Akora. A couple months go by and Alex returns, but finds that her feelings haven't changed for him. Royce listens to Joanna's council and decided to talk to Alex. He learns that it was not the Vanax, but Delios who imprisoned him. Alex is almost murdered, but recovers and Joanna is kidnapped by Delios. After a fight at sea, Alex rescues Delios, who is swept away by the sea. Without a boat, the tide carries them from Brighton to Hawkforte, where they await Royce and decide to marry. The novel ends with Royce sleeping in the garden and Kassandra dreaming of him.
Review: I really wanted to love this book. I really did. It took me a month to read it when I first bought it. I hated it. I felt let down after reading the Viking Trilogy. Partially because it was so far in the future of the first trilogy. At first I did not really care for the Regency setting. I thought the time was too frivolous and that English society involved in too much excess and waste. Let me not even get into the topic of the French Revolution and the French/English war. Let me just say that there is a lot of anger in me on that topic. Over time I came to like the novel and now, while it's my least favorite of all the books, I've come to like parts of it. I especially liked the fictional Akora. My favorite parts, well, almost all, took place of the island of Akora. I do have to admit that almost anything with Royce in it was great. I do so love him. But Alex I found rather irksome. I tried to like him. It just wasn't happening. Maybe I'm just too partial to the "wounded-hero" thing. I do like the set-up that starts out in this book to continue throughout the trilogy. And I must praise the fact that Hawkeforte is the same. Well, for the most part. I find it hard to read family sagas because I hate to see the characters age and die and such. Very saddening because I become attatched to them.
Title: Kingdom of Moonlight
Author: Josie Litton
Rating: A-
Cover:
Summary: Kassandra, Princess of Akora, comes to England as she had always dreamed. Under the pretense of keeping the very pregnant Joanna company, Kassandra can experience England without the diplomatic responsibilities. With Joanna incopacitated to take her to the sites and Alex's duties, Royce agrees to be Kassandra's guide. They begin to grow close, when the sudden death of the Prime Minister and the return of the rebellious Luddites, causes Alex to send Kassandra and Joanna to Akora for safety soon after the baby arrives. As a suprise, Royce comes along on "official duty for the Prince Regent," while Alex remains in England. Kassandra's visions continue, but she tells no one, except Royce who discovered it just after Joanna's child was born. When they arrive back on Akora, it is time for their version of the old Greek "games." Royce decides to join in on the competitions and becomes fast friends with Atreus, the Vanax. When the chariot race Atreus was in goes awry in the form of a bombing, leaving him gravely injured, Akora is without a leader, when one comes in the form of Kassandra. She steps in to try to keep order, while still having visions, which take a new twist, Delios is alove. Problems start arising again, and Delios returns, wanting Atreus dead. Throughout everything, Royce stays by Kassandra's side and falls in love with her. Since Atreus has not awoken, she must decide whether he should get surgery to releave the pressure on his brain that is causing his coma. Before she can decide, she lures Delios to try to kill him, but he flees when Royce discovers them. Royce follows him to Deimatos, one of the islands, also Delios' family's land and where Royce was held captive. There, Royce traps and captures Delios. Soon after Delios is captured, Atreus awakens and Royce goes back to England. He throws himself into his work, since he is hurt over Kassandra's secret that she was going to sacrifice herself to stop Delios and the thought that she didn't trust him. He accepts an invitation to Lady Melbourne's, the Spider, party after the insistence that she knows who was helping Delios, the leader of the Whigs, Lord Gray. Royce asks to meet Gray the next morning, which everyone assumed was a duel. He takes his parting gift from Atreus, a pot. When the two meet the next morning, Royce throws the pot, which instantly turns into a fire that cannot be put out. Realizing what it was, Greek Fire, Gray realizes he was warned not to bother planning an invasion of Akora, that it would just cause more death and accomplish nothing. He heads off to Hawkforte having accomplished what he needed to do. That same morning, Kassandra arrives in London and hears Royce was involved in a duel. She worries that she may not every see him again and goes to Hawkforte with Joanna and Alex when she hears that he's uninjured. They decide to get married and Royce becomes the official diplomat to Akora for England. The novel ends with Atreus deciding to go to England, where his bride is.
Review: As I mentioned above, I love Royce. I do. And so I loved this book. He is a great character and the story between Kassandra and Royce is my favorite in this trilogy. They work so well off of each other and Kassandra is just such a strong female heroine. I loved seeing her step forward as the impromptu leader. Like I said in previous reviews, one of my favorite things to read is historical romance/fiction. I like learning things that I would otherwise not have learned about. Such as the Luddites. I know from history books their were rebellions and such, but they never stated the name "General Ludd's Army." I find that fiction writers include more specific details than regular texts. I liked this book since my first reading and I have to say, I think it is partially because so much of it takes place on Akora. I like the similarities and differences there are between the ancient Greeks and the Akorans. I also like the way that Akora is a bit of an enigma and that no one knows much about it unless they are Akoran.
Title: Castles In The Mist
Author: Josie Litton
Rating: B+
Cover:
Summary: Atreus, Vanax of Akora, goes to England to find the woman he must marry. He already knows who she is and what her name is. He awoke from his coma to stare into the face of the woman he searched years for. In the secret ritual he underwent to be the "chosen" leader of Akora, Atreus had a vision of woman with no name. He knew he must marry her or he would fail in his duty to Akora. Until his accident, he had no name for the red-haired woman who haunted his dreams. He learned she was Brianna, a woman who arrived on Akora as an orphaned child, raised by an Akoran family, whom has the ability to control the wind. She is haunted by a childhood memory, the death of her parents on their journey to Akora. She left to travel to England in search of the family she is determined to find. At a dinner party, a man, the Lord of Holyhood, recognizes her as his cousin's daughter. Atreus comes to England. He meets with Royce and Alex and tells them he is marrying Brianna, even though she does not even know. This amuses them, but they are inclined to help him. After courting her and spending time with her in England, Atreus tells her he must leave for Akora and he wants her to come back with him, but he also has a secret. The Earl of Holyhood had also issued Brianna an invitation, but his was to stay in England. Brianna decides to go back with Atreus. Soon after their arrival, Atreus' trial against Delios begins. Delios denies everything and with the help of a few supporters, he gets freed. He kidnaps Brianna. Atreus finds out and goes to rescue her. Atreus and Delios fight, but Delios kills himself rather than be killed. Before he dies, he tells Brianna it was Atreus who killed her parents. That when they were boys, they were in warrior training when a French navy boat came and there was a brief battle and Atreus gave the order to use the cannons on the other ship, which had Brianna and her parents on it. She is upset, but realizes he had no choice. Atreus goes to his cabin for some time alone and Brianna is almost ready to leave, but after talking to his mother, whom arrived from her trip to America, Brianna realizes she's in love with Atreus. She walks up the mountain to the spot where Atreus' cabin is and they decide to get married.
Review: This is the shortest novel of Ms. Litton's. I can't say it's my favorite, nor is it my least favorite. I have to say I'm rather indifferent. I find Brianna's character rather bland after the adventerous Joanna and the colorful Kassandra. And I find myself oh, so irked on behalf of Wolf, Cymbra, Dragon, Rycca, Hawk, and Krysta. It seems that they are just a fable and not real to their descendants. I must say that I do like Atreus' character. The artist bound by duty. My favorite part would be the frog catching. There was just something about little William, which I just was thrilled to learn he was in the 3rd trilogy. I was rather glad to see Delios finally die. He needed to be killed off awhile back. For the most part, I enjoyed everything that took place in England, but the charm and everything about Akora was not as interesting as the previous two books in the trilogy. My favorite part that took place in Akora was actually Atreus telling Brianna and remembering the trial of selection.
Coming Tomorrow:
My review of the Josie Litton "Fountains" trilogy.
Also Coming Soon:
- Mary Balogh's Slightly Series
- Gaelen Foley's Knight Miscellany
- Claire Delacroix's Bride Quest series, Jewels of Kiltorren trilogy, and the Rogue trilogy.
- Madeline Hunter's Seducer series
- Amanda Scott's Secret Clan series and Prince series
Author: Josie Litton
Rating: B-
Cover:
Summary: Royce, Earl of Hawkforte, works for the government. He goes to Akora to try to talk to the Vanax, the leader, but disappears en route. Joanna, his sister and the only person left of their family, goes to London in hopes of getting aid to help Royce. The only person who can help her, Lord Alex Darcourt, Prince of Akora, refuses to help her, so Joanna takes matters into her own hands. She boards the Prince's ship bound for Akora in search for her brother. Joanna, whom has the gift to find what is lost, injures herself while stowing away. Alex finds her and with no options, reluctantly decides to help her. She meets Alex's sister, Princess Kassandra who also shares a gift. She can see possible futures, like the doomed princess of Troy. What she sees is the invasion and conquering of Akora by the British. Troubles abound in Akora, a paradise that is like Ancient Greece preserved in time, where changes need to be made, but opposition abounds. Heading one group is the Radicals whom want big changes to the extent of Revolution, such as France, while a group wants no change and wants to stick with the traditions. The Vanax is in the middle wanting small changes, but Delios, a treacherous councilman, wants to overthrow him. As Joanna and Alex fall in love, she discovers where he is and goes to save him. He is almost dead from deprevation and exhaustion when they find him held in captivity on one of the islands. He is taken back to the palace to be treated, but when he awakens, he is terrified because he was supposedly held captive because the Vanax wanted him held prisoner. Joanna and her brother flee back to England, leaving Alex on Akora. A couple months go by and Alex returns, but finds that her feelings haven't changed for him. Royce listens to Joanna's council and decided to talk to Alex. He learns that it was not the Vanax, but Delios who imprisoned him. Alex is almost murdered, but recovers and Joanna is kidnapped by Delios. After a fight at sea, Alex rescues Delios, who is swept away by the sea. Without a boat, the tide carries them from Brighton to Hawkforte, where they await Royce and decide to marry. The novel ends with Royce sleeping in the garden and Kassandra dreaming of him.
Review: I really wanted to love this book. I really did. It took me a month to read it when I first bought it. I hated it. I felt let down after reading the Viking Trilogy. Partially because it was so far in the future of the first trilogy. At first I did not really care for the Regency setting. I thought the time was too frivolous and that English society involved in too much excess and waste. Let me not even get into the topic of the French Revolution and the French/English war. Let me just say that there is a lot of anger in me on that topic. Over time I came to like the novel and now, while it's my least favorite of all the books, I've come to like parts of it. I especially liked the fictional Akora. My favorite parts, well, almost all, took place of the island of Akora. I do have to admit that almost anything with Royce in it was great. I do so love him. But Alex I found rather irksome. I tried to like him. It just wasn't happening. Maybe I'm just too partial to the "wounded-hero" thing. I do like the set-up that starts out in this book to continue throughout the trilogy. And I must praise the fact that Hawkeforte is the same. Well, for the most part. I find it hard to read family sagas because I hate to see the characters age and die and such. Very saddening because I become attatched to them.
Title: Kingdom of Moonlight
Author: Josie Litton
Rating: A-
Cover:
Summary: Kassandra, Princess of Akora, comes to England as she had always dreamed. Under the pretense of keeping the very pregnant Joanna company, Kassandra can experience England without the diplomatic responsibilities. With Joanna incopacitated to take her to the sites and Alex's duties, Royce agrees to be Kassandra's guide. They begin to grow close, when the sudden death of the Prime Minister and the return of the rebellious Luddites, causes Alex to send Kassandra and Joanna to Akora for safety soon after the baby arrives. As a suprise, Royce comes along on "official duty for the Prince Regent," while Alex remains in England. Kassandra's visions continue, but she tells no one, except Royce who discovered it just after Joanna's child was born. When they arrive back on Akora, it is time for their version of the old Greek "games." Royce decides to join in on the competitions and becomes fast friends with Atreus, the Vanax. When the chariot race Atreus was in goes awry in the form of a bombing, leaving him gravely injured, Akora is without a leader, when one comes in the form of Kassandra. She steps in to try to keep order, while still having visions, which take a new twist, Delios is alove. Problems start arising again, and Delios returns, wanting Atreus dead. Throughout everything, Royce stays by Kassandra's side and falls in love with her. Since Atreus has not awoken, she must decide whether he should get surgery to releave the pressure on his brain that is causing his coma. Before she can decide, she lures Delios to try to kill him, but he flees when Royce discovers them. Royce follows him to Deimatos, one of the islands, also Delios' family's land and where Royce was held captive. There, Royce traps and captures Delios. Soon after Delios is captured, Atreus awakens and Royce goes back to England. He throws himself into his work, since he is hurt over Kassandra's secret that she was going to sacrifice herself to stop Delios and the thought that she didn't trust him. He accepts an invitation to Lady Melbourne's, the Spider, party after the insistence that she knows who was helping Delios, the leader of the Whigs, Lord Gray. Royce asks to meet Gray the next morning, which everyone assumed was a duel. He takes his parting gift from Atreus, a pot. When the two meet the next morning, Royce throws the pot, which instantly turns into a fire that cannot be put out. Realizing what it was, Greek Fire, Gray realizes he was warned not to bother planning an invasion of Akora, that it would just cause more death and accomplish nothing. He heads off to Hawkforte having accomplished what he needed to do. That same morning, Kassandra arrives in London and hears Royce was involved in a duel. She worries that she may not every see him again and goes to Hawkforte with Joanna and Alex when she hears that he's uninjured. They decide to get married and Royce becomes the official diplomat to Akora for England. The novel ends with Atreus deciding to go to England, where his bride is.
Review: As I mentioned above, I love Royce. I do. And so I loved this book. He is a great character and the story between Kassandra and Royce is my favorite in this trilogy. They work so well off of each other and Kassandra is just such a strong female heroine. I loved seeing her step forward as the impromptu leader. Like I said in previous reviews, one of my favorite things to read is historical romance/fiction. I like learning things that I would otherwise not have learned about. Such as the Luddites. I know from history books their were rebellions and such, but they never stated the name "General Ludd's Army." I find that fiction writers include more specific details than regular texts. I liked this book since my first reading and I have to say, I think it is partially because so much of it takes place on Akora. I like the similarities and differences there are between the ancient Greeks and the Akorans. I also like the way that Akora is a bit of an enigma and that no one knows much about it unless they are Akoran.
Title: Castles In The Mist
Author: Josie Litton
Rating: B+
Cover:
Summary: Atreus, Vanax of Akora, goes to England to find the woman he must marry. He already knows who she is and what her name is. He awoke from his coma to stare into the face of the woman he searched years for. In the secret ritual he underwent to be the "chosen" leader of Akora, Atreus had a vision of woman with no name. He knew he must marry her or he would fail in his duty to Akora. Until his accident, he had no name for the red-haired woman who haunted his dreams. He learned she was Brianna, a woman who arrived on Akora as an orphaned child, raised by an Akoran family, whom has the ability to control the wind. She is haunted by a childhood memory, the death of her parents on their journey to Akora. She left to travel to England in search of the family she is determined to find. At a dinner party, a man, the Lord of Holyhood, recognizes her as his cousin's daughter. Atreus comes to England. He meets with Royce and Alex and tells them he is marrying Brianna, even though she does not even know. This amuses them, but they are inclined to help him. After courting her and spending time with her in England, Atreus tells her he must leave for Akora and he wants her to come back with him, but he also has a secret. The Earl of Holyhood had also issued Brianna an invitation, but his was to stay in England. Brianna decides to go back with Atreus. Soon after their arrival, Atreus' trial against Delios begins. Delios denies everything and with the help of a few supporters, he gets freed. He kidnaps Brianna. Atreus finds out and goes to rescue her. Atreus and Delios fight, but Delios kills himself rather than be killed. Before he dies, he tells Brianna it was Atreus who killed her parents. That when they were boys, they were in warrior training when a French navy boat came and there was a brief battle and Atreus gave the order to use the cannons on the other ship, which had Brianna and her parents on it. She is upset, but realizes he had no choice. Atreus goes to his cabin for some time alone and Brianna is almost ready to leave, but after talking to his mother, whom arrived from her trip to America, Brianna realizes she's in love with Atreus. She walks up the mountain to the spot where Atreus' cabin is and they decide to get married.
Review: This is the shortest novel of Ms. Litton's. I can't say it's my favorite, nor is it my least favorite. I have to say I'm rather indifferent. I find Brianna's character rather bland after the adventerous Joanna and the colorful Kassandra. And I find myself oh, so irked on behalf of Wolf, Cymbra, Dragon, Rycca, Hawk, and Krysta. It seems that they are just a fable and not real to their descendants. I must say that I do like Atreus' character. The artist bound by duty. My favorite part would be the frog catching. There was just something about little William, which I just was thrilled to learn he was in the 3rd trilogy. I was rather glad to see Delios finally die. He needed to be killed off awhile back. For the most part, I enjoyed everything that took place in England, but the charm and everything about Akora was not as interesting as the previous two books in the trilogy. My favorite part that took place in Akora was actually Atreus telling Brianna and remembering the trial of selection.
Coming Tomorrow:
My review of the Josie Litton "Fountains" trilogy.
Also Coming Soon:
- Mary Balogh's Slightly Series
- Gaelen Foley's Knight Miscellany
- Claire Delacroix's Bride Quest series, Jewels of Kiltorren trilogy, and the Rogue trilogy.
- Madeline Hunter's Seducer series
- Amanda Scott's Secret Clan series and Prince series