Today, I have the pleasure of sharing my review of the e-book, The Bowdancer by Janie Franz, as part of her virtual book tour:
My Review of The Bowdancer
The Bowdancer by Janie Franz was a delightful treat to read and a well-realised fantasy story with a soft touch of romance. This e-book is short, only 31 pages, but it is teeming with a substantive, entertaining yarn. The plot centers on Jan-nell, the Bowdancer, and the village wedding at which she must perform certain duties. It is just another day in her life, until things take a decidedly unusual turn; Bastin and his men ask for shelter and aid from the village during the wedding ceremony. This complication brings romance and a choice for Jan-nell.
“The stranger’s dark beard masked his features, not allowing Jan- nell to determine whether he was mocking her or merely amused. He did not appear menacing though his voice was proud and revealed he obviously was used to getting his way.”
The world of Jan-nell is a very intriguing one and I liked the little touches the author uses to give the world depth. She manages to breathe a vibrant life into the book and create a character that is extremely easy to relate to and understand.
“But on this great night, the night of a wedding, she would not dance to the chants of tales of long ago, but to drums and bells and pipes alone, allowing the watchers to create their own hopes and blessings for the wedding couple.”
I did find the pacing a bit abrupt in a few of the beginning paragraphs; there were some instances where I had to re-read passage to understand the gist of what the author was trying to convey. Once you get into the meat of the story, however, the writing hums along without a problem. The only other complaint is that the book ends far too soon.
The Bowdancer is the first volume in Janie Franz’s Bowdancer Saga. I can happily recommend this book and look forward to the next instalment of the series.
You can find more information on the series here: The Bowdancer Saga
The Bowdancer is available at Breathless Press:
http://www.breathlesspress.com/erotic/romance/fantasy/the-bowdancer.html
Note: This book was provided free of charge by the author for this review.
7 comments:
Thank you for your honest review! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I also think the pacing problem at the beginning is due to the fact that at the time this was written I was a writer in transition, moving from short story (where you have to cram as much as possible into a few paragraphs to get on with your story) to the longer tale telling of the novel. While it does not forgive the pacing, it does explain it.
I'm definetely a fan of the book.
It's understandable that transitioning might cause a glitch or two; the minor pacing problem doesn't really detract from the rest of the story.
Great review, Anita. Bowdancer sounds like a wonderful story.
A.F. It's all part of the learning process. The more that I write fiction the more I'll learn and develop my style.
I don't usually read fantasy but your story sounds good and I think I may go read it.
Anita- I am a new follower from Bok Blog.
~Allison
http://luv-books.blogspot.com/
Nice to meet you Allison.
Allison, thanks for stopping by. I'm glad that you find The Bowdancer interesting. I'm not a romance reader myself--and in fact I'm surprised I'm writing in this genre. But the characters really appeal to me and I'm having fun creating a culture. Within that framework, it allows me to explore ideas and issues.
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