Chrys Cymri

First off, I have to say that I thought this to be a very well-written, polished story with great descriptions and narrative/dialogue. I like to consider my review through the eyes of the target audience, but I genuinely feel there is a little in this book for everyone, if you enjoy fantasy and have a little imagination that is...
The story centres around Fianna, the heir to her father's kingdom, though his new bride is expecting their son and a woman cannot inherit the throne if the King dies and a boy child lives... That is an interesting enough plot right there for me, but M/s Cymri throws in age-old alliances with a family of time-travelling dragons, a vengeful and antagonistic aunt who hungers for vengeance and power, political intrigue and jostling for position at court, and even some magical unicorns who will become central to the story and are supposed to be Fianna's and the dragon's enemies!!!
It all adds up to a wonderful ride which fans of fantasy will enjoy I am sure, especially as the novel is only part one of a two-part story which contains an interesting cliffhanger that will leave the reader begging for more.
So, why only 4 stars? Well, I wanted to give it 4.5 but 4 stars is an extremely good marking for a start. I merely thought it not quite worthy of a five because the pace of the first half of the novel was a little slow for me; I thoroughly enjoyed the parts involving Fianna, but not so the journey of The Prancer (the main unicorn) which I felt was a trifle laboured. That's personal taste I suppose and I have to admit that once Fianna was crowned/they actually met, the story quickened noticeably somewhere around that point and became a much more interesting/exciting read. Had the novel maintained that pace all the way through, it would have been 5 stars.
I would thoroughly recommend this book to fans of fantasy. I would encourage you to persevere with it if like me you like fast-paced stories. I believe you will not be disappointed. I also think the sequel should be fantastic, as the writer clearly has tremendous skill in both writing and editing.… (mais)

Well written

This is a very interesting story with a different spin on urban fantasy. A female vicar (Church of England, I guess) ministers to people and creatures. There is a large amount of religious discussion, some that made me want to grab a bible and check for unicorns - that's how good the writing was. Very complex characters and intriguing interactions.

The only quibble: the central mystery is only partially solved.

If you a rabidly atheist or staunchly against any hint of scripture in your fantasy, don't read this.

It's not proselytizing, though. It's more looking through the day to day life of a small church preacher.… (mais)