Helen LoweReviews

I was confused by the storyline at first, but finished with a "Wow". I'm loving this series more and more--happy that it will be 4 books instead of a trilogy. I'll also be picking up the writers' 1st work just to see where she started.

Well worth a read for any fantasy fan.

Undoubtedly well-written and overall conceptually brilliant, it just did not engage me as I'd hoped. I'm not certain as to why. Maybe it was just individual preference but I was switching off when I should have been hooked. A real shame because I so wanted to enjoy this book. I have purchased book two and three and would normally be delving straight in to the sequel, but somehow I'm craving a change of pace/genre? I think I will read them at some point....

I was skeptical. However I liked it. But, if you don't like books without a lot of dialogue you might have a hard time with this one. Also- not good for a skim-read.

Book two of The Wall of Night. Read for the Once Upon a Time VI challenge
Read the prologue here
Five years have passed since the events of The Heir of Night so if I was to mention anything that happens I might actually spoil you. And I wouldn't want to do that, would I? Suffice to say that there are more Darkswarm and conspiracies, but we are no longer on the Wall. Instead the story takes place among the native culture of Haarth.
In many ways this is a very traditional epic/heroic fantasy. Our hero, destined to save the world, out on a quest to track down magical artefacts and gather an army. Along the way pursued by the bad-guys and meeting up with possible allies and the like.
But the world-building here is very impressive. There are numerous different cultures and lands of Haarth, and they are all quite separate and distinct, and that's before you get to the Derai themselves, who landed on Haarth many generations earlier from a different world.
My main problem with this book is the number of characters with fantasy-esque names, I did find it difficult to keep them all straight at one point.
But at the same time I really did enjoy this book. It isn't the story I thought it would be, but in a good way, it is a much bigger and more complex story than I initially thought. I look forward to the next two books in this series. But not the wait. *sigh*

Intermittent Fasting for Goddesses: How to use fasting to lose weight, increase focus and energy, slow down the aging process and optimize your physical, mental and spiritual health by Helen Lowe
Have read many books on this subject and found this one of the best ones.
Book starts out with table of contents that shows the myths and different fasting schedules and so much more.
Introduction talks about the goddess within which I can relate to and a lot of history from the mythical times.
Explains what intermittent fasting is and there are colorful pictures throughout the book.
Myths are also discussed so you can really understand that is a lifestyle change, not really a diet plan.
Benefits are also discussed in detail telling you the benefit then how the fasting effects your body.
Fasting schedules are then discussed and a chart that highlights times of the day so you can figure out which of the methods is best for you.
Love the chapter about what to eat after fasting so you can really benefit from the fasting.
What I really Love is that you can also drink and not loss all the time and effort you've put into the fast. There is a list of things you can drink.
Like how the meal plans come into play and how you start slow and then increase an hour a day til you get to your potential goal.
I do well on the 13 because i stop eating after dinner, no snacking and don't eat til the next morning. I could also strive for 12 hour fasting because I am home bound and I really treasure the energy boost in the morning.
Like section for your personal mission and goals and meal plans that you can make yourself.
Book ends with a note from the author and how to contact her on social media sites.
Love the reminders of drinking lots of water and exercising as I am just getting into yoga and true stretching.
A KEEPER!
Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.

A very stately and thematic fantasy, of the Tolkien school, full of forces, mysteries and struggles, without necessarily getting a lot done. I found it sort of tedious; your mileage may vary.

There seems to be a really interesting story in the back-end of this book, and occasionally glimpses of it were caught through the mist. I was intrigued by the deep inculcation of the warrior culture, interested in the "outsider" characters and their stories, and definitely excited by the origin tales of the world and the Derai (not space elves, totally not space elves, honestly officer). But most of the book was not concerned with exploring those things, preferring to wander about in dreams and the aether dealing in symbolism and prophecy and tableauxed duels of power and will. Occasionally shiny, mostly dull.

Part of my problem with this is that it just didn't move. The first part is concerned with the activities of one night, the second part with the activities of a second night some weeks after the first, and the third part finally gets out in the world and does some stuff, but eh.

Now, don't get me wrong, that's not necessarily an inherently bad structure. I was very impressed with [b:The Forging Of The Shadows|1741471|The Forging Of The Shadows (Lightbringer Trilogy)|Oliver Johnson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1187645239s/1741471.jpg|1739096], which takes place from dusk until dawn of one cataclysmic night (but includes oodles of backstory for all the main characters in flashbacks, etc), and one of my favourite books is [b:A Song for Arbonne|104085|A Song for Arbonne|Guy Gavriel Kay|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309212350s/104085.jpg|2498881], which is almost theatrical in the way it moves between acts that are comprised of one-night activities... it's just there are lots of characters moving in intriguingly different directions at those single events.

The Heir of Night combines simplicity of structure with simplicity of plot (there's one storyline, with occasionally tiny shoots of branch-off) and a narrow cast, and it's just too little to engage me fully.

I loved this despite the fact that the descriptions are sometimes overly detailed. Her world building is very thorough and at times a little distracting but what a great story! I'm looking forward to the next book!

The Heir Of Night is a tale of Malian, heir to the house of night, finding lost powers and protecting the people of Haarth against the Darkswarm.

The Bad Stuff: It is a little slow to get moving.

The Good Stuff: I found this book to be a well written with a richly crafted world, well defined characters and some very dark creatures.

There seems to be a lot of mixed reviews about this book. I sit in the camp of those that enjoyed it. In my opinion it was an interesting read with a good storyline. I'm giving it 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Helen is a friend of mine so reading her work is like spending time in deep and fantastical conversation with her. I feel as if she's telling the story just to me! Those who are enjoying the Wall of Night series will dive deep into The Gathering of the Lost. It's even fuller, richer and more dynamic than the first book! Enjoy!

I am SO looking forward to the next book in this series. I love Helen Lowe's writing style and storytelling nouse. I can see why she's won all the awards!

There are powerful moments, emotions and desires in this tale, and in the background some very high stakes! If you love epic fantasy told through a warm, sensual, engaging voice, this is a book for you!

Politics and assassination and magical disguises abound in this one, people are rarely what they appear and there's a lot going on here. So much so that I couldn't remember what had gone before. It didn't really catch me and I found myself not caring about what was going on.

Not a bad read but one to read closer to the prequel and I'd possibly wait for the series to be over to re-read.

A great continuation of the story started in The Heir of Night, but not what I was expecting. Still, the world has expanded immensely. Perhaps because in the first book the focus was saving the Derai Alliance, and this has now become saving Haarth.

I couldn't quite figure out where the story was going to start with because there was no mention of the the main character from book 1, the Heir of Night, for a LONG time. But in hindsight we were being introduced to more of the people's of Haarth which is integral to this story.

The Heir has grown up, and I kept thinking she was as alone, if not more alone, than ever. The twist at the end will set the stage for more epic adventure in the next book.

Can't wait for it!

I absolutely LOVED this book! It was one of those books that I did not want to put down and real life interfered with life on the Derai Wall - I was that absorbed in the story. Helen Lowe has created great characters that I want to get to know better. I recommend this book to all Fantasy lovers. I can't wait to read the rest of this series.

I just LOVED this book! I could barely put it down. I love fantasy novels in general but this one has caught me like Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire. I do plan on getting the next in the series to read as well. It has caught me in its web. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy novels. The author did an excellent job in fleshing out characters and building interest in what they are doing.

It took me a chapter or two to warm to this book, as Lowe's writing style is quite dry at times, but once I got used to it, I gobbled it down within days. It is an interesting take on the Sleeping Beauty story, with some nice little twists to it and good development of characters and plot.

Impressive continuation of the tetralogy begin in "The Heir of Night". The protagonist, Malian, has aged from 13 to 18 between the two novels, allowing this one to have a darker tone and more adult material - "The Heir of Night" felt like a YA novel, but this one much less so. In addition to the quality writing and characterisation, the hints being given out about the background of the world make me want to keep reading. Looking forward to the next volume!½

Very well-written and well-constructed first volume in a heroic fantasy tetratology - although there may be science-fictional elements to this world as well. Helen Lowe is an excellent writer and brings a richness of detail to this novel that makes it well worth reading.½

I'm not normally a fan of really wordy, slow-moving stories, but I just love the mood that Ms. Lowe is able to create with her words. Her voice really works for me. (I'd supply a quote, but it would take like two pages to get the full effect.)

I also love how she took a pretty standard epic fantasy storyline and still managed to surprise me.

Really looking forward to book 3!

Malian chaffes against some of the restrictions on her life, she really wants to stretch her wings. Her family occupy a pivotal part in keeping the tide of shadow away from the rest of the world. Her home is attacked and she flees into the Old Keep. When there she has to face up to the fact that she has power, power that demands a price.

I really enjoyed this read, I like Malian as a character and the others around here were well drawn and believable. I'm looking forward to more in this series and by this author.

Sigismund lives in a castle next to a wood whilst his father, the king, is away fighting in the south. There are lots of stories about the wood but all Sigismund knew for sure was that his grandfather had forbidden anyone to enter it. Things begin to change when a mysterious lady in a fine carriage talks to Sigismund and tries to give him a ring.
This is a delightful retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story featuring a thoughtful boy who grows into his role as hero.

Boys, don't be put off by my description of this book as a fabulous tale woven around the old Grimm fairy story of the Sleeping Beauty. The author takes the part of the prince who eventually releases the magic spell that holds not only the princess, but the castle, the nearby forest, other people and the fate of the Prince Sigand the kingdom. To overcome the spell Sigismund must learn fighting skills and how to use the sword, Quickthorn. He must discern what is real and what is illusion, who to trust and who not to trust, and use all his courage and strength as he faces evil and danger. I think the author, Helen Lowe, has a huge writing future ahead of her and I look forward to reading her new novel, heir of night.
I recommend this book for good readers aged about 10 and older.

The chapters in this book were REALLY long, which made it a poor choice for reading before bed. I think that with shorter chapters, I would have enjoyed this book a lot more; when I was winding down and feeling sleepy, parts of this story just felt a little too slow-moving and detailed to me.

But with that said, I really like the idea of a Sleeping Beauty retelling from the Prince's perspective (he's the one who remains awake, after all). Certain aspects of the story were fairly predictable, but there were a few twists that took me by surprise. And while a few passages reeked of "first novel" (such as some awkward dialogue near the end where all the characters analyzed their experience), the story did a good job of making fairy tale reality complex and multi-dimensional, and I was especially impressed with the story's climax scenes, which were as vivid as a film without having that terrible "book-that-wants-to-be-a-movie" feel. All-in-all, a worthwhile read.

This fantasy for older children and younger young adults (if there is such a category) is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty legend from the point of view of the Prince. And it's terrifically well done.

Helen Lowe manages to make the prince and his world believable and engaging, and also solves the difficult problem of how to make the sleeping princess an active participant in the story: to say how would be to give the game away. Her writing style is smooth, measured, and stylish, modern prose with just the right amount of elevation into a more courtly style.

The only aspect of the book that stops me giving this book the full five stars is the ending, or more properly the climax. Although the Prince is given plenty to do, he is ultimately a bystander as the Princess's fate is decided, and I didn't find that completely satisfactory. But that's one small flaw in what is otherwise an excellent book.½

In this elaboration of "Sleeping Beauty," Prince Sigismund, having grown up in a remote castle dreaming of going on knightly quests, has had only a passing interest in the forbidden wood lying beyond the castle gates until a brief encounter with a beautiful and mysterious lady changes his life forever.