Elphame's Choice

There is sooo much I want to say about this book I don't even know where to begin. First off, I LOVED the Parthenon series and P.C. Cast is quickly becoming my favorite author of all time. I loved her Goddess Summoning series as well, anyway...This book fits in perfectly with the Parthenon series, it is actually set a hundred and some years after Rhiannon. The characters in this book are so vivid and so devoted to their faith it almost makes me jealous, and wish that I could also have that kind of faith in something, anything really. P.C. Cast makes you feel like you are in the book and you are actually there with the people and apart of everything. While reading (even up to 25 hours without sleep) it was like I was watching a movie and show more you know one of the characters is about to do something stupid and you are yelling at the TV "DON'T GO IN THERE" but they don't listen to you, of course. While reading this book I squealed, I laughed, I cried (yes, I actually did), I yelled, and I absolutely fell head over heels in love with Lochlan. Wow, what a character...I love him, and adore him absolutely. I know I can get an older copy of Brighid's Quest but...I want to wait so my whole series will match the re-release from Mira. I can't get enough, I have to go read the Parthenon series again, just because I don't want to let this world go just quite yet. The one thing that is even remotely not 100% positive was: I am unsure if this fits in the YA series genre...there is some sex in it, which is fine, but it still read like an adult novel to me, but who knows, book was amazing though. show less

Elphame is part human, part centaur and is considered to be marked by Epona for something. As such she's somewhat distanced from many people. She's drawn to restore the remote MacCallan castle and with her brother she goes to work on it. She finds herself accepted by the people and sets to work.

What she doesn't realise is that the man fated to be her mate is part-Formorian and winged. His and her people have been at odds for many years.

It's not bad, there are parts of it that really felt like they were done in order to shock rather than to move the story along though. I have issues with the easy acceptance and lack of growth of knowledge of each other that the main characters have. Still I did enjoy it, but it did leave me with some show more issues. show less

I love P.C. Cast, so I was very excited to read this book. I dove into it as soon as I got a chance (which was about two days after I received it). I wasn’t immediately entranced, but the book did improve as the story unfolded. I would say this was almost like a roller coaster. I wasn’t immediately thrilled, then there were some really good parts, then it dipped to being almost boring, but it ended strong with a sense that I should continue the series. Here’s a bit about the book:

We begin the book in the head of Epone’s chosen one, Etain, while she is pregnant with her first born daughter. Etain mated with a centaur, which becomes very important when her daughter is born and is a perfect blend between a human and a centaur. show more Elphame, Etain’s daughter, has two legs like a centaur (hair and hooves), but the rest of her body is human. This marks Elphame as a goddess and makes her feel like she is consistently left out and lonely.

As we skip ahead in Elphame’s life, we find out that she is living her home and setting off to rebuild the MacCallan castle and her own kingdom. She sets off with her brother Cuchulainn and the adventure begins. Once Elphame gets to her castle, we begin to meet the other major characters in the story. Brighid and Brenna become Elphame’s first real friends and something may be stirring between Cuchulainn and Brenna. When Elphame takes off for a run, an accident happens and she runs into her lifemate, Lochlan. Lochlan’s a half breed as well. He is half human and half demon, the same demon race that killed the original MacCallan over a hundred years ago. The love between Elphame and Lochlan’s is going to be a hard one. I mean, how would you tell your parents and warrior brother that you were in love with someone that looked like the demons that killed your ancestors and could go insane because of that demon blood and kill you as well? No spoilers here, so you have to read to find out how our goddess Elphame manages the task of her forbidden love, rebuilding of her castle, and whether or not something happens between the heartthrob Cuchulainn and the sweet Brenna.

As originally stated, I love P.C. Cast. This is not her greatest work and probably not something that I would read again, but I’d like to continue the series and see how the lives of all the characters end up. Cast doesn’t necessarily wrap anything up, so there are so many different directions Elphame and all of the supporting characters can take. I like to see how all of the pieces fall together. This is a little too sexual for something that I would give my students to read. There is a scene in the book in which the three best friends are about to bathe together and they take a peek at what the others look like nude. It’s a little more descriptive than what I would like my eighth graders to take in. I’m probably being a bit naïve about that one, but in this case, it should be the parent’s decision not the teacher’s. There are also some sex and masturbation within the book that are described with more detail then I would feel comfortable sharing. It’s not pornographic in the least, nor romance novelish, but adult in my opinion.

With all that said, as a personal read I would give this a 4/5 stars. I would recommend it, but I’m not going to reread it. As a young adult for my classroom read, I would give it a 2.5/5 stars. I just would not feel comfortable sharing this book with students that were not mature enough to handle some sexual scenes. I would say this would be more appropriate for older teens.

P.s. I did this as half a read and half an audiobook. If you listen to the audiobook, the oddly spelled names are much easier to understand.

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Cast continues her Parthalon series, picking up more than a century after the events of the last novel. Elphame is born to the current Goddess Incarnate of Epona, and has been touched by the Goddess in a very special way. Instead of being born fully human to her centaur father and human mother, she is half centaur, with the legs and hooves of a horse.
She has been drawn to the MacCallan castle, which was razed by Fomorians 125 years ago during the events of the first Parthalon book. She begins rebuilding with her new clan, but finds that there are some mysterious and unexpected creatures nearby who desire an end to their torment. She must make the choice to save them or save herself.

I was a little disappointed that this book contained show more no resolution to the story in the previous (3rd) book of the series with Morrigan, as it ended rather abruptly. She wasn't even mentioned!

This story was only okay. Elphame was a good character. Her growth from outcast to clan leader was inspiring and her brother Cu's relationship with the scarred healer Brenna was, frankly, a better story than Elphame's. The central conflict and eventual tragedy of the final chapters could easily have been resolved if everyone had just been honest with each other, which is my least favorite plot device in all kinds of storytelling. Particularly when someone's death could have been prevented.

Only recommended if you've read the first part of this series. Although this could probably work as a standalone, it's not worth reading by itself. show less

Yikes. No pulled punches on this one. I can't believe she.... Okay, no spoilers, but I suspect that's one of the things that makes this "fantasy with romantic elements" rather than paranormal romance.

It takes place 2? 3? generations after Goddess by Mistake, in the same world. The heroine is half-human, half-centaur--looks a bit like a satyr, but horse instead of goat, and is the descendent of the couple in Goddess by Mistake.

She's the goddess incarnate, but all she's ever wanted is to be treated like an ordinary person. All her life, she's been pulled to this castle ruin, so she, her brother, and a bunch of misfits set about restoring it, and they build a community and a home along with a fortress.

She also finds her life mate, also show more a hybrid, but he's half-human, half-Fomorian--a sort of winged vampire, a demonic race that was believed to have been exterminated.

So she's torn between her new friends and responsibilities and her heart, and he as well is torn between his heart and a prophecy that claims her sacrifice is all that can save his people from succumbing to the madness of their demonic forefathers. show less

I picked this up because P.C. Cast has such a great reputation and she's a bestseller. The book was good, he writing is easy to read. I thought it had a slow start. However, by the half way point I was definitely engaged in Elphame's plight and by the end I was completely hooked. Of course, I had to buy the next book in the series. Brighid's Quest. It is now on my TBR shelf.

Elphame, a satyr goddess born to a human mother and centaur father, has never felt a part of life. She has been worshipped and taken care of to the point no one feels comfortable enough with her to be free to speak to her like a friend. She has always been on a pedestal in the eyes of the people in Partholon.Elphame decides it is time to strike out on her own. Along with her brother, she travels across the country to restore the long abandoned MacCallan Castle. A century has passed since the terrible Fomorian battle that killed many of Elphame’s clansman. While tales of ghosts keep most people away, Elphame feels the pull of the castle and knows deep in her soul she is meant to restore it and claim the castle as her own. She is meant show more to become The MacCallan, the leader of the clan.Love is something Elphame assumed she would never experience. Who would want to love someone so clearly not human. She loves her strong hoofed legs, but at the same time is aware how they set her apart from everyone around her. She is completely caught off guard when she meets Lochlan, a hybrid Fomorian who claims to be her destiny. But, what are Lochlan’s true intentions? Can she trust the well-being of her clan for a chance at love?ELPHAME’S CHOICE is a great romance. Anyone who enjoys reading about days of warriors and castles will find the setting appealing and Elphame is a very strong character and wonderful role model for girl readers. My major concern is this – I don’t think this should be marketed as a young adult novel. I found my copy in the young adult section at Borders and as you can see from the publisher information, it is being rereleased by Harlequin Teen. P.C. Cast first published this book in 2004 under Harlequin’s Luna imprint. I realize Harlequin didn’t have a teen imprint at that time, but…. ELPHAME’S CHOICE contains clearly spelled out sex scenes with typical “romance” language. I’m totally for allowing people (including teens) reading what they want to, but I think labeling it young adult and putting it on the young adult shelf is a little misleading.Has anyone else read this yet? If so, tell me what you think. show less