White Star (Berkley Sensation) [Mass Market Paperback]

Excellent book!

White Star by USA Today Bestselling author Elizabeth Vaughan is an excellent book. I was hooked from the very beginning and finished reading it at 4:18 AM. Ouch! The writing is fantastic the Vaughan got her hooks into me right away with tense scenes and snappy dialogue. She has so many great opening lines, and closing lines of chapters, which really impressed me.

Most importantly, the main characters: Lord Orrin and Lady Evelyn are very well done. Orrin is one of those bad guys who the girls fall for. He's dark, handsome, brooding and someone you do not want to make angry. Lady Evelyn, a High Priestess and a Mage, has serious power. She can throw down with the best of them and burn people to a crisp if need be. She's one of those really cool characters that you love to read about.

The secondary characters are great too. Lord Orrin's men are very entertaining, especially Archer, who can't use his real name because of the things he's done. I especially liked the fact that he had certain proclivities . . . no spoiler here.

The plot of the book involves the fall of Lord Orrin's barony, and the repercussions of what the Baroness did--which involves undead zombie-like creatures--which Vaughan calls odium. Lady Evelyn, "Evie" is right in the middle of it all and Orrin can't help but fall for the beautiful woman with white hair and piercing blue eyes.

The world was well thought out and I really liked the magic, especially the portals, which allow people to travel far and wide. It all fits together in a realistic way that I truly appreciated, as I can always tell when writers don't do a thorough job on world-building.

This book is sort of a sequel to Dagger Star, but you don't need to have read Dagger Star to get White Star, which should be considered a stand-alone novel. There are quite a few characters who appeared in Dagger Star though, so readers of that book will enjoy seeing some of their favorite characters return.

The ending of White Star was satisfying, and another storyline was opened, involving different characters. I look forward to the next installment and I'm definitely hooked on Vaughan's writing. I loved her Warlands trilogy, War Prize is the first book.

Happy reading,

[...]

Elizabeth Vaughan's romantic characters don't sit around watching the windswept moors and pining for one another. Instead, they are in the thick of the action, fomenting revolution, charging into battle, delving into foul dungeons, and saving farmers and villagers from the ravaging odium (animated dead). The passions of the characters are just as intense as their actions, resulting in a book that has plenty of suspense, plot twists, political intrigue, sexual tension, and heated action (in every sense). Moreover, there is true depth and emotion here--the souls of the characters being far from the black and white that their clothing might suggest.

Once again, Elizabeth Vaughan has created a vivid portrait of strong, believable men and women living and struggling for power and justice in a strange and complex fantasy world. White Star is especially for readers that want a balance of heart-pounding action adventure and heated passion, loss, lust, and romance, with plenty of unexpected turns along the way. Highly recommended!

Donald J. Bingle, author of GREENSWORD

As a middle aged male I am not sure I would have picked this up had I not read and enjoyed the previous book Red Gloves. Yep there is a slight romantic element but this is also a well written fantasy. It does follow on from Red Gloves and I recommend you read that first to put this more fully into context. Have to say that if the UK book that I bought had had this US cover - I wouldn't have touched it - this cover is almost guaranteed to put off potential male readers!

In this we have Lady High Priestess Evelyn getting a message from above to save captured Orrin Blackheart from execution. It seems that Blackheart can earn a pardon by riding the kingdom of the undead army that roams free. Of course Evelyn also gets mixed up in the battle and finds herself drawing closer and closer to Blackheart. Looking back at what I have just written gives this a soft and slushy edge, but actually Beth Vaughan writes very well, with wit and good characterisation and she knows how to tweak a plot.

It's a shame this is painted as romantic fantasy because I am not sure it is, and I think the author would excel at mainstream fantasy.