Status
Available
Description
"Danger, magic, romance, and royal intrigue, AIRE is a must read!"-NYT Bestselling Author JESSICA ANDERSENA tale of Legends reborn, royal intrigue, and an unforgettable, heart-melting romance that will sweep you away.Annalisia is a seer, a princess with a courageous spirit-and a soft spot for Legends.Jovanni is a Legend, a commoner with no patience for pampered royals.Principessa Annalisia is stunned and conscience-stricken when an unknown enemy mistakenly abducts her maidservant. Determined to find the girl, Annalisia disguises herself as plain Anna and slips away from the palace. She tracks down Jovanni, her maidservant's daring older brother, and they soon begin to search together. As they uncover clues, Anna also discovers a kindred spirit in Jovanni. But would he be so free with her if he knew who she really was? Doubtful. Even so, she reveals her secret gift of visions to him, and in so doing disobeys the orders of her beloved grandmother, the queen.With Jovanni, Anna can almost imagine she's like any other seventeen year old girl, free to pursue the longings of her heart. When she learns that he also has a secret-he's a sentinel, an ancient shapeshifter who can take the form of a falcon-it seems as if they were destined to be together, as in the legends of il Sentiro. Though Anna is tempted to wish otherwise, she can't forget that she's a princess and it's her duty to marry another. Meanwhile, their hunt leads Anna ever closer to danger, for she herself is being hunted.A princess and a commoner. They never should have fallen in love...but they did.AIRE is a lush, romantic fantasy, inspired by ancient Italy and Turkey.YOUNG ADULT FANTASY ROMANCE… (more)
Pages
262
Genres
Library's review
It was ok. A bit telly in places, and I got annoyed a couple times in the last quarter or so of the book when characters did or said something that struck me as stupid. Example: when Mira insists that her repentant kidnapper be kept alive because she just has to find out what happened to his kind,
But I liked the setting and the sprinkling of Italianate words throughout for flavor.
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deaf, simple brother who helped her, *instead of* so that they can find out more about the mastermind villain behind her kidnapping as well as that of the princesses!!! :huge aggravated sighBut I liked the setting and the sprinkling of Italianate words throughout for flavor.
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User reviews
LibraryThing member colleenmbratley
A fantasy written so you can see it like you're actually there. It's a story that's entertaining and surprising which you'll certainly enjoy.
Even fantasies, with their creative, innovative and novel stories can become predictable. So reading one that has interesting or surprising details makes the
This story involved a princess that had a rare gift, but needed life to show her the true value of it. Being protected and sheltered from the real world, she was ill equipped to handle being outside of the palace walls. But being a stubborn and fiercely loyal and giving person she drew others loyal to her, which gave her the help she needed to fulfill her steps to destiny.
As is true in real life, destiny cannot be manipulated, it just is. We may have choices, but what is supposed to happen, will. For princess Annalisia, her destiny unfolded in a way she had never imagined. Those things only happened in the fairy tales she was told as a child, maybe somewhere in real life but most certainly not in her life; at least nothing other than her special gift. So how she handled these events was pretty true to how you would expect her to, which gave her the pinch test of being real. It created the marker for becoming her friend, feeling her emotions, and enjoying her company.
You know the saying, rules are made to be broken, well in Annalisia's case, rules were not to be made in the first place. That's only because to bind her with rules would be to smother her flame, and without her bright and beautiful spirit, the life of this story would be gray indeed. She had an energy and wonderful outlook that kept you entertained, amused, and happy. She is a fun character to follow.
The supporting characters were also with their own personalities that stood out from Annalisia's but at the same time, enhanced her. Every one of them.
Even though as a princess she was not allowed certain freedoms with other stations in the social hierarchy, the very existence of it ensured her attention, both good and disruptive. She just could not be bound, by anything. That very simple word was an assurance of something happening. It absolutely had to. It was her destiny. That attention included her fate. Her heart screamed for what she couldn't have, while her mind strove to stay calm and centered as the princess she was taught to be.
If you like romances, and fantasy, then you will certainly enjoy this book. And trust me, you will look to read Lena's other books too.
Even fantasies, with their creative, innovative and novel stories can become predictable. So reading one that has interesting or surprising details makes the
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read really fun.This story involved a princess that had a rare gift, but needed life to show her the true value of it. Being protected and sheltered from the real world, she was ill equipped to handle being outside of the palace walls. But being a stubborn and fiercely loyal and giving person she drew others loyal to her, which gave her the help she needed to fulfill her steps to destiny.
As is true in real life, destiny cannot be manipulated, it just is. We may have choices, but what is supposed to happen, will. For princess Annalisia, her destiny unfolded in a way she had never imagined. Those things only happened in the fairy tales she was told as a child, maybe somewhere in real life but most certainly not in her life; at least nothing other than her special gift. So how she handled these events was pretty true to how you would expect her to, which gave her the pinch test of being real. It created the marker for becoming her friend, feeling her emotions, and enjoying her company.
You know the saying, rules are made to be broken, well in Annalisia's case, rules were not to be made in the first place. That's only because to bind her with rules would be to smother her flame, and without her bright and beautiful spirit, the life of this story would be gray indeed. She had an energy and wonderful outlook that kept you entertained, amused, and happy. She is a fun character to follow.
The supporting characters were also with their own personalities that stood out from Annalisia's but at the same time, enhanced her. Every one of them.
Even though as a princess she was not allowed certain freedoms with other stations in the social hierarchy, the very existence of it ensured her attention, both good and disruptive. She just could not be bound, by anything. That very simple word was an assurance of something happening. It absolutely had to. It was her destiny. That attention included her fate. Her heart screamed for what she couldn't have, while her mind strove to stay calm and centered as the princess she was taught to be.
If you like romances, and fantasy, then you will certainly enjoy this book. And trust me, you will look to read Lena's other books too.
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LibraryThing member Isisunit
I was lucky enough to receive this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This story is set in a land that seems a cross between a combination of several of our historical periods and a completely created magical land. The fact that much of it seems to be Italian helps the reader to relate, yet it
The history of Isalla is complicated and like all sovereign countries, heavily impacted by its alliances. And it is also filled with a history of magic:
“The poets of old spoke of Seers gifted with waking dreams,
of Sentinels, who could take the form of the beasts of the air, forest, or sea,
and who watched over the sacred lands.
Then the age of gifts came to an end.
Over a hundred years, Seers and Sentinels became as Legends,
stories told to wide-eyed children at night.”
Yet magic, and possibly the Age of Gifts, may have returned, at least in some small measure. As is true with most books of magical places, this one also contains romance, and many events and even people who would challenge the power of true love. All that remain of Isalla's once large royal family are the three beautiful principessas, Helena, Liliana, and Annalisia, along with their grandmother, the Queen.
This story is about all of these royals, but mostly in relation to the youngest princess, Annalisia, also known as Anna to a select few of her inner circle of friends. Anna becomes embroiled in a large plot due to her efforts to rescue a friend, one who'd not have needed rescuing were it not for a generous, but unwittingly dangerous act on Annalisia's part.
Enter the requisite handsome man, there to conspire with Anna in her efforts to locate and rescue her missing friend. However he quickly becomes far more than a simple companion in this dangerous journey. Though they both have different reasons for wanting to rescue the missing maiden Mira, they keep some deep secrets from one another, each for their own reasons. Secrets kept with the best of intentions that lead to confusion, danger, and misunderstandings - each of which could forever alter the course of their lives and the lives of the ones they love.
Ms. Goldfinch has created an enjoyable fantasy realm where fairy tales still exist, right alongside with terror filled nightmares. In crafting a world that is so well grounded in the familiar she has made it all the more believable for the reader. As if it could be part of our own ancient history. She has blended the fantasy and reality so well that one can't find the seams; it is impossible to tell where one begins and other ends.
Populating this magical world with realistic, relatable characters has made the story flow that much more smoothly. And the characters are interesting, often the kind you'd want to meet and become friends with, if not go beyond friendship with. Part of what makes her characters so interesting is watching them grow and mature through their experiences. In a few spots some of them seem to make leaps in their emotional and/or behavioral advances that feel slightly to large to be realisitic, but it is clearly done to help advance the plot.
Aside from a very few minor wrinkles this is a fun read, filled with danger and excitement, the giddy rush of falling in love paired with the endless well of heartbreak, true love lost and true love found. And though the book ends without any hints of a sequel, there is more than enough material to continue on this journey with our new-found friends and recently discovered villains.
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isn't so grounded in known culture that we can't accept the magic and the areas that deviate from what we know in our world.The history of Isalla is complicated and like all sovereign countries, heavily impacted by its alliances. And it is also filled with a history of magic:
“The poets of old spoke of Seers gifted with waking dreams,
of Sentinels, who could take the form of the beasts of the air, forest, or sea,
and who watched over the sacred lands.
Then the age of gifts came to an end.
Over a hundred years, Seers and Sentinels became as Legends,
stories told to wide-eyed children at night.”
Yet magic, and possibly the Age of Gifts, may have returned, at least in some small measure. As is true with most books of magical places, this one also contains romance, and many events and even people who would challenge the power of true love. All that remain of Isalla's once large royal family are the three beautiful principessas, Helena, Liliana, and Annalisia, along with their grandmother, the Queen.
This story is about all of these royals, but mostly in relation to the youngest princess, Annalisia, also known as Anna to a select few of her inner circle of friends. Anna becomes embroiled in a large plot due to her efforts to rescue a friend, one who'd not have needed rescuing were it not for a generous, but unwittingly dangerous act on Annalisia's part.
Enter the requisite handsome man, there to conspire with Anna in her efforts to locate and rescue her missing friend. However he quickly becomes far more than a simple companion in this dangerous journey. Though they both have different reasons for wanting to rescue the missing maiden Mira, they keep some deep secrets from one another, each for their own reasons. Secrets kept with the best of intentions that lead to confusion, danger, and misunderstandings - each of which could forever alter the course of their lives and the lives of the ones they love.
Ms. Goldfinch has created an enjoyable fantasy realm where fairy tales still exist, right alongside with terror filled nightmares. In crafting a world that is so well grounded in the familiar she has made it all the more believable for the reader. As if it could be part of our own ancient history. She has blended the fantasy and reality so well that one can't find the seams; it is impossible to tell where one begins and other ends.
Populating this magical world with realistic, relatable characters has made the story flow that much more smoothly. And the characters are interesting, often the kind you'd want to meet and become friends with, if not go beyond friendship with. Part of what makes her characters so interesting is watching them grow and mature through their experiences. In a few spots some of them seem to make leaps in their emotional and/or behavioral advances that feel slightly to large to be realisitic, but it is clearly done to help advance the plot.
Aside from a very few minor wrinkles this is a fun read, filled with danger and excitement, the giddy rush of falling in love paired with the endless well of heartbreak, true love lost and true love found. And though the book ends without any hints of a sequel, there is more than enough material to continue on this journey with our new-found friends and recently discovered villains.
Show Less
Publication
Indigo Road, Kindle Edition, 262 pages