My Review on DawnSinger by Janalyn Voigt...

I've been following Janalyn Voigt for about a year now. Eagerly waiting for her fantasy debut to release. DawnSinger will forever go down as one of my all time favorite books. Epically beautiful are perfect words to call it.

From the very first page you are sucked into a fast flying adventure. I finished DawnSinger in two days and wondered back to it for days afterwards. My mind could not escape the wonderful tale I just read. Kai and Shae were so real that is was hard to say goodbye to them.

There is so much that I loved about this book. One it was truly original. I can't really match it with another book and I don't think you would either. Janalyn Voight's writing style is elegant. Detailed yet not overly detailed, and flows with ease. This is a "fantasy"(for the most part) and Janlyn Voight created unique names, different lands, and some scary creatures... Waeven what a truly frightful creature and one I don't ever want to meet. I believe most people would be at ease falling into her lovely, yet sometimes scary world.

I'm a girl so I must comment on the romance in the story. Some might find it to be a bit strange (I don't want to say why, because it could be a spoiler) Normally I would find it to be strange too. Janalyn Voigt wrote it together with sweetness and ease. I desperately wanted the pair to work out.

The Spiritual theme of the book is a common one, but with a different twist. "Sometimes victory comes only through surrender." I was teary eyed by the end, but they weren't necessarily bad tears... sort of bittersweet.

I always like to comment on how the book looks. The cover art is beautiful, yet I was asked if I was reading a vampire book by a few people. I don't know why, because I honestly don't see that. I explained what it was and they honestly seemed curious about it, so perhaps something bigger is behind that. Haha...

It also has the neat feel that Tyndale has with their books. Smooth like an eraser. The font is the perfect size! It has a drawing of a map and glossary in the back, which shows you the proper pronunciation of her lovely names and reminds you who's who.

I can't  really say anything bad about this book. As you can see I loved it... every bit of it. I'm greatly looking forward to book two and I would highly recommend reading it.



About the book:
Author: Janalyn Voigt
Genre:  Speculative Fiction/Fantasy/Christian/Romance
Reader Age Range: 16+ (Just my opinion. It has a few mature related things mentioned in it.)
Page Count:316
Publisher: Pelican Book Group


The High Queen is dying... At the royal summons, Shae mounts a wingabeast and soars through the air to the high hold of Faeraven, where all is not as it seems. Visions warn her of danger, and a dark soul touches hers in the night. When she encounters an attractive but disturbing musician, her wayward heart awakens. But then there is Kai, a guardian of Faeraven and of Shae. Secrets bind him to her, and her safety lies at the center of every decision he makes. On a desperate journey fraught with peril and the unknown, they battle warlike garns, waevens, ferocious raptors, and the wraiths of their own regrets. Yet, they must endure the campaign long enough to release the DawnKing—and the salvation he offers—into a divided land. To prevail, each must learn that sometimes victory comes only through surrender.

 Paradoxical Truths Revealed
A new speculative fiction story releases this summer that captures several paradoxical truths, including: freedom comes through sacrifice – AND – victory comes through surrender. allegorical fantasy readers will be spellbound by the incredible imagery and symbolism throughout DawnSinger, authored by Janalyn Voigt. Some of the key points in the book include:

Freedom through sacrifice. When the willful but reverent main character, Shae, learns her secret identity, she has to decide whether to accept her true calling. Although it may cost her everything, the salvation of a nation hangs in the balance. Shae represents the church. We each must lay down our will and our lives to bring freedom to others.

Overcoming prejudice with unity. In DawnSinger, the clash is not over color of skin but between classes of being. Elderland was already inhabited by the Elder nation when the Kindren entered it from another world through a gate that closed behind them. The Elder accepted the Kindren's occupation of Elderland because they didn't want to live in the areas where they settled—areas within reach of garns (goblenesque creatures) and welkes (giant birds of prey). DawnSinger opens as an unknown enemy stirs strife between Kindren and Elder in an attempt to divide and conquer Elderland. As a result, the alliance of Faeraven, a group of Kindren kingdoms ruled by a widowed High Queen, begins to fall apart. This story arc, which spans three novels, is based in large part on Voigt’s father's experiences of prejudice as a half-breed Native American.    

Serving rather than ruling. As the High Queen's health fails, Kai, the hero of DawnSinger, must choose whether to reign and rule in his homeland or to continue in service to the new High King at her death. Kai's decision inspires Shae to make her own.

Conquering fear by not letting it consume you. In Pilaer Hold, an ancient place of defeat for the Kindren, wraiths rush toward Kai and Shae's other protectors. They draw their swords, but the more wraiths they dispatch, the more arise. They learn that to defeat fear, something else is needed.


To purchase Dawnsinger  http://www.amazon.com/DawnSinger-Janalyn-Voigt/dp/1611162009/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345839584&sr=8-1&keywords=dawnsinger

CREATING WORLDS OF BEAUTY AND DANGER
Check out the authors website: http://janalynvoigt.com
And be sure to follow her blog, she has some great writing tips: http://janalynvoigt.com/blog

In conjunction with the DawnSinger Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  I was not required to write a positive review. Thank you for sending me such a beautiful book! I love that it's signed too!