J Victoria Michael

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from LibraryThing in return for an honest review.

After a late night visit to a Melbourne supermarket, Irenya O’Neil falls through a glass panel into different world while suffering a panic attack. Dar Orien is medieval-style society full of magic and civil unrest. The inhabitants of Dar Orien are suspicious of Irenya and her arrival. All Irenya wants to do is to find only wish is to find her way home to her son Mikey. But after discovering Irenya possesses a magic of her own things only get more complicated for her.

This story is well written however I found the characters to be flat and the story to drag. Not much happened till the last couple of chapters of the book. I found the world of Dar Orien to be very intriguing but this book was not for me.… (altro)

Songbird has some lovely characteristics as a fantasy novel, but overall it felt too plodding and slow for me. While the slow reveal of the world and the mysteries of Dar Orien make sense for the character it left me confused and not feeling engaged with most of the plot.

One of the most frustrating things for me was that it's clear that Micahel is a very good writer and there are many descriptions throughout the novel that grabbed my attention, but yet many of the characters felt flat to me. I couldn't find a way in to attach myself to any of the characters.

Overall I think the author has promise, but Dar Orien's world just wasn't for me.… (altro)