Draven’s Light (Tales of Goldstone Wood #7) by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Epub)

Description

Drums summon the chieftain’s powerful son to slay a man in cold blood and thereby earn his place among the warriors. But instead of glory, he earns the name Draven, “Coward.” When the men of his tribe march off to war, Draven remains behind with the women and his shame. Only fearless but crippled Ita values her brother’s honor.

The warriors return from battle victorious yet trailing a curse in their wake. One by one the strong and the weak of the tribe fall prey to an illness of supernatural power. The secret source of this evil can be found and destroyed by only the bravest heart.

But when the curse attacks the one Draven loves most, can this coward find the courage he needs to face the darkness?

User’s Reviews

Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a passel of cats, and one long-suffering dog. When she’s not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and studies piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. She is the author of the award-winning Tales of Goldstone Woods series, an ever-growing world of knights and dragons, mystical forests and hidden demesnes, unspeakable evil and boundless grace. Her first novel, Heartless, won the Christy award for best debut in 2011, followed by an unprecedented consecutive win the next year for Veiled Rose, in its own category, and in 2014, Dragonwitch took the Christy in the Visionary category. –This text refers to the paperback edition.

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ Though it is only a novella, Draven’s Light is a powerful story that explores the themes of courage and cowardice, love and self-sacrifice, standing up for what is right even when you’re the only one, darkness versus light, and many many more.Like her other novella, Goddess Tithe, this story does not follow any of the main characters that we’ve come to know and love in the rest of the Goldstone Wood Saga, but rather explores some side-characters whose stories have been hinted at but not completely revealed. However, despite the lack of appearance by Eanrin or Imraldera, this little story packs a powerful punch. Written in the style of a story-within-a-story (one of my favorite story-telling devices), we meet a young girl who is tasked with taking water up to the two men who are building a large structure on the hill above her village. She is a bit scared of them, but she takes the water up and meets Akilun, who is carving a statue from a tree. When he notes her interest, he begins to tell her the story of the man whose likeness he is carving. The girl returns day after day, spellbound by the story of Draven, “The Coward.”I could hardly bear to put this book down each night when I had reached the end of my allotted reading time. I sped through it swiftly, devouring the story from its pages. And in spite of the fact that I did guess the big surprise twist before it was revealed, that did not detract at all from my enjoyment of this wonderful story.I would unreservedly recommend this and any other story in the Tales of Goldstone Wood. I anxiously hope for the day that it continues once more, but at least there are quite a few stories already written in this world to keep me entertained until then.

⭐ Draven’s Light is a fast-paced but enthralling addition to The Tales of Goldstone Wood. Set earlier in the series than any other book, this is the compellingly dark but ultimately hopeful story of a young warrior spurned by a resentful and callous tribe, a determined and steadfast sister, a displaced prince who seeks mercy for a ravaged land, and a young girl’s journey into adulthood. Mrs. Stengl writes with beautiful candor, and the story is exciting and impossible to put down.A young girl is sent to deliver water to two mysterious brothers who are building a Great House in her village of Kallias. The girl is afraid, for not only is the incomplete House vast and dark, but the Brothers themselves are strange. In fact, they seem not quite human. The girl gradually becomes friends with the eldest brother, Akilun, (whom she calls The Kind One). Akilun tells the girl a story of a young man who also faced great fears. In hearing the story of Draven, the girl learns a great deal about her village and about herself.I loved the frame narrative of this tale, how events from the past affected the present. My favorite character was Ita, a crippled young woman with a fierce independence I greatly admired. While I did feel that the author tried overly hard to make this character fierce in order to make a point, I greatly appreciated the character. The author does show scenes of Ita’s vulnerability as well, which I greatly appreciated. Being disabled myself, I can truly say that Mrs. Stengl does a masterful job of portraying these types of characters.I also loved Draven’s character. His courage is marvelous, and he embodied the true meaning of the word hero.I did feel that the villain in this tale could have been expounded upon more. Since Mrs. Stengl’s villains are so very complex, I found the villain of this tale somewhat surprising in his lack of development. Also, he seemed to share many similar characteristics to a much more complex villain from an earlier book in the series. However, one could argue that this story has two villains, and the author’s examination of familial conflict is phenomenally done. Ita’s confrontation with her father left me breathless.I loved seeing the Brothers Ashiun again and particularly enjoyed getting to know Akilun more. He is a fantastic character, so kind and noble. Some aspects of Etanun’s character troubled me in this story, but it helped me to remember that this tale is set very early in the history of Goldstone Wood. It is interesting to compare this earlier portrayal of his character to later times. One particular scene between Etanun and Akilun made me smile and reminded me of a scene from Dragonwitch.Please give this riveting story a chance. Immerse yourself in a brutal world where an invisible and insidious evil feasts. As you traverse this world’s intersecting paths, listen for a wood thrush’s guiding Song and search for the Light that, even in the darkest agony, can still shine. God bless you all.

⭐ “It was important that she learn the truth of this story. For though it happened long ago, in a deep and vital way it was still happening now and would go on happening forever. And if she did not learn it and grasp hold of it tightly with both hands, it would go on without her … still vital, still true. But she herself would be less true.””Here at the dawning of her awareness, that tender threshold between childhood and adulthood when all is new and all is old simultaneously. That thin slice of time when mortality understands immortality without effort, without unconscious trust.”When I finished the first chapter, I had it in my head that I wasn’t going to like this book. Basically, two brothers are building a huge hall at the top of a hill, and the tiny village at the bottom has been asked to make a water offering to these brothers once a day. We start with a little girl going up the hill to make the offering. Eventually, she somewhat befriends one of the brothers and he ends up telling her a story. So we switch between the little girl’s PoV and that of the characters in the story the brother is telling. I thought I wouldn’t be submersed in the “story” part of the book, but Stengl did a great job keeping me entrenched in both PoVs.The story part of the world is made up of two villages on opposite sides of the river, so as far as world building goes, it isn’t terribly complicated. Matter of fact, it has a very tribal feel to it. No commerce, no kings or kingdoms, no lands to explore. It’s compact. That said, we are mainly with only one of the tribes, so whatever was going on in the other wasn’t explored. Someone looking for intricate or detailed worlds will probably not enjoy this as much as I did.The writing was clean, smooth, and easy to read. Furthermore, it’s a super short book and a great way to pass a few hours.I’m a bit surprised that I picked up a book that’s a spinoff of a series. I didn’t realize that when I bought it. I just saw it on my to-read list and needed something short. However, I don’t feel like I missed out on anything. Like I said, I was surprised to find that out. So I don’t think you need to read the series to enjoy this.The little girl was developed nicely and ended up being very believable. It was a different reading experience than what I’m used to. Seeing the scary world through the eyes of a child was refreshing. The characters in the story were as nicely delivered. Draven and what he had to go through was heartbreaking. His character pulled me right into that story part and got me invested in him right off the bat. Ita was also engaging; a strong girl that I admired. I felt those two characters were incredibly well drawn.My complaint? When we discover who Ita loves, I found it a bit unbelievable based on time and what we knew. I saw it coming, but I kept telling myself that it couldn’t be. Shortly developed love always kinda bothers me a bit. Relationships and love take a bit more time to bloom than what was conveyed.My other complaint would be how I felt distant from the world. I wish there would have been a hair more world development. That gap made the whole book just hover outside of something I could love.Overall, if you want a quick read to occupy a few hours, I’d recommend this book. It moved fast and kept my interest the entire time.

⭐ I love the Tales of Goldstone Wood series, and this novella was a wonderful addition to the family. Being a novella, the characters and events are portrayed rather quickly in comparison to her full novels, but the story is wonderfully told, and it never seems as if the characters are rushed. Anne Elisabeth Stengl always surprises me with how magically she can unfold, and how delicately she can wrap up any story, no matter the length. There are times I wonder, “How can will she end such a large story in such few pages?” In this case I wondered “How will she unfold such a deep mystery in such few pages?” The answer to that is something you’ll have to discover yourself. With patience, you’ll never be disappointed.I do recommend that, perhaps, you start the series from the beginning. It’s easier to follow along, and you’ll uncover little nuggets of treasure as all of the stories somehow link to each other, and some details are better explained in other books.

⭐ Draven’s LightA Novella of Goldstone WoodBy Anne Elisabeth StenglThose familiar with the vast world that Anne Elisabeth Stengl has created will enchanted by this newest layer in the Goldstone Wood series.This is two stories within one in a sense. The first is a young girl who must face her fears and deliver a daily water gift to the two strange Brothers who live upon the hill building the Great House. The darkness of the Great House was more than she could bear to face. And then there were the Brothers whom she referred to as the Strong One and the Kind One.The Kind One could almost make her fears disappear as he told a story from long ago – the story of Draven.Draven was born the night Gaho failed to take the blood of tribe’s enemy. Branded a coward for his lack of courage, he is now an outcast among his own. Except for his sister Ita, none acknowledge his existence. But to Ita, Gaho’s refusal to take a life without cause was the greater honor, the greater act of bravery.But Draven can’t see himself through the eyes of his sister, he sees instead the coward his father named him to be. But when a curse follows the warriors of his tribe home following a battle all are in danger from this deadly illness. And the one branded a coward may be the only hope for his tribe and the one who is dearest to his heart. But he must face an enemy unlike any that he has seen before, an enemy who lives out of sight and in the shadows. But can he face the darkness and the terrors that lie hidden in the deep and find his true name?I was provided an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I so enjoyed it that I purchased a copy of the published book to add to my Goldstone Wood collection.

⭐ I might end up beginning each TOGW review by saying something to the effect of “I loved this book.”Anne Elisabeth once again pulls us backwards in time and brings alive characters and places that we glance over when reading some of the other books. Each time she does this, she deepens the reality of this universe she has created. She introduces a whole history and mythology of the TOGW world and then goes back and lets us live the times when the history and mythology were the present and future. (At some point, I would love a very detailed timeline and a good map, like those that can be found in the Silmarillion.)This book includes tribal war, a crippled princess, the Brothers Ashiun, a character sort of named Gaheris, and the Light of Asha.If you have read all the other TOGW books, this is a must. If not, you will really enjoy this short story and will probably want to pick up some of the other TOGW books. You will be intrigued by Woods and want to go deeper.

⭐ I have read all of Anne Elisabeth Stengl’s books so far, and this one, though shorter than most, is just as wonderful as the others. There is so much to love here. To those who haven’t read this author’s works before, I can tell you that she has a uniquely beautiful style of writing that draws you in and wraps around you, making everything else disappear. She is also great at including creepiness and some genuinely frightening villains without the darkness becoming overwhelming. I wasn’t sure if I would like the story-within-a-story method utilized, but she does it very well, and the transitions are smooth and effortless.Another one of my favorite things in this book as well as the other Tales of Goldstone Wood is the authenticity of the relationships. The brother-sister bond is one that isn’t explored as frequently in fiction, so I really appreciated it here. Ita and Draven support, protect, challenge, and occasionally antagonize each other just like any close siblings. There is also a small amount of (clean) romance in this book, but it is not the focus of the story. Returning fans of Goldstone Wood will be as thrilled as I was to see the character of Akilun, frequently referenced in the series, up close and personal for the first time. I hope we get to see even more of him in the future!Bottom line: whether you are a long-time fan or a first-time reader, do yourself a favor and get this book NOW!

⭐ My review for Draven’s Light:Once again Anne Anne Elisabeth Stengl brings us into this wonderful world that we are drawn to and have grown to love more with every release. I love how she uses two prominent characters who we haven’t heard much about or seen lately to tell a different story from their past. In using the Brothers Ashiun, she introduces a new character. I believe she doesn’t tell us The Girl’s name right away so that we can become the character as if Akilun is telling us the story instead of us reading it. But, by doing this she does tell us more than I wish she had told us. The Girl is telling us what she thinks will happen next in the story instead of letting us figure it out for ourselves. But, maybe that we are on board with the characters and know what’s happening at the right pace. The ending. One of the best in the series. Of course though, I say that about every book. Which means it’s all that you would expect from a Tales of Goldstone Wood book. I love these stories that go back and explain more to us. Like a castle in a earlier book, the Houses of Light, and more about the other Faeries in the Wood that aren’t for the Prince. In closing, this is a wonderful book and a must read to anybody who reads this amazing series. Do not pass it up just because it’s not a main novel. Every story is important to Goldstone Wood.

⭐ The latest Tale of Goldstone Wood was crazy awesome. I picked up the first book–ages ago–not sure if I would even like it, and became a rabid fan of the Tales instantly. Yep, rabid, I say. I pretty much read other books just to bide my time until the next Goldstone Wood tale comes out. This one was shorter than most, a novella, but it was still a deeply satisfying book until the very end. Then I want twelve more. Like right now. Even if you’ve never read any of the Tales, pick one up–any of them–and try it! Best. Storytelling. Ever! In LOVE with these books!

⭐ Once again, Stengl delivers a carefully crafted tale, laced with references faithful readers will delight in, but accessible for the first-time reader. The depth and detail belie the novella length of the story, leaving this reader’s eyes brimming with tears of happiness and awe as the last pages turned.In a tradition akin to Lewis and Tolkien, Stengl hearkens back to ancient times and traditions, bringing them to life in the mind’s eye. If this is your first time venturing into The Tales of Goldstone Wood, I am confident it will not be your last.

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