Thursday, August 11, 2011

(The Raie'Chaelia Blog Tour) The Raie'Chaelia by Melissa Douthit

The Raie'Chaelia

Author: Melissa Douthit

Publisher: Lucky Bat Books

4 out of 5 stars

Chalice squinted against the smoke, but despite not being able to see, she could still hear the screams.  They sounded as if they couldn’t possibly be coming from a human being.  They were raw, and ringing in the air long after they had ended.  Grandpa’s warning was clear in her head.  She had to escape, and make it to the farm in Branbury.  He had said that there was someone there that she had to meet.  What if I never get to hear his stories again?  What if those were the last words I would ever hear from him?  Chalice pushed those thoughts out of her head.  She had to focus now.  She knew that if she didn’t escape now then she would never get the chance again.  Chalice threw her leg over the side of her horse, and took one long last look at her home.  She might never see this place again she realized.  That felt like a punch in the stomach, and she turned and rode away as her eyes filled with tears.

Chalice never thought that she was anyone special.  In her mind she was just another young woman living in the village of Canton.  She had her whole life, and she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else without her loving grandparents and her two best friends.  What Chalice didn’t know was that she was much more than just anyone else.  She was the true princess, the Raie’Chaelia.  And that was just the beginning…

It was one fateful night when it happened.  The king’s men came and invaded Canton, and they captured anyone they could find.  Chalice’s grandfather sent her off saying that she must escape now and make it to a farm in Branbury.  But that was across the mountains!  No matter, Chalice knew that there was something waiting there for her, and her grandfather was demanding that she leave this instant, for her safety.

Chalice didn’t expect to find Branbury deserted.  It was a ghost town, without a soul in sight.  It turns out that there is one person left in Branbury though, Jeremiah, one of Chalice’s childhood friends.  Neither knows what has happened here, but they do know for certain that they can’t stay.  They set off on a quest that will be full of adventure, unlikely alliances, and most of all trying to find their loved ones once again.  Will they be able to rescue their loved ones from the king’s men?  Who is Chalice, and will she be able to unravel her mysterious past?  Melissa Douthit reveals all in her debut tale of one special girl in an amazing new world in, The Raie’Chaelia!

The Raie’Chaelia is a wonderful adventure that had me constantly soaking in all of the information I could about this new world.  The characters are all full of life, and you can’t help but smile along with their crazy antics.  The Raie’Chaelia was given to me by Teddy of Virtual Author Book Tours as part of The Raie’Chaelia blog tour.*  Thank  you so much Melissa Douthit and Teddy for providing me with a copy of The Raie’Chaelia!  This is a book that older teens and adults will immerse themselves in as they learn about this new land, full of interesting creatures, and a history of its own.

The world-building in the The Raie’Chaelia really shaped this book into an interesting story.  The world in which Chalice lives in, Naeo’ Gaea, was actually built from the ground-up after the Ice Age that had fallen upon the land for years.  During the Ice Age, everyone lived underground, and it was during this time that they developed into three separate races- the Terravail, the Naeon, and the Quaie’Miren.  There is also a large amount of history to the world of Naeo’ Gaea, and there is even an old language, Angualic, that is used in the book as well.  This reminded me slightly of Lord of the Rings in which the different languages, such as Elven and Dwarvish were used.

The characters each had a lot of heart, and so many of them I would love to meet.  Not only did each character have very distinct histories that shaped them into who they are, but many of the characters’ histories intertwined with one another’s pasts as well.  One of my favorite characters was Bunejab, or Bunie, who is a small creature called a Chinuk.  Bunie is very cute, but don’t be fooled, because he’s very intelligent as well.  Many of the characters, such as Chalice and Jeremiah, really interacted quite well with each other.  Their chemistry was so natural, and I loved reading about the scenes in which they went back and forth with each other with their witty banter.

I did feel that at first there was a lot of information to take in.  In the beginning I was learning about Chalice’s story, but was also trying to follow along with the history of Naeo’ Gaea.  I couldn’t quite keep everything straight, and it was hard to remember specific details that were significant to the story.  It would have been nice to have seen things taken a bit slower, so I could really wrap my head around it all.  There were also some spelling and grammar errors that slightly interrupted the reading experience.  Hopefully, in the sequel, The Firelight of Maalda, many of the important details will be refreshed.

The Raie’Chaelia is a fantasy novel that has many different elements mixed in.  Full of adventure, deceit, and strange lands, this book has something for everyone.  Join Chalice as she journeys to find her loved ones and herself in, The Raie’Chaelia!

-This is T.B. with Another Book Back on the Shelf…
Until Next Time, Keep Reading!


*I received The Raie'Chaelia from Teddy of Virtual Author Book Tours and the author, Melissa Douthit, in exchange for my honest review as part of The Raie'Chaelia Blog Tour.  Thank you so much Teddy and Melissa!


Stay tuned, because tomorrow I'll have an interview with the author, Melissa Douthit, and TWO giveaways!

Don't forget to check out the other stops of The Raie'Chaelia Blog Tour, where you can read reviews, interviews, and enter giveaways!


Bookchilla 8/1 & 8/2
My{reads}da 8/5                  
Cup of Tea Reviews 8/8 & 8/9
Oodles of books  8/12 
Books Ahoy  8/15 & 8/16
Hywela Lyn  8/17 &  8/18
ChicaReader  8/22 & 8/23  
Manga Maniac Cafe  8/29 & 8/30

Check out Melissa Douthit's website at www.melissadouthit.com.

5 comments:

  1. Wow, this book sounds really cool! I'm up for a good adventure story right now, and I love the fact that the characters are individual pieces of awesome! Plus, I'm a big fan of stories set in alternate universes. :)

    Awesome review, Tessa!

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  2. Tessa,

    My publisher said that she hopes you become a writer! Your command of the English language is exceptional!

    V/r,
    Melissa

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  3. Mimi Valentine- I'm glad this one sounds interesting! Haha, the characters definitely are individual pieces of awesome, and the world that the story is set in definitely had a whole history of its own. Thanks!

    Melissa Douthit- Wow, thank you so much! That means so much to me. Thanks so much for reading the review :)

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  4. Oh, I love fantasies that have their own languages! The history of this world sounds very cool too.

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  5. The language and history of this one really made this book what it is. I felt like the world of Naeo’ Gaea was real, and I loved to learn about its past. I think you would enjoy this one!

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