Oct 30, 2011

Review of "Lily in the Snow"


Lily in the Snow
and other elemental stories
by Christine E. Schulze

Lily in the Snow is a new YA Fantasy book from author, Christine Schulze.  "It is an anthology of six stories about all sorts of different Elementals. From Earth to Fire to Stone, all are magical beings with unique and beautiful coming-of-age adventures and romances." (quoted from Christine's email to me) Christine Schulze is the author of many wonderful stories, one of which I reviewed previously for her ~ Bloodmaiden.  I am excited to be able to read, review and promote her new book.


My Review :

I must say first of all that my favorite story of those within the book, has to be. . .well, that is difficult to decide.  I really liked all of the stories in this anthology; and each for different reasons.  I loved the main, first title - Lily in the Snow, for the suspense and magical ending.  I enjoyed following the romantic journey of Mica Schist, as well as the wonderous ending.  I also really enjoyed the story, Labyrinth: Heart of Stone.  It is full of mystery, suspense, adventure and romance.  Each of the stories throughout this book, have characters that deal with love, abandonment, emotional turmoil, difficult decisions, loyalty, honesty, and so much more.  Not only are the stories entertaining and thought-provoking; but also take the reader on a journey through the emotions and choices, sacrifices and personal changes that the characters in each of the stories struggle with.  Tthe worlds of the Elementals, Angels, flower maidens, dragon fairies are described in such a way that I almost felt they were real.  I felt like I was a part of the story, experiencing the wonder and awe of each new discovery along with the characters in the stories.  I can't wait to see what new and exciting adventure author Christine Schulze can come up with next.  

Lily in the Snow is due to be published sometime around January 2012 - I will hopefully update this blog when I know the exact date!


More about the Author :

 Christine E. Schulze has been creating books since she was too young to even write them in words. Her collection of YA fantasy books, The Amielian Legacy, is comprised of series and stand-alone books which can all be read separately but which weave together to create an amazing fantasy. She hopes to inspire readers throughout the world with these books by publishing in both traditional and electronic formats to make them available to all readers.

Christine has published several stories with Calliope and Kalkion magazines and is an active member of the WEbook online writing community. She has also published several Christian/fantasy books which are available at various online retailers, as well as publishing several eBooks via Writers-Exchange.

Her latest and most exciting venture includes her publications with Old Line Publishing: Bloodmaiden and Tears of a Vampire Prince: the First Krystine. She also anticipates her upcoming publication with Old Line, Lily in the Snow, as well as releasing The Chronicles of the Mira with Writers-Exchange in both paperback and electronic forms.

For even more info - check her out on Goodreads  ~ and her Blog, The Golden Healer's Blog


Review of "BLOODMAIDEN"

Bloodmaiden
by Christine Schulze


I have actually read this book twice now. There is so much action and depth of relationships throughout the story that I just had to read it again before posting my review. Characters you think you know at the beginning of the book, are full of surprises later on. I completely fell in love with Crislin and Chalom, and felt horror at their plight. I was amazed at their courage and determination to right the wrongs of their land no matter the trials that came their way. Their friends show great depth of character and loyalty.
This is a wonderful YA book, but I also recommend it to adults and teens as well. Definitely for ages 14/15 and up. The only thing that would keep younger readers from reading this book is the "marital" relationship of some of the characters. This is a clean book, no bad language or explicit "sexual" situations.

My Rating: solid 4 out of 5 - MUST READ!