Elphame's Choice (Luna)

Rating:
Summary: I cried... I very rarely cry...
Review: *sniff* This tale was so good, I'm sitting on needles waiting for the sequel.

As usual, Luna releases another great story. I'm amazed by the variety of romantic fantasy the line has put together and this was no exception.

I throughly enjoyed the characters, especially the secondary ones. Great worldbuilding and character development.

I rushed out and bought Goddess by the Sea. I hope it is just as good as Elphame's Choice!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Although the book summary hinted at a compelling heroine and hero, love story, and plot... this was not the reality. I had to force myself to finish the book. It was disappointing since it seemed to have such a strong premise.

Rating:
Summary: Avid Reviewer and Reader
Review: Elphame's Choice by P.C. Cast is a wonderful follow-up to Cast's first novel, Goddess by Mistake. Elphame's Choice is set in the same world, Partholon about 125 years after the events in Goddess by Mistake.

Elphame, the great-granddaughter of Rhiannon and the daughter of Etain, the current Goddess Incarnate is struggling to find her way. Born part-human and part-centaur, she is worshiped by the people of Partholon and she hates it. Elphame is a woman - not a goddess. Epona, the Goddess, has never directly spoken to Elphame. As a matter of fact, Elphame has never experienced anything magical except her hybrid looks.

MacCallan Castle, according to Goddess by Mistake was the site of a terrible atrocity. The Fomorians, vampire-like demons attacked the castle, murdered all the men and used the woman as incubators for their children. Fomorians had lost the ability to reproduce and had discovered that human woman could be used for children. These women died a horrible death at the birth of these Fomorian off-spring. With the help of Rhiannon and Epona, the Fomorians were defeated and driven into the Wastelands. MacCallan Castle was destroyed when it was used a funeral pyre for the dead.

Elphame has decided MacCallan Castle should be rebuilt. She hopes those who join her endeavor will accept her just as a woman and not a goddess. To assist her in rebuilding the castle are her brother, Cuchulainn, Danann, Stonemaster and centaur, Brighid, a Huntress and centaur, Brenna, a Healer, and many others. This band of young people are hopeful that MacCallan Castle will be a place for them to start over and have a better way of life.

The Fomorians are not done with Partholon. While the original Fomorians have long since died off of a plague, their children have survived. Epona, in her infinite wisdom, allowed some of the mothers to survive. These mothers loved their children, even though they where fathered by Fomorians. These hybrid children raised by loving mothers fight a constant battle to retain their humanity. Lochlan, their leader, believes in a prophecy told to him by his mother - the hybrid Fomorians will gain salvation from madness with the blood of a dying Goddess. Lochlan believes this to be Elphame - who is also his lifemate.

P.C. Cast has created a wonderful and rich mythology for Elphame's Choice. The intricate characterizations make the book very interesting to read. This is not just as standard romantic fantasy. There are no buxom heroines in distress. Elphame is strong in both character and body. While some parts of the story are traditional romance, most is not. The storyline has a few twists that are not anticipated. The fantasy element of the book is what dominates the storyline. The ending will even surprise most. It is not your typical `happy ever after.' I enjoyed reading this book.

P.C. Cast is a professional teacher and speaker. Her first book, Goddess by Mistake won the Holt Medallion in the category of best paranormal romance, The Prism Award, and the Laurel Wreath Award for Excellence in Published Romance Fiction. Goddess by Mistake will be re-released by Luna entitled Partholon by Mistake in the fall of 2005. Her other works include Goddess of Spring, Goddess of the Sea, and Goddess of Light. For more information, please visit her website at http://www.pccast.net/ .




Rating:
Summary: A fantastic read!
Review: I can always count on P.C. Cast for a compelling fantasy that takes my breath away and "Elphame's Choice" is no exception. I was skeptical when "Goddess by Mistake" touted love between and centaur and a human. Didn't seem physically possible and not necessarily a sexy/romantic/something I could day-dream about. I ate crow when I was proven wrong, but somehow, experienced the same doubts when I read that Elphame has hooves (only two not four) and her one, true love has wings and is half demon. But Lochlan is tortured and sexy and slightly edgy, my all time fav, and Elphame is strong, insecure, lonely, beautiful, and successful, just like all of my very best friends. A glass of wine and "Elphame" makes for a very satisfying night. I can't wait for "Brighid's Quest" in 2005.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful romantic fantasy!
Review: I had no idea what to expect when I picked up this novel. All I know is that the premise seemed interesting. I loved this novel. Elphame's Choice is a beautiful fantasy novel about a rather unique woman taking charge of her life. Elphame had been born different. Goddess Epona had marked her with a physical appearance that makes her unique. Her legs resemble the legs of a centaur, making her look like she's half human, half horse, something that has awed the people around her. But Elphame wants to be accepted as a normal, ordinary person, not as the daughter of the Goddess's Chose One. So she sets out to reconstruct and live at the MacCallan castle -- a place that had been destroyed during a savage war. Something had driven her there, something that could well change her life forever. There are various twists throughout the novel.

I have never read the Goddess series, the series this novel is based on, so I was a bit lost at first, but I just let the story guide me. The writing is beautiful and the fanciful language and setting enthralled me from beginning to end. The characters are also fascinating. Lochlan, the man Elphame sees in her dreams, is quite an obscure character for the first half of the book, and that is what I found most fascinating about him. I also liked Cuchulainn, Elphame's overprotective and womanizing brother, and the things that transpire in his love life. The overall story is wonderful. P.C. Cast has a way with words. She transports you into her unique world. I couldn't put this book down. My one complaint is that the pace of the story seemed too slow at times. I don't like stories that are rushed, but I also don't like it when a story is dragged on either. Other than that, Elphame's Choice is a riveting romantic fantasy and I cannot recommend it enough.

Rating:
Summary: I was disappointed
Review: I love Cast's Goddess Summoning Series, but for some reason I thought there was going to be more substance. I agree with some of the other reviewers that I really cared much more about the secondary characters story (El's brother) and what is going to happen to him then the main plot of the story. Overall the plot is weak and I thought the main character was whiny. Her hero had no real reason to love her and I'm sorry, but I have a hard time envisioning a half human half two legged horse female as sexy and appealing. It was mostly just gross to me. I mean - soft downy fur on her legs? Eeeww... guys don't like that and I didn't enjoy reading about it. Had the heroine been more realistic I think I could have been more interested in the main characters love story. Lochlan's history and mythology was actually a lot cooler to me that the one that Elphame came from. She and her mother seemed whiny, weak, and really a bit pathetic. I struggled to get through this book and had really been hoping for a better read. I will still give Cast a chance, but if she lets me down again, I might start passing in the future. Her other stories are quite good, but this one left me feeling - strange.

Rating:
Summary: could not put this one down!
Review: I've ever been a fan of the fantasy genre and i never really gave romance much of a chance. I have to say that P.C.'s newest novel has opened my eyes. Her blend of fantastical worlds and hero's mixed with sizzlin' romance and well-researched mythology kept my nose buried deep in this book. I am now gonna read her first three books and i anxiously await her next Goddess Summoning book! Keep the good books coming!

~sarA~

Rating:
Summary: Incredibly interesting, but ultimately unsatisfying
Review: If you need a fantasy romance fix, then by all means read this one. The main problem is an overdevelopement of the female heroine and an underdevelopment of the hero. Why does he care so much about her, except for the prophecy. The real characters to watch are Brenna and Brigid. Elphame needs to stop whining about her place in life. Don't get me wrong, I liked the book, I just didn't understand why we should care so much about Lojain and Elphame.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: Never having read a Luna novel before, I was a little put off by the fact that the novel centers mainly on the heroine of the tale. What can I say, I enjoy being inside the mind of my hero. Add to that, that at times she seemed to really wax on about the restoration of the castle and its inhabitants.

For all that however, this book was magical. I've been a fan of P.C.'s from the beginning. Her mind is so fertile and imaginative. And this book was no exception.

Elphame is the daughter of Epona's beloved and her centaur lifemate. Touched by the goddess, Elphame bears the mark of the goddess's grace. The story begins with Elphame needing to leave the constricting home of her parents and make her own way in life. Though she bears the mark of the goddess's blessing, she's never felt any power of her own, which makes her feel awkward and unsure. She journeys, with her brother, toward the charred and gutted remains of her ancestors home, where she finds for the first time in her life, peace. Overwhelming peace and acceptance.

She'd always been revered and praised in her mother's land, but never treated as an equal. Only something to stare at and bow to. She'd never been able to make a true friend, outside of her own family, and so the changes that come over her at the acceptance of the castle and her charges works miracles on Elphame's soul. Not only that, but on this strange and rugged land the magic that had always lain dormant inside her comes into full bloom. Here, in the untamed wilds Elphame truly becomes a goddess and chieftan of her own clan.

While the reading in the middle of the book is intriguing, in my opinon, the book doesn't get explosive until the hero finally enters the picture. Lochlan, half-man half-Femorian (if you haven't read Goddess by Mistake then Femorians are demonic, mindless and human like in form, with talons for feet and wings that do very interesting things when aroused ;) ) but Lochlan is no demon the way his father was. He's a half-breed, who through great pain, is able to control the demonic possession inherent in his kind.

But, it's not permanent. A prophesy has been foretold that in order for his kind to rid themselves of the evil they must do so by the blood of a goddess. Yet, this is no easy task for them. Because unlike the uncaring full-bloods, this new race of Femorian's try desperately to hang onto a veneer of civility.

The book was simply awesome, and P.C. has definitely delivered the goods once again. Nobody can do fantasy like P.C.

P.C., just keep them coming. You've got a fan for life.

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting Read
Review: With "Elphame's Choice" P.C. Cast continues in the same vein as her breakout novel, "Goddess by Mistake." Elphame, the half-human, half-centaur daughter of Etain, beloved of Epona, is very unhappy. As a human/centaur hybrid, Elphame is human from the waist up but her two legs resemble those of a centaur, ending with hoofs. Because she was so obviously marked by the Goddess, all who see her worship her. While she is revered and worshipped, outside of her own family she is not seen for who she is on the inside. It is this longing for acceptance that prompts Elphame to take her younger brother and seek her destiny in the ruins of the MacCallan.

Castle MacCallan was destroyed in a war over 100 years ago by a race of bloodthirsty demonic creatures called Fomorians. And ever since she was a child, Elphame has been captivated by the legends of the ancient keep. So, with a small band of humans and centaurs at her disposal, she sets about recapturing the grandeur and splendor of the castle. Before leaving, her brother has a premonition that Elphame will meet her destiny, and her life mate, while at this castle. Soon, these visions come true in the form of a half-man, half-Fomorian named Lochlan. Terrible events begin to unfold: will her new clan support Elphame's decision or will their hatred of an ancient enemy be too strong to overcome?

While I enjoyed this book, I found myself becoming more interested in the secondary characters than I was in the main characters. The love story of Elphame's warrior brother Cuchulainn and a scarred healer named Brenna was just as interesting, if not more so, than the romance between Lochlan and Elphame. While the story and plot were good, the characters weren't as dynamic as Cast usually writes. Barring a few small flaws, "Elphame's Choice" was a wonderful novel, and I'm waiting for the next installment!