The Lord of Stariel

Stariel, Book 1

By: AJ Lancaster

Narrated by: Finty Williams

Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

The Lord of Stariel is dead. Long live the Lord of Stariel. Whoever that is.

Everyone knows who the magical estate will choose for its next ruler. Or do they? Will it be the lord’s eldest son, who he despised? His favourite nephew, with the strongest magical land-sense? His scandalous daughter, who ran away from home years ago to study illusion?

Hetta knows it won’t be her, and she’s glad of it. Returning home for her father’s funeral, all Hetta has to do is survive the family drama and avoid entanglements with irritatingly attractive local men until the Choosing. Then she can leave. But whoever Stariel chooses will have bigger problems than eccentric relatives to deal with.

Winged, beautifully deadly problems.

For the first time in centuries, the fae are returning to the Mortal Realm, and only the Lord of Stariel can keep the estate safe. In theory.

The Lord of Stariel is the first book in the Stariel quartet.

©2018 AJ Lancaster (P)2020 Podium Audio

Nice Twist

Felt very Victorian but modern at times. Liked that the female lead had a brain. Nicely done.

A cut above the stereotypical fantasy novel

I’m a sucker for a British female voice actor. Also a sucker for fantasy/magic novels. Normally I’ll listen to any “garbage” fantasy novel (the stereotypical “will they won’t they, oops I’m magical!” Novels that are made for a quick buck, not originality). I would, however, rate this a cut above the stereotypical fantasy novels. While it has many aspects of common lore and a “will they won’t they,” it doesn’t overly draw it out. The author keeps things tidy and doesn’t dwell on any one factor (aside from Win feeling like a burden, but that’s just his personality). It also has a pleasant Agatha Christie vibe with the mystery mixed in. I appreciate mysteries that are able to be solved if you think hard enough, but aren’t blatantly obvious. It’s easy to create a “mystery” if you’ve withheld vital information, but most of their scenarios don’t do that. It’s nice to know that if you are clever enough, you could take a guess at the right answer

Great listen

Very interesting story and exited to see what comes next. Narrator was fantastic as well

Great Story!

This was a new author for me and I couldn't be more pleased! The story line was interesting, great character development, some twists and turns, an ending while still intriguing me for the next installment!! Definately recommended!!

What a fun surprise!

I found this title free as part of my membership catalog, I figured it would be ok as most of the free books bare, but I was pleasantly shocked to find a new favorite series. The story itself is very unique, it's definitely not a retelling of any story premise I have ever read. The characters are really well developed and continue to evolve (throughout not only the book, but the whole series) the estate on which the family lives is even a character. I loved that! The story is about humans and fae working on their relationship, it's also about family connecting with each other and their land and it's about a strong female lead establishing her leadership and building respect.

The lady lead is fantastic, she's smart, independent, resourceful and fierce. I loved her! She reminded me a bit of the Veronica Speedwell character in the Veronica Speedwell Mysteries by Deanna Raeburn (sp?). The male characters were all written really well, they were all very different but interacted with each other in really honest ways - they all show strengths and at the same time show their vulnerabilities.

The narration was VERY well done. I wasn't sure at first, but once you get into the story she does an amazing job. Spoiler Alert - this narrator read the first 3 books and sadly was replaced for the 4th. The reader of the 4th was good, but not nearly as good as this reader :(

Overall, if you like stories with a strong, smart female lead, that involve the fae, and move along quickly you'll probably really enjoy this series. If I had to pick a place and time that might have been the inspiration for the setting, I'd say Stariel is in a similar location to Scotland and the story is set in the 20's or 30's?

Such a good and unexpected treat

Was really surprised by this book. I loved that it was free for me through Audible, and I was able to hear the start to this unique family story. It’s cute, had a lot of heart, and made me want to read the rest of the series.

Good Listen

It kept me entertained on my long drives in the morning. I look forward to the next book.

Great audio book of magic fantasy.

I loved the narration and the story was very entertaining. Hetta, Win and her family members at Stariel struggle to assume control of legacy and deal with the fae.

A beautiful and delightful read

I quite enjoyed this book. There was drama, yet not heavy handed or traumatic. There were a few twists, not ones I couldn’t see from the beginning but there were some decent red herrings as to make me guess my initial solve from time to time. There was romance that never got sappy. Main female character was intelligent, witty, perceptive and precocious and was lead by both her heart and her head. I loved the family dynamic that while there were times they were at odds and cross purposes, they ultimately had love, mostly trust in each other and respect. I hope that continues as the story is setting up for more challenging and potentially sad trials. It was a nice and ultimately lovely story that I didn’t want to leave.

one of my favorites!

It quickly turned into one of my favorite series, no less because Finty Williams is the perfect narrator for these books. She put so much personality into the characters, I greatly enjoyed listening to her. I was horribly surprised and utterly devastated when suddenly in book 4 the narrator changed. Ms Williams was a delight to listen to and the books aren't the same without her.