Pawn

Night of the Dark Fae, Book 1

By: Angela J. Ford

Narrated by: Raquel Beattie

Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

Maeve of Carn is a warrior of warriors, but she’s no hero. Born with superhuman strength, she sells her abilities to mercenaries and warlords in exchange for wealth. 

Until the night of the full moon.

In the midst of a raid, led by the warlord she just might be falling in love with, Maeve is taken by the Dark Fae.

After leaving her to rot in the dungeon of the damned, they offer her a deal. Freedom. If she finds a divine relic rumored to have the power to break all curses. Left with no other choice, Maeve sets off on a perilous quest, guided by the Scholar.

©2019 Angela J. Ford (P)2020 Angela J. Ford

This book definitely packs a punch

Pawn by Angela J. Ford was such a wild ride! It has a great world-building, though definitely on the dark side, and a heroine who is thrust into a quest by the Fae thanks to their holding over her her own freedom. Much of the story is full of action but also intrigue, since Maeve's companion, Sandrine the Scholar, is not so forthcoming with the knowledge she has.

As for the narrator, she certainly did a great job differentiating the voices of all the characters (and there are many since there are a couple of chapters that are even from a different POV) and bringing this story to life. However, I think there's room for improvement, especially with some slighter nuances, such as whispers, or when displaying certain emotions.

This book definitely packs a punch and has something to appeal to many: from magic/sorcery to sword skills and battles, from intrigue and a prophecy to hints of romance, lovers of Fantasy will definitely enjoy this new series.

Content: since the world is dark and the heroine has made a living with her sword skills, the violence levels in this book are bound to be high. I know for some this won't bother them, but for me, the descriptions were at times too strong (or even visceral). Also, it must be noted that there's a couple of times where, when describing female characters, the word "breasts" is mentioned, and one of those times going into even further detail (since said character is wearing very thin clothing, leaving nothing to the imagination). ~ 4 stars

whoever gave this book a 4 star is a lied

The book is basic and nothing stands out for me, definitely will not continue with this series. There is no character development and the story seems rushed and parts are missing like I would have like th story to begin when she was with rhw Warlord so the story can develop and help us understand Maeve better. Maeve comes off as really naive as if she wasn't a mercenary who murdered and killed people before being captured. The Character the author was trying to portray is not the character that was delivered to us.

Awesome

I enjoyed this book very good unique story great start to a new series can't wait to read the rest of the series

I received this audiobook free in exchange for an honest review.

Think Lord or the Ringsesque with One BadA*s Female Warrior!

I remember when I was a little girl, Lord of the Rings was the first big book I ever read. Now granted my dad helped me with this! My dad would sit in between my brother’s and my bedrooms before bed and we would sit with him. He would scroll his finger across the words so we could learn how to read. It was wonderful! This book is the start of one of my new favorite series! It was awesome! Great plot twists, just enough info on all the different types of beings to paint a solid picture of the domains and make me want to see more! Maeve of Carn is a dynamo! She is a force! The flow of the book was great for laying the foundation for the books to come! Angela Ford is a writing wizard! So excited for book #2!

Maeve is a bit like Wonder Woman

This book was amazing. I listened to the whole book in 2.5 days. I didn't want to stop listening. The characters each have distinct personalities. The plot flows along well. There is a lot of action. I'd recommend this book to those looking for a Fae fantasy book with magic and dragons. The main character, Maeve is not exactly a good person but she isn't evil either. She dresses like Wonder Woman and she is strong like Wonder Woman. She is also confident. I look forward to the next book.
 
Maeve has come to realize that the bad predicament that she has found herself in is of her own making. The Fae don't have any control over those who don’t harm innocents. Even with that knowledge, she is not yet ready to change. She is desperate for her freedom from the Fae. This book has twists and turns. The characters have secrets. We learn some of those secrets in this first book.
 
The narrator did a great job. Her voice fluctuates and is appealing to the ear. It is easy to differentiate among the characters that she is portraying.

Loved this book!

Story is clear, intriguing and well the narration was very good. I already purchased the last 2 because this was so good.

Fantastic

This was a fabulous story! I loved the adventures and the amazing characters. The narrator was amazing.

Great example dark epic fantasy

Here is a good example of a fantastic yet not over powered heroine. She is as the title states a pawn. She is stronger than normal but that doesn't make her the smartest, most powerful,ect . Plenty of action to be had.

Great story and the narrator Raquel Beattie did an amazing job!

I loved this story. I listened every chance I could. The narrator performed this book wonderfully. I definitely recommend this book if you are into fantasy!

Excited for the next one!

I'm invested in Ford's Legend of the Nameless One series, so I thought I'd check out what else she's done. I think the beginning of this series shows even more promise than the first book in the Nameless One saga, and I'm excited to see where she goes from here.

It's an absolutely wild and creative through fantasy tropes old and new. There's dragons, fae, wizards, and warriors, but also creative stuff like haunted seas, giant eels, and weirdly all-knowing goblin queens. And of course, questions about character's intentions and pasts, some which are answered in this book and others that are saved for later.

The narrator is absolutely pitch-perfect, capturing all the nuances of Maeve and her situation. She takes us through her inner darkness and growing desire to be something better with great acumen. I love Maeve's bloodthirsty nature but I also love her dawning realization of the evil she's caused in the world, the lives she's impacted for the worst.

Just a quick note, but this is the type of redemption story that relies on the idea of religion as a force for change. It's not Maeve's only reason to want to change, but the idea of a god, called "The Divine" that stands in judgment of all is a significant reason she's seeking redemption. I note this because I know that's not for everyone; I was actually a little disappointed by that myself, but not enough to squelch my enjoyment of the story.

I have the second book in the series and plan to start it soon. I want to know what happens next!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Really good - Recommended

Angela J. Ford is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. I also recommend Treachery of Water which is also a brilliant book.

Maeve is an antihero who makes a living as a hired warrior for whomever can pay a pretty penny. She lives for the fight and cares little for those who lose their lives in the process. However, her world is turned upside down when she is captured by the Dark Fae and imprisoned. She is bound into slavery by magic and given an ultimatum. She can either go on a quest to retrieve some lost magic relics for them and win her freedom, or languish in prison watching her life deteriorate into dust. Maeve wants freedom. However, she is aware that the Dark Fae are not to be trusted, they are not telling her the whole truth, she is being manipulated by many, and it is difficult to decide who is truly friend or foe. Things are not what they seem as she is blindly forced into one dangerous adventure after another, but slowly and surely the pieces of the puzzle start to come together, helping her to realise her fate and destiny.

Things to bare in mind about Maeve is that she has been through significant trauma in the past, much of which is locked away in her mind with other secrets which unfold throughout the story. All she has ever known is trauma and violence so when she is faced with delving into her past and finding out truths about herself and her family, it forces her to break away from her protective shell, and open herself up to emotions and experiences she has always shied away from in the past. In a sense this is an 'adult' coming of age story where you see her personality grow & develop, but it's done in the most epic of ways. I mention this because initially Maeve's personality is one track minded for waring debauchery. One reviewer suggested there was no character development with Maeve, but considering the above aforementioned, this was done on purpose and is not a lack of penmanship.

Overall, this book is very well written, enjoyable to read with good narration. There is romance, magic, mythical creatures, adventure, regrets, constant danger and the realisation that there are many players in this game, but who are they and who is willing to do everything in their power to win?

I was given this book for free of my own choosing and voluntarily left this review.

Fascinating worldsetting

The worldsetting is truly fascinating. I quite like the author's take on the fae genre, a genre that can otherwise feel a bit overdone these days. But this was new and refreshing, and I quite liked Maeve of Carn. She's a ruthless mercenary, quite lost but learns more about herself during the book. Look forward to continuing this series!
The narrator did an amazing job, each character had their own voice and it was easy to tell the difference.

great

A fantastic fantasy audiobook from the pen of Angela J Ford and narrated by Raquel Beattie, looking forward to more in this series xxxxx

Good First Book

Maeve of Carn is a mercenary. Born with superhuman abilities, she's used her strength to gain wealth from noble men and warlords. Until one full moon, she's taken by a Dark Fae and imprisoned. Then they offer her freedom; but first she will have to reunite the 7 shards of a relic that is said to break the curse of the Dark Fae. Without much of a choice, Maeve sets off on an epic quest with a scholar as her guide.

This was a really fascinating world. I liked the overall story, but I was confused by a lot of what happened to Maeve. There's so much information she's seemed to have lost about who she is or was and I didn't get enough to truly understand her.

The quest aspect of this was fun and I enjoyed getting to know the other characters. I wasn't completely sure of the relationship between Maeve and Cassian. At times it seemed romantic and other it didn't.

Overall, I'm interested in the lore of the world enough to continue, but I hope there's more answers about Maeve and Carn in the next one because I'm still confused about that aspect.

Pawn

I really enjoyed this dark Fae book. This was a great start to this series. Can't wait to see what will happen next.

A great 1st book

I was caught up this book from the start, it held my attention and kept me thoroughly entertained. It's well written and nicely paced. A great story with a good amount of detailing.
The characters are great and suit the story.
The narration is really good, bring this whole experience together nicely.
well worth checking out.