Riven

My Myth Trilogy, Volume 1

By: Jane Alvey Harris

Narrated by: Jane Alvey Harris

Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Non-explicit trigger warning for childhood abuse including molestation.

Which reality would you choose? Seventeen-year-old Emily's dad is in prison for securities fraud and her mom's strung-out on pain meds, leaving Emily to parent herself and her younger brothers and sister. She's got things mostly under control until a couple weeks before Dad's release, when voices start whispering in her head, and Gabe, the hot lifeguard at the pool, notices the strange brands engraved on her arm...the ones she's trying desperately to hide. Emily doesn't know how the symbols got there or what they mean. They appeared overnight and now they're infected and bleeding. She's pretty sure she's losing her mind. Stress, insomnia, and her wounded egos drive Emily to self-medicate, which has to be why the nightmares from her childhood have resurfaced, why they're commandeering her conscious even when she's awake. It has to be why the fairytale creatures she created as a little girl insist they need her help.

Triggered by the return of her childhood abuser and unable to cope with reality, Emily slips completely inside her elaborate fantasy world. She's powerful in the First Realm, maybe even more powerful than her attacker. It would be so easy to stay there, to lose herself in enchantment...to lose herself in love. But something sinister lurks in the forest shadows. Emily soon discovers her demons have followed her inside her fairytale. They're hunting her. With the help of the Fae, she frantically searches for the weapons she needs to defeat her greatest fears and escape back to reality before the man who tortured her can prey on her younger brothers and sister, too. Time is running out....

©2016 Jane Alvey Harris (P)2017 Jane Alvey Harris

What a gut wrenching page turner!!

Jane Alvey Harris sure knows how to rip out all your heart strings!! This was a beautifully written but absolutely soul wrenching story!! And so sadly it is a truth for many many people. JAH does such a superb job in the world building of this story and gets you so sucked in I couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't!! This was a beautiful tragedy. JAH did an amazing job on the voices of all the characters and its so rare to see the writer do the narration and I loved it!! I couldn't get enough of this story! I am so glad things happened how they did in the book and I can't wait to see what happens next!! Emily is such a beautiful trooper inside and out. And I love the meaning of Jane Alvey Harris' real name in the story. You will see what I mean.

I requested and was given this audiobook complimentary at my request and have voluntarily left this review with my honest opinion

Interesting

Very interesting listen. Didn't end like I was expecting. The narration is excellent in some spots but there are a few spots that are hard to get through. A good start ro the trilogy.

Riven

A Fantastic read that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The Narrator does a fantastic job on the voices. This has lots of twists and turns. This is quite the roller coaster ride. That kept me enthralled from start to finish I definitely recommend this listen.
Shauna Joesten

Captivating

I had forgotten what the summary was before I started reading the book so this was an interesting journey. I couldn't put it down. I was asking myself the entire time "maybe the fae are real?" As we progress through the story we see the protagonist slip further into the fae world as she's trying to cope with the outside world. Overall I'm happy I read this - I picked it out and was given a code in exchange for my honest review.

A tale of fairy’s, boys, responsibility, and abuse

Riven brings you into the mind of Emily, a teenage girl who is trying to hold her family together while her dad is in prison and her mom is trying to cope with depression and a pill addiction. While trying to cope with her responsibilities and hormone Emily also deals with visions of a fairy world in trouble. Join Emily on a journey of trying to determine what is real and what is Emily trying to cope with abuse that she hides from herself and everyone around her. Jane Alvey Harris does a great job of weaving a tale with fairy’s that is in no way a fairy tale and will keep you guessing at what is real and what are hallucinations. If you like the average person in the US knows someone who has suffered from childhood abuse or has suffered yourself this story will bring up tons of emotions and at times is hard to read/listen to. This is a testament to the writing ability of Jane Harris but please be aware of the trigger warning in the author’s description. This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Savor and enjoy the world presented in Riven

I loved the story telling, the pace, the suspension of truth, and the quality of metaphor. For me the journey through Emily's pain and past was sometimes hard to witness, but I was always rooting for her. I love the relationship between the siblings, the truth in their conversations, and the love all around the book. There are tough subjects in the book, and Harris deals with them with a delicate hand. You become part of the Emily's journey into her own pain and you are cheering her on to triumph like the Faeries. I am so excited for part 2. I emailed the author almost immediately to beg her to finish the book.

Lovely descriptions are wound throughout the book. Savor and enjoy the fantasy and the reality presented in Riven.

I want to know what happens? Who is bad? Who is good? I trust Emily to navigate this world (and her own pain), but I really want to know.

Intriguing story. Easy to listen to.

If you could sum up Riven in three words, what would they be?

Captivating, heart-wrenching, page turner

What did you like best about this story?

I loved how the author created a story that incorporated both fantasy and realism. The reader is able to see how the heroine evolves and learns things about herself and how she deals with the things she discovers. I found myself wanting to escape into the fantasy world with her.

Which character – as performed by Jane Alvey Harris – was your favorite?

Emily

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!

Any additional comments?

Great read/listen. Harris does and excellent job of narrating her story and bringing the characters to life.

Fantastic!!

Fantasy and magical realism are both genres that I enjoy so this clever mix of both was absolutely captivating.

Emily feels as if she’s losing her mind. When markings start to appear in her skin, she doesn’t know what to think or do. She tries to go about life as normal but as more things appear, she realizes she can’t ignore it. As she’s slowly plunged into a fantasy world, she realizes she has power. And she’s determined to learn how to use it to protect those closest to her.

Once I started listening to this book, it was very hard to stop. I tried to listen to the entire thing in one sitting because it was just that good. The characters were immersive and so was the worldbuilding. Beautiful blend of suspense of drama.

It’s always interesting to listen to audiobooks narrated by the author themselves. Jane did a fantastic job of bringing her characters to life, giving them a depth not possible by reading alone.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

The best story

This was the best story that also hits home for people who face these kinds of things in their life. I highly recommend it. As soon as I started listening it was hard to pause for breaks.. I listened every free moment I had and when it was over, I just wanted more. cant wait for the others to come out.

OhMgee. Love It!!!!!

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. It’s really good. It had me really paying attention because of Emily. Since I don’t if anyone has already read or listened to it. I’m not spoiling it for any of you. Just know that you have to listen or read it.