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Dynasty Of Ghosts (2008)

by P.L. Nunn(Favorite Author)

3.96 of 5 Votes: 2

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Lulu

review 1: This book is so overstretched. Most of the things that are probably trying to be a plot device are usually postponed for a later time but it just looks like they were forgotten. I mean, it starts with a "war" that doesn't finish before the couple finally reaches Rhu but the conflict is just magically forgotten and of no concern to anybody in the Aldanian kingdom, not even to the king.Why is Ashe so narrow-minded that he can't see beyond his prince heir status even if Ilya explains it to his face? Why is Ilya such a stiff character when it comes to ghost? If he knows so much about them, why not try to do something about them? The reason is so that the end of the book can happen. But then why are ghost forgotten the minute they get back to Rhu?And just in case you were wonde... morering, the end doesn't solve anything. Unless you want to continue the story of there royal-commoner relationship by yourself in your head and make it rose-coloured.
review 2: So much to say about this book, where do I begin? I think I have to say that I found this book to be one of the most well-written, well-structured, well-built novels I've seen in a while. The world building was fantastic and amazingly strong, and the detail that was behind the characters' interactions and personalities was appropriate for the setting and well-based. I don't usually get too drawn into the emotions of characters, but perhaps because the characters were created so well and the detail of the story was so great, I found myself actually loving certain characters. Ilya... Ilya is an amazing character. I absolutely loved that poor dear. He's a shy, gentle, shrinking violet type who's honest and loyal to a fault. I think P.L. Nunn should be commended on her ability to create a "young, low self-worth despite rare beauty, innocent, caught-between-worlds" character without it becoming cliche and irritating. (I'm looking at you, Stephanie Meyers, with your flimsy, paper cut-out Bella Swann.) Ashe was a lovable character as well. He's pig-headed, selfish, and manipulative like a child is when it wants something from its parents. He's not malicious, and he shows himself to be capable of great care and love. It's so endearing, really~The writing doesn't brew angst over Ilya's various hurts or create gross drama about his ability to commune with ghosts. It's a balance between 'as factual as fiction can be' and 'just enough darker detail to keep the story riveting'. I think that's a bit difficult to find with fantasy romance, or romance in general. The writing always wants to dwell on the dramatics, the deep emotional hurt, and it's sickening after a while. I think what I want to say is, the writing is on a very mature level. Some reviewers said they found the story a bit dull at times, as if steam was momentarily lost at times, but I didn't find it to be so. There were periods, yes, where the action isn't fast-paced and it's just Ashe, Ilya, and the rest of their world going about their regular lives, but I liked that because 1) it gave me the chance to put down the book, breathe, and get back to work and 2) it gave a more in-depth look into the lives of the characters and made you love them more. However, I do agree that the ending was a bit...weak. It's the reason I couldn't give "Dynasty of Ghosts" 5 stars. It was after an intense story development (horrid developments that make you want to kill the perpetrators of the crime) and the ending was just a weak "beginnings of a Happily Ever After". It was as if the politics and machinations that drove the latter half of the book ceased to exists. But perhaps Nunn did grow tired of the book. It IS 330, small-type, pages. One other thing that bothered me was the infrequent spelling and grammar errors sprinkled throughout the book. I thought it was a shame, since the authour clearly has so much experience with the English language. Such as "desert", the sandy, dry place, when "dessert", the after-dinner sweet, was clearly meant. Or "barely", the adjective, instead of "barley" in a description of a soup. Small nicks in an otherwise nicely crafted work, though.I picked up this book after "Bloodraven" and "Neko" (Don't read "Neko", I'm begging you. I think it really mentally traumatised me. It left horrible images in my mind. It's a horridly, unnecessarily, ugly, violent book.) thinking it would be a very violent and explicit book, but it was actually an expression of the art of skirting graphic descriptions with well-put-together phrases and leaving much of it to you to imagine as you will. I wouldn't call the book's love scenes "erotic" because they're truthfully beautifully written and emphasise the long-awaited, love-centred relationship between Ashe and Ilya. Neither would I call the scenes where violence is shown against the characters overly brutal. Or perhaps "Neko" traumitised and desensitised me to the point where I didn't find it so? One must wonder... The "major development" (there's another review spoiling this if you wish to be spoiled) near the end is brutal only because the act committed is one that is brutal in itself. It wasn't brutal in the sense that "Bloodraven" was. Oh, I've written a lot... but I've so much on my mind after this book! "Dynasty of Ghosts" is such a wonderful story, and I just think the quality it's written in is so difficult to find~ If you're sick of mindlessly reading cheaply written romance that places too much value on cliche emotions and Adult Scenes, then I think you'll appreciate "Dynasty of Ghosts"~~ less

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