The Lyon's Pen
Official website for fantasy writer E.L. Lyons. Author of Starlight Jewel, book one of the Gifts of the Auldtree trilogy.
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Praise for Starlight Jewel
Olivia
★★★★★
Chronicles & Coffee Read More
The land of Norge is a complex being in itself… the setting felt alive! The whimsical elements mixed in with realistic nature landscapes helped keep the story grounded and engaging for me. These hybrids… wow. They are truly the most exquisite and unique creatures I have read on in a while.
Full Review: Chronicles & Coffee.
Full Review: Chronicles & Coffee.
Editors Weekly
★★★★★
Review Snippet Read More
The novel is vast and edited immaculately - it constantly world-builds, introducing the lore of the past, and doesn't shy from treading into the violent but engaging histories of the people that populate the land of Norge. One can’t help but believe in the world Lyons has created.
Full Review: EditorsWeekly
Full Review: EditorsWeekly
Jamedi
★★★★★
JamReads Read More
The worldbuilding is extensive, and probably the best aspect of Starlight Jewel. Outside of the Hybrids, we can appreciate how the relationship between the different human factions and cultures is complex and makes the world feel alive.
Full Review: JamReads
Full Review: JamReads
Thogek
★★★★★
Review Snippet from LibraryThing Read More
Starlight Jewel may be one of the more interesting worldbuilding settings I've read in a while. The cultures and relations of sprygans and humans and hybrids (oh, my!) felt very well thought through and well rendered, resulting in a world of nations and cultures with a lot of interesting complexity while still not difficult to grasp enough to understand the setting of the story.
Zoe Deckard
★★★★★
A Year in Books With Zoe Read More
I couldn’t help but turn each page to the next eager to find out what would happen next. The abilities of heartseer, keenears, softstep, etc make for an interesting group of enemies and heroes. I found myself wondering who I could trust and how invested I should get in each of the characters. The writing is excellent. Lyons is able to paint detailed pictures and emotions with words.
Full Review: AYearinBooksWithZoe
Full Review: AYearinBooksWithZoe
Kami Larsen
★★★★★
Review Snippet from LibraryThing Read More
Perfect for readers who live epic fantasy or readers of authors like Samantha Shannon, this is a great story full of magic, adventure, romance and a crazy level of world building. This is a book that makes you pay attention and was on the longer side, but unique and full of morally gray and likable characters!
Full Review: LibraryThing
Full Review: LibraryThing
Mark TerribileBeta Reader
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Starlight Jewel is a world of mythology, magic, glamor, mud, blood, civilizations in conflict, and hints of distant powers beyond our comprehension. She fills it with people noble and base, as real and memorable as our friends and neighbors. In the center of this we meet the mysterious Starlight Jewel of Minalav. Celebrated in song and story, she struggles to protect and preserve what is most dear to her: her family and friends, her people and her city, and the rugged foreign soldier who argues and dances into her life. But the Stars may have other plans.
Ilana GermaineBeta Reader
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For those who enjoy mysterious, irreverent, and slightly villainous main characters, Axly hits all the right notes. Paired with rich worldbuilding, a fast-moving plot, and delicious side characters, The Starlight Jewel is a book you won’t want to put down.
Charles BrassBeta Reader
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A rich cast of characters populating a well-thought-out world. A nice tangled plot writ large--including a twist you won't see coming. A fun debut novel from a writer with a strong future. Looking forward to the next book!
George
★★★★★
Amazon Review Snippet Read More
This is the sort of book that grabs you and keeps you reading until 3am. The world is interesting but the characters are amazing. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
Margaret Ball
★★★★★
Amazon Review Snippet, Proofreader Read More
A long, complex story that never lost my interest; a beautifully realized, complex fantasy world. I'm looking forward to more from this author.
Jagoda
★★★★★
Review Snippet from Amazon Read More
If I didn't know that this was a first novel - and self published on top of that - I never would've guessed. The writing is top notch and leaves you forgetting time while reading it.
Kindle Customer
★★★★★
Snippet from Amazon Review Read More
I had a little trouble getting started into this book but once I did, I was hooked! The author is very imaginative and has created some interesting characters. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Tiffany
★★★★★
Review Snippet from Amazon Read More
I'm usually a huge romance novel reader and I decided to give it a try. Without giving the book away I must say I really liked it. At times I felt it was slow but then it picked right back up.
Amanda
★★★★★
Review Snippet from Amazon Read More
I don't think I have ever read a first novel that pulled me in so much. The author has a lot of talent and I eagerly await the next book in this series.
Grypho-kl
★★★★★
Review Snippet from LibraryThing Read More
I also felt that the end felt a bit rushed, with a major confrontation between two significant factions taking place in about a dozen pages after planning for the battle falls apart off-screen between chapters and for reasons that weren’t entirely clear.
With that said, I’ll at least consider the sequel when it comes out; my issues are mostly due to the feeling that things aren’t even close to finished.
ArielFord
★★★★★
Review Snippet from LibraryThing Read More
First impression of the characters: not your run of the mill MC, Axly was different than many other MC’s I’ve read about recently especially in the way she thought and she did things. She was very bold and definitely made some very hard choices to protect her brother.
Nate Blair
★★★★★
Review Snippet from GoodReads Read More
Starlight Jewel is the perfect book to transport you into another world, full of nature, a twist of magic and some light romance. I really enjoyed this read and look forward to the rest of the series!
SeraphiaBookworm Bunny
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It’s the first in the Gifts of the Auldtree series, and it’s sure to stick with you long after you’ve finished reading it. This book broke me.
Full Review: BookwormBunny
Full Review: BookwormBunny
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