Cephraels Hand (A Pattern of Shadow Light, #1) By Melissa McPhail

Find the full review on The LUV'NV blog, here.

I am inspired and yet don't know where to start. Rarely do I come across a book that fills me with such zeal and I'm convinced the whole world needs to read it. I can count four. After reading Cephrael's Hand—no, after reading Cephrael's Hand and The Dagger of Adendigaeth, the first two books of A Pattern of Shadow & Light series, I can count six. Shocking, since I'm rather picky about Epic Fantasy.

Melissa McPhail created a world unlike any other in fiction but also not unlike our own, where individualism and unity exist all at once; good and evil coincide, are intertwined, and vary in shades; and philosophy, mundane and profound, shape lives. With her debut novel, she captured a whole world—from its physical base to its ethereal heavens, and everything tangible and intangible between, before known time and (hopefully) not its after.

Cephrael's Hand is full of universal truths, a wide-ranged cast of lovable characters both good and evil, and the most believable, thoroughly thought-out world I've stumbled into. Melissa McPhail set a new bar for Epic Fantasy with her debut.

An ambitious, highly entertaining adventure that is also thought-provoking and discussion-worthy—if there's a series you read next year, make it A Pattern of Shadow & Light, starting with Cephrael's Hand.

A huge thank-you to Novel Publicity and Melissa McPhail for the ebook copy. It truly is an amazing story that I'll be reading again. Fantasy, Literature Fiction, Philosophy I wanted to like this book, and in the beginning, I really did. And I suppose, I liked it more than I disliked it. The story had so much potential in the beginning, but ultimately, it succumbed to too many deus ex machina moments. These moments seemed to be added simply to have an action sequence. Examples include sudden evil lords of cities intervening for reasons that didn't serve the plot. A little over half-way through, the main characters (whose story lines all came together, for the most part) arrive in a city where an evil lord starts mingling. We'd previously never heard of this city nor this lord and his motivations were explained in an all too brief foreshadow paragraph of dread. It just didn't work for me and seemed futile to the previously well laid story.

The good in this book:
1) The world building, particularly the history, is very good. I enjoyed the history and the Vestal's. I enjoyed the different races and cities.
2) Some of the characters, particularly Trell, were very enjoyable to read.
3) The foundation of the story is great.

The bad in this book:
1) As mentioned above, too many deus ex machina moments. Peter Jackson screwed up the Hobbit movies by adding too many moments to simply have an action/suspense scene. This book does the same. Pointless action sequences seemed to detract from moments that would have been great for further character/plot building.
2) This book, being self-published, needed a better editor. Typos run rampant (Sebastian and Senastian are frequently interchanged and for a while I thought I was reading about 2 different characters). Additionally, the author's voice switches from a Tolkien-esque epic voice to contemporary speaking. It gets distracting.
3) The women in this book are ANNOYING. Alyneri is insufferable. The queen is considered annoying and meddling (even though we never see evidence to support this, especially considering a plot-twist involving a conspiracy that redeems her from this meddling occurs about half-way through happens before we ever get a chance to distrust her other than a sentence saying we should). From a female author, I expected the women to be less of fantasy tropes than they were.

And finally, a note on self-published books. I guess most of my disdain for this book comes into play here. To explain: I purchased this book after seeing an ad for it in my facebook feed. I immediately checked goodreads and amazon and saw a high-star rating and many glowing reviews. I thought, great, a highly praised new series! I immediately added them to my wish-list on Amazon and received all three as a Christmas present. I was so so excited to read them. And then my disappointment continued to grow. I feel a little like a victim of a marketing campaign. I love to support new authors and have read many self-published books, but the reviews on these sites seem to be paid endorsements or family and friends trying to help a friend out.

Ultimately, this book has the foundation to support great reviews. It kind of falls apart as you move further into it, which was a let-down. Is it worth reading? Sure. Is it great? No. Could it be great with a few edits and trimmings and expansions? Absolutely. And I think a publisher should take interest in these books and this writer and help tailor these books to match their potential. Will I read the sequels? Perhaps at some point. But in the meantime, there's lots of other stuff on my to-read list that I need to sink my teeth into.

In closing, keep an eye on this author. She has real talent and it was wonderful to read high fantasy written by a woman. But these books would do much better with some heavy revision and editing. Perhaps this will happen, and I would be more than eager to continue the series if that happens. Fantasy, Literature Fiction, Philosophy 3.5*'s.

I generally hate when an ad for a book begins, fan of WOT, GOT, Stormlight Archives..........will love this book. Usually they're nothing like said iconic book of the genre. In this case however I think you like Wheel of Time you'll like this and if you don't then don't bother. Alyneri provides the braid pulling female you want to throttle.

The book has similarities to WOT but isn't in lockstep with it and definitely has a desert/Middle Eastern feel which I really liked. I also enjoyed some of the characters being of questionable but not necessarily evil character. My biggest complaint was characters interaction always seemed to end with a sentence like He glanced at her with a look of admiration or She looked at him with a sense of awe. After a while it gets a bit repetitive.

This was an audio book. The narrator was good. Fantasy, Literature Fiction, Philosophy Well if this wasn't a well written and entertaining epic fantasy story I just don't know what is. I've been reading a lot of indie fantasy books as of late and Cephreal's Hand is the crowning jewel of these.

Excellent world building, magic system, characters and story. This book is everything an epic fantasy book should be and well over 600 enjoyable pages!

There does seem to be way too many POV characters at times though and it can be a trifle overwhelming. There are three main POVs, six to nine secondary POVs and another four or five tertiary POVs. It's quite a lot but we'll worth it once you get your bearings. All with the exception of Alyneri whose character still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. As a protagonist, one expects to like and root for her but she was so bitchy and counter productive at times that I wished her character a quick and horrible death. With the books conclusion this wish may come to pass in book two.

One last POV gripe. There didn't seem to be enough of the best main POV in the book: Trell of the Tides. Easily the most interesting character with the least amount of story. More Trell, less Alyneri. On to book two!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Fantasy, Literature Fiction, Philosophy A solid read that I picked up purely based on the audible recommendation and one or two people mentioning it was good. It's a self-published read, but it feels well paced and although it starts off slow the drama and intensity builds once you know who's who.

This is the story of three vastly different people and what happens when their paths cross.

There is the old ancient race of the Adepts who are a slowly dying race with just Bjorn as the man who may somehow save them. Led by Raine, we are attempting to uncover the mysteries and intricacies of the race and the reasons it may be dying out and how to reverse the effects.
Although I liked the ideas in this storyline it was probably the slowest for me in terms of action and interest. By the end of the book I was into it, but at first it was a slow burn.

Then we have Ean, the last prince who is the last heir to the Eagle Throne and seeks to avenge the early death of his blood brother after an assassination attempt. Ean is young and yet he is key to many of the games currently being wagered in his Kingdom and when his return home is bombarded with assassination attempts, distrust and death he ends up many miles from where he wished to be.
I definitely found Ean's story to be a solid one and I liked being able to learn a lot more about the magic of the world through his (and Alyneri's) eyes.

Finally we have Trell, a young soldier who is seeking answers about who he is and where he's from. Trell has little memory before he woke up on the shores and was taken in and trained by the Desert people, but there's certainly more to him than even he knows and his journey helps him to discover some of that.
I found myself really enjoying Trell's story right from the start and although I think it's a fairly slow beginning for all three of the major characters, I think Trell interested me the most from the start :)

Some other characters I really enjoyed included:
Carian - a pirate who reminds me greatly of the character of Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of Carribean (a fave character of mine). He's silly and rude and charming and lewd and he won't take anything for granted or as impossible.
Tanis - a young truth-reader in training who is learning the ropes and the ways of the world. In particular there was once scene where Tanis is curiously asking a bunch of questions about how haggling works in a market and a grouchy guard is answering him and I loved the raw curiosity and honesty in this scene. Maybe it would feel unnecessary for some, but for me it made the whole moment feel totally real as though this was a genuine conversation a young boy may have with someone considered a role model to him.

The magic within this world is all based around patterns. There are five different strings of magic and different people can use different strands. We know when the book starts that there are fewer fifth-strand magic weilders than the others strands, and we alos learn a lot more about the various uses and qualities over the course of the book.
We also have Shades and Zanthers and healers who are vital to the workings of this story. These different types of people are both wacky and wonderful becuase it fleshes out the magic feeling and makes the story seem more involved. I particularly liked the idea of people's souls being strands of pattern woven together into unique designs and healers being the ones who have to patch up and mend these patterns if people are injured.
There are Sundragons! and Shapeshifters and they're PRETTY cool :)
There are many things I really liked about the magic within this story, I just would have liked to see a little table or key in the physical book to show you exactly what's what so you didn't have to remember every one.

The pacing and style of this feels a little slow at first but by halfway I was super into it and really loving the cast and plot. I am definitely eager to continue on, and I would class this as a High Fantasy becuase of the sheer amount of magic used and thwarted in the story.

Overall a fantastic start to what promises to be a very solid series. I am looking forward to the next one a lot and I can's wait to give that one a try asap! This one gets 4*s and I'd highly recommend the audio version! :) Fantasy, Literature Fiction, Philosophy

so much arched eyebrow and biting of lower lip! like every other sentence. cool book worth reading. needs an editor who cares. Fantasy, Literature Fiction, Philosophy WARNING:
I'm adding this warning as I read book 3 in the series as the series has taken a much darker tone than it began with. Do not get hooked on this series if reading scenes of torture / sexual violence are not something you are comfortable reading. It is not worse than what you would read in Game of Thrones. In retrospect, this series has moved much closer to George RR Martin with a touch of Michael J Sullivan.

Characters: 5*
Universe/World Building: 4.8*
Plot: 4.9*

Before I read this book, I had never heard of Melissa McPhail. If you like high fantasy and fantastic world building and have not heard of her either, you should correct this now. How would I describe her writing? The closest author I can think of would be Michael J. Sullivan. They both excel in writing characters that you care about and in fully fleshing out the universe of the book. If you haven't read any of Michael J. Sullivan's books, do that too. I'm not sure if I can continue to be your friend if you don't. If you need another author to compare Melissa to, I'd say George R.R. Martin, but not nearly as dark.

I don't know how this book got onto my reading list, but I am incredibly glad that it did.

Characters: 5*
The characters are complex and the develop throughout the book. They are not infallible. They do not spring into being fully made. They grow. They develop. They are good. They are evil. They are complex. There may be a few one-dimensional supporting characters, but the main characters (another similarity with Michael J. Sullivan) are plentiful and rewarding.

World/Universe: 4.8*
I'm being nitpicky here. This world is fabulous. It directly impacts the story in so many ways. Ways that I do not yet see. That is my only nitpick. I want to absorb every piece of this universe. Now. I want to know the behind the scenes. I want to understand how it really works. Yeah, this is 5* too. I'm just not able to read this series fast enough.

Plot: 4.9*
I love the plot of this story. It unfolds slowly and in directions you do not anticipate. It is extremely complex, but yet straightforward in how it unfolds. The author must have flowcharts covering the entire wall of her writing room to keep this straight. Plots start out separately, then come together, then branch out.

Overall? 5*. I can't wait to keep reading. Fantasy, Literature Fiction, Philosophy I was given a copy of this book in exchange for some promotion, which you can see over here --> http://sauteedpotatoesandonions.blogs... I couldn't actually finish the novel though. In the prologue the author mentions someone has dark blue eyes multiple times in TWO pages, which is a bit ridiculous. Then she quickly kills off someone who seems like they would have been a supporting character, probably to prove the book is, you know, gritty (bleaurgh....) or that the enemy are ruthless, but it seem gratuitous and rushed. If you're going to quickly kill off a character, give them some sort of depth so I feel for them, GRRM style! The main character is far too much of a posh pretty boy for me to really care about his journey. It also took three chapters to introduce a female character that wasn't lying supine with a nipple exposed for her man's pleasure and when she finally pops up she's an irritating 'rebellious princess' archetype. I tried really hard to like this book when it's clear that so much effort has gone into it, with its lengthy glossary of terms and beautiful map. But it just didn't do it for me. Fantasy, Literature Fiction, Philosophy I read quite a bit and normally I read several books at once. When I started reading Cephrael's Hand, however, I had to put everything else aside until I found out how it all wrapped up.

Cephrael's Hand is a big book that takes place in big world, but it isn't overwhelming like certain other fantasy doorstoppers. Each character is likable and interesting, and each plot thread is connected to all the others--and thus actually matters. There are no wasted words or filler scenes. Even though it is a big book, it moves along briskly. A sense of purposeful motion fills every page.

I'm a big style snob and it's difficult to impress me, but Ms. McPhail's prose was at once graceful yet accessible, artistic yet transparent, which is that perfect balance that I always strive to find in a book. Every description is vivid yet never bogs down the pace. Again, her prose pulls you through the story and doesn't ever let go.

I could go on about all the other cool aspects of the book (the interesting magic system, the various unique races, etc.), but let me sum it all up for you: read this book. If you're in the market for good, engaging fantasy, then Cephrael's Hand is for you. I heartily recommend it, and also look forward to the next installment in the series. Fantasy, Literature Fiction, Philosophy Good world building and story telling, but I never really cared about the main characters. Too much detail about too many minor characters. Also too many modern American cliches--knocks the reader out of the classical mood of the story. Not to mention the many arched eye brows and bit lower lips.

map in ebook edition useless. Fantasy, Literature Fiction, Philosophy

Melissa McPhail ☆ 9 READ

“All things are composed of patterns...” And within the pattern of the realm of Alorin, three strands must cross:

In Alorin...three hundred years after the genocidal Adept Wars, the realm is dying, and the blessed Adept race dies with it. One man holds the secret to reverting this decline: Bjorn van Gelderan, a dangerous and enigmatic man whose shocking betrayal three centuries past earned him a traitor’s brand. It is the Adept Vestal Raine D’Lacourte’s mission to learn what Bjorn knows in the hope of salvaging his race. But first he’ll have to find him...

In the kingdom of Dannym...the young Prince Ean val Lorian faces a tenuous future as the last living heir to the coveted Eagle Throne. When his blood-brother is slain during a failed assassination, Ean embarks on a desperate hunt for the man responsible. Yet his advisors have their own agendas, and his quest for vengeance leads him ever deeper into a sinuous plot masterminded by a mysterious and powerful man, the one they call First Lord...

In the Nadori desert...tormented by the missing pieces of his life, a soldier named Trell heads off to uncover the truth of his shadowed past. But when disaster places him in the debt of Wildlings sworn to the First Lord, Trell begins to suspect a deadlier, darker secret motivating them.

Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ASIN B0046A9VLO here. Cephraels Hand (A Pattern of Shadow Light, #1)