The Stolen Palace

Charassi's Fae Queen, Book 3

By: Ava Richardson

Narrated by: Mago Weston

All worlds hang in the balance…

To stop Dowager Queen Emalda's reign of terror, Ophelia, her bonded dragon Sunny, and Corrin will need to uncover the powerful magic of the First Artifact. The key lies in the Sacred Map, a scroll that must be magically unlocked. No one knows how, and people have died trying. The trials to unlock the scroll are immense, and Ophelia will be asked to do terrible things in the name of the greater good—even possibly betraying Corrin.

Meanwhile, Corrin is determined to solidify a true alliance with the dragons. With their help, he, Ophelia, and their allies may have a fighting chance against his mother. But the dragons aren't happy to see him, and Corrin will need to prove himself if he's going to survive long enough to form an alliance.

If Ophelia and Corrin can't stop Emalda, she will use the First Artifact to gain immortality. And in the process, she will close every portal and destroy all worlds outside of Charassi for her selfish aims. But can Ophelia and Corrin make the sacrifices necessary to stop her?

©2022 Relay Publishing (P)2024 Relay Publishing

Dragons

We have suspense, mystery, adventure, and so much more. Follow Ophelia and Corrin as they take this adventure. Can they get the dragons on their side? Can they get the villiage to help? Can they get to the artifact before Emalda does?.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Another excellent story from Ava

I have read all of the books written by this author and they’re always good. This was no exception. I loved the extra fantasy vibe of this series with the interesting creatures. I also appreciate the epilogue for this book in particular!

Outstanding

I absolutely enjoyed listening to this book. The narration was well done and brought the story to life. I absolutely love the characters in this storyline. As always there are lots of dragons magic and a few twists to this book. A series I thoroughly enjoyed listening to and highly recommend.

Slow

The beginning of the book started off really slow, but as the book progressed, the book got more interesting by the fighting and the magic, this was a good book 

Loved it

I just really enjoyed this story and I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in it and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

Another Fabulous Book by this author

Author does such a great job marrying earth and this realms culture and people. The story is pure and the characters well developed and this narrator brings them to life in an awesome fashion. highly recommend

Preparing for Battle . . .

In this book, we see the depth of Ophelia’s struggle in making the choices she must make. She clearly realizes each of those choices has serious consequences, and she wants to do the right thing. Dowager Queen Emalda continues with her relentless murderous behavior without remorse as her killing sprees destroy innocent people. Ophelia, her bonded dragon Sunny, and Corrin realize they need to seek the powerful magic of the First Artifact if they have any hope of stopping her. The trials along the way will not be comfortable and may require betrayal of loved ones. But Ophelia knows she must make those decisions for the greater good despite the personal sacrifice. Corrin is doing his part to form a strong alliance with the dragons to assist in the fight. But he will have the difficult task of proving himself to them. Personal sacrifice is the theme of these challenges. Are they strong enough to do what they must in order to prevail against Emalda’s power? Do they have a chance of winning this battle? And will the losses have been at too great a cost?

The narrator for the audiobook version, Mago Weston, brings the “reading” experience alive for the listener. She does a good job with the voices to personalize the story and make it easy for the listener to get an accurate impression of what each character is like. It helps to set the mood, familiarize the reader with the characters, and offers a pleasant way to “read” and enjoy the book.

go to

this author is one of my go to and I love the worlds she creates that any age would enjoy. The narrator does an excellent job bringing this series to life. It is a must read and/or listen.

Dragons, elves, pixies, fae and a human among them

I loved this empire, the beauty of what it should and would look like if there wasn't a tyrant who always wanted more power.
The search for a solution, the ingenuousness human who wants to give it all without knowing the way of life in this realm.
This is a must read for all who want to relax in the fantasy world, where friendship and trust is essential.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Of Quests and Epic Battles

This is the third installment of a well-written, delightful dragon fantasy series. This book is all about quests (one for the hero, one for the heroine) and the ultimate epic battle that the heroine, hero, and their forces must wage against his evil queen mother. I appreciate how this author writes long and complex tales you don't want to stop listening to! I read and listen to both long and short books, and it's so pleasant to have a book to really sink your teeth into, one with so much plot and character development as well as action that keeps you on the edge of your seat. While novellas are popular for writers these days, they often lack the details that make reading so satisfying and keep us coming back again and again to well-written books and authors who know how to write them!

I was glad to see that the heroine didn't make as many bad, impulsive decisions as she did in the last book! Yes, she's very noble and puts her people and the creatures she cares about above herself, but in the prior book, she endangered herself far too often and with little thought. In her quest (a large part of the first section of the book), she explores her strengths and weaknesses and comes out stronger for it. Defeating the villain requires a profound sacrifice, but she weighs her options—even has a possible creative solution—not acting from impulsivity but from a conscious, well-thought-out choice. I love that! The magic in this particular world is fascinating—weaving together various types of energy as appropriate for what you want to happen—and I enjoyed watching the heroine continue to refine her ability to wield it.

The author does an excellent job creating the near-end climactic scenes where it truly does appear as though all is lost—or at least some--but then has it all work out in a way that makes so much sense given the world and characters she has created. This book had several such moments when it seemed like important characters were beyond the point of no return. Artifacts and those who made them are so much a part of this story; this aspect only enriched my enjoyment and deepened my understanding of this world’s magic. I played the original version of the Talisman game before the turn of the millennium, and much of this book and series reminds me of it, including the use of artifacts, spells, magic that doesn’t always work as it should, and even the dragons themselves! (It was an expansion pack.) I'm interested to see how the author shifts the focus in the next book of the series, as this book did end the entire arc about the hero’s villainous mother (and in a surprisingly thoughtful, compassionate way at the very end). The hero and heroine are well-crafted, likable characters, and I look forward to seeing where their adventures take them next!