Top reviews from the United States

Kelley H

5.0 out of 5 stars In this first tale of the Tarlisian world, Julie D'Arcy spins a vivid story of good vs. evil, magic, and adventure.

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2005

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

In this first tale of the Tarlisian world, Julie D'Arcy spins a vivid story of good vs. evil, magic, and adventure.

So the legend goes... Garrick le Fey, the First King of Tarlis, sacrificed himself and his freedom to protect his people from evil. He is transformed into a black dragon and trapped in a magical book, with his old nemesis, Narokah, high priest to Arahmin the God of Blood, who turned into a red dragon when Garrick tried to kill him.

Centuries later, a carpenter unknowingly breaks the spellbinding Narokah and Garrick, unleashing a great horror on the world once more. Dragon by day, man by night, Garrick must retrieve an ancient elven sword, the only weapon capable of destroying the high priest and prevent the final ritual that will release Arahmin.

Meggahn du Val, daughter of the Low-Lord of Gola-Dah, is doomed to a marriage with the sadistic Baron Madric le Mordah, the Red Lord. When contemplating her fate on her final night of freedom, she sees a black dragon shoot across the sky. Deciding to ask the dragon for aid, she sets out on the first steps of a grand adventure. Whoever would have thought she would have her life irrevocably changed and her heart stolen by a legendary king of old?

The journey is just beginning in this book, with escapades on every page that will keep one eager to see what comes next, all the way to the surprise revealed at the end. This story is primarily a fantasy novel, but it does have its underlying love stories. The descriptions of the world are brilliantly done; with scents, sounds, and colors jumping out at the readers so they can't help but be drawn into the story.

The characters are realistic, with thoughts and feelings, fears and desires, just like everyone.

 Garrick's only wish is to protect his world and his people from being destroyed by dreadful evil. He is even willing to sacrifice himself if it means keeping those he cares about safe. Meggahn is a brave woman, wanting her freedom from a dreadful man, as well as wanting his reign of terror to their people to cease. She is willing to do almost anything to see that happen. All of the secondary characters add to the story as well. There is Vellandril, the elven prince who puts duty to his people above matters of the heart.

 One will love Johden, the young servant to Garrick who longs to be a warrior. And who can forget the frightening Narokah and Madric? Yet their desire to inflict living misery on the people is matched by the goodness of Ejinerah, guardian of the Orb of de Danann, and Arkron the wizard friend of Garrick.

This book captivated this reviewer and has made her eager to read the rest of the books in the series written by the talented Ms. D'Arcy.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, February 2005. All rights 

***

Amazon Customer

5.0 out of 5 stars King Garrik le Fey of Tarlis strikes a deadly blow to Naroka

Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2004

King Garrik le Fey of Tarlis strikes a deadly blow to Narokah, his Kingdom's deadliest enemy, the Dark Priest to the god Arahman. However, instead of death, the malevolent uses his powers to change into a red dragon. Frantic Garrik orders his sorcerer to convert him into a black dragon with the stipulation that if he fails to destroy Narokah, the sorcerer is to trap both of them inside the ancient magical spell tome, Arkgeld.

Eight hundred years later, the two dragons are freed from the prison book, but Tarlis is ruled by a cruel dictatorship and the people believe Garrik is a myth. Besides needing to stop his dangerous foe and deal with the current avaricious leadership, Garrik must employ an Elven ritual to stop his total transformation into the beast. 

To succeed on that first leg and ultimately to vanquish his deadly opponent, Garrik needs allies, but can he trust the angry vengeful elf, Vellandril or Meggahn daughter of a Low-Lord; for, without either of them, Garrik's legend will include failure.