The Book
Elixir Bound
by Katie L. Carroll
Published: August 31st 2012
Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing
Book Description
Katora Kase is next in line to take over as guardian to a secret and powerful healing Elixir. Now she must journey into the wilds of Faway Forest to find the ingredient that gives the Elixir its potency. Even though she has her sister and brother, an old family friend, and the handsome son of a mapmaker as companions, she feels alone.
It is her decision alone whether or not to bind herself to the Elixir to serve and protect it until it chooses a new guardian. The forest hosts many dangers, including wicked beings that will stop at nothing to gain power, but the biggest danger Katora may face is whether or not to open up her heart to love.
An enchanting and epic read from the beginning all the way until the end.
I love to pick up a book and discover a new world and universe in which these new characters live and that is just what I found in this book. AUTHOR was able to build this incredible world that I have never experienced before and is quite a rare feat because many authors do their best to make new worlds to travel to but really it is just another version of earth or something similar to earth. Not in this book. I felt like I was in a completely new and exciting world where I could turn a corner and discover some new creature or person. It made the book that much more worth reading for me.
Another reason this book became worth reading is the fact the characters have such different characteristics, which I just love. I could tell the differences between each of them like night and day. Oh, and the names Katie came up with! They have to be some of the best names out of any book I have read. Each name sounds mysterious and mystical, definitely not plain and unoriginal. Actually, nothing about this book seemed plain and unoriginal but the complete opposite.
Now, I will agree with some other bloggers about how the main character Katora was a bit of a pill and I will agree with that. She is feisty, opinionated, and doesn't like to be forced into anything. I think that is where some of the whininess comes in also because she has a huge decision she has to make and it isn't one she takes lightly so of course there is going to be some whining and carrying on because lets face it, if you were put into this situation I bet you would be whining a little bit too. I know I sure would be. Anyway, what I am trying to get across is that when it comes to the whining and what ever else I could deal with it considering everything that is going on and the decisions that have to be made. I thought it was done very well and I still think of Katora as one hell of a female lead.
All in all this book had a little but of everything I love in a book. We had drama, romance, action, adventure, suspense, and even a bit of mystery thrown in for good measure.
Would I recommend this book to others? Heck yeah I would and I already have been, actually. Just like I am recommending this book right now to you who is reading this. If you love a great adventure into a world that you have never been then check out this book. You won't regret it!
Disclosure Notice: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my personal and honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
It is her decision alone whether or not to bind herself to the Elixir to serve and protect it until it chooses a new guardian. The forest hosts many dangers, including wicked beings that will stop at nothing to gain power, but the biggest danger Katora may face is whether or not to open up her heart to love.
My Review
An enchanting and epic read from the beginning all the way until the end.
I love to pick up a book and discover a new world and universe in which these new characters live and that is just what I found in this book. AUTHOR was able to build this incredible world that I have never experienced before and is quite a rare feat because many authors do their best to make new worlds to travel to but really it is just another version of earth or something similar to earth. Not in this book. I felt like I was in a completely new and exciting world where I could turn a corner and discover some new creature or person. It made the book that much more worth reading for me.
Another reason this book became worth reading is the fact the characters have such different characteristics, which I just love. I could tell the differences between each of them like night and day. Oh, and the names Katie came up with! They have to be some of the best names out of any book I have read. Each name sounds mysterious and mystical, definitely not plain and unoriginal. Actually, nothing about this book seemed plain and unoriginal but the complete opposite.
Now, I will agree with some other bloggers about how the main character Katora was a bit of a pill and I will agree with that. She is feisty, opinionated, and doesn't like to be forced into anything. I think that is where some of the whininess comes in also because she has a huge decision she has to make and it isn't one she takes lightly so of course there is going to be some whining and carrying on because lets face it, if you were put into this situation I bet you would be whining a little bit too. I know I sure would be. Anyway, what I am trying to get across is that when it comes to the whining and what ever else I could deal with it considering everything that is going on and the decisions that have to be made. I thought it was done very well and I still think of Katora as one hell of a female lead.
All in all this book had a little but of everything I love in a book. We had drama, romance, action, adventure, suspense, and even a bit of mystery thrown in for good measure.
Would I recommend this book to others? Heck yeah I would and I already have been, actually. Just like I am recommending this book right now to you who is reading this. If you love a great adventure into a world that you have never been then check out this book. You won't regret it!
I give this book
Disclosure Notice: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my personal and honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
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Guest Post
World Building
Thanks, Krystal for hosting the Elixir Bound paperback blog tour! I thought I’d give your readers a little insight in the crazy mind of a writer by talking about world building.
What does it take to build an entire made-up world? A novice world creator might be intimidated after reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy and all its companion stories. But let me tell you, while J.R.R. Tolkien was brilliant in world building, you don’t need to have created centuries’ worth of mythology, entire languages, and a plethora of creatures to have a fully fleshed out world.
I find consistency is the key. Know the rules and layout of your world and magic (if any) and keep track of them. One of the first things I did when I started writing Elixir Bound was draw a map. Not quite knowing where the story was going, I drew the entire Great Peninsula, though I only ended up needing the part that included Faway Forest and its surroundings.
The magic of my world evolved as I wrote the story. So once I finalized how the magic worked, I had to go back in during revisions and make sure everything followed the now established magic. (Little known fact: The secret ingredient for the Elixir was originally a kind of magical peach and was later changed to be the nectar from a flower inspired by my favorite smelling flower, honeysuckle!)
Now that I’m in the midst of working on Elixir Saved, a companion novel to Elixir Bound, I find I’m very comfortable in the world of the Great Peninsula, almost like I live there myself. I do go back and check my notes and the PDF version of Elixir Bound from time to time to check my facts (the ctrl find option in a PDF is my best friend!), but I think I’ll have to do far less revision to make my world consistent since so much of the details were in place from the first book.
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