Lark Rising (Guardians of Tarnec, #1) by Sandra Waugh

Saturday 7 March 2015

Lark Rising (Guardians of Tarnec #1)Lark Rising by Sandra Waugh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lark Rising is a cross between a High Fantasy and YA genre with a lovely romance aspect. This sounds relatively simple, however it is a hard thing to pull off. I have previously read some horrid attempts and I’m glad to say that this has hit the nail on the head for me.

There are not many authors that create such world building. Lark Rising takes you on an intriguing quest (yes, your typical Fantasy cliché) and sprinkles it with a budding romance, without getting tacky, overburdened or an altered version of all of the above.





So whilst this book pulls some of the naughty "No No's" out of the hat (think your typical quests, amulets, destined pairings, evil v good, etc.) it was done in a way in which I did not feel like I had a drunken Déjà vu or was reading some very bad LOTR fan fiction.

Lark is a girl who likes her life best by being on her own. She has the sight, which gives her glimpses of the past, the future and a persons intentions. Through three signs of the world around her she is forced to go on a trip to get help and avoid a raid and consequently the destruction of her township.

When Lark gets forced off her path and strays into a forbidden area, she comes into contact with a man who will set in motion a whole new Quest, bringing to light an even bigger threat then first thought.

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When I started reading this, I had a little trouble getting through the first couple of pages. You get thrown right in the middle of this world without an introduction to the peculiarities which creates some confusion. Certain aspects of what would be considered 'normal' in Lark’s world, are certainly not in our reality. However, soon enough it really sucks you in. I found myself delighted with the different settings and scenes and strange 'Magic' that seems to exist in the world that Sandra Waugh has thought up.

Lark is not the average brave, strong or fighting heroine either. Even though she is not that outspoken and more on the timid side, she still manages to draw in the reader with her actions. With Gharain, there was more of an effort to get to like him. His introduction into the story made him about as huggable as a porcupine, however his character and his flaws make him a great part of this story.

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The time line of this Story does not cover more then a couple of weeks, though it still manages to progress in a way that felt real and satisfied me. The ending was well done and a great opener to the next book in this series.

The next installment is called 'Silver Eve' with a release date of 22/9/15, where it will continue with the main plot line. It has been indicated that this book will switch to one of the secondary characters (Lark's sister) as leading POV. I must admit that I’m quite intrigued to be reading Evie's journey from this perspective since she only had a small part in Lark Rising. If anyone deserves an HEA, it will be her.


So would I recommend it?

Yes! For anyone that has not tried and read a true Fantasy novel (what have you been waiting for?). For reasons such as being put off by daunting lengths or lack of action; this is the perfect book. Lark Rising will take you far away, on a quest that involves friends, sacrifice, true love and a good bit of humor!

Fun Fact, the book actually has a map of the stories world, which I thought was a very nice touch.

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