Publisher: L2 BooksSeries: Echo Trilogy #1
Format Read: Kindle book
Source: tour company in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 16, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Book Depository*
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Blurb from goodreads:
The first book in a new paranormal romance/historical mystery trilogy.
"...we only see what we want to see...what we expect to see..."
Discover what's hidden--a powerful, mythic race, an ancient Egyptian prophecy, and a love strong enough to shatter the boundaries of time.
Alexandra Larson isn't human...but she doesn't know that. As far as Lex is concerned, she's simply an ambitious and independent archaeology grad student with a knack for deciphering ancient languages, especially the various forms of Egyptian. When she's recruited to work on her dream excavation, her translating skills uncover the secret entrance to an underground Egyptian temple concealed within Djeser-Djeseru--the famous mortuary temple of Queen Hatchepsut. Lex is beyond thrilled by her discovery...as is the enigmatic and alluring excavation director, Marcus Bahur.
As the relationship between Lex and Marcus heats up, a series of shocking revelations leave the young archaeologist reeling. Once Lex discovers the truth of her ancient Egyptian roots--the truth of her more-than-human nature--the people she trusts most make one final, terrifying revelation: Lex is the central figure of a four-thousand-year-old prophecy. She is the only thing standing between the power to alter the very fabric of time and an evil megalomaniac...who also happens to be her father. As events set in motion over four millennia ago lead Lex and Marcus from Seattle to the heart of Egypt, the fate of mankind depends on one thing: the strength of Lex's love.
***Contains adult content.***
Bea's Thoughts:
"Echo Prophecy" is a mish-mash of mythology, action, romance, and the paranormal. Lex discovers first that her father is not her biological father then she finds out that she's not human but from an offshoot race, the Nejeret. The shocks keep coming after that and Lex has a lot of adjusting to do. Actually, she adapts pretty quickly, a bit too quickly I thought. With everything going on in her life, there should have been a longer adjustment period. That said, she does indulge in a few moments of pouting, which were a nice bit of realism.
One of the many things Lex has to adjust her is her sudden tendency to find herself in the middle of a vision. She learns how to control them but they happen too frequently in the first third of the book and the transitions into and out of them are jarring. Those transitions were meant to be jarring for Lex but they were just annoying as a reader. Addtionally, they were an exceedingly convenient method for Lex to learn about events and about her family.
I loved the author's use of Egyptian mythology and hints of other mythologies and religions and I hope we see more in the rest of the trilogy as I'd love to see them explored. The overall premise and set up are fascinating and the world building is well done. We get enough information so the story makes sense but there's room for further exploration.
I had some problems with the romance - insta lust, some manipulation on Marcus's part, the professor-student relationship, employer-employee relationship, and the extreme age difference - all gave me qualms at one point or another. Surprisingly though, the power imbalance between Marcus and Lex wasn't too out of whack; most of the time it seemed just right given who they were and Lex for the most part holds her own. Overall the romance worked and was believable.
"Echo Prophecy" relies a bit too much on coincidence and there were a fair number of typos and wrong words, but the premise was wonderful, the world building was strong, and there's a nice mix of action, romance and character development.
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Lindsey Fairleigh lives her life with one foot in a book--as long as that book transports her to a magical world or bends the rules of science. Her novels, from post-apocalyptic to time travel and historical fantasy, always offer up a hearty dose of unreality, along with plenty of adventure and romance. When she's not working on her next novel, Lindsey spends her time reading and trying out new recipes in the kitchen. She lives in the Napa Valley with her loving husband and confused cats.
Find Lindsey Online:
Website: http://www.lindseyfairleigh.
Blog: http://lindseyfairleigh.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
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TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY
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ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway. Please enter me. I would love to read this book. Sounds very good.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Sounds like a really good book. Thanks for sharing it and the giveaway. evamillien at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read!!
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natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com
I love anything to do with history and mythology, so this looks really good to me! Going to add it to my TBR list! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteGood review, Bea. I've seen this book in a few "looking forward to" posts, and was hoping someone would review it soon. The premise is intriguing, especially the Egyptian mythology stuff. (I'm in the middle of Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles, so I've got Egyptian myths on the brain right now.) I might be a little uncomfortable with the student-teacher relationship, though. Still, it's definitely going on my list.
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