Book Review: Starflower

Title:  Starflower
Author:  Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Pages:  348
Publication Date:  2012
Version:  Paperback free from author for honest review
Genre:  Adult Fiction/Fantasy

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"When a cursed dragon-witch kidnaps the lovely Lady Gleamdren, Eanrin sets boldly forth on a rescue mission...and a race against his rival for Gleamdren's favor. Intent upon his quest, the last thing the immortal Faerie needs is to become mixed up with the troubles of an insignificant mortal. 
But when he stumbles upon a maiden trapped in an enchanted sleep, he cannot leave her alone in the dangerous Wood Between. One waking kiss later, Eanrin suddenly finds his story entangled with that of young Starflower. A strange link exists between this mortal girl and the dragon-witch. Will Starflower prove the key to Lady Gleamdren's rescue? Or will the dark power from which she flees destroy both her and her rescuer?"

My Review:
Hri Sora is a dragon-witch, but is a cursed one.  Her wings were taken from her and she wants nothing more than to get them back and to take revenge on the man that she feels made her fall and have to take the form of a human woman.  She starts this mission by gaining entry into a secret kingdom and proceeding to kidnap Lady Gleamdren to gain what she wants.  Eanrin is in love with the Lady Gleamdren and will not let her be kidnapped without a chance of survival, so he embarks on a journey to save the Lady.  Along the way he meets up with, and cannot pass by, Starflower.  She seems to be a mere mortal woman, but she also seems to be much more than that, with a bigger destiny than that.  As much as Eanrin wishes to just leave her in her deep sleep that was placed upon her by a curse, he cannot.  After a magical kiss awakens Starflower, Eanrin learns she cannot talk, but takes her under his wing anyway, for he can't see anyone wonder into their own peril because of not knowing the magical land they are now in.  The further into the mission they get the more Eanrin comes to care about this mortal woman, Starflower.  As they seek out Hri Sora and her hidden kingdom Eanrin and Starflower go through a lot together and Eanrin comes to find that this mysterious mortal woman may have more connections to the dragon-witch than he ever could have imagined.  Can he figure out the mystery of Starflower?  Does he really want to?  Can he ever come to save the Lady Gleamdren from Hri Sora?  Starflower is full of secrets, can she keep them from Eanrin and keep him safe and herself safe?

I found this book a wonderful journey to another land.  I was transported to a time of true magic, kings, queens, mythical creatures, and adventure.  I found this to be a whole different kind of read for me.  I wasn't sure what to really expect, but it proved to me that sometimes you need to read the unknown to create a journey while reading.  It was a read that had a good flow to it, not super fast paced, but it wasn't by any means slow moving.  It was a relaxing read, that made me pick it up over and over until I came to the end of the journey with Eanrin and Starflower.  The writing was great, wonderful description and details that made the story that much more vivid to the reader.  The characters were also fantastic!  I loved how they all seemed to develop throughout the entire book and how they grew as the tale went on.  I found myself loving all the characters, even Hri Sora.  The background that was filled in for all the characters as the story unfolded is what made it so great to discover the characters in a deeper fashion.  I must say that I had a great time reading this book and am very glad to have started my new year of reading off with it.  If you are at all into fantasy, even just a little, this is a great book. When you add mystery, adventure, and a bit of love into the mix along with terrific characters a great read it made!  I highly recommend you take this journey like I did, you will not regret it.  

5/5 Stars!!

This book counts toward the following challenges of mine:  Mount TBR, Let Me Count The Ways, 1 Million Pages Read, Off The Shelf, A to Z, 100 Books in a Year, and 150+ Challenge.