It's true. When I first started writing EOLYN, my core motivation was simply the need to write; but as I began to share the manuscript with an ever-wider circle of readers and critics, the need to be read became increasingly important. Now, with EOLYN in print, every time I hear it is being read -- and enjoyed -- it adds a spark of brightness to my day.
Since its release this past May, EOLYN has garnered several reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, all of which have been positive. That's not to say readers haven't had an occasional minor complaint, but for the most part people are enjoying the adventure. Some feedback from Amazon readers:
"...a book to first savor at great length, and then revisit over and over again. Ms. Gastreich's characters become as real to the reader as the next-door neighbor, and much more beloved."
"...a great story that will take you on an emotional journey with romance and thrilling action."
"When it's summer within the story, you'll feel the heat....When it's winter, you'll feel the chill down to your bones. Ms. Gastreich's uncanny talent for truly creating a world her readers can become part of is a rare gift, and one she shares abundantly in Eolyn."
"Gastreich's Eolyn focuses on the emotional, political, and physical conflicts between powerful and three-dimensional characters."
"The ending is superb, both the climactic battle and its aftermath leaving no easy answers or trite successes: it's a real-world ending..."
"I cannot wait for her next book."
In addition to the Amazon reviews (which you can view in their entirety on Amazon's page for EOLYN), it seems not a day has passed without someone somewhere mentioning a reader's enjoyment of this novel. Word has come to me about friends of friends, nieces, nephews, cousins, grandchildren, adults and young alike, some connected to me, others not, but all finding a moment of escape and adventure in the pages of EOLYN. Here are some comments you won't find on Amazon, as they have arrived through other channels:
"One of my birthday gifts to myself was to stay up until 1AM the night before so I could finish EOLYN."
"At first I didn't think I would be interested in the subject matter, however, the vivid descriptions made her characters come alive and the countryside so real, one could almost smell the forest."
"It was really surprising in the directions it took. I enjoyed it a lot! At first I thought it was a young adult novel, but it quickly changed into a much more politically charged book. And I liked the ending a great deal..."
"I just finished your magical book Eolyn and now am ready for the second one. Hurry!"
All this to say, if you haven't yet indulged in the adventure of reading EOLYN, now is the time to do it.
The novel can be ordered online from Amazon or Barnes and Noble, and is available in hardcover, paperback and Kindle editions (with the release of the Nook edition soon to come). If you're feeling tight on your book budget (and don't have a Kindle or a Nook), look for EOLYN in libraries. As of this writing, twenty-eight public library systems in eighteen states carry the novel. For all you expats in my adopted country of Costa Rica, EOLYN is also available at the Mark Twain Library at the Centro Cultural Norteamericano Costarricenses.
Check it out -- literally or figuratively. You will not regret it.
FRIENDS AND FANS OF EOLYN IN DENVER: I'm going to visit you next weekend! Stop by Who Else! Books, 200S Broadway, Denver, Colorado, 80209, on Saturday, July 23, to talk about the novel in particular, and fantasy in general. Books will be available for purchase and signing. The fun starts at 3pm. Hope to see you there!
