Thank you for your review, J. Aislynn d'Merricksson!

I’d like to start this review by saying this is the best self-published book I’ve read to date. I’m crazy impressed. I hope by saying this I don’t talk the book up too much, but I want to be totally honest here – I walked away from this book thinking damn, so much time, effort, and professionalism went into this book.

Maybe it’s unfair to compare this book to other self-published novels, but I’ve read a lot of indie books and being an editor it’s part of my nature while reading to notice things that could have been done a little stronger. Sometimes in indie books (and some traditionally published ones as well) I’ll notice typos or punctuation errors, or a character is inconsistent, or there’s too much exposition too soon, a plot line flats flat, etc. But I couldn’t find a single thing in this book I thought needed to be improved upon. Other readers may think differently, but from my point of view I think Megan Haskell did everything right. She did not cut any corners with this novel and she clearly made sure she put the best piece of work out there, nothing less.

Sanyare: The Last Descendent is a dark fantasy novel, book one in the Sanyare Universe series. I would say the best audience for this book is from age 16 and up. It’s not a YA book, but because the protagonist, Rie, is in a 20-30’s sort of age range (well, technically she is 75 but who’s counting) I felt like I was the perfect audience (25 year old female). The main character is female, but I think men would really enjoy this book as well.

Rie is a strong, well-written protagonist. Haskell does a great job of staying in her POV the entire time, and when things take place outside of Rie’s POV Haskell does not show us those moments, but instead gives us enough to feel like we didn’t miss anything. This is Rie’s story after all so that’s who we want to follow.

In Rie’s world she has tiny pixie friends who hide in her hair and clothes and help her when she is in danger – they are adorable, witty, devious, and fierce - then there are High Elves and Dark Elves, Sidhe (which are basically vampires), gremlins, trolls, and much more. Haskell does such a great job at just placing us in the midst of the action and this world without taking the time to explain where we are, and how it came to be, and what this world is and what all these creatures are. We don’t need the explanation –readers are smart – and Haskell is great at including the small details to quickly pull us in and make us feel like this is suddenly our world too and so it makes perfect sense to us.

Every character is well developed in this book. The interactions between different characters is interesting and meaningful – each conversation adds to the story - the tension is palpable, the pixies are interesting as heck…it’s just a very tight well-written manuscript with strong characters and a forward moving plot. There is action of course, and some of it can get a little gruesome, but it’s there because it needs to be.

Rie not only takes this journey to prove her innocence and find out why she’s been targeted, but she also learns more and more about herself as time goes on. She begins this story by seeing herself as a mere human who is lucky to be in the position she is, but technically she is basically a servant to the king. She believes she is unimportant and replaceable. As the book goes on Rie discovers new talents and magic awakening within her, but that must mean she is more than just human, which she has trouble believing. She doesn't actually know who her real parents are. By the end of the story Rie learns a lot about whom she is, what she can do, and her importance in this world. We get to witness her confidence build throughout the novel and that is a fun journey to take with her, on top of the literal journey/adventure she takes in the Shadow Realm and more. Oh and hey, there’s some romantic stuff in here too, so that’s awesome.

I highly recommend this book. Fantasy, Action, Magic, Sexy Elves, Sexy Vamps – it really has it all. If you love fantasy, you’ll enjoy this!

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As some of you may know I have only recently really embraced this genre and have declared it a favorite. And while it is quickly becoming a favorite, I do still struggle with it at times and am leery of starting series and books from authors I truly know nothing about.

Which is why even though I read the prequel and enjoyed it, I went into this with no expectations and if I'm being completely honest, a little leery as well. I had no idea what to expect when I opened the pages.

I can tell you what I got though, a fun, fast paced read full of mystery, twists, and characters that you will simply adore.

While I really liked fierce, kick butt Rie, I adored the pixies! Yes, you read that right, pixies. Gikl, Niinka, Possn, Hiinto, and Tiik were just so much darn fun. They were mischievous, spunky, and almost always getting into trouble, not to mention their slightly scary ability to munch on the bad guys. There was just something so fun and endearing about their loyalty to Rie and how they always had her back.

The mystery was a great one too and honestly, the twists in this, I didn't see coming. Not to mention the wonderful blend of sups and magic and this was a read that I had a hard time putting down.

I really enjoyed every single aspect of it. It was well written, well designed, and the world building had just the right amount of detail without being a huge info dump at one time and becoming overwhelming.

I honestly enjoyed this so much and I can't wait for more. The author truly has created something unique and original while still holding true to familiar concepts and creatures. I have to applaud her on her ability to mix so many details together and create something fun and unputdownable.

I took a chance on a new author and scored big time!! This book at it all! Action, romance, mystery, suspense and of course amazing characters all set in my favorite genre Fantasy!! It is hard to find books where you can’t see the outcome coming but I never could see where this book was going. I was hooked from the first page and surprise at every turn. I am so glad I was long for the ride.

Not only can I not wait for the next book in the series but I am putting Megan Haskell on my list of authors to follow because I would hate to miss out on her next hidden gem. Well done Megan!!!!!

Light fun reading with an interesting twist to the fae realms. With powers traditionally from different realms and a mysterious birth, the main heroine is much more than she seems. This book paints a skillful new twist on the history of the fae and for fun includes the trolls, vampires, imps and pixies for a ride along the way. Good entertainment, fast moving adventure, magic, combat,and budding romance make this a delightful journey into a new world.

Wow! Sanyare has some great world building, you can tell the author spent a lot of time developing it. I have to say for an indie book I was surprised just how well done it was. I also just LOVE the characters. Rie is kick ass and a great heroine to root for. I'm really interested to see where her journey takes her next. I liked the prince too! And of course the PIXIES!!! I love the pixies so much. They were hilarious, feisty, and fun. I haven't read that many books that have pixies in it.

Overall Sanyare was a lot better than I had expected it to be. It has everything you need for a good novel. A bad ass heroine, funny side characters, great world building, and an interesting story that leaves you wanting more.

I recommend Sanyare: The Last Descendant for fans of fantasy, faeries, elves & pixies, and kick ass female heroines.