Lichgates

Disclaimer: I received a ePub ARC through netgalley.com

Lichgates, the title alone made me think about Dungeons and Dragons and battling the evil lich. Turns out this story is farther from the cookie-cutting world that many RPG in. Boyce does an amazing job at creating a world filled with magic, wonder, and fantasy that is set in a small pocket of our own planet, Earth. Our protagonist Kara sets out on a hike that will forever change her. On her walk, she finds herself wandering through a magical gate, called a lichgate, that takes her from our world into the realm of Ourea, and fulfilling the role of Vagabond.

Kara then meets strange peoples, both helpful and harmful, as she learns what it means to be a Vegabond. She also learns how to let go of hurtful things in her past and how to overcome adversity. She grows, falls in love, and does whatever is asked of her in the hopes that good may triumph.

The story intrigued me. But the world of Ourea kept me going. Boyce created a well rounded and extensive world to place Kara and her friends in. The idea of using a grimoire as teacher and companion was well done and makes me wish I had one of my own. The story, kept me reading and I'm already looking forward to reading book two of this series.

Took me awhile to get into this one. Don't know if it was the author's world building that didn't sit right, or if the characters didn't resonate or if it was just me, but the first 150 or 200 pages were a tough slog. Even a chase/battle scene was meh. Too much telling; not enough showing. After that the pace picked up and we finally stopped oohing and ahhing over pretty waterfalls and skin color and ghost like figures. There were some interesting twists on some tried and true fantasy story elements that kept me curious as to where the author was taking things. Over all liked it well enough to give book 2 a chance.