Friday (Fey) Fantasy – Little Silver Emblem

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Recently Dark Fey received not one, but Two 5-Star Reviews by Industry Leader and Professional Book Review organization, Readers Favorite.

To say that I was and am elated would be rather like saying the sky is blue or I need to breathe, and to say that I immediately shared, posted, tweeted and promoted the reviews would be similarly stating the obvious, but I cannot deny the entire matter is somewhat muddling?   Please do not think I am singing my own praises, I assure you that is not my purpose, although I confess, I am proud and honoured (nearly) beyond expression to receive such remarkable and supportive reviews. (which I shall share below if you find yourself curious)  But I cannot help wondering, does this little silver emblem matter to those who are looking for a good read or for something new?  Will it help them to understand the deeper intricacies of the story or push Dark Fey into the so-called “big leagues”?  Call me sanguine or say I am a pragmatist, and perchance you are right, at least when it comes to myself, but at the end of the day I cannot help wondering if this little silver emblem might really change anything?

You may not know either, so I set out to do a little research…(now, before we proceed, it must be said that I am NOT the sort of person who enjoys numbers or statistics, so please do not expect a graph representation of the data I found or percentages of square roots of averages…because math and I do not speak the same language), but to be sure, my main purpose is to share whether or not that nondescript little silver emblem makes an undeniable impression….or not. (should you find yourself contemplating the usefulness of the organization for your own purposes)

Initially, I shared only the news and the link. Nothing grand, to be sure, because I am always cautious of appearing boastful, but then I spent a little more time and fashioned this poster, which includes a few snippets from the review, as well as that eye-catching little silver emblem.

Dutifully, I posted it on Twitter and Facebook, along with the link to the review and then I waited. Several days in fact and to my surprise, I found  the Tweet I created was booming. In fact, my Retweet rate skyrocketed and the tweet itself had reached epic (at least for MY Twitter account) proportions.  In 24 hours it had been sent out over 5K times to specific accounts and the Reach of the Tweet was close to 20M!  To say that I sat staring at my computer screen attempting to comprehend these figures because they left me undeniably dumb-struck, once again, goes without saying (although I just said it).

I then received the second 5 Star Review by Readers Favorite for Standing in Shadows. I confess, I cried (with joy!) because, lets face it, this is a Dream Come True, really, even if I don’t quite understand the full scope of the effect these reviews shall have on me or Dark Fey, but let that go.  Off I went to create a poster and send it out into the realms of Social Media.

Shall I say that I have been awe-struck by the response?  Shall I mention the interest being generated by the addition of this little silver emblem? Perhaps not, because again, I shouldn’t wish to sound self-serving.  Perhaps, I shall simply say that through this experience, in my opinion, I have discovered that this little silver emblem that seems so relatively unimportant has made a significant difference. And at the end of the day, this is the information I wished to share, in case you were wondering, debating, or deciding whether or not to submit your own work to Readers Favorite (or some other professional, well-accredited review organization, because there are certainly others out there)

And so, if you are interested enough to continue reading this far and find yourself well curious to read the reviews as well, here they are, without further ado (although hopefully it was not Much Ado About Nothing) (well, I had to didn’t I?)

Dark Fey The Reviled
   The Reviled is a young adult fantasy novel by Cynthia A. Morgan and the first book of the Dark Fey series. There are worlds of light and darkness coexisting alongside one another in this lavish fantasy world, and the story initially focuses on the world of the Light Loving Fey. This domain of fairy kind contains both Ayla and Mardan. Ayla is a guardian whose mission is to soothe the pain of others with her incredible powers, whilst Mardan leads a somewhat solitary life as a Celebrant. As the pair grow closer, however, Ayla senses a darkness growing among The Reviled, creeping in the shadows of her world. Unsure of how much to share with Mardan, Ayla worries for the fate of Jyndari as the darkness approaches.

For fantasy and fey fans, The Reviled has absolutely everything you could want in an epic fantasy adventure. Our two central characters are superbly well developed and engaging to read about, but Cynthia A. Morgan’s expansion of the world around them is what really captivated me. Jyndari is an exotic world with deep detailing and a delicate balance between dark and light. The emotional spectrum of Ayla’s journey is rich and harrowing, taking us into the deepest corners of her incredible mind as she senses the dark fey lurking at every turn. The mystery of what he wants from her is well spun out to an exciting and satisfying conclusion. Overall, I’d highly recommend The Reviled to fans of young adult fantasy and fey stories.

Dark Fey Standing In Shadows
  Standing in Shadows is a young adult fantasy novel by Cynthia A Morgan and the sequel to The Reviled, part of the Dark Fey series. The realm of Jyndari is undergoing major changes once again as the newly released Gairynzvl vows to free the Childfey who are being severely mistreated by those who dwell in darkness. With Ayla and Marden stepping into new maturity as the seriousness of their situation deepens, epic adventure awaits them once more in this magical realm. Gairynzvl’s secret knowledge of the dark realm brings to light some grisly truths and threatens to provoke a powerful war between The Reviled and the Fey of The Light.

Having only recently read the first book, The Reviled, I was delighted to step back into the lavish world of light and dark which Cynthia A Morgan has created. Once again her prose takes on an almost poetic flow as the world of Jyndari spills out before her audience, and this time the stakes feel even higher than before. With time to really develop the three central characters during this second novel, I felt even more invested in the emotional ties they share and the duty to The Light which they feel. Whilst the torturous treatment of the Childfey is an upsetting subject, it is handled gracefully without the need for graphic reference, and it brings a new gravitas and danger to the plot that further enhances the sense of tension and adventure. Standing in Shadows is a superb continuation in the Dark Fey series.

Reviews by K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite

~Morgan~

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