Review: Incorrigible: Secrets Past & Present - Part Three / Gathering (The Staves of Warrant) by Morgen Rich

Title: Secrets Past & Present - Part Four / Gathering (The Staves of Warrant #1)
Author: Morgen Rich
Source: Author Request
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: November 22, 2013
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Survival means knowing who ... and what you are. 

Gráinne's made it home. This time, however, home isn't the haven she thought it would be. She's on a hunt for answers, but she doesn't realize she's the hunted until it's too late. She's about to face the enemy in a world that isn't what it appears to be. To stay alive and protect her realm, she'll need to prove that neither is she. 

Becoming is the final episode (4 of 4) of Incorrigible: Secrets Past & Present, Book One of The Staves of Warrant, an epic science fantasy series set in the Shifting Worlds universe.

Part four the The Staves of Warrant was very eventful.  There was a ton of stuff going on and at times it got a little confusing.  So many revelations came out at about the same time I had a hard time keeping them all straight (which I'm sure is exactly what Grainne felt like).  Some of these revelations seemed to come from left field though and it tended to pull me out of the story a bit.

The end of the story was very interesting and I see now why some consider it a sci-fi/fantasy story.  With a good ending that could really be the end if the reader chooses, it also leaves an opening for the next set of books in the series.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

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Review: Incorrigible: Secrets Past & Present - Part Three / Gathering by Morgen Rich

Title: Incorrigible: Secrets Past & Present - Part Three (Staves of Warrant)
Author: Morgen Rich
Source: Author Request
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: October 11, 2013
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Failing once hurts. Failing the same test again is deadly. 

Gráinne’s learned a lot, but she's under the impression that caution and diligence will pave the way for a safe return to Incorrigible. What she hasn't considered is that survival may be out of her hands. She'll have to ace a test she's failed repeatedly, and the odds don't favor her success. Neither do the forces her party's about to encounter. She'll have to dig deep into a past she can't remember or lose everything ... again. 

Gathering is Part 3 of 4 in Incorrigible: Secrets Past & Present, Book One of an epic science fantasy set in the Shifting Worlds Universe.

Part Three begins with preparations coming to a close and a migration back to Incorrigible.  It is a mix of magic, adventure, and hopes for a new future.  Grainne is becoming a good leader.  Trusting people to advise her and making smart decisions.  It certainly helps that it appears even  the goddess is on her side.  Much of this volume takes place in ships on the sea and I thought the somewhat piratey feel to the story was a nice twist.

I'm still a little confused by Lan and his motivations.  He went from being against Grainne to being with her far too fast and it still hasn't been explained.  The author has hinted at Grainne wanting explanations as well, so perhaps they will come soon.  Another hopeful ending that gives a sense of rebirth and new beginnings in the future.

So far, this has been a wonderful series.  I've enjoyed reading them spread out as serials - I think the entire story is a little too long for me to want to have it all at once.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

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Review: Incorrigible: Secrets Past & Present - Part Two / Seeking (The Staves of Warrant) by Morgen Rich

Title: Incorrigible: Secrets Past & Present - Part Two / Seeking (The Staves of Warrant)
Author: Morgen Rich
Source: Author Request
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: July 12, 2013
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Gráinne’s search for survivors begins in earnest, but she and her companions don’t even make it to their first stop before their freedom is jeopardized. To make matters worse, they’ve landed in a place filled with corruption, subterfuge, and danger, but none of the survivors they’d hoped to find. Despite their best laid plans, the trio isn’t prepared for what they do find. Her journey will take her underground in more ways than one, and Gráinne will have to decide between the only security she has and someone else’s freedom. 

Seeking is Part 2 of 4 in Incorrigible: Secrets Past & Present, Book One of an epic science fantasy set in the Shifting Worlds Universe. 

***IMPORTANT. Please read: The Shifting Worlds Universe is the setting for a serial story. Please be aware that "serial" means some parts are just that: parts. They are meant to be read in sequence, and they do contain some cliffhangers. That's why the parts are being published in rapid succession. I don't want readers to have to wait overly long to find out what happens. 

For those who don't enjoy serial publications, there is another option. Readers who would rather read each book as a complete volume will be able to buy each novel (all parts in one book) before the subsequent book's first part is published. That way, they'll have time to catch up before the story continues.

The second episode of Incorrigible is a lot more hopeful than the first.  We continue to meet a ton of interesting characters and lines begin to form between the various groups we have met that give a hint at tieing things together.

Grainne has landed in a new land searching for settlers to re-populated the destroyed island nation of Incorrigible.  She never expects to find the group that she manages to run into.  More new creatures - some that are similar to classic fantasy and some that are products of a very creative imagination - become both friends and some possible enemies.

The hopeful thread continues throughout the entire story and it seems to end on a fairly high note compared to the first book, but still leaves you wondering what is going to happen next.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

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Review: Incorrigible: Secrets Past & Present - Part One Entrapments by Morgen Rich

Title: Incorrigible: Secrets Past & Present - Part One Entrapments (The Staves of Warrant)
Author: Morgen Rich
Source: Author Request
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: May 27, 2013
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Even pacifists have their limits.

Being a partner in genocide is unimaginable for a peaceful, inept shape shifter like Grainne. But when her husband Slyxx holds her medieval homeland hostage for a seemingly worthless ransom she doesn't have, the inconceivable happens. Despite growing despair, Grainne can't let go of believing that survivors do exist, and it's up to her to find them. When she detects an error in translation of a set of mysterious scrolls penned by a missing order of priestesses, she resolves to find the women she believes can lead her to survivors.

What Grainne doesn't realize is that she already knows the missing priestesses, and some of them are working to stop her from uncovering a secret alliance threatening her world. Even worse, the key to saving her world is inside of her, and someone will stop at nothing to have it. Grainne is about to learn just how naïve she really is when she discovers the stars aren't what she thought they were . . . and neither is she.

This is a great start to a series - keep in mind that it was released in serial form so each part is a small episode that leads directly into the next.  We start with the story of Grainne - as she watches her world fall apart. Her people are killed and her kingdom is destroyed - all at the hands of her husband.  She is determined to see it rebuilt again and to see him die for the crime.

We also start the story of Euryale, a priestess.  While it is not clear where exactly these two stories will collide there are a few hints scattered about that give us some ideas of where, if not when.  The story primarily follows Grainne and her struggle to escape the captivity that has been forced on her.  She is quite a clever one at times, and truly seems to care about the people of her kingdom and not just the title and land.  I'm very interested to see what she does in the second episode.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

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