Review of My Lady Mage by Alexis Morgan (Warrior's of the Mist #1)

Goodreads

A cursed destiny. A band of warriors. And one troubled kingdom.

It is whispered in Agathia that the legendary warriors of the mist—cursed by the gods—can be summoned only when a champion is needed and the cause is just. Gideon, their captain, knows this to be the one path that will lead his men to redemption—lest they face an eternity of damnation.

Years have passed since anyone has journeyed to the river's edge, but times are desperate. Oppressed by a cruel guardian whose dark magic threatens to destroy her people, the beautiful and courageous Merewen calls upon the bespelled warriors. In Gideon she finds more than a champion, and in his arms, more than protection. However, their enemies are fighting with a power darker than anything than they imagined, and should Gideon fail, she will lose everything she holds dear—including her heart.

My thoughts

I had this book as one of my Wishlist Wednesdays, so when i saw it while wandering around Walmart I was like: GET IN MY BUGGY NOW (yes, I call it a buggy. make something of it, fool. :P) alright. lets get to it.

Five Ancient Warriors are trapped beneath the water, awaiting approval (by the gods- who put them there) to aid whoever calls upon them in times of need against dark magic. These five warriors are the Damned, loyal to the bidding of the gods in hopes of regaining their honor. This part of the story has a bit of a Lord of The Rings Vibe to it. :) which i am so okay with. The Damned remind me of the ghost/Damned from the third Lord of The Rings. Warriors who lost their honor and were cursed to fulfill the bidding of whoever called upon them.

 Merewen is the first female to call upon the damned and meet the approval of the gods. She is Brave and Stubborn and has a special gift that allows her to connect with animals.  She has magic, but don't worry. It's the good kind. :). The forst book in this series focuses on Merewen and Gideon- The Captain of the Damned. It is his fault they are cursed to sleep beneath a river for centuries at a time. He was the only one cursed originally, but his comrades (and friends) would not let him face the punishment alone and joined him. 

The gods have a more important motive than just protecting Merewens people from her nasty uncle. The Duke has been dappling in dark magic and that means no one is safe. 

Gideon is very loyal to his friends and focused on getting on the gods' good side so they will be released from their exile and allowed to pass on. His quest however, is made difficult by his ever- growing feelings for the beautiful and stubborn Merewen and her acceptance of his friends and their avatars (animals they are bonded with that share the curse with them. I love the avatars.) He is a sweetheart towards his lady and is conflicted in his feelings for her because he does not want to be sidetracked from the goal of freeing his friends. (like sexy Kane.)

(by the way, Mrs. Morgan obviously has an affinity for animals, which is freaking awesome for an animal lover such as myself. There are mountain lions. okay, only one, but she is cool. :(. The avatars for the Damned are: falcon (gideon), Owl (duncan), 2 dogs (Avarel), mountain Lion (mudroch), and the freaking coolest of them all? Kane's avatar. It is not an animal, but a creature. :) I will let you find out for yourself what it is...mostly because i cannot remember. they only mention what it is once. lol. but it was a mythical creature and i remember it was awesome. It drips venom from it's fangs!! :D:D

I loved Lady Merewen, but Kane is my favorite. No, he does not have a large part in the book. His story will come and I CAN NOT WAIT. He is a Mage too, only he has dark magic in him. eep! But.....i have heard that they will not be telling his story until the third book. D: noooo! He is so dark and mysterious and has a taste for violence. sexy. ;)

I do not like books that have more than one romance/ story going on at the same time. I like to focus on one couple. I thought this series was going to follow merewen. I see now I was mistaken. I believe each of the three books will will center on a different character with the others as sub characters. This book was mostly Merewin and Gideon with Murdoch and his love interest as close 2nd. I am a bit disappointed. I don't really like when series change characters like that. But since that means I will get a chance to read a book mostly about Kane, I am so game. :) It was a nice read. Full of magic and animals (mostly horses. lots and lots of horses) cannot wait to read what happens, although i am less than thrilled about the prospect of a change of main characters. I will have to wait and see. I still love this freaking book cover, pretty. :)

those are falcons, by the way. Gideon's avatar. 3.5