4.5/5 stars

**A copy was provided by the author**

Aire is about Annalisia, a Princess who has a special gift. When someone kidnaps Annalisia's servant, she disguises herself as "Anna", she leaves the palace, determined to find her servant and along the way she finds romance!

I absolutely LOVED this book, I couldn't put it down! It was well written, the characters were well thought out, the Italian setting is beautiful, the pacing is perfect, and the use of Italian words throughout the novel was a nice addition, making in more real. Annalisia is a heroine, she's courageous and determined.

Aire is an entertaining, romantic, thrilling and magical fantasy! I recommend it and I can't wait to read more from this author!!

Happy Reading!


Ana @SMBSLT


This review is also posted at http://somanybookssolittletimebookgroup.wordpress.com/2013/07/27/aire-by-lena-go...

and
http://www.amazon.ca/product-reviews/1484060210/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8... ( )

It was ok. A bit telly in places, and I got annoyed a couple times in the last quarter or so of the book when characters did or said something that struck me as stupid. Example: when Mira insists that her repentant kidnapper be kept alive because she just has to find out what happened to his kind, deaf, simple brother who helped her, *instead of* so that they can find out more about the mastermind villain behind her kidnapping as well as that of the princesses!!! :huge aggravated sigh

But I liked the setting and the sprinkling of Italianate words throughout for flavor. ( )

Una lettura davvero piacevole. Note meno positive: una prima parte troppo lenta e l'uso davvero eccessivo di vocaboli "esotici" (ok, io sono italiana e ne ho capiti il 90%, ma per chi non conosce la lingua dev'essere pesantissimo). Ne sarebbero bastati molti di meno e l'atmosfera non ci avrebbe perso, anzi. ( )

I was lucky enough to receive this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This story is set in a land that seems a cross between a combination of several of our historical periods and a completely created magical land. The fact that much of it seems to be Italian helps the reader to relate, yet it isn't so grounded in known culture that we can't accept the magic and the areas that deviate from what we know in our world.

The history of Isalla is complicated and like all sovereign countries, heavily impacted by its alliances. And it is also filled with a history of magic:

“The poets of old spoke of Seers gifted with waking dreams,
of Sentinels, who could take the form of the beasts of the air, forest, or sea,
and who watched over the sacred lands.

Then the age of gifts came to an end.

Over a hundred years, Seers and Sentinels became as Legends,
stories told to wide-eyed children at night.”

Yet magic, and possibly the Age of Gifts, may have returned, at least in some small measure. As is true with most books of magical places, this one also contains romance, and many events and even people who would challenge the power of true love. All that remain of Isalla's once large royal family are the three beautiful principessas, Helena, Liliana, and Annalisia, along with their grandmother, the Queen.

This story is about all of these royals, but mostly in relation to the youngest princess, Annalisia, also known as Anna to a select few of her inner circle of friends. Anna becomes embroiled in a large plot due to her efforts to rescue a friend, one who'd not have needed rescuing were it not for a generous, but unwittingly dangerous act on Annalisia's part.

Enter the requisite handsome man, there to conspire with Anna in her efforts to locate and rescue her missing friend. However he quickly becomes far more than a simple companion in this dangerous journey. Though they both have different reasons for wanting to rescue the missing maiden Mira, they keep some deep secrets from one another, each for their own reasons. Secrets kept with the best of intentions that lead to confusion, danger, and misunderstandings - each of which could forever alter the course of their lives and the lives of the ones they love.

Ms. Goldfinch has created an enjoyable fantasy realm where fairy tales still exist, right alongside with terror filled nightmares. In crafting a world that is so well grounded in the familiar she has made it all the more believable for the reader. As if it could be part of our own ancient history. She has blended the fantasy and reality so well that one can't find the seams; it is impossible to tell where one begins and other ends.

Populating this magical world with realistic, relatable characters has made the story flow that much more smoothly. And the characters are interesting, often the kind you'd want to meet and become friends with, if not go beyond friendship with. Part of what makes her characters so interesting is watching them grow and mature through their experiences. In a few spots some of them seem to make leaps in their emotional and/or behavioral advances that feel slightly to large to be realisitic, but it is clearly done to help advance the plot.

Aside from a very few minor wrinkles this is a fun read, filled with danger and excitement, the giddy rush of falling in love paired with the endless well of heartbreak, true love lost and true love found. And though the book ends without any hints of a sequel, there is more than enough material to continue on this journey with our new-found friends and recently discovered villains. ( )

A fantasy written so you can see it like you're actually there. It's a story that's entertaining and surprising which you'll certainly enjoy.
Even fantasies, with their creative, innovative and novel stories can become predictable. So reading one that has interesting or surprising details makes the read really fun.
This story involved a princess that had a rare gift, but needed life to show her the true value of it. Being protected and sheltered from the real world, she was ill equipped to handle being outside of the palace walls. But being a stubborn and fiercely loyal and giving person she drew others loyal to her, which gave her the help she needed to fulfill her steps to destiny.
As is true in real life, destiny cannot be manipulated, it just is. We may have choices, but what is supposed to happen, will. For princess Annalisia, her destiny unfolded in a way she had never imagined. Those things only happened in the fairy tales she was told as a child, maybe somewhere in real life but most certainly not in her life; at least nothing other than her special gift. So how she handled these events was pretty true to how you would expect her to, which gave her the pinch test of being real. It created the marker for becoming her friend, feeling her emotions, and enjoying her company.
You know the saying, rules are made to be broken, well in Annalisia's case, rules were not to be made in the first place. That's only because to bind her with rules would be to smother her flame, and without her bright and beautiful spirit, the life of this story would be gray indeed. She had an energy and wonderful outlook that kept you entertained, amused, and happy. She is a fun character to follow.
The supporting characters were also with their own personalities that stood out from Annalisia's but at the same time, enhanced her. Every one of them.
Even though as a princess she was not allowed certain freedoms with other stations in the social hierarchy, the very existence of it ensured her attention, both good and disruptive. She just could not be bound, by anything. That very simple word was an assurance of something happening. It absolutely had to. It was her destiny. That attention included her fate. Her heart screamed for what she couldn't have, while her mind strove to stay calm and centered as the princess she was taught to be.
If you like romances, and fantasy, then you will certainly enjoy this book. And trust me, you will look to read Lena's other books too. ( )