For our younger readers, no worries! There is minimal if any foul language, no sex, and really the characters only hint at inappropriate dress, dancing, and behavior. In fact, they blush and shun those young ladies who dress immodestly!
Surprisingly, the romantic storyline of this series is great. Usually male authors tend to underwrite the romantic plot and I find it frustrating but he does a great job of making you want Lia and Colvin to find happiness with one another. Colvin is a bit infuriating at times but isn't it that way with most men....heehee!
Lia is a great main character. She is a bit mischievous; she thirsts to know more, be smarter, to be able to read. She wants to step above her circumstances and be better. I love that about her. She is also pretty fearless. She has moments of doubt but she really relies on faith to get through situations.
And that is the crux of this series....faith. This series (particularly books 2 and 3) calls is "Medium" but it can only be described in real life as faith or belief, this series leans heavily on symbolism and religion is just symbolized EVERYWHERE! I don't have a problem with that. I totally get it and enjoyed it. Sometimes I found it to be a little too deep or profound but at that point I was so addicted to seeing where he took the story that I fumbled through the parts that were too deep for me and kept going.
I recommend these books to someone who loves reading. If you are looking for a quick, light read that you can finish in a day, this is NOT that book. This is a book/series that will require a bit more effort and make you think. I did find myself losing sleep to avoid putting it down though. I like to finish a book in a day or two. This series of 3 took me a week. But again, I enjoyed it. I have read two books from another series of Jeff Wheeler's and have enjoyed them. I'm in the process of rereading them to prepare for the release of book 3. I will read more of his books. They are clean books with great story lines, some action, and just enough teasing romances to make me enjoy them.
I'm going to include the descriptions of the books from amazon below:
The Wretched of Muirwood, book 1:
In the ancient and mystical land of Muirwood, Lia has known only a life of servitude. Labeled a “wretched,” an outcast unwanted and unworthy of respect, Lia is forbidden to realize her dream to read or write. All but doomed, her days are spent toiling away as a kitchen slave under the charge of the Aldermaston, the Abbey’s watchful overseer. But when an injured squire named Colvin is abandoned at the kitchen’s doorstep, an opportunity arises. The nefarious Sheriff Almaguer soon starts a manhunt for Colvin, and Lia conspires to hide Colvin and change her fate. In the midst of a land torn by a treacherous war between a ruthless king and a rebel army, Lia finds herself on an ominous journey that will push her to wonder if her own hidden magic is enough to set things right.
The Blight of Muirwood, Book 2:
In The Blight of Muirwood, the second book in the Muirwood Trilogy, Lia finds herself filled with inner turmoil after the great battle of Winterrowd that led to the death of the wicked king and her closest ally. Despite her reservations, Lia is called to be an official protector of Muirwood Abbey and is charged to employ her magic to defend Ellowyn Demont, the lost heir of the fallen kingdom of Pry-Ree. Her duties are put to the test when the Queen Dowager arrives in Muirwood accusing the Aldermaston, the abbey’s overseer, for the king’s death. Amidst the turmoil, battle ensues, and Lia learns of a terrible plague that threatens to cover the land in darkness and death. Atop it all, the magic of the world begins to fail. In a quest to undo the devastation, Lia’s path brings her to a startling revelation that will change her life forever.
The Scourge of Muirwood, Book 3:
When a deadly plague is unleashed in the
land of Muirwood, the fate of the world is placed in the hands of a
young woman named Lia. Charged to be a magical protector, Lia volunteers
to be sent on a desperate quest to rescue the squire Colvin, her love,
and his pupil Ellowyn Demont, the alleged heir to the fallen kingdom of
Pry-Ree. Still recovering from the injuries of her last adventures, Lia
sets off across land and sea warning the kingdom of the oncoming plague.
The journey leads her to Dochte Abbey, where her friends are supposedly
held. Instead, though, a fallen enemy lies in wait for her, as well as
an unbearable new truth. The revelation will force Lia to choose between
the lives of her closest friends and her deepest desires…
Fantastically epic and at all times engaging, The Scourge of Muirwood is a monumental finish to the Muirwood Trilogy.
Fantastically epic and at all times engaging, The Scourge of Muirwood is a monumental finish to the Muirwood Trilogy.
