Cover Image: Rune's Folly

Rune's Folly

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Member Reviews

This is the first book I have read by this author and hope to read more in the future.

Very well written, Rune's Folly is about Tansy a florist who makes charmed bouquets. The interesting twist plot is that by night she's an assassin and keeper of the Dangerous Garden where deadly blooms grow.

Great twists and well-crafted characters make this a must-read.

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The description of Tansy is what initially drew me in--a florist who specializes in magical bouquets by day and an assassin by night. Not a combination I see all the time! However, I didn't love Tansy. She seemed a bit silly to me, and I never really connected with her. That was a general feeling throughout the book for me. There was never a moment where things clicked and I really got hooked on the story.

Overall, it's a lighthearted story set in an interesting world, but I felt like it was missing something. It's not a bad attempt for a first novel in a series, and I'd be interested in reading future installments in this series.

Thanks to Garen Glazier, Only Child Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book!

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Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

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Rune's Folly is an enjoyable light fantasy adventure. Despite some darker themes, the whole book feels quite light in tone - if you're looking for an intricate epic fantasy or a wealth of character development, this is not it, but if you just want a bit of escapism, it does just that. I would have liked more time spent on Tansy's floral magic as this was by far the most interesting aspect to me, but it's a pacey read and this might have slowed things down.

It has the feel of a homebrew RPG campaign, which was fun. I think this would be good for those who enjoy Charlie N Holmberg's fantasies, but wish they were a little less weird.

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This book failed to captivate me. I unfortunately was unable to connect with the protagonist and therefore found it a struggle to read.

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This is a great fantasy read!

I loved the individual characters and didn't expect that some of these would come together to make a new guild towards the end of the story. What a pleasant surprise! I didn't understand how the central character, Rune, wasn't necessarily the central character of the story until about 80% of the way through.

So many parts of the story that I didn't expect to happen made for great twists and turns throughout. I am excited to pick up book 2 once it is available!

#RunesFolly #NetGalley

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DNF. I really liked the set up of this novel but couldn't get invested in the story or characters. Rune's Folly starts out strong, but a Rune's obsession with resurrecting his dead love isn't the sort of motivation I find interesting. Tansy isn't as interesting as I thought she'd be, and everything about King's henchman, Denal, is heavy-handed. Gross men threatening women is generally a fast turn-off for me in any novel.

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With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Full of magic, magical creatures, adventure and of course, dark villains for the protagonists to overcome, I’m looking forward to reading further stories about Tansy and “The guild”.

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The mysterious magic system was certainly interesting, as was the idea of fading magic and a greedy king trying to control whatever was left. On the other hand, the main character was childish and the dangers were too silly and underwhelming to get me interested in the story. I think it might be a bit below my age level, and perhaps would be more enjoyed by young children.

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More like a 2.5 stars but I rounded it up.

I do think this is a more of a me it's not you, because I think it may read a bit young for me, I still enjoyed it, but I just wanted something a little more!

What I did enjoy was the world building, I couldn't get enough of it and I still wanted more!

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Dnf at 40%
I don't really understand what's going on. Nothing has happened and characters are boring to me.

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This book was a fairly good read in that you won't get invested in it too much but you won't leave feeling like you've wasted time. The summary of the book, as well as the story itself and the characters, were pretty average. Nothing really grabbed my attention or made me go "Woah!". It felt more like the book was there, I read it, the end. Good for if you're looking for something to pass the time and don't want to get attached to anything.

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I was super intrigued by the synopsis and I’d already drawn a lot of conclusions as to what it going to happen before I started reading.... boy was I wrong!

But for once I was surprised by getting an even better book that I expected.

This book is definitely target to a slightly younger audience, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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I really liked this book! Loved the worldbuilding (although I would like to know more about the kingdoms surrounding Terranmar), there were lots of multifaceted great characters (a dwarven woman metalsmith!) and the plot was very compelling and it kept me on my toes for the entire reading!

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I was given an ARC of Rune's Folly by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. And what a delightful read this was! A solid 4 stars.

Rune's Folly is about a florist who is more than she seems, a wizard whose happily ever after didn't go the way it was supposed to, and a royal family who wants their power back after the magic in their country all but faded away. The characters are memorable, the writing flows wonderfully, the setting are vivid and unique and the story is compelling. I wouldn't call it a happy journey, per-se, but I enjoyed it thoroughly anyway.

The introductions of our characters has me recalling Terry Pratchett. Not in any overt or obvious way, but something subtle in the way events unfold and characters act almost comically, and their clear characterisation, with brought the thought to my mind. Rune in particular, in both his mannerisms and his being a wizard, seems as though he might have been a Discworld character in another life. In any case, this association can be nothing but a compliment to the book as far as I'm concerned.

Most foremost to the story are green witch Tansy and the wizard Rune. Tansy is a ditached loner with few friends, and not in the "nobody likes her because everyone is mean" kind of way. She is truly distant, cynical, and drives most people away. Tansy as a person is deeply flawed, but her uncertainty about herself and who she is makes her relatable in a profound way. As for Rune, he is a loner too, but for his own reasons. People mistrust him, and he doesn't do much to prove that they shouldn't; he pulls magical pranks on the villagers for the pettiest of reasons. He seems to hate the town he lives in, and only a mysterious tower and the promise of summoning a lost love keeps him there. His humour was one of my favourite things in this novel; despite his circumstances being the most tragic of all of the characters, he keeps a snarky sense of humour and a drive to his goal that I just love to see. He didn't feel like your typical male YA hero, as if he was secondary to the leading lady. He was his own person and I appreciated that so very very much. I love Rune and I just want to give him a hug. Poor guy has it rough and his character development puts him through some shit.

Other characters and concepts I found interesting and delightfully unique was a vampire that is more brawn than brains, a necromancer who weaves his magic with a silver needle, and our 'Lost Lenore' so to speak, who is Rune's main drive in the story. You learn more about her as the story goes on.

I love the settings. Cities that once bloomed when magic was strong fall into disrepair, as if their people bowed under the acceptance of their predicament of mediocrity. Rune's tower is one of my favourite locations, with its interior walls swirling with magical shells. The author sets up boundaries and history clearly without dwelling too long on the exposition.

The only thing keeping this from being a 5 star book is the pacing, some of the secondary characters, and Tansy's development. The pacing seemed off -- certain events didn't get much time dedicated, and others seemed to drag longer than their significance allowed. As for the secondary characters, while some were wonderful and interesting, others seemed a little too unexplored. Perhaps this will be expanded on in the sequels that I'm now hanging out for. Finally, Tansy doesn't change all that much through the story. This isn't as big a problem because the first novel seems to be setting up her arc, so it's understandable. But still, the fact she was mostly stagnant in her outlook did stand out a little, to the point that Rune almost seemed more of a main character than she did, despite their equal status as primary protagonists.

Overall, I had a LOT of fun with this novel. If you have read These Rebel Waves, some of the snappy, witty dialogue almost reminds me of Dax. The characters were so distinct and clear, and the world was vivid and inviting. The ending promised a continuation of the story without leaving anything on a cliffhanger; a promise of more in a still-satisfying conclusion. Needless to say, I can barely wait for the sequel.

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I loved this a great concept, executed well, wonderful world building, great characters, feels like something new and fresh. Great start and will be reading more

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

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A bunch of killer and misfit task with carrying out special mission for the crown
Tansy and the guild have to go on a journey to wentletrap to kidnap a powerful wizard rune hallows
but it does not happen as expected. betrayal conspiracy and magic is part of the journey......

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What a great discovery! This is an amazing fantasy, with an unusual plot, interesting characters and an interesting world building.
I like the plot, the setting and the characters.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

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Adventure that had just the right amount of characters to speed the plot along. In-depth and fully developed. Rune is grieving for his lost love that took her own life. His folly is to line his tower with shells that hold magic to hopefully bring back his heart. Tansy McCoy is a Green witch with magic in the flowers she grows in her garden. Fantasy read with romance, friendship, and other worldly destinations. Surprises swamp the pages. "A copy of this book was provided by Only Child Press via Net Galley with no requirements for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion." A PART OF A SERIES BUT STANDS ALONE WITHOUT A CLIFFHANGER. WILL READ GLAZIER AGAIN without a Doubt.

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You ever pick up a book and think you know what is going to happen from the synopsis and then realize you were completely wrong but in a totally good way, a completely original way! Rune’s Folly smacks you with originality, amazing world building and still hold true to an epic fantasy tale!

Tansy is a magical florist and a member of the elite Guild ran by a corrupt and cruel King Zeno. He pretty much uses the magical Guild like his hitmen and enforcers and he’s the mob boss. He doesn’t care if they need to steal or kill as long as the Guild acquires what he desires. Tansy conscience has been keeping her from participating in his ruthless pursuits. But the last straw is when King Zeno demands the forceful capture of Rune, a wizard, and his marriage to King’s daughter. King Zeno isn’t even happy with that, he pits the Guild members against each other with what sure will be death sentence to the failing members.

Rune’s Folly has a masterfully executed plot that will lead you on a rollercoaster ride of adventure, intrigue, unexpected twists and turns that collimates into one amazing read!

I see that this is book one in the Tower of Shells series and I’m excited to dig deeper into Glazier’s world, but this book read perfectly well as a standalone. I won’t be missing any further installments and can’t wait to see what magic Glazier has instore for us.

I received this copy of Rune's Folly from Only Child Press. This is my honest and voluntary review.

My Rating: 5 stars
Written by; Garen Glazier
Series: Tower of Shells
Squence in Series: Book 1
Paperback: 296 pages
Publisher: Only Child Press
Publication Date: February 1, 2019
ISBN-10: 0996739726
ISBN-13: 978-0996739726
Genre: New Adult | Epic Fantasy | Mythology

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Runes-Folly-To...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rune...
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