Ahe’ey

Fantastic book had me hooked pretty quickly just loved Morgan she was a great characters this is a great read and i would recommend this to all.

I loved this book by Jamie Le Fay. I loved the main characters as well as the storyline. This book also makes you think about the injustices that are currently prevalent in our world. I loved the strong male and female leads as well and got from this book that you can still be a leader without forcing people to comply with autocratic decisions. I also loved the setting of Ahe'ey and hope to see more about the people of Ahe'ey in a next book soon.
A great fantasy to read that keeps you interested until the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for the copy.

The problem with writing woman-centered, feminist, or matriarchal texts is that we don't actually have a lot of good examples to pull from. Our art and archetypes have been filtered through millennia of misogyny, so that all the storylines, tropes, topoi, cliches, and everything else that goes into making a novel have a base setting of "sexist." And if we want to flip things around and discuss what a matriarchal culture might actually look like, we don't have a lot to work with: while there were matriarchal cultures in antiquity, most of what we know about them is anti-matriarchal propaganda.

I start with this because "Ahe'ey" grapples with this as its central issue, both explicitly in its subject matter, and implicitly in its composition. It's a kind of a paranormal romance story about a human woman, committed feminist activist Morgan, who falls in love with the angelically powerful and angelically attractive Gabriel, who comes from a secret supernatural society where men are currently restricted from holding power, after a group of men led a war to enslave high-ranking, pure-blooded women and keep them as breeders.

"Ahe'ey" is at its best when it deals directly with social issues and current events. The book has an overt agenda, and it makes its position clear: it is against misogyny, racism, classism, and homophobia. Most of the action takes place in 2014, and one of the villains is an alarmingly Trump-like figure called Zanus who uses a toxic mixture of misogyny and racism to advance his pre-presidential campaign, blurting out sexist remarks while justifying Islamophobia, xenophobia, and racism by the need to protect women from predators. Zanus is considerably more villainous than Trump (at least I hope!), but is frighteningly close to the thoughts, and in some cases deeds, of a certain segment on the far right. So right-wing readers and Trump supporters are likely not to like this book at all.

However, although "Ahe'ey" in some ways conforms to the stereotypes of liberal do-goodism, it isn't afraid to face the complexity of the problems head-on. As Vivianne, one of the super-powered characters, tells Morgan after she leads a disinformation campaign against Zanus's and the KKK's white supremacy: "Everything about today was a lie, an illusion. Scout is not a normal human girl, and Quinn is not as powerful as you made her out to be. You spend your life telling imaginary stories to young girls, swapping crystal slippers in children's tales with swords. My son tells his children they can become as capable as an Ahe'ey. You both push a reality to others that you refuse to accept when it comes to your own potential. So, who is right? Is it as simple as changing a story, providing inspiration, changing a belief? Or are you manufacturing lies and raising hopes without merit or justification? Are men bad and women good? Are men strong and women weak? Does race matter? Genes or beliefs, which is it?"

This problem of nature vs. nurture is front and center throughout the story, as is the issue of causing harm by doing good. Morgan's successful online trolling of white supremacist groups sparks a violent backlash against the girls she's trying to nurture, and the angelic, god-like Ahe'ey live in an oppressive and rigidly hierarchical society of their own making, as "each flawed decision, taken with the best intentions, had the power to corrupt and distort the humanity and purity of their vision and values. In their nightmares lived a demigod who decided to fight inequality and racism by raping women. Power corrupts, and hell...hell is filled with good intentions." While there is a certain white-hat-black-hat element to the characters, everyone thinks they are acting for the best, and everyone has their reasons for doing bad things. As a liberal and committed feminist who is increasingly frustrated by the simplistic self-righteousness of my own side, and the belief that all that is needed is for a few smart people to start a revolution, I found "Ahe'ey" to be refreshingly multi-sided, while also maintaining its core beliefs.

Which is not to say that the book, like its characters, is not without its flaws. There's a huge amount of backstory and side-story, not to mention multiple mythologies, all jammed in there together, as well as the political/social commentary, which sometimes means that internal character development and momentous external events all proceed at a tremendously rapid pace, despite the overall length of the book. The central focus of the book is on developing its ideas, not its plot or its people, and sometimes that told on the artistic side of things.

Nevertheless, "Ahe'ey" is a bold and ambitious effort, one that is not afraid to jump into thorny issues, and a welcome and thought-provoking addition to the (all too small) genre of feminist fantasy fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Hey Guys,

I have a lovely treat for you. So you may have noticed my cool little sign. I have recently joined NetGalley to help me to do my reviews and also give you guys some great books. What could go wrong…. Maybe the fact I have downloaded 6 books already. And not like I have another 50 to read anyway… Woops.

Anyway. As you will see I have been recently reading Ahe’ey by Jamie Le Fay. I have included a short summery.

Morgan, a feminist who travels all over the world, lands in J.F.K for her latest meeting. Little does she know that she has been watched and admired but Gabriel for the last 3 years when he first saw her on the T.V. What she doesn’t know is how much danger she has unintentionally put herself in. Being the feminist that she is and safe guarding girls and women around her in the world she has put a giant bull’s eye on her back.

Between Gabriel and the CIA can they keep her safe and will she be accepted into Gabriel’s weird and wonderful world.

Wow! I was so blown away by this book as it is so extremely relevant and now. Like literally now. I would ask where she got the ideas from, but I think you would know if you read it. This book is wonderful from the political to the fantasy, and everything in between. If you want something that gives it to you straight then this is the book fro you.

She could not have done any better. Its a long story but when you read it you know why and you understand why it has to be like that. It felt longer to me as I wanted to take my time and immerse myself with the characters. Become part of their world.

You know what is going on, as Jamie makes it obvious but she does this nicely. She tells you that she knows you know. You sympathize with all of the characters because you don’t know what will go wrong next.

Jamie keeps the book real and very down to earth. The fact that dragons and sword fighting has no blow back on the reality side as she blends the two worlds perfectly. Mixing the traditions of the old world of Ahe’ey and its tribes with the technology of our world, the new world.

Also from the ending that has been left, I would be distraught if there was not a second one. It doesn’t need to be a long series of 6 books but I feel that two would be the perfect amount. I am honestly blown away by the views and the personality behind this book. Behind the characters. Such strong belief and love went into this book. If you get a chance please find the time to read this incredible book.

Jamie and Morgan are inspiring. To create this book needed such creativity and understanding of our world and problems. For Morgan to try to solve those problems, yes in a fantasy world, but also through inspiring the people who read about her and understand the intent. I love a book with a good morale and this has one at every turn.

Bravo, Jamie! 5 stars. I am hoping people will read this and feel inspired by your views and belief. Find links to Jamie Le Fay’s website below.

http://www.angeelseries.com/

This is the first book I have read from Jamie Le Fay, it's great read, it had more hooked and I loved Morgan she is a great character.
I recommend this book..

This is a true fantasy novel. The world and people living there all came out of the mind of the writer. This is a world that's unique, I've never read anything like it. The story was hard to understand at some points, but after a good explanation, I could appreciate Ahe'ey.

Pros
Last few chapters: To my opinion, the last few chapters were the strongest. It made me give the book 4 stars and I could appreciate the story and the world even more. The ending was very strong as well, made me crave for more!
Very unique world: The family tree, maps and different "tribes" in the story are all highly unique. The fact that this world is parallel to "our" world and you experience this new world together with a human is a strong part in this book. I've never read a book with such strong heroine females and actually all the characters play a great part and add different layers to the story.
Thought through: Like I said, the book contains a family tree and a map. It was hard though, to take a peek at the family tree or the map, because I read the book on Kindle. So I would recommend you read the physical book, because those things really add to the story. Also; this book has a great deal of history before the story takes place and you also read about this. It's just very well thought through with no loose ends.

Cons
Hard to get into: This book was really hard to get into for me. I just felt like I was dropped into this story with characters I've never heard of and a world I've never heard off. In the beginning of the story you read pretty important things that have an impact on the rest of the story. But I was so busy figuring everything out that I forgot the first part of the book at some point and I didn't feel like reading it again. All the names, places and tribes are just too much in the first part of the book.
Explanation at 30%: I was like WHT?! There is an explanation somewhere around 30% in the book and I was like; "This should have been in one of the first chapters!" I really think the book would have been stronger if the explanation could have taken place sooner.
Never felt real tension: If you read my posts often, you maybe have figured out that I like my bit of tension in a book. This book kinda lacked the tension for me. It goes on and on and on without that much tension. There is one chapter (which I will not spoil) that give me the necessary action and I would've liked to see more of it!

If you're able to adapt to a whole new world and enjoy fantasy, then this is a book for you! The fact that the world is so unique and the book is thought through so well made me give the book 4 stars, despite the cons I also felt in the book. I actually felt that a second book could give me even more answers and I would love to know how my beloved characters are doing now...

Ahe’ey was originally released in episodic format, starting with “Beginnings”, the first episode which was released in September 2016. This book is the complete collection of all the episodes, bundled up in one book. Each episode has several chapters. In the navigation on the first page, it’s easy to see where each episode begins, and the chapters, so you can easily jump to the spot hwere you left off. A necessity, because this book is huge. 551 pages on Adobe Digital Editions. But the chapter navigation easily allows you to go to the chapter where you stopped reading (even if you want to continue on another device not synchronized to your first device – like I did; I read this partially on the computer, partially on my tablet). The book also has some helpful tools, like a map of Ahe’ey, and a royal family tree.

Anyway, that’s the technicalities. I do like the idea of serials being combined into a complete book. And the blurb intrigued me right away, so I was eager to start reading. Once I started, I didn’t really want to stop, but I had to take a few breaks because 551 pages is just too long to read in one sitting.

On to the story. Morgan is a dreamer. She’s a romantic feminist, an art lover, and she’s full of contradictions and insecurities. That’s how the blurb describes her, and it’s indeed how she comes across. She’s very realistic. Her actions too are realistic, and she could just be the woman living next door or someone you run into at the local supermarket. She discovers the world of Ahe’ey, where women are in power, and where magic exists. But this dreamlike world may turn into a nightmare as it challenges everything she’s ever known. On top of that, there’s Gabriel, stunning good-looking, and Morgan doesn’t know how long she can deny the chemistry between them.

While I enjoyed the fantasy aspects, what really pulled me in where the topics relevant for today’s society, now masked in a dystopian society but equally as important. Topics like patriarchy, like nature vs nurture, feminism. Part of the book reads like criticism on today’s society, and I quite enjoyed that. The plot is quite complex, and it took almost the entire first episode to make me fully understand what was happening. Once I did, I was fully engrossed in the story, but at the start I struggled a bit to keep track of what was what and how it would all fit together.

I enjoyed the story, the links to today’s society, and the characters. It’s definitely worth a read, especially if you’re a feminist, or if you enjoy reading dual-world fantasies with links to the current world, and that are not afraid to give criticism and demand social change.

I cannot think of a better introduction to Le Fay's wonderful writing style than Ahe'ey. I instantly fell in love with her imaginative and detailed descriptions and her subtle way of stating her political opinions.

Le Fay deserves praise for her characterization skills. Each one felt so real that I was able to understand their motives and ideals as easily as I can understand my own. The same can be said for her world building abilities. Not only does Le Fay bring a whole new world to life, she explains it well and it truly makes sense. It is very easy to understand the foreign concept that is Ahe'ey.

Additionally, Gabriel was such an easy character to fall in love with! I love how multifaceted he is. There is the side of him that he brings out around his family, at work, and around Morgan. Although I'm not completely convinced by their romance, I can definitely see the underlying attraction there.

The only problem I had with this book is that Morgan accepts Ahe'ey a little too easily. Personally, I would think that all of the people explaining their land and rules would be off their rocker if I was suddenly just there. I understand that she can see everything in front of her, but I was really surprised that she never had an overwhelming fit of confusion. She merely accepts it all. I'm not sure if that was meant as a survival tactic or if that was just part of Morgan's personality that I failed to understand. However, the more realistic approach would have been for her to have some form of freak out moment.

Morgan is a woman who fights for women’s rights. She is very well known and has people following her all over the world to hear her speak at different functions. Morgan doesn’t really trust men but when she meets the very gorgeous Gabriel he just may change her mind and the way she feels about men or about one anyways. Gabriel is not only attractive but he is addicting as well. Morgan can’t seem to keep her eyes off him and she acts just like a school girl whenever she is near him.

Gabriel is a very mysterious person and keeps to himself. What is he hiding? When Morgan’s life is put in danger Gabriel is put in charge of keeping her safe. Gabriel and Morgan are equally attracted to each other but fight it as long as possible. But when Gabriel is injured while saving Morgan’s life he is taken home to his world and Morgan is taken too.

Morgan discovers that Gabriel comes from a whole new world than her own with people that have magical powers. In this new world of Ahe’ey the woman are the leaders and the men take orders from them. Just the opposite of our world.

As we already know Morgan and Gabriel have fallen head over heels in love with each other. They have found their soulmates in each other. But the more Morgan learns of this new world Ahe’ey she finds out that she and Gabriel may never get to be together as Morgan is human and not born of their royalty. To keep their blood line strong and pure Gabriel must chose his bride from the royal line. He has no say in who he will spend the rest of his life with. He must do this for the sake of the people of Ahe’ey.

Ahe’ey is on the brink of another civil war. If they are not careful they may just have an uprising on their hands. Some of the people are getting restless and are tired of the way they have been treated and are in need of a change.

In Ahe’ey men and women do not live together. Men have their own little village and the women have theirs. Women are encouraged to go find a man to get them pregnant so they populate their world. In Ahe’ey you can have as many partners as your heart desires. Only if you are of royal blood do you have to be selective in your partner and that is only when you’re trying to get pregnant.

When I first heard of Ahe’ey I thought I would like to read that but well may be not now. But I kept seeing it pop up and I thought about it a lot. There was something kept pulling at me saying read me, read me so I finally gave in and read it. I am so glad that I listened to that little voice as I really enjoyed following Morgan, Gabriel, Bastian, Sky, Scout, Quinn and little Aria.

Ahe’ey had lots of action that kept me on the edge of my seat just waiting to see what was around the next corner. I loved that it was about two different worlds that were like mirror images of each other in so many different ways. The plot is just so out of this world amazing that feels your imagination with so many pictures it would be fantastic to see this on the big screen and watch as all of the angels just came alive. Oh and that cover is just as amazing. I would love to see that portrayed on the big screen too. I would love to read more on Morgan and Gabriel’s lives as well as the children and all the other characters. What in store for Morgan and Gabriel now?

I would recommend Ahe’ey to anyone who loves a good story someone who likes to see others standing up for the ones that can’t stand up for themselves or who just need a little push in the right direction or maybe they just need to know there is someone out there who has there backs as they say.