Fairly unremarkable, if convoluted, fantasy along the lines of traditional fantasy tropes. Which is to say that I actually wondered at one point if the keeper's party would gather an elf and a dwarf to go with them south of the wall to pick up their circus performer/rogue. Not that I minded -- and not that they did -- it's a more unexpected story than that. It's a perfectly fine story, just not a stand-out one for me. And I've read a lot of fantasy, so I expect the intended audience will find it fresher than I did.

advanced reader's copy provided by edelweiss. ( )

IT WAS SO GOOD! I've seen quite a few reviews saying that is was ok, and I agree to a point that it isn't out of this world spectacular. The plot is one we've heard before, an infant princess is placed in the safe keeping of a ordinary family to protect her from enemies and when she is of age she is enlightened of her past after suffering the loss of the family and world she knew.
However, while the essence of many stories are similar, the author has the chance to create a truly unique story of her own making. In The Storyspinner, I love the fact that Johanna is "adopted" by a family of acrobatic Performers. She is completely a part of this family, with no doubt of whether or not she belongs. She is as much a skilled acrobat as the rest of them. She's not little more than a slave, or a weak delicate creature in need of being saved; rather, she is a strong character who hates being reliant on others and has a family who love her.
There is a hint of romance on part of two couples and it's nice but not, in anyway, the focus. I really enjoyed the fantasy aspect of magic, and being set in a sort of feudal/medieval time period gave it a nice touch. I believe there are more books in the series, so I definitely look forward to that. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Captivating high fantasy that was impossible to put down. It was filled with amazing characters, sweet romance, great humor, and epic adventure. This is a story you do not want to miss. If you haven’t read it yet you must remedy that immediately!

Opening Sentence: Johanna could feel it.

The Review:

Welcome to the captivating kingdom of Santarem where an epic story is about to be told! Johanna Von Arlo is a beautiful girl that was born to be a performer. She comes from a family of performers that travel the kingdom along with a group of other performers. But tragedy strikes the Van Arlo family and they are forced to leave the only home they have ever known. To try and feed her family, Johanna takes a job as an entertainer for the infuriating and very attractive Lord Rafael DeSilva. While in his employment she quickly learns that there is a lot of truth to the stories she weaves and some of those stories might actually be about her!

Jacare is a keeper and he has sworn to protect his homeland at all costs. For hundreds of years the keepers have separated themselves from the mortals who worship them because the last time they interacted with humans there was a very bloody war. At the end of the war there was a magical wall constructed that keep the keepers safe and more importantly, it keep them a secret from the mortals. But the barrier is starting to weaken and the only way to restore it is to find the lost princess that is the heir to a dead kingdom. Jacare gathers a small group to go in search of the princess and hopefully they find her before it is too late because they aren’t the only ones hunting her!

There is a pretty large cast of characters and we get to be in most of their heads at one point or another. Because there are so many crucial characters to the story, I’m going to only talk briefly about each one and give a short introduction.

First up you meet the MC, Johanna, who is totally amazing. She is spunky, sweet, caring, and very smart. I love how positive she always was even when she was put in a very dire situation. She is definitely resourceful and she is pretty good at getting what she wants. She can be very stubborn at times and she has a hard time accepting help form others. I loved that she was flawed, yet perfect at the same time. She is one of those characters you can’t help but love and she is so easy to connect with.

Rafi is getting ready to become the next Duke of his land and he is nowhere near ready for that! Because of his situation he is very uptight and he feels very inadequate. At first he comes across as a jerk, but in reality he is a very nice guy with a kind heart and good sense of humor. He wants to be the best Duke possible and even though he has a lot of shortcomings he is someone you can admire and respect. I love the interaction between him and Johanna, it’s cute and full of witty banter!

Dom is Rafi’s younger brother and he definitely brings a lot of the humor to the story. He’s adventurous, confident, loyal, and just an all-around great guy. At times you wonder if he takes anything seriously, but his goofiness really adds to his overall charm. I instantly loved Dom and can’t wait to see more of him.

Jacare is a very interesting character that has a lot of secrets. He is kind, loyal and very stubborn. In many ways I feel like his character is still a mystery. There is still so much to learn about him and his past, which leaves me very intrigued to see where his story goes in book two.

Out of all of the characters I think that Pira might be my favorite. She is an amazing warrior and has a pretty cool magical talent. But what I loved best about her is that she is still just a girl with girly insecurities. Sure she is a fierce warrior, but at the end of the day she is someone I can easily relate to.

The final character is Leao! He is eighteen years old but in the land of the keepers that is extremely young. He definitely has very little life experience but it was really fun to watch him learn. He is a sweet kid and I loved watching him grow and start to become a great man!

The Storyspinner is an epic high fantasy that swept me away. The pacing was spot on, the romance was subtle but perfect, the plot was intriguing, and the world with captivating. I loved the entire cast of characters. Normally I struggle if the first book is told from multiple points of view, but Wallace did a wonderful job making me love and care about each and every single character. The story is pretty complicated because there’s so much going on but I never felt lost or confused. Wallace is writing was beautiful and so easy to get lost in. She really knows how to tell a very entertaining story. There was a mild cliffhanger at the end of the book, but it only left me wanting to read the second book that much more. If you can’t tell by my raving review, I loved everything about this book and can’t recommend it enough to anyone that is looking for a great story!

Notable Scene:

Johanna had sung and spun stories for large audiences since she was a small child and had never been plagued by stage fright. But as she stood in the DeSilvas’ dinning hall, her stomach knotted like a drying line in the wind. Unwilling to lay her nerves at Lord Rafael’s feet she closed her eyes, imagined the tables full of an adoring crowd, and began to sing. Her voice filled the room with the sounds. Johanna hadn’t inherited her mother’s range, but each note was clear and rich.

Johanna gave the simple lovers’ lament her best effort. She wrung emotion out of the lyrics, hoping to lead her audience through the range of anguish, betrayal, loss, anger, and finally vengeance.

As she reached the last stanza, she opened her eyes and cut off with a squeak. The entire staff had frozen in their places, hands hanging idle as they listened.

FTC Advisory: I purchased my own copy of The Storyspinner. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

I'm seriously annoyed at myself for not noticing that this was the first book in a series. It doesn't say "book one" but it does say under the title, The Keepers Chronicles"
I wouldn't be AS annoyed if book two were available right now, but since it's not I can only hope that I remember the details when book two does get released.
Main characters:
Johanna - a feisty performer who is actually a princess
Rafe Dasilva - the young prince who accidentally beats Johanna for poaching because he thinks she's a boy, and then has an honour debt to repay to her. They have significant chemistry and it works.
Jacare, Pira and Leao - Keepers who are searching for Johanna so she can strengthen the wall and keep their country safe.
Read one of the other reviews for a plot summary. Suffice it to say, this is an enjoyable read if you like medieval romance and adventure stories. Told through the eyes of various characters, as indicated by their names at the start of the chapter.
I suspect the cover might turn a lot of young readers off, but if they can get past that, they'll enjoy it. ( )

IT WAS SO GOOD! I've seen quite a few reviews saying that is was ok, and I agree to a point that it isn't out of this world spectacular. The plot is one we've heard before, an infant princess is placed in the safe keeping of a ordinary family to protect her from enemies and when she is of age she is enlightened of her past after suffering the loss of the family and world she knew.
However, while the essence of many stories are similar, the author has the chance to create a truly unique story of her own making. In The Storyspinner, I love the fact that Johanna is "adopted" by a family of acrobatic Performers. She is completely a part of this family, with no doubt of whether or not she belongs. She is as much a skilled acrobat as the rest of them. She's not little more than a slave, or a weak delicate creature in need of being saved; rather, she is a strong character who hates being reliant on others and has a family who love her.
There is a hint of romance on part of two couples and it's nice but not, in anyway, the focus. I really enjoyed the fantasy aspect of magic, and being set in a sort of feudal/medieval time period gave it a nice touch. I believe there are more books in the series, so I definitely look forward to that. ( )