The second book in the One True Child Series. Carling is only six when her family is slain by invading Romans. She is taken back to their fort as slave to the commander’s wife. There she clings to her memories and her hatred. Carling discovers unexpected friends while avoiding the attentive eye of the commander’s son. When her abilities start to emerge, she is swiftly sent away. Just as she … begins to settle into herself, her life again is upended. She is forced to leave her new found love, Galen, and return to the Roman fort. Once again no longer free, she uncovers secrets, discovers her own strength, and battles evil foretold generations before.
more
LC Conn is definitely a rising star in fantasy fiction, and I’m sure her One True Child series is set to become a firm favourite with fantasy fans. The One True Child saga appealed to me as I have a fondness for historical fiction, and I love the idea of it being blended with fantasy, and the second instalment ‘Carling’, certainly did not disappoint. LC Conn has a real gift for drawing the reader into her world from the first few pages, and keeping you enthralled and invested right up to the last page. Carling spends her childhood enslaved by the very people that kills her parents. When she finally gains her freedom, she believes her life can begin anew. But despite her mystical abilities, she cannot prevent what comes next for her. Will she escape her captors for a second time?
I had previously read ‘Sentinals’ the first novel in the series, but I don’t think it is all that necessary to do so before picking up ‘Carling’, because it is an engaging enough tale on its own. If you have an interest in Ancient European History and Roman Mythology, this book is definitely one for you. There is plenty of action, a little bit of romance, with plenty of the supernatural fantasy thrown in. I hope Book is as well-written as books 1 and 2.
Right from the very first paragraph this story has the power to capture and intrigue. The reader is taken on the journey of the main character, Carling, from her childhood and throughout her growing up and into her adulthood. This is a story set in a time and place of Romans, cloaks, armour, spears, clans and slaves. It is fantasy at its best and really brings the world of the past to life.
We discover that Carling has a gift, that of being a ‘dream walker’, in which she is to be coached, at the same time as becoming free of slavery. This special ability, along with the capacity to communicate with animals, add an element of the magical to the story.
According to visions, Carling’s children will begin a line who will overcome the Romans and in fact overcome evil. An epic undertaking!
Let LC Conn whisk you away in her atmospheric evocation of living in another world!
I’d already begun reading when I realised this wasn’t the first in the series, entirely my fault for not paying attention, but I have to say it didn’t detract one bit from my enjoyment in the book. LC Conn has a real flair for character-driven writing, and her ability to paint scenes in a vivid way that you feel pulled right into them is something special.
While reading I was reminded at times of a TV series I saw about a year ago called Britannia. No small feat as the attention to detail in that was exceptional, and Carling was every bit as enjoyable for me.
I’ll definitely go on and read the other books in the series now. I’m hooked.
Again it was a good read, but it did take me awhile to get into it. It took me awhile to get into the whole series. I can’t say it was one of my favorites, but the world building is absolutely fantastic as where the characters. I could almost connect with some of them.
New Zealand born Australian author L.C. Conn has discovered that cosmic glow that allows her reader to make sense of the order of the universe, all in the format of a coming of age story. L.C. is a mother who is battling breast cancer and has transformed her life situation into a significant epic – the One True Child Series – which proves to be not only a sensitive examination of the coming of age time of each of our lives, but takes that discovery/recognition sequence into the realm of philosophy, a survey of good versus evil/chaos versus order and the permutations those poles have on each of us. And she manages to tie this all together in the form of young lass Carling.
After grasping our attention with Book1 of THE ONE TRUE CHILD series L.C continues to make fine use of artistic covers that draw us into the epic. Stepping into Book 2 we again appreciate the polished quality of her prose and while this book is shorter than Book 1 the manner in which the story is related grows with Caring.
We follow the path of this portion of the story as follows: ‘Carling is only six when her family is slain by invading Romans. She is taken back to their fort as slave to the commander’s wife. There she clings to her memories and her hatred. Carling discovers unexpected friends while avoiding the attentive eye of the commander’s son. When her abilities start to emerge, she is swiftly sent away. Just as she begins to settle into herself, her life again is upended. She is forced to leave her new found love, Galen, and return to the Roman fort. Once again no longer free, she uncovers secrets, discovers her own strength, and battles evil foretold generations before.’
And we remain committed to following this exceptional opening to a world that seduces our imagination and provides sensitivity to that state of awakening.
Carling by – L.C. Conn – she made it! Usually an authors are unable keep the same high level from previous book but ,,Carling” did not disappointed me and I am sure won’t disappoint other readers. Energy enthusiasm, imaginative and even more magic and great tales- all together in one book. Before you realise it is 3 am in the morning and you can’t stop reading.