Recurve (The Elemental Series) Paperback – March 31, 2015

I was hesitant to start this book as many of the top reviews were not promising. However, I decided to jump in since I’ve had my eye on this book for awhile... and I’m glad I did!I suspect a lot of the disappointment for other reviewers comes from expecting this to fall into a similar space to what people have come to expect from the fantasy genre due to many of the well known series greats... complex storylines, complex characters, and rich worldbuilding.To put it plainly, it’s not that sort of book. This book is very simple in its storytelling and characterizations. For me, I think that’s what was enjoyable about it. Those epic fantasy books have their place, but sometimes I just don’t want to work so hard for a good story, you know?I found the storyline and worldbuilding to be fleshed out enough to give a good base to the events of the plot. Hopefully, it will be expanded on as the series progresses, but for the first book I thought it was sufficient. I quite enjoyed the overall premise and it kept me captivated and intrigued throughout all the plot happenings.The characters are mostly where this book stumbled, I think. The heroine was likable and tenacious. She was able to pull herself through some difficult situations without falling into the “whiney brat hero/ine” trope. She just kept moving forward and trying her best. I admired her strength. However, there wasn’t a lot of insight into her motivations. And I felt more time could have been spent on exploring how each of these events were affecting her emotionally. This was true for most of the characters in the book... only hints of emotions and brief glimpses of motivations. It made it hard to fully understand why the events of the book were happening the way they were happening.Moral of the story... An easy and simple read with a likable heroine and an engaging plot. Don’t read if you’re expecting a complex fantasy book. I would recommend for people just looking for an enjoyable fantasy book that they don’t have to think too hard about.**Side Note: There was no romance in this first book, however, it looks like there is a set up for a male lead for the future books.

I love the development of her characters and the twists to their lives that are unexpected and tie people together.

I lived this book by Shannon Mayer. Larkspur is thought of as weak and everyone spurts her. But when her step mother threatens her people, she is the only one strong enough to fight her. Will she be able to show her people the truth about Cassava or will they still believe Larkspur to be weak. I lived this book and can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Fun romp in a new series by Shannon Mayer. I like the 40 Proof series better because there is more humor, but this is definitely worth the read. Looking forward to book 2.

I’m always more than a little apprehensive when it comes to ‘spin-offs’ of book series I really enjoy. Sometimes the shift away from a character you really enjoy reading about is really jarring, even when that character remains on the periphery of the new story. All I end up doing is sitting there wishing the focus would shift back to the character I love and miss. Other times, like with Shannon Mayer’s new book Recurve, you find yourself completely sucked in, happily enjoying this new adventure without missing the old one. Part of that may have to do with the fact that this really, at least with book 1, feels like a different story. Yes, the character of Lark was introduced in Elementally Priceless, and this novel serves to give us some of Lark’s backstory, but aside from knowing that Lark’s world and Rylee’s world will intersect at a later date, at least through book 1, it might as well have been a completely different world.The world the author has created with the Elementals, is a harsh one, and Lark sits on the edges of that world, barely accepted by her kind. In that respect, the character really did remind me of Rylee. There were some other characters who I felt had parallels in Rylee’s world, and I was very happy to see my suspicions about one particular character were spot on, largely because the way the character was introduced and fleshed out reminded me so much of a favorite character in Rylee’s world.Lark’s challenges are huge ones, and I felt myself breathless with anticipation through the whole book. It reads extremely quickly, and I had a hard time putting it down once I got through the first couple of chapters.The ending was satisfying but definitely leaves you eager for more.Lark’s world sits within the human world, but separate. With few exceptions, her people avoid contact with humans. At some points, she seemed very ignorant of the human world and human customs, but at others, would do things like joke about getting a “pedicure”. That inconsistency in how much of the human would she was aware of was about the only thing I found to be annoying. Otherwise, as a 1st book in a new series, I am well and truly hooked.***I was provided this ARC copy by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.***

I loved Shannon Meyer’s Midlife series and having seen lots of recommendations on her Facebook page I decided to give this book a go. It apparently intertwines with the Rylee Adamson series (I haven’t read that yet) but I decided to read “Recurve” first as I’m going to follow the “timeline”reading order. Larkspur is a great character and I loved watching her and her powers grow throughout the book! The world building is brilliant, plenty of action and this is going to be one epic adventure! So pleased to have found this author! She’s an auto-buy for me now!

So, we are introduced to Lark (short for Larkspur) when she is a child and something horrible promptly happens. Rejoining an isolated Lark as an adult, there seemed to be some obvious similarities to the Cinderella story to me, particularly the wicked queen/stepmother. There are some unsurprising plot twists and some questions left unanswered (why didn't a basic examination of the bodies at the centre of the story illustrate how those people died? And I would have killed Lark also and don't understand why queenie didn't) but little niggles aside, it's an easy read with likable characters and no irritating grammatical/spelling errors to jar the reader. The book is really short - too short - and it would be nice to see the author stretch herself to a more complex and longer tale. And close off some really obvious 'whys' too. But I'll be downloading book two and probably looking for book 3 straight after that. A pleasant read.

This is my review for the whole series: I loved it. No Me Mayer, I'm not talking to you any more. I don't mean it, please write more book. I can't say why it's only 4 stars, without dropping some fairly major spoilers, so I'll just say, if you like action and intrigue with a splash (or gallon) of magic, then this series is really worth the time

If you are a fan of karpov kinrade or Patrica Briggs then this series is for you.Larkspur is an elemental, she can draw power from the earth. Or at least she should be able to but something happened and she's lost that connection, it's trapped somewhere inside her waiting to be unleashed. She is an outcast among her family the illegitimate daughter of the king. She must come to terms with her past if she ever wants to discover the truth and protect the ones she loves.If you have read the rylee Adamson series by Shannon then you should definitely try this one to.

You can't just read this book. You have to read the whole series. You also have to read the Rylee Adamson series as they intertwine and just make so much more sense together.I'm not the best at saying why a book is good. This one is great.What's a definite is... Whatever Shannon Mayer writes, I will read. I don't need to see a description, She's that good.