Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana
by: Lisa Lee and Tee Morris
Review by Tina Morgan
 

This issue we are traveling to the realm of Morevi for our book review. I suggest you buckle your seat belts and keep your hands inside your armchair for this journey; it's a wild one.

Rafe begins his story as no more than a sailor on a pirate ship but he receives a sudden promotion when his captain and first mate are shot down by Spanish cannon fire. However, taking control of a pirate crew seems a minor problem compared to navigating the Rift, a doorway into the other "new world". Rafe brings his crew through and into a realm of mystery and intrigue unlike anything fifteenth century England has to offer.

Askana, the queen of Morevi is surrounded by danger and double cross. Unsure who she can trust in her own government, she hires Rafe to help expose the spies hiding amongst her noble ladies. The unlikely hero proves his worth when he battles extreme odds to return Askana to her throne. Along the way, they find themselves fighting more than just their enemies as their own mutual attraction grows.

Morevi was well written and fast paced. The story flowed nicely and kept my attention to the end. The characters leapt off the page and provided a great deal of entertainment, (as well as an occasional well timed chuckle to lighten the tension). The Asian influence on the setting is a welcome break from the standard fantasy European medieval fare. While many Asian based stories revolve around samurai, Morevi has a fascinating history and culture all its own.

Perhaps the biggest problem I had with the book was the size of the print. It was small and did cause a bit of eyestrain...though that did not deter me from reading.

The cover is beautifully done. Going with a small press allowed the authors to help design and chose the cover. This is something I wish more publishers would allow their authors to do. The cover pulls the reader into the mystique of the story even before they open the book

One of the things I found most fascinating about Morevi was the fact that its authors have never met in person. Tee and Lisa met in a chat room and began discussing their love of writing. This led to email exchanges about the worlds and characters they were creating. They combined Tee's Rafe and Lisa's Askana in a storyline that developed into an ongoing story. Despite being half a world apart, they finished their novel and they found a publisher. Hearing that description, you might think the story would reflect their different writing styles, but the writing is seamless and the characters are consistent.

Published by Dragon Moon Press, a small publisher out of Calgary, Canada, Morevi can be ordered from their site: Here

As well as through Amazon

Sample chapters and more information can be found at the authors' official website: Morevi

Morevi earns a * * * * 1/2 rating.

Rating Guide:
* * * * * = Un-put-downable, excellent reading!
* * * * = Good value, interesting reading.
* * * = Had potential, but could have been better.
* * = Slow, difficult to read, could have been improved.
* = Imminently forgettable.