Written in Water Heir to the Firstborn Book 1
Fantasy Romance - Young Adult
Amazon Digital Services LLC
February 19, 2019
262
Out of the dreams of the Mother Goddess came the four tribes of Adavar, each born from of the elements. And since the beginning, the tribes of Adavar have been ruled by the Firstborn, the descendants of Axia, the firstborn daughter of the Mother Goddess. And as Axia had her four companions by her side throughout her life, so to does the Firstborn have their Companions, chosen one from each tribe, so that each tribe has a voice. On the day that the Firstborn takes the throne, their Heir is chosen by the Mother Goddess herself, and no one would dare to challenge that divine choice
Until the usurper Mannon turns on Firstborn Tirine, her Council, and Milon, her Heir, stealing the throne of Adavar and throwing the world into chaos.
Twenty-five years later, Waterborn Aleia and her mate, Earthborn Jehan, survive alone far out at sea, maintaining little contact with the Water tribe. It is the only life their son, Aven, has ever known.
Then the storm comes, driving a storm-damaged ship into the deep waters. The only survivor on the deserted ship? A girl with wings, who Jehan and Aven discover unconscious and imprisoned in the hold. When she wakes, she knows Aleia and Jehan on sight, and what she tells them turns Aven’s life upside down.
Her name is Aria.
She is Milon’s daughter.
She is the Heir to the Firstborn, charged by the Goddess to take back what was stolen.
And Aven is her first Companion.
She Said – Sherry Perkins She Said – Melissa Brus
Reviewed by Sherry Perkins
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
World building can be a challenge for an author. The reasons for it are obvious: you must introduce many concepts that are—sometimes—so foreign from what the reader has previous knowledge for and introduce it without having it sound like a lot of tedious exposition.
Prologues are a handy literary device for accomplishing exactly that. In “Written in Water,” Elizabeth Schechter uses the prologue to provide canon, set the tone, offer context and backstory for a world and peoples who are very different than our own.
Those who inhabit the world described are an elemental sort of folk, with some shape-shifting ability. Their racial characteristics are of fire, water, earth, and air but all are unified by the Firstborn and her heirs. You’d think that makes them very different from us. Not so much. They have the same intrigues, motivations and emotional attachments as we do, all of which leads to a story about political assassination and the return of the rightful heir.
Without giving away too much, the tale starts with a boat found adrift. Precious cargo is onboard—and off we go from a place among the generally contented water people into a larger world where bloodlines are long, treachery is to be expected and family ties are enduring. For a touch of comic relief, keep an eye open for the story thread that has to do with, essentially, lactose intolerance. It has unexpected and far-reaching effects on one character.
Schechter is known for writing in multiple genres—steampunk erotic romance, dystopian fantasies, fantasy romance, a bit of BDSM and several anthology entries. Plus, there’s “Forged in Fire,” the sequel to “Written in Water.” I’ll be reading that next.
Reviewed by Melissa Brus
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
This is a very promising start to a new fantasy series. The main character, Aven, has been sheltered from his family’s history and the world at large. Then a burning ship brings that false peace to an end, while the adventure facing Aven is just beginning. The writing is engaging. It brings the world to life around the reader with well paced action. Since the reader is learning the world along with Aven, there is a feeling of being lost, not having the information you would like to have as the reader. I also felt that the characters acted younger than their stated ages in the book. The subject matter included past abuse, etc, however, the attitude and language of the characters makes it skew more to a young adult book. This is a very fun read and it will be interesting to see where the quest goes for our young heroes.