TITLE: The Sun Witch
AUTHOR: Linda Winstead Jones
COPYRIGHT: 2004
SERIES: Yes this is the first in the Fyne Witch trilogy (aka Sisters of the Sun)
SERIES: Yes this is the first in the Fyne Witch trilogy (aka Sisters of the Sun)
#2 The Moon Witch
#3 The Star Witch
Reason for reading:
The series was recommended to me over a year ago. I bought all three books right away but never got around to reading them.
Summary:
The three Fyne witches are sisters. For 365 years all Fyne witches have been cursed to never have a true and lasting love. Sophie is the youngest and the least powerful, or so she thinks, of the three sisters. She dreams for 3 nights of a man with green eyes. During her early morning swim she meets the man from her dreams and they share a sexual encounter. Sophie realizes how sad the man is and wishes him luck and well-being.
A year later the man, Kane, comes back to the pond where he first met Angel, which is how Sophie had had identified herself. Kane believes the woman from his dreams is not real. Kane ends up seeing Sophie at the pond, but she’s also with their daughter Ariana. After learning of the baby, Kane wants to marry Sophie but she refuses. She knows herself enough to know that if she spends time with Kane she might fall in love and the Fyne witches can’t fall in love because the men they love end up dying before they turn 30.
During the time Kane is town to try to talk Sophie into marrying him a scorned suitor kidnaps Ariana and takes her to the Imperial Palace with instructions that if Sophie wants her child back that she will need to go to the palace and marry him.
Once at the palace the Emperor plans to marry Sophie as revenge on her father. Kane and Sophie need to save Ariana, but then they need to save themselves as well.
Thoughts/Opinion:
This book had a lot of stuff going on with many different characters.
There was Sophie who was not planning on loving just one man. Since the Fyne woman were not to know love she would just give her body to men and have children that way. (Ok – not the best of plans – but it worked for her mom so why wouldn’t it work for her?) She was a virgin when she went to Kane and then could not stop thinking about him. Once Kane returns, her feelings grow despite her attempts to quell them. Once Ariana is kidnapped she just wants her baby back. While she is on the journey to the palace to retrieve her daughter her powers, as well as her feelings for Kane, grow and grow. By the time she is at the palace she is learning to control those powers. She discovers that not only is she not the least powerful witch in her family…she’s the most powerful. I truly loved Sophie. She was a quiet unassuming woman before she met Kane but love for her child and eventually for Kane makes her strong and capable. It sounds like a cheesy thing…but the strength she gains from her love works for the story.
There was Kane who was a rebel against the Imperial Army and his quest is to unseat the Emperor. The Imperial Army kills his family and he is left for dead. He only wants to die and is lying by a pond hoping he can drink himself into a grave when Sophie finds him. After their sexual encounter Sophie, unbeknownst to Kane, wishes him good luck and well being. When Kane awakes he is happy, healthy and has great luck for 1 year. Unfortunately he can’t remember anything of his life before the day with Sophie. After a year and finally finding Sophie her sister takes the spell off. He remembers that his family is gone and is extremely mad at Sophie. He eventually gets over this – learning that he can’t live without Sophie after she is taken by an Anwyn, Ryn…which I got the impression of being a werewolf of sorts…who thinks she’s his mate. (This was kind of an odd way to introduce this character into the story and it was a very short part. I haven’t read the backs of the other books but I’m guessing he plays a part in one of them). Kane saves Sophie and realizes he loves her. Kane is just nothing but hot. He not overtly sexual for most of the book but he just has this sensuality about him that just kind of oozes from him. He’s very protective of Sophie and Ariana as he should be and I loved that.
Then there’s the ongoing story about the Emperor and Liane. She is a concubine and assassin at the palace but also has the ear of the emperor. She hates him and wants nothing more than to be trusted, and not bodily searched each time she sees him, so that she can bring a knife to his bedroom and kill him. Later we discover that Liane is Kane’s sister who was stolen from their home when she was 15. After all is said and done she ends up loving the Emperor. (I can understand that Liane has learned to have feelings for this man, but she wanted her freedom sooooo badly it was hard for me to see that she was given it and didn’t take it.) The Emperor also decides after hearing of Sophie’s sisters that they need to be brought to the palace but we never learn for what use. Because of Sophie’s powers Liane ends up being pregnant at the end of the book but we’re left up in the air as to what will happen since she is a concubine and of course not married. The entire book the Emperor would only accept a legitimate heir.
The end of the book kind of left us hanging which I’m never a big fan of. Kane and Sophie and Ariana are all together and Sophie is pregnant again…but the curse isn’t broken. The end states the fact that they will be trying to discover a way to break the curse so they can have their HEA but I wanted happy, happy, joy, joy! Kane also planned on rejoining his rebel forces to unseat the Emperor and I’m wondering where this will leave Sophie and the babies since the chances of him getting killed are huge.
I love my HEA’s in my book. This book just didn’t provide that for me. I’m glad that Kane and Sophie are together and in love but it just wasn’t enough. Although I didn’t think the curse would be broken in this book, since it’s a trilogy, I was definitely disappointed that more steps weren’t taken toward that end. Overall though I thought it was a good read.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again?
I read one other of her books, Raintree: Haunted, that was pretty good. I will read the other 2 books in the series because I was left with too many unanswered questions from this one.
Are you keeping it or passing it on?
I haven’t actually decided. I guess it depends on the other 2 books and how I feel about the series as a whole.
Did you enjoy the book? Yes
Would you recommend this book to others?
Not at this time, but again, maybe after I finish the other 2 books. I can’t imagine you could read the other 2 without reading the first.
Not at this time, but again, maybe after I finish the other 2 books. I can’t imagine you could read the other 2 without reading the first.
Score: 3.5 out of 5
Anything else? Um, no.
I really liked this series.
Great review on it!
Hope you like the other two.
Glad your giving them a try!
It was interesting but I was just so upset to be left in the dark about so many things at the end of the book! lol Amy recommended them and loves them so I’m hoping I’ll love them by the end as well! 🙂
Good review. I was already thinking twice about buying this book. It’s good, but like you, I don’t really enjoy open endings. Will wait on this one. ^_^ Thanks.
The only LWJ book I’ve read is the Raintree one, but I’ve been considering this one. I’m glad you reviewed it. For now I’ll hold off (I want to wait and see your thoughts on the next two) even though it sounds kind of good.
Thanks!!
Aw man Holly – now I’m gonna have to review the other 2! lol It was a good book so I’ll work the others in to the reading schedule in the next couple of weeks!
I enjoyed them. But she did leave a couple of things hanging. She set the ending for the next trilogy (Children of the Sun).
They were enjoyable but not keepers for me. I found the second trilogy at my used bookstore, but haven’t read them yet.
Did you know this is 3 more after this revolving around the children and then 3 new ones coming out htis year re: something that has to do with this original series?
I have been wanting to read it but haven’t bought it yet. Too many other TBR. Although it does sound like a pretty good fantasy. Crap I guess I will have to buy it.
I knew there were 3 more after this, but I was being short-sighted on them so I didn’t get overwhelmed! lol And now another 3? OMG when will it end? lol
“And now another 3? OMG when will it end? lol”
I’d like to imitate Lizzie in P&P and say “Never!” (Please imagine the tone ^_^). LOL
Guess that’s why so many series are around. >_<
Well, I Loved both the Trilogies so far and I know I will love the third one as well!
That’s my story and I’m stickin to it! LOL
Sorry, though that you didnt seem to like it very much. I actually read the second one first and the first one second. But who cares right…LOL.
lol. This was the first official romance novel I read. (only because Ms. Gabaldon disputes the Romance label for Outlander.) My mother in law gave me the trilogy for xmas two years ago, because her cousin is Linda Winstead Jones. I was enthralled. The first book in the sequel trilogy is up for a RITA this year, but I haven’t read it yet.
Amy – I did enjoy the book…I just was frustrated with some aspects of it and of course the unanswered questions! 🙂
Alys – too funny – I can hear it now!
Ciara – LWS is your m-i-l’s cousin? That’s like my dogs owners 2nd cousins wife’s aunt! 🙂
haha. But see, the extended family actually gets together, so they know their cousins well. I interviewed her on my blog cuz she’s, well, family. 🙂
Ciara that is so very cool!