Starlight: Book 1 of the Dark Elf War

"Starlight" is the first book in a Fantasy/Sci-Fi adventure, 'The Dark Elf War' by author William Stacey. This Kindle e-book was approximately 531 printed pages and was free (normally $4.99) at the time of writing this review.General Theme (minor spoilers)20 year old Cassie Rogan is a university dropout that's been trying to get through a rough spell. Then by chance she's situated near an arcane portal opening originating from somewhere on a parallel universe. A lot of people die from this event, but Cassie is one of a handful of people that not only survive this devastating event but is actually empowered with a magical mana allowing her to do some extraordinary things. Now if she can just harness her emotions and immaturity to learn how to use this unexpected gift.Some thoughts on "Starlight"...1.) well written with prose that was easy to read and comprehend.2.) a little slow to start but develops a nice sense of pace and timing once them main story begins to unfold.3.) it displays a steady, methodical character development.4.) important characters can be severely injured or killed, adding a sense of realism.5.) lots of events that are both tense and exciting, featuring some clandestine ops and subsequent fire-fights. All this taking place in remote areas of northern British Columbia.Impressions:I groaned aloud when I started this book... I dislike Young Adult (YA) books and this started out very typical of the genre. However I stuck with this tale as it was entertaining, intriguing and well written... a good decision on my part. Hard to turn the pages fast enough once I got into the meat of the story.Looking forward to the next installment.As it is... 4 1/2 StarsRay Nicholson@ralannicholson

It's getting difficult to think of appropriate words to use in reviews of William Stacey's books.All of those I have read so far Have been exciting With constant action and suspense and as time is going on they've all gotten better. Starlight is no exception.It was another read that I had a hard time putting down As I was so eager to get to the next interesting part of the saga. Now I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

Tanks versus Basilisks, that's all that needs to be said. This is a great book, hilarious at times, dark at others and most of all realistic as far as human actions go. Too many books use Fantasy as an excuse to write characters that behave like cardboard cutouts rather than humans, not so here though, we get believable reactions to magic returning to Earth in modern times. Great series start that's totally worth checking out. (by this I mean the book does not feel like a series setup at all, and works great as standalone too)

I greatly enjoyed this book. Had a really fun storyline and I have always loved stories with a meld of fantasy/modern plot elements. It is very well written, the characters are fleshed out, and it also helps to highlight the importance of support positions in a team.I am greatly looking forward to the next book in the series. Kinda curious to see exactly how far the effects of the "event" will spread and the changes it will make to the whole world.

Very interesting twist on two genre melding together. Loved the spunky heroine and her search for self worth. Good start for the series.

I am not a fan of fantasy or of SF that takes place in a current time setting on Earth as this one does. But the author did a great job in blending everything together. I'm looking forward t reading the rest of the series.

This was a refreshing change from my normal fantasy reading. It was nice to follow the story and have the twists of fantasy interlaced.

Enthralling, developed, unique. I enjoyed the unpredictability, the old meets new, the hubris, the humanity, the alliances, the landscape, and girl power. More Clara, please. Learning, reflection, growing, discovering. I loved Paco and Clyde,too. Impact of family, overcoming struggles and grit versus dear. So good, William Stacey. Intelligently done, and I plan to use "Oscar Mike" in conversation now.

I wasn't expecting much, sorry author! I've read too many disappointing novels lately, but this one is well worth a read: it's fun, believable and the characters, human.So thank you this tale :)Hope it continues as well in next volume ;)

Needed a good editor, and really something less cliched than the Fae as an enemy. Also, no need for such long exposition of military matters and terminology - even if it’s credible that the characters wouldn’t know the jargon, a certain amount can be assumed that be picked up by the reader if they don’t know it already. But I finished it, which is more than I can say for other similarly badly written novels. The characters, the premise and the story were good enough to make up for the gaps.

A surprisingly well blended modern day and fantasy. The characters are well thought out and delivered. Though skeptical at first, it was thoroughly enjoyed.

When science meets fantasy you get Starlight. Full of action and hard to put down Stacey captures you at every turn. I cant wait for the next book. WOW

I found the story line slow to build up failed to capture my interest for prolonged reads