The Bright Court

With this novel, Sharp jumps right back into the awesome world of Feyland and takes you with her. She completely immerses her reader in the world of gaming and in the land of the Fey. The distinct socioeconomic backgrounds in this story really add to the feeling of the story. It helps to develop the feeling of helplessness and of crossing boundaries. There is also lots of action in this instalment that keeps you on edge and ploughing forward. <br /><br />Sharp`s phenomenal storytelling skills and brilliant descriptions create a world that her readers cannot help but love. Everything comes to life in such a brilliant way that you feel like you are simming right alongside the characters. As a reader you live and breathe everything that they do. <br /><br />Sharp’s characters return with a vengeance in this instalment. They are the same individuals that you came to know and love in The Dark Court, but they continue to grow as individuals as they age and as they experience more and more perils at the hands of the Fey. The new characters that Sharp introduces in this instalment are also very well developed. You get to know them, human and Fey alike, as well as you would a new friend. Sharp’s character development is always natural and leads you to come to know everyone as an individual. <br /><br />All in all this was a fun and captivating story that kept you hooked throughout. I read the bulk of the book in a single sitting. It followed nicely from its predecessor and leaves you primed for the sequel. The reader is left simultaneously with a feeling of satisfaction and of wanting more (and a bit of a broken heart). <br />

In this book our heroes fight the Bright King as opposed to the Dark Queen in the last book.What we are dealing with is a VR game that actually puts people into the land of fey.Up until this game was created the mortal realm and fey realm could not connect.But now the fey have an opportunity to crossover.Our heroes,two players have decided to not let this happen

You know you've found a good writer when you can start a series in the middle (the second book) and not be lost to the story or characters but pick them up seamlessly. You know you've found a -great- writer when you finish that book and want to go back and read the book before and are now eagerly waiting the book after. Many thanks to Anthea Sharp for such skillful writing! Much enjoyed this book and looking forward to the other two!

Okay. I really liked the first book in this series, Feyland: The Dark Realm, but this one, I loved, loved loved. Did I say I loved it? This is the continuation of the adventures of Jennet and Tam as they try to stem the tide of the faerie realm from encroaching upon and eventually invading our world. The trouble is that Feyland is a video game, and Jennet and Tam cannot convince anyone in power that the faerie realm depicted in the game is real. The efforts of the Dark Queen were frustrated in the first book, but now we have a new problem. The Bright King (of the Bright Court) has gotten his hooks into the new kid in town, egotistical horror Roy Lassiter, whose mother also happens to be the head of the company that is developing the Feyland video game. Roy has gone into Feyland and made a deal with The Bright King, bringing him real world energy which will increase his strength and help him break into our world. In exchange, the king has given Roy faerie realm magic that he can bring back to our world and use for his own selfish purposes. Roy's actions endanger everyone around him while Jennet and Tam are the only two that realize what Roy is doing. The need for action becomes even more urgent when their friend Marny falls under Roy's spell.<br /><br />I love video games, and as I read Sharpe's wonderful descriptions of the game environment, the quests and the battles, I felt like I was really there, in-game with Jennet and Tam. Whenever there is a story that involves a romance, budding or otherwise, I usually get the feeling that one of the lovebird pair is not good enough for the other. I'm glad to say that I didn't get that feeling here. I love both characters and I want them to be together so much, it's painful to think of them being apart. Jennet is the girl who lives in a mansion and has everything that money can buy, but she is not a snob. She's a beautiful girl who doesn't know how beautiful she really is, inside and out. She's brave and strong and willingly sacrificed herself at the end of book one to save Tam-and he had earlier done the same for her. Ask me who my favorite character is and I will readily admit that Tam has the edge. His home life is a disaster. He and his little brother live in poverty on the wrong side of town with a mentally ill mother who walks in and out of their lives as easily as stepping through a doorway, frequently leaving them to fend for themselves. Some people buckle under such stress, but Tam is the guy standing straight and tall, surrounded by the wreckage and rubble of his life, yet retaining his endearing vulnerability. Both Jennet and Tam are afraid to admit-to each other and to themselves-their true feelings for each other. She wishes he would loosen up and realize that he is as good as anyone, and better than most. He comes to realize that he does love her, but can't get over the feelings of shame he has about where he comes from, and can see only the apparently uncrossable chasm between her origins and his.<br /><br />There is a breath taking scene where, in true fairy tale style, True Love's Kiss comes into play (guess who?). I thought that scene was beautifully written and it was my favorite in the book. I was listening to music as I read-and I don't believe in coincidences-when I was reading this scene, the song A Thousand Years by Christina Perri came over my earbuds. Of all the songs in the world, never has there been a more appropriate True Love's Kiss song. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.<br /><br />Sharpe's writing is consistently smooth, the story cohesive and compelling. And of course, we are left at the end with a heart breaking crisis that will leave us wanting more. Mission accomplished! I want-I need book three!

GAME ON!!! 5 Stars<br /><br />Overall I loved this series! I can’t wait to read the next ones as well! (NOTE: this review is based on the box set Feyland: The Complete Trilogy) At first I was a little disappointed with the first book – The Dark Realm - because I was expecting a lot more magic and fae stuff. It was still good, just different than how I thought it would be! Which is one reason why I try to not form an opinion of how I expect the book to be before I read it. That being said, I read the book fairly or is that faery, quickly and was surprised at how drawn in I was. I was hooked on the characters &amp; rooting for everything to go their way (the good ones only, of course! Lol), I cried when they did or for them, I found myself smiling &amp; cheering for &amp; with them. I couldn’t wait to see if they would outsmart their opponents or get outsmarted themselves, if there would be any new friendships, would any kisses finally happen, would they get caught, would they be saved, JUST EVERYTHING!!!! I read book 2 – The Bright Court – and book 3 – The Twilight Kingdom – quickly as I was so caught up in it, I didn’t even realize what time it was or how much I had read!! After completing the series I realized how The Dark Realm (book 1) set everything up for the rest of the series. Let’s not forget that the entire premise of these books is based on a VIDEO GAME! As soon as Jennet starts playing on the prototype version of the new Full-D system and clicks on the new game called Feyland, little did she realize that her life would never be the same again. Because the Fey world is dying they need mortals to replenish it &amp; themselves, so the Fey have created a way to access the mortal realm via a very realistic sim style video game. I love to play video games and would jump at the chance to play on systems like the ones depicted in this series. Of course I am not sure that I would want to play Feyland, but still…It is such a creative idea to base a series on! You have such a mix of people of all ages and classes that are both human or mortals as the Fae/Fey would say, and immortals like the Fae/Fey and their Courts of followers. I loved how the YA book became so much more than that! I found that I didn’t even think of it in terms of a YA book, well except for the “clean” part (no sex, etc. lol). Personally, I feel that if I can get that absorbed into a book and NOT pay attention to the genre/class/age group/etc., then that is one great book &amp; series written by an equally great author! I know that some people will and/or do, complain about the teen characters being too whiny, too wishy-washy, all full of ‘teen angst’ with teen ‘issues’ like “oh is he going to kiss me?” or “Does he think I am cool?” etc. but I think that they forget that the characters ARE TEENS!!! I had so many theories throughout this series as to who this person really was, or how that was going to play out, etc. but ya, I was wrong on most accounts! Trust me, I have never been so happy to be wrong! Also tells me just how great the author is because NOTHING is predictable which makes it that much more of an enjoyable read.<br />

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy of this book from Anthea Sharp in exchange for an honest review.]<br /><br />Since Feyland: The Dark Realm was almost a futuristic retelling of the ballad of Tam Linn, I really had no idea where Anthea Sharp would go from there. Would book 2 in the Feyland trilogy just drag on and on pointlessly and focus on the romance between Tam and Jennet? Or would she completely change the fairytale underpinnings of the story and go for a pure technological thriller?<br /><br />Thankfully, Anthea Sharp did neither of those. She manages to get Jennet and Tam back in Feyland without making it seem forced and creates a believable explanation for the Roy Lassiter’s (the new guy in school) charm. What the explanation is I can’t reveal without spoiling some major plot points, but you’ll definitely be surprised at what he did to obtain his seemingly magical charm. Okay, maybe you won’t be that surprised considering we’re dealing with the world of the fae, but there are definitely a few plot twists you won’t see coming because of Roy’s actions.<br /><br />What I liked about the plot is not that it was unpredictable (which it generally was) but that it was such a departure from the first book yet stayed true to it all the same. It’s hard to explain without spoiling things, but I like how it didn’t follow a fairytale storyline like the Tam Linn story in the first book and yet still retained those fairytale elements. So it ended up being different from the first book, but just as good!<br /><br />My favourite part is the character development when it comes to Jennet and Tam’s characters. I love how the two have grown closer since their adventure in the last book but how they still have to learn how to trust one another throughout The Bright Court. There’s more than just friendship between the two and I like how Anthea Sharp manages to create that romantic tension without being in your face about it all the time. It’s definitely a skill more authors need to learn.<br /><br />In short, if you loved Feyland: The Dark Realm you’ll love the sequel, The Bright Court. And if you haven’t started the Feyland trilogy yet, you should. It’s the perfect mix of technology and fantasy.<br /><br />I give this book 5/5 stars.

The Bright Court takes off right where The Dark Realm left off. Jennet and Tam continue to look for a way to stop the prototype of Feyland to be released out in the world. Here's the problem though...what if the company owner's son is playing it and doesn't seem to be having any problems playing the game? <br /><br />Well that's what happened when Roy Lassiter comes to join Tam and Jennet at their high school. And according to Jennet's father, who is in charge of Feyland's production, Roy has been playing the game for months and nothing has happened...or so he says...<br /><br />Jennet and Tam soon realize something is up.<br /><br />Why is Roy attracting all these women with his fake charm? And did one of the girls come back looking a little drained?<br /><br />Well, Tam and Jennet work together to find out, along the way finding themselves again in the magical, yet unpredictable world of Feyland, and along the way possibly changing their relationship status. ;)<br /><br />I really enjoyed this one! When I read The Dark Realm last year, it genuinely surprised me! I had been a bit worried when it came to reading a book set most of the time in a video game. I kept asking myself, Is this going to be like Spy Kids? or Oh no this is going to be like reading a book based on a video game! I don't want to read Halo!<br /><br />However, after reading the both books I have never felt more wrong! This series is so much fun to be inside of. As I read Tam and Jennet's adventures in Feyland I feel like I am right there beside them witnessing everything first hand with them. <br /><br />It's an action packed series that you don't want to miss! And of course, with a side of romance... :), something that, in my opinion, every book needs! :)<br /><br />Feyland: The Bright Court is set to be officially released on May 26th, so I hope you all get your copy. Smashwords has it available for download now already! :)

Anthea Sharp has done it again!<br /><br />Taking place right after the event of the first book Tam and Jennet have come to realize the fight is not over, and that it may have already step into the real world.<br /><br />When a new boy has join Crestview high and has a odd air to him, almost Fae like. Every girl but Jennet sames to be falling head over heels for him both Tam and Jennet think something is not right, that maybe they are not the only ones that have stepped into Feyland.<br /><br />With everything that has happened and Feyland still being push for release Tam and Jennet are running out of time again.<br /><br />Over all, the story is amazing, filled with memorable characters that come back for a visit and new a like. <br /><br />The setting of the story is something that just comes to life when you are reading. It's so beautifully, colorful and so full of magic I wish someone would pick this series up to turn into a mini series for TV! <br /><br />When mixing video games and Fae Lore together Anthea has skill that I have never read before.<br /><br />Can't wait to see what Anthea comes up with next! She is really a most read author for 2011-2012.

Wow. Just---wow.<br /><br />I loved the first book, and as much as I was looking forward to this one, I was a little concerned that I'd be let down. (It happens a lot with second books. I didn't need to worry. The Bright Court reminded me how much I loved The Dark Realm.<br /><br />There's no need to say how happy I was to see Tam again. He's one of the best book characters I've ever read.<br /><br />If there's anything that could have made this book even better, it would have been just a little bit more happening within the Feyland game. I love that place!<br /><br />Anyone and everyone who enjoys fantasy, gaming, a great story, amazing characters, incredible writing, worlds that are so alive they don't stay within the pages---I could go on and on---MUST read this. If you haven't started this series yet, do not wait another second. You won't regret it!<br /><br />Now comes the horribly hard, frustrating job of waiting for the next book.<br /><br />Bravo.<br /><br />10/5 stars (Yes, I know that doesn't exactly work. Deal with it.)

Wow. Having read Feyland: The Dark Realm, I was pulled right back into the story with this sequel, although I believe it would make sense to anyone who hadn’t read the first book in this series first. This young adult book really speaks to all ages, from pre-teen on up. <br /><br />Jennet and Tam Linn are the only ones who can keep an immersive video game from opening the crack between their world and the Realm of Faerie. Their world feels slightly futuristic and has a realistic approach to the peer issues teens face, all while entertaining the reader with a story that includes video-gaming, sword fights, and fairy kings. As well, the relationship between Jennet and Tam Linn is very appropriate and perfectly timed with the story. <br /><br />Honestly, I buy the whole premise of Feyland. It’s an imaginative and engrossing story that I highly recommend. I understand there will be one more installment to this story and I will be purchasing it as soon as it becomes available. <br />