Loved reading about Gryphons!

* I was sent the entire trilogy via audible by the author in exchange for a honest review.

“When you’ve got a job to do, it’s better to face the fire head on”

I was intrigued from the very start of this audiobook! Eva lives a quiet life with her foster father at his forge, she works hard and is very loved but then one day her whole life is turned upside down and she must leave the comfort of her home to become part of the Windsworn— highly trained warriors who are the only ones allowed in the kingdom to ride a gryphon!

This was a fun and quick listen from me and I was surprisingly completely interested from the start! One of the biggest aspects I need to enjoy a audiobook is to like the narrator and I think she did a great job! Then once the story really got rolling, I was really interested and couldn’t wait to see where this gryphon rider story took me!

The characters were likable and Soot has a soft spot in my heart for taking in an infant that was not his and raising her as if she was is own. I like that he seems gruff but loves Eva with his whole heart and I just found it very heartwarming! I also really enjoyed Seppo, he was super unique and fun to me! The rest of the characters were again very likable, no one really annoyed me expect maybe Eva at times lol she’s just prone to anger outbursts and I found myself rolling my eyes because then she would try to take it all back a second later.

The only other part that bothered me was the romance. To me, it really just came out of no where. The two only had a few interactions before they were kissing and exchanging feelings for one another but I could look past it since it wasn’t the center of the attention for the book.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this book and the uniqueness that the gryphons brought to the story!

For readers who enjoy: Eragon, coming of age stories, gryphons, twists, quick listens & perseverance

4 people found this helpful

A very entertaining fantasy series

The Gryphon Riders Trilogy is a very entertaining fantasy series. We follow the adventures of Eva, a young orphan girl raised by a blacksmith, who she loves as a father. She is fierce, has her own opinion, but isn't afraid to show emotion. I loved her. Letting the characters grow emotionally and at the same time keep their personalities consistent throughout three books isn't an easy writing job, I can speak from experience. However, Derek Alan Siddoway succeeded in the character development departement! And in the world building department as well, for that matter.
Dragons have always been my favourite fantasy creature. But I am glad this wasn't another dragon story. Gryphons are so cool! They should get more stories of their own!
Plot wise, the author really managed to keep my attention while binge listening the complete trilogy. Their was the right amount of action, a strong female lead, a little bit of romance, just enough to be appropriate for the young audience. It all happened a bit quickly in the beginning, but on the other hand I like stories that get into action quickly.

Because I listened to the audiobooks, I want to give some credits to Kate Rudd, who narrated these three books. She did an amazing job. It's crazy how she can give each character a different voice that fits them well, both female and male characters. Voice acting is a real talent!

2 people found this helpful

Windsworn by Derek Alan Siddoway

This audiobook is narrated by Kate Rudd who does an excellent job of bringing the characters to life. This tale brings an orphan being raised by a blacksmith who meets a young boy who has brought her an egg, a very large egg, that hatches in her hands. Follow the tale as she is accused of theft along with the boy, their journey to a new life, and her training to become a Windsworn, a gryphon rider. Young adults will love the story and I’m an old adult and loved it myself. I can’t wait to listen to the next book.

2 people found this helpful

Great story! Entertaining and keeps you wanting to know more!

I really liked this story! It seemed a bit too similar to some stories I’ve already read, such as Eragon (the stolen egg, protagonist’s world taking a complete change of direction, etc...). It had a pretty standard plot, so there were quite a few moments that seemed pretty predictable. I do wish there was more dialogue and descriptive scene rather than summary. Also, the narrator did pretty great, but I wish she varied her voice during dialogue a bit more (such as whispering, showing more exasperation/surprise, adding inflections, etc). To me, it seemed a tiny bit monotonous, but not enough to deter from wanting to continue listening to the story. These are just things that would make it better, so that said, I still really really enjoyed it and it kept me entertained! Looking forward to listening to the next one!

1 person found this helpful

Slow start

While interesting, this story took a long time to get into much action. I didn't buy all Evie's difficulties and she took too long to figure out how to handle them. Her friends and mentors seemed to choose her for no reason. I'd like to have seen as much detail about her improving relationship with Fury as we got about its bad beginning. The commander's sudden understanding about the conspiracy when none but Evie witnessed it was never explained. All that aside, the story was unique enough to keep me interested.

5 Stars

I received this title to review and am pleased to say it was great. This is book one of a trilogy that I am excited to finish. The narration is pretty good and this way I don't have to worry about whether or not I'm pronouncing the words correctly. Looking forward to book two!

good book to pass by time or simple to listen to.

almost have a harry Potter vibe to it as in the journey wise, overall a nice book for a car ride.

Enjoy the Ride with the Windsworn!!

What an awesome Fantasy. A wonderfully crafted book that swept me away to ride the winds with Eva and her cohorts. I enjoyed hearing her story so much that I immediately continued to listen to her story in Windswept. I am longing for a Gryphon of my own.

A girl and her gryphon

The windsworn book 1 has something of an "youth story", a story of a girl that fights with her own insecurities and gets roped into a story thats much bigger than herself and that forced her to grow up quickly and discard her own issues to rise to the occasion.

In this audiobook, I especially loved the dynamic between fury (her gryphon) and the girl, eva. Because at the beginning, the gryphon literally attacked her regularly. She had to show the gryphon her own strength to get it to accept her.

I found that a really nice touch and it brought in a element of "advancement" where it felt as if she grew a lot from the shy and timid girl to a woman that is respected by her future mount.

Wonderful

Do you love Jeff Wheeler and Kate Rudd? Then this is for you!! Yes it doesn’t have the depth of religious covenants that Jeff Wheeler uses but it is still an amazing read. Highly recommend if your a fan looking for a book that hits some of the same feels.
Yes Eva is a little difficult for the first few hours, but hang in there, she has serious development.