Star of Deliverance by Mandy Madson Voisin

Published By: Sweetwater Books (@SweetwaterBooks),
an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Official Author Websites:  Site | @MandyVoisin | Facebook

Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Converse via: #StarofDeliverance

Acquired Book By: 

I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “Star of Deliverance” direct from the publisher Sweetwater Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Inspired to Read:

I felt a hitching in my chest growing as I read the opening chapter to Star of Deliverance as the last YA Fantasy which held my attention with such a rapt fierceness and knowing awareness my ears would not singe as the context would be a clean read was whilst I read Uncovering Cobbogoth; the very first Sweetwater Books title I read in late Spring! Stepping forward into this novel after I was under the weather for a short spell was not the easiest of tasks, as I had attempted to read it a few times without a success of soaking into the vein of it’s narrative. What originally drew me to alight on this particular title when it came around for a blog tour is the simple fact that I am betwixt vexation and frustration to sort through the new world of Young Adult; as I expanded on recently here and here. I knew if I elected to read a title by Sweetwater Books I would know going in I was going to be greeted by an intensely lit world and a character who more than likely would need to embark on a quest that I could attach myself to rallying behind.

One of the reasons I love the Fantasy genre as much as I do is because it is a bit of a collection of coming-of age histories from various walks of life all alighting in fantastically original worlds where the boundaries of our realm and their’s are set to different rules and different cultural attachments; yet at the heart of fantasy and reality lies one true central thread: the pursuit of freedom and the choice to live a free life pursuing one’s dreams. I love the epic heart of Fantasy as much as I like digging into an imagined world left behind for us to unravell one layer at a time. Seeing where each new world represents it’s own kind and how they choose to interact with others who are different from their own race is part of the dynamic of discovery. Diplomacy and humanistic tendencies are generally front-runners but there are also causes for uprisings from oppression and a growing sense of urgency to come out from a ruler who attempts to repress the spirit of his or her nation.

This one felt to me to garnish a bit of a new nexus of plausible thought – to seek out a remedy of hidden truth to free your people from a sickness that is not yet disclosed. In that one flicker of a plot thread I found myself attracted to finding out what the illness was being caused by, of whom was responsible for not giving the people a method towards healing, and what was the greater good and/or darkness surrounding the world at large that drew such a measure of strength out of an unexpected heroine?

Fantasy is one thread of literature I always find inspiring on several levels, but the most enchanting part of reading Fantasy for me is the wicked adventures you get to take whilst riding coattail close to the principle characters and seeing what they see in quite an extraordinary sensory exploration! I will be expressing my love of this genre more during #RRSciFiMonth (Sci-Fi November) – for now simply know it was always at the heart of what I read as a child.

I marked this as a “Re-Told Tale” for Cinderella (The Little Glass Slipper) by Brothers Grimm as I found a reference to how this story took on the previous incantation of an enslaved girl who sought individual freedom as much as cared about others around her which led me to believe it could be a re-telling of the classic canon. Although I do believe it was intended as a representation of Esther’s life as her voice is quoted at the start of the novel itself.

Star of Deliverance
by Mandy Madson Voisin
Source: Direct from Publisher

Emi was born an outcast but raised as a healer. So when a young boy stumbles into her village with a rare disease, she knows that it's up to her to find the cure in the one place that abhors her people - the capital. But when Emi arrives, she's unwittingly thrust into a competition to win the crown prince's heart.

Staying in the game will give her time to search for the cure, but is it worth risking her life?

Get swept up in this epic teen fantasy that pulls you in from the very first page. Filled with intrigue, mystery, and romance, Star of Deliverance is guaranteed to keep you guessing.

Genres: YA Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Published by Sweetwater Books

on 9th September, 2014

Format: Paperback

Pages: 320

Author Biography: 

Mandy Madson Voisin grew up reading fairy tales and knew from a young age she wanted to write them. She graduated from Bringham Young University with a degree in English and starting writing Star of Deliverance soon thereafter. She currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband Kevin.

The world of Deshan:

The ordinances of rule for the villagers who maintain the orchards for the High King fall under Feudal Europe or the rulers of 16th Century Japan (as parts of this story brought back happy memories of the Shinobi mysteries) inasmuch as I remembered the archaic control tactics for needing passes to move between territories and provinces to be a part of my beloved Leland Dragon series. There is a high level of security amongst those who are ordered to guard the commoners and those who are living at the palace – there is a disconnect between the two factions, as those who work in the orchards and outlying villages do not appear to receive news from outside their own living spheres.

The intricacies of knowledge of the world-building itself are clearly evident as Voisin has spent a considerable amount of time fine tuning the texture of her world as much as crafting the history of her people within it’s pages. I always appreciate the amount of time a writer takes to breathe such clarity of ‘time’ and of ‘place’ to their fantasy worlds – they are generally reminiscent of another time within our own known histories but even if they are completely created to stand on a unique ground of their own creation, it is how they can fuse to paper in such a way as to be ‘known’ as a truthful account that I credit the most in appreciation. Cobbogoth felt this way, Leland Province felt this way, even adventures of Father Mateo and Hiro felt viscerally real rather than obtusely created. The further I read into Star of Deliverance more of the world Voisin had created for us to find revealed itself in quiet whispers and it was an entreaty that delighted me.

My Review of Star of Deliverance:

A quick fire urgency is clearly evident as soon as you open the first pages of Star of Deliverance, as the inertia of how quickly the pace of the story is set consumes you as each new page is turnt. Emi is the adopted daughter of a village healer, gifted with a light of knowledge unseen of his kind and he bespoke of Emi to become his protégé years ago to save her from the enslaved life of their peers. Studying every facet of natural medicine Cen can etch into her memory, Emi grew inside the humble clinic as a nursing ground of nurturing the spirit of those who came to them as well as their physical wounds. Cen is an enlightened healer as evidenced by his methodology of practice and his approach to understand the whole of the person rather than by cluing into the symptoms alone.

There is a clear absence of law and order within the confines of truth, honour, and justice in this world – people are imprisoned without trial and without jury; taken from their families without fault of their own nor of any chance to recover a redemption of honour. They are erased as simply as extinguishing the lighted flame of a candle’s wick without consideration for their humanity nor their rights to live without the fear of being killed without prosecution. Despite the heaviness of the Dystopian world repressing the lives of those who work under arduous conditions to nib out a small living that doesn’t even give them a viable wage; Voisin creates a vacuum of light by the actions of the few who believe in keeping hope alive at all costs.

The closer Emi gains into the entrance of being wholly accepted at the palace the more my mind darted off to remembering why I loved watching Ever After; as she was a princess in the making as much as Danielle. Two girls who refused to live an ordinary life and who stood up for those who held no voice of their own to fix an accord against their circumstances. Emi has the cunning sense of knowing how to fudge her way through a unique turn of events that land her within ‘enemy walls’ so to speak and a spunky way of asserting herself without drawing her hand forward out of the lies she is spinning to covertly cover her real identity. The caste system is alive and well inside Deshan, as much as the fever of anxiety amongst those who work for the King and his family’s royal court. Everyone is vexed with concern over the growing disease that is taking root amongst both races of people: the Savian and the Brockan alike.

Before you even reach the centermost section of the novel, you realise you only know half of the story overall. What had felt like a revelation to understand the plausibility of the situation unfolding for those who need the cure and if the cure could be procured in time to save them; was not entirely what it first seemed to be at all. The curiosity for me was in following Emi’s lead as she continued to knit together the pieces of the expanding shroud of mystery tied into this mysterious disease and the origins of why it was coming back after being dormant for such a long time. The undercurrent thread of pursuing a royal honour is counter-center to the true beacon of where the ultimate hope lies for the people of Emi’s world. You cannot help to gather yourself into a comfortable spot to read her story whilst taking a respite from your own life and world to understand her own. To feel what she is feeling as she uncovers far more about her world than she ever felt she could dare hope to learn. And, to find the courage she needs at the moment it would mean the most to her people. This is a story to transcend out of history and inspire a new generation to stand for what is right even if there is a surge against what is true and where the light shines the brightest.

Mandy Madson Voisin has a historical voice curated out of the world of fairy-tales:

Reading Star of Deliverance if writ by another writer might have felt oppressively heavily with gutting emotions and an endless route towards a maddeningly cry for justice; however, with Voisin at the reins the opposite ended up being closer to the truth! You felt uplifted by how strong the oppressed were given their humble surroundings and the ache they had inside them whilst they fought for even the barest of necessities to live. They had a courage and a humility inside them to carry-on forward even if all they had to thrive upon was hope and the renewal of strength that comes from a promise of a better day still yet to be seen. Voisin carries this internal resolve through her characters and off-sets the stench of the darkness arising out of the command of those who would rather see the commoners expunged.

Voisin has a true gift for lending a historical voice whilst being curated out of the world of fairy-tales where anything can be conquered if self-confidence and self-belief is strong enough to overcome any hurdle that befalls you. She has entombed an incredible story inside her debut novel and I would find it remarkable if anyone does not feel lifted in spirit as much as strengthened by Emi’s resolve.

A very small spoiler:

View Spoiler »I had a twinkle in my heart reading the ending of this novel as much as I had whilst watching the end of Star Trek: Insurrection. Bravo, Ms. Voisin, bravo for giving such an incredible ending and an eclipse of where a story can take you from start to finish. « Hide Spoiler

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{SOURCES: Author photograph, Book Cover of “Star of Deliverance”, the Cedar Fort badge, the Book Synopsis, and the Author Biography were provided by Cedar Fort, Inc. and used by permission. Blog Tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Bookish Events badge created by Jorie in Canva. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

The tweets I posted after I read “Star of Deliverance”:

{ favourite & Re-tweet if inspired to share }

#amreading a #newbook for #YAFantasy entitled: #StarOfDeliverance by @MandyVoisin Whilst ill I couldn’t focus on this, now I am mesmerised!
— Jorie Loves A Story (@JLovesAStory) October 1, 2014

.@SweetwaterBooks I couldn’t help myself – I devoured #StarOfDeliverance so quickly I missed savouring the #novel http://t.co/zmSARrb7SU :)

— Jorie Loves A Story (@JLovesAStory) October 1, 2014

.@MandyVoisin A new #IndiePub voice for #YA #fiction is Mandy Madson Voisin who created such an illuminating strength http://t.co/zmSARrb7SU
— Jorie Loves A Story (@JLovesAStory) October 1, 2014

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• Go Indie