Starflower by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

When a cursed dragon-witch kidnaps the lovely Lady Gleamdren, Eanrin sets boldly forth on a rescue mission...and a race against his rival for Gleamdren's favor. Intent upon his quest, the last thing the immortal Faerie needs is to become mixed up with the troubles of an insignificant mortal.
But when he stumbles upon a maiden trapped in an enchanted sleep, he cannot leave her alone in the dangerous Wood Between. One waking kiss later, Eanrin suddenly finds his story entangled with that of young Starflower. A strange link exists between this mortal girl and the dragon-witch. Will Starflower prove the key to Lady Gleamdren's rescue? Or will the dark power from which she flees destroy both her and her rescuer

I have to say, I can't decide what part of this book I like the best.  It's a three-way tie between the plot, the characters, or the character development!  But whichever of the three does eventually win, this book was an amazing read I'd definitely recommend to any lover of fantasy.

The book starts off meeting Eanrin, the conceited and imminently dislike able fae.  Through a series of events - caused by Eanrin's ego -  Lady Gleamdren, off whom Eanrin and Glomar the Guard are both pining after, is (intentionally) kidnapped by a dewinged dragon-witch, Hri Sora.  Eanrin and Glomar set out to rescue the Lady Gleamdren, but cashing personalities lead them to split ways.  Along his journey, Eanrin finds a woman, whom he calls Imraldera, but whose name is truly Starflower, asleep and being dragged into the river, causing his first truly empathetic act of the book:  saving her.

Surprisingly, the plot on the back actually takes a lesser role in the actual book.  Half-way through, the perspective of the book is switched and you start to learn of Starflower's mysterious past.  The amazingly written story makes the book many times better.

Eanrin was an amazing character, prior to my first impression.  His character growth was one of the main enjoyments of this book for myself.  Looking at him on the first chapter of the book compared to the last, the character development is astounding.  However, when reading the book, his change is gradual.  plus, his moments with Starflower were to cute.

And then there was Starflower, the mute girl with a mysterious past, and whose back story was tear worthy.  This amazing character captured my heart even before she had a chance to speak.  And her amazing choices and sacrifices had me crying.  Hard.

The other amazing characters in this book, including Lady Gleamdren, Glomar, and most importantly, Hri Sora, were all also so amazing, from the bitter Dragon-witch, to the goodhearted guard, and finally to the vain Lady.

I do not know how this author is in continuity in her books, seeing as I have not had the chance to read her other books, but I very much hope that Eanrin and Imraldera's story is revisited in her future books.  The ending of Starflower left me wanting to know so much more!

All in all, this was an amazing book, full of action, romance, and amazing character growth.  I would recommend this to any fantasy lover looking for a good read.

Rating: 5/5

Market: YA
Language:  None
Sensuality:  None
Violence: Mild.

I recieved a copy to review from the amazing author and her publisher.