Book Shelf: Sands of Eppla by Janeal Falor

Cassandra lives in a world where you fall in love at first sight—or not at all. Too bad she's blind, and being blind makes her not only immune to love, but also a criminal. She must now live alone or face being sentenced to a life of slavery.

Though she's grown accustomed to her solitude, everything changes when Cassandra stumbles across a mysterious man in her domain. A royal soldier is hunting Nikon down, endangering her freedom as well. If the warriors discover her, she'll be bound by the law. Not willing to risk slavery or death, Cassandra abandons her familiar home and ventures into an unforgiving world with Nikon.

Forced to trust a man she doesn't even know, Cassandra finds she’s drawn to him even though a relationship between them is impossible. And she can't afford any distractions. If they don't stay one step ahead of the warriors, Nikon will be imprisoned and she enslaved. Cassandra must use all the senses she has left if they're to remain free.

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Review: 

Sands of Eppla is Janeal Falor’s latest release and is an enjoyable and magical fantasy tale that will ignite your senses with its passion, adventure and addictive storyline.

Cassandra lives in a world where people fall in love at first sight, but for Cassandra, finding love is an impossibility for she is blind. Facing a life without love, Cassandra lives in a world where being blind also makes her a criminal. Living alone in a small hut outside the closest village with only her trusty monkey Tewy for company, Cassandra is used to the solitude she experiances, until the day a mysterious stranger appears in her home. On the run from royal warriors, Nikon is injured and weak and Cassandra can’t help but be drawn to him. Despite knowing she faces slavery if she is discovered helping Nikon, Cassandra decides to trust the man who has become her friend and leave her home for the first time in years. Journeying to new villages is a wonderful experience, but with warriors on Nikon’s tail, staying ahead of them will take everything Cassandra has got.

I have to say I was very impressed with Janeal Falor’s ability to write and detail a story from the perspective of a character who is blind in Sands of Eppla. Though she hasn’t always been that way, protagonist Cassandra is completely without sight, yet Falor doesn’t let this stop her from bringing to life a thrilling and daring tale that is beautifully written and offers readers a tangible atmosphere, plenty of potential within the storyline and budding romance. I actually think it was really cleaver on Falors part and meant readers focused on other senses (touch, sound, feeling) as Cassandra utalizes all her other senses to detail her story.

As the main character, I did very much like Cassandra. Despite her lack of sight, she was quite capable and adapted well to her settings. Obviously, there were times her blindness left her at a disadvantage, but I felt Cassandra made up for it in other areas. I thought she was sweet but intelligent and I enjoyed that she took chances in Sands of Eppla. Cassandra had a very adorable friend in Tewy who is a cheeky but delightful monkey and who constantly brought a smile to my face.

Sands of Eppla details a world where society is divided into two classes, the odiosom; the general and overall population and the amant; the ruling class and those who have found love. The concept of people falling in love at first sight was very intriguing to me and I thought it was an interesting idea from Janeal Falor. The fact that those who find love are elevated in status is very fascinating and leaves me curious to see what effect Cassandra and Nikon's actions will have down the track.

Falor includes some romantic possibility in the story in the form of Nikon, but as Cassandra is blind, there is no danger of them "falling in love" at first sight, although the connection between them grows and remains a solid presence throughout the story. They're friends as of now, but there's no denying both would be open to more if the possibility of love is there. I'm hoping to see Falor explore what other options they have and if they can fall in love the good old fashion way; through mutual desire and affection.

Sands of Eppla takes place over many months and sees Cassandra, Nikon and Tewy journey a lot. Secrets are revealed and surprises abound and I for one and am super excited to see what happens next. Janeal Falor has me hooked once again and ready to see what she has planned for her characters in the next installment--more please!

Rating: 
Source: Sent for review by author (Thank you Janeal!)
Publisher: Published by author
Format: Kindle ecopy
Release Date: May 19th 2018
Buy: The Book Depository | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Final Thoughts: A great read that leaves me ready for the next one!