The Banished of Muirwood (Covenant of Muirwood Book 1)

I was looking for alot more magic but what I found was a whole lot of Henry the Eighth.. I read an awful lot of historical fiction and as I read this well, it just seemed that the similarities to Katherine of Spain ,her daughter Mary and Elizabeth I , Ann Boleyn made it a struggle to finish. I wanted a fresh idea afresh story full of magic and new characters . Not an old tale where only the names were changed for the part. How sad.

I gotta admit, being something like 5 books into Muirwood and another 5 into the Queen's Poisoner series, these are getting to be a bit routine. I loved the first three in the Kingfountain series as well as Maid's War which is a prequel that tells a fairly critical part of the backstory, not just an extension of the story you already know. The premise of Banished is curious, tying into the original Wretched/Blight/Scourge trilogy but something like 100 years later... I especially enjoyed how the author took several elements like the kystrels that were used in the original trilogy and turned them around to be used in a very different way for this book. I'll read Ciphers soon but for now I need a break from the empowered-but-oppressed-heroine-journeying-through-various-kingdoms narrative.

So I've read the Storm Glass Series, the Wretched of Muirwood Series and just started this series. I was frustrated with the Cinderella life of Princess Maia. I found myself wanting to punch the villains, and shake her to ger her to be more aware. All these emotions until the end. At the end I found out that thete has been a plot on her life to lead her to a place where she became the Queen of the Unborn. I was excited to see who came her rescue in the end. I was also glad to see that though it felt like the baddies were winning, the good guys also had a winning plan.This book gives you the history that links Lia Dumomt's story to the history of Sera and Cettie in Storm Glass. I think Jeff Wheeler is a talented story teller. His stories carry me into another world where every action is believable and the stories are so entertaining that I always want to read/hear more. I will soon start book 2 in the Covenant of Muirwoid Series.

I've been more and more impressed with this author. He creates a clean adventure/romance that really makes you think! He writes strong, intelligent female characters who you find yourself wishing you were more like. His plots are creative and fast paced, they keep you guessing. I've read thousands of books, but I've rarely been this excited to tackle something new from a specific author. His Muirwood books are all excellent, and I'm in the middle of the Kingfountain trilogy and loving it. Thank you, Jeff, for taking the time and thought to make something worthwhile for your readers!

Maia, the banished princess of Comoros, is on a quest to save her people. Her father’s need for complete authority has led him to divorce his wife, disinherit her, and expel the magical order of the Dochte Mandar, making his kingdom spiral downward into chaos. With the help of the kishion, a killer sent by her father to protect her, and a hunter and his dog, Maia travels through distant lands in search of the lost abbey. She finds herself being hunted by not only the Dochte Mandar who will kill her if they catch her and find out who and what she is, but also the King of Dahomey. She must outrun all of them while still fending off the Myriad One inside her trying to take control.The Banished of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler, was an entertaining read. I found the magic/religious system to be confusing. It tore me away from the story at times, trying to remember which guys were the good guys and which guys were the bad guys. Although as a whole the magic system was confusing, I did like certain aspects of it. The physical marks it left on the users body were something I haven’t seen often and found interesting.The back and forth between the present and her past was a nice way to learn about Maia. She was a well-developed character I was able to identify with. Her internal struggles matched with her intelligence made her an interesting character. The people surrounding her were also similarly dynamic, with their own strengths and flaws. The many locations in the book were beautifully described and drew me into the story, letting me ‘see’ what Maia did.Overall I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone looking to read a fantasy novel with a strong, female character.

I am not completely sure how I feel about this book. It's an interesting world to dive into and a lot of complex things to learn. It got me thinking throughout the plot. I did like the flashbacks into history because they explained a lot as to what was happening with the current situation.I feel like some parts were dragged out and over explained which got boring at times. Also time jumps in the book made things a little hard to follow with gaps because the main character didn't know what was going on either.I am not sure that I like the main character. I feel like she is a weak and doesn't do much throughout the book. I was annoyed by this but I kept reading on until the end and then more things were brought to light and questions answered at the very end. I am still on the fence of reading the second book or not.

These books really sucked me in, as Jeff Wheeler's other series have. I connected with the characters and cared what happened to them. The story keeps a good pace and continually surprised me. I also found it intriguing that Jeff Wheeler obviously has a deep knowledge of the Bible. Many of the wise passages from the Aldermaston Tomes, wise words of the characters, and depth of the inward battles of the characters are direct re-stated verses and explanations of the spiritual world right from the Bible. I respect him a lot for this.There are just two things that bothered me. First, there were quite a few typos and mistakes - I can't understand how those make it in to the finished novels. Second, he repeats certain descriptive words so much it got annoying to me. You'll be surprised how often he can use the word "whorl". I wanted to tell him, "think of new adjectives!". Still, a great read!

I’m a fan of the author but haven’t read any books set in Muirwood. I actually forgot I had this series until I was scrolling through my kindle looking for something that caught my attention. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the other two books and hopefully some other Muirwood books in future. The Banished of Muirwood contains everything I’ve come to expect from the author such as great character, quality writing and great descriptions. It took a few chapters to settle into the pace of the book and I really enjoyed it. I felt very connected to the characters. I felt empathy for Maia and really hated her father. I look forward to finding out what happens in the next book.

I first read a Jeff Wheeler book about a year ago when I chanced upon the Queens Poisoner on special offer. The genre is not usually my type of book, but I was instantly hooked. I've read that series and most of his other books since.I'm sure Jeff Wheeler will have his detractors for churning out books fairly frequently, but he has an easy writing style that is engaging and, for me, hooks me from the first few pages.If you're new to his work take a chance.

I read this after enjoying "the wretched of Muirwood". It starts out promisingly and is an enjoyable read, but much of the story is quite predicable and follows the tropes. The basis of the story is fine : we follow the princess, her father the king remarries a wicked stepmother, she has to run away. The persuit is a bit cheesy but the story ark is sound and heads towards a (trope ridden) conclusion.I'm happy to have read it but won't finish the series ;princess maia will have to finish saving the world without me!

I would have given this four stars but for the annoying habit of drip feeding the reader the back story usually after the information would have been useful. I know that starting the story " in media res" is a well used literary device but it is usually followed by a much more extensive recap. This started so abruptly that I actually stopped to check that this was really book one. I found the structure confusing and frustrating. In fact there were some things that were never really explained. This was a pity as it was a good yarn with some interesting characters. I liked it enough to try book two in the hope that more becomes clear.

not my normal type of book ,but i was out of books to read, but once i started i could not put it down, it was so good, i just had to get books 2,3to find out how it wood end , it would make a great drama on TV,or a film well worth a read.