"Forged in Stone" by Alyssa Rose Ivy was the first tale this reader has read by the writer and it was found to be a disjointed read with loads of grammar, spelling and punctuation errors as well as no resolution to most matters raised in the entire story. Characters give 'hints' and make comments concerning their own histories, yet none of what they barely reveal explains how or why they got to where they were at the tales beginning and certainly gives no help towards understanding the ending. Characters were two dimensional, at best, with no true descriptions given as to their physical appearances or personality traits; therefore, while they have ample room to grow and change, absolutely none was truly forth coming in this story. Dialogue was stilted and unbelievable; the writer seemed to be attempting to make protagonist James seem otherworldly with his speech, but only managed to make him sound like an arrogant snob. Dialogue was used to essentially state the obvious, so never added excitement, momentum or moved the plot forward. The sex scene was not detailed, intimate or exciting; yet, because there is sex in this first book, this reader feels it likely unsuitable for the age range it seems to be written for, the very young adult. Setting descriptions were slightly better than character descriptions, but still not detailed enough to allow this reader to visualize and get a 'feel' of the land, which is made worse when one considers part of the tale takes place in Georgia and this reader happens to reside in Georgia. The writer told much of the story instead of showing it via vivid descriptions that allow a reader to feel as if they are there witnessing things as they unfold. Due to the short sex scene towards the end of the story, this reader will not recommend it to her own fourteen year old grand daughter, although that age range would likely appreciate the tale; and, because the storyline is so muddled, this reader will not recommend the book for an adult read. In other words, this reader was quite dissatisfied with the story and will not be following the series, or likely reading any more of Alyssa Rose Ivy's offerings. ** Review originally posted to Amazon reviews on May 15, 2017 and Goodreads on the same date. **
