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Kathy Ann Trueman
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Stories from the Vale: The Path of the Dragonfly (Stories from the Vale Fantasy Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Kathy Ann Trueman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 13 ratings
Generations ago, ships full of refugees from a vast war accidentally blew into a narrow, sheltered harbor between the cliffs of two mountain ranges. The people called the vast and fertile valley beyond the harbor the Vale and settled there. The Vale was also home to wild animals, dragons, and magical creatures called elves...and magic.

As the years passed, humans with no actual magical talent came to be born with a Gift--a single ability. Among the Gifted, only healers are widely accepted, but for others fear and distrust has led to prejudice, persecution, and even murder. Although elves, humans and dragons essentially live in peace together, the nearly immortal elves are intent on preserving the Vale's isolation from the rest of the world. At any cost.

Shak is anything but a simple soldier with a clear-cut mission in life. He's consumed with the relentless need for revenge against a man who was once his best friend. But that obsession is far from his only. Shak can't forget he'd abandoned two helpless children during a battle. Though the deed that he can't forgive himself for happened in the past, far from changing, he can't get past it...until his grandmother, a witch, offers him the chance to redeem the dishonorable act.

Those same children he'd left to their fate are in dire straits. To rescue them, he must travel to the mysterious and treacherous Crystal Valley and then find a way to get them back where they belong. Further complicating his life, the Crystal Valley holds a secret that threatens two armies, and Shak alone can save them. With an unequivocal mission staring him in the face, he discovers his enemy is close by--actually following him--and vengeance could at last be his.

At a crossroads, he has no choice but to determine which task he'll undertake... and which to give up forevermore.

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  1. Book 1 of 2
    Stories from the Vale Fantasy Series
  2. Print length
    526 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    September 21, 2018
  5. File size
    10.0 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07HL7W65C
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Writers Exchange E-Publishing (September 21, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 21, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 10.0 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 526 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

About the author

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Kathy Ann Trueman

Kathy Ann Trueman

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Kathy Ann Trueman is a writer of fantasy. She is the author of the short story anthology "Greenspell" and the novel "Path of the Dragonfly", the first of the Vale stories. One of her short stories was published in Marion Zimmer Bradley's anthology series, "Sword and Sorceress XI". She also writes Regency romances under the name Catherine Dove.

Kathy earned a degree in English from Frostburg State University in Maryland. She now lives in rural Texas with her best friend (and beta reader) and a lot of animals. She is blissfully retired and enjoying country life and her writing.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
13 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy is not usually my genre
    Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I rarely write reviews, because I am afraid I will give too much away. But this is a special case. When we were in high school, the author and I were good friends. She would entertain me with stories woven from our teenage fantasies, and more.. I enjoyed those tales she wove, a n d wished my own imagination was as good as my friend's. When I learned, years later, that my friend was a published author, I was pleased for her, but not too surprised. Fantasy is not a genre I've explored much, other than Tolkien or Rowling. But my friend wrote this, so I was happy to purchase it. And I'm so glad I did. The characters were like people you might meet every day: unsure if you liked them, at first glance, but then the longer you knew them, the more you liked them, until they became your friends. The fantasy world my friend created is one I felt I could live in. Well done! Looking forward to more from my friend!
    Helpful
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  • Amazonian
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Twist on a Quest Fantasy
    Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Trueman offers distinct and believable characters who are easy to love and root for, in a solid and interesting fantasy world. The quest (no spoilers) turns into something much bigger than anyone imagined, and the development of the characters’ relationships along the way provides a heart-warming counterpoint to the heroic actions. There are times when the narrative drags, but I found it to be worthwhile in the long run to press through the early clutter.
    Helpful
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  • Mika Spruill
    5.0 out of 5 stars I’m only sad that it’s over.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    “Stories from the Vale” is an epic hero story with memorable characters and a fast moving plot that makes it hard to put down. Dragons and elves, magic and old vendettas, it is sure to satisfy any fantasy reader. Highly recommended.
    Helpful
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  • MF Miller
    5.0 out of 5 stars Stories from the Vale: Path of the Dragonfly -- full of memorable characters and an exciting plot
    Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2019
    I've read many fantasies lately and have enjoyed few as much as this book. I expected it to be an anthology of short stories, but "The Path of the Dragonfly" is actually a complete book--"Stories from the Vale" seems to be a series name (yay! I want to read more from this author.)

    We join the hero, Shak, right after one of the lowest points in his life (in a life that has been a series of lows since the death of his wife). He has just been released from prison. His magical and somewhat scary grandmother decides he needs a quest and forces him to take one on -- delivering two war orphans whom he abandoned seven years earlier to their rightful homes. It becomes obvious even before this that Shak is a pretty honourable guy -- in fact, it was his integrity that really hooked me into the story -- although he is not in the least warm and fuzzy. (Or * thinks * he isn't.)

    The two young teens escape the fiction-convention-horror of being brats and are wonderful, complex and unique characters in their own rights. Kathy Ann Trueman's elves are equally unique, and both alien and terrifying -- a rare feat, considering all the tired elves and anti-elves in fiction today. And her animals are a delight.

    Having read two books in a row that featured unexpected mass slaughters after the MC transformed into something horrific, this one was pure bliss. The transformations are so satisfying, and everyone's individual story wraps up nicely. It is an emotionally satisfying fantasy with lots of twists and memorable characters.
    Helpful
     Report
  • HunHare
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is NOT your run-of-the-mill fantasy
    Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2019
    If you are looking for the usual comfortable, rote, cliche'd fantasy story, then look elsewhere.

    Kathy Trueman has created a unique world with characters so real you'll think you grew up with them. They are believable, flawed, endearing, and surprising. Nothing is as it seems, and the surprises keep coming. Her elves are a wonder, and a refreshing change after reams of Tolkien-esque elves we all know so well that they've become a little dull and predictable. Not so the elves in the Vale! I'll say no more.

    It's the rare story that can make me feel real empathy with its characters, but one of the climactic moments (no spoilers!) between two childhood friends turned enemies had me tearing up. Ms. Trueman has made her characters so real, so relatable, that they will get your mirror neurons firing with a fury!

    This is a first rate novel, well written and engaging. I can't wait for more stories from the Vale.
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  • Robin L. Loehr
    5.0 out of 5 stars Path of the Dragonfly
    Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2018
    This is a fabulous book. Ms. Trueman's characters are well developed and true. At first, I thought Shak would be a normal fantasy protagonist, but I found soon that he was deeper than that. I really liked his relationship with his grandmother as well as his relationship with the children, Celia and Falin, who he must deliver to their ultimate destination. Magic is used in the story, but it is not the inexhaustible, destroy everyone in proximity type. It is limited and has a cost. Shak's ongoing "deathmatch" with Sefal is interesting and interrupted several times during the story.

    All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes traditional fantasy. It is definitely a good read and I look forward eagerly to the next installment.
    Helpful
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  • Pamela L.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book
    Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2020
    This was a fabulous read. It is a complete story, but I hope it is a series. In any case, I hope there are more coming from this author.
    Helpful
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  • Pamela
    5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Fantasy
    Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2019
    Ms. Trueman has written a classic fantasy with not only fast paced action and vivid background detail but also great character depth in both major and minor characters that just seems to unroll as the plot unrolls.

    A great read I would recommend to anyone and am eagerly awaiting the next volume in this series.
    Helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • MF Miller
    5.0 out of 5 stars Stories from the Vale: Path of the Dragonfly--full of memorable characters and an exciting plot
    Reviewed in Canada on October 31, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I've read many fantasies lately and have enjoyed few as much as this book. I expected it to be an anthology of short stories, but "The Path of the Dragonfly" is actually a complete book--"Stories from the Vale" seems to be a series name (yay! I want to read more from this author.)

    We join the hero, Shak, right after one of the lowest points in his life (in a life that has been a series of lows since the death of his wife). He has just been released from prison. His magical and somewhat scary grandmother decides he needs a quest and forces him to take one on -- delivering two war orphans whom he abandoned seven years earlier to their rightful homes. It becomes obvious even before this that Shak is a pretty honourable guy -- in fact, it was his integrity that really hooked me into the story -- although he is not in the least warm and fuzzy. (Or * thinks * he isn't.)

    The two young teens escape the fiction-convention-horror of being brats and are wonderful, complex and unique characters in their own rights. Kathy Ann Trueman's elves are equally unique, and both alien and terrifying -- a rare feat, considering all the tired elves and anti-elves in fiction today. And her animals are a delight.

    Having read two books in a row that featured unexpected mass slaughters after the MC transformed into something horrific, this one was pure bliss. The transformations are so satisfying, and everyone's individual story wraps up nicely. It is an emotionally satisfying fantasy with lots of twists and memorable characters.
    Report

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