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Michelle Diener
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The Golden Apple (The Dark Forest Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Michelle Diener (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 280 ratings
See all formats and editions
Kayla’s world has been turned upside-down . . .

Her father has made her the prize in a deadly, impossible tournament, and Kayla has retaliated in the only way she knows how; by choosing her champion beforehand. But taking control of the outcome changes the game completely, and when the real reason behind the strange test becomes apparent, Kayla realizes not just her life, but her entire kingdom is at stake.

Rane’s honor is torn in two…

In order to save his brother, Rane will do whatever he has to–including deceive and betray a princess. He knew nothing about this tournament would be easy, but when it turns into a deeper, far more sinister game, Rane is forced to see it through to the end, or leave his brother at the mercy of their enemy.

Now their fates are entwined, and they must venture into the deep, dark forest together . . .

Kayla and Rane are bound to one another by an enchantment and Kayla’s actions. But the sorcerer forcing them to do his will may have miscalculated, because no-one comes out of the Great Forest unchanged. No-one.

The Golden Apple is followed by its sequel, The Silver Pear.
Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 2
    The Dark Forest
  2. Print length
    300 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    March 23, 2014
  6. File size
    4748 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michelle Diener writes historical fiction and fantasy. Her Susanna Horenbout and John Parker series, set in the court of Henry VIII, includes IN A TREACHEROUS COURT and KEEPER OF THE KING'S SECRETS & IN DEFENSE OF THE QUEEN. She is also the author of historical novels THE EMPEROR'S CONSPIRACY and BANQUET OF LIES, set during the Napoleonic Wars in London. Her fantasy novels include MISTRESS OF THE WIND and THE GOLDEN APPLE. Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa, and now lives in Australia with her husband and two children.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00J7GI1A4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (March 23, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 23, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4748 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 300 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0987417681
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 280 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Michelle Diener

Michelle Diener

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Michelle Diener writes historical fiction, science fiction, and fantasy. From the Tudor court, to the streets of Regency London, and into magical landscapes, she's never happier than when she's building worlds, sculpting unforgettable characters and crafting suspenseful plots.

Michelle was born in London and currently lives in Australia with her husband and children.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
280 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Lorie Y
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2022
Verified Purchase
I like this book. It has great world building and an interesting story lots of magic, twists and turns. Great stuff!
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Kayla West
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Story, Reminiscent of Fairy Tale
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2014
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As soon as I began reading this book, my mind was taken back to the fractured fairy tales of my childhood. Ah, those cartoon adaptations of the stories we all know and love are some of the greatest out there. This one specifically brought me to one particular story, of a woman trying haphazardly to stay atop quite a slippery sloped mountain of glass. I still chuckle at the thought. So it was with wondrous pleasure that I found this book was indeed based on the story that particular fractured tale was founded from.

Now, if some of you follow my reviews, you will recall that I have read the second book already, The Silver Pear, so I know what happens as the story progresses. And I must say that, unsurprisingly, I did, in fact, like that book better than this first one. I say unsurprisingly because, to me, first books are a bit awkward. In a series, I always say, the first book is a mere introduction of characters and situations, preparing the reader for what is surely to come. Therefore, unlike some movie series, the first book is not as likely to gain as much favoritism as the following ones. However, that does not mean that it cannot happen. I have encountered a few series where the first book held a special place in my heart, and I will likely encounter more in future. Therefore, I always keep an open mind about any first book, allowing them a chance to prove themselves to me.

In The Golden Apple, we are introduced to the characters which will play a leading part in ridding the land of great evil in the second book. We have Kayla, a princess placed on a literal pedestal for her hand in marriage; Rane, a man trying to save his brother from the clutches of a powerful sorcerer; and Soren, though he comes quite a bit later in the story than the other two, Rane's brother, who seeks retribution against all sorcerers for what happened to his father. We are also introduced to the main antagonists of the story: Nuen, the sorcerer who captured Siren; and Eric, the man behind the journey which will ultimately unite Kayla and Rane at first unwillingly, and then gradually closer and closer until they cannot bear harm to happen to each other.

While a lot of the scenes were beautifully written, and, I must admit, of even better quality than the second book, marginally so since some of those scenes were just as good, I felt like something was missing. Maybe it was the fact that I did read the second book first, time crunch issues with doing a review for a blog, but I do not understand why a couple of the lesser characters were not revisited in the second book. This series feels a bit incomplete and Just slightly anticlamactic and probably could have done with a bit more "meat" to the story. Other than that, though, and since this is a review for the first book only, I loved it. Especially the fact that I feel a bit of a kinship toward the main character due to our names being similar. It allows me to immerse myself even more into a story when something like that is factored in.
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logicat
3.0 out of 5 stars A decent 3 stars
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2014
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Kayla the princess sits on top of a glass hill annoyed by her father's unusual decree that the person who manages to get the golden apple from her shall marry her and obtain the kingdom. Rane is trying to obtain the apple for Jasper who wants it as ransom before releasing Rane's brother from captivity. Sorcerer Eric has cast a spell on the apple forcing the person who touches it to do his bidding and he never intends to give Kayla up to the idiot who gets the apple from her.

The kingdoms are in turmoil, the sorcerers are getting ready for a war between themselves and the leftover energy from their big spells is creating havoc in the great forest- surprise suprise Kayla can control these monstrous balls of energy.

The story ends with a setup for part 2. The parts about Kayla forgiving Rane for misleading her is almost believable(they are travelling through the forest with only each other for company and trust). For once the heroine is not damaged with a bad childhood and is a forgiving,realistically naive(due to the lack of exposure),sweet girl which was very refreshing.

Good language and good plot but somewhere in-between the unnecessary decisions, unnecessary characters and somewhat rushed finish the story loses its pull.
3 people found this helpful
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olliy
5.0 out of 5 stars Take a bite
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2014
Verified Purchase
Michelle Dieners' retelling of fairy tales is just splendid!

The Golden Apple was a fantastic read, I loved every bit of it. My small obsession started with Mistress of the Wind. The Golden Apple was NO disappointment to follow!

Some people put their children on a pedestal... Kayla's father the King upped the ante by placing her on a Glass Mountain. So outraged by her father's actions just giving her away to whomever retrieves the Golden Apple she is holding. So she does what every headstrong woman would do, takes her own life in her hands. She will choose.

Rane happens to be who Kayla chooses... With Rane's brother's life in the balance what wouldn't he do. Living with the outcome of the path he has set on is another story altogether. Kayla's momentary laps in judgement to touch the Golden Apple has tethered her and Rane together. You can imagine how pissed off she is when she realizes that Rane and their encounter was not by chance. Plot twist all up in here!

The book was so easy to digest, it has a lightness to it. The words have a brilliant flow to them. I am starving for the next book the Silver Pear.
3 people found this helpful
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Sparta
4.0 out of 5 stars Pulled me right into the Action
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2015
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The author has a clever mind and an engaging style. I enjoyed the book and finished it in one day. The plot sucked me in because the characters were well crafted, making you fall into the fantasy.

I look forward to reading book 2. I really enjoyed the author's recent sci-fi romance novel, so I am trying out her fantasy stories too.
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Top reviews from other countries

Galloping granny
5.0 out of 5 stars Another fast-paced, spellbounding trip into the unknown by Diener!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2014
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Filled with the unexpected and taking a reader like myself (who seldom reads fantasy) into a new world of imagination and boundless adventure! An excellent read. I cannot wait for the sequel.
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April
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book
Reviewed in Australia on July 5, 2015
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Loved this book!!! So well written and edited. Wonderful bent on the fairy tale. You won't be disappointed purchasing this and will have to download book two!!
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Gerry H.
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on March 28, 2017
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Very enjoyable story, well written.
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Tara Smith-Elliot
3.0 out of 5 stars Story just ends :(
Reviewed in Australia on November 2, 2016
Verified Purchase
An interesting story. Well written, although it does just end, which I hate, and not even on a cliffhanger. I had a medical appointment which entailed a long wait. I took my kindle intending to finish this story. I was already 90% through it, so invested enough in the story that it would distract me from my medical procedure. The story ended at 92% much to my disappointment. The first chapter of the next book was included, but that didn't hold my attention at the time because it was focused on 2 different characters.

You need to read the next book to get the whole story, and really, it should just have been one book.
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Try
Reviewed in Canada on January 21, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book was a good try. Its greatest strength was its awesome, unique plot. Its greatest weakness was that although the storyline was very imaginative, the use of words (especially dialogue) was totally wooden and uncreative. This novel had a potential that it just didn't live up to.
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