Merchant of Alyss - A Review

Published - January 2016, Revell Books
Series - Legends of the Realm Book 2
Author - Thomas Locke
Title - Merchant of Alyss
Format - ebook, paper
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Hyam has settled into life as he knows it now. The citizens of Falmouth admire him for his rescue from an evil magician, and Hyam enjoys the peacefulness of having Joelle by his side. But he feels he is missing something big, and he is. The magical abilities he lost during the Battle of Emporis have shown no signs of returning and he often wishes that he never had known magic at all. When a wagon full of ancient artifacts arrives in Falmouth, Hyam soon discovers that the scrolls are Milantian, and that he can read them. Power surges through him as he handles what appears to be blank scrolls, but what he reads is very disturbing and talks of war. With Joelle and several others, Hyam sets out on a journey that will hopefully bring answers, not knowing the danger that the journey will have for all involved or that he will have to face his own troubled past.

This is the second book in the Legend of the Realms series, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. Locke has created a world that is very magical and concrete. Hyam has grown on me from the first book. He's come to grips with his loss of abilities and is struggling to find himself. When he gets an opportunity to be useful again, he takes it.

I enjoyed seeing Hyam's and Joelle's relationship develop further. And when she is captured by an evil sorcerer, he will do anything to get her back. There are other characters that are memorable as well. Shona is one I'm not sure about right now. I think she'll be a  good leader, but I don't like her interest in Hyam. But that's just me.

Full of magic and adventure, this is a book that most fantasy lovers will certainly enjoy!

I received a copy of this book for free from Revell for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of Narnia, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, fantasy, Brandon Sanderson

Rating - 4 stars

The Shock of Night - A Review

Note - a rare two post day. I've got a few reviews that have to be up by Dec 31, and I didn't have a review scheduled for today - only the Top Ten Tuesday post. 

Published - November 2015, Bethany House Publishers
Series - The Darkwater Saga Book 1
Author - Patrick W. Carr
Title - The Shock of Night
Format - paper, ebook
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Willet Dura works for the king. He's called to investigate when a priest is mortally injured and his associate is brutally murdered. This is a murder that has too many unanswered questions for Willet. Hoping that the priest is stable enough to answer questions, Willet seeks him out, only to discover that he is dying. With his dying breath, the priest screams in a foreign tongue and bestows on Willet a gift. As Willet comes to find out, this gifting is very rare. In fact it isn't supposed to exist. Now in addition to pursuing a murderer, Willet must learn to use his gift and come to terms with his own past.

After attempting to read Carr's debut novel, Cast of Stones, and finding it really slow moving and not holding my interest, I didn't pick up one of his books again until now. This one intrigued me from the back cover. So I figured, why not try it.

Carr has created a world that is intricate. This world reminds me in some ways of Tolkien's Middle Earth, Martin's Westeros, or Jordan's Wheel of  Time. That's a good point for a Christian fantasy author. I mean, obviously this world he created is very well done.

The characters are deep. I'm really glad that I read the prequel novella first though. Because it did help me to understand exactly what is going on in the story and where the characters are coming from. They are complex and well developed. I'm actually looking forward to more. Yet Willet was hard to understand. Even after completing the book, I'm not sure I fully understand him. I understand his struggle - that makes sense. But there is still a sens of mystery surrounding him that I'm just not clear about.

Did I like the book? Yes I did. Though I did find it moving a bit slowly. Maybe it's because Carr is building up his world and the character backstories. That's fine. I mean after all it took me til halfway through Jordan's Dragon Reborn to be hooked on the Wheel of Time, and I still can struggle with Tolkien's Middle Earth. Was it too deep for the mood I was in while reading it? Certainly. I wanted to escape to a different world, and not have to think. Yes I was able to escape to a different world in this book, but I had to think while reading it. Still it was a good book.

I received this book for free from Bethany House for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of fantasy, Tolkien

Rating - 3.5 Stars - I struggled with the rating. I enjoyed the book. It hurt my head to read because I wasn't expecting to have to think. Would I read it again? Maybe. On Goodreads/Amazon it'll round to 3 stars.

Emissary - A Review

Published - January 2015, Revell Books, a Division of Baker Publishing Group
Series - Legends of the Realm Book 1
Author - Thomas Locke
Title - Emissary
Format - ebook, paper
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Hyam is an ordinary farmer. Or so he thinks. Until his mother dies right before his 21st birthday. Her final request sends him on a journey where he finds out that he isn't who he always believed he was. His search for answers brings him to a telepathic people who commission him to be their representative to the other nations. Yet while he is the emissary, his own powers are growing. Hyam seeks assistance from one of the wizards of Long Hall. There he discovers that long held secrets and myths are actually real. But an evil power is growing across the Realm and only Hyam ,with the assistance of the friends he meets along the way, may be able to stop it.

I enjoyed this fantasy novel far more than I thought I would. There were times that the writing was reminiscent of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings or Jordan's Wheel of Time. But despite being very descriptive, I did find myself engrossed in Hyam's story. His past is a mystery that I'd hoped would be uncovered in the book. Parts of it were while others weren't. And so I was intrigued. I kept reading, even through multiple descriptions.

I've learned over the years that Christian Fantasy is really more of a hit and miss genre. Perhaps it's because this author, Thomas Locke, is a pseudonym for established author Davis Bunn that helped make this one more of a hit for me than others. Still, it ended up being a pretty fast read for me. I wasn't overly bogged down in pointless descriptions and there was enough action to keep me entertained.

I enjoyed the magic in this book. And the factors that made this a true fantasy book. While I didn't see obvious Christian factors like there are in the Chronicles of Narnia, I did see the good vs evil. I think my favorite part was when Hyam met the Elves. To me, that reminded me a lot of Frodo and Rivendell.

I think that fans of fantasy would really enjoy this book. I received the book for free from Revell Books for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of fantasy, Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Davis Bunn

Rating - 4 stars

Cast of Stones - A Review

About the book
In the backwater village of Callowford, Errol Stone's search for a drink is interrupted by a church messenger who arrives with urgent missives for the hermit priest in the hills. Desperate for coin, Errol volunteers to deliver them but soon finds himself hunted by deadly assassins. Forced to flee with the priest and a small band of travelers, Errol soon learns he's joined a quest that could change the fate of his kingdom.

Protected for millennia by the heirs of the first king, the kingdom's dynasty is near an end and a new king must be selected. As tension and danger mount, Errol must leave behind his drunkenness and grief, learn to fight, and come to know his God in order to survive a journey to discover his destiny.

My thoughts
Christian fantasy seems to me to be rather touch and go. There are some authors who stand out and wow the reader and there are others that don't. For me, this particular book falls into that second category. I tried and tried to get into the book and enjoy it, but sadly I just couldn't. I ended up just skimming the book so I'd know what would happen. I felt that this book had potential to be an amazing start to an amazing journey of faith and become an epic in the Christian fantasy market. Yet it lacked.

There were a few things I enjoyed about the book. First, the cover design. It served it's purpose and captured my attention. The back cover synopsis caught my attention as well. The fact that this was the first in the series was an added bonus. I found some of the characters to be very interesting. I really loved the priest. I found him to be very resourceful.

Sadly, the main character, Errol, annoyed me to no end. I felt that the author was trying to make him into another Frodo, and for me that didn't work. I may pick up the free Kindle version at some point and give this book a shot again, but for now, I'm done with it.

Fantasy lovers may truly enjoy this book. As one fantasy lover, this was not one I enjoyed. I will still continue to read Christian fantasy on the chance that I find the hidden gems that exist.

I received the paperback copy for free from Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of reviewing. I was not required to like the book or to give a positive review, but to just express my opinion. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating - 2 stars

King - A Review

Akabe is the Infinite's chosen king to rule the people of Siphra. He doesn't feel that he should be king, but he wants to honor the Infinite and rebuild His Temple. His advisers clamor for him to marry and the only woman he feels would be a great queen is Ela of Parne, the Infinite's Prophet. Ela firmly believes that she will never marry, even though she loves Kien Lantec. Though she refuses the king's request, she follows the Infinite's will and marries the man she loves. The king marries a mysterious young woman who may be a threat to both his reign and to the Temple. When assassins attempt to kill the king multiple times, Akabe, along with the queen and friends Kien and Ela Lantec, go into hiding at the far ends of the kingdom. Yet even there, danger lurks. When the women are taken captive, will Akabe and Kien obey the Infinite and stay where they are or will they risk everything for the women they love? And will Ela and the queen follow the Infinite's orders to speak the truth no matter what may happen?

This is the conclusion to the Books of the Infinite Series. I've enjoyed both Prophet and Judge and was really looking forward to reading King. While I thought that Judge moved rather slowly, I was eager to delve into King. I was not disappointed in this book. Once again a mix of Old Testament prophets (I recognized some of Moses, some Samuel) as well as Old Testament kings (mainly David and Solomon) fill the pages of the book. My favorite character is still the destroyer-horse, Pet/Scythe, but the rest of the characters were engaging as well. I was thrilled to see that Ela and Kien finally got their happily ever after. And the storyline of the king and queen kept me reading to the end. I think of the three books in this series, this is the best, and my favorite.

I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, fantasy, RJ Larson, Byran Davis,

Rating - 4.5 stars which will round up to 5 stars

Judge - A Review

Kien Lantec, military judge advocate for the Tracelands, never expected his Creator to send him on a mission to warn the people of TorrenSea of their impending destruction. He's frustrated since the Infinite's plans don't match what he wants to do. Grumbling that this is the job of a true prophet, Kien goes to see the love of his life, Ela, Prophet of Parne. Only she's been stricken with a vision of her homeland having been corrupted by evil. The two must part. He to follow the Infinite's orders and she to deliver her message to the land of her birth. Will they be reunited?

The second book in the Books of the Infinite series picks up shortly where the first one leaves off. Once again Old Testament stories are very much apparent as Kien and Ela follow the Infinite's will for their lives. My favorite character is still Pet/Scythe, the destroyer that will protect Ela. While this book didn't quite hold my attention like Prophet did, I was still enthralled with the story. I am still eagerly waiting for book 3, King, to be released later this year.

I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of Christian fantasy, Anne Elisabeth Stengl, the Chronicles of Narnia, Bryan Davis, and Lord of the Rings.

Rating - 4 stars