Showing posts with label epic fantasy. Show all posts

Monday, September 18, 2023

High fantasy at its best -- a must read

I came across a link for the first three Dream Walker Chronicles books and they intrigued me. The blurb sounded like Epic high fantasy with all the elements I enjoy. It did not disappoint. The epic nature of this story’s setting, characters, and plot were both engaging and enthralling. I didn’t want it to end. I have decided to review each of the three books individually and recommend them all to readers who enjoy The Lord of the Rings or Cast of Stones (The Staff and the Sword series). It’s a coming-of-age, hero’s journey fantasy series set in an extensive world filled with a host of well-developed characters including humans, elves, dwarves, dragons, and more. It takes a little reading to get to know who is who with this host of characters, but Patterson does a good job of laying the foundation that makes this story flow and make sense. Each book is a complete story with a satisfying ending, with some open plot threads that lure you to read on. I don’t include spoilers, so while I could say more, I don’t want to risk ruining the experience for future readers.

I highly recommend this series to fans of high fantasy. The Dream Walker Chronicles gives birth to a new legend in Erik Eleodum. Fantasy fans will embrace these characters, the world they traverse, and the challenges they face. I’m happy to give all three of these books five out of five stars.

Book Review: A Chance Beginning: Shadow's Fire Book 1 (Dream Walker Chronicles Book 1)

In a Chance Beginning, readers meet Christopher Patterson’s protagonist Erik Eleodum. He comes from a farming family in the North, with a life he is content to live. When his older brother, Befel, and his cousin, Bryon, decide to leave that life behind for adventure and fortune in the East in the country of Golgolithul, fate has Erik join them on the adventure, but with plans to return home to marry his fiancée, Simone, and to settle down.

In short order, the trio learns that their adventure is wrought with danger, betrayals, and all kinds of unsavory sorts and that the cost for this adventure is high in more ways than one. They are forced to sell their swords to survive, along with other difficult choices that include joining up with gypsies, thieves, dwarves, and working with mercenaries.

The story is wrought with battles and skirmishes. The fighting scenes are well-written and include swords, knives, fist fights, and plenty of magic. When these three farmers come against dark magic, they experience deadly consequences and I started to wonder if they would survive.

Book Review: Dark Winds: Shadow's Fire Book 2 (Dream Walker Chronicles Book 2) (Shadow's Fire Trilogy)

By the start of book two, Dark Winds, Erik has been forced to kill men in self-defense and now suffers haunting dreams. As their journey progresses, he grows apart from his brother and cousin and turns to a man he once detested. This part of the hero’s journey has him face a variety of enemies including dwarves, murderers, slavers, dragons, and the undead. All that he experiences tests his faith and leads him to question his loyalties. While this is a dark part of the story, it is well-written, and while it is violent, in my opinion, it is not excessively graphic.

Erik has grown both physically and emotionally, and his fighting skills have improved. His adventure brings with it terror, political intrigue, and sorcery. His thoughts often return to home and the fiancée waiting for him but his circumstances don’t allow him to return yet because he feels a great evil rising and knows he must do what he can to stop it.

Book Review: Breaking the Flame: Shadow's Fire Book 3 (Dream Walker Chronicles Book 3)

In Breaking the Flame, Book 3, Erik Eleodum has grown into a force to be reckoned with. He’s picked up nicknames like Wolf's Bane, Troll Hammer, and Dragon Slayer, and is challenged to become a Demon Killer as he faces an ancient evil in the demon, Yebritoch.

For this fight, Erik is joined by new allies, along with former partners in the fight to stop the demon before it destroys the world and rebuilds it as his own. Erik must find the missing piece to the Dragon Scroll as well as the Dragon Crown if he is to defeat this nemesis. But this difficult task comes at a high cost and Erik’s confidence wains. He questions whether he can stop the evil and wonders if he will ever see home and Simone again.

This book is fast-paced, emotionally charged, and engaging. I am totally invested and look forward to reading the remaining three books in this series.

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I received a copy of these first three books via a link shared on X (formerly Twitter) and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending them. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

About the Author: Christopher Patterson

Christopher Patterson grew up reading The Hobbit and wrote his first fantasy adventures on his grandmother's typewriter. Following a degree in creative writing, he has become an Amazon Best Seller of Fantasy, Christian, and Historical Fiction, crafting detailed worlds, characters you can believe in, and entertaining stories. He lives with his family in Arizona. You can learn more by visiting his website: https://www.christopher-patterson.com

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Mariana's Secret - an unpredictable, action-packed plot

Mariana’s Secret is book 2 in the Katori Chronicles. In it, Author A. D. Lombardo picks right up where book 1, The Half-Light, left off, with 15-year-old Prince Kai of Diu discovering and learning how to use his Katori powers as he approaches his 16^th birthday. He is focused on learning what happened when his mother died 12 years earlier. With Kendra’s help, he uses his powers to relive the memory. What he learns changes the course of his life. His skills, both magical and otherwise, continue to grow. One of those skills includes learning to be a spy. It creates secret connections and places him strategically to learn sensitive information. With each new discovery, he finds things are not as he has been told all his life. He struggles with anger and must learn to navigate his painful emotions as he continues to perform his royal duties.

When a mysterious stranger threatens the royal family in Diu during the Winter Festival accompanied by Landon Maxwell whom he’d known from childhood, it raises a whole new set of questions. Who is this man and how did he get past security? And why does he want to hurt the King’s family? Kai travels to Albey Estate to talk his aunt and uncle into coming to the safety of Diu, but while he is there, it comes under attack. Men equipped with hand cannons and other new and deadly weapons swarm the estate from the sea. Kai senses a Katori man on one of the ships and is sure it is the same stranger who threatened the palace.

While all this is going on, Kai’s prearranged marriage to Amelia is still moving forward. The problem is that his heart belongs to Rayna and Ameilia loves Tolan. Based on his visions, Kai is certain he meant to be with Rayna and tries to find a way to get out of the prearranged obligation that would make him King of Milnos. To compound things, he learns that when he and Rayna turn 17, as full Katoris, they will become sick and must travel to Katori for the Conhaspriga or risk losing their magical abilities altogether. As their birthdays draw near headaches start followed by fever. Responsibilities seem to make it impossible to get away, and the Katori elders do not want Kai to return to Katori for some reason. This places all kinds of hurdles and obstacles in their way.

Mariana’s Secret is full of more than just Mariana’s secret. With multiple plot threads woven into an unpredictable, action-packed plot with relatable characters, this original story easily earns 5-stars and comes highly recommended to epic fantasy readers. I do recommend reading the Half-Light first, but Mariana’s Secret will be an enjoyable read even if you don’t.

As BookHookup I am a longtime book reviewer and I received Mariana's Secret as a free review copy and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

About the Author

Angela Lombardo was born in Akron, Ohio, raised on a farm by her grandparents. Angela loves animals, the country life and is still a tomboy at heart. You can take her off the bobcat, but you’ll never get her to enjoy the city. She dabbled in playing the piano, sports and fishing.

Her love of comics started with Spiderman, Wonder Woman, and Superman. Being a Trekkie and a BMX rider, Angela did not have many girlfriends or time for makeup. She spent most of her time with her older brother crashing dirt bikes and three-wheelers. As a teenager, her grandmother sent her to Barbizon to teach her how to be a proper girl. She is fortunate she had a son.

Angela started writing The Half-Light in fall 2017 after a sleepless night gave her pause about the mother in a made-up story she created for her son. She spent the weekend solving the mystery of where the mother went.

https://www.adlombardo.com/

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Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Half-Light by A. D. Lomardo an action-packed, entertaining, and unpredictable read

I was introduced to author A. D. Lombardo writing when I reviewed her book Keegan’s Wrath, which happens to be book 5 in The Katori Chronicles. I fell in love with the characters, the world, the magic and how it all came together with action packed vivid clarity. When I finished the book, I decided to read the rest of the books in the series from the beginning. Not that I recommend reading the last book in a series first, but I have to admit, because I did, as I read The Half-Light, Book 1 in the Katori Chronicles with foreknowledge, it shined a light on the masterful job Lombardo does with placing subtle plot threads that will be pulled later to enhance and move the story along with continuity.

As the first book in the series, The Half-Light does a great job of introducing both characters and setting making the story come to life. Readers live and learn through the eyes of fourteen-year-old Prince Kai, the heir to the throne of Diu with a complicated history. He lost his mother to a dragon in the palace garden when he was young which live him with vague memories and nightmares. Most of life is spent in the palace with guards watching out for his safety until he learns how to sneak out.

Now that his father is remarried, he has half-siblings and a questionable stepmother who seems to have dark sway over his father. On a personal level, Kai was promised at birth to wed Princess Amelia of Diu and is slated to become King of the old Bangloo kingdom of Milnos far to the northwest of Diu when they marry. While Amelia is pretty and kind, she is more like a sister and another girl, a common girl, has captured his interest.

Along with the normal challenges of growing into manhood, and doing his best to step outside the confines of palace life, Kai learns he has Katori powers from two people who knew his mother. These powers are to be kept secret, but at times they are quite obvious. I’ll say no more about this aspect of the story to avoid spoilers, but these abilities add an innovative layer to the story and the world that keeps the pages turning.

This book is action-packed, easy to read, entertaining, and unpredictable and am happy to give it 5-stars. There is nothing I didn’t like, and I look forward to reading Mariana's Secret (The Katori Chronicles Book 2) next. I highly recommend this book to epic fantasy lovers. It’s a perfect choice for a YA audience and those who are older and enjoy the genre.

As Book Hookup, I am a long-time book reviewer and received this book as a free review copy and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it.

Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

About A.D. Lombardo