New Author/Book Alert: Whispers in the Dark New Dawn's Light Book (The Midori Chronicles) by Jordan Frost; A Brilliant Start to a Potentially Great Fantasy Series

New Author/Book Alert: Whispers in the Dark New Dawn's Light Book (The Midori Chronicles) by Jordan Frost; A Brilliant Start to a Potentially Great Fantasy Series

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews


Spoilers: In my work as a Freelance Editor/Proofreader/Reviewer, I have come across new books written by new up-and-coming authors. I believe that everyone has a story inside them waiting to be told. That's probably why there are so many people these days taking full advantage of self-publishing sites and e-books hoping to get an audience for their stories.
So because of this, (and to combine the two aspects of my career: the Editor/Proofreader and the Blogger/Book Reviewer), I am creating a new category with this blog, “The New Author/New Book Alert” to give some brand new authors and books the recognition that they deserve. Some may be first-time authors with their first novels. Others may be authors who have published a few things here and there but could use an extra shout out.

Now let out your most agonizing groans (Ugghh), because there are rules to this little series:
1. It must be a new book released within this year. Last year is possible, but nothing earlier than 2017 for this category. (You have Classics Corner, Forgotten Favorites, or Weekly Reader for older books.)
2. While I am mostly interested in new authors, I am also interested in authors with new releases that have received little recognition. For example, I am also interested in authors who have yet to be on bestseller lists, haven't won awards, aren't publicly recognized as authors, or perhaps moved from one form of writing to another. Maybe they moved from short stories to novels, or nonfiction to fiction and so on.
3. The book can be released either as an e-book or print. But a print review will take longer for me to post because I have to receive the copy first.
4. This is not a regular series by any means just whenever I receive notice. It could be once or twice a month or not at all. Sometimes I will seek them out via Upwork or Facebook. Usually they seek me out or someone refers them. If you know of any new authors or are new authors, or have a new book by an author that needs more recognition, please let me know by email at juliesaraporter@gmail.com. You may also DM me on Facebook or LinkedIn. If you are also an Upwork client, do not hesitate to contact me and make an offer there.
5. You are in luck that I usually like everything that I read, but I won't be shy in saying that something needs work. I am polite with my criticisms but honest. I have written very few completely negative reviews and the few I have were classics (Wuthering Heights, Infinite Jest, and American Psycho are recent examples.) so chances are, it will be a positive review. Mostly.
6. The reviews are fairly long. Read some of my other entries for examples. While I do evaluate the book in terms of whether I like it or not, they are more like analyses than reviews where I focus on certain aspects like characterization or thematic elements. That's not bad in and of itself but if you want to put the review on Amazon (or want me to do it), it might have to be abbreviated. Which I give you permission to do so. I am promoting your work so you should do whatever you can to make yourself noticed as I am reviewing and editing books to get noticed.
7. I don't mind reviewing books as I  said, but I WILL NOT review any book that I am asked to edit. I consider it wrong since I am involved in the making of the book. So if you wish to hire my services, please make up your mind if you want me to edit and proofread the book or publish a review for it. I won't do both jobs for the same book.
8. If you want to pay me, I won't stop you but you are not required to. (I will not reveal whether it is paid, if you do not wish me to. )Payment is between $10.00-30.00, plus the price of the book. (It may increase if I get more.) If I am broke, I may ask for the price of the book in advance. I will compose the review on Google Docs then after it is aired on my blog, I will send an invoice via Wave app. If you are also on Upwork as I am, then you may pay me through that.
9. I may give you the review to evaluate afterwards but only to see if I got key points in plot
and character names and spellings right. The opinion will not change.

Now the rules are out of the way, let's go to the inaugural review of an inaugural author. I present Whispers in the Dark Part One New Dawn's Light( The Midori Chronicles) by Jordan Frost.

Jordan Frost is not a recognizable name in the world of epic fantasy, but her first novel, Whispers in the Dark should prove to be a good first step.

The world of Midori (a very pretty name. It’s a common Japanese female name that means “Green.” The significance is not yet known.) is ruled by Lord Kane, a tyrannical elven sorcerer. Periodically, he demands the world's best mages come to him as sacrifices. (The outcome is every bit as unpleasant as you can imagine.) The only thing that can stop him is a prophecy in which a child, born of illegitimate blood of the deceased royal family, will conquer him and restore the throne. Various characters set out to either find the missing heir or to escape from Kane’s prison and avoid recapture.


The plot is a typical one found in these type of genres where a group of rebels seek to overthrow a tyrant. That's not a bad thing. Interestingly enough, I am reading Hero With A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell which discusses archetypes. Whispers in  the Dark is an example of the Heroic Journey in which the characters receive the Call to Action (Find the Heir), are given the Tasks and Commands along the way (Search for the Witch, Go Through the Dark Woods), and so on. It's an archetypal journey and this book is no exception. However, the characters are brilliant and make this journey an amazing albeit familiar one.

Various characters have their own agendas as they travel through the land searching for the heir and avoiding Kane and his goons. Boone, a roguish thief is assigned to deliver information to a witch who will also point him in the heir’s direction. He uses both his clever wiles and the muscles of a large kind barbarian that he meets along the way to avoid trouble.

Titus, a healer is ordered by Kane's guards to search the vast library for any potential leads on the heir. He is fascinating as he debates the task he is ordered to perform and the disdain that he has for Kane. He acts with both hatred at the tyrant and fear of losing his head.

Some of the most interesting characters are two couples that circumstances force to travel together. Jensen, one of Kane's former guards escapes from prison with Solana, a haughty mage and potential sacrifice. Much of the humor is found between this odd couple trying to one-up each other with Solana’s intelligence and studies of magic competing against Jensen’s fighting skills and ability to use weapons that can detect and remove magic. Often Jensen uses a light-hearted approach by flirting with Solana or joking about their circumstances which Solana will bite back with an eye roll and a sarcastic response. (Usually, she will retort, “There's something wrong with you.”)They become closer as the book goes along. It is unclear by the end of the book whether they become lovers, (though Jensen develops romantic feelings for Solana, revelations in the plot prevent him from expressing them.), but they already show that they make a good team of friends who are occasionally at each other's throats.


The other interesting couple are Garret Draig, a pirate captain and Miriana, a mage and Solana's twin sister. Miriana isn't as feisty as her sister. In fact she lived a very isolated life in which she read novels and dreamed of a life of adventure and romance with Gerard, the heroic captain of her books. She is rescued by Garrett en route to being offered as a sacrifice to Kane. While Garrett is a nice guy who wants to protect Miriana, the boorish sometimes chauvinistic captain is hardly the romantic hero of her dreams. In fact, Garrett mocks this romantic portrayal which was actually written by a friend of his. It is a very clever meta moment in which a character pokes fun at the tropes in fantasy and romance in a book that is a tribute to them. It is as though Frost enjoys playing in a fantasy world but doesn't mind mocking the logistics inside it.

The action moves along briskly and some questions are answered (including a potential identity for the missing heir), but more are raised and enough suspense is created for the Reader to look forward to the next book and what else Frost has to offer.