New Book Alert: Hour of Shadows (Book 2 of New Dawn's Light) by Jordan Frost; Characters' Reunion Brims With Engaging Plot But Dims With Repetitive Love Square

 

New Book Alert: Hour of Shadow (Book 2 of New Dawn's Light) by Jordan Frost; Characters' Reunion Brims With Engaging Plot But Dims With Repetitive Love Square

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: I am really excited to write this review because things have come full circle for the blog. The first New Book Alert in which the authors themselves requested a review was Whisper in the Dark, the first book in Jordan Frost's New Dawn's Light series. Now here I am, three years later, reviewing the second book, Hour of Shadow.

The first volume featured various characters opposing the tyrannical Lord Kane who, among his worst qualities, every year demands a sacrifice from the world of Midori's best mages. In other words, he wants to eat them and absorb their magic. The only thing that can stop him is a prophecy in which the illegitimate son of the deceased royal family takes the throne. When that happens, Kane's tyranny will be at an end.

 Various characters such as a roguish thief, a kindly barbarian, a pair of mage twins, a former guard, and a pirate captain use different means to fight against Kane's Reign of Terror. In true first volume manner, the book ends with the main villain having yet to be defeated, some characters are killed, and some characters hook up. Namely Solana, a haughty mage and Jensen, an ex-guard get together as well as Miriana, Solana's twin sister who is also a mage, and Garrett, the pirate captain. We also discover a potential identity to the missing heir.

The story continues with Hour of Shadow. At times it is a worthy successor to Whisper in the Dark. There is some pretty sharp characterization and some humor sprinkled with the action, particularly involving how the characters interact with each other and some really suspenseful moments as characters move from one death defying encounter to another. However, this second book goes the way many second books in fantasies go. We have already been introduced to the character and world in the first one. We know the climactic battle and pay off will be in part three at the earliest. So in the second volume, we are left with a lot of filler in which characters just go from one place to another and form a love triangle, in this case a love square.

We find that our heroes Miriana, Garrett, Solana, and Jensen have finally encountered each other. Solana and Jensen hire Garrett to take them and Miriana, if she wants to go, to a safe haven for mages called Watcher's Nest. Of course in true Epic Fantasy fashion, the path is paved with new characters both good and bad, various challenges and conflicts, a trial in which they are told to follow various tasks and face their greatest fears, and the quartet's romantic feelings towards each other.

Plot and characterization are pretty sharp in this book. There isn't so much emphasis on setting and world building because it is assumed that the Reader is familiar already with Midori and the way that world works. Most of the setting is confined within ships, inns, on open roads, or in caverns. In fact, the majority focuses on the character's personal thoughts and interactions making things more intimate than the larger scope associated with the previous volume. 

This intimacy makes the more adventurous moments more intriguing. Some of the best chapters focus on the team coming upon a mysterious death cult. The horror in these passages are greatly felt and even more so when they are forced to participate in a grueling series of tests. One test features them being haunted by deceased friends, lovers, and family members.

The closed intimacy among the characters also plays in their interactions with each other, particularly how the romantic pairings are tested. At the end of Whispers in the Dark, Miriana and Garrett have fallen in love and while Solana and Jensen begin a romance, revelations in the book complicate things.

Now that the brace of couples have joined together, there are romantic complications. Solana can't stop flirting with the handsome captain much to Miriana and Jensen's annoyance. However, their sardonic dialogue seems to imply that Garrett doesn't mind so much. Garrett feels inadequate compared to Miriana's dream hero of her romance novels in which Garrett was the inspiration. Jensen's family ties make him question not only whether he is worthy as a suitor but also whether he can fulfill his destiny. Personally, this Reader saw enough sweet moments between Miriana and Jensen that they should be a couple and thought Solana and Garrett had a cute argumentative saucy relationship that could evolve as a real romance.

There are some missteps in the book mostly because of the filler nature of being a second volume waiting for the big stuff to happen next. (In fact the Fellowship breaks at the end to perform separate parts of the same tasks.) Once the love square between the protagonists is introduced, it gets repeated over and over ad nauseum, always reminding Readers why love conflicts are often the least favorite parts in speculative fiction. One great character is introduced only to be violently killed within a few chapters (similar to the previous volume when another great character was also graphically killed. Upsetting because he was one of my favorites.) Thankfully, a couple of others are introduced, one who has a mysterious backstory and could be more than he lets on.

There are also plenty of sections where characters just go from one place to another and not do very much. It's a lot more travel and less adventure. Sometimes, the intimacy is good but in certain types of fiction, it can drag the story. Also, in the end Miriana simply pulls out a motive which had never before been referred to. It might be a good lead in book three. But the way it is introduced is pretty clunky and seems more like an afterthought.

Despite its flaws, Hour of Shadow is a worthy second book. It continues an excellent adventure and guides the Reader to another one.

Weekly Reader: Gol (Legend of Ansu Book 1) by J.W. Webb; Brilliant and Dark Epic Fantasy With Great Characters, Themes, Narration, Plot, and Suspense

 

Weekly Reader: Gol (Legend of Ansu Book 1) by J.W. Webb; Brilliant and Dark Epic Fantasy With Great Characters , Narration, Themes, Plot p, and Suspense

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: No joke, I am in the process of reading or reviewing five Epic Fantasies this month, one of the most popular genres for independent authors. I have often weighed the reasons why this genre is so popular for authors and I believe because it calls for the highest amount of creativity to not only develop a plot and put believable characters in it but to create the world around them including the history, geography, mythology, socio political environment, flora, fauna, and magical creatures as well as the rules that magic users follow so that they don't seem too powerful or too invincible. It also helps that many authors are echoing the favorite books of their youth like The Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, A Song of Ice and Fire, The Wheel of Time, The Sword of Truth, The Harry Potter series, His Dark Materials, The Mortal Instruments, and so on. People who are raised as fantasy geeks write books for fantasy geeks and let's be proud of it. 

It's a fun experience for Authors and Readers alike to fall into a new magical world and embrace that fantasy from within. If the first book of these Epic Fantasies, Gol (The Legend of Ansu) is any indication, then it shall be quite a ride. I am warning future authors, J.W. Webb has set the bar pretty high already so they will have to be something to catch up. Gol is a brilliant and dark Epic Fantasy that is filled with terrific characters and thrilling plot and suspense as the characters prepare for what amounts to the end of the world.

What is particularly engaging about Gol is that it is written in the style of ancient historical documents like the narrator is gathering together legends and myths that they have heard in their childhood and putting them together in written form. This shows in some moments when the Third Person Omniscient Narrator suddenly becomes intrusive. 

For example, one character is trained on an island to become a warrior. The Narrator skips over the training session saying that this section was incomplete and that they do not possess the research to reveal anything more about his education. 

From an author's standpoint it allows Webb to write future short stories and novellas to tie up those loose ends. On a storytelling standpoint it puts the Narrator and the Reader on the same level so that the Reader experiences the world of Gol as the Narrator is describing it. The Omniscient Narrator isn't a god who sees everyone and everything. They are more like a bard, a historian, or a storyteller who reveal the important points but leave enough interest for the Reader to listen and want to hear more.

The cast of characters are a well written group. While there are some cliches and tropes (The Heroic Paladin, The Wise Magical Mentor, The Corrupt Sorcerer, The Star Crossed Lovers), Webb does some brilliant unique things with them that make them three dimensional and stand out from their archetypal origins.

In the center of this cast are lovers, Erun Cade and Lissane Barola. They are the lovers from opposite sides of the economic scale. He is the son of a blacksmith and she is the daughter of a wealthy baron. Her corrupt father, Baron Eon Barola has arranged her marriage to Prince Varentin Gallante. While plotting their escape, Erun runs afoul of Lissane's brothers. They kill his father and kidnap him while Lissane is forced into marriage to the not so Gallante Varentin.

Meanwhile an evil wizard, Ozymandeus is possessed by a fire demon called Ashmali destroying everything in their path. Armies, lords, kings, and an emperor are torn between fighting or siding with this unstoppable force. The plots between Erun, Lissane, and Ozymandeus cover various characters, plots, and situations only to unite in a very violent and destructive end that gives only two options: fight an unstoppable force or flee to new worlds.

One of the interesting aspects to the book are the separate paths that Erun and Lissane take. Erun befriends outlaws and warriors like Red Torrig, a rough mannered Prince and a strange cranky but experienced old man, Irulan.

Some of the more intriguing chapters are when he is trained by the giantess, Scaffa. Scaffa is the type of mentor who challenges not only with tasks but gives him instructions that are purposely unclear but leaving him to figure them out on his own. In a way she is reminiscent of Scatheach, the druidess who trained Cuchulain in Irish mythology (In fact many times in Irish history and lore, boys were trained by women and girls by men.).

Scaffa also leads Erun in his most dangerous tasks to capture the other three elemental spirits of Earth, Air, and Water to fight against Ashmali. They are very dangerous and clearly play on Erin's fears and desires so these are difficult feats, but he realizes that they are tests so Scaffa can observe  his interaction with them. Through her instruction and guidance, Scaffa becomes one of the more intriguing characters that Erun and Lissane encounter, fiercely independent and wise, willing to make a fighter out of this young man or see him die in the attempt. It pays off in the end. Erun becomes a scarred fierce skilled warrior named Kell. 

While Erun takes a warrior's path, Lissane is thrown directly into palace intrigue, that of a queen. Varentin is a sociopath who has affairs and hangs on his mother's every word. Speaking of which Varentin's mother, Sophistra openly flaunts her lover and when her husband dies under not so mysterious circumstances, her lover Torlock becomes king in all but name. The dangerous couple conspire against and do away with multiple enemies. Living with such maniacs, Lissane learns survival skills and to bury her deeper feelings up to a point.

Finding no love from her alcoholic backstabbing father and or her scheming sadistic in-laws, Lissane looks for love elsewhere. She finds it in Estorian Sarfe, a charming but kind hearted baron's son. She eventually runs away with Estorian and is accepted by his family. Through the Sarfes, Lissane is finally accepted and learns to use her power to protect those close to her.

One of the strangest bonds that Lissane develops is with Morwella, Sophistra's younger daughter. Morwella is a mentally ill girl who lives in her own world where she imagines violent scenes and declares herself Queen of Cats. In fact the people of Gallante often call Lissane, Lady of Light and Morwella, Lady of Darkness. They complete each other in a strange way like Jane Eyre and Bertha Rochester, where Morwella serves as Lissane's dark shadow self acting on the impulses that Lissane buries. It makes sense that after Morwella finally does commit murder, Lissane takes a protective sisterly role in her life. Morwella is another interesting colorful character in this cast.

What makes Erun and Lissane's path so memorable is how their feelings for each other mature. They still care for each other and cite one another as catalysts for their desires for revenge and survival, but they realize that their feelings for each other were immature and brought on by childish emotion. In fact there is a moment where after they have been through so many struggles and have learned and changed so much that when they see each other again, they don't recognize one another. In a fantasy novel, it is nice to have this true to life scenario in which lovers do grow and change when they are separated. Their feelings aren't going to be the same and their situations are going to change accordingly.

Another interesting feat is how Webb handles Ashmali and what the characters do to fight against him. It is graphic to read about Ozymandeus being eaten from within by fire and him knowing it too. Even though he's egocentric and ambitious, it's not hard to feel sorry for him as he is being tortured and eaten alive.

 What is particularly compelling is that Ashmali is literally unstoppable. Yes, the other Elementals are destined to fight against him and blah blah blah. The Elemental battles are exciting and well worth the build up. However, there is a realization that Ashmali leaves so much destruction behind him as a fire demon that he is still destroying the world. 

Even if he loses and is defeated, there is so much destruction that he in effect has already won. While the characters prepare to fight, they are also preparing to leave the subcontinent of Gol to another world. They need to start over somewhere else. Again that is a very unique touch that sometimes the bad guys win and all you can do is move on, regroup, and start over somewhere else.

With it's brilliant cast of characters, dark themes, tight suspense, brilliant narration, and wide reaching plot, Gol could stand to be a future classic in the world of Epic Fantasy.

New Book Alert: The Leviathan Trial by Oliver Madison; Suspenseful Clever Mind Twisting Thriller About Breakable Family Ties

 

New Book Alert: The Leviathan Trial by Oliver Madison; Suspenseful Clever Mind Twisting Thriller About Breakable Family Ties

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Oliver Madison's The Leviathan Trial is an odd combination of The Hunger Games, Battle Royale, The Purge, and "The Most Dangerous Game," meets the Hatfields and The McCoys. It involves a sadistic game of life or death, but the participants are children in one very large, rich, multi-talented and incredibly screwed up family.

Father Benedict Lancaster is a very eccentric billionaire/recluse. At 90 years of age he lives the high life. He has homes, cars, thriving businesses, fame, infamy, and a tragic backstory to go with it. At 12 years old, he was the sole survivor of an accident that claimed the lives of his entire family leaving Benedict a very sad but wealthy young boy. (He was the sole heir to the family fortune.)

Upon adulthood, Benedict was a childless confirmed bachelor until abruptly in his 70's, he decided to adopt a child. Ultimately, he adopted 12 children from different countries.

The Lancaster children are raised in very unusual circumstances. They were left largely isolated, educated by a bevy of tutors, teachers, and coaches, until they attended the nearby Preparatory Academy where they are the subject of scrutiny, speculation, and gossip. They are ordered to socialize only with each other and to excel in one specific field.

 Benedict is hardly ever home leaving their care to an array of house servants and each other. He only returns to evaluate their performances and to reward or penalize them if they fall short of his expectations. Okay a wealthy, but distant father who expects his children to become overachievers. Nothing weird about that until they start talking about the Leviathan.

The Leviathan is a mythical creature who is their family spirit. The Lancasters pray to the Leviathan before meals and bedtime and swear total allegiance to this strange creature. Benedict often inspires and even thrives on competition between his children and allows rivalries and cliques to form because that is the way the Leviathan wants it.There are plenty of rumors that the Lancasters children are actually brainwashed members of a cult with Benedict as their leader and those rumors might be right.

The Lancaster children are a bizarre but fascinating bunch. Madison excellently personalized each character and how they interact as a family and as individuals. They are:

Pearl-The oldest at 19 and first to be adopted. She was adopted from New Zealand and is a champion skeet shooter. She is the de facto parent and mother of the group. Some believe that she is the closest thing Benedict has ever had to a wife.

Hiroshi-At 18, he was the first adopted boy. From Japan, he is a wrestling champion and the most physically athletic and strongest of the kids.

Blake-Also 18, he is from Iran and is an academic all-star. A chess champion, Blake has a sardonic attitude and often schemes against his siblings.

Cynthia-17, she is from Brazil and is an accomplished software engineer and computer programmer. She is very quiet and is known to hide her true feelings and keep to herself away from the others.

Allister-Also 17, he was adopted from Uganda. Like Pearl and Hiroshi, he is also an athlete though this time a champion fencer. He has a bad temper and somewhat inflated ego.

Zara-Also 17, she was adopted from India. She is the most star struck and is an accomplished actress, dancer, and model. She can be vain about her appearance and accomplishments describing herself as the Lancaster "family triple threat."

Troy-16, the only one adopted from the United States, he was from a Native American family. He is a culinary expert and gourmet chef. He is usually friendly and even tempered.

Levi-15, adopted from Kenya. He is very verbal as a debate champion and bookworm. He is also the book's Every Kid as he serves as the main third person narrator. Even though he is protective of some of his siblings, he isn't shy about becoming rivals with others particularly Blake and Allister.

Eden-Also 15, she is from Russia. She is a philanthropist and has organized a family foundation and charity that provides aid and assistance to underprivileged children from around the world. She has a reputation as the family do-gooder.

Mauve-13, she was adopted from Cambodia. She is a bright philosophy student but is going through a Goth stage. She is very rebellious and antagonistic towards Benedict and the other sibs.

Sion-Also 13, he was adopted from Puerto Rico. He is a founder of the chemistry club at his school and is very scientific and analytical. He is also a mischievous prankster and a bully, whose bullying sometimes extends to family members.

Helena-7, the youngest of the Lancasters and baby of the family. She was adopted from Norway and is mute. She may be autistic (though she has not been officially diagnosed, Benedict and the others just suspect that she is.) She is a complete mystery to her siblings except for Levi with whom she has developed a deep loving bond.

Yes the Lancasters are super talented, super strong, super brilliant, and super competitive. All of that plus their strange upbringing is a simmering cauldron that explodes into something super terrible.

The explosion occurs after the death of the family patriarch. Upon viewing his video will, the children learn that only one will inherit the family fortune and the title of The Great Leviathan. Who will it be? Well, it will be resolved by the children fighting each other in their locked mansion to the death. The one who is left alive will inherit the lot. Oh yeah and should they refuse, a poisonous gas will spread throughout the mansion killing everyone inside. So it's either 11 die and one lives or they all die. It's not too long before greed and survival instincts kick in and the Lancaster children become a bloodthirsty vicious bunch ready to kill the rest of their family.

The Trial itself is a truly suspenseful section as the children separate first into groups of three to outdo the others then turn on each other. There are some pretty heart stopping moments where some characters try to use physical strength to subdue each other physically while others hide in the shadows, mentally playing the different ends before they make their moves. They are also practiced at using their specific skills as means for attack and self defense.

 This is the type of book where people's real motives and ambitions come out under stress, ambition, and terror. Suddenly, that nice sweet sister of yours with whom you shared secrets will use those secrets as collateral damage before she willingly slashes your throat. Suddenly, that protective big brother who always defended you from bullies will now use that awesome strength and physical prowess to choke the life out of you. It's also the type of book where no one truly comes out clean. Even the seemingly nice characters aren't above scheming and fighting against siblings that they had long term rivalries with but are now seen as obstacles to their survival and fortune. There are even hints that the one who makes it will become as ruthless and power hungry as Dear Old Dad. 

The Leviathan Trial has some pretty clever and gut wrenching twists none of which will be revealed here but they subvert expectations and cause the Reader to rethink what had gone on before. There are some flaws notably the presence of Kitty Choi, a potential love interest for Levi that gets accidentally thrown into the Trial and does very little to advance the plot. She really only serves as the eyes and ears of the Reader to give some much needed exposition and an outsider perspective to this very odd family. If Kitty's presence was part of one of the many plot twists, it may have made sense for her to be there but she is simply a missed opportunity.

Mostly, The Leviathan Trial is a great novel that reveals that some family ties can be broken and shattered.