Monday, September 20, 2021

Kings & Daemons

 

Over fifty years have passed since Daleth the seemingly immortal Witch-King, and his army conquered the Ember Kingdom.

Now, with the once fertile lands and its enslaved people dying around him, the Witch-King, driven by his insatiable thirst for eternal youth, prepares his forces to march on the prosperous neighbouring Freestates. It will be the beginnings of a conquest that could destroy nations, bringing death and destruction on an unimaginable scale.

Then, when a peasant huntress whose rare gift was concealed from birth is exposed, it sets in motion a chain of events that could alter the destiny of generations to come.

Book source ~ TWR tour
25 May 2020
Epic Fantasy
416 Pages

My Rating ~ 4 bites


It wouldn't be epic fantasy if we weren't following several characters who, I'm guessing, will all be brought together (or at least play their part) for the final throwdown. Told from multiple POVs, but mostly from three, it follows Maya, Talan, and Kalas as they start their epic journey to defeat the Witch-King before he completely kills the land in which they live and moves on to take over a neighboring country called the Freestates.

I did a First Impressions for this book in a tour back on July 29th. I was only 38% in, but was really enjoying it. Real Life has finally let me finish it. Yay!

I have a love/hate relationship with epic fantasy. The first book in any series usually frustrates me. There are so many characters that need introduced as well as fast world building being done that I spend the better part of book 1 confused. This is not the fault of any author. It's just how epic fantasy is written and I do love it. I really do. Once I get past all the beginning intros and memorize the strange names and places then I fall in and never want to come out. 

With Kings & Daemons the beginning of book 1 is slower than I'm used to with not as much world building. For some, this is an issue, but for me it's a relief. I'm able to keep places and people straight and I'm able to invest in it that much quicker. Three of the main characters are Maya, Taran, and Kalas. All are shaping up to be great characters. Then there's some side characters who are proving to be very interesting: Rakan, Astren, and Alano. And no story is complete without a villain, the Witch-King. Wow. What an asshat. At the time of my First Impressions, the characters are pretty much established at this point in the story (38%), the stage is set, and the pieces are moving toward their destinations.

I’m happy to report that I quite enjoyed this story. Usually Epic Fantasy is complicated with so many POVs moving toward a goal until they finally come together. While there are several POVs in this tale, it seems to be slimmed down and a bit more manageable. Instead of looking like Mr. Universe it’s more like an Olympic swimmer, sleek and fast. The plot unfolds at an even rate, the characters are great, and the whole thing is coming together. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Writing hasn't always been a serious hobby for me ... but it has always been there, lurking in the shadows, serving me well when called upon.

As I look back over the years, I realise I was guilty of writing many short stories, as well as poetry, and I'd like to think, that even if they were never intended to be published, they were nonetheless warmly received by the intended recipients.

Then in 2019, I was inspired to write not just a short story, or poetry, but a book. Then, suddenly, one book turned into a trilogy and a labour of love, and it was a love I wanted to share with the world.

So, here we are. The pandemic that put my career in sport on hold also gave me the opportunity to lavish time on my alternative hobby, and now I've started, I don't intend to stop.



No comments:

Post a Comment