Archive for the ‘christian fantasy’ Tag
The Shard, Victoria Simcox’s fast-paced, intricately woven sequel to The Warble, takes Kristina Kingsly and her schoolmates back to Bernovem…and into a thrilling, often dangerous adventure.
Kristina’s stay at summer horse camp is horrible to say the least, and it’s all because Hester and Davina are there, too, making her life miserable. When Hester’s cruel prank goes terribly wrong, it’s actually what sends the three girls back to the magical land.
In Bernovem, Kristina is excited to see her former friend, Prince Werrien. When he invites her to sail with him on his ship to his homeland Tezerel, putting it simply, Kristina can’t refuse.
Reunited with her gnome, dwarf, animal, fairy friends and best of all, Werrien, things seem like they couldn’t get any better for Kristina. But when Werrien becomes fascinated with an unusual seeing stone, the “Shard,” Kristina is haunted by a ghostlike hag.
Struggling against suspicion, guilt, illness, and ultimately the one who wants to possess her soul, Kristina will see it’s in her weakest moment that she will encounter more strength than she has ever known.
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In the Shard, we return to the delightful world of Bernovem and its inhabitants of talking animals, fairies, and dwarfs. Kristina, our hero from the first book, is older now, and at times, she feels like the entire time she spent in Bernovem was a dream. A stay at summer camp soon lands her back in the magical realm where she gets reacquainted with old friends, as well as the charming Prince Werrien for whom she is developing feelings for. And while things couldn’t look more idealic, there is a subtle danger growing. Kristina can’t understand why she is getting sick so often, and Werrien has become enraptured with the Shard, a crystal that allows him to see into other places. And in the shadows, a malevolent creature is plotting the demise of not only Kristina and Werrien, but all of Bernovem.
It’s a tale of adventure and faith, whimsy and magic. Open the door to the next chapter of this enchanting story. You won’t be disappointed.
The kings and queens of the northern continent lay siege to the Darkwater Forest, desperate to contain its evil. But rumors of gold and aurium have lured deserters and the desperate into its shadow, creating a growing army held in its sway. Desperate after the death and dissolution of their greatest ally, Willet and the Vigil seek the truth of what lies at the heart of the evil they face. They delve the mind of an old enemy and find an answer far worse than they could have imagined.
Danger stalks the cities of the north, striking at the rulers of the kingdoms. As Willet and the rest of the Vigil seek to find answers, the group is scattered with an ever-growing darkness around them. Will they discover a path to keep their land safe, or will an ancient evil reclaim the world it once called its own?
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To say that I was excited for the third and final book of the Darkwater saga by Patick Carr is an understatement. I practically kept my eyes peeled on my inbox for the email from Bethany House listing the book up for review, then hoping I’d make it on the list. And we’ll skip the part with me doing a victory dance once it did. 😛
Anyway….
Though the series has had its rough spots, overall, it’s been a great adventure. The world-building, the characters…. Honestly, I need to read it over again because I miss it. I’d highly recommend reading the first two books in the series, so you have a proper grasp of what is going on.
The story starts with Willet and the other members of the vigil racing to halt the evil of the Darkwater forest that is sweeping over the continent. With people lured by rumors of gold and precious aurium in the forest’s depths, Cesla is building a powerful army with abilities to rival even the gifted. The solution to their defeat? Locked in a vault within the tortured mind of Willet Dura.
So where to start? The plot, despite some lags in places, is awesome. The tension, the emotional journey of the characters, keeps you riveted to the pages. And I must admit, Patrick Carr went deeper with the characters than I was expecting. Anne Elisabeth Stengl is one of my favorite authors because she knows how to bring to life a character’s dark side and still show the redeeming power of love that bring a person back from the edge of the abyss. To my utter surprise, Patrick Carr went this route and succeeded! Mark, the former urchin and thief now Pellin’s apprentice, who shows more heart and depth than a priest in his desire to bring back the mind of a girl who was twisted into becoming a mindless dwimor, capable only of killing; Pellin, who saw how Cesla was snared into exploring the Darkwater. He recognized the man’s pride that could have been his own and led him into destruction. And in spite of all Cesla’s evil, still loved the man that was once his brother and mentor, and strove to remind him of that in the end. These were perhaps a couple of the most moving areas in the story that touched me.
Toria Deel has been a journey in progress. Originally, she was more of a pompous twit than anything else. And definitely willing do whatever it took to further the Vigil’s goal. The end justifying the means, regardless of who was hurt. Losing the man she loved and being teamed up with a former urchin causes her to soften.
Bolt, honestly, you gotta love. The man is like an older version of Batman and Wolverine thrown in there (DC/Marvel reference, I know :P). He always expects something bad to happen, and rarely shows much emotion. But he has such a dry sense of humor, you can’t help smiling as you read.
Willet…Willet has been an off and on character for me. While I like him, he’s not one of my favorite characters, which is odd since he is the MAIN character in the story. But I think the problem lies with the fact that Patrick Carr tried too hard at times to make the character flawed, and a bit of a wise-mouth. But he’s capable and does try to keep his head in tight situations, so he still works.
The gift of domere changed his life. Some might argue it wasn’t for the better, as it grants to Willet an unnaturally long lifespan that will see him still hale and hearty while the woman he loves grows old. But he learns to accept both it and Gael’s love, and acknowledge that he must leave everything in Aer’s hands.
I came across one review that mention how this book has nothing to do with Christianity, wallows in worldly wisdom, and loses touch with truth. As a reader who actively searches for inspiring reads, I respectively have to disagree. Does the story expound Christian beliefs? Yes. Does it whack you over the head with them? No. I have always believed that the greatest thing a story can do is “show” the message through the characters and their actions, instead of delivering a sermon that makes you roll your eyes.
In the Wounded Shadow, you see the consequences of pride and yet the hope for salvation. Mercy, forgiveness, love, and restoration come together in a sweeping epic that truly makes The Wounded Shadow a satisfying conclusion to this series.
Verdict: A definite buy!
(I received a free copy of the book from the publisher and author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.)
Hello, everyone! It’s Cyber Monday today, which means bargains galore. After putting this off for months, I’m finally having a free ebook sale on The Dark Wolf! 😀 So if you’re curious about the series and been wanting to give it a try, now is your chance. The sale only runs for 5 days, from now to December 1st, so you have a limited time to grab a copy.
Buying from Amazon is easy. Simply create a free account on their site. Once you’re registered, go to the book’s page and press “Buy now with one click”. Done! Now if you don’t have the Kindle app, again, it’s free to download. You can enter your email or phone number to get it straight from Amazon, or just grab it from one of the major app stores out there.
And if none of you mind, please consider leaving an honest review of The Dark Wolf on Amazon once you’re done. 🙂
Here are some of the current reviews for The Dark Wolf:
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Okay.. so overall THE DARK WOLF is something I want to see in a movie. It’s an honest, ‘say yes!’ Characters are well presented, especially with the main two, Darvir and Elaine. There are parts that reminds of LOTR, but I’m happy how you put things together to form a solid and unique turn of the story. – Mary J
For the Dark Wolf of The Heart Of Trilogy. I’m still in love with the book until these days. How I prayed that the book will become a bookseller in the market and will turn out to be a movie. I’m not just saying this because the author is my friend. Rather, the book is greatly written. It has a very intricate plot but I can see the beauty it withhold. And I didn’t see any loopholes. The author weaved together the story wonderfully. And every character in his book have their own tales to tell. May it be the protagonists, the antagonists and even the supporting characters. You definitely can learn from them and even relate to them. Because it may be a Christian fantasy but it’s also happening in reality for some sort. There are some part of the book that made me so emotional. And what I truly love about the book because it really emphasized that Elosha, or Abba Father in reality will always be powerful, merciful, compassionate, loving to His people. – Whinnlight
Truly a five star rating! Could not put the book down. Loved the plot and the characters. This book had excitement, thrilling build-ups, and twist in the plot. Believe me you will not waste your money. Going to go get the second part right now. – Mike B
J.M. Christian weaves together a masterful tale in The Dark Wolf. The reader feels and empathizes with what the characters feel as they go through their struggles. Christian’s development of his characters allows the everyday person to completely relate to them. The entire world comes to life with breathtaking realness. Prepare to be transported to another world by the magic only a skilled author can create…and there are not many of them. –Kya Lightwing
I enjoyed this book very much. For one thing it was fantasy, (woot woot) and for another it has a deeper meaning to its storyline and characters. The adventures were described well and gave it a real feel. The characters were very round and shifted with the book as their circumstances challenged and changed them. There’s more than one story within this book, and each of them adds a special glimmer to The Dark Wolf’s shine. –Trista Vaporblade (Author of Quest for the Swords of Healing)
It’s epic, amazing—without a doubt, it’s one of the best reads I’ve read in awhile! –Angel (Author of Whispers of my Soul)
Greetings, all! Been awhile since I posted something that wasn’t a review of a book or movie, so time to change that. And I want to start with giving an update on the final book to The Heart of Light Trilogy, and an apology on the lengthy delay in releasing it. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 2 years since Crown of Ravens was published. In that time, I’ve furthered my career in graphic designing, and just this year started taking courses so I can move into web development and design. I never forgot about the series and writing in general, but it’s one of those things that starts to get put in the back seat when you’re dealing with life and trying to support yourself. It gets harder and harder to make time when so much is needed for the more pressing issues, and every day you’re racing to catch up and cram as much as you can into that short space so you don’t fall behind. And with the audience for my books not being large, it was easier to put off the third book for “later”.
I’ll be honest, I never did much with marketing my books. I take full blame on that one. 😛 When I first published the series, I had to make the art myself, and while I was confident in the story itself (my mom and I did double-time on the editing) I wasn’t as confident in the cover art. If there’s one thing I pride myself in, it’s knowing a good cover. And while I will never knock my old work (it was pretty advanced for what I knew back then) I am brutally honest. It had some serious flaws, and trying to market a book with a cover you know is not put together very well is scary.
Last year was when my skills with making graphic art got to a point that I knew I could finally, FINALLY, give these stories the spectacular artwork I had always coveted in other books, and that they deserved.
I was already in a competition where the contestants needed to choose one of their older works and redo them. I looked through some of my older artworks, and the one for Crown of Ravens caught my eye. Right there, I decided to go for it. And behold, what I got was the art I had always dreamed of seeing on one of my books. I was even able to make the crown itself, a feat all on its own that I was unable to do before. (And yes, I was kicking myself for writing it as black. Gold sure would have easier. 😛 )
So Crown of Ravens was taken care of. It had a gorgeous cover, but now we come to The Dark Wolf. That book will always be my baby because it was my first, and from the start, I was never happy with the cover it got. Don’t get me wrong, I take pride in what I was able to make back then. I had ZERO experience making that stuff, and at the time, I had only a couple tutorials on Youtube to get me going. So it was big thing for me to even make a cover on my own. But again, I knew it had flaws, and it wasn’t the best work to represent the story. The first cover for Crown of Ravens had its own problems, but even that looked visually more appealing. As the years went by and I continued learning graphic art and design, The Dark Wolf went through 4 different cover variations as my skills gradually increased (I feel so sorry for putting it through that 😦 ). Last year was when the cover switching finally ended with the creation of the fifth and final work with a brand new piece of art.
Before
After
Before
After
I got both covers prepped and put together, then uploaded them to Amazon. Honestly, I did get a little thrill when the covers appeared on Amazon. 🙂 It was the art I had always dreamed of having for a story of mine. And at last, I finally had it. I did try to market it, but again I got sidetracked, and that was put on the back shelf. My workload was growing, and when I decided to take the leap into web development, that just added to my already full plate.
It was actually one of my friends who recently read my books that gave me the shot of encouragement and motivation I needed. And I realized I had to go back. I needed to finish what I started, not just for the dear readers out there, but also for myself and for the story that got me started on this journey through life. It was that first book, The Dark Wolf, that led me here. Now, I need to give it and the readers out there the ending they deserve.
Now you’re probably asking, “The update, man! Where are things with that third book (you dang slow author you)!”
Okay, enough suspense here. 😛 Currently, I’m still on the first draft but have managed to reach the halfway point on it. And I have already plotted out the remaining chapters, so no time will be wasted with wondering where the story should go. While a 2017 release is not likely at this point, 2018 is. I can’t give an exact date, but I’m looking at publishing the third book in either summer or fall of next year, depending on my schedule. Regardless, I want to let all of you know that the third book will be published, and the series resolved. And once again, I apologize for the LONG delay. The last chapter of The Heart of Light Trilogy is coming, folks. May have taken awhile, but it is coming, so hang in there.
Next post, I’ll be sharing some exciting news about what to expect for the third book. And I promise, I won’t do my usual and post a month later. 😉
(Disclaimer: Image and art used is my work and copyrighted)
And what do you know, another post without having to wait three or four months for it. Wonder if I’ll be able to do it again. 😉
But in the meantime, I wanted to share with all of you the remade covers for The Dark Wolf and Crown of Ravens. 😀
It’s amazing how far I’ve come as an artist, and I really do thank God for granting me the skill to do this stuff without having to hire someone for the job. Now The Heart of Light Trilogy is finally getting the covers it deserves. 🙂
Art below is mine and copyrighted. Full list of stock credits can be found here at my DeviantArt page: rreddvar.deviantart.com
Any who wish to buy the books, feel free to check them out on Amazon. 😉 http://myBook.to/TDW
I meant to get this up sooner, but again, I didn’t have the time until now.
As those of you who have been following my blog know, I was forced to take down the e-book of my book, The Dark Wolf, due to multiple formatting errors. After a few days of tinkering with it, I got it back up and running, this time error free. I will admit, this whole thing has been a huge learning process and MORE than a good bit of work. But the pain in my eyeballs from staring at the screen too long, and the general frustration when I saw another snag that needed to be corrected was worth it to finally have this DONE. Now, due to the formatting I used, when you go to Amazon and press the ‘Click to View Inside’ it won’t show any page breaks. This is not due to any formatting errors on my part. I recently learned that this feature Amazon has carries a few bugs, so unless you have really complex formatting, the page breaks won’t show. Seeing as how I’m not into making things harder than they need to, I opted to go with the simpler formatting that still delivers great results.
Those page breaks are there and will show with the e-book itself when you purchase it or download the free sample Amazon offers, so don’t worry. I checked with several authors to be sure of this, and each one verified it. So anyway, here’s the link, (again) and when you buy the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HSTAVIM
And on a sidenote, for my next post, I will leave a few helpful tips on how to format your own e-book. God knows, after what I went through, I want to make sure you guys have enough info so you can avoid the pitfalls.
I’m happen to be an avid fan of Christian fantasy, so I always have an eye out for any new reads that appear on the horizon. I discovered some interesting series coming out for this year which I intend to get when I’m able to.
Here is a list of the series I have discovered so far. A couple are actually dystopian fiction, but I decided to just lump them in with the rest.
This is the first of three books in the Staff and Sword series. Looks okay, but I’m not a big fan of stories set in a medieval world. Still, the main protagonist is about a man going from drunkard to hero which looks to be an interesting read, so I might go ahead and buy it once I get a little more info.
I have to admit that when I saw this one, I wasn’t too impressed. Seriously, how many King Arthur and Merlin stories do we need? The plot doesn’t look too bad and the cover art is gorgeous, but I can’t muster any enthusiasm for another rehash of Arthur and Merlin.
Okay, for those of you who’ve read the Binding of the Blade series and loved it like me, I believe this series won’t disappoint. Almost five years after the BotB series, L.B. Graham brings out the Wandering series which looks just as good if not better than the BotB. As soon as I’m able to, I will definitely be buying this book.
This is a dystopian fiction series by Jill Williamson. I’m not a fan of dystopian fiction, but the plot was interesting enough to raise my interest that I might actually look into buying the book.
Wow. Now is that a beautiful piece of art work or what? As soon as I saw the cover, it captured my attention immediately. Yes, it is dystopian fiction, but I figured why not check it out and see if it’s worthwhile. The story about where emotion has been genetically removed from people and where one girl is different from the rest, an anomaly, was good enough that I decided it might not be so bad to get once it’s available.
Anyway, that’s all I’ve discovered so far for the year. If you find any other new Christian fantasy or sci-fi series coming out this year, don’t hesitate to let me know as I am always looking for good stuff to read.
Heart of Light 