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Book Review: Dirge by Tim Marquitz

Dirge by Tim Marquitz

Permuted Press, 2015

Available: paperback and e-book

ISBN-13:  978-1618684301

The Necrolords have invaded the kingdom of Delham, bringing death and destruction with their control of the walking dead. Kallie is a young woman freed from years of abuse in a dungeon by Relian, a priest with the Brotherhood of Sorea. Relian has trained her to become the mysterious assassin Dirge, and gifted her with great powers. so she can protect her people and defeat the Necrolords.  Disguised as Dirge, Kallie does the bidding of the ruthless emperor to earn the money needed for her people’s survival. Now she is thrust into a deadly game, a pawn of both the emperor and the lord who moves against him. Sent on a mission to capture a living Necrolord, she is torn between what is right and the revenge she wants.

Tim Marquitz has created a beautiful world of dark fantasy, complete with zombies, murder, and mayhem (though the walking dead take a back seat to the scheming and action of the story). Characters are well developed and you definitely feel something for all of them, be it hatred or sympathy. Kallie is a strong female protagonist, but not without flaws, and I found it easy to empathize with her and the difficult position she finds herself in. The story is full of amazing detail and depth, and you can imagine this world existing somewhere. Dirge is how dark fantasy should be done. I look forward to reading more about the people of Delham and Kallie’s story. Highly recommended

Contains: violence and bloodshed

Reviewed by Colleen Wanglund

Posted on April 21, 2015 by , Reply

Book Review: Scarlet Tides by David Hair

Scarlet Tides (The Moontide Quartet, 2) by David Hair

Jo Fletcher Books, 2014

ISBN-13: 978-1-62365-829-8

Available:  Hardback, Paperback, eBooks(Kindle), AudioBook, MP3 CD

 

The Third Crusade has begun: Rondian Legions are flooding into the East.  The Inquisitors lead the charge in their windships, flying the banner of the Church’s darkest members: The Sacred Heart.  The crimson-clad invaders slaughter and plunder their way across Antiopia in the name of Emperor Constant.  Vast treasure is being collected, but the most precious is still missing: the Scytale of Corineus, the powerful artifact that is the source of all magical power.  Resisting the Rondian invaders are the armies of the peoples of Antiopia.  Mixed in with the masses are a trio of unlikely heroes: Alaron, a failed mage from the West; Cymbellea, a gypsy and renegade friend of Alaron’s from their days at the Mage’s Academy; and Ramita, the once lowly market-girl who now carries the unborn children of the powerful mage, Antonin Meiros.  All of them have made the same pledge– to end the cycle of devastation, and restore peace to their land.

Scarlet Tides  is much better than the first installment in this series, Mage’s Blood.  The tone that was established in Mage’s Blood continues, and is maintained as the war unfolds.  The suspense builds, with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader turning pages. The plot twists were easier to follow in this volume, and the story flowed much better than in the first book, providing much-needed clarity and making Scarlet Tides a much better read than the Mage’s Blood.  Hair just spent too much time world-building at the beginning of the series, but the payoff here is that he is free to create without having to provide backstory, and he really takes off.

The descriptions were superb and meshed perfectly with the action.  The carnage of the war felt really accurate.  Hair did a fantastic job of  maintaining the characters’ voices were maintained and showing their growth and development as more as the reality of going to war settled in.  This was great read and I am looking forward to reading volume three in the future.  I have previously read Mage’s Blood by this author. Recommended.

Contains:  sexual situations, cursing

Reviewed by Aaron Fletcher

 

Posted on April 19, 2015 by , Reply

Book Review: Mage’s Blood by David Hair

Mage’s Blood (The Moontide Quartet) by David Hair

Jo Fletcher Books, 2012

ISBN-13:  978-1-62365-014-8

Available:  Hardback, Paperback, eBook(Kindle)

 

Every twelve years, the land bridge known as Leviathan Bridge is exposed by the extreme low tides of the ocean; the Moontides.  Originally built to facilitate trade between the two continents, the bridge has been turned into a tool of war; the Rondian Emperor of the continent Yuros has used it to invade the continent of Antiopia twice in the past.  The next Moontide is approaching, and the Emperor plans to conquer Antiopia once and for all.  This time will be different, though: the people of Antiopia are ready.  Vast armies are amassing on both sides of the bridge. Mage’s Blood focuses on a few key individuals who could change everything: Alaron Mercer, a failed mage forced to make his way in a world that is set against him; Ramita Ankesharan, a simple market girl who only wants to marry her life-long friend and fiance, Kazim Makani; and Elena Anborn, a jaded mage and mercenary caught up in the complexities of politics.  The Moontide has crested. The Third Crusade is set to begin.

Mage’s Blood is a high fantasy adventure that goes beyond the traditional medieval European trappings of the genre, integrating Middle Eastern influences that change tone of the story to something out of the ordinary. The plot was complex and well-paced, although I had some trouble following all of the twists and turns.  The descriptions were well done and set the stage for the action to emerge.  The action and fighting sequences were very detailed and painted a great picture of what was happening.  The characters were fun to read, as their voices were distinct, and it was easy to keep track of who was speaking.   All in all, a good read, and I will be reading the next installment in the series, Scarlet Tides.  I have not read this author’s work before. Recommended.

Contains:   Sexual Situations, Swearing

Reviewed By:  Aaron Fletcher

Posted on April 19, 2015 by , Reply
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