This is my stop during the blog tour for The Cursed Ground by A. Roy King. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 1 till 14 July, you can view the complete tour schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.
So far this series contains 2 books: The Child-Stealers (The Cursed Ground #1) and Children of the Keeper (The Cursed Ground #2)
Title : The Child-Stealers Author : A. Roy King
Series : The Cursed Ground, Book 1
Genre : Historical Fantasy
Age category : Young Adult/ Adult
Pages : 93
Release Date : January 20, 2015
Source : Free copy from the author via Lola Blog Tours
Blurb:
In "The Child-Stealers," a young man named Boon undertakes a desperate search for his kidnapped sister, aided by a small force of loyal companions. Traveling from the peaceful agricultural community called the Till, Boon and his friends must learn how to face conflict and must unravel the mystery of the fierce raiders who are carrying off children into the wilderness.
This novella-length story is the first episode of "The Cursed Ground" historical-adventure series. A saga set in the ancient world, "The Cursed Ground" tells the story of a group of defenders who struggle to protect their communities from the growing violence in the world around them. Meanwhile, a small brotherhood is charged with carrying an unpopular message to humankind: The Creator has declared that this violent world will come to an end.
You can find The Child-Stealers on Goodreads
You can buy The Child-Stealers here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
My Musings :
This is a very good start to a new series. It's a historical fantasy book based on Genesis. This is what kind of lured me to read it. And then the blurb reeled me in with the mystery of the kidnapped children.
The book starts off with the introduction of the people of Till. Then it slowly expands to show the other people and their customs and habits. The book is too short to fully showcase each people's strengths and weaknesses but it does a great job of highlighting the needed elements to let me follow the story. This book is totally about the Till, Boon and his journey to get back his sister, Jewel from the kidnappers. The people Boon meets and his interactions forms the backbone of the book.
I was totally immersed in the book from the start of the story. Each element of the book adds to the overall story. The emotions of Tillmen and the people of Last on the destruction and plundering and the attack on their loved ones had me invested in their struggle and victory. The book is well written with good world building. I see that the author has given much thought to the world of the book and it is clear in the detailed descriptions. But I felt that the characters weren't given that much attention. I hope the next book would have more detailed characters.
The scenes followed each other well with no obstruction in any place. The pace was fast as I was plunged into the kidnapping at the beginning and it didn't let up till the end. It was a bitter sweet happiness at the climax. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the sequel would shed more light on the remaining questions raised during this book. Though the book shed light on the people involved in the kidnappings, the other questions like why are the children being kidnapped and who is behind it ( the mastermind ) , where are they being taken and the most important one, the importance of the mark on the kidnappers aren't answered yet. So the author hasn't let up on the mystery yet. Hopefully they will be answered soon.
I liked Boon with his leadership qualities and his courage to go after his sister. He obviously is one of the protagonists. I am thinking that he won't be the only one. We will see how true that is in the sequel. All other characters are kind of blurred and they don't stand out much though they add depth to the story.
Good thing I have the next book at hand to read right now, else I would not have been able to withstand the wait. While I am reading the sequel, I am expecting historical fantasy genre lovers to give it a try.
My one line review : Mysterious kidnappings + A fight for protection = An adventurous beginning to a new character set.
My rating : 5/5
My reread factor : 4/5
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Title : Children of the Keeper Author : A. Roy King
Series : The Cursed Ground, Book 2
Genre : Historical Fantasy
Age category : Young Adult
Pages : 104
Release Date : May 5, 2015
Source : Free copy from the author via Lola Blog Tours
Blurb:An impetuous young woman named Temper serves as Captain on the rough-and-tumble squad that patrols the city ruled by her father, the Keeper of Wit. The city's protectors must struggle ever-harder to keep order, as violence and unrest grow. On top of everything, the city is thrown into tumult when unexpected visitors arrive from far away.
“Children of the Keeper” is Book 2 of “The Cursed Ground,” an historical adventure series set in the ancient world. Set in a long-gone era when humans lived for hundreds of years and all spoke the same language, "The Cursed Ground" saga tells the story of a group of defenders who struggle to protect their communities from the growing violence in the world around them. Meanwhile, a small brotherhood is charged with carrying an unpopular message to humankind: The Creator has declared that this violent world will come to an end.
You can find Children of the Keeper on Goodreads
You can buy Children of the Keeper here: Amazon
My Musings :
When I started this book, I was surprised and had to recheck that I was reading the right book. Though the blurb hinted at a new character, I thought that the old characters would surface first followed by new ones. But I was wrong.
The author plunges right into the action in the second book too! But it is in the viewpoint of another totally new set of characters and world. Well, obviously this is a part of the whole world built by the author. After a few pages in, it made sense. I felt that the author intended the books to be this way so that it all comes together in a circle. The first half of the circle was the first book about Tillmen and the second half starting at the furthest point from the people of Wit to meet in the center in the story. I for one won't take the starting point of a sequel to be from the end point of the previous book. Now I am wondering if the author would start with another different set of characters in the third book.
As for the characters, I felt they were a bit more detailed than the ones in The Child Stealers. I loved Temper with her righteousness and earnestness. Though she is loud and feared, she also has a soft side to her evidenced in the mid scenes. I was happy she wasn't taken in by the deviousness of the villains. The people and their customs are different from the Tillmen except their everyday struggle against the Cursed Ground and the increasing "Foment". I think the Foment is very much present in our times too. There are a few instances where the older familiar characters surface to add to the continuity of the first book.
This is also a short and fast paced book. Though it doesn't have much action like the previous book, it has enough adventure side to it to add to the interesting angle of the story. I didn't realise I was at the end till I came to the last page. It was that easy to read and written good without any excess narration. The book has answered few of the questions while hinting at the truth behind the kidnappings. Now I have a few more questions added to the list. I am expecting more from the next book. I can see where the author is leading with the questions raised in each book, keeping us eagerly awaiting the sequel with his each book.
I can't not wait for the next book to continue the adventures of Boon and Temper on opposite sides of the world. I would like to recommend this book to speculative fiction lovers while I go wait in a corner for September. That long? Sighs...
My one word review : An interesting angle from the opposite viewpoint of the mystery of the kidnapped children and the struggle of the people.
My rating : 5/5
My reread rating : 4/5
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Meet the Author : A. Roy King is an author living in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A. He is writing an historical-fantasy fiction series called “Edhai,” set in ancient times. “The Cursed Ground” is the first story in this series.
You can find and contact A. Roy King here:
- Website
- Blog
- Goodreads
- Newsletter
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of The Cursed Ground. These are the prizes you can win:
- 5 e-copies of The Child-Stealers (The Cursed Ground #1) by A. Roy King
For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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