Tag: fantasy

A Ritual of Bone by Lee C Conley | Blog Tour

by booksteff, posted in menu, Reviews

Hey Beautifuls! Today is my stop on the Storytellers on Tour Blog Tour for A Ritual of Bone by Lee C Conley! I am so thankful to the awesome team at Storytellers on Tour who do an awesome job of getting indie authors some limelight! I am also thankful to Lee C Conley himself for sending me a copy of this book…I cannot tell you how grateful I am! If you haven’t already checked out this tour on the Storyteller on Tour blog, I will link it here for you to check them out, and check out the others who are participating in the tour!

A Ritual of Bone (The Dead Sagas Book 1) by [Lee C Conley]
You can find and purchase this beauty here!

I need to take a minute to appreciate how beautiful this cover is because Damn! its pretty! Now, anyone who knows me, knows that putting a weapon…more importantly an axe on a cover is a sure way to get me to pick it up so this cover is winning on that detail alone! In all honesty I love the use of cool tones and the darker composition it screams all that dark fantasy vibes I live for! Let get to the content…

Synopsis –

‘Only valour and steel can stand against the rising dead’

Arnar is a land of warriors, its people as stalwart as the stones themselves. In a land of dark forests and ancient hill forts, a forgotten evil is awoken by curious minds.
The Great Histories and the Sagas say nothing of this evil, long passed from the memory of even the studious scholars of the College. For centuries, the scholars of Arnar have kept these records and preserved the knowledge and great deeds of a proud people. The story of these peoples forever chronicled in the Sagas of the Great Histories.
But now the evil spreads and the dead walk in its wake, terrible creatures roam the night and even the spirits are restless. The Dead Sagas could perhaps be the final chapters of these great records.
Many threads entwine to tell this Saga, interweaving the tales of those who played their part in the search for answers and ultimately their fight for survival. Amid plague, invasion and terror, the inexorable rise of the dead sends a kingdom scrabbling to its knees.

This dark fantasy epic combines dark malign horror and gritty survival adventure as the Dead Sagas unfold in a world where honour and renown is all, where beasts and savages lurk in the wilderness, and where sword, axe and shield is all that stands between the living and the grasping hands of the dead.

My Review –

Let me start by saying that I am a fan of Grimdark fantasies. I know grimdark isn’t for everyone but I personally am a fan. Now, with that out the way, if you happen to be like me and enjoy a good ole bit of dark grittiness (Yeah I’m not sure if that is a word either) in your fantasy then you won’t be disappointed here. A ritual of bone is very atmospheric from the moment you step into this world.

I should also mention that no matter how many books have that whole ‘evil that rises’ trope…ima fall for that every time because to me there is nothing boring about the rising darkness! I loved the setting and the way that Lee C Conley integrated the undead into the story – which for the record I am totally here for some undead craziness!

We got different perspectives in this story which really helped showcase the different lives they led, and how each of them was effected by the evil, and undead rising again. A ritual of bone was well written and well developed, it kept me engaged and eager to see where the story would go, and overall I think it was a really good start to the series; A Ritual of Flesh is now out for those of you who want to dive into books 1 & 2!

It was the best time of the year to read this one for me because it gave me creepy and dark vibes that gets me right in the mood for spooky season! There was atmosphere, action, darkness, and a heft of gore to keep me engaged, excited, and wanting more. I cannot wait to see how things develop in book 2 and I highly recommend this to readers who enjoy grimdark, books with dark undead things, and readers who aren’t afraid to feel a little unsettled or spooked!

There you have it beautifuls! My review of A Ritual of Bone by Lee C Conley! I really hope that some of you will pick this one up and give it a chance because it was a very good start in what I’m sure will be a great new series to the grimdark fantasy genre!

As always leave a comment below to let me know your thoughts. Have you read this one? Are you thinking of picking it up? Let me know!

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The Skald’s Black Verse | Blog Tour

by booksteff, posted in menu, Reviews

Hey All, today is my stop with Storytellers on Tour for the blog tour of The Skald’s Black Verse by Jordan Loyal Short! A link to the Storytellers on Tour post with details of the tour and the other stops can be found here. Please check the others out as well and show support for this book!

You can get your copy here!
  • Title: The Skald’s Black Verse
  • Author: Jordan Loyal Short
  • Genre: Adult Fantasy
  • Paperback: 339
  • Rating: 4 *

Synopsis

When a soldier’s murder sparks rebellion in the tiny village of Skolja, Brohr’s past marks him as the prime suspect. Haunted by his brother’s ghost, and drawn in to a web of dark pacts and tangled loyalties, Brohr must choose between the path of vengeance set before him, and a chance to forge his own fate. From the shadows, an all but extinct race of alien demigods have begun the end game of their millennia-spanning war, and one has chosen Brohr for his closing gambit. But Brohr’s grandfather harbors a dark secret that will change everything. Above it all, a dread portent looms in the sky, spelling the death of Brohr’s world. With doom spiraling toward them, Brohr must lead an unlikely rebellion, unearth disturbing family secrets, and tame the raging ghost that haunts him. Can Brohr lead his people out of darkness, or will he succumb to his own terrifying bloodlust, and destroy the very people he has sworn to save?

My Review

I went into this novel expecting Norse themed fantasy, something I enjoy a lot…what I got was that and so much more! The Skald’s Black Verse starts out with a nitty gritty scene that really does well to set the tone and expectations of the novel. We follow multiple POV’s but Brohr is the main one we really stick to.

Okay, so let’s talk about the things I liked in this story. Firstly, can we just take a moment to appreciate that Jordan Loyal Short threw me a loop when he set me up for Norse vibes and then caught me completely off guard with the insane flying ship thing…it was all very unexpected, and quite frankly a great twist to what I assumed would be another classic Norse type tale. Jordan Loyal Short was able to take a story, infuse it with all the heart and bloodthirst of the Norse Pantheon whilst also showcasing a new dynamic way to infuse the story with colliding planets, inter-planetary spaceships, and interesting cultures. This story was filled with explosive action, dark creatures, awesome magic, and a rise against repression.

The only thing that had me mark it down was that it took me a while to settle into the writing style initially, but this is more a preference than any reflection on the book itself, which is why I have still rated it so high.

Make no mistake people, this story has plenty going on to keep you entertained, and definitely some darker moments to make you squirm. I definitely recommend picking this one up if you are a fan of adult fantasy that isn’t shy about expressing its darker themes.

There you have it beautifuls, I really hope you enjoyed my stop on this blog tour, and I really hope that some of you consider picking this one up to support Jordan Loyal Short. It was book that took me on a journey I wasn’t expecting and was worth the ride.