Novella Review: Hope's End & The Girl of Hrusch Avenue

Hope's End

By:  Brian McClellan

Publish Date:  September 23, 2013

Format:  ebook, 30pgs

Genre:  Fantasy

Series:  Novella in The Powder Mage series set before book; Novella ~ Forsworn, Book 1 ~ The Promise of Blood

Recommendation:  Yes! A short story in the life of a soldier. See Tamas from another's eyes and the world people live in.

Synopsis:
Captain Verundish has two problems. On campaign with the Adran army and far from her homeland, she is helpless when the young daughter she left at home is threatened. To make matters worse, General Tamas has put her lover in command of a Hope's End—the first charge through a breach straight into the teeth of enemy cannon and sorcery. To save the people she loves, Verundish will have to come up with a deadly solution...

First Sentence:
Captain Verundish contemplated killing herself.

Purchase At:
Amazon  /  Barnes & Nobles

**I read this for my own enjoyment.

My Thoughts and Summary:
Captain Verundish's letter from her ruthless husband is not good. Her father won't approve their divorce, as he performed the marriage and has to sign for divorce. Her husband has other plans. He holds a threat of their daughter's life over her for the divorce, one way or another. Captain Verundish learns her lover is chosen to lead the charge at Hope's End, the first line through and facing all deadly throws. Rarely does anyone survive. Captain Verundish has an idea to help save her daughter and her lover...

I had suspected her plan was as such. Brian, brave as he is, took his characters there and I love it. Hard battle and personal life struggles are present in this short.

We read from the eyes and heart of Captain Verundish. We see Tamas in her thoughts and views. Tamas is in the field, as General. Younger and in action. You see his hatred of the Privileged seeping through in his strategies.

Tamas seems to influence those he meets, and Verundish is one of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Girl of Hrusch Avenue

By:  Brian McClellan

Publish Date:  June 28, 2013

Format:  ebook, 29pgs

Genre:  Fantasy

Series:  Novella in The Powder Mage series set before book, Novella ~ Forsworn, Book 1 ~ The Promise of Blood,

Recommendation:  YES!! If you read and loved The Promise of Blood, you'll love seeing Vlora, Taniel, and Bo as young kids.

Synopsis:
Vlora is an orphan living at a boarding school as a ward of the state. Even at her young age, she already has enemies: the Bulldog Twins, Baron Fendamere, and her own headmistress. When a strange man offers to buy her, Vlora runs away and takes to the roofs above the gunsmithies of Hrusch Avenue. It is there that she meets a boy named Taniel and begins a friendship that will change her life forever.

First Sentence:
Vlora planned on stealing a gun.

Purchase At:
Amazon  /  Barnes & Nobles

**I read this for my own enjoyment.

My Thoughts and Summary:
Ten year old Vlora is at a boarding school and knows she loves the smell of sulfur from the black powder smoke of freshly fired guns at the gunsmithies on Hrusch Avenue. The focus and energy that comes from it... Vlora has to have a gun. The desire so strong she can't quench it. But the streets are dangerous for a lone orphan girl. While escaping the grasps of the two bullies that 'own' the street Vlora makes a stronger enemy, a Noble who has no qualms with killing. Vlora comes across another the bullies attack, Taniel. A strong boy that fights back against the odds. Taniel tells Vlora of the magic of powder and become quick friends.

Oh I love seeing Vlora as a young girl. Even Taniel and Bo! They are kids, and it's awesome the things kids of this time and world do. Oh great! Once again we see Tamas in action. He does have a quick action scene and influences as he recruits his Powder Mages.

I give great credit to Brian as he easily tells you of the Powder Mage and Privileged powers in the world. So you know the rules of the world and not left clueless.

To see the history of Vlora explains a bit more about her character. We knew she had a rough upbringing, well before she came to Tamas, but this shows it better through actions. To see Taniel and Bo and children as well...they are a hoot, but I'm not on the receiving end of the antics. lol.

I think this is my favorite novella out of the three thus far, because of the characters involved. Vlora's story at the age of ten. How she meet Taniel and Bo and came to start a trust with Tamas. We see them as children and the troubles they get into. I very much enjoyed seeing this side of the characters and their history. Fun quick read. Well worth picking up.

Book Review: Forsworn

Forsworn

By:  Brian McClellan

Publish Date:  January 21, 2014

Format:  ebook, 64pgs

Genre:  Fantasy

Series:  Novella in The Powder Mage series, 35 yrs before Book 1 ~ The Promise of Blood

Recommendation:  Oh wow. To see Kez from a forbidden Powder Mages eyes.

Synopsis:
Erika ja Leora is a powder mage in northern Kez, a place where that particular sorcery is punishable by death. She is only protected by her family name and her position as heir to a duchy.

When she decides to help a young commoner—a powder mage marked for death, fugitive from the law—she puts her life and family reputation at risk and sets off to deliver her new ward to the safety of Adro while playing cat and mouse with the king’s own mage hunters and their captain, Duke Nikslaus.

Occurs 35 years before the events in Promise of Blood.

First Sentence:
The forest filled with the dry bone sound of fallen leaves swirling in the wind as Erika drew back on her bow.

Purchase At:
Amazon  /  Barnes & Nobles

**I requested a copy of this novella from the author for an honest review.

My Thoughts and Summary:
Erika, a Kex duchess, is learning to fend for herself with a bow and arrow. She is forsworn to the Kez king and the black powder weapons are illegal and forbidden to her. In a land where powder mages are not welcome and sentenced to death, Erika finds a young girl branded and on the run for that very reason. Erika is determined to help Norrine make it to Andro where powder mages are accepted.

First and foremost, I have to mention I love this world created by Brian. The powder mages and the magics of the Privileged. When I was told Brian was looking for readers of this novella, I could NOT pass it up. And I'm thrilled I didn't.

This story is told from Erika's and Norrine's point of views. The passages are short, as this is a novella, but complete in every way. The story is quick into happenings, the threats Powder Mages face in the land of Kez. Death. But there is a small escape for nobility that turn up to be powder Mages, they can take an oath and become forsworn to the king. But there is always an eye on them, wanting to eliminate the threat of the hated powder mage. Erika is a noble woman and Norrine is a young commoner girl on the run. They both are in danger, and Erika puts herself in more harms way along with her family with helping Norrine. And her family goes along with it.

I felt the anxiety and worry of being a forsworn powder mage along with a runaway in Kez. With the Longdogs, the kings mage hunters, hunting for you.

It was nice to see the small ties to The Promise of Blood even though this is thirty-five years prior to the happening of The Promise of Blood. There is a character name you will recognize upon first sight, but that is at the end of this novella - the small tie in. You don't have to read the first full novel of the series to read this novella, but if you do you will be fully aware of the magic and the strain between Kez and Andro.

A novella in page count, but a full story in reading. Well worth picking up, especially if you have loved the world and magics created here.

Book Review: Promise of Blood

Promise of Blood

By:  Brian McClellan

Publish Date:  April 16, 2013

Format:  Hardback print 545pgs

Genre:  Fantasy

Series:  1st in The Powder Mage trilogy

Recommendation:  Hell ya!  This is my kind of fantasy, nonstop.  I recommend to fans of Brandon Sanderson & Ken Scholes.

Synopsis:
The Age of Kings is dead...and I have killed it.

It's a bloody business overthrowing a king...
Field Marshal Tamas' coup against his king sent corrupt aristocrats to the guillotine and brought bread to the starving.  But it also provoked war with the Nine Nations, internal attacks by royalist fanatics, and the greedy to scramble for money and power by Tamas's supposed allies: the Church, workers unions, and mercenary forces.
It's up to a few...
Stretched to his limit, Tamas is relying heavily on his few remaining powder mages, including the embittered Taniel, a brilliant marksman who also happens to be his estranged son, and Adamat, a retired police inspector whose loyalty is being tested by blackmail.

But when gods are involved...
Now, as attacks batter them from within and without, the credulous are whispering about omens of death and destruction.  Just old peasant legends about the gods waking to walk the earth.  No modern educated man believes that sort of thing.  But they should...

First Sentence:
Adamat wore his coat tight, top buttons fastened against a wet night air that seemed to want to drown him.

Purchase At:
Amazon   /   Barnes & Nobles   /   Book Depository

**I requested this one from the publisher for an honest review because it sounded like my kind of fantasy.

My Thoughts and Summary:
There is someone after the man who lead the rebellion against the King and Adamat is hired to investigate who along with other information Tamas is looking for.

Adamat is summoned to the King, before morning light, to find the copious number of lanterns taxed paid for - out.  Darkness surrounds the palace also lacking the forever present guards.  With each step, his suspicions rise of what may have happened.  Adamat is summoned by the Field Marshal for his known investigation skills when he was on the police force, to ask to investigate now.  A coup meant to help the poor people of Adro, but the panic spreads with news of the King falling, even if he was a broken king with only debts remaining.  There are always different groups of loyalty in a kingdom, some now wage war for their now lost king and slaughtered nobility.  The city's divided.  The information Adamat needs - about Kresimir's Promise - is missing from every book in the city after he's found ways into the opposing Royalists.  Now he needs to travel to talk to the one remaining Privileged, who also now has a mark on his head.  But what those at work for the people don't know, could kill them all.

We learn right away why and who overthrew the King.  But there was mor in the works as well that muddy up the outcome of the land.  With each page the story grows deeper, the world sharper and bigger, the magics defined.  This is how fantasy is done.  Everything with each word and interest is held with whats to come.

We have four Point Of Views we follow.  Neat having a mystery investigation going on while a war as well.  We get all seats as the reader on the war front, in the investigation, the Royalist, and the man who lead the coup.  Adamat, the investigator looking to get us the history information and also a few possible leads on who's behind the troubles from another kingdom as trouble finds him.  Tamas, the Field marshal who set the coup in motion.  Taniel, Tamas's son and weapon.  Nila, a wash maid who has found herself with one child who's to be dead with the rest of the nobility.

The magic is catching here.  I love the feel with the powder mages and their ability to take powders to influence powder and bullets.  The key - gun powder.  But it's neat.  There are different magics here as well.  The Privileged are an interesting group that we constantly learn secrets from and of another mysterious group. The Privileged seem to be at odds with the powder mages and a bit on the opposite realm of magic.  They have what feels as traditional magic in terms of fantasy and gods.  Then there is the gods that left the world as well.  There was a strong magic there.

The story.  I'm stuck on the idea.  the man who kills the king and any chance of distant heirs for the good of the people.  Only to still have people loyal to the kings line and an even stronger reason for why the Kings line has been here since the beginning of time.  For me this story showed a side we don't always see and I enjoyed it.  I can see the right and wrongs in what is being done, but as a reader I'm seeing both sides of the story.  The characters aren't.  And this makes a grey line that is amazing to follow.  I think this is the part that made the story all that much sweeter for me to read.  By the end, we learn what the truth of the world is with their gods.  And it could create more issues and troubles than any had ever imagined.

What happens after the King and nobles are overthrown? This is it! Loved the feel of different magics and gods here. Loved the fantasy action and wars. This is highly suggested to fans of Brandon Sanderson and Ken Scholes. This is another amazing story of the fantasy I love, and how it's done.

Are the Gods and the stories real?  I love what Tamas learns, and means troubles for him and the world - to come.  Ooooo to see what's to come!!

Who? What? Where? (121)

Who are you with? Where are you at? What's happening?

Share with us just a little bit of what is happening in the book you are reading, right where you are now.

Just a tiny taste of what's happening, remember try to not give spoilers of the book.

his is a new meme I'm going to try and will tweak as I go. And please don't laugh at my lame attempt at drawing. ;D )


Since my husband had me digging a ditch and building a wall all weekend, I'm still in the same book from last week.

This Week:

I'm readying with Tamas to talk to the Kez while we watch the Kez boat coming to the docks.  The committee is with us but Tamas and I will head to meet the ambassador alone.  I can't wait to hear Tamas when the ambassador brings up the Accords, which Tamas is against.

Promise of Blood
By:  Brian McClellan

Others have shown interest in joining in this post, and linking up.  So I've created a linky for that.
My only requests; copy the picture to use, and link back to My World...in words and pages.
Please visit any joining in.
Thank you!

Teaser Tuesday (169)

Teaser Tuesday

is a weekly event

Sponsored by MizB of Should be Reading

Here's how it works:

Grab the book you are currently reading (anything at all)

Open the book to any random page.

Share 2 teaser sentences from anywhere on the page

Please Make Sure They Are Not Spoilers!

(Don't Give Too Much Away)

Just enough to pique our interests

This Week:

The other Privileged launched herself into action just a moment after Julene.  Hardened shields of air stopped the crack of bullets from Tomas's quickest soldiers, covering the sudden retreat of the royalist delegation.

Promise of Blood
By:  Brian McClellan
143pg

Who? What? Where? (120)

Who are you with? Where are you at? What's happening?

Share with us just a little bit of what is happening in the book you are reading, right where you are now.

Just a tiny taste of what's happening, remember try to not give spoilers of the book.

his is a new meme I'm going to try and will tweak as I go. And please don't laugh at my lame attempt at drawing. ;D )

This Week:

I'm standing in a Privileged bedroom with Field Marshal Tamas and Sabon.  So many are dead.  The Privileged sorcerers are dead, but he's lost some of his own loyal men.  Four men to one Privileged sorcerer that was unexpected.  Tamas's close friend, Lajos, just died and now Tamas is sending Sabon after the woman who got away.

I did learn what Powder Mage is.  Neat to learn what they do with bullets and the black powder.

Promise of Blood
By:  Brian McClellan

Others have shown interest in joining in this post, and linking up.  So I've created a linky for that.
My only requests; copy the picture to use, and link back to My World...in words and pages.
Please visit any joining in.
Thank you!