for the love of books.

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Review: The Shard (Chronicles of Xax) | epic fantasy.

Title: The Shard (Chronicles of Xax)
Author: Ted Cross
Pages: 526
Edition: eBook
ISBN: 9780990098772
Genre: Epic Fantasy

Which shelf? Won this in a giveaway! Read it on my Aldiko app.


Add to Goodreads | Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★


Summary (via GoodReads): 
A dying king. A mysterious invader. The seer's vision was clear: find the lost shard from the Spire of Peace or the realm would drown in blood.

The problem: eight hundred years ago the elven hero Kathkalan took the shard with him into the lair of the most vicious dragon ever known to mankind...and he never returned. Reluctantly drafted to lead the quest is the minor noble Midas, torn between his duty to the realm and the desire to protect his sons. With an unlikely band of heroes, including two elderly rangers and a young tinker’s son, Midas must risk losing everything he loves if he is to locate the shard and save the Known Lands.

Review: 
Can I just say this is epic, beyond epic!

Gosh, so much goes on with the story, yet it's just enough and not overly complicated for you to keep up with. The pace was set accordingly and I didn't feel lost while reading through the various narratives. What I loved most about this epic fantasy is that it brought a sense of adventure and suspense--it was a quest. I may have been blindsided with the twists and turns, but I did catch on to some of them! (Trying not to spoil this gem at all!)

The story follows multiple POV's, whom eventually cross paths (directly and indirectly) at the end during the final battle. My favorite would have to be Geldrath's POV, not necessarily the charmer, but I saw his growth from someone who was supposed to go guard the wall to someone braver, becoming a soldier in his own right. Then there was Midas who had so much love for his children it was unbearable at how noble he was and so conscious of his decisions affecting them at all times. Sometimes his guilt grieved him in his own right, but from what happened with his first born, I emphasize and understood he wouldn't be able to loose anyone else again based on his own decisions. There is also a sense of love throughout the story. Very small and quaint, but it was an undying amount of love and loyalty in the majority, if not all, of the characters.

I will admit I never grew up playing any D&D games (don't kill me!), but I have a huge love for fantasy. This hit the spot dead on for me. The flow of words drawing you into this adventure had me smitten until the very end. Every single second of this book that I read kept me diving deeper--engrossed and emotionally. There was never a moment where I wanted to stop reading it. (I even read an entire chapter waiting in a drive-thru line!) So when this came to an end I wasn't sad. There was a sense of closure and I loved the book even more for it. I didn't have questions  nor did I wonder what was going to happen to everyone after the final battle. Cross built up the adventure and suspense accordingly and died it down to the right amount and for that I commend Cross. Not many people can leave me feeling completely smitten and whole when they end a novel. 

Where to Buy:
Disclaimer:
I won this book in a giveaway from Ted Cross. He kindly asked if I'd put up an honest review whenever I finished this novel. Also, I was not compensated for this review.

Friday, November 13, 2015

So here is my welcoming...

My first post should be a welcoming post to this blog, so here it is ... 

Welcome to my blog pertaining anything book related!!! I'll actually post a review or two within the next couple of weeks, so be on the lookout for those. As for why I started this blog, well, I've always had a love affair with books. I remember spending my weekends at Barnes & Noble and at the school library throughout the week. (Oh, such good times!) Since growing up and becoming an adult, I've focused more on learning about myself and living through the motions of life and stop reading for quite some time. Since picking it back up I rediscovered my love and all these beautiful and wonder book blogs!

Now, who would have thought?! I love the ones I follow and I love discovering more books (my TBR pile is growing higher by the second) and I figured why not go for it. There were a lot of pros to this: active writing practice, reading books, honing my skills as a reviewer and meeting wonderful book lovers like myself! Overall, I just want to reach out to people, even if it's just five, and introduce new and old books, classics or possibles "don't read me" titles. It's just magical being able to do this and I'm utterly infatuated at the moment.

But please, do enjoy your stay and I'm open to suggestions, help and criticism on any of my reviews and posts (this one included) and open for review requests!

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