BTS Tour Presents: SHADOWS OF KINGS

TOUR SCHEDULE:

Read Between The Lines Sept 15

Heart of a Wolf Series Sept 18

Close Encounters With The Night Kind Sept 21

Beauty in Ruins Sept 24

Queentutt's World of Escapism  Sept 30

Guardian of the Seventh Realm Oct 1

Literal Addiction Oct 10

Read 2 Review  Oct 11

Delphina Reads Too Much Oct. 12

SYNOPSIS:

Steel and sorcery clash as the Harhn incursion sweeps through the Hugue. Mankind faces its greatest peril without the Order Knights of legend to defend them. Crusading deep in the frontier, the Order is unaware of the savage beasts threatening their homeland as the Hugue realms muster their armies for war.

Between a cunning Harhn sorcerer, and an alliance forged with the decadent Darkfey, the Horde threatens to extinguish the domains of Man. Only Lord Baudouin and Lady Lucia, a Dragon Maiden from the Order, stand in the enemy's path. One must find the strength to unify the realms. The other must discover the strength within her, while coming to terms with the agendas of her Order. But only together will there be any hope to repel the onslaught, and preserve the future for a mysterious girl they do not know.

MY REVIEW:

The first book in the Dragon Rising Series, Shadow of Kings is an outstanding read. I recently stepped out of my genre and began reading more than my usual paranormal / romance. In the beginning I felt it was a little slow and had to make myself continue reading. After the first three chapters I got into the rhythm of the story and it began to really pick up. I enjoyed the adventure and the different types of characters the author created, witches, sorcery, fey, out of this world creatures and dragons. In the world of fantasy, I love dragons!

At times with all the different characters being introduced throughout the story it was a little difficult to follow along and caused me to have to stop and think about who was who and how they were related to the story. There were characters I liked immediately, some I hated and others which had to grow on ya, one being Lucia. In the end, her character grew up and was more likeable. In the end, the author tied up each storyline and did not leave me hanging, wondering what if…except for one character. In this, I am assuming this character will show up in Shades of Virtues scheduled to be released spring 2013.

I really liked how Whitsel created his world. With his attention to detail and description of all the actions scenes, I knew exactly what was happening. The only drawback for me was there were so many battles that I was ready for the next scene so I could get on with what was happening with the characters. Overall, I really enjoyed the plot and look forward to book two. 

For my review, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

I was provided a copy of this book for the purpose of a blog tour. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jack is a native Californian, but has made Oregon his home since 1982. He holds a Bachelor's Degree of Finance from Portland State University, but studies medieval history in his spare time. His favorite genres are fantasy and historical fiction with a medieval emphasis. Shadows of Kings, the first novel of the Dragon Rising Series is the love child born of these two passions.

"I love the elements of fantasy when mixed with the gritty aspects of a medieval society. In the worlds I create, there are neither citadels of shimmering glass nor any utopian realms."

The final contributing catalyst to Jack's creative process comes from his two sons, Josiah and Noah. They remind him how important an active imagination can be, and are the first to hear his tales of diabolical wizards and valiant knights.

"Because of my boys, I still believe in Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and the tooth fairy."