Wytchfire (Dragonkin Trilogy #1)

In a land haunted by the legacy of dead dragons, Rowen Locke has been many things: orphan, gravedigger, mercenary. All he ever wanted was to become a Knight of Crane and wield a kingsteel sword against the kind of grown horrors his childhood knows all too well.

But that dream crumbled—replaced by a new nightmare.
War is overrunning the realms, an unprecedented duel of desire and revenge, steel and sorcery. And for one disgraced man who would be a knight, in a world where no one is blameless, the time has come to decide which side he’s on.

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

The war is coming and it brings The Nightmare with it. Michael Meyerhofer writes of a land separated by races with grudges and myths that have lasted too long in his novel, Wytchfire, the first in the Dragonkin Trilogy. As cities are destroyed by a beast made of smoke that burns through everything it touches, one down-trodden man may be the key to stopping it.

 

Rowen Locke followed in his brother's footsteps to become a Knight on the Lotus Isles, only to be kicked out before he received his Knighthood with no reason as to why. Though being raised in the slums of Lyos, and working as a mercenary and a sellsword may have something to do with it. Rowen is an incredible character. He's loyal, brave, true to himself, and has outstanding morals. Readers will know that he's the key to stopping this magic takeover before he does. Rowen is open-minded and nice in a world that doesn't appreciate those attributes. He risks his life over and over again to prove that there are things more important than glory and pride, which gains him both in the process.

 

The story begins with Rowen being mugged and beaten up by a couple of ruffians after he's kicked off the Lotus Isles. This sets him on a path toward Jalist, an old friend, who tells him about The Throng, an army hiring sellswords and sweeping across the lands to take over everything. Though there's more at work here than just that. Rowen refuses to join Jalist and instead runs into a man who changes his life by giving Rowen a legendary sword without any knowledge of its importance. Between the sword and Silwren, a beautiful wytch, combined with Rowen's bravery, the city of Lyos may have a chance. Wytchfire is an adventurous book full of magic and death, love and life, rebellion and salvation. However, it's just the beginning. And the end foretells much more to come.

 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

What's Next, Wednesday (1)

• To play along just share a book you've been looking forward to reading, whether it's new or has been on your reading list for a while.

 

I'm looking forward to... 

Breakable by Tammara Webber

After reading Easy in one fell swoop I, sadly, went to sell it back to the used book store only to find that there was another one! And it sounds like it will be from Lucas' point of view. I've been looking forward to this retelling of the original story for a few weeks now. I'm interested to see what Lucas saw when Jackie wasn't there or wasn't looking.

Teaser Tuesday (208)



Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm/Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers




Wytchfire (Kindle 78%)
   - Michael Meyerhofer

The violet campfire flickered but did not go out. In a voice little more than a whisper, Shade said, "I wonder how it happened. How we became monsters." He sat again, pulling up his hood against the rain.

The Twelfth Enchantment

Lucy Derrick is a young woman of good breeding and poor finances. After the death of her beloved father, she is forced to maintain a shabby dignity as the unwanted boarder of her tyrannical uncle, fending off marriage to a local mill owner. But just as she is on the cusp of accepting a life of misery, events take a stunning turn when a handsome stranger—theLucy Derrick is a young woman of good breeding and poor finances. After the death of her beloved father, she is forced to maintain a shabby dignity as the unwanted boarder of her tyrannical uncle, fending off marriage to a local mill owner. But just as she is on the cusp of accepting a life of misery, events take a stunning turn when a handsome stranger—the poet and notorious rake Lord Byron—arrives at her house, stricken by what seems to be a curse, and with a cryptic message for Lucy. Suddenly her unfortunate circumstances are transformed in ways at once astonishing and seemingly impossible.

With the world undergoing an industrial transformation, and with England on the cusp of revolution, Lucy is drawn into a dangerous conspiracy in which her life, and her country’s future, are in the balance. Inexplicably finding herself at the center of cataclysmic events, Lucy is awakened to a world once unknown to her: where magic and mortals collide, and the forces of ancient nature and modern progress are at war for the soul of England . . . and the world. The key to victory may be connected to a cryptic volume whose powers of enchantment are unbounded. Now, challenged by ruthless enemies with ancient powers at their command, Lucy must harness newfound mystical skills to prevent catastrophe and preserve humanity’s future. And enthralled by two exceptional men with designs on her heart, she must master her own desires to claim the destiny she deserves.

 

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

The Twelfth Enchantment by David Liss is completely captivating with mesmerizing prose and unexpected surprises. The characters are motivated and mysterious, leaving the reader to wonder exactly who is to be trusted and who is to be beaten. David Liss bases this novel upon history, weaving facts together and sprinkling it with magic.

 

Lucy is the central character of this novel, with everything depending upon her. At the beginning of the novel, readers see Lucy as a young lady who is out of luck. With one mistake, she was cast out of good graces. Then after her father's death she was sent to live with her Uncle, who despises her. Engaged to be married to a man she does not like, let alone love, readers will sympathetically connect with Lucy. Their hope will blossom as hers does when it's revealed that she has the innate power to conduct magic. Here she finds her saving grace, as magic promises to aid her in her escape to a better life. However, before she can find that, she must 'gather the leaves' as Lord Byron tells her. Lucy isn't sure what is happening around her but the Luddites are destroying mills while machines take away the livelihoods of English citizens and it is she that is called to fight. As Lucy advances in her magic, she becomes a strong, brave, courageous woman who stands tall in the face of danger and death.

 

Though Lucy is the main character, Lord Byron and Mr. Morrison were also great support. Lord Byron as a character is the reason I picked up this book and added it to my reading list. He's arrogant and lovely and beautiful all while being helpful and manipulative and two-faced. Basically he's a conundrum that creates a lot of fun within the novel. Mr. Morrison is the man who ruined Lucy's reputation, but readers learn there is much more to that story. Jonas Morrison is a fighter for England. He's brave and loving but emotionally scarred. It's always wonderful to find a book that has an exemplary main character as well as fantastic supporting characters, not to mention a superb writing style. Lovers of fantasy, magic, and 'save-the-world' stories will lose themselves in The Twelfth Enchantment.

 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups