Summary:
It is the fifteenth century, and three kingdoms are caught up in the dire conflicts of their time. As the possibility of a peaceful resolution provides hope that a decade-long war will finally end, no one realizes that dark forces are waiting to invoke chaos as a full moon rises.
On a farm nestled beneath the Euralene Mountains along the western border of Medinia, young Willie works for the Smythes as a serf. One moonlit evening when the Smythes are gone to a neighbouring village, Willie hears the terrified cries of animals in the pastures. When he goes to investigate, he discovers that this wolf pack attack is like no other. Badly injured during the raid, he survives-but now he is afflicted by the full-moon madness that will soon transform him into one of the wolf creatures he dreads. With his life seemingly warped forever, Willie must face the prospect of a lifelong descent into horror.
In a time of witchcraft, superstitious folk lore, and fear-some creatures roaming the night, Willie struggles with an uncertain destiny and must seek help from the one man he holds most responsible for the dark fate that awaits him during the next full moon cycle.
On a farm nestled beneath the Euralene Mountains along the western border of Medinia, young Willie works for the Smythes as a serf. One moonlit evening when the Smythes are gone to a neighbouring village, Willie hears the terrified cries of animals in the pastures. When he goes to investigate, he discovers that this wolf pack attack is like no other. Badly injured during the raid, he survives-but now he is afflicted by the full-moon madness that will soon transform him into one of the wolf creatures he dreads. With his life seemingly warped forever, Willie must face the prospect of a lifelong descent into horror.
In a time of witchcraft, superstitious folk lore, and fear-some creatures roaming the night, Willie struggles with an uncertain destiny and must seek help from the one man he holds most responsible for the dark fate that awaits him during the next full moon cycle.
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 410 pages (E-book)
Source: Review Copy
Available Formats: E-Book/Paperback
Publication Date: November 7th 2011 by iUniverse.com
The reason why I wanted to review this book was because I absolutely adore horror/fantasy novels and I love historical fiction so when I see that two of my favourite genres are mixed together I jump on that train faster than you can say "all aboard!".
That being said, I actually did enjoy Tomb's novel about the fifteenth century mixed with werewolves, witch craft and other spooky things that go bump in the night and get the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. However this book is very much paced like the typical historical novel. There's a fair amount of action but there is a whole lot of story telling (without it dragging I promise!) that gets you to the action scenes and it makes it 100% worth it, trust me.
I really enjoyed the storyline though and I think the reason I enjoyed it so much was Willie. There was something about him that I just found to be really likable. Maybe it's because I pitied him when he was bitten, but whatever it was about him I thought he made the whole novel worth reading. That isn't to say that the other characters in this story of three Kingdoms weren't just as good, because they were.
I also really enjoyed the plot of the book. The idea of two kingdoms trying to come together to finally broker a peace between their peoples was a good one especially with the wild card kingdom of Varakov in the mix that wants nothing to do with this stuff so there was a bit of politics involved in the telling of the story as well.
Overall, I thought this was a refreshing read. I haven't seen too many novels that mix historical fiction and horror/Fantasy so this was a great change for me. I really enjoyed the authors voice and the way that the story in volume one was told and can't wait to read volume two. I would recommend this to all fans of fantasy, horror and historical fiction.
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.
Liked it!
★ ★ ★ 1/2
★ ★ ★ 1/2
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Sounds like a great book to check out who doesn't love a little horror kid of fantasy!
ReplyDeleteMeg | Meghan Silva's Blog
I really recommend it Meghan, thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteHistorical fiction/fantasy and horror..I am intrigued. Your make-over is darling Kimberly.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kimberly! I'm glad you like it :) The book really was good and I liked that it encompassed a few genres.
DeleteI'm not a big fan of historical, but it's pretty cool to see the author mixed the two genres. I don't think I've seen a book do those two together :) I'm glad you enjoyed it! Great review!
ReplyDeleteJanina @ Synchronized Reading
It surprised me too Janina. Thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteThe book sounds interesting I must admit. All the genres fused together is very cool. By the way I love the new layout. Great job
ReplyDeleteThanks Babe, I think you would like this one. I'm going to re-read it before I buy the next one.
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