KNIGHTMARE ARCANIST
by Shami Stovall
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GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy
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BLURB:
Gravedigger
Volke Savan wants nothing more than to be like his hero, the legendary magical
swashbuckler, Gregory Ruma. First he needs to become an arcanist, someone
capable of wielding magic, which requires bonding with a mythical creature. And
he’ll take anything—a pegasus, a griffin, a ravenous hydra—maybe even a
leviathan, like Ruma.
So
when Volke stumbles across a knightmare, a creature made of shadow and terror,
he has no reservations. But the knightmare knows a terrible secret: Ruma is a
murderer out to spread corrupted magic throughout their island nation. He’s
already killed a population of phoenixes and he intends to kill even more.
In
order to protect his home, his adopted sister, and the girl he admires from
afar, Volke will need to confront his hero, the Master Arcanist Gregory Ruma.
A
fast-paced flintlock fantasy for those who enjoy How to Train Your Dragon by
Cressida Cowell, Unsouled (Cradle Series) by Will Wight, and Percy Jackson and
the Olympians by Rick Riordan.
EXCERPT:
A flash of
rain pelted the entire city, but only for a few seconds, as though the heavens
coughed and forgot to cover their mouth. The man secured his pack shut,
protecting his vegetables.
“Oh, this
again,” he said.
“Does this
happen often?”
“Storms
happen frequently enough,” he replied. “This ain’t no storm, though. It’s those
flashy arcanists. They like makin’ a show. Just you wait. You’ll see somethin’
good yet.”
Making a
show?
I headed
toward the docks. Despite the creeping chill, I moved with energy and purpose.
Crowds of people clogged the roadways, making travel by foot damn near
impossible, even for an arcanist. Frustrated, I jumped onto the wheels of a
nearby carriage and used the extra height to pull myself onto the roof of a
building. The A-frame roof made for a steep trek, but the tiles were easy to
grip, even when wet.
Once on top,
I turned my attention to the nearest pier.
A tremendous
flash of lightning lit the sky. Thunder chased after, strong enough to rattle
the windows and pierce straight to my bone. Luthair shifted through the shadows
as another round lit the sky. I knew some arcanists could control the weather,
but I had never seen a demonstration so showy before.
A flurry of
snow soon followed, but like the rain, it lasted only a few seconds. People
lifted their hands in the air, trying to catch the snowflakes as they
approached the earth. Most evaporated before anyone could hold them, but I
managed to catch a few on my tongue.
The ocean
waters beyond the docks swirled into whirlpools. Two cyclones of saltwater rose
upward, forming pillars of ocean as thick as forty oak trees, each stretching
straight to the sky.
Rapt by the
show of magic, I almost didn’t notice the massive leviathan snaking through the
ocean. Its shiny scales glistened with each new flash of lightning. The
serpent-like body must’ve been as long as ten galley ships and as thick as a
three-mast sailing ship. Although the mystical creature never lifted his head
out of the water, I already knew who he was.
Decimus—Gregory
Ruma’s legendary leviathan.
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Review
This is Volke's story. He has always wanted to become an Arcanist just like his role model. Volke has many ups & downs and so many obstacles to overcome. I thought the story was well written and very interesting. Lots of mystical creatures and tons of magic all throughout the story. Each turn of the pages left you reeling with excitement & enjoyment. Volke was my favorite character of them all and I loved how determined he was to fulfill his goal in life and become an Arcanist. This was a great story and I can only imagine it will only get better with what comes next. A truly amazing, different story.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Shami
Stovall relies on her BA in History and Juris Doctorate to make her living as
an author and history professor in the central valley of California. She writes
in a wide range of fiction, from crime thrillers to fantasy to science-fiction.
Stovall loves reading, playing video games, entertaining others with stories,
and writing about herself in the third person.
Website:
https://sastovallauthor.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/GameOverStation/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SAStovall/
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ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your review!
ReplyDeleteThank the author for the excerpt. The story sounds intriguing and thank you the reviewer for the review will surely pick this one up.
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