This is the second book I have been asked to review that is not one of my preferred genres so I have no comparison to other books of this ilk. In fact I would normally walk straight past the fantasy section of the bookshop.

However, after reading the beginning of the book I was hooked from the start and grateful for the opportunity to read it.

The prologue sets the scene of a world divided between good and evil and how that came about.

Blood Bonds, the story of four unlikely allies, two humans, a beautiful blue elf princess and a giant half orc body guard.

The story begins when two slaves escape their cruel captor and enter the magical Golden Kingdom, a land of elves and unicorns.

Together they lead their people into battle against, goblins, evil green orcs, ice giants, giant spiders and trolls.

The succinct descriptive language paints clear word pictures and makes the story move along quickly. It is definitely compelling reading. The battle scenes in particular evoke emotion from the reader – emotions of panic, fear, excitement and success.

I am eagerly looking forward to the next instalment.

This review is also available on my website www.pam.id.au
( )

This copy was received for an honest review.

Everything and anything is possible in fantasy, it is what makes the genre so versatile.

There is more than a hint of both 'Lord of the Rings', and 'Game of Thrones' in this story, but the same could be said for any near epic fantasy since 'GOT' became a phenomenon.

In Ethriel, author Joe Walker has created four believable fantasy characters, blue skinned warrior Elf Princess Elenei; light-green skinned Half-Orc Ogen, the true Iron King; escaped human slaves, Van, who despite being a captive since he was just five years old still has secrets to keep; and the older Tuttos with his secret royal connections.

This first book is apparently registered on Amazon as 265 pages, my PDF copy was just 117 pages, so I do not know if that means that there are extra scenes in the final edition or any significant changes. However, I did feel that certain scenes felt quite short and that the main hero was a little too perfect in my shorter edition.

Epic fantasy stories often have an expectation of a built in long-term commitment, something many other genres do not, often a series can run to double figures, difficult for the casual reader to dip in and out of. Despite this added pressure, Ethriel: Bood Bonds gives the reader a good solid start, with traditional likeable good guys and boo-able bad guys, and of course the door is left ajar for the next edition.

My cover rating is based on the cover displayed on Amazon and Goodreads, as my copy did not come with a cover.

The ebook is currently available for free on Amazon.

(My edition also credits the author as just Joe Walker).



Urthwild ( )

This is the second book I have been asked to review that is not one of my preferred genres so I have no comparison to other books of this ilk. In fact I would normally walk straight past the fantasy section of the bookshop.

However, after reading the beginning of the book I was hooked from the start and grateful for the opportunity to read it.

The prologue sets the scene of a world divided between good and evil and how that came about.

Blood Bonds, the story of four unlikely allies, two humans, a beautiful blue elf princess and a giant half orc body guard.

The story begins when two slaves escape their cruel captor and enter the magical Golden Kingdom, a land of elves and unicorns.

Together they lead their people into battle against, goblins, evil green orcs, ice giants, giant spiders and trolls.

The succinct descriptive language paints clear word pictures and makes the story move along quickly. It is definitely compelling reading. The battle scenes in particular evoke emotion from the reader – emotions of panic, fear, excitement and success.

I am eagerly looking forward to the next instalment.

This review is also available on my website www.pam.id.au ( )