Rise of the Destroyer

The Key of Creation #1

by A.R. Voss, M.D. Bushnell

It has been five centuries since a well-placed arrow put an end to the reign of terror brought by Sargon the Destroyer. Time passed, and the wounds of the land healed while magic was forgotten.
Now, Aldrick and his family enjoy a peaceful journey to the Tournament of the King. He could never have imagined on that beautiful spring day, that his life was about to change, or that his destiny might be to face…
…The Rise of the Destroyer.

Coming March 21st, 2013 book two of The Key of Creation Series, "Journey to Khodara."

Join us at www.facebook.com/KeyofCreationSeries.

Genres: Fantasy

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

A.R. Voss (1970- ) Has been writing fiction since the young age of 8; his debut publication is the first book of "The Key of Creation" series, "Rise of the Destroyer." He graduated California State University, Fullerton with a Theatre degree, majored in Directing and is currently working on numerous projects including the remaining books of "The Key of Creation" series.

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Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you read a blog post in which an author admits, “Yes, I know that the book starts slow, but I wanted to introduce the main characters before the plot really kicks in?” I hate that sentiment. I think an author should grab the reader by the, uh, throat and make them BEG for the opportunity to read on, rather than fill their minds with a bunch of facts and hope that they'll stick around for the action.

M.D. Bushnell and A.R. Voss apparently agree with me. They open “Rise of the Destroyer”, the first of 3 planned books in The Key to Creation Series, on the run. Something out of the ordinary is going on in the capital city of the kingdom. What's happening – and for that matter, what would be considered “ordinary” if it were happening? Who's involved? Bushnell & Voss realize that they don't need to tell us all that in advance; they can dish it out to us over time. As long as our first impression is “Wow!” rather than “Huh?”, they've got us. And they know it.

The book is probably categorized under Sword & Sorcery. However, the book does not limit itself to any single genre. Do you like mysteries? Are you into political intrigue? Perhaps you prefer action? Bushnell & Voss have something to offer you in this book as well.

Then, as we approach the end, and the resolution of our mystery … CLIFFHANGER!! I am not a fan of the cliffhanger, unless it is made clear in advance that I have picked up a section of a serial. I'm OK with some plot threads carrying over to a future book, as long as our Climax is followed by a Conclusion. Bushnell & Voss have a conclusion, but it's not in this book. C'mon guys, you're better than THAT!!

This was definitely worth my time, and I will forgive our authors by the time the next book is released – in just a few days ...


DISCLOSURES: I was given a free copy of this book by one of the authors in return for my honest review. In addition, I was provided a copy of a draft of the Prologue in advance of publication, and took part in a forum in which several of us offered our honest – and occasionally brutal – critique as it evolved. (This is why I am named in the Acknowledgements.)

[Jennifer]

I had the pleasure of reading this one from my Read It and Reap group. I found this one to be a good leading book for a series. I plan to get the series and share it with my son. This book is right down our alley. Good set up for a series. Great characters and interesting plot. Thanks for the chance to read it.

[Thomas Duder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: Spoilers ahoy~! I really shouldn't, but I can't help it - it's pretty much a great story. :D

So. Trope of the Trope: Trope Trope Trope.

Ohhhhh baby, I've even been WAITING to do this! Like, I've seriously already written a review for it, lost it, then wrote this one. It's not that the story itself is that good, although it IS good...and certainly worth a read!

What I mean is that I have the honor of actually havin met and talked to one of the writers of Aldrich: Certifiable Badass, and I'm at something of a strange crossroads. As a writer, I can understand and empathize with the decisions they made plot-wise, and can even forgive them the plot blindness that forcibly strikes what are otherwise well-written, highly observant and intelligent characters (the aforementioned Aldrich is a detective of sorts in this world, and while he has wonderful moments of believable insight just gott-DAYUM, the dude can't put two and two together at times in the story). What I cannot forgive, though, is the high-fantasy intro and the...well, let's just say I hope that soon the duo will re-write the coda. The outro (not even the final chapter, just the final several pages) doesn't sit well with me whatsoever, especially after how wonderful the ENTIRE story is up 'til then.

And woooooah, what a story! Sure, the intro is quite abrupt, slamming one's face into a high fantasy frolic with little to no easing into it, just HIGH KING SALAZARAAD OF AQUILONIA WANTS PANTS TOO! But then it kicks into gear in a way that's just really fun, and it's not just about Aldrich and his interactions with the various characters, uncovering the murder plot with the genius of a high-fantasy Sherlock Holmes. When you meet Gilmoure and Warren, HOOOOOO boy, shit gets REAL fun!

Seriously. The aftertaste of this book is freaking exquisite, and Aldrich (gah, what WAS his name) is a certifiable Guile-style badass.

GO HOME AND BE A FAMILY MAN

The belief system concerning magic in the book (Yer gonna hafta read it for THAT to make sense) is slightly annoying to behold, but it makes more sense as things warm up. The other thing is the creation mythos, cleverly given in a child's story. At least >I< think it's cleverly delivered, and also provides some important exposition to the whole thing.

Still the plot-blindness of some of these otherwise intelligent and fascinating characters (Gilmoure and Warren could use a prequel~! Same with Ahdrick - he is SUCH a high-fantasy detective badass!) Can be downright infuriating. A list of names that's obviously an assassination list, but OHHHH LET'S PRETEND LIKE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS IS....yeah.

COULD IT BE THE KIIIIING'S HEIR?

BUT....despite all that: 4/5.

Solidly 4/5.

Overall, Gilmoure's Rising: Hail to the King, Baby.....

I mean Gilmoure's and Warren's Excellent Adventure....

I mean, dammit, Gilmoure the Series: The King Rises....

DAMMIT, I meant to type Aldrich: Certifiable Badass.....

....I fucking liked this book. D:<

No, seriously, that jousting match!

Bad. Ass.

Sincerely,

~Thomas Duder, Author of the Things
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorOfTheTh...

P.S. - No, seriously, THAT JOUSTING MATCH! Even now, what...two weeks after I'm done reading it? Fucking awesome. :D With that stated I just KNOW I'm gonna enjoy Trope of the Trope 2: The Reveangancer of the Rising Trope...

P.P.S. - No, I'm probably never NOT going to beat you guys up for the name of this series. :3

[Roy Huff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok. My rating is 4.5/5. It's excellent in nearly every respect, the only reason 4.5/5 instead of 5 is that is starts off a little slow and ends a little abruptly, otherwise it is an excellent read. There is a great magic system with a lot in great fantasy fun. If fantasy is your genre, be sure to check this one out. You will probably like it even if it's not your genre. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was an excellent book. It had action, good vs. evil, and it was fast paced. I really loved the plot(s) twists and turns. It kept me interested, which can sometimes be hard to do!

The character development was good, the scene setting excellent. You could tell the author spent a lot of time getting those details down just how it was wanted.

I will definitely be reading the next books in this series!

[Tom Krug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pros:
- Convincing world-building
- Page-turning climax

Cons:
- Very slow for most of the book
- Flat, uninteresting characters

Rise of the Destroyer follows, in essence, a royal succession in conflict. It is told mostly through the eyes of Aldrick, a noble-turned-scholar who has returned to his home nation to help see his friend, the prince, to the recently-emptied throne. But before he even arrives, an assassination attempt nearly takes his life, along with his family's. And the deadly intrigue keeps right on in the capital itself.

It's a story with a lot of potential. From the story description, it was apparent from the start that that Rise of the Destroyer would focus on court intrigue. But in order for a plot like that to remain interesting, you need solid characters. And this book is sadly lacking in that area.

The protagonist, Aldrick, is a whimsical scholarly type who cares deeply for his family, and shows an entirely unearned loyalty to his childhood friend, the prince. He's a fine swordsman, but this talent only manifests at the start of the book and fails to reappear. His bookish qualities are a constant frustration to his lovely wife. He's clever enough to see glimpse the deadly plots that lace the court. It's not that Aldrick was an unconvincing character. He just wasn't interesting. I never found myself wanting to know more about him.

But come to think of it, the same is true for almost every other character in the book. I couldn't bring myself to care about Aldrick's wife or child. His best friend, Prince Brodan, is such a spoiled, arrogant brat that he should anger the reader to no end. Yet he's just sort of boring (and a pretty obvious antagonist-in-disguise, to boot). There actually was one interesting character, Gilmoure, but he's not explored until the very end, and so I'm forced to admit that he's a 'good' character only because he possesses the potential to become one.

The court intrigue, to my dismay, wasn't pulled off convincingly. The guards have an infuriating inability to guard anything. The assassins aren't even good at what they do. Aldrick alone seems to possess any intelligence whatsoever, because he's the only one who's able to put the pieces together and figure out that nobles are being individually killed off for some unseen reason. And yet when he finds a list of individuals to be assassinated, what does he do? He shows it to his father, and both men mutually agree to tuck the list away and tell precisely no one about it. Throughout all this, the plot remains aggravatingly slow. Sure, there are assassinations and robberies and historical flashbacks to flesh out the world... but it wasn't enthralling stuff by any means.

All in all, the plot was incredibly simplistic. I'd figured out what was really going on about 1/3 of the way into the book, though I hoped I was wrong. Maybe the author was going to pull out some amazing twist at the end? Not really. Compounding my confusion at the target audience (adult?) was the utter lack of bad language, love scenes, or bloody violence. I think this book might have been mislabeled, I really do. Because as written, I really think it's more middle grade than anything else. And as MG, I actually think this would qualify as a good book.

Let me turn this review around for a minute. There were actually good parts at the end. The pace of the book picks up as you get 3/4 of the way through. There's an archery scene that was actually very entertaining, and the joust scene was genuinely good! So was the climax, although as mentioned before, the 'twist' was very predictable.

Another more minor plus, the world-building. Voss fleshes out the history of his world pretty well, as well as the political structure. I'm not convinced that a "Tournament of the King" could ever work. Right from the start, I furrowed my brow thinking, "How has no one in the history of this country just decided to assassinate all the other contenders?" And what do you know, that's exactly what happens. I wanted to know a bit more about the common people, and the nobility lacked any real role in the plot. Voss only gives you tidbits to flesh out this fantasy world, but somehow it works.

If only he'd populated it with more engrossing people.

I give Rise of the Destroyer three stars. Here's why it wasn't two.

I really think this book was just a prelude. And unfortunately, a pretty boring prelude, for the most part. The last quarter of the book was a happy exception to my statement. The pace picked up remarkably well. I found myself intrigued. I really hope the sequels can keep that pace.

[Sal · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Within the first few pages- I was confused about the target audience. The writing, though not childish, felt like it was aimed at a young generation, i.e early teens. I couldn't quite pinpoint the reasons why I felt this in the beginning, however, the prologue moved smoothly and swiftly and I was very interested in reading on after it.

I loved how the author started off the main story, after all the chaos in the prologue- peace and calm- just a happy man traveling along with his family on a beautiful day. You get a sense that huge turn of events that would change his life that was about to come. The calm before the storm.

The plot that followed afterwards- I enjoyed it, but it was predictable. Too many hints were dropped to early, and clues were too obvious- they spelt the rest of the plot out for the reader. I would have liked it to be far more mysterious, more intriguing, more subtle. The main character, though he was not portrayed as unintelligent, appeared to be...how to put it, purposely looking away from the answers to the puzzle? It felt as if that the only reason he was unaware of the 'plan' was so that the story could carry on, and so the climax in the book could be reached.

Lets talk about the main character more. Aldrick sounds like a really likeable guy. Wise, good personality, selfless. Hero qualities, I might add. It's just that- I wanted to love him. When I meet a main character, I want to become so invested in him, that when something bad happens to them, I am devasted. When something good occurs, I jump with joy. Unfortunately, I didn't get that with aldrick, nor with the other characters. And the big reason is going to be in my next paragraph.

Character interaction, their thoughts, their feelings, their words. This is the main problem I have. It's not bad, it's just confusing. Most of the characters are grown men (and women) who I presume are in their thirties and above. But they don't read their age. Their personality seems a little exaggerated and cartoonized (is that a word?), and if they had burst out shouting "Hey ho!" And "Jolly good old chap!" it would not have seemed entirely out of place. To have treated this as a mature read, I would have needed much more nit and grit. Don't just tell me that they're angry/frightened/tense etc. Show me.

I read the book for a third of the way treating this as a book for 15+ years old originally. Then I stopped, started from the beginning and re-read this as a book targeted for the younger audience. Then I enjoyed it a lot. The plot no longer felt like it moved too quickly, characters (although they were grown men) no longer seemed odd and unrelatable (? I think I keep making up words...) everything thing was more exciting and vivid. I felt the last quarter of the book was great.

Would I recommend it? Yes, but not to someone the same age or older. Not because they wouldn't enjoy it, but for the same reason I wouldn't especially recommend Roald Dahl to them. Would I read the sequels? Yes.

N.B thank you to the author and to the 'Read it and Reap' section of Goodreads for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for a completely honest review. Obviously, this review is completely subjective and I often have really strange opinions that differ from everybody else's, but I've tried to express my thoughts and feelings as I progressed through the book, which resulted in an essay of ramble.

[Mary Holland · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is part one of an epic fantasy trilogy. Five hundred years after Sargon the Destroyer was defeated, ominous signs indicate he may have risen again. A pyramidal artifact, possibly one of three created by the gods, turns up in a dead warrior’s pack. The hero, Aldrick, carries it to the city of Asturia, where he plans to witness the tournament selecting the next king of Asturia. Someone is poisoning or assassinating nobles, and strange things are happening in the tournament. The old king’s son has changed, not for the better, the artifact is stolen, and magic unseen for 500 years is appearing.

There are several problems with this story. First, it is not very original in setting or concept. The world is pseudo-medieval: kings, nobles, tournaments, castles, horses, and peasants. The same world tropes have been used in many, many, previous fantasies: Brooks’s the Sword of Shannara, Williams’s Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, and the multiple iteration of Dungeons and Dragons, not to mention Jordan’s Wheel of Time series to name just a few. The names have a similar recycled flavor. Sargon the evil magician was an evil magician in a DC Comics series, and also the name of the emperor in Heinlein’s Citizen of the Galaxy, to mention two of the better known ones. The pyramid artifact seems to be the standard MacGuffin, the object promising unlimited powers and/or doom, which is found, lost, and sought, by the hero and the villain.
The tone of the writing, especially the early descriptions, is ponderous and semi-formal, reflecting a desire to write quasi-medieval, but it is difficult for the authors to sustain. It lapses into modern colloquial English, particularly in the dialogs. One sequence, where the hero is reading a story to his son, reads exactly like the beginning of The Princess Bride, where the little boy continuously interrupts, complaining the story is boring.

The pace drags, as the reader waits for the hero to act. The hero ignores all clues from the evil or possessed characters, such as sudden greed, ignoring the poor, or rigging a tournament using black magic. On his way to the king’s tournament, the hero defeats three magical warriors and finds a mysterious pyramid-shaped object in their baggage. That night he reads ‘his favorite story’ to his son, and the story describes a magical pyramid-shaped object. He doesn’t make the connection.

His friend, the king’s son, behaves in an increasingly boorish and arrogant manner, surrounds himself with strange guards, and seems happy as his rivals are all murdered, poisoned, or have convenient accidents. The hero cannot believe in his guilt, and in fact the book ends as he is attempting to decide what to do. It’s a frustrating non-payoff for reading the entire book, and obviously meant as a cliffhanger to get the reader to move to vol. 2.

Unless you are a medieval fantasy fan, eager to read anything and everything in the genre, I can’t recommend this book.

I received a free copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review through Goodread’s Read It and Reap group.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

The strongest point of the book to me was the world itself. I found myself drawn into the setting and wanting to know more about the history and mythos of the world. I could clearly picture the place – another strength of the book is that there is enough detail to imagine everything but not so much that I felt overloaded with images. One area that I’d liked to have seen even more of was the history. Aldrick, the main character, reminisces on books he read as a childhood, and we get snippets from these, but I wanted more in several places, mostly because it was so intriguing.

The strength of the world itself was not totally reflected in the characters, however. One reviewer described them as flat and uninteresting, and although I don’t know that I would characterize it that strongly, I understand the sentiment. There were places where I connected with Aldrick, and others where I didn’t. I think for the most part the book is held together by a strong world rather than by strong characters, which might explain my longing for even more history; the characters themselves aren’t enough to hold it together on their own. I actually like that several of the characters, like Brodan, are somewhat unlikeable – it makes them seem more real in a genre where so many authors are afraid to make their characters anything other than charming. But there did seem to be a bit of a disconnect between what I found to be an enticing world and the people in it, who weren’t as interesting.

[Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aldrick, an investigator from Ubarra, is traveling with his family to Akkadia for The Tournament of the King. Aldrick is attacked on the road not far from Akkadia and discovers something very startling. He hopes his father Tiberius can give him the answers he seeks. Regent Brodan insists that he'll win The Tournament of the King without a doubt. Yet Aldrick finds it hard to believe and hopes for the sake of his friend that it's true. People with noble blood are being killed yet no one knows the reason why. Meanwhile in Illyria, Prince Garrick goes missing again. Squire Warren is sent out to search for him and doesn't find him. King Zabalan is holding a Gathering and appears to be acting strangely. Gilmourne is points leader in the Tournament of the King which frustrates Brodan to no end. Aldrick is witness to yet another attack which leaves him to question who is behind these attacks. What will Tiberius and Aldrick learn? Who is behind these attacks? Why is Brodan so sure? Who is Gilmourne really? Your answers await you in Rise of the Destroyer.

I really enjoyed this book. I've always been a fan of fantasy books because you can go to magical places that can transform your world just little bit. I thought that lore, legends, and tales were well chosen and clever. For me, this book had me diving to the story like I was there which reminds me of You're Here Videos from school. I look forward to the next installment.

[K.B. Lever · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me first start by saying that this is not my normal genre.

It took me 3 days to read this book. Normally, between working multiple jobs and raising a family, it will take me at least a week before I can fully dive into a story. The great thing about this book is that it MADE me give it time. I even found that I was thinking about the book after I had put it down.

My only complaints were that I felt like, because I read the prologue, it caused me to get a bit lost and confused in the middle of the book. The prologue was gripping and exciting, but I found myself constantly waiting for more of those characters later in the story. I felt like it was kind of a let down that they weren't in the story more. Also, I felt like there was a lot of traveling.

I find it odd that when I think back on the book, the main points that come to mind are the lulls between climaxes. I would prefer to have the battles and exciting parts to be more of what comes to mind. Maybe they were a bit too short.

Nonetheless, I would recommend this book. It was an interesting read and I think it sets an interesting premiss for what will occur in the second book. (I hope I'm right) I look forward to picking up the rest of the collection!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of reading this book as part of the Read It and Reap group, receiving a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Personally, it took me much longer than I anticipated to finish this book. It took a long time for me to get into the story, as it started kind-of slowly and the characters were not that interesting. It was also superfluously wordy, in a sort-of pretentious way - at least that is how it came off to me.

Eventually, it became an easier read, with a bit of mystery, although it remained generally predictable. My favorite aspect of this was just the world that it was set in - it was interesting to read about how it differentiates itself from other such fantasy worlds. The cliffhanger ending seemed abrupt, but it helped set up for a sequel. Overall, I enjoyed the read once I got into it, and wish the author best of luck with the sequels!

[Jackie - Fire & Ice Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a digital copy of this book in exchange of a honest review. In a land where magic has been forgotten, Aldrick and his family finds themselves being attacked while traveling to see the reign, and childhood friend compete to become king. But there attackers are 3 men who are trying to hide there idenity with magic. Is Aldrick just seeing things? or has magic not been forgotten at all? He finds 3 items on one of there attackers that may hold the key to why nobles are getting attacked, so Aldrick and his family sets out to find out what's going on. I have to say this book was filled with action from start to finish. I enjoyed getting lost in this story. I felt like I was there with the characters the entire time. I hope to read the other books in this series. I want to say thanks to the author and the group where i found this book, for allowing me to read this book!

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've got 2 words for this book: CLIFFHANGER ENDING

I really loved the overall plot and the characters (even though I kinda saw Brodan's betrayal coming). I can't wait to read the next book, and find out what Aldrick chooses to do about Brodan's betrayal.

[Lady Entropy · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Casia Pickering · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the author for an honest review. Actually, I received it in a compilation of the trilogy, but I like the idea of breaking the large compendium into its separate parts for this review. That said, let me begin...

The Key of Creation is a fantasy trilogy. The first book, The Rise of the Destroyer, centers on Aldrick, an investigator from a small town.

What I liked about this book is that there is a number of mysteries added with an interesting world. As a reader, you aren't going to get this long exposition about the world before even figuring out the main characters. Though I love LOTR, it was something I didn't care for. Luckily, Voss and Bushnell don't dwadle in exposition land. No, you are shoved right into the mystery and action.

The first mystery is what is going on with the country Illyria and how does that tie into the large scheme. You are introduced to this mystery very early on. Though you don't get much on what is going on, the authors do give enough background (through mythic storytelling) to give you an idea of what may happen in the future.

The other and more pressing mystery are the deaths of nobles during a tournament. What I love about this tournament is that it is to determine who will be king. Pretty neat and not something usually done. I really liked that tidbit of the world. It gave the country a custom and added onto something more.

So, without giving anything away (hopefully), Aldrick, our main character, is trying to figure out mystery number 2. What's great is that I'm not sure if all of mystery number 2 is its own mystery or a part of mystery number 1. That bit of secrecy is well placed and does keep me wondering.

Aldrick is an interesting character. Someone, a reviewer I read, compared him to Sherlock. Whereas I love Sherlock and Aldrick does solve crimes for a living, I wouldn't say he's a Sherlock. I liken him as his own type of crime solver. He does rely on his wits and knowledge, but even he is the first to admit that he isn't going to know everything off the bat. He has humor and is very loving to his family. That dynamic and his lack of navigational skills make him an interesting and endearing character.

The other characters we are introduced to are equally as interesting and you can see their own quirks. However, it is Aldrick that this book centers on. I'm not sure about the other two, but that won't be long.

In all, I liked the fact that this fantasy was more of a mystery in a fantasy setting. No, the mysteries haven't been solved, but I believe that's because they are integral to the rest of the series. With that, I actually welcomed the cliffhanger ending.

This is a short book that you do get pulled into. It has little things that strengthen the storytelling and make you want to know more about the world. I will be reading the other two books and luckily, I have them to read them.

[Patricia Reding · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure what the intended audience is for RISE, but I struggled with seeing it as an adult read. It read more like a story for the juvenile crowd, but for the fact that the main character, Aldrick, is an adult, for Aldrick’s relationship with his wife, and the occasional glimpse of violence. It was almost as though it was an outline of bone, waiting for muscle to be added—and blood and cartilage and sinew and skin and. . . . So, I would give it a 2.5, rounded up to a 3.0 for ranking purposes. (It might rank higher if it was revised to target the juvenile crowd, by making the hero a young person and his wife and son his friends, etc. ??)

Aldrick is the rather dubious hero. While he is purported to be the only one who can see through certain events, he is unable to see through his “friend” who is the obvious villain from the outset. He suspects things without the reader knowing why, is enchanted with the smells of food (“ever imaginable kind of cuisine”) without the reader knowing what they are (though admittedly, we do eventually learn that this includes “fried vegetables and meats of every description," along with "mixes of cheeses and poultry in thin breads and a wide selection of roasted dishes,” honey cakes, homemade candies, breads and preserved jams), and is supposedly the only one bright enough to figure out the riddle at the end, though in fact it turns out that all the contenders for the crown figure out the riddle in the end. . . .

Aldrick supposedly has a close relationship with his father without the reader getting a feel for it, identifies a list of persons to be assassinated without any reason for suspecting the same, frequently leaves his wife and son to follow his own way, though he knows they have been the target of assassins, is angry an artifact was entrusted to a stranger by his father, but shows no anger, and so forth.

For this reader, RISE just—wasn’t. It wasn’t a story that gave me a feel, a taste, a smell, the sounds of, what was happening. It wasn’t a story that kept me turning pages quickly. It wasn’t a story that made me want more—in spite of the fact that it ended on a cliff, demanding that the reader purchase the next volume if they are to know what Aldrick’s great decision turns out to be. While I very much enjoy series reading, I believe that each one should stand on its own from beginning to end. Alas, RISE did not.

[Melissa Levine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like this story, it kept my attention. Although it was pretty slow throughout, it somehow still kept my attention. I hated the ending. That was a really stupid way to do it. Even liking this, I'm not going to be continuing with this series.

I did have a few questions/comments though:

1. The mention of Kind Hermanus having served for 20 summers was mentioned a bunch of times. How is being 70 years old considered not very old?

2. Now I don't know anyone lacking a tongue, so based off of that, I'm pretty sure a person could still make noises. "His mouth was open in surprise but he could not cry out, for he had no tongue." You can still scream.

3. I wasn't a fan of Dathan. All his 'bloody' talking was really annoying.

4. Wasn't Aldrick already having visions/dreams while awake prior to his announcement?

5. So there were no issues when (I forgot what his name is), the little scrawny bad guy took Aldrick's son and Gilmoure kills him. But when Brodan wants "to see justice done" after he realizes Gilmoure found the crown first, "That will be for the courts to decide." What happened to the courts when the scrawny guy was killed?

6. How was Aldrick really that surprised with Bordan's betrayal? I didn't really get that. Yes, they'd been friends since they were both kids. But even he commented on Bordan's 'full of yourself' attitude, the sudden need for non-Astrian guards and his not being worried about the tournament.

7. More on that note, Bordan's was not king, yet. I didn't understand why he would have been allowed to chose guards for the other contestants? What kind of sense did that make? None.

[Bruna Bellini · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, I wanted to say thank you to the author to sending me a copy of this book.
It was asked me to be true about my review of it.
Well, the plot is interesting but the story is too slow to develop.
The dialogs are too shallow.
The interaction between the characters are too weak!
Aldrick and his father, doesn't seems to be son and father.
Aldrick relationship with his wife and son, it's too "forced", too perfect.
It seems like something is missing in the characters. None give a great impression.
I think it has a few holes in the book, like, Aldrick find this mysterious artifact with those rare assassins, and his father give it to someone he doesn't even know too well and also without consult with his son.
All the suspicious things happening about the list and the suspicious deaths, but even, Aldrick and his dad keep it for themselves.
Some things happens to fast while others too slow, like the description of the contest to win the crown.
And it ended in a way that doesn't seems like a proper ending to a book! It was missing that climax that makes you want to keep reading.

[Tycho · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting world, and I would have liked to see more of it. I understand that it was meant to kick off the series, and that is how it comes off. Also, the writing style makes it seem like it was intended for a young-adult audience (which may add to the difficulty for me to read it, as YA books are generally harder for me to read than adult books).

Unfortunately, I found the characters to be rather flat and the dialogue to be forced. Both the guards and the assassins were inefficient, and I found Aldrick's loyalty to Prince Brodan confusing. The court intrigue wasn't very intriguing, and the logic behind this system of government was dubious (at best). Personally, I desire to know more about Gilmoure; to me, he is the most interesting character in the book.

The archery and joust scenes were very interesting, and left me wanting to know more about what was going on. A lot of things were obvious, but the confusion out of those two was well played and helped keep me interested.

The world-building was wonderful. The character development needs development.

[Amy (DemonKittie) · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I was given a free copy in exchange for an unbiased review*

So this book was a very promising start, but it finished so abruptly that it simply felt a bit incomplete. It feels like so many things were left unresolved. It was more like a good start without a finish. I just really don't get the ending (obviously), and the assassins aren't fully explained and I am confused. Sorry, I wish I could be more eloquent, but I just don't know what to say.

Don't get me wrong, it is a good start, and maybe the next section of this series will touch on the loose ends and other stuff that was left up in the air.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am waiting until i read all three. I brought this 1st book. but then A. R. Voss sent me all 3 books to read. I am really liking this series. very entertaining. love the Characters. but i am not supposed to do the review until i read all 3. so time will tell. I have a really great feeling about this series. :) can't wait to begin the 2nd book was going to start now but i don't want ot be up all night. Tomorrow i will begin. peace
Angel

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

*** I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review***

This book is the first of a trilogy as I understand. I did enjoy the different characters however I thought that the plot moved along a little slowly. The story line was entertaining but I disliked where the book ended. I felt that there wasn't any resolution of anything going on in the book.

Overall this was a nice book but I feel like perhaps more than one book of this trilogy could have been combined.

[Kim Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book. This action packed book kept me interested. It was exciting to see what Aldrick would face next in this story. I would have given it 5 stars but there were a few typos and grammatical errors. Those errors aside, I would recommend this book to action junkies. No spoilers here but definitely worth your time.

[Lorena Beshello · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received the e-book from the author for an honest review.

The story was interesting and enjoyable. I think it lacked in action and sometimes there was too much dialogue. However, since it is the first book of the series, it is fine to have a background of the story, the characters etc. Hopefully the second book will be more engrossing. I am already curious to continue reading the next book.

[Velvetink]

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