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Somewhere Out There
Benjamin didn’t survive the battle of Camlann.
Nor did his mentor and best friend Merlin.
Nor did King Arthur.
The only difference was they died, and Benjamin continued existing, forced to take on their guardianship of a realm torn apart by war with desperate Gods.
But the world didn’t end - although it came close a few times.
Centuries have slipped by and there hasn’t been much need for Benjamin’s skills as a warlock, but at least he’s had his magic, Ambrosius, for company. They’ve done their best to keep the realm safe, but everything changes one Halloween in Oxford when Benjamin meets April, a vampire hunter who isn’t quite what she seems.
As the universe begins to unravel and the Gods seek to ensure their continued freedom, Benjamin must confront conflictions of morality and his own inner demons to find the truth and save his realm.
Nor did his mentor and best friend Merlin.
Nor did King Arthur.
The only difference was they died, and Benjamin continued existing, forced to take on their guardianship of a realm torn apart by war with desperate Gods.
But the world didn’t end - although it came close a few times.
Centuries have slipped by and there hasn’t been much need for Benjamin’s skills as a warlock, but at least he’s had his magic, Ambrosius, for company. They’ve done their best to keep the realm safe, but everything changes one Halloween in Oxford when Benjamin meets April, a vampire hunter who isn’t quite what she seems.
As the universe begins to unravel and the Gods seek to ensure their continued freedom, Benjamin must confront conflictions of morality and his own inner demons to find the truth and save his realm.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 3, 2023
The history books speak of you and battles won. They tell of Merlin's unparalleled skill with mage and his knowledge. There's no word of the court physician who remains, trapped in time, trying to remember who we all were.
Thank you to the author for providing the book in exchange for a review!
Set in present day, October 2023 Oxford, a human girl called April and Benjamin, a shtriga (made instead of born vampire), are coerced by Fate (in a very literal sense) to run into each other.
Benjamin is also a Guardian of the human realm of Gaia, one of ten which the mortals remain blissfully unaware of, replacing King Arthur’s role until his prophesied return.
It’s the Guardian’s job to ensure that the supernatural do not impinge on Gaia - Earth.
But then the end of worlds arrive.
”Hey, Ben, have you seen the one where a shtriga, a vampire, a hunter and a warlock have to work together to save the world? It's very original!”
April was such a fun character! We don’t know much about her apart from the fact she tries to take out a demon with a salt shaker which causes Benjamin to take her under his wing as a sidekick. She never stops asking questions, is full of light and youth (which Benjamin lacks due to his age), and offers plenty of references to keep the book fresh and amusing - cue Dracula, Disney’s the Sword in the Stone, and iCloud photo jokes!
’Seriously, let go of the stereotypes.’
‘Hey! Why don’t you get me a wooden stake and a hammer and we'll test that stereotype?'
‘Bite me, April.’
'What? You're the vampire.’
The most fun thing? Wales played a prominent part in location and my home city was even used in a prophecy!
I enjoyed the first half more than the second half - things seemed to fall into place too easily after this and character interactions seemed to centre around the same issue each time with no true development. The dialogue was at times stilted and telling of a debut book, but there is much potential for the author to grow into a more natural prose!
If you enjoyed this, I would recommend Wraithwood by Alyssa Roat.
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Thank you to the author for providing the book in exchange for a review!
Set in present day, October 2023 Oxford, a human girl called April and Benjamin, a shtriga (made instead of born vampire), are coerced by Fate (in a very literal sense) to run into each other.
Benjamin is also a Guardian of the human realm of Gaia, one of ten which the mortals remain blissfully unaware of, replacing King Arthur’s role until his prophesied return.
It’s the Guardian’s job to ensure that the supernatural do not impinge on Gaia - Earth.
But then the end of worlds arrive.
”Hey, Ben, have you seen the one where a shtriga, a vampire, a hunter and a warlock have to work together to save the world? It's very original!”
April was such a fun character! We don’t know much about her apart from the fact she tries to take out a demon with a salt shaker which causes Benjamin to take her under his wing as a sidekick. She never stops asking questions, is full of light and youth (which Benjamin lacks due to his age), and offers plenty of references to keep the book fresh and amusing - cue Dracula, Disney’s the Sword in the Stone, and iCloud photo jokes!
’Seriously, let go of the stereotypes.’
‘Hey! Why don’t you get me a wooden stake and a hammer and we'll test that stereotype?'
‘Bite me, April.’
'What? You're the vampire.’
The most fun thing? Wales played a prominent part in location and my home city was even used in a prophecy!
I enjoyed the first half more than the second half - things seemed to fall into place too easily after this and character interactions seemed to centre around the same issue each time with no true development. The dialogue was at times stilted and telling of a debut book, but there is much potential for the author to grow into a more natural prose!
If you enjoyed this, I would recommend Wraithwood by Alyssa Roat.
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June 18, 2023
A fascinating take on the Arthurian legends with an array of well-crafted characters. The writing is very poetic in places and the dry humour is something that really resonated with me. Looking forward to seeing if there are any more books in the series.
September 3, 2025
I read this book after buying a signed copy at a fantasy fayre, the author has potential, but this book was very difficult to read, there was too much dialogue and not enough narration to explain what is happening, I found myself to be very lost a lot of the time.
I think if Caroline works on her prose her writing ability will get a lot better, I would have liked to see April have her own chapters and her character to be built up before she just randomly stumbles up to Ben in the park, there is no feeling it to it.
I personally do not write a lot, this is my first ever review on here and a lot of the things I want to say I do not really have the skills to, but I think as an example of what I believe to be the greatest prose of all time Caroline could do with reading some Ken Follet before writing her next book, while it is historical fiction and not fantasy, I think it will improve her fantasy writing immeasurably as he has the right amount of dialogue, prose, and narration and is a master of creating different story lines for each character.
I read all the book to try and give Caroline pointers where I could (as a non-author, but an avid-reader) I hope this criticism is seen as productive and Caroline keeps her passion for writing.
I think if Caroline works on her prose her writing ability will get a lot better, I would have liked to see April have her own chapters and her character to be built up before she just randomly stumbles up to Ben in the park, there is no feeling it to it.
I personally do not write a lot, this is my first ever review on here and a lot of the things I want to say I do not really have the skills to, but I think as an example of what I believe to be the greatest prose of all time Caroline could do with reading some Ken Follet before writing her next book, while it is historical fiction and not fantasy, I think it will improve her fantasy writing immeasurably as he has the right amount of dialogue, prose, and narration and is a master of creating different story lines for each character.
I read all the book to try and give Caroline pointers where I could (as a non-author, but an avid-reader) I hope this criticism is seen as productive and Caroline keeps her passion for writing.
August 26, 2023
I was gifted this copy as an ARC for an honest review and all opinions are my own.
This is a great debut novel. It's certainly a different take on the Arthurian legend.
April is a wanna be demon hunter
Ben is somewhere between life and death being a vampire laced with magic.
Merlin is not who he seems to be. Avalon is also not the idyllic legend it is usually portrayed to be.
With Godesses who want to wage War literally , cause Chaos and intertwined with Fate ... it makes an interesting mix of characters.
I love how this is more magic realism than total fantasy as even though it talks of 9 realms, the bulk of it is set in modern day.
The story is full of dry humour but also heartache . In places you can really feel Ben's hurt and also Jack's love for Ben
I enjoyed the LGBTQ rep in this.
The map at the start is a beautiful touch and the chapter names.
The only thing I struggled with was I got a little lost at times at who was talking , the chapters were a little long and in places to complex. Sometimes less can be more.
I am really looking forward to the next installment!
This is a great debut novel. It's certainly a different take on the Arthurian legend.
April is a wanna be demon hunter
Ben is somewhere between life and death being a vampire laced with magic.
Merlin is not who he seems to be. Avalon is also not the idyllic legend it is usually portrayed to be.
With Godesses who want to wage War literally , cause Chaos and intertwined with Fate ... it makes an interesting mix of characters.
I love how this is more magic realism than total fantasy as even though it talks of 9 realms, the bulk of it is set in modern day.
The story is full of dry humour but also heartache . In places you can really feel Ben's hurt and also Jack's love for Ben
I enjoyed the LGBTQ rep in this.
The map at the start is a beautiful touch and the chapter names.
The only thing I struggled with was I got a little lost at times at who was talking , the chapters were a little long and in places to complex. Sometimes less can be more.
I am really looking forward to the next installment!
February 4, 2024
Firstly I would like to say that I just love the cover photo. The colours are so vibrant and makes the book look so attractive that I was intrigued into reading it.
An intriguing spin on the Arthurian tales with a variety of rich characters. The language is elegant and witty in some parts and I really enjoyed the humour. I'm curious to see if there are more instalments in this series. The writing style of the author are flawless and through her Captivating writing skills I could visualise the whole world. I was feeling like I am standing right there watching the plot develop infront of my eyes. I loved the character developments and it was fun reading the interactions between them. They were quite funny at times.
I will definitely recommend this book to historical fantasy fans. Grab your copy and you will definitely enjoy reading it. I was engaged throughout the book and didn't get bored at all.
An intriguing spin on the Arthurian tales with a variety of rich characters. The language is elegant and witty in some parts and I really enjoyed the humour. I'm curious to see if there are more instalments in this series. The writing style of the author are flawless and through her Captivating writing skills I could visualise the whole world. I was feeling like I am standing right there watching the plot develop infront of my eyes. I loved the character developments and it was fun reading the interactions between them. They were quite funny at times.
I will definitely recommend this book to historical fantasy fans. Grab your copy and you will definitely enjoy reading it. I was engaged throughout the book and didn't get bored at all.
August 28, 2023
I received an Advance Reader Copy of this title from the author. This is my fair and honest review.
4.5/5 rounded up.
Fascinating world building. Reminded me a bit of American Gods by Neil Gaiman style wise. I loved the characters and the banter between them. I related a lot to Ben’s mental state and feeling overwhelmed, it was written in such a way that the reader can really feel it too. I am really intrigued by the plot and what’s to come so I can’t wait for book 2.
4.5/5 rounded up.
Fascinating world building. Reminded me a bit of American Gods by Neil Gaiman style wise. I loved the characters and the banter between them. I related a lot to Ben’s mental state and feeling overwhelmed, it was written in such a way that the reader can really feel it too. I am really intrigued by the plot and what’s to come so I can’t wait for book 2.
June 17, 2023
Honesty, couldn’t put it down. Kept me wondering and kept me engaged all the way through
September 10, 2023
Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy of this title from the author. This is my fair and honest review.
If you're a fan of norse mythology, arthurian legends, fantasy, supernatural and magic you should give this a try when it comes out next month.
In the battle of Camlaan Merlin, Arthur and Benjamin die. Only Benjamin continues to exist for thousands of years without them, taking on their role as Guardian of a realm. Trying to keep Gaia safe from supernatural clans and God's.
On Halloween he meets a hunter named April and the two of them enter a battle to save the realm from the gods.
I loved the writing style, I found it really easy to read but it also felt comforting. Like I really knew the characters and they were my friends *cheesy but true* The banter and reactions to certain things just seemed so real.
I loved all the different relationship dynamics going on and how it keeps you guessing at exactly what is happening. I had such a good theory over one part but turns out I was way off track and never would have guessed the actual answer. Which is great as it gets your brain ticking but doesn't ruin any surprises.
I'm very excited to find out more about 2 particular characters and what will happen next. I'm deliberately being vague on this as I'd hate to get into any spoiler territory.
The only downside of it being an ARC is that I now have to wait far too long to read the 2nd in the series! Highly recommend this wonderful book 😊
If you're a fan of norse mythology, arthurian legends, fantasy, supernatural and magic you should give this a try when it comes out next month.
In the battle of Camlaan Merlin, Arthur and Benjamin die. Only Benjamin continues to exist for thousands of years without them, taking on their role as Guardian of a realm. Trying to keep Gaia safe from supernatural clans and God's.
On Halloween he meets a hunter named April and the two of them enter a battle to save the realm from the gods.
I loved the writing style, I found it really easy to read but it also felt comforting. Like I really knew the characters and they were my friends *cheesy but true* The banter and reactions to certain things just seemed so real.
I loved all the different relationship dynamics going on and how it keeps you guessing at exactly what is happening. I had such a good theory over one part but turns out I was way off track and never would have guessed the actual answer. Which is great as it gets your brain ticking but doesn't ruin any surprises.
I'm very excited to find out more about 2 particular characters and what will happen next. I'm deliberately being vague on this as I'd hate to get into any spoiler territory.
The only downside of it being an ARC is that I now have to wait far too long to read the 2nd in the series! Highly recommend this wonderful book 😊
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews