What do you think?
Rate this book
The Black Petal #1
The Black Petal
Acclaimed author of Here Lies Love, Dan Thompson, returns with an epic fantasy being described as A Game of Thrones for Teens!
Come and Enter this magical tale of fantasy and myth, battles and warriors, and meet the host of memorable characters.
Jack, a teenager from our present, and Blake, a Victorian assassin, are plucked from their homes and awaken in a new land; a realm of fantasy and myth. Drawn into a war between two rival races, they must each choose allies. Jack wants to get home. Blake wants revenge.
An Oracle has persuaded the Amazon Queen that a black petal will summon a powerful god who can grant them victory. A prophecy told long ago tells of a boy from another time who can discover this petal and the Amazon Queen is certain Jack is this boy. She offers him freedom and a way home in exchange.
Will Jack reach the petal in time or will he succumb to the yapping jaws of the mysterious creatures chasing him? And what of Blake? What is the connection between Jack and the assassin that will surely shape their future?
The Black Petal is the first adventure in an exciting new trilogy.
Come and Enter this magical tale of fantasy and myth, battles and warriors, and meet the host of memorable characters.
Jack, a teenager from our present, and Blake, a Victorian assassin, are plucked from their homes and awaken in a new land; a realm of fantasy and myth. Drawn into a war between two rival races, they must each choose allies. Jack wants to get home. Blake wants revenge.
An Oracle has persuaded the Amazon Queen that a black petal will summon a powerful god who can grant them victory. A prophecy told long ago tells of a boy from another time who can discover this petal and the Amazon Queen is certain Jack is this boy. She offers him freedom and a way home in exchange.
Will Jack reach the petal in time or will he succumb to the yapping jaws of the mysterious creatures chasing him? And what of Blake? What is the connection between Jack and the assassin that will surely shape their future?
The Black Petal is the first adventure in an exciting new trilogy.
- GenresFantasy
245 pages, ebook
First published October 18, 2015
1 person is currently reading
1903 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 29, 2016
The Black Petal by Dan Thompson
This book blew my socks off it was so fabulous. I am a slow reader, but could not read it fast enough in the end as it was so very exciting, especially the battle scenes. Dan has his own unique and totally fresh way of telling a story. You can tell from reading it that every detail from the armoury, to the horses, to the types of weapons, all have been thoroughly researched and thought about, so the account of the battle is so totally believable.
I loved that even though the two main characters were men – Blake and Jack – most of the characters were woman and he describes them beautifully, even the ugly oracle. I love all the mythical creatures, and particularly liked Dan’s description of the phoenix bird.
The Black Petal leads you into exploring the lives of two young men who share the same soul. They are both from planet Earth, but from different time frames and have completely different personalities. Jack is an average teenager who starts off unsure of himself, but who’s character grows throughout the story. Blake is a ruthless professional Victorian assassin, very sure of himself, but who’s personality softens after an incident where a woman saves his life. Both get drawn into a parallel universe by a three legged dog, and then meet not only meet each other but all manner of tests and adventures.
This is a jolly exciting read and so very well written. No one I have ever read describes the landscape and the sky as poetically as Dan does. He invents a world that you feel you know or have been to as it’s described so beautifully and accurately. No one is able to transport you to the deepest cave or the highest palace in the sky as Dan does. He describes the fear that coursed through Blake’s body as he fearfully dared to look down whilst riding a flying horse into the sky. No one can touch on the feelings of tenderness in the way Dan did between Jack and his love Lucia.
Also the cover of this book is stunning and the quality of print on cream paper is excellent. If you only buy one paperback this year, I would highly recommend that you buy The Black Petal; it’s a modern classic that you will be able to enjoy time and time again.
October 18, 2015
The Black Petal is one eagerly anticipated book. Whilst Lincolnshire-based writer Dan Thompson has released a string of other titles in recent years (the excellent Here Lies Love included), The Black Petal is actually his first novel, started when he was just sixteen.
The book, marketed as A Game of Thrones for young-adults, follows a teenager from our present, Jack, and Victorian assassin, Blake, as they find themselves transported to a third plain, a world where myth and fantasy come to life. To get home Jack must search for the mysterious black petal, and avoid all the perils of the strange new realm he’s found himself inhabiting. No easy task when most of those perils come armed with sharp teeth, and, sometimes, much worse.
Thompson is an immensely descriptive writer, and the world he creates for his characters is a rich and varied one indeed. Epic fantasy requires strong world building. If an author does not explain what their characters are seeing, feeling and touching then, without anything to draw from, a reader can become lost and inevitably bored. There are no such problems here though, the fantasy world is as believable as it is intriguing, and the switch from Victorian times to present to fantasy is neither clunky nor difficult to follow.
Nevertheless, the greatest strength of this work is the connection between Jack, a bored but mostly normal teen, and Blake, an extraordinary character, with extraordinary skills. Why them? Why the two time periods? When revealed, the link between both characters is genius, and Thompson has a lot of fun exploring it.
The audiobook is also superb, masterfully performed (especially the character voices) by David Gelkin. A fantastical treat, not to be missed!
The book, marketed as A Game of Thrones for young-adults, follows a teenager from our present, Jack, and Victorian assassin, Blake, as they find themselves transported to a third plain, a world where myth and fantasy come to life. To get home Jack must search for the mysterious black petal, and avoid all the perils of the strange new realm he’s found himself inhabiting. No easy task when most of those perils come armed with sharp teeth, and, sometimes, much worse.
Thompson is an immensely descriptive writer, and the world he creates for his characters is a rich and varied one indeed. Epic fantasy requires strong world building. If an author does not explain what their characters are seeing, feeling and touching then, without anything to draw from, a reader can become lost and inevitably bored. There are no such problems here though, the fantasy world is as believable as it is intriguing, and the switch from Victorian times to present to fantasy is neither clunky nor difficult to follow.
Nevertheless, the greatest strength of this work is the connection between Jack, a bored but mostly normal teen, and Blake, an extraordinary character, with extraordinary skills. Why them? Why the two time periods? When revealed, the link between both characters is genius, and Thompson has a lot of fun exploring it.
The audiobook is also superb, masterfully performed (especially the character voices) by David Gelkin. A fantastical treat, not to be missed!
October 24, 2015
Having loved Dan Thompson’s previous book, Here Lies Love, I was excited to read his newest release too. Everything about The Black Petal appealed to me, from the intriguing title to the stunning cover, and the wonderful story inside did not disappoint!
I don’t read a lot of fantasy books so this made a nice change from my usual reading. The story of a present-day teenage boy and a Victorian assassin, transported to a mysterious world, an unknown connection between them, and their quest to get back home never failed to hold my interest, and I looked forward to picking the book up again each evening!
Dan Thompson has a clever way of writing, he weaves description into the story effortlessly, creating gorgeous imagery and never failing to let the reader see every inch of the world he invents. His imagination and storytelling ability carry this fantastic adventure, making it full of unexpected twists and brilliant things I never saw coming. I definitely had my heart in my throat a few times!
What I also loved was that, despite the fantastical setting, the characters stay real and relatable. Jack is just a normal teenage boy, and I liked the fact that stayed true throughout the book. I adored Lucia and the budding relationship between her and Jack. I also loved Blake, the assassin, and found his wit and skill captivating, and I look forward to reading more of him in the next book!
Overall, this is a brilliant, surprising, and smart fantasy adventure, and I can’t wait for the next book in the series!
I don’t read a lot of fantasy books so this made a nice change from my usual reading. The story of a present-day teenage boy and a Victorian assassin, transported to a mysterious world, an unknown connection between them, and their quest to get back home never failed to hold my interest, and I looked forward to picking the book up again each evening!
Dan Thompson has a clever way of writing, he weaves description into the story effortlessly, creating gorgeous imagery and never failing to let the reader see every inch of the world he invents. His imagination and storytelling ability carry this fantastic adventure, making it full of unexpected twists and brilliant things I never saw coming. I definitely had my heart in my throat a few times!
What I also loved was that, despite the fantastical setting, the characters stay real and relatable. Jack is just a normal teenage boy, and I liked the fact that stayed true throughout the book. I adored Lucia and the budding relationship between her and Jack. I also loved Blake, the assassin, and found his wit and skill captivating, and I look forward to reading more of him in the next book!
Overall, this is a brilliant, surprising, and smart fantasy adventure, and I can’t wait for the next book in the series!
October 19, 2015
I read Dan Thompson’s novel, Here Lies Love, so I was looking forward to the release of The Black Petal. It did not disappoint.
Though I tend to read adult fiction, this novel was a real treat. Without spoilers: it follows a teen from current day, Jack, and a Victorian assassin, Blake who find themselves transported to a fantastical world. Thompson deftly developed both characters and their timelines.
Thompson loves rich description and uses it well in this epic fantasy. The switching from the Victorian era to the present to fantasy is easy to follow. I enjoyed it immensely.
Though I tend to read adult fiction, this novel was a real treat. Without spoilers: it follows a teen from current day, Jack, and a Victorian assassin, Blake who find themselves transported to a fantastical world. Thompson deftly developed both characters and their timelines.
Thompson loves rich description and uses it well in this epic fantasy. The switching from the Victorian era to the present to fantasy is easy to follow. I enjoyed it immensely.
October 11, 2021
Dan Thompson is an author who is able to weave a story in a stunning way and develop characters throughout the story he develops and for me this book is one that truly highlights this talent. This book is one which I had sat in my to be read list for quite some time but as soon as I began to read it I was drawn in and found the book pretty much impossible to put down. Very much highly recommended.
September 16, 2016
I got this through the Goodreads book giveaways. This book is really good. Good plot, good characters, well written. I would definitely recommend this book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews