Kings of the Red Shell

Kergulen #2

by R.A. White

The Kings of the Red Shell have kept the Kergulenite Stones safe and dormant for three hundred years, but now the powerful Stones are being stolen one by one. King Mihn calls on the Kergulenites to track the Stones, hoping they will intuit the magic the way their ancestors did, and in the process find his temperamental daughter.
In turn, the Kergulenites call on Rima, an escaped slave with half a dozen extraordinary senses. Rima’s life ambition is to find freedom and start a family, but her fate and personal plans have once again diverged. She finds herself immersed in Trantian culture, where women are prized more for physical attributes than for their innate worth. With talents of almost limitless potential, Rima could be critical to the Kergulenites’ quest, but most Trantians prefer that she stick to cooking.
The mysterious thief clearly has aspirations of world domination, and he may have the resources, as well. Will he add Rima to his list of assets, or will her companions succeed in their mission? Most likely, neither of the above. But one thing is sure—Rima will find out just how brave she really is.

Genres: Fantasy

326 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

I live just west of Orlando with my family, where life is a mash-up of parenting, gardening (or at least trying), cooking, and writing my new book series. I seek healthy balance in my spiritual, mental, and physical aspects, which is to say I do consume dessert a couple times a day, but I also eat lots of fruit.
I appreciate books full of humor, mystery, and diverse characters. I hope you do, too!

Reviews

[R.A. White]

Of course, it took longer to publish 'Kings' than I planned, but it's out now, and I'm so excited. I am proud of this book, and thankful to all who helped me with it. I look forward to seeing what other people think!

Enjoy!

[Mark Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another awesome story by R.A. White. A continuation from Book 1, Kergulen, about the adventures of Rima the Banlunder, picks up in Kings of the Red Shell. Briefly, Rima is an Alonca, an escaped slave from Banlund and a person with exceptional powers, believed to be a direct descendant of Jamail.
Jamail, a Kergulanite, was said to have discovered 6 majical stones hundreds of years earlier giving him enough power to rule the world. Each stone offered a different set of powers and also the ability to see behind the holder. Jamail's near attempt to control the world was thwarted by his children and the stones were dispersed to the King's of each major kingdom to be guarded and kept safe.
The Red Shell, an international secret organization, was established to oversee that each realm adhered to keeping their stone separate and safe. Trant, a neighboring country to Kergulen, was the location of this organization. It's discovered that a powerful thief possessing majical powers has set about to steal the stones, fulfilling Jamail's original intent. In the process of stealing the stone from Trant, the thief also kidnaps King Arisu's daughter. Appealing to King Pitr of Kergulen for help in locating both, the Tronx, Kergulen's band of fierce warriors are asked to help, as they have a 'sense' of the stones and would make it easier to find their whereabouts.
King Pitr, also losing a stone and wanting to exile Rima for personal reasons, sends an envoy to Trant,in response to Arisu's plea for help. Prince Jail Tonx, Rima's close friend and cousin to King Pitr is to lead the group, becoming the new ambassador to Trant, from Kergulen. Accompanied by Rima, several warriors, Ronka, a Trant ambassador, Jail's sister Mrind, a surgeon, and her husband Yori a nurse, they head to Trant. Rima is also excited to relocate in Trant as she will finally be a free woman and not a slave anymore.
In an unexpected twist, Rima discovers she has family in Trant, her Grandfather and Grandmother who happen to be high in the political eyes of Trant. Without ruining anymore of the story with spoilers, R.A. White weaves another fabulous tale with her majical pen, as the group embarks on discovering the whereabouts of the thief, the stones and the Princess.
White's smooth style of writing, draws you into the story and keeps you there. You always know you are reading a good book when you have to make excuses to yourself to sneak off and read it, (and I'm retired, okay?). It really is a page turner and of course there are dragons involved, my personal favorite, danger, love and death.
I highly recommend the Kergulen series to epic fantasy lovers. You will not be disappointed and I eagerly await book III.

[Underground Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

R. A. White has a way with characters. In her second novel, Kings of The Red Shell, the cast from Kergulen (Book One) becomes a dynamic set of heroes. The main character, an escaped slave named Rima, is as loveable as ever.

When Rima finally leaves her newfound family in Kergulen, she is excited to settle down in a city and hopefully fall in love with a rich and powerful bachelor. Unfortunately her friend and mentor, Jail, has other plans for her. He needs her to traipse along with him on yet another harrowing mission. This time, the whole world is at stake.

...read more on Underground Book Reviews (dot) com!

[Miracle Quelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book even more than the first one. The plot was really great, it was full of action and excitement. And Rima really came into her own in this story.

[Roxy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second book what a delight!

Read the first book and became hooked so immediate got the second. Certainly a treat to read. Very happy with the outcome and could stop there but book three is next and with a much different start...

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

2 days, this was about all it took to read this book, because once I picked it up, I didn't want to put it down. I received this directly from R.A.White and I thank you. I knew we were going to follow Rima to a new land from the last book, Kergulen, but I didn't expect so many of my favorite characters would follow! Jail has finally grown up, although he does hold onto Rima like a security blanket, his intentions are honorable. Rima has developed into a confident young woman, with only occasional fits of weepiness. We have new characters to love and new adventures to seek. This book was fast paced and never once dropped the ball or dragged it out. I am now eagerly awaiting the next installment.....

[Tea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will hold off fully reviewing this book, as the author has written to me to say she will be making edits. For now, I'll say only that I enjoyed this one even more than I enjoyed the first book; I felt that the writing had only grown stronger and the story more engaging. The problems from the first book persisted, however, and were more egregious in this book. These are the things R.A. White intends to address in her edits.

Since this was one of those I-liked-it-so-much-,-I-stayed-awake-all-night-to-finish-it books, I'm going ahead and giving it five stars with the understanding that those issues will be addressed.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just gets better and better, I can't wait for book 3! I don't want to accidentally give away any spoilers, but there were so many nice surprises in this book and the ending is fantastic! And I loved Notable Words and Map at the end. There were a few character names I wasn't quite sure how to pronounce, so that was really helpful. Keep up the good work! :)

[Sandy Pankratz]

I enjoyed it. Actually better that book 1.

[Prenscella Hardwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

This book was a great continuation of Book 1. The way the relationships developed between the characters was very natural.