A Sea of Shields

The Sorcerer's Ring #10

by Morgan Rice

In A SEA OF SHIELDS, Gwendolyn gives birth to her and Thorgrin s child, amidst powerful omens. With a son born to them, Gwendolyn and Thorgrin's lives are changed forever, as is the destiny of the Ring. Thor has no choice to but to embark to find his mother, to leave his wife and child and venture away from his homeland on a perilous quest that will have the very future of the Ring at stake.

Before Thor embarks, he unites with Gwendolyn in the greatest wedding in the history of the MacGils, and he is given the honor he has always dreamed of when he is inducted into the Silver and becomes a Knight.

Gwendolyn feels a looming danger to the Ring, and furthers her plans to rescue all of her people in the case of a catastrophe.

Erec receives news of his father's illness, and is summoned back home, to the Southern Isles; Alistair joins him on the journey, as their wedding plans are put in motion. Reece, despite himself, falls in love with his cousin, and when Tirus sons find out, they set in motion a great treachery. And Romulus, in the Empire, discovers a new form of magic which may just destroy the Shield for good.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Ebooks, Magic, Adventure, Epic

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Morgan Rice is the #1 bestselling and USA Today bestselling author of the epic fantasy series THE SORCERER’S RING, comprising seventeen books; of the #1 bestselling series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, comprising twelve books; of the #1 bestselling series THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY, a post-apocalyptic thriller comprising three books; of the epic fantasy series KINGS AND SORCERERS, comprising six books; of the epic fantasy series OF CROWNS AND GLORY, comprising 8 books; of the new epic fantasy series A THRONE FOR SISTERS, comprising eight books (and counting); and of the new science fiction series THE INVASION CHRONICLES. Morgan’s books are available in audio and print editions, and translations are available in over 25 languages.

TURNED (Book #1 in the Vampire Journals), ARENA ONE (Book #1 of the Survival Trilogy), A QUEST OF HEROES (Book #1 in the Sorcerer’s Ring) and RISE OF THE DRAGONS (Kings and Sorcerers—Book #1) are each available as free downloads!

Morgan loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.morganricebooks.com to join the email list, receive a free book, receive free giveaways, download the free app, get the latest exclusive news, connect on Facebook and Twitter, and stay in touch!

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I can honestly tell you I am finished with this series. It just never ends. Yes there were some characters dying off. But nothing ever ends in the story.

Thor is off again to find his mother, the Ring is in jeopardy and Romulous is still out here but now he is the master of the dragons.

Yes the writing has improved. but everyone is so in love and they are so heartbroken. I mean how many times can we hear that the characters really love each other. Or how they believe in honor.

I guess the author is maybe writing for a younger genre than myself. But it so repetitive. After 9 books in the series we are no closer to any type of closure within the story in my opinion. I mean the ebooks re only $3, but this is getting very long in the tooth. It's become for me like a TV series that has gone on too long.

Sorry to say I won't be back for another installment.

[Heidi]

Ugh!! I both love and hate this series of books...mostly, I hate the writing but the storyline is so good I keep reading. These books read like they've been written by a 10 year old...TONS of redundancy and sometimes it feels like words are being written only to fill the pages....but the PLOT....ohhhhhh the plot...I seriously think about quitting every time I pick up one of these books and read how, once again, the character is miraculously saved for the BILLIONTH time as he prepares for his final breath in battle...the repetition KILLS ME! I truly wish someone had helped this author make these books the five star readings that they could have been...the premise and plot of this series keeps me hooked and I HATE THAT!! If only I could read them without cringing at the poor writing

[Ravenous Raven of Mordor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Live today, for tomorrow we die.

As always...
4 Stars

[Stateless · Rating 2 out of 5]

Scott's Jan 2014 review - spot on. This series is very readable and I remain curious to see what happens - but it is ridiculously never-ending and breathless. Rice had to create a large family at the beginning so as to be able to put them all into story lengthening plots. Characters are too often over the top - the evil Romulus at the end is about to have Gwendolyn's twisted sister Luanda help him enter the Ring.

Will he have his wicked way with her?
Will Romulus turnout to be gay and perhaps have a crush on Thor?
Will Stara marry her cousin and give birth to kids with congenital defects?
Will Tyrion show up in this series and we see an improvement in writing?

At 15 books and perhaps still going, ultimately it is a bit of a rip off.

[Beverly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read these series of books simply because I wanted to know the ending! But will never end and I will never know . Sold for a far younger audience than I, written by a 10 year old I would say, very poor writing even for a young audience. Curious fools like I would buy! Only got 11 "chapters" because not a complete novel, it would take a min if three books to get to the point! Agony! Because I have better taste than this.....Just call me curious!

[Tricia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I cannot understand why I am still reading these books. (ok, I am totally skimming them) the editing is horrific, there are times when the wrong damn name is used for Pete's sake! I was seriously hoping that as the story grew the writing would as well but sometimes I wonder if it is not actually getting worse....
One caveat, is that these people are finally making mistakes and life is falling into place for everyone with such ease as was becoming the trend...

[Rodney · Rating 1 out of 5]

Predictable. Rice continues to rip off other stories...add Robin Hood to the list. Characters continue to make stupid decisions that have no logical foundation. There are way too many subplots for such short books. Why do I keep torturing myself with these wastes of words?

[Colin White · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh boy thank god that is over... Worst book of the series

[Darin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story line, only negative is the editing. Typos are not as forgivable as they used to be, spell check is just to prevalent, and editors should have caught them before it hit presses as well.

[Kimber · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the tenth of eleven books so far. At this point I'm just ready for this series to come to an end. I was ready for the end around Book 6 but it just keeps going and going. I should quit. I shouldn't read anymore but I figured I would stick it out and find out what happens to everyone in the end. The Problem is I don't think there is going to be an ending any time soon. If the main characters pass away there is now a new, extremely powerful son of the two mains to take this series up to 20 odd something books. I have Book 11 on my kindle. I feel like I have to read it because it is there. Don't think i'll be purchasing book 12. Sorry Morgan Rice. I liked it at the start but it is just too drawn out and now i'm tired.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why the big fuss about Reece and Stara? So they are cousins. So are Gwen and Thor. Nobody cared about that, so why did they care about Reece and Stara when they were younger? Its really only in the last hundred years or so that anyone cared (ok except for royalty, and then only when they wanted a divorce) So a medieval-esc culture probably wouldn't either. Or they would have freaked out about Andronicus' son marrying his brother's daughter.

Now, near the end of book ten, Thor finally leaves to find his mom. Oh, and the ring is in peril.

[Edwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Net als de vorige delen ook hier weer getekende woorden, taalfouten.

Verhaal deed wat gekunsteld aan. Weinig tot geen spanning
Kijken wat het volgende deel 'bewind van staal' gaat brengen.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

We are getting to the point in the story where the author is forgetting their own lore. In one of the previous books the twins specifically say that they are engaged, but that they have been gone so long that they expect that their intendeds will have moved on. However, in this book, the surviving twin goes home to see his wife, who has since gotten remarried. So which is it? Were they married, or engaged? Was he just referring to her as his wife because they were going to get married? Also, in the previous book Kendrick's boo had already decided to leave to return home to the empire and she walked away from him, but in this one she is staying a few more days. The inconsistencies are too much. This picks up with Gwen in the field, about to give birth by herself. Then her mother dies, but not before saying that she wants her oldest daughter (Luwanda) at her funeral. Luwanda returns home and is upset that she is not greeted with open arms, and is confused because it's been months since she was banished so Gwen should be over her turning traitor by now. Girl, bye. She is forced to leave right after the funeral. Also, Reese is able to talk to his mom before she dies and she tells him that he cannot marry his cousin, he must keep his word and marry his fiancee in the double wedding with his sister and Thor (her cousin). But, the upper islanders get to her first and show her old love letters from Reese to his cousin and she drowns herself instead of talking to him about it. This is why you don't let teenagers get married. Reese is distraught and sneaks on the boat and kills his cousin that delivered the notes, thus almost starting a war. Tyrus breaks out of prison and says Reese has to come and personally apologize for killing his son otherwise war. So Reese shows up but instead of apologizing he kills Tyrus. Also, Thor decides that it's finally time to go find his mother, since the wedding was cancelled for the funeral of Reese's fiancee. Also, Eric and boo head out for his home because he gets word that his father is dying. But, when they get their the ship is gone so he buys passage on a sketchy looking pirate ship. Lots happened in this book, some of it even moved the story along. However, a lot of it didn't; it was drama for the sake of drama. Plus, the inconsistencies. I am definitely hate listening to this series at this point. I am not enjoying any of it.

[Lora Shouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Sea of Shields is the 10th book in The Sorcerer’s Ring series. After most of the most horrible conflicts that had been building up in the earlier part of the series were resolved in the previous book, it appeared to be about time for some loose ends to get tied up and a few good things to happen again for a change.

But no.

In an effort to nudge things in that direction, Gwen MacGil, queen of the MacGil kingdom assigned some of her best and brightest followers to various roles in rebuilding the kingdom and improving relations between forces within the kingdom that remained hostile to each other. Forces like the McClouds in the other half of the Ring whose idea of a good time is to try and kill off all the MacGils, and the MacGil cousins in the outlying islands who seem to think themselves entitled to take over from Gwen and her family. In this book, many of these efforts begin to fail spectacularly, despite what had looked like good choices on Gwen’s part for the people to take on these tasks.

The saddest of these failures is Reece’s rekindled love for his cousin Stara. That in itself wouldn’t be so bad, but it makes him forget his beloved Selese, whom he is about to marry. When he returns from the Upper Isles, he begins to remember how much he loves Selese and has about decided to go through with their marriage after all. But then his uncle Tirus sends one of Stara’s brothers to tell Selese that Reece really loves Stara and should marry her instead, Selese is greatly saddened – so much so that she drowns herself. Then, finally, Reece comes to his senses and realizes how much he loved her after all. Eventually, this leads him to seek revenge – a series of attacks that will unleash another war with the Upper Isles at a time when Gwen needs them as a place to flee from other dangers.

There are a few hopeful developments, however. One is Gwen’s servant, the misshapen Steffan, who she sent to discover what the various small towns in the MacGil territory needed to rebuild. On this journey, he returns to his old home and the bad memories of how his family treated him. But he comes to realize that their feelings do not define him after all. And in the process, he discovers someone who loves him just as he is.

Another at least partial success story is Thor. He too crosses paths with his former home while on his journey to recruit new members for the Legion. He too gets past the hard feelings brought up by that part of his life. And he recruits many new and talented Legion members. He finally leaves on that trip he has been meaning to take to find his mother. But his leaving means Gwen is that much more at risk when all the new enemies begin to converge on King’s Court.

[Sheila Sanchez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, I am finally done with this series. I have been unhappy with the direction the story is going for a few books already, but I was reluctant to drop the series because I still remember how much I liked it at the beginning and I was hoping that I would return to that. Also, I was very annoyed by the fact that I have already invested so much time in this series. Therefore, I was trying to soldier on so it wouldn't be a complete waste. But I still have seven more books to go and I will be even more annoyed if I keep going hating every minute of it.
And it's not only the fact that the story seems to go round and round in an endless loop. For me, the worst is that I no longer can recognize the characters that I once loved.

SPOILERS

Do not continue if you have not read this book......

I cannot understand how Gwendolyn can be so naïve, thinking that years and years of resentment could be so easily healed. She miscalculated and in doing so, put everyone in danger.

I am so disappointed in Reece. He may try to put all the blame on the Upper Isles MacGil, but he has no one to blame but him. And don't get me started on Selece (that's her name, right?) Why would she kill herself because Reece didn't love her anymore????? Where is the strong, independent, kick-ass woman that we met in previous books???

And WTH is the pilgrimage? Who thought that it was a good idea for all the soldiers in the Legion and the Silver to abandon King's Court? Why would you leave the city unprotected?

Romulus and Luanda... Well, I was already sick and tired of them. I really don't have the strength to watch them work together to destroy the Ring.

[Jagger Freeman]

In the next chapter of this series protagonist Gwendolyn has her child changing both her and her partners life forever as is the destiny of the world at large. Once their wedding is held Thor reaches his goal of becoming a Knight and prepares for the most dangerous quest to both himself and the Ring known so far.

I've been reading this series on and off for a few years now and honestly it very rarely hooks me. Though the lord of the rings esq narrative can be exciting sometimes it's characters are very poorly built and that gives little reason to bother sticking with the series to find out anymore.

[Aleksandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

W tym tomie Thor i Gwen przestają być moimi ulubionymi bohaterami serii. Ich wątek mnie znudził do tego stopnia, że omijałam rozdziały im poświęcone. Z większym zaangażowaniem czytałam natomiast sceny z udziałem Kendricka, Reece’a oraz Godfreya.

Z jednej strony cieszy mnie fakt, że w serii obecnych jest tak wielu bohaterów, co sprawia, że czytelnik może wybrać wątek najbardziej go interesujący. Z drugiej strony jednak mam wrażenie, że wątki poboczne są zbyt luźne i w żaden logiczny sposób się ze sobą nie łączą.

[Salvatore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite repetitive and seems we are on the same cycle as before. The last few books felt like a "gap filler" to me to pad the time between the two major conflicts (one that was and one that is coming).

For a few times in this book, I seriously contemplated skipping towards the last few chapters and getting it over with, but I persevered through it.

I dont know what attracts me to keep reading these books, but there must be something :)

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the bundle, 10, 11, 12 but wanted to post a short review on #10. Despite the errors and repetition, the story is fast-paced and engaging. There are multiple characters and it is good to see the story switch from one to another so to have a more detailed view of what's happening as a whole...this also gives further insight into each character's mind.

Overall, an action-packed fantasy adventure.

Recommended.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my least favourite book of the series. The writing is getting very repetitive and I find myself not wanting to read through another invasion of the ring. I am interested in Thor learning more about his mother and of Eric and Alistair. Some good stories yet to go but Romulus and Luanda are tiring. Like others I want an ending but it's getting to be a long slog. I need at least a good break before reading the next book in the series.

[KK from KY · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every book in this series ends with what seems like me literally hanging off the edge of a cliff by my fingernails. Can hardly believe that that feels like a good thing. This installment brings more of the same. Love, hate, war between kingdoms, death , revenge and hard decisions. And I am here for every bit of it. On to the next!

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic series! Some really interesting characters, I’m not typically a fantasy fan. But this series has my attention. I think I’ll be on a binge now to get through the series! There are some things that drive me nuts about this series such as repetition of events and it seems like there might be a lot of cut and paste happening. But overall a great series!

[tracey welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable

I enjoyed dreaded this book and following the continuing adventure of our characters. It's fun to watch them grow as mature from the first book. As always, this series continues to delight. Looking forward to more.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have just finished Book 10 in this series, and I am finally impressed and intrigued. I am now glad I suffered through books 1-10 which I found repetitive and uninteresting. Hopefully the rest of the series will get better and better.

[Loren Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

The series is intriguing but not the best written. The writer goes in circles and seems to have series parental issues. Not a single person has a mother that they liked. 🙄 Makes for good long distance audiobook listening though, although by book 10 it's getting boring

[Lissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This adventure continues. Am totally enjoying series.

[KAREN RAY · Rating 5 out of 5]

on my gosh. now I have to read the next one to see what is going to happen to them all. they are all in peril.

[Joe Goins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely HORRIBLE. Poorly written. Childish with incredibly poor grammar. Intensely painful to read. A fifth grade book report is more enjoyable.

[Greyscotty · Rating 4 out of 5]

My comments about this series don't change much. Trying to follow a badly edited plotline can prove extremely challenging. But I've come this far so I'm going to try to stick to it. Wish me luck!

[Sonia Knippshild · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series. Needs better proofreading.