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The Lies that Bind
The Oracle’s daughter, passionate storyteller Alaria, spends every night scouring the land for new adventures to tell by the fireside of her encampment. Unfortunately, she finds more than she bargained for when she happens upon an unconscious boy with a sword of gold, who bears the holy Sign of the Heavens. It is a mark that defines him as the glorious, influential, yet potentially dangerous, warrior catalyst in her mother’s most ancient and disturbingly vague prophecy. However, before Alaria can rush home to tell her family or her sovereign – the illustrious sorceress known as the Faerie Queen – of what she has discovered, her worst fears are confirmed. Emissaries from the rival Amazon City of Light come with plans to convey the boy into the care and control of their leader, Alexis, who will seek to use his power in her long-awaited quest to become the ruler of all and wreak vengeance upon the enemies declared responsible for her husband’s murder by seemingly magical incineration.
The arrival of the boy, known only as Skylarius, sets a series of unavoidable events in motion, as the hand of fate casts its dice – amid a backdrop of secrecy, deception, tragedy, romance, friendship and adventure – to determine the lives of all on the island of Indyria.
A young adult fantasy novel.
The arrival of the boy, known only as Skylarius, sets a series of unavoidable events in motion, as the hand of fate casts its dice – amid a backdrop of secrecy, deception, tragedy, romance, friendship and adventure – to determine the lives of all on the island of Indyria.
A young adult fantasy novel.
641 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 25, 2013
2 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Catherine
1 book12 followersJessica Catherine is a 26 year old novelist from Kent in South-East England, writing fantasy for young adults, currently searching for representation and becoming involved in the writing and reading online community.
Her debut novel, "The Lies that Bind", the first instalment in the young adult fantasy "Hand of Fate" series was released on Kindle at the end of 2013. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lies-that-Bin...
She has a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing and spends her days mulling over pads full of scribbled notes that eventually become books. She is currently working on the second book of her series - "Intervention" - and a stand alone dark fantasy novel entitled "The Revenant Mage".
Her debut novel, "The Lies that Bind", the first instalment in the young adult fantasy "Hand of Fate" series was released on Kindle at the end of 2013. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lies-that-Bin...
She has a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing and spends her days mulling over pads full of scribbled notes that eventually become books. She is currently working on the second book of her series - "Intervention" - and a stand alone dark fantasy novel entitled "The Revenant Mage".
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 1, 2014
Always willing to take a punt on a new fantasy story, I downloaded this on the basis of the cheap price and the sample chapters. I was still unsure about it at this point, however I was not to be disappointed.
It is a novel aimed primarily at young adults and is well suited to that market. The writing is of high quality and does not talk down to the reader - it contains traditional fantasy elements, a wide scope for a novel of this age-group, and where there is violence it is well described, but not extreme. As an adult, I found it an easy and enjoyable read, but what makes this book stand out for readers of all ages is the characters who are at times outstanding.
It would be too simple to say that the main character of this book is the prophecy boy 'Skylarius', as the author centres the story around him AND another eight very important characters. A wide cast of characters such as this can be confusing in some novels, but not in this one. Not once did I forget who was who and that is down to how well drawn and emotionally complex they are. Each chapter is titled with one of these character's names and follows them accordingly (ala George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire) until you find yourself in a situation where you continue reading for far longer than you intended just to get to your favourite character's chapter. These can range from the young adult characters with such examples as Alaria - an elaborate fantasist who believes every experience is an exciting adventure, even to the point of extreme danger - and Raven - the scheming and highly intelligent disinherited prince who will do absolutely anything to gain his cruel mother's acceptance and love - to the elder characters, such as Alexis - the cold and calculating military leader with a dark secret - or Erana - the scarred and self-sacrificing voice of good and powerful sorceress. These are just a few of my favourites, but it is easy to empathise with every one of them as the plot line weaves in and around their exploits in the world to dictate the plot.
So to sum up - if you like fantasy then young adults and adults alike will enjoy this novel, but for different reasons and on different levels. However, anyone, regardless of genre, who loves a story with strong and engaging characters will enjoy 'The Lies that Bind'.
It is a novel aimed primarily at young adults and is well suited to that market. The writing is of high quality and does not talk down to the reader - it contains traditional fantasy elements, a wide scope for a novel of this age-group, and where there is violence it is well described, but not extreme. As an adult, I found it an easy and enjoyable read, but what makes this book stand out for readers of all ages is the characters who are at times outstanding.
It would be too simple to say that the main character of this book is the prophecy boy 'Skylarius', as the author centres the story around him AND another eight very important characters. A wide cast of characters such as this can be confusing in some novels, but not in this one. Not once did I forget who was who and that is down to how well drawn and emotionally complex they are. Each chapter is titled with one of these character's names and follows them accordingly (ala George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire) until you find yourself in a situation where you continue reading for far longer than you intended just to get to your favourite character's chapter. These can range from the young adult characters with such examples as Alaria - an elaborate fantasist who believes every experience is an exciting adventure, even to the point of extreme danger - and Raven - the scheming and highly intelligent disinherited prince who will do absolutely anything to gain his cruel mother's acceptance and love - to the elder characters, such as Alexis - the cold and calculating military leader with a dark secret - or Erana - the scarred and self-sacrificing voice of good and powerful sorceress. These are just a few of my favourites, but it is easy to empathise with every one of them as the plot line weaves in and around their exploits in the world to dictate the plot.
So to sum up - if you like fantasy then young adults and adults alike will enjoy this novel, but for different reasons and on different levels. However, anyone, regardless of genre, who loves a story with strong and engaging characters will enjoy 'The Lies that Bind'.
Displaying 1 of 1 review