Bronze Magic

The Sorcerer's Oath #1

by Jenny Ealey

Bronze Magic, a fantasy novel of 484 pages, is the first in a series that track the woodfolk legend of Tarkyn, Guardian of the Forest. It is written in an easy flowing style that makes it accessible to both teenagers and adults. The major protagonist, although powerful, spends much of his time trying not to intimidate people, while memorable characters battle with issues of trust, cultural differences and respect against a background of magic and action:
In Eskuzor, land of sorcerers, Prince Tarkyn, tempestuous and strong in magic, is forced to flee from his brother the king, leaving a trail of death and destruction behind him.
After days on the run, he wanders into the woodlands in the company of an old wizard, only to find himself unable to leave. Even worse, Tarkyn is horrified to discover that he is the unwelcome, bitterly resented liege lord of an elusive people whose oath to him has been spellbound to the welfare of their forest. The prince, moved by his unwilling liegefolk’s plight, modifies his expectations. On the other hand, one woodman, Waterstone, puts aside his own prejudices to offer Tarkyn his friendship, persevering in the face of the prince’s mistrust.
Bounty hunters are tracking Tarkyn. Wolves and sorcerers are hunting the woodfolk.
Battling the woodfolk’s resentment, Tarkyn holds true to his duty as their liege lord to fight with them against wizard-driven storm, captivity and exposure of their existence to the world beyond the forest. As Tarkyn works side by side with his liegefolk, he not only develops friendships and acceptance but also gains new powers which transform him, in the eyes of the woodfolk, into a figure of their legends, the guardian of the forest.
Despite this, their mutual trust is fragile and when Tarkyn discovers that his liegefolk have been concealing the existence of woodfolk not sworn to him, he is driven to extreme lengths to repair the schism in woodfolk society that his presence has caused, so that they can stand united against the greatest threat in their history.

Genres: Fantasy, Ebooks, High Fantasy, Fiction

495 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2013

About the author

Jennifer Jane Ealey was born in outback Western Australia where her father was studying kangaroos on a research station, one hundred miles from the nearest town. Her arrival into the world was watched, unexpectedly, by their pet kangaroo who had hopped into the hospital. Having survived the excitement of her birth, she moved firstly to Perth and then Melbourne where she spent most of her formative years. She took a year off to ride a motorbike around Australia before working as a mathematics teacher and school psychologist in England and Australia, a bicycle courier in London and running a pub in outback New South Wales.
She now lives in a country town just outside Melbourne, working by day as a psychologist and beavering away by night as a novelist. She has written two detective novels and has just completed The Sorcerer’s Oath, a series of four fantasy novels; Bronze Magic, Wizard’s Curse, The Lost Forest and finally The Wizardess. She is now working on the Dark Amulet Series. Book 1, The Pale-Eyed Mage, is finished and on its way to the publisher

Reviews

[John W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It could have been way shorter and more enjoyable but the constant rehashing of trust issues is ridiculous. This feels like a teenage drama on steroids. I get it, you're trying to set up that trust and respect are earned but every chapter starts out with trust being broken and then the next 20 pages spent resolving it. Then it starts all over. At the end, I really want to read the next to see what happens but I probably won't as I don't want to subject myself to the repetitive conflict.

[john · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writer has a great style But to many pagers where about trust I got very bored with the subject so I found I skipped quite a bit of it but I did enjoy the parts where they were saving people etc But I don’t think I will be reading the next book as I really don’t want to read more about the problems people have about trusting

[Robert J French · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept for the story was good and interesting. But the author went on and on and on and on again about misunderstandings between interested parties because of lack of communications. It became very tedious to read and I am amazed that I actually finished the book. I will not be picking up the next book in the series though.

[Isobel Blackthorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bronze Magic is a feel-good fantasy tale in the tradition pre-dating the horror and thriller fusions that have infiltrated the genre. 

Betrayed by his older brother after beating him in a magic tournament, Prince Tarkyn is condemned to prison for no good reason. He escapes his fate with the help of magic and flees the city to embark on a quest of survival and ultimately to salvage his name. There he meets the Woodland folk and discovers a way of living, an ethos entirely different to the authoritarian Monarchy he has left behind.

The story brims with all manner of magic and plenty of action, each chapter providing another turn to the tale. The character development is good and Ealey displays adept world-building skills. I enjoyed the comic banter as the beleaguered Tarkyn struggles to come to terms with the Woodland folk.

Bronze Magic is wholesome family entertainment that will satisfy adults and teens looking for quality in the genre.

[Kara Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the Characters, but Pacing was off

Bronze Magic kicks off with an exciting fight scene that instantly grabs your attention, which should set the stage for a captivating adventure. The story follows Prince Tarkyn, a powerful sorcerer who finds himself navigating the complexities of life among the woodfolk, a mysterious group of telepathic forest dwellers. One of the highlights of the book is the intriguing dynamic between Tarkyn and Waterstone, which adds depth to their relationship and makes you wonder if there’s potential for romance. Ealey does a great job of flipping the "chosen one" trope on its head by showing the tension between Tarkyn and the woodfolk, who are understandably hesitant to accept him as their guardian. However, the pacing can be a bit uneven due to some lengthy and repetitive dialogue that sometimes slows down the action. The book ends on a cliffhanger, leaving some plot threads unresolved, which might frustrate readers hoping for a more complete conclusion.

[Diana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Painfully boring

This book is about a sorcerer prince who escapes to a forest full of "woodfolk ".
And the whole time he's there.. He's just talking..and talking..and talking..and talking to them trying to convince them to trust him.
That's it. That's what this book is about. It's also so repetitive and at times pointless that u could skip chapters and not have missed anything important. As a matter of fact I don't think there's even a point to this book.
A prince in a forest trying to win over the forest ppl.
What a waste of money. I forced myself to finish this book.. Literally it pained me reading it..but I had to finish. I have to finish all my books.

[D W · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now I know what goes on in a woman's head.

So much of this book is about how everything Tarkyn says "might" sound to someone else. Worrying about "hidden meanings" and what everyone means when they say something. So much time is spent trying to figure out what Tarkyn might mean when he says something. I guess I expect him to mean what he said, and not overthink every conversation. Would be a good story if it is just told and not over explained whenever there's a conversation.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth your time

At first glance this is yet another wizard growing into his powers book. I almost gave up but then found myself caught up with the characters. You can’t help but get involved. I look forward to her next book

[Margaret Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every now and then I read a book that surprises me, and this was the first one in a while. It surprised me because it threw a prince in to the middle of a forest and forced him to live his life differently, and that made him reassess his values and make changes accordingly. Prince Tarkyn is the third son of the previous king. His oldest brother is king now and decides he doesn't want Tarkyn around any more, so he trumps up charges and tries to arrest him. Tarkyn manages to get away and hits the road, or in his case the fields, trying to avoid contact with anyone who might know him or know of him. It take him a week to find the beginnings of the forest and then the woodfolk find him. It turns out that the old king, Tarkyn's father, brought him to the woodfolk a decade previously. He had heard that the woodfolk were dying out because of a sickness and he offered healing for them in return for swearing an oath to honor, protect and serve Tarkyn. The entire story hinges on that, and it's a humdinger. I think you will find it interesting, as I did.

[Pete Ffrench · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tarkyn is asked to relinquish his powers because his brothers think he is getting too powerful and may be a threat but it is this that turns him into a threat as his powers kick in to save him and he escapes to the forest where the woodmen are compelled by an old oath to protect him as he is compelled to protect them and the forest. This is explained at great length probably too many times so I tended to skip over a lot of the complicated bits about showing reverence and gradually Tarkyn becomes more normal and develops relationships with his new "tribe". The story is a bit protracted but is worth time taken to read it, complicated relationships and naming conventions aside and the main characters are worth getting to know.

[Bruce Retallack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the beginning of this book. We find our hero, the prince-magician, right in the middle of the middle of the action, followed quickly by big change in fortune, and a headlong rush to escape. Lovely stuff, leading us to...

The middle. Again, it started well. We meet a cast of supporting characters, an unusual and interesting setting, and a core issue if who can trust whom. Which they face and debate. Over and over and over again, until finally there's a new critical conflict brewing that they must overcome in...

The conclusion. Nice action, nice writing, nice plotting, and a pretty blunt 'to be continued' ending.

All in all, I enjoyed reading this, even if I did start skimming in the middle. But I won't read it again, although I may take a shot at volume 2.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful beginnings

Bronze Magic by Miss Jennifer Ealey is a much better than average Fantasy novel. Ms. Ealey creates a new world and inhabits it with a slew of characters.

And that’s where she’s good. Her character development is quite detailed. You really get to know the major characters.

As a reader of SF&F for 60 years, this author is definitely one of the better ones.

I previously read a later work, The Black Amulet Trilogy and was surprised at its characters. So I checked out the author and found this series. I’m so glad I did.

Now on to the second novel in this series.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I enjoyed the dynamic between Tarkyn and the Woodfolk, the repetition in the trust became quite hard to look past as it got further into the book. And then we see Dalton and it begins again.

I did really like the magic system, though it could definitely be further explained, the woodwolk magic has very little explanation, which kind of makes sense as we are following Tarkyns POV. It would have been nice to see Stormaway training Tarkyn in the sorcerer magic.

It was many pages of the setup and then Tarkyn and the Woodfolk coming to terms with their new environment, and place in their society. There was very little about what Tarkyn's duty as the Guardian of the Forest is.

[J Todd Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this is how the series begins, it should be a great one! The characters are intriguing and the setting well-developed. The main character, Tarkyn, starts out a bit of a jerk, but soon develops into a better man through his experience as an exile. If the book has any flaws, it is that the pacing is sometimes sluggish, especially around the middle. Still, it is a worthwhile read, and I look forward to reading more!

[T.A. Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very novel approach to adventure fantasy because the focus is the emotional tenor of a people who find themselves subjects of a prince. Both sides must adapt and the facets are shown by who thinks/feels what. This was very engaging and avoided any Mary Sueism because they each had flaws.

The final third, though, was manufacturing sources of the melodrama so I will only read the Kindle Samples for the rest of the series to attain a sense of closure.

[Philippe · Rating 3 out of 5]

As many have stated already, this is well written, there is a good world building. The story might be interesting, but there is too little of it happening in a book that long as an excessively long part of the middle is used to follow cycles of trust issues, then trust created, then trust broken, then trust restored, again and again, nearly hour by hour for 2-3 weeks worth of it.

I am still undecided on whether to pick the sequel, but I will take a break before thinking of doing so.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trials and tribulations

I really enjoyed this book. The main character is a 19 year old prince. He is emotional but, for the most part, level headed. Throughout the story, the prince's, woodfolk's, and other character's thoughts, emotions and reactions are exposed to the reader as they work thru differences and conflict. It was amazing to see the changes they go thru. Quite a powerful story showing how imprtant trust is.

[Mark Rettinger · Rating 1 out of 5]

4 Words can sum up this book. " Dont waste your time "

Started out ok, prince gets betrayed, flees and meets new people. After that, same topic and boring character interactions over and over and over. Heres an idea. How about trying some character development and actually advancing the storyline. Wow, what a terribly written book. I hope the author has a day job.

[Frederick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Talk…talk..talk

Limited amounts are f action in this volume and seemingly unlimited amounts of dialogue. It all surrounds the Prince’s distrust in the sincerity of all who surround him. This distrust is diminished again and again by seemingly little things. I do not recommend this book of mostly pointless dialogue repeated in endless variation.

[Jon Singleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new Hope for the Forest!

It started when he was a child, it continues as a young adult, he father,the king has passed, his older brother the new king, a petty king, a bad king.
Now he is on the run from this king and finds himself the Guardian of the Forest and it's inhabitants, unwanted, hates, and feared. He has to save himself from them before he can save them.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings on this book, on one hand I enjoyed the story overall but on the other hand I felt like half the book could've been cut out without affecting the plot at all. Overall there was alot of unnecessary dialogue that went forever and made it hard to read. It could've easily been half the length

[Pamela Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn good book

This book kept me involved and it has wonderful lesson on how people feel and react to things that are said to and about them. People of all ages will like this book. I'm 63 and I loved it, teenagers would enjoy it too!

[Terry McGouldrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

I loved everything about this book. I loved the characters. I loved the story. I loved the pace. And, I loved the writing. I recommend this book to anyone, from 10 to 110.

[Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting story once it got underway. Unfortunately the author repeated herself multiple times and spent an inordinate amount of time having the characters whine and complain and fight.
I think I'll give the second book a little time before I tackle it.

[Robert Berg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story!

An enjoyable read, unusual plot. I enjoyed the interplay between the Court reared Prince and the laid back Foresters. Looking forward to the next one.

[Carol & Russell]

Hard to put down.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A banished prince becomes the hope of the woodspeople overcoming mistrust and doubt. Nicely written and very enjoyable.

[Bronwen Heathfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun fantasy book for anyone who likes wizards and forests. The endless soul searching and repetition gets a bit irritating but who cares when there is magic

[Evelyn Goughnour · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome read!

Full of magic and mysterious wood people! A prince is falsely accused of murder by his twin brothers one is king and one wants to be king.

[Aria]

DNF 60%