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Breakshield #1
Breakshield
Found at the intersection of life and the afterlife, the Between is a place where science and reason are replaced by magic and violence. It is a place where Typhon and his Huntsman of the Dark Waste spread like a plague and where Talents go to die. The only thing standing in Typhon's way is Morgan Quendalen and the people of the Shining Lands. They are sworn to protect the last remaining Talents, a precious few who teeter at the edge of extinction. Morgan valiantly fights, protecting these last remnants of magic in a war he's not sure he can actually win. When Jamie Aster, a mortal Talent with undiscovered powers, is put under his charge, Morgan weighs his oath against a desire to save the Shining Lands. Could he kill a Talent if it meant saving his people?
264 pages, Paperback
First published March 26, 2014
380 people want to read
About the author
J.B. Rockwell
18 books423 followersJ.B. Rockwell is a New Englander, which is important to note because it means she's (a) hard headed, (b) frequently stubborn, and (c) prone to fits of snarky sarcasticness. As a kid she subsisted on a steady diet of fairy tales, folklore, mythology augmented by generous helpings of science fiction and fantasy. As a quasi-adult she dreamed of being the next Indiana Jones and even pursued (and earned!) a degree in anthropology. Unfortunately, those dreams of being an archaeologist didn't quite work out. Through a series of twists and turns (involving cats, a marriage, and a SCUBA certification, amongst other things) she ended up working in IT for the U.S. Coast Guard and now writes the types of books she used to read. Not a bad ending for an Indiana Jones wannabe...
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 12, 2014
My Rating 4/5 Stars
Breakshield draws in the reader with stunning cover art and an action sequence at the beginning that introduces the protagonist, Morgan, who is every bit the “seasoned veteran” archetype that is ever present in both Epic Fantasy and Sword and Sorcery.
As a fan of these two subgenres, playing to this archetype is just fine with me. Rockwell’s description, especially in a sylvan setting, is also reminiscent of Terry Brooks and Lloyd Alexander, who are two staples of the genre. I’m usually picky about the accuracy of sword fighting in Fantasy books because I’m mildly obsessed with fencing, but it’s hard to find fault with Breakshield’s many battles, which are mostly between Morgan (assisted by his fox familiar, Kitsune) and possessed undead creatures. (There does seem to be what some reviewers have described as “unnecessary gore”, but blood and guts don’t bother me.)
Morgan is a Seeker, and his role in Rockwell’s universe is to find people of magical Talent in the living world and prepare them for their journey after death to a place called the Between. The Between is broken into several sub-realms, such as the Shining Lands and the Dark Wastes. The concept and the world building behind it are captivating, but the trouble comes in when the reader is introduced to Jamie Aster, the young man that Morgan is sworn to protect—although he doesn’t know why. All Morgan really has to go on is that Hallea, a Watcher who just happens to be his main squeeze, has predicted that Aster will be important at some point in the future.
Even at the end, the reader still doesn’t know why Aster is worthy of the protection of these otherworldly entities. The only reason the book’s antagonist, Typhon, seems to be after the boy is that Hallea has been watching him for years. Aster doesn’t seem like a threat on any level—he habitually runs spasmodically through boarded off parks and is addicted to simple carbs—particularly pancakes with mounds and mounds of butter—and that’s about all there is to him. While Typhon alludes to his potential, the reader never sees any evidence of it.
There are other characters to like, of course. Morgan and Hallea lead a group of Talents—spirits with different magical abilities—united in their task to defend mortals who might later be taken into their fold. The novel is primarily about their conflict with Typhon and his dark Huntsmen, with Aster being more of a game piece to be saved or exploited than a figure of great importance to the reader.
It’s just a little odd to me that Rockwell chose to present the storyline in this way. In arcs like these, supernatural characters generally loom in the background, meddling occasionally, while the character who fits the “chosen one” archetype is the active protagonist. This grounds the reader and makes him or her better able to relate to the conflict. Perhaps the best known example of this type of story is The Odyssey. What would Homer’s epic be like if the bard focused almost exclusively on the gods and ignored Odysseus? Breakshield, in some ways, is the answer to this question.
For some, this type of risk might pay off. I’m all about experimentation, but I’m also the type of reader that needs to both like and be able to relate to at least one of a story’s chief characters. Morgan is an interesting character, but getting behind his quest to protect Aster is difficult when he doesn’t seem to understand why he’s on it.
Despite some hiccups, I’m interested to see where Rockwell takes the universe and characters she has created. Although it appears to be a one-shot, the book’s ending lends itself to a sequel, and another installment might be needed to underscore the gravity of the events that take place in the Between.
Breakshield draws in the reader with stunning cover art and an action sequence at the beginning that introduces the protagonist, Morgan, who is every bit the “seasoned veteran” archetype that is ever present in both Epic Fantasy and Sword and Sorcery.
As a fan of these two subgenres, playing to this archetype is just fine with me. Rockwell’s description, especially in a sylvan setting, is also reminiscent of Terry Brooks and Lloyd Alexander, who are two staples of the genre. I’m usually picky about the accuracy of sword fighting in Fantasy books because I’m mildly obsessed with fencing, but it’s hard to find fault with Breakshield’s many battles, which are mostly between Morgan (assisted by his fox familiar, Kitsune) and possessed undead creatures. (There does seem to be what some reviewers have described as “unnecessary gore”, but blood and guts don’t bother me.)
Morgan is a Seeker, and his role in Rockwell’s universe is to find people of magical Talent in the living world and prepare them for their journey after death to a place called the Between. The Between is broken into several sub-realms, such as the Shining Lands and the Dark Wastes. The concept and the world building behind it are captivating, but the trouble comes in when the reader is introduced to Jamie Aster, the young man that Morgan is sworn to protect—although he doesn’t know why. All Morgan really has to go on is that Hallea, a Watcher who just happens to be his main squeeze, has predicted that Aster will be important at some point in the future.
Even at the end, the reader still doesn’t know why Aster is worthy of the protection of these otherworldly entities. The only reason the book’s antagonist, Typhon, seems to be after the boy is that Hallea has been watching him for years. Aster doesn’t seem like a threat on any level—he habitually runs spasmodically through boarded off parks and is addicted to simple carbs—particularly pancakes with mounds and mounds of butter—and that’s about all there is to him. While Typhon alludes to his potential, the reader never sees any evidence of it.
There are other characters to like, of course. Morgan and Hallea lead a group of Talents—spirits with different magical abilities—united in their task to defend mortals who might later be taken into their fold. The novel is primarily about their conflict with Typhon and his dark Huntsmen, with Aster being more of a game piece to be saved or exploited than a figure of great importance to the reader.
It’s just a little odd to me that Rockwell chose to present the storyline in this way. In arcs like these, supernatural characters generally loom in the background, meddling occasionally, while the character who fits the “chosen one” archetype is the active protagonist. This grounds the reader and makes him or her better able to relate to the conflict. Perhaps the best known example of this type of story is The Odyssey. What would Homer’s epic be like if the bard focused almost exclusively on the gods and ignored Odysseus? Breakshield, in some ways, is the answer to this question.
For some, this type of risk might pay off. I’m all about experimentation, but I’m also the type of reader that needs to both like and be able to relate to at least one of a story’s chief characters. Morgan is an interesting character, but getting behind his quest to protect Aster is difficult when he doesn’t seem to understand why he’s on it.
Despite some hiccups, I’m interested to see where Rockwell takes the universe and characters she has created. Although it appears to be a one-shot, the book’s ending lends itself to a sequel, and another installment might be needed to underscore the gravity of the events that take place in the Between.
February 3, 2015
Excellent read, I got really engaged with this one and blasted through in a couple of days. I’ll admit I don’t read much but something caught me about this book and once I picked it up it was a struggle to put down. Literally, I sat and read it in bed then stayed up till 2am so I could finish it and read 50% of it in one sitting. I try to keep it as spoiler free as possible so if anything is vague you know why.
It starts off slow with a lot of character and world building and that pays off well later on because everything is in place and little needs explained leaving action, worry and nail biting cliff hangers to flow easily.
So let us start with characters. At first you take them as being an archetype, a bit of a set character and then you just keep reading that little bit more and see how they’ve been made into real people with real quirks. I guarantee every reader will find at least one relatable character in the cast. More than a few will relate to Jamie, zoning out and bumbling about most of the time and I’m sure the more serious and put together of is will latch onto Morgan but that’s the tip of the iceberg. Really the star of it all is Kitsune, you’ll get attached to this quirky little fox so quick and skip a beat every time she scurries into danger. Descriptions of Kitsunes mannerisms and just perfect leaving little imagination required to bring her to life.
I could keep going and going about everyone from friend to foe Hakkon, Typhon, The Huntsman and even the crazy old neighbour but I’ll stop now and move onto the world before I get too carried away. What a world. Both complex and simple, good and evil struggling in a war some thought was already over. Light and dark, black and white. Even the grey line between is there, fog filled and stopping you form seeing clearly which way to go. Hearing place names make me thing of Skyrim, when you spot on the compass a little icon and think hmm I’m doing a quest but now I really want to climb over that mountain to see what that is. Can’t wait to hear more about the settlements and the varying architecture and peoples there in. Loved it all and it leaves you with an impression that there is more to be discovered.
I nearly skipped away without mentioning talents, again you start off thinking “ahh right seeker watcher. Gotcha I’m down with this whole talent thing.” Then it expands as you find out about the unique gifts of the others and with such a variety it leaves you to ponder over Jamie.
Once the pace of the action picks up like I said, you just can’t put it down and the end of every chapter leaves you wanting more. By now you’re attached and want to know what will happen to everyone and by the end of the book you’re left with questions. I love being left with questions because it lets you know you’re not done. You have more to read and more to find out.
It starts off slow with a lot of character and world building and that pays off well later on because everything is in place and little needs explained leaving action, worry and nail biting cliff hangers to flow easily.
So let us start with characters. At first you take them as being an archetype, a bit of a set character and then you just keep reading that little bit more and see how they’ve been made into real people with real quirks. I guarantee every reader will find at least one relatable character in the cast. More than a few will relate to Jamie, zoning out and bumbling about most of the time and I’m sure the more serious and put together of is will latch onto Morgan but that’s the tip of the iceberg. Really the star of it all is Kitsune, you’ll get attached to this quirky little fox so quick and skip a beat every time she scurries into danger. Descriptions of Kitsunes mannerisms and just perfect leaving little imagination required to bring her to life.
I could keep going and going about everyone from friend to foe Hakkon, Typhon, The Huntsman and even the crazy old neighbour but I’ll stop now and move onto the world before I get too carried away. What a world. Both complex and simple, good and evil struggling in a war some thought was already over. Light and dark, black and white. Even the grey line between is there, fog filled and stopping you form seeing clearly which way to go. Hearing place names make me thing of Skyrim, when you spot on the compass a little icon and think hmm I’m doing a quest but now I really want to climb over that mountain to see what that is. Can’t wait to hear more about the settlements and the varying architecture and peoples there in. Loved it all and it leaves you with an impression that there is more to be discovered.
I nearly skipped away without mentioning talents, again you start off thinking “ahh right seeker watcher. Gotcha I’m down with this whole talent thing.” Then it expands as you find out about the unique gifts of the others and with such a variety it leaves you to ponder over Jamie.
Once the pace of the action picks up like I said, you just can’t put it down and the end of every chapter leaves you wanting more. By now you’re attached and want to know what will happen to everyone and by the end of the book you’re left with questions. I love being left with questions because it lets you know you’re not done. You have more to read and more to find out.
April 18, 2014
4 Stars...for now
There are 3 things that might dissuade you from reading this book:
1) It has a fair bit of violence and gory details.
2) It starts slow.
3) It's the first book of a series.
Now, these are also the reasons why I LOVED the book. I'm not a fan of violence, but it was well done and I didn't mind it at all. I also love when books take a while to start because you have the chance to get used to the various characters in a semi-normal kind of situation before everything gets crazy. The third point is actually the main reason why I'm giving this book a 4 instead of 5 stars...I love series because you get to pass more time with the characters you've grown to love, but the problem with series is keeping all the books in it at the same or close to the same level. I have to at least read one more book in the series to decide definitely if this deserves the 5 stars I was tempted to grant or just 4.
Other reasons why I loved this book?
- Good Characters: perfect, can't say much more. I love them all, the main character Morgan, his love and Watcher Hallea, their companions Kurou, Hakkon, Tussle and the brave fox Kitsune. And I really liked Jamie as well, he sounds so relatable and 'normal' right now, you can't help liking him and hoping all will get better and he'll manage to adapt to this scary, dangerous Between he's dropped in. Hope there will be even more secondary characters out there to get to know in future books!
- Villain: Oh, he's mean, despicable and totally cruel...I wanna know more about him and I surely hope we'll get to know more about his background and plans of doom.
- Plot: not your usual 'Gifted One'/'Destined' story. I'm happy I do not have a Talent, and that's something I wouldn't say in 99,9% of the books in which supernatural powers are involved. It usually is a blessing no matter how much the author tries to make it sound a burden...but here...the author didn't even have to make it sound a burden, the characters never complain about having these powers, still they sound so much responsability and pain I certainly do not wish to have them, no matter how cool they are.
Is there anything else to love? I appreciated the writing style, the conversations and fast paced rhythm of the fighting scenes...prety much I loved the whole book! What else to say beside congratulating myself with the author and hoping the next installment will be released soon? :)
There are 3 things that might dissuade you from reading this book:
1) It has a fair bit of violence and gory details.
2) It starts slow.
3) It's the first book of a series.
Now, these are also the reasons why I LOVED the book. I'm not a fan of violence, but it was well done and I didn't mind it at all. I also love when books take a while to start because you have the chance to get used to the various characters in a semi-normal kind of situation before everything gets crazy. The third point is actually the main reason why I'm giving this book a 4 instead of 5 stars...I love series because you get to pass more time with the characters you've grown to love, but the problem with series is keeping all the books in it at the same or close to the same level. I have to at least read one more book in the series to decide definitely if this deserves the 5 stars I was tempted to grant or just 4.
Other reasons why I loved this book?
- Good Characters: perfect, can't say much more. I love them all, the main character Morgan, his love and Watcher Hallea, their companions Kurou, Hakkon, Tussle and the brave fox Kitsune. And I really liked Jamie as well, he sounds so relatable and 'normal' right now, you can't help liking him and hoping all will get better and he'll manage to adapt to this scary, dangerous Between he's dropped in. Hope there will be even more secondary characters out there to get to know in future books!
- Villain: Oh, he's mean, despicable and totally cruel...I wanna know more about him and I surely hope we'll get to know more about his background and plans of doom.
- Plot: not your usual 'Gifted One'/'Destined' story. I'm happy I do not have a Talent, and that's something I wouldn't say in 99,9% of the books in which supernatural powers are involved. It usually is a blessing no matter how much the author tries to make it sound a burden...but here...the author didn't even have to make it sound a burden, the characters never complain about having these powers, still they sound so much responsability and pain I certainly do not wish to have them, no matter how cool they are.
Is there anything else to love? I appreciated the writing style, the conversations and fast paced rhythm of the fighting scenes...prety much I loved the whole book! What else to say beside congratulating myself with the author and hoping the next installment will be released soon? :)
October 26, 2014
This will appeal to fans of traditional fantasy who like a shift in perspective or a bit of a twist on the genre, I think. To be honest, and please bear in mind the extreme subjectivity of this review (after all reading is a subjective activity) overall this just wasn't really for me. I can see it's a well written book, I appreciate and laud the new ideas and the handling of familiar tropes in a candid not too weary way. But it was just missing something and just to be supremely unhelpful, I can't say what because I don't know. At the end I was left a feeling of ambivalence. Actually I would like to see more of the author's work to see whether it was just me with this one book. I suspect it was.
I did find it rather slow going to start with. The first third of the book does not have very much going on, it is concerned mainly with world building and setting up. I found the 'bridging conflict' to be insufficient to compensate. However you can't argue that this painstaking world building doesn't pay off in spades later on.
I would have preferred a closer bond with the characters - we never really get emotionally close to them and as a consequence, I cared what happened less than I might have done.
Most unusually, the main POV turns out not to be the average Andy who unknowingly has a Talent (which we frustratingly never discover) but the watcher, Morgan, who seems to be just the wide angle shot POV at the very beginning. This is an unusual choice, especially in a fantasy novel. Rather like the use of the MC in The Great Gatsby to view Gatsby. I'm really not sure whether it worked or not - hence the ambivalence!
I did love Kitsune (great name - Japanese fairy fox ;) ) and it would seem from other reviews that she was a general hit. I liked the world building although the names of places pulled me up short at times as being a tad facile. I generally liked the characters but didn't feel a particular allegiance to any of them. I'm afraid I just didn't buy Typhan as a villain at all - bit moustache twirling for my taste. The ideas and themes were very good - I hope they are explored in a further book.
Overall a solid three stars for a generally good fantasy novel - just not really one for me in this instance.
I did find it rather slow going to start with. The first third of the book does not have very much going on, it is concerned mainly with world building and setting up. I found the 'bridging conflict' to be insufficient to compensate. However you can't argue that this painstaking world building doesn't pay off in spades later on.
I would have preferred a closer bond with the characters - we never really get emotionally close to them and as a consequence, I cared what happened less than I might have done.
Most unusually, the main POV turns out not to be the average Andy who unknowingly has a Talent (which we frustratingly never discover) but the watcher, Morgan, who seems to be just the wide angle shot POV at the very beginning. This is an unusual choice, especially in a fantasy novel. Rather like the use of the MC in The Great Gatsby to view Gatsby. I'm really not sure whether it worked or not - hence the ambivalence!
I did love Kitsune (great name - Japanese fairy fox ;) ) and it would seem from other reviews that she was a general hit. I liked the world building although the names of places pulled me up short at times as being a tad facile. I generally liked the characters but didn't feel a particular allegiance to any of them. I'm afraid I just didn't buy Typhan as a villain at all - bit moustache twirling for my taste. The ideas and themes were very good - I hope they are explored in a further book.
Overall a solid three stars for a generally good fantasy novel - just not really one for me in this instance.
November 30, 2015
There's a hooded man on the cover. But don't worry, this is not the same hooded man who has been doing the rounds and appearing on pretty much every other fantasy book cover over the last five years. This particular hooded man is Morgan Quendalen, a watcher and a warrior from a place between heaven and earth, guarding human Talents against the predatory appetites of the twisted Typhon and his bestial followers.
Morgan and his familiar, the fox Kitsune, are the vanguard of the fight to keep human Talents safe. But this is a war they seem to be losing, Talent by Talent, life by life.
Fantasy that straddles worlds - portal fantasies - are common enough, but there aren't too many that do it well and add something different to the mix. Breakshield does this with verve, making sure we care about the characters first and foremost before launching, midbook, a strike on one of them that is breathtakingly audacious and lethal. I sat back at this point and couldn't believe it had actually happened. JB Rockwell hits a mean sucker-punch, let me tell you.
As the first in the series, Breakshield leaves you wanting more to come; in fact my only complaint would be that it's almost too too short (I'm spoiled by mega-brick fantasies!). The sequel Seiokana is out now, and I look forward to seeing what surprises and traps Rockwell has in store for her characters this time...
Morgan and his familiar, the fox Kitsune, are the vanguard of the fight to keep human Talents safe. But this is a war they seem to be losing, Talent by Talent, life by life.
Fantasy that straddles worlds - portal fantasies - are common enough, but there aren't too many that do it well and add something different to the mix. Breakshield does this with verve, making sure we care about the characters first and foremost before launching, midbook, a strike on one of them that is breathtakingly audacious and lethal. I sat back at this point and couldn't believe it had actually happened. JB Rockwell hits a mean sucker-punch, let me tell you.
As the first in the series, Breakshield leaves you wanting more to come; in fact my only complaint would be that it's almost too too short (I'm spoiled by mega-brick fantasies!). The sequel Seiokana is out now, and I look forward to seeing what surprises and traps Rockwell has in store for her characters this time...
June 18, 2014
This was my first foray into the YA genre and this book was a good first experience. The author creates a world complex enough to be interesting, but not so complicated that one loses orientation. The graphic detail with which the antagonists are described, evoke an emotional response and pulls the reader into the story. You really begin to care for these characters. The story builds dramatic tension that is resolved near the end in a climatic struggle between good and evil but leaves open the possibility for further stories.
June 19, 2014
* Full review available on Deux Lectrices.
This was an incredibly strange book. Or was it? I'm not sure. I think this is the first "Adult fantasy" book I've read. There are some irritating things about the book but if action stories with only hints of romance are your thing, I'd definitely check this out. Full review soon!
This was an incredibly strange book. Or was it? I'm not sure. I think this is the first "Adult fantasy" book I've read. There are some irritating things about the book but if action stories with only hints of romance are your thing, I'd definitely check this out. Full review soon!
September 13, 2014
First, I would like to thank the author J.B. Rockwell for giving me this book for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The world building was nicely done and the story-line is very good. It did start out a bit slow, but picked up pretty quickly. The characters are well developed and written. I am looking forward to reading more of this series and more from this autor.
October 17, 2014
I'm going to start this out by saying I am looking forward to the sequel. And if you're interested in a good modern fantasy series, I highly recommend this book.
What Rockwell does best, I feel, is characterization. Though each character is, basically, an archetype, they feel unique and their conversation flows naturally. It is a bit of a slow start up, but sticking through the introduction pays dividends as the story flourishes.
The enemies felt a bit expected to me and there wasn't very much beyond a black/white, good/evil morality but it fit the universe. I would've liked a bit more variation in the main antagonist. That being said, the antagonist is clearly evil and you have no qualms cheering for our heroes against him. He does some truly despicable things and is a character fans will love to see fall.
My lukewarm reaction to this book is not a reflection of the book's merit. Breakshield is a wonderful novel and beautifully written. It didn't hit home with me because of the archetypal nature of the characters and the fact that the book starts out with the question of what Jamie Aster's talent is but never answers the question.
However, I do look forward to reading the next in the series as it promises to move more quickly and I'm kind of already invested in these characters. My favorite so far has to be Kurou, but I have a soft spot for healers. Most likely many will fall in love with Morgan.
One quick warning: This book leaves off on a cliff hanger. My best suggestion is to either buy the book now, read it, and get hyped for the sequel, or buy it and its sequel when the second book comes out.
What Rockwell does best, I feel, is characterization. Though each character is, basically, an archetype, they feel unique and their conversation flows naturally. It is a bit of a slow start up, but sticking through the introduction pays dividends as the story flourishes.
The enemies felt a bit expected to me and there wasn't very much beyond a black/white, good/evil morality but it fit the universe. I would've liked a bit more variation in the main antagonist. That being said, the antagonist is clearly evil and you have no qualms cheering for our heroes against him. He does some truly despicable things and is a character fans will love to see fall.
My lukewarm reaction to this book is not a reflection of the book's merit. Breakshield is a wonderful novel and beautifully written. It didn't hit home with me because of the archetypal nature of the characters and the fact that the book starts out with the question of what Jamie Aster's talent is but never answers the question.
However, I do look forward to reading the next in the series as it promises to move more quickly and I'm kind of already invested in these characters. My favorite so far has to be Kurou, but I have a soft spot for healers. Most likely many will fall in love with Morgan.
One quick warning: This book leaves off on a cliff hanger. My best suggestion is to either buy the book now, read it, and get hyped for the sequel, or buy it and its sequel when the second book comes out.
November 5, 2014
Fun read! Good pacing and structure, with a unique voice in the sense that we follow the protagonist through the eyes of the characters around him. The descriptions are well written and makes the story easy to follow. I am a fan of action, violence and gore (to some extent) and I enjoyed the intensity of it, though it may not be for everyone. Characters have great names (Kitsune the fox is awesome) and are well developed as their relationships are explored and tested as the story unfolds. The ending leaves room for a sequel and I look forward to reading more entries in this series!
September 5, 2014
This starts out a bit slow but picks up nicely with smooth transitions and well thought out encounters. The characters are good, layered with a nice selection of descriptive words. It's an easy to follow plot with plenty of action going on. Some may be a touch turned off with the level of gore. Overall it's a fun read that kept me hooked from cover to cover. Review by K.C. We received an evaluation copy in exchange for an honest opinion.
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