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The Bowl of Souls #7
Protector of the Grove
The Jharro Grove Saga: Part Two
Jhonate’s reprieve from her father has been cut short. She is forced to return home to Malaroo, bringing Justan along with her. The journey she has avoided for so long has become all the more difficult because someone wants Justan dead.
The rogue horse Esmine, a mythical beast of remarkable power, has been captured by a troupe of dwarf smugglers. They are taking her to the nation Alberri where a gnome scholar awaits with a vicious plan to sacrifice the beast and bind its powerful soul to make a weapon of mass destruction. Tarah Woodblade must gather a group of warriors and rescue Esmine before she is taken to Alberri.
Evil stirs. Darkness is building. But can anyone trust Xedrion, The Protector of the Grove?
The Bowl of Souls Series:
The Moonrat Saga
Book One: Eye of the Moonrat
Book 1.5: Hilt's Pride
Book Two: Messenger of the Dark Prophet
Book Three: Hunt of the Bandham
Book Four: The War of Stardeon
Book Five: Mother of the Moonrat
The Jharro Grove Saga
Book Six: Tarah Woodblade
Book Seven: Protector of the Grove
Book Eight: (Upcoming fall 2014)
Jhonate’s reprieve from her father has been cut short. She is forced to return home to Malaroo, bringing Justan along with her. The journey she has avoided for so long has become all the more difficult because someone wants Justan dead.
The rogue horse Esmine, a mythical beast of remarkable power, has been captured by a troupe of dwarf smugglers. They are taking her to the nation Alberri where a gnome scholar awaits with a vicious plan to sacrifice the beast and bind its powerful soul to make a weapon of mass destruction. Tarah Woodblade must gather a group of warriors and rescue Esmine before she is taken to Alberri.
Evil stirs. Darkness is building. But can anyone trust Xedrion, The Protector of the Grove?
The Bowl of Souls Series:
The Moonrat Saga
Book One: Eye of the Moonrat
Book 1.5: Hilt's Pride
Book Two: Messenger of the Dark Prophet
Book Three: Hunt of the Bandham
Book Four: The War of Stardeon
Book Five: Mother of the Moonrat
The Jharro Grove Saga
Book Six: Tarah Woodblade
Book Seven: Protector of the Grove
Book Eight: (Upcoming fall 2014)
334 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 23, 2014
41 people are currently reading
262 people want to read
About the author
Trevor H. Cooley
32 books251 followersI was born in South Carolina and have lived all around the United states. Utah, New Mexico, Michigan and Tennessee.
I started reading novels in second grade and my love of Fantasy started with Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain series. I couldn't get enough, continued with David Eddings, Tolkein, Robert Jordan. All I wanted was to become a published writer.
The characters and concepts that eventually became the Bowl of Souls series started in my teens. I wrote short stories, kept notebooks full of ideas, and generally dreamed about my world constantly. There were several attempts at starting a novel over the years.
Not long after I was married, my wife told me to stop talking about the story and write it down. Here I am, many years and rewrites and submissions and rejection letters later taking the plunge into self publishing.
The Bowl of Souls Series:
THE MOONRAT SAGA
1. Eye of the Moonrat
2. Messenger of the Dark Prophet
3. Hunt of the Bandham
1.5. Hilt's Pride
4. War of Stardeon
5. Mother of the Moonrat
THE JHARRO GROVE SAGA
1. Tarah Woodblade
2. Protector of the Grove
3. Ogre Apprentice
4. The Troll King
5. Priestess of War
6. Behemoth (2017)
THE DARK PROPHET SAGA
1. Sir Edge (Upcoming)
TALLOW JONES
1. Tallow Jones: Wizard Detective (Fall 2017)
NOOSE JUMPERS
1. Noose Jumpers: A Mythological Western
2. (Upcoming)
I currently live in Idaho with my wife and four children.
I started reading novels in second grade and my love of Fantasy started with Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain series. I couldn't get enough, continued with David Eddings, Tolkein, Robert Jordan. All I wanted was to become a published writer.
The characters and concepts that eventually became the Bowl of Souls series started in my teens. I wrote short stories, kept notebooks full of ideas, and generally dreamed about my world constantly. There were several attempts at starting a novel over the years.
Not long after I was married, my wife told me to stop talking about the story and write it down. Here I am, many years and rewrites and submissions and rejection letters later taking the plunge into self publishing.
The Bowl of Souls Series:
THE MOONRAT SAGA
1. Eye of the Moonrat
2. Messenger of the Dark Prophet
3. Hunt of the Bandham
1.5. Hilt's Pride
4. War of Stardeon
5. Mother of the Moonrat
THE JHARRO GROVE SAGA
1. Tarah Woodblade
2. Protector of the Grove
3. Ogre Apprentice
4. The Troll King
5. Priestess of War
6. Behemoth (2017)
THE DARK PROPHET SAGA
1. Sir Edge (Upcoming)
TALLOW JONES
1. Tallow Jones: Wizard Detective (Fall 2017)
NOOSE JUMPERS
1. Noose Jumpers: A Mythological Western
2. (Upcoming)
I currently live in Idaho with my wife and four children.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 16, 2020
Protector of the Grove
(The Bowl of Souls #7)(Jharro Grove Saga book #2)
by Trevor H. Cooley
This book had many plots going on at the same time but mostly Tarah and Jelly hoping to save the rogue horse and Edge going to the Jharro Grove to meet his future in-laws. Nothing is easy! Both have terrible experiences along the way. It's never boring! I didn't find it as captivating as the previous books.
(The Bowl of Souls #7)(Jharro Grove Saga book #2)
by Trevor H. Cooley
This book had many plots going on at the same time but mostly Tarah and Jelly hoping to save the rogue horse and Edge going to the Jharro Grove to meet his future in-laws. Nothing is easy! Both have terrible experiences along the way. It's never boring! I didn't find it as captivating as the previous books.
July 26, 2014
Just like all of the previous six books in the bowl of souls series I've enjoyed reading this book.
Tarah is starting to learn a little about her magic and of her staff and its potential power. The characters who give Tarah these pieces of information where not the characters I would have expected.
This tells me Tarah is going to become a lot stronger and hopefully will help her see she is not fake. While she was at first created as part of an act she IS Tarah Woodblade.
While I was expecting Tarah and Justin to meet in this book. I'm actually happy they haven't as I think the focus of the book would go back to Justin and Tarah would be relegated to a smaller part. And I sense there is still more to Tarah to come.
I'm enjoying the fact that we are starting to learn about jhonte and her past (and some of her decisions which are surprising)
I've wanted to know about the roo-tan and jhonte since they were first mentioned in Eye of the Moonrat.
The story with arcon and Mellinda is interesting and I can't wait to see where this is going to lead to.
Finally we got to meet the man himself the protector of the grove Xedrion bin leeths. When we first meet him all I could think of is that he is a tougher and stronger version of Jhonte. While at this moment he may not be happy about Justin you can tell he will see that jhonte and Justin are meant to be together mind you I don't think he will take it easy on Justin
I think the cover of this book perfectly shows the appearance of Xedrion because it is how I pictured him in my mind while I was reading the book.
Without spoiling it for everyone else I am happy for what has happened to Alfred.
With the thunder people making an appearance what will this mean for Fist and Justin hopefully we'll find out in the next book
Tarah is starting to learn a little about her magic and of her staff and its potential power. The characters who give Tarah these pieces of information where not the characters I would have expected.
This tells me Tarah is going to become a lot stronger and hopefully will help her see she is not fake. While she was at first created as part of an act she IS Tarah Woodblade.
While I was expecting Tarah and Justin to meet in this book. I'm actually happy they haven't as I think the focus of the book would go back to Justin and Tarah would be relegated to a smaller part. And I sense there is still more to Tarah to come.
I'm enjoying the fact that we are starting to learn about jhonte and her past (and some of her decisions which are surprising)
I've wanted to know about the roo-tan and jhonte since they were first mentioned in Eye of the Moonrat.
The story with arcon and Mellinda is interesting and I can't wait to see where this is going to lead to.
Finally we got to meet the man himself the protector of the grove Xedrion bin leeths. When we first meet him all I could think of is that he is a tougher and stronger version of Jhonte. While at this moment he may not be happy about Justin you can tell he will see that jhonte and Justin are meant to be together mind you I don't think he will take it easy on Justin
I think the cover of this book perfectly shows the appearance of Xedrion because it is how I pictured him in my mind while I was reading the book.
Without spoiling it for everyone else I am happy for what has happened to Alfred.
With the thunder people making an appearance what will this mean for Fist and Justin hopefully we'll find out in the next book
July 29, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. If I had to choose my favorite it would be between this one and the first one. I don't know. I really enjoyed learning about the characters more in depth. If you read when he released chapter two you know which character we get to know better. Surprisingly there is more than one. I can not wait till number 8, I think it is. I want to know what happens next.
September 4, 2014
Love the series but I rated it 4 stars because Justan is my favorite and I felt like he didn't grow that much in this book. Maybe it's because after book 5, I had several months of using my imagination to come up with what might happen next to Justan and if he'll develop new bonds or better understanding of his magic and neither of that occurred. Also I'm not bored yet with Justan so reading about the other characters plus what seems to be a new main character (Tarah) can feel like a chore at some parts while waiting to get back to the parts with Justan.
P.S. I have wanted to "explore" the Roo-tan since book 1 and it is exciting to know that the plot is moving in that direction now.
P.S. I have wanted to "explore" the Roo-tan since book 1 and it is exciting to know that the plot is moving in that direction now.
October 6, 2014
The main character faced many conflicts in his past. He helped defend his kingdom he is a named wizard and warrior but one obstacle remains. He has a betrothed and wants to fully wed but needs the consent of his betrothed's father's approval. Justan's betrothed named Jhonate is also a strong person like Justan is. The book ends off with Justan and Jhonate's father fighting for Jhonate. Justan wins and he notices that one of his betrothed's father had been controlled by his wife, which was whyJhonate's father had challenged Justan. The book ends after the challenge.
December 21, 2014
Wow this series just keeps getting better. Protector of the Grove is really two tales in one. Arcon escapes the slavery of Ewzad Vriil only to find he is stuck with the Moonrat Queen. Justan is now travelling to meet his future father-in-law and is hunted by a dozen assassins.
November 1, 2014
Another great book in this great saga. I really feel like there is a clear evolution in Mr. Cooley's writing from the first saga to this one thus far. Keep it up sir, looking forward to the next one!
February 28, 2015
This book was just as fun to read, and engaging as the last six books. I am really looking forward to the next book.
July 6, 2020
My Thoughts:
So I said in my review of the previous books in this series that I would willingly ignore the many little faults... then they are in the middle of a raging battle and what do our protagonist do? Stand there, as if she has all the time in the world wondering whether to kill the unconscious enemy at her feet or not, while her friends are dying and being beaten up all around her. Annoying to say the least... WTF! It makes me wanna smack Tarah upside the head for being too stupid to live ( TSTL )! Sometimes being an avid fan does not preclude blindness, even if done so willfully...
Now Fist is my favouritest character. And there is someone who is not TSTL , thank god! That shows us that the character development is really not that bad. It's just certain characters that is annoying. But do they have to be one of the protagonists??!
When I said that this series is like Robert Jordan 's never-ending series, The Wheel Of Time , where the author died before the ending was ever written, it was not quite true. Sure, The Bowl Of Souls is likely to go on and on and on forever, but the author does end a story arc after about five books and begins another. So there is ending in sight. Aha! Kudos for endings!
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 4
Plot = 3.5
Narration = 5
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries
http://www.cherrymischievous.com/2017...
So I said in my review of the previous books in this series that I would willingly ignore the many little faults... then they are in the middle of a raging battle and what do our protagonist do? Stand there, as if she has all the time in the world wondering whether to kill the unconscious enemy at her feet or not, while her friends are dying and being beaten up all around her. Annoying to say the least... WTF! It makes me wanna smack Tarah upside the head for being too stupid to live ( TSTL )! Sometimes being an avid fan does not preclude blindness, even if done so willfully...
Now Fist is my favouritest character. And there is someone who is not TSTL , thank god! That shows us that the character development is really not that bad. It's just certain characters that is annoying. But do they have to be one of the protagonists??!
When I said that this series is like Robert Jordan 's never-ending series, The Wheel Of Time , where the author died before the ending was ever written, it was not quite true. Sure, The Bowl Of Souls is likely to go on and on and on forever, but the author does end a story arc after about five books and begins another. So there is ending in sight. Aha! Kudos for endings!
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 4
Plot = 3.5
Narration = 5
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries
http://www.cherrymischievous.com/2017...
August 6, 2017
Big story, creative characters, this is the best I've read from this author yet. Great continuation of a fantasy adventure.
August 30, 2016
A Deep Fantasy Epic Journey
Due to other life activities it has taken me longer to finish this book then the first in this sub-series, however this allowed me the opportunity to soak in all of the story goodness. Let me say up front, if you have enjoyed this series in any way, do not hesitate to pick up this book. If you have not yet experienced any of the books in this series, go now and start your journey in this epic world. Trevor Cooley (Author) and Andrew Tell (Narrator) once again take their readers on a wonderful and exciting journey into this deeply defined fantasy world! You will not be disappointed.
The story continues the great adventure of Justan and Tarah along with a large band of new characters in search of the rare and mythical rogue horse. This trip is filled with excitement, emotion, light romance, and even humor. I did want to say that I have not read any other books in the “The Bowl of Souls” series except for “Tarah Woodblade” the first in the Jharro Grove sub-series; book #6, so this review is based only on my knowledge of these two books. This book picks up closely after the previous book, however the book adds many new characters, items, and adventure than its predecessor had. Just like with any good Role Playing Game (RPG), this book built on top of what previously existed plus more.
The author weaves a grand and believable high-fantasy story that leaves you wanting more; which is a good thing. The world created by the author thus far could be used to create a vast number of additional books based on the various characters and adventures without repeating. I like that the author, as with his previous book in the series, uses many of the standard fantasy tropes so I can better visualize them while he also creates new fantasy creatures that I would love to see on the big screen. It makes me want to say. “Mommy, I want a rogue pony for my birthday.” How much fun would that be! I could easily see this series being made into a motion picture or TV series because of how engaging it is. You feel for the characters and experience the journey along with them.
In this book we learn more about Tarah and her “red” magical staff along with additional background and details about Justan and others. The characters themselves are well developed and I like that the author releases bits and pieces about them over the entire book instead of doing it all in a single chapter or at the start of the book as other books often do. If you start to read the books in this series, be prepared to read them all.
Although the book does contain some light romance, I would recommend it for young adult and adult readers. The author is able to tell the story without having to resort to vulgar language, overly graphic violence, or adult material. I can’t speak to the other book in the series, however based on the two I have read, this seems to be the case in both of them.
Let me take a moment to say that the book, for audible listeners would not be as good as it was without the wonderful narration done by Mr. Andrew Tell. He is the same person who narrated the first book in this series and I find his narration top-notch. He is able to capture the characters, events, actions, etc. all in a way that seems smooth and effortless. He is able to voice many different characters without being confusing. He does a great job of voicing female characters (such as Tarah) without using a falsetto or unnatural voice. The book flows well and the narration follows this fluid nature making an already good book even better in audio form. I will be listening to additional material by this narrator as I enjoy his style and presentation. The audio is crisp, clean along with consistent volume throughout the book.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for an honest and non-bias review.
Due to other life activities it has taken me longer to finish this book then the first in this sub-series, however this allowed me the opportunity to soak in all of the story goodness. Let me say up front, if you have enjoyed this series in any way, do not hesitate to pick up this book. If you have not yet experienced any of the books in this series, go now and start your journey in this epic world. Trevor Cooley (Author) and Andrew Tell (Narrator) once again take their readers on a wonderful and exciting journey into this deeply defined fantasy world! You will not be disappointed.
The story continues the great adventure of Justan and Tarah along with a large band of new characters in search of the rare and mythical rogue horse. This trip is filled with excitement, emotion, light romance, and even humor. I did want to say that I have not read any other books in the “The Bowl of Souls” series except for “Tarah Woodblade” the first in the Jharro Grove sub-series; book #6, so this review is based only on my knowledge of these two books. This book picks up closely after the previous book, however the book adds many new characters, items, and adventure than its predecessor had. Just like with any good Role Playing Game (RPG), this book built on top of what previously existed plus more.
The author weaves a grand and believable high-fantasy story that leaves you wanting more; which is a good thing. The world created by the author thus far could be used to create a vast number of additional books based on the various characters and adventures without repeating. I like that the author, as with his previous book in the series, uses many of the standard fantasy tropes so I can better visualize them while he also creates new fantasy creatures that I would love to see on the big screen. It makes me want to say. “Mommy, I want a rogue pony for my birthday.” How much fun would that be! I could easily see this series being made into a motion picture or TV series because of how engaging it is. You feel for the characters and experience the journey along with them.
In this book we learn more about Tarah and her “red” magical staff along with additional background and details about Justan and others. The characters themselves are well developed and I like that the author releases bits and pieces about them over the entire book instead of doing it all in a single chapter or at the start of the book as other books often do. If you start to read the books in this series, be prepared to read them all.
Although the book does contain some light romance, I would recommend it for young adult and adult readers. The author is able to tell the story without having to resort to vulgar language, overly graphic violence, or adult material. I can’t speak to the other book in the series, however based on the two I have read, this seems to be the case in both of them.
Let me take a moment to say that the book, for audible listeners would not be as good as it was without the wonderful narration done by Mr. Andrew Tell. He is the same person who narrated the first book in this series and I find his narration top-notch. He is able to capture the characters, events, actions, etc. all in a way that seems smooth and effortless. He is able to voice many different characters without being confusing. He does a great job of voicing female characters (such as Tarah) without using a falsetto or unnatural voice. The book flows well and the narration follows this fluid nature making an already good book even better in audio form. I will be listening to additional material by this narrator as I enjoy his style and presentation. The audio is crisp, clean along with consistent volume throughout the book.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for an honest and non-bias review.
July 20, 2017
Finally we meet the Protector!!!!
Ok ok....so this novel we see Sir Edge and progress his line a bit. At the time of writing this I have finished the Saga and I must say, the finale is nearly perfect. It is worth reading this and all the others for that glorious read at the end.
The threads started in this novel lay seeds that will equal delicious fruit at the very end.
I have not much more to say about this novel, as my mind is still largely processing the events in the finale. If you wish to have a more comprehensive look at the series as a whole. I will leave a review of the entire Saga attached to the first novel Tarah Woodblade, also, my review of the finale "Behemoth"
Mentions the entire series without spoilers.
Ok ok....so this novel we see Sir Edge and progress his line a bit. At the time of writing this I have finished the Saga and I must say, the finale is nearly perfect. It is worth reading this and all the others for that glorious read at the end.
The threads started in this novel lay seeds that will equal delicious fruit at the very end.
I have not much more to say about this novel, as my mind is still largely processing the events in the finale. If you wish to have a more comprehensive look at the series as a whole. I will leave a review of the entire Saga attached to the first novel Tarah Woodblade, also, my review of the finale "Behemoth"
Mentions the entire series without spoilers.
February 7, 2016
Another excellent installment.
February 18, 2016
I really don't find Tarah that interesting.
April 29, 2016
Enjoyed this book and am enjoying the series. There are typos that make me insane.
March 8, 2016
Trevor Cooley does well with plot and pace but there is a decided lack of artfulness in this book.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews