Aug 2021 update - I purchased the first book in print for my grandson who liked it and wanted the rest. They were purchased too. I don't mind supporting good authors!
Book 1 of 4 = Descendant
2021 grade B+
Another 99 cent Kindle package deal. This fantasy series is written and published with the same group of people used in The Witch Next Door series, which is how I found it. Descendant was quite enjoyable with diverse characters driving the story. The characters were intelligent and stayed in character most of the time except for some illogical actions and bickering in the first quarter. The universe basically already exists in fantasy so all the author has to do is add their own twist. They are good twists and I enjoyed the book but one still feels a little cheated when the alternate universe turns out to be regular magical harpies, dragons, elves, etc. The end is a a soft cliff hanger, in case that bothers you, but the rest of the stories are in the collection. I will see how book 2 goes in a while.
Book 2 of 4 = Ascendant
2021 grade B
Book 2 is a good strong sequel. There is adequate expansion of the world building and the character development. As with other books from the publisher, a missing mom is one of the themes. She is found in this one, but that might not be a good thing. And the set up for more problems is the protagonist's dad is now in danger. Again the end is a soft cliff hanger. I just kept on reading into book 3.
Book 3 of 4 = Combatant
2021 grade B-
As you might guess from the title, this book has the battles, and the protagonist becomes a warrior. It also starts the dirty politics and the "deals with the devil." Although it is very well written I don't care for politics or deals, and I find battles to be the boring action equivalent of a bus ride. The book starts with the dad's rescue, pretty tense. Unfortunately the story immediately moves into a battle with no break for comic relief or even down time. Since it was the same type of battle portrayed in the previous books, I skimmed through it. The later battles were more of the same and I massively speed read through those skipping large portions. The details between the fights were good, despite the politics and deals. I'll wait a while before reading book 4.
Book 4 of 4 = Transcendent
2021 grade B-
Roughly the first half of this book was a bit tedious, and I sped through it by reading the start of the long paragraphs and skipping to the next paragraph. Part of the tedium was in the portions concerning only the villains. The rest were overly detailed descriptions of rooms, clothing, and one long fight scene. But there are parts that are needed so they cannot just be skipped overall.
The climax is two "battles" back to back and I read them both in one sitting. The major physical battle was very well handled and was read completely. It is followed by the final dirty politics battle which is courtroom style. Courtroom arguments are not something I enjoy, and I speed read the prosecution. The defense was the magical equivalent of CCTV - an interesting if not new concept. But it felt like a bit of a cheat because there was no other evidence and without it the villains would have won.
The wrap up after that is fairly long because the story is complex, but it is Grade A and only involved minor speed reading. Overall, a good story.
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The Kacy Chronicles overall review
2021 Grade B
This is an enjoyable chronicle of a complex fantasy story. It is a bit tedious or overwritten in places and even predictable. But it is otherwise interesting and very well done. I did not find any of the fantasy aspects new to me, but the use of them with incredible characters was excellent. Considering SciFi is my preferred genre, this was an enjoyable story and I might read it again some day.
It is a Recommended book.