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The Valley of Ten Crescents
The Valley of Ten Crescents Series
Book 1: Thieves at Heart
Born in poverty, a half-elf in a human city, Tavera lives in a world where she doesn't belong -- until the day she meets Derk. Initiated into the elite group of self-made scoundrels known as the Cup of Cream, Tavera must choose between loyalty to her father and a place as one of the THIEVES AT HEART.
Book 2: Self-Made Scoundrel
Dershik Cartaskin's life is one of power, wealth, privilege... and lies. Son to an ambitious father, husband to a wife he cannot love, and father to a child who is not his own, Dershik has everything, and yet nothing to call his own.
When the price of power and the weight of lies grow too great for him to bear, Dershik decides to leave everything he's ever known behind, and makes a deadly choice that will irrevocably alter his future.
Rejecting his former life, Dershik takes on a new name and a new identity, and sets out to forge his legacy as Derk -- member of the band of thieves known as the Cup of Cream, and SELF-MADE SCOUNDREL. But soon Derk finds that even a dishonest man can't hide from the truth...
Book 3: Red Moon Rising
The rise of a deadly cult threatens life in the Valley of Ten Crescents. Alone, betrayed, and on the run from the law, Tavera finds herself charged with rescuing Kella, a priestess with a powerful secret who has been kidnapped by the cult. Tavera finds she can no longer be a little girl lost, but must become a leader and a savior if she is to survive the RED MOON RISING.
Bonus: Little Girl Lost
Tavera is a child passed from hand to hand as a source of cheap labor in the underworld of the Valley. When she finds herself at the mercy of the vicious sausage maker, the elderly Madame Greswin, she discovers secrets from the woman's past and the consequences leave Tavera fighting for her life.
Born in poverty, a half-elf in a human city, Tavera lives in a world where she doesn't belong -- until the day she meets Derk. Initiated into the elite group of self-made scoundrels known as the Cup of Cream, Tavera must choose between loyalty to her father and a place as one of the THIEVES AT HEART.
Book 2: Self-Made Scoundrel
Dershik Cartaskin's life is one of power, wealth, privilege... and lies. Son to an ambitious father, husband to a wife he cannot love, and father to a child who is not his own, Dershik has everything, and yet nothing to call his own.
When the price of power and the weight of lies grow too great for him to bear, Dershik decides to leave everything he's ever known behind, and makes a deadly choice that will irrevocably alter his future.
Rejecting his former life, Dershik takes on a new name and a new identity, and sets out to forge his legacy as Derk -- member of the band of thieves known as the Cup of Cream, and SELF-MADE SCOUNDREL. But soon Derk finds that even a dishonest man can't hide from the truth...
Book 3: Red Moon Rising
The rise of a deadly cult threatens life in the Valley of Ten Crescents. Alone, betrayed, and on the run from the law, Tavera finds herself charged with rescuing Kella, a priestess with a powerful secret who has been kidnapped by the cult. Tavera finds she can no longer be a little girl lost, but must become a leader and a savior if she is to survive the RED MOON RISING.
Bonus: Little Girl Lost
Tavera is a child passed from hand to hand as a source of cheap labor in the underworld of the Valley. When she finds herself at the mercy of the vicious sausage maker, the elderly Madame Greswin, she discovers secrets from the woman's past and the consequences leave Tavera fighting for her life.
- GenresFantasy
559 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 14, 2014
10 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Tristan J. Tarwater
32 books57 followersTristan J. Tarwater is a writer of fantasy, comics and RPG bits. Their titles include The Valley of Ten Crescents series, Shamsee: A Fistful of Lunars,Hen & Chick and Reality Makes the Best Fantasy. They have also worked for both Pelgrane Press and Onyx Path. Born and raised in NYC, they now consider Portland, OR their home. When they're not making stuff up, they are usually reading a comic book, cooking delicious meals for their Spouse and Small Boss or playing a video game. Their next RPG character will most definitely be an elf.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 15, 2016
Thieves at Heart – Book 1
My Rating - ****
Welcome to the world of the Valley of the Ten Crescents, a fantasy world similar to, but not quite the same as our own world in some past time. In this book Tristan J. Tarwater tells the story of a little orphaned half-elf girl who is adopted by a man who is, by his own admission, an accomplished thief and who goes to some trouble to train her in the arts of thievery as well.
This is basically the story of how Tavera, the little elf girl grows up. The story is a series of scenes from the girl’s life. Tavera occasionally remembers a scene from earlier in her life, but there aren’t a lot of flashbacks to earlier times, and the main scenes progress in chronological order, although there are some years skipped between some of them.
Derk and Tavi are loosely associated with a group of thieves – something like a Thieves Guild – that calls itself ‘The Cup of Cream’. They consider themselves the best of the best of the thieves, and Derk actively trains Tavi so that she will one day qualify for full membership in this group.
One interesting facet of life in the Valley of the Ten Crescents is their religion. They apparently worship a moon goddess of some sort. There is a temple to this goddess in every city, and Tavi and Derk occasionally go to prayers there without feeling any discomfort or embarrassment about it, although once Tavi wonders why there are laws against stealing since the goddess herself sanctioned thievery by stealing light from her brother, the sun.
A lot is hinted at around the edges of Tavi and Derk’s life together that is not fully explained. But all in all, an interesting story.
I first received a copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was so intrigued I bought the whole set.
Self-Made Scoundrel – Book 2
My Rating *****
This is the prequel to Thieves at Heart. In this book, Tristan J. Tarwater gives us the story of how Derk, Tavera’s adoptive father, came to be a thief. It’s not what you would expect.
It seems that Dershik Cartaskin began life as the son of one of the Ten Crescent’s barons. Unfortunately, his father seemed to feel that he had to treat his subjects badly in order to maintain control of the Barony, and as time went on, Dershik found himself feeling more and more that he did not want to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Eventually, Dershik finds it necessary to fake his own death and move out into the world on his own, becoming a thief and gambler, and taking the alias Derk.
This book is in many ways the most satisfying of the set, with more in the way of plot, several well-defined adventures, and even a couple of love stories. The stories behind several of the characters who appeared briefly in Thieves at Heart are given in more detail. The religion of the moon goddess is explained in more detail, and in one of his adventures, Derk accompanies some of his new friends on a mission for her church.
Red Moon Rising – Book 3
My Rating – ****
In the third book of the set, Tristan J. Tarwater picks up the story again more or less where it was at the end of Thieves at Heart. This one finds Tavera across the valley from where she left Derk after being initiated into the Cup of Cream, regretting that she didn’t go back and save him in spite of his specific requests that she not do anything of the sort.
In the village of Whitend, which this year is considered part of the Freewild instead of its proper Barony (due to, um, technical difficulties), Tavera finds a bartender surnamed Tender who also serves, unofficially now, as magistrate and ‘brown cloak’ (keeper of law and order), and also assists the local priestess, who holds services in his bar, when she’s not too drunk.
When the priestess is kidnapped by members of a cult that is a warped, blood-sacrificing version of the normal moon goddess religion, Tavera, Tender, Tender’s brother, Little, and another woman, Gaela, undertake a mission to find and rescue her, an operation that makes it necessary for them to uncover her secrets.
This is basically the only adventure in this book, but it is a good solid one.
Little Girl Lost – Bonus story
This is a short story telling how Tavera came to be in the custody of Prisca the Tart where Derk found her. It does not go into her very early childhood; apparently what she told Derk in Thieves at Heart is the most anybody knows about that. This story begins when she is sold to the sausage maker (a woman I expected to push her into the oven a la Hansel and Gretel any minute) she worked for prior to running away and being found by Prisca , details her tasks while working with this woman, and tells the incident that caused her to run away.
My Rating - ****
Welcome to the world of the Valley of the Ten Crescents, a fantasy world similar to, but not quite the same as our own world in some past time. In this book Tristan J. Tarwater tells the story of a little orphaned half-elf girl who is adopted by a man who is, by his own admission, an accomplished thief and who goes to some trouble to train her in the arts of thievery as well.
This is basically the story of how Tavera, the little elf girl grows up. The story is a series of scenes from the girl’s life. Tavera occasionally remembers a scene from earlier in her life, but there aren’t a lot of flashbacks to earlier times, and the main scenes progress in chronological order, although there are some years skipped between some of them.
Derk and Tavi are loosely associated with a group of thieves – something like a Thieves Guild – that calls itself ‘The Cup of Cream’. They consider themselves the best of the best of the thieves, and Derk actively trains Tavi so that she will one day qualify for full membership in this group.
One interesting facet of life in the Valley of the Ten Crescents is their religion. They apparently worship a moon goddess of some sort. There is a temple to this goddess in every city, and Tavi and Derk occasionally go to prayers there without feeling any discomfort or embarrassment about it, although once Tavi wonders why there are laws against stealing since the goddess herself sanctioned thievery by stealing light from her brother, the sun.
A lot is hinted at around the edges of Tavi and Derk’s life together that is not fully explained. But all in all, an interesting story.
I first received a copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was so intrigued I bought the whole set.
Self-Made Scoundrel – Book 2
My Rating *****
This is the prequel to Thieves at Heart. In this book, Tristan J. Tarwater gives us the story of how Derk, Tavera’s adoptive father, came to be a thief. It’s not what you would expect.
It seems that Dershik Cartaskin began life as the son of one of the Ten Crescent’s barons. Unfortunately, his father seemed to feel that he had to treat his subjects badly in order to maintain control of the Barony, and as time went on, Dershik found himself feeling more and more that he did not want to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Eventually, Dershik finds it necessary to fake his own death and move out into the world on his own, becoming a thief and gambler, and taking the alias Derk.
This book is in many ways the most satisfying of the set, with more in the way of plot, several well-defined adventures, and even a couple of love stories. The stories behind several of the characters who appeared briefly in Thieves at Heart are given in more detail. The religion of the moon goddess is explained in more detail, and in one of his adventures, Derk accompanies some of his new friends on a mission for her church.
Red Moon Rising – Book 3
My Rating – ****
In the third book of the set, Tristan J. Tarwater picks up the story again more or less where it was at the end of Thieves at Heart. This one finds Tavera across the valley from where she left Derk after being initiated into the Cup of Cream, regretting that she didn’t go back and save him in spite of his specific requests that she not do anything of the sort.
In the village of Whitend, which this year is considered part of the Freewild instead of its proper Barony (due to, um, technical difficulties), Tavera finds a bartender surnamed Tender who also serves, unofficially now, as magistrate and ‘brown cloak’ (keeper of law and order), and also assists the local priestess, who holds services in his bar, when she’s not too drunk.
When the priestess is kidnapped by members of a cult that is a warped, blood-sacrificing version of the normal moon goddess religion, Tavera, Tender, Tender’s brother, Little, and another woman, Gaela, undertake a mission to find and rescue her, an operation that makes it necessary for them to uncover her secrets.
This is basically the only adventure in this book, but it is a good solid one.
Little Girl Lost – Bonus story
This is a short story telling how Tavera came to be in the custody of Prisca the Tart where Derk found her. It does not go into her very early childhood; apparently what she told Derk in Thieves at Heart is the most anybody knows about that. This story begins when she is sold to the sausage maker (a woman I expected to push her into the oven a la Hansel and Gretel any minute) she worked for prior to running away and being found by Prisca , details her tasks while working with this woman, and tells the incident that caused her to run away.
May 3, 2016
Tavera “Tavi” (13, aka Velida, orphaned 1/2-elf, Forester) lived among humans in Fenwick (town).
She became friends with Prisca the Tart (girl), Brass Sera (f), & Kind Gia.
Derk Dershik “Derk” Cartaskin (aka The Lurk, thief/mentor) later catches her stealing.
Derk takes Tavi under his wing & they have a room above the tavern in Greyhollow (town).
Tavera meets Loren Lori (boy).
Could there be a romance in the air?
The Valley of 10 Crescents is threatened by a deadly cult. The cult kidnaps a Kella a priestess (powerful secret) & Tavera takes measures in her hands to rescue her.
How will all these scenarios all turn out?
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A trilogy: Book 1: Thieves at Heart; Book 2: Self-Made Scoundrel; & Book 3: Red Moon Rising all fairly well written older HS or YA fantasy book. They weren’t always very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish, but never a dull moment. There were some grammar/typo errors, but no repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great older HS or YA fantasy movie, animated cartoon, or mini TV series. Not my normal read. I still liked it so I will rate it at 5 stars.
Thank you for the free Story Cartel; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
She became friends with Prisca the Tart (girl), Brass Sera (f), & Kind Gia.
Derk Dershik “Derk” Cartaskin (aka The Lurk, thief/mentor) later catches her stealing.
Derk takes Tavi under his wing & they have a room above the tavern in Greyhollow (town).
Tavera meets Loren Lori (boy).
Could there be a romance in the air?
The Valley of 10 Crescents is threatened by a deadly cult. The cult kidnaps a Kella a priestess (powerful secret) & Tavera takes measures in her hands to rescue her.
How will all these scenarios all turn out?
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A trilogy: Book 1: Thieves at Heart; Book 2: Self-Made Scoundrel; & Book 3: Red Moon Rising all fairly well written older HS or YA fantasy book. They weren’t always very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish, but never a dull moment. There were some grammar/typo errors, but no repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great older HS or YA fantasy movie, animated cartoon, or mini TV series. Not my normal read. I still liked it so I will rate it at 5 stars.
Thank you for the free Story Cartel; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
March 16, 2016
I really liked these books. There are more and I plan on reading them, too.
These are stories about a thief (Derk) that adopts half elf, half human Tavi (Tavera) as his apprentice. He is one of the best at his chosen occupation, yes he chose to be a thief, and he sees greatness as a thief in the young girl.
He has no children of his own so adopting her fulfills the need he feels to be a father.
This is set in a non-industrial setting on another planet or another universe or another time, I really don't know.
I suggest everyone read this unless you really hate elves.
These are stories about a thief (Derk) that adopts half elf, half human Tavi (Tavera) as his apprentice. He is one of the best at his chosen occupation, yes he chose to be a thief, and he sees greatness as a thief in the young girl.
He has no children of his own so adopting her fulfills the need he feels to be a father.
This is set in a non-industrial setting on another planet or another universe or another time, I really don't know.
I suggest everyone read this unless you really hate elves.
January 2, 2016
I have received an advance reader copy of this book from Storycartel in exchange for my unbiased review. I have just finished to read book number 1 and I love the story, is a great book for young people and adults with young heart.
March 8, 2014
Good read
it is reminiscent of The Hobbit and it's continuing sagas. Has good characters and quests. I enjoyed all three stories!
it is reminiscent of The Hobbit and it's continuing sagas. Has good characters and quests. I enjoyed all three stories!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews