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Blue Moon Rising #1
Wisdom
Raised in a secluded cottage, Keith has only ever known the outside world through the travels of his father. Yet that all changes when he’s forced from the comforts of his family home into a world only envisioned. Now stranded in a thief’s paradise, he begins to entwine the lives of others on a very personal and timely quest to discover the truth behind his secretive upbringing.Meet a half-breed Black Wing seeking his captive mother in the human realms in order to escape his pure-blood family; an alchemist wielding a newfound power he hopes will make him the magic-user he has always wished to be; a Healer seeking to destroy the very foundation which led to the division of his people; and two sister unicorns – one Pure and one Dark.
360 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
4 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Bonnie Watson
14 books11 followersEvery painting has a story behind it. Every story has a picture to paint. So I'm just an endless beacon of stories for both worlds. The world of Art. The world of Storytelling. There's no living without either.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 13, 2013
A great adventure story about a young boy discovering who he is and coming into his own. Magic, cool fantastical creatures, an interesting twist on unicorns, plenty of surprises in the plot - if you want just a good old-fashioned-style fantasy adventure tale, this is well worth a read! Appropriate for all ages, too. The book ends with a nice closed circle of coming back to the beginning, yet leaves so much open for this trilogy to continue. Oh, and the author is also an artist, so be sure to take note of the black-and-white drawings sprinkled throughout the book. :-)
March 27, 2013
Wisdom (Blue Moon Rising Trilogy) by Bonnie Watson
There was a free one to the trilogy of books. It turned out to be the second in the trilogy. So I borrowed this copy from the person who recommended it. It's a good thing too, because I'm not sure how easy it would be to follow the next one without this one. As it is this book is chock full of detail and description and the initial setup of all the world building and creatures therein.
This is one of those novels where you have to keep an eye on the details and even when it looks like you have a chapter that's way out in left field it's still important to concentrate on who is doing what with whom.
The author, Bonnie Watson, does an excellent job of keeping the story flowing and keeping the various storylines separated and somewhat uncomplicated so that the reader can follow it. It's just not a novel you want to rush through or you could miss something easily.
This novel has a whole lot of elements that almost come right out of some of my favorite MMORPG's. With the Harpies and other feathered beasts and the Unicorns and Mages I was on the lookout for a dozen other magical creatures. Of course they weren't there because this isn't really a story from those games.
The main character Keith Larson is a child when we meet him. He seems a bit mature for his age, but considering further revelations about him this probably tracks okay. Keith’s Uncle- who apparently might not really be his uncle- is not a nice person and is instrumental in the death of Keith's parents. The other instrumental character is someone we find showing up consistently in one of the other threads.
When Keith's father is killed Keith knows by then that his parents have been murdered and he is kidnapped and sent to the big city possibly to be sold- that parts not really clear. In the city through the luck of the draw a thief frees him and takes him under his wing. Keith is an albino and that makes him stick out and we are soon to find it also opens possibilities for his being a magic user. So while he begins the journey to discover himself he is being well hidden by the Thieves Guild.
Eventually things go bad for him and the guild and he is captured and placed into the local slavery market. The slavery market in this story is a rather strange arraignment. It seems that the person who runs it can curse things and has somehow cursed the contracts of all slaves so that he knows where they are at all times and even when he sells them he is connected to them and more often than not they get rotated back to him.
That arraignment allows Keith to be sold to many different people. Each time he learns more about his magic abilities until he is almost at a point where he can't really be imprisoned but the cursed document keeps him in check.
Everyone seems to treat the slavery as a game more than as what it is-slavery. Keith has to learn the game to win and this takes a good portion of the book wherein he meets many different characters who affect his life. One would think he'd be bent on revenge for his parent’s deaths, but that seems to take second place to finding himself.
Eventually his goal is to find out who or what he really is.
I enjoyed this novel to the very end and it was a tough read that was well worth the effort. Everything came together and though there are two more books and plenty of issues to resolve I think it satisfactorily brings all threads together in a neat and tight package at the end.
Now to get on to the free book.
Sural
There was a free one to the trilogy of books. It turned out to be the second in the trilogy. So I borrowed this copy from the person who recommended it. It's a good thing too, because I'm not sure how easy it would be to follow the next one without this one. As it is this book is chock full of detail and description and the initial setup of all the world building and creatures therein.
This is one of those novels where you have to keep an eye on the details and even when it looks like you have a chapter that's way out in left field it's still important to concentrate on who is doing what with whom.
The author, Bonnie Watson, does an excellent job of keeping the story flowing and keeping the various storylines separated and somewhat uncomplicated so that the reader can follow it. It's just not a novel you want to rush through or you could miss something easily.
This novel has a whole lot of elements that almost come right out of some of my favorite MMORPG's. With the Harpies and other feathered beasts and the Unicorns and Mages I was on the lookout for a dozen other magical creatures. Of course they weren't there because this isn't really a story from those games.
The main character Keith Larson is a child when we meet him. He seems a bit mature for his age, but considering further revelations about him this probably tracks okay. Keith’s Uncle- who apparently might not really be his uncle- is not a nice person and is instrumental in the death of Keith's parents. The other instrumental character is someone we find showing up consistently in one of the other threads.
When Keith's father is killed Keith knows by then that his parents have been murdered and he is kidnapped and sent to the big city possibly to be sold- that parts not really clear. In the city through the luck of the draw a thief frees him and takes him under his wing. Keith is an albino and that makes him stick out and we are soon to find it also opens possibilities for his being a magic user. So while he begins the journey to discover himself he is being well hidden by the Thieves Guild.
Eventually things go bad for him and the guild and he is captured and placed into the local slavery market. The slavery market in this story is a rather strange arraignment. It seems that the person who runs it can curse things and has somehow cursed the contracts of all slaves so that he knows where they are at all times and even when he sells them he is connected to them and more often than not they get rotated back to him.
That arraignment allows Keith to be sold to many different people. Each time he learns more about his magic abilities until he is almost at a point where he can't really be imprisoned but the cursed document keeps him in check.
Everyone seems to treat the slavery as a game more than as what it is-slavery. Keith has to learn the game to win and this takes a good portion of the book wherein he meets many different characters who affect his life. One would think he'd be bent on revenge for his parent’s deaths, but that seems to take second place to finding himself.
Eventually his goal is to find out who or what he really is.
I enjoyed this novel to the very end and it was a tough read that was well worth the effort. Everything came together and though there are two more books and plenty of issues to resolve I think it satisfactorily brings all threads together in a neat and tight package at the end.
Now to get on to the free book.
Sural
June 7, 2013
Keith grows up in a sheltered environment, but after the death of both his parents his life takes a turn for the worse and he is forced into the big wild world. But rather than seeking revenge he wants answers.
It would have been nice to have a little background before his parents die. The descriptions of Lexington and the Master Thief in the beginning are thrilling and exciting, reminding me a little of Oliver when he first arrived in London.
There are two story lines. And at first you have know idea how and when they will intertwine, but of course they eventually they do.
The level of imagination is just great, there are stunning rich descriptions for both humans and animals and the worlds they live in.
There is a map at the beginning of the book which I referred to on various occasions, but the best map is at the website of the books, www.wisdomnovels.com although be careful as it contains spoilers.
There are multiple main characters, Keith, Blackaver, ( I wish he had a longer part in the book) Jenario, Corrigan each character is to different and unique. (Although Keith has to be the most important of them all). To have multiple characters is different for me, I usually read books with one main character, but it works all the same. Different characters are also introduced as the book goes on.
There is just non stop action, couldn´t put the book down, I finished it in one sitting. Detail, detail, detail, just love it. I did so love the character Blackaver, although he might not be someone to look up to due to his choice of work, but he certainly has a soft caring side to him. And I preferred the side of the story with Keith, I just submerged into this world. Jenario is another great character, dark and mysterious.
One of the problems I would like to add is that there are no descriptions of the characters that have been invented, so although imagination is the way to go, it would have been nice to read a full description from the author.
On the plus side the cover art work in stunning. It would make a darn good movie. This book totally surprised me in a very good way, I don´t often read fantasy books, but this was well worth it.
Page 87 “inching” should be itching.
It would have been nice to have a little background before his parents die. The descriptions of Lexington and the Master Thief in the beginning are thrilling and exciting, reminding me a little of Oliver when he first arrived in London.
There are two story lines. And at first you have know idea how and when they will intertwine, but of course they eventually they do.
The level of imagination is just great, there are stunning rich descriptions for both humans and animals and the worlds they live in.
There is a map at the beginning of the book which I referred to on various occasions, but the best map is at the website of the books, www.wisdomnovels.com although be careful as it contains spoilers.
There are multiple main characters, Keith, Blackaver, ( I wish he had a longer part in the book) Jenario, Corrigan each character is to different and unique. (Although Keith has to be the most important of them all). To have multiple characters is different for me, I usually read books with one main character, but it works all the same. Different characters are also introduced as the book goes on.
There is just non stop action, couldn´t put the book down, I finished it in one sitting. Detail, detail, detail, just love it. I did so love the character Blackaver, although he might not be someone to look up to due to his choice of work, but he certainly has a soft caring side to him. And I preferred the side of the story with Keith, I just submerged into this world. Jenario is another great character, dark and mysterious.
One of the problems I would like to add is that there are no descriptions of the characters that have been invented, so although imagination is the way to go, it would have been nice to read a full description from the author.
On the plus side the cover art work in stunning. It would make a darn good movie. This book totally surprised me in a very good way, I don´t often read fantasy books, but this was well worth it.
Page 87 “inching” should be itching.
April 15, 2011
While I’m not one to pound the drum and blow a trumpet when I find a good book, I do enjoy passing along my thoughts on some of those I’ve read. Wisdom is one of those books that I feel fully justified in touting.
The characters are as real as a slap in the face and the plot isn’t so thick that it’s unfollowable. Descriptions of places and actions never left me feeling that I was being drowned in hyperbole. While it’s a given that some authors count words and add the money, I’m safe in saying that Miss Watson spent more time worrying about the tale than the tally.
I’ve rated her book at four stars, with R. A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land being one of the few five stars I’ve read. Wisdom is a throughly enjoyable book. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy with eager anticipation.
The characters are as real as a slap in the face and the plot isn’t so thick that it’s unfollowable. Descriptions of places and actions never left me feeling that I was being drowned in hyperbole. While it’s a given that some authors count words and add the money, I’m safe in saying that Miss Watson spent more time worrying about the tale than the tally.
I’ve rated her book at four stars, with R. A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land being one of the few five stars I’ve read. Wisdom is a throughly enjoyable book. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy with eager anticipation.
June 29, 2009
Bonnie Watson is a talented new author and artist, who puts a lot of creativity and passion into all that she does. Keep an eye out for this one.
May 17, 2019
Wisdom(Blue Moon Rising Trilogy) by Bonnie Watson
This is one of those free books that have a bit of extra hook. The free book was the next one and I just couldn't see reading the free one without first reading this one. So I purchased Wisdom and it's a wise choice-I think.
There are so many things to love about this book it makes it worth the struggle. When I say struggle I don't mean that as a bad thing. What I mean is that this is a story told in the high form of such classics as the Three Musketeers and Count of Monte Cristo. Add to that some interesting world building and it comes close to the classic nature of The Lord of the Rings.
If there is any problem with this book, it's that there are at least three threads being told in parallel which eventually bend into each other by the force of powerful singularity which is the creative nature of the the author, Bonnie Watson.
This book demands special care and attention to details to understand how these story lines fit together. If I were to split types of readers I would call them the slow reader (me) the scanners (me some of the time) the speed reader (Not me, but I know a few). This book is suited to the speed reader. The slow reader may muddle along and take extra time or be tempted to scan and then get lost. It's best to take the extra time and not miss any of the precious details.
As to the story of Wisdom (who starts the story as Keith Larson). The reader is introduced to Keith as a child with loving parents- that is soon a condition that will change through treachery of someone close to the family. This creates an element close to the wonderful story of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. And later when he joins a guild of thieves it becomes a mirror of Oliver Twist.
By the time Keith reaches the point of becoming a slave we would almost suspect that he'd have a thirst for revenge and be close to the Count of Monte Cristo. But the real parts that remind me of Dumas are all the bits and pieces in the building of the tale that speak of treachery and intrigue and the length it takes to build to the connection to all of these.
This is really another story of a youth who's life has been a fiction until they are thrust into reality and forced to discover what they truly are. And that perhaps explains why even as a child Keith possesses a certain quality that sets him apart from normal.
Usually I can finish these off in one or two days but this one took me three. It was well worth the time. Scanning through this book would leave me mostly wondering a variety of thing about what was going on. Going through it carefully was like savoring the flavor of a well prepared feast.
That all said there were a few choices of words that threw me off occasionally and two in particular stood out and I'd love to have someone explain what I might have missed.
The first is this one:
"Indeed." Jenario stood with an heir of newfound dignity.
Watson, Bonnie (2010-10-05). Wisdom (Blue Moon Rising Trilogy) (p. 227). Foreseer Productions. Kindle Edition.
Now I could be all wet here, by waving one foot over the rail precariously. But in this instance it would seem more appropriate to say Jenario stood with an air of new-found dignity.
That's not to say that he couldn't do the above. For lets suppose he'd just had a child and in his society that that very fact gave him a newfound dignity.
This could all be eloquently summed up with that one statement. Since the child would be his heir.
Then he might well stand with an heir of new-found dignity.
Unfortunately he didn't just have a child.
As it stands in context it confused me though it's not to say that it won't make sense to someone more acquainted with using nouns in this manor.
The next was this one:
Already, many young females had taken an interest in him, to Chronicles' discretion.
Watson, Bonnie (2010-10-05). Wisdom (Blue Moon Rising Trilogy) (p. 238). Foreseer Productions. Kindle Edition.
See to me this says to Chronicles good judgment which seems to jar with the way Chronicles seems to come off so far. Much the same as to say Chronicles was encouraging the females towards Keith; while I'm certain he would be doing the opposite.
So, this one baffles me.
These were not show stoppers and I think I understood what was going on and even if I got it a bit wrong I don't think it spoiled the story.
Please read this book and then anyone who would like to enlighten me on these two can feel free to in the comments.
This is great writing from a highly talented person and it was a pleasure to read. I recommend it to just about anyone who loves reading.
J.L. Dobias
This is one of those free books that have a bit of extra hook. The free book was the next one and I just couldn't see reading the free one without first reading this one. So I purchased Wisdom and it's a wise choice-I think.
There are so many things to love about this book it makes it worth the struggle. When I say struggle I don't mean that as a bad thing. What I mean is that this is a story told in the high form of such classics as the Three Musketeers and Count of Monte Cristo. Add to that some interesting world building and it comes close to the classic nature of The Lord of the Rings.
If there is any problem with this book, it's that there are at least three threads being told in parallel which eventually bend into each other by the force of powerful singularity which is the creative nature of the the author, Bonnie Watson.
This book demands special care and attention to details to understand how these story lines fit together. If I were to split types of readers I would call them the slow reader (me) the scanners (me some of the time) the speed reader (Not me, but I know a few). This book is suited to the speed reader. The slow reader may muddle along and take extra time or be tempted to scan and then get lost. It's best to take the extra time and not miss any of the precious details.
As to the story of Wisdom (who starts the story as Keith Larson). The reader is introduced to Keith as a child with loving parents- that is soon a condition that will change through treachery of someone close to the family. This creates an element close to the wonderful story of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. And later when he joins a guild of thieves it becomes a mirror of Oliver Twist.
By the time Keith reaches the point of becoming a slave we would almost suspect that he'd have a thirst for revenge and be close to the Count of Monte Cristo. But the real parts that remind me of Dumas are all the bits and pieces in the building of the tale that speak of treachery and intrigue and the length it takes to build to the connection to all of these.
This is really another story of a youth who's life has been a fiction until they are thrust into reality and forced to discover what they truly are. And that perhaps explains why even as a child Keith possesses a certain quality that sets him apart from normal.
Usually I can finish these off in one or two days but this one took me three. It was well worth the time. Scanning through this book would leave me mostly wondering a variety of thing about what was going on. Going through it carefully was like savoring the flavor of a well prepared feast.
That all said there were a few choices of words that threw me off occasionally and two in particular stood out and I'd love to have someone explain what I might have missed.
The first is this one:
"Indeed." Jenario stood with an heir of newfound dignity.
Watson, Bonnie (2010-10-05). Wisdom (Blue Moon Rising Trilogy) (p. 227). Foreseer Productions. Kindle Edition.
Now I could be all wet here, by waving one foot over the rail precariously. But in this instance it would seem more appropriate to say Jenario stood with an air of new-found dignity.
That's not to say that he couldn't do the above. For lets suppose he'd just had a child and in his society that that very fact gave him a newfound dignity.
This could all be eloquently summed up with that one statement. Since the child would be his heir.
Then he might well stand with an heir of new-found dignity.
Unfortunately he didn't just have a child.
As it stands in context it confused me though it's not to say that it won't make sense to someone more acquainted with using nouns in this manor.
The next was this one:
Already, many young females had taken an interest in him, to Chronicles' discretion.
Watson, Bonnie (2010-10-05). Wisdom (Blue Moon Rising Trilogy) (p. 238). Foreseer Productions. Kindle Edition.
See to me this says to Chronicles good judgment which seems to jar with the way Chronicles seems to come off so far. Much the same as to say Chronicles was encouraging the females towards Keith; while I'm certain he would be doing the opposite.
So, this one baffles me.
These were not show stoppers and I think I understood what was going on and even if I got it a bit wrong I don't think it spoiled the story.
Please read this book and then anyone who would like to enlighten me on these two can feel free to in the comments.
This is great writing from a highly talented person and it was a pleasure to read. I recommend it to just about anyone who loves reading.
J.L. Dobias
September 3, 2018
I read 30% of the book and honestly have no idea what it's about. I don't know where the story is going or why it is going there. I'm not even sure I know who the main character is. The world the author has built is so convoluted that I'm not even sure what species half the characters are (not that knowing the species name would help; many of the sentient species in the book are not really explained. They are just kind of thrown out there in all of their bizarre glory).
Now I can put up with some pretty weird stuff when it comes to world building...if the weird stuff makes a certain amount of internal sense. I felt that was lacking as well. For example, during a large part of the 30% of the book I read the "main character" is in a part of the world where most of the population are slaves. Yet our "main character" takes up with a huge thieves' guild that lives undiscovered in a large underground community beneath the main town/city. The thieves of this huge guild operate completely unknown to the populace aboveground and routinely rob blind what few of the above-ground populace aren't slaves. The entire economic structure of this "society" is simply unworkable.
In the end, the story simply wasn't sufficiently interesting for me to continue to try to figure out what it was all about.
Now I can put up with some pretty weird stuff when it comes to world building...if the weird stuff makes a certain amount of internal sense. I felt that was lacking as well. For example, during a large part of the 30% of the book I read the "main character" is in a part of the world where most of the population are slaves. Yet our "main character" takes up with a huge thieves' guild that lives undiscovered in a large underground community beneath the main town/city. The thieves of this huge guild operate completely unknown to the populace aboveground and routinely rob blind what few of the above-ground populace aren't slaves. The entire economic structure of this "society" is simply unworkable.
In the end, the story simply wasn't sufficiently interesting for me to continue to try to figure out what it was all about.
November 30, 2021
I highly enjoyed this book and following the main character Keith on his journey finding out who and what he is and his struggles through the perilous and magical land that he inhabits. I also really loved all the different races of beings and creatures. The characters are well developed and intriguing so that your always wondering what you will learn about them next and leaves you wanting more. This is a page turner and new discoveries and dangers at each turn! Definitely a great read and I recommend it if you like Fantasy stories at all! Looking forward to reading the others of the series!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews