Mage Soul

Stormborn Saga #2

by J.T. Williams

Can Valrin save the one who saved him?

Valrin escaped the ruthless dwarven pirates, secured the powerful sailing ship of the ancients, and now tries to embrace what it means to be Stormborn. But the Captain who guided him to this fate was struck in their escape with a poisonous bolt and what magic that healed him has failed. This poison is something much worst.

Tossed by a storm into an island, they narrowly escape an attack by monstrous beasts when several strangers appearing wielding magic unlike no others upon the seas. It soon becomes obvious that these strangers are the only ones that can help them but it will not be so simple.

They must travel deep into dwarven waters, seeking out a friend of an Ice Mage, eventually coming to a cannibalistic wielder of earth magic that reveals how dangerous their quest truly is. Valrin will learn of evil beyond mere pirates but will he have the skill to save an entire race before it is too late?

Get ready for another sword and sorcery adventure in the Stormborn Saga by USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR J.T. Williams!

Genres: Fantasy

131 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 24, 2017

About the author

USA TODAY Bestselling author J.T. Williams writes fast-paced sword and sorcery along with dark epic fantasy.

Reviews

[Ashley Martinez (ilovebooksandstuffblog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mage Soul

Another thrilling adventure that introduced some new unique characters namely Evurn. His character was crazy fun! I look forward to reading more of our fearless heroes.

[Joshua Chadd · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second in a great series. J.T. continues to expand upon the unique world he has created. I can begin to see the ties that will lead into the Half-Elf Cronicles. Plus a new shadow elf character that is crazy and awesome, one of my favorite characters in his world! A must read for J.T. fans wanting to get a better picture of the WHOLE storyline!

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I may just have to yield and admit the Stormborn Saga isn’t for me despite wanting to love it. I thought the first novella was a great adventure, touching on all my soft spots for seafaring and aquatic beasties, but it seriously needed more proofreading. I was genuinely taken with the story, just not so much all my contortions of typo horror, but I really did want *more*.

So with that in mind I jumped into Mage Soul, the second instalment of the Stormborn Saga, and hoped. In storytelling terms, Williams is a master at quickly crafting engaging scenarios and dialogue that will make you laugh, cry and laugh-cry (Giant spiders. I am broken by the revelation of their existence. Was it tears of amusement or tragedy?!) spoken by fantastic characters that will run away with your imagination. Mage Soul gives us, for example, a new character called Evurn. Evurn’s attire features crab claws and he’s best buddies with Rasi, an albino snake. I need more Evurn in my life, if that wasn’t already apparent.

But for all I’m sucked into the quest and the adventure, my enjoyment is getting impaired by proofing problems. There’s significantly less in Mage Soul than Stormborn, but the fact remains that a word nerd dies every time a final manuscript is published with ‘amd’ instead of and. These errors jump out at me like sugar-fuelled toddlers with sparklers, but if they don’t bother you then jump into this series as it’s excellent (and quietly torturing my inner word nerd into a Baroque pretzel)

[Alan Behan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captain Valrin

A fantastic follow up to book 1 Stormborn, Valrin escaped the ruthless dwarven pirates, secured the powerful sailing ship of the ancients, and now tries to embrace what it means to be Stormborn, now captain, Valrin finds him self on a new adventure to the save the captain that saved his life, But the Captain who guided him to this fate was struck in their escape with a poisonous bolt and what magic that healed him has failed. This poison is something much worse, but when they are washed up on island, they must contend with beasts, powerful magical strangers come to their aid, they might the ones to help the captain, Fast pacing, action packed with magic, great plot and setting, another great preformence by Nick Denton, highly recommend...😁

[Shannan Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another awesome book by author J.T. Williams! These books leave me with so much energy and ready to dive into the next! The adventure, the action, the characters…everything about this book was amazing. I love the fantasy world and this book delivered! I love Valrin’s character even more but my favorite now is Braei. She is fantastic. There is also a shadow elf and so many other characters that really brought this book to life. This book captured me from page one and held me captive until the last page. If you love fantasy you have got to read these books! This is the second in the series and I’m ready for the next wild ride with book three which is Elf Bane.

[Amy Braun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5, because I need to give points for imagination.

This is a continuation of the Stormborn Saga and picks up right where the first book left off. The story is still short and seems primarily focused on moving to the action and magic, but there are great character moments (looking at you, Fadis), and there is a lot of fun to be had.

While the action scenes were pretty good, I did want more character moments. Valrin doesn’t have as many flaws as I hoped a main character might, but he’s a good lead for the reader to relate to.

If you’re looking for a quick, easy fix of swords and sorcery, this is one to check out!

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still a bit fast paced but not quite as bad as the first. Valrin’s adventure continues with a thrilling quest to save his friend and is quite well done for a sea-faring adventure. There is not a lot of pause between scenes and nothing to indicate time spent in days. Also to note is the once again the end seems a little too convenient for the heroes.

Overall the quality of high fantasy in this book is high despite the pace. It has many moments that give you pause and interesting characters. Though at points it seems like the main character is more along for the ride than a large participant in the story.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mage Soul: A Tale of the Dwemhar (Stormborn Saga Book 2), my seventh read from author J.T. Williams. A 2-hour 46 minute/191-page fantasy read, well-written, entertaining & enjoyable fantasy read. I'll read more from this author. I own 49 other books by this author & after reading this one they've just moved higher on my TBR list. “I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. I look forward to reading Mage Soul: A Tale of the Dwemhar (Stormborn Saga Book 2). (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

To save his captain, Valrin will have to face storms, drwarves mages,, monster spiders and a whole lot more in this sword and sorcery romp.
Interesting characters non-stop action and top notch world building make this second installment in the Stormborn saga an exciting fantasy world.
Kudos to Nick Denton whose excellent voice work and character interpretation that bring the Audible version to life in brilliant detail.

[Lori Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story line

I have read a lot of Kindle books and this story is very interesting and intriguing. This is a "must read" for all of you fantasy readers. My only hope is that the series is complete, it's frustrating as a reader when in Book 2 you have to wait for the rest of the series. Then I usually go on to another series. I believe this one is finished though. Happy reading!

[Patrick Birkholtz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying the continuing adventures of Valrin and his crew. Williams writes in shorter prose than most when it comes to most Fantasy authors, but it helps keep the plot tight and he gives enough for the characters to improve their backgrounds and to set up the world in a grander fashion. Can't wait to finish the next book in the series.

[Ray Boshers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Done

This second installment of this saga does not disappoint. Our main character continues to grow and we get to meet some new allies. But death is still to be found in the safest of places.

[Sedna Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book, though it seemed more like a chapter. I am liking this series though I do have yet to grow to love it. I think that as I go on I will and yet I liked that the places were well described along with a glimpse of the wild life.

[Angel Haze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story! Wish it was a little longer with more detail, but great fast-paced plot! Looking forward to the next book!

[Frank Geimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a seafaring novel, full of magic and conflict. I really liked this story, it is a fast read and holds you until the end. Anyone who likes great fantasy well enjoy this novel.

[Lisa Maughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a thrilling continuation from book 1. We have a new character to add to the mix and he is witty as can be. Love the world J.T. Williams created here.

[David Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and quick

This is a good read. Well written. I read it all in a single day. The only fault I would give it is its length. I wish it had lasted longer.

[See · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little slower in getting to the point of the story, but interesting hooks all the way through. It still keeps you wanting more.

[Stephen Levesque · Rating 5 out of 5]

A outstanding and unique series. Well told plots and strong characters makes the story flow. Great Reading Everyone!

[Susan1566 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another really quick short story, interesting characters, story and action.

[Nicole Talbot · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story has good bones but 157 pages does not make a book. It was more than double the first but I hope I didn’t buy an omnibus of short stories parading as full novels.

[Shuvethan Sivagurunathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is very good but once again, goes very fast. The description in the action scenes can be hard to imagine, and at the moment, I don't really get the plot or what the point of the Storm born really is or what Valrin and his crew are really doing right now. I am sure the mysteries will explain later, but, the comradery is very fun amongst the characters as well as the budding romance between some. The lore can go just about any way right now and that excites me.

[Sabetha · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Shadow Elves are probably my second favorite characters in the world of the Dwemhar. (doubtful anything will top necromancers but you never know) :P

This novella builds up more world lore and fate told events unfold, while letting us get to know the main players a bit more. There is a good group of characters with heavy pasts coming together, so I'm intrigued about backstories, and even more so as to how Valrin became who he was in Half-Bloods Rising. Full of adventure, a few battle scenes, more questions than answers, and well you get the picture. JT Williams is a must read author. I know I'm going to be so book drunk after finish the Stormborn series, thank goodness book 10 is on it's way out.

[Joey · Rating 1 out of 5]

REVIEW UPOM REREAD: Unlike when I reread the first book, I didn't much enjoy this one still. Originally I thought it was better than book 1, but I don't stand by that now. It's hard to read in the sense that it doesn't make much sense. I like this book only because it introduces Evurn and has lots of nice moments with Fadis and also between Braei and Valrin. But it's not good and I'm not giving it another star, like I did book 1 upon review.


ORIGINAL REVIEW:
more understandable and cooler than the first book in the series, but still atrociously edited. I've been chipping away once a week or so at the omnibus and finally finished the second book. I'm gonna keep reading and I'm actually hopeful for it to get better because it's BEEN getting a little better.