Jack Myst infiltrated the Thieves Guild to avenge his mother’s murder, but never expected to find a home. Now a master thief, he grapples with his new identity as he unravels the secrets of the fallen Guildmaster. The trail of questions will lead to a shocking truth, that his foe is a remnant of an ancient race, the very devil of Lumineia.
Skorn.
Seething with hatred and cast out by the thieves, Skorn is not without allies. Forcing an assassin into service, he journeys to the forgotten fortress of Margauth, where a cult worships him as a god. With such an army at his command he seeks a return to power, and two keys that unlock a legendary vault.
As an avid snowboarder from Utah, Ben grew up with a passion for learning. This thirst for knowledge led him to sports, music, and academic endeavors. After a year of college, he did volunteer work in Brazil and became fluent in three languages. Graduating from the University of Central Florida, he started and ran several successful businesses before publishing his first novel in June of 2012. By the end of the year he'd sold almost ten thousand copies of The Second Draeken War, and he began writing full-time. Now spanning 10,000 years, ten titles, and two series, The Chronicles of Lumineia represents a sprawling YA series that has sold over fifty thousand copies, and continues to expand its readership across all ages. Each of his books has been inspired by his wonderful wife and five beautiful children.
To contact the author, discover more about Lumineia, or find out about upcoming novels, check out his website at Lumineia.com. You can also follow Ben on twitter @ BenHale8 or on Facebook.
Fast paced fantasy. The excessive use of the word "Smirk" is off putting. Everyone is smirking to each other all the time. Plus, all the bad guys tell the protagonist that "his arrogance will get him killed."
Jack is a prick. There’s no way he would be able to do what he does in these books with his friends by his side, because no one would actually be friends with this arrogant jerk. It’s not good when you hope that the “protagonist” of the story dies at the end of the series. I’m only reading this series because I like the world that has been created in all of Hale’s books. Without Jack, this would be a good story.
I have to say that I wasn't sure what I thought about a Jack Myst trilogy. He was not in my top 5 favorite characters from the original Chronicles of Lumineia (Not at all a prerequisite to this series btw). Not that I doubted Hale at all; I have honestly enjoyed everything that I've read of his, and I'm pretty sure I've read it all. But still, after reading the King Tryton trilogy (written specifically because I asked him to, I'm sure), I may have turned my nose up a bit at Jack Myst. However, I have thoroughly enjoyed these books, which is no surprise. Hale writes great characters, does great action scenes, and is always entertaining.
This book picks up shortly after the end of the first in which the sadistic guildmaster of the Thieves Guild was ousted and discovered to be Skorn, a member of a long-gone race that inhabited Lumineia and is now thought to be a devil-god. He's after something and is convinced that Jack is the one that can get it for him. Jack, after avenging the death of his mother, is torn between the love of the adventure and risk of being a thief and his promise to his mother to not follow that path.
These books have been a lot of fun as we take in all the action through the lens of Jack who really enjoys taunting his foes and outsmarting most of them. Hale seems to love to write about characters who are masters of their craft; Tryton, Taryn, and now Jack. I have always really enjoyed that about his books. It's like playing a video game with a completely leveled up character; it's just funner when you can do more cool stuff. Anyway, great book, yet again, and looking forward to the next.
This just keeps getting better and better. Ben Hale has an amazing talent for story telling. It was very difficult to put this book down and go to work, cook dinner, and so on. So i bought the audio book so I can listen to it. There is great character growth in this book. I love them all. I enjoyed it so much that I purchased the books instead of just reading for free from kindle unlimited. I am excited to read the end of the story. Thank you Ben for the great adventure! On to the next.
This series is turning in to one of my all time favorite. Ben Hale has proved his ability to tell a tale. His ability to draw you into the story the characters are well developed the plot is layer and detailed a joy to read.
Jack is such an amazing character and has "stolen" a place in my heart!
The narraratar definitely Brings this book to Life! Full of action, mystery, Love, and the perfect amount of drama to make this book perfect for all ages!
Slightly more depth to the main character which was needed and I enjoyed. Other prominent characters did not get more depth and it was really frustrating to read that Lorellia's only motivation was to be beautiful and that she would betray a whole damn guild to achive it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Another great addition to this series. I enjoyed the continued interplay between the characters, the plot was solid and the world building was very well done.
This has all the ingredients to make an epic adventure story, but something is missing. The whole thing falls flat. Why isn't this series as good as I want them to be? Ugh.
A good second book in the series. My only real complaint is that the traitor's reveal was somewhat obvious long before the actual betrayal. Other than that, it was a solid read.