Stand Short and Proud

by Billy Wong

Rousing fantasy adventure with a butt-kicking heroine.

Young height-obsessed monster hunter Meg has a problem. As humanity seeks to make peace with the monsters that share their world, she and her companions find themselves in danger of losing their livelihood. When they meet an officer from a local fort who offers them work, Meg and fellow hunter Patrick decide to give the military a try. As they settle into their new environment and start to make friends, little do they know the discovery of a mysterious giant sword will subject them to peril beyond even what they are accustomed to.

ebook

Published June 17, 2017

About the author

Billy Wong is an avid fan of heroic fantasy, with a special love for strong female warriors. He draws inspiration from the epic legends of old, and is on a quest to bring over the top deeds and larger than life heroes back to prominence in today's literary world.

Reviews

[Khurram · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the times the sequel did not live up the original. The book has a lot of action not as much as the first book, and there are a couple of guest appearances from the cast of the first book. My favorite part of Billy Wong's writing is the fights scenes. He gives great attention to the small details of fighting that people could miss, the sprall and brawn in one of the early fights in the first few chapters is a good example. However I found the passages between these a bit too long in this book.

This story is set a year after the event of the first story. The main character is Meg a short but incredibly tough and skilled fighter. Her main support characters are Patrick and Gavin. Patrick although taller takes the role of little brother, and Gavin the oldest of the group takes the roles of leader. Together the form the Free Fangs a group of young monster hunters, but with the events of the last books monster hunting jobs are few and far between. Their latest mission gets then noticed and an opportunity not only for payment but to hone their skills as well.

Unfortunately I did not find anything that really stood out in this story. This made it a bit flat for me. Even a character fighting through a moral wound get old after it is done 3 time in the same story. I found myself, more reading the finish the book then to see what happens next. I would recommend read the first book in the series, if you really want to know what happen next then read this one.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billy Wong does it again! Fast paced action and imaginative settings populated by some really interesting characters make this a great read for teens through retired folk. The publisher's blurb gives clues but you really ought to read it and appreciate it. Like most of his work, the books are just the right length to entertain and leave you wanting to find some of his other works.
I was very happy to have won a copy in a Goodreads Giveaway that I entered.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meg, together with a couple of friends, have set out as monster hunters. Their timing could not be worse. A truce on monsters has been declared and they’re left with no one to fight but bandits. Instead Meg and her partner Patrick enlist in the army. Meg’s sure their experience will make them valuable recruits, and it seems that she’s right. Despite her petite height, which she is VERY sensitive about, Meg gets right in the middle of a fight with what seems to be a reincarnation of an evil wizard. And if this guy comes back, the whole kingdom is in danger.

I really enjoyed this book. It reads like an adventure or a quest story, sort of a journey. Lots of training, marching, hanging about the camp, making new friends, that kind of thing. I was disappointed that there weren’t more women in the army. Their captain is a woman, but it would have been nice to have something approaching equal numbers. I also liked that this is not a romance. There’s no love interest in this at all. There’s friendship, camaraderie, and that’s it. Kind of a refreshing change.

I wish that the author had included a few paragraphs near the beginning to catch new readers (like me) up to speed with this series. I didn’t read the first one, and I was really lost at first. There was nothing in here about how Meg met her traveling companions, about the general, about this new truce with the monsters. Also a map would have been helpful, but then I always want a map!

Now for more serious criticism. While I liked the pacing of the story, I felt like the writing was a little choppy and the dialogue needed a little work. It didn’t flow as smoothly as it should have in places. Meg especially just couldn’t stop with the pithy remarks in the middle of a battle. Really? Maybe quit talking and just concentrate on fighting.

If you enjoy fantasy and action, I think you should give this one a try. I would definitely start with book 1, The Golden Dawn.

[Sheri]

Stand Short and Proud (Chronicles of the Floating Continent Book 2) by Billy Wong

Young Meg is a monster hunter. She may be short, but she is powerful and can stand her ground against enemies. Meg and Patrick (another hunter) are offered work for a military group. Soon She discovers a sword, a very mysterious object that is about to challenge her skills and stamina.

Young Meg is very likable, her short stature is thought of as weakness, but to her it is (her) strength. The plot moves at a fast pace, with originality, action, adventure and thrills. I was pulled into the story from the first page, and truly could not put it down. if you love a great fantasy/adventure with a fearless female lead, then you will enjoy Stand Short and Proud. I highly recommend to all. A definite all-night read!

[Rikudou Sof]

After reading this book, i would not be an epic contract killer for any reason. The fantasy was there, but the brutality still remain. I like this book, and will recomend this to anyone who love epic adventure.

[CorrieGM · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice fantasy. A lot of fighting which I, strangely enough, liked.
The writing certainly is not perfect. Things happen too slow.
I cannot believe the military would react on critical remarks of an underling.
But all in all, there were important feelings and lessons to be learned.