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The Blood Mage Chronicles #1
Shadow of a Slave
In the Known Kingdoms, Twins are killed at birth.
Twins harness energy in an unpredictable and dangerous way.
Twins almost destroyed the world.
Ash and Rae have always claimed that he is a year older to hide themselves from the ruthless Faceless Monks.
An order who's apparent benevolent mission to keep the world safe, is a mask for nefarious intentions.
Energy can't be created or destroyed... but it can be harnessed...
When Ash and Rae's secret is discovered, Rae is taken by the monks. Ash must learn to harness his natural ability to manipulate the energy of his world to save her.
Two rules must always be observed. Two rules everyone knows.
Do not use energy from the living.
Do not reanimate the dead.
Ash will do anything to get Rae back...even breaking their sacred laws.
Twins harness energy in an unpredictable and dangerous way.
Twins almost destroyed the world.
Ash and Rae have always claimed that he is a year older to hide themselves from the ruthless Faceless Monks.
An order who's apparent benevolent mission to keep the world safe, is a mask for nefarious intentions.
Energy can't be created or destroyed... but it can be harnessed...
When Ash and Rae's secret is discovered, Rae is taken by the monks. Ash must learn to harness his natural ability to manipulate the energy of his world to save her.
Two rules must always be observed. Two rules everyone knows.
Do not use energy from the living.
Do not reanimate the dead.
Ash will do anything to get Rae back...even breaking their sacred laws.
421 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 31, 2017
91 people are currently reading
257 people want to read
About the author
Saffron Bryant
23 books22 followersSaffron Bryant is a biomedical scientist who is about to embark on her PhD. She hopes one day to use her education to cure people of diseases such as cancer.
Saffron is author of the Lost Child Saga. This saga began with The Fallen Star which was released in 2012, and will continue with The Herald of Darkness, to be released later this year.
Saffron loves all things fantasy with a passion for good books, dragons and science. She is also an artist and some of her work can be found at www.fineartamerica.com/profiles/saffr...
Saffron is author of the Lost Child Saga. This saga began with The Fallen Star which was released in 2012, and will continue with The Herald of Darkness, to be released later this year.
Saffron loves all things fantasy with a passion for good books, dragons and science. She is also an artist and some of her work can be found at www.fineartamerica.com/profiles/saffr...
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 27, 2017
Had never read anything by this author but i am so impressed by this book and her style of writing i am sure this will not be the only book of hers that i will read. Rae and Ash, a brother and sister who are twins in a land which declares everything double needs to be killed or destroyed, however we meet them in their early years and they are hiding and terrified because the faceless monks have once again appeared in their village trying to root out twins. Their father did not kill them at birth as is decreed and their mother hates them and in the northern side of the country women are dominant and man have no say but in the south it is the opposite. A pedlar comes to the village and the mother sells him the twins and they travel with this man to the south. Everything was going very well for them however one fine day the pedlar is killed, his shop burnt to the ground and the twins are left alone, penniless and scared because the monks were looking for them! They hit rock bottom and end up with a group of criminals and thugs and then Rae is taken by the monks and Ash barely survives with his life. He is nothing without his other half and Rae was always the most intelligent and the strongest however he is now fuelled by his rage and wants a vendetta on the hated and much feared faceless monks who are very powerful in magic. Ash travels to the institute to learn magic cause he knows that only by doing so will he ever be able to get Rue back, his link to her tells him she is still alive. Very often i found myself so angry at Ash as he lets his rage fuel him and never uses his brains if he has any. This book is full of surprises right till the end and such a page turner, i was left speechless at the end and just have to read the next book in this fantastic series which i cannot praise enough.
November 10, 2017
Shadow of a Slave
A most interesting and compelling story right from the beginning and an adventure begins when the two children are sold by there mother to a trader for 10 golden marks. And all the magic that you can handle. I Loved It!!!
A most interesting and compelling story right from the beginning and an adventure begins when the two children are sold by there mother to a trader for 10 golden marks. And all the magic that you can handle. I Loved It!!!
November 19, 2017
Good read
I have mixed feelings about this book. Really liked the twins but after Rae was taken the character flaws were just so hard to make him likeable on his own. Selfish, egotistical, narcissistic and throws tantrum after tantrum. I thought it was creative and filled with adventure and I didn't know what was going to happen. I just stopped liking the main character and see an evil sorcerer in the making.
I have mixed feelings about this book. Really liked the twins but after Rae was taken the character flaws were just so hard to make him likeable on his own. Selfish, egotistical, narcissistic and throws tantrum after tantrum. I thought it was creative and filled with adventure and I didn't know what was going to happen. I just stopped liking the main character and see an evil sorcerer in the making.
October 21, 2017
This was an excellent book. I look forward to book #2 which seems to be coming out in about a month. I think the reason that this book pulled me in is the the main character. I really liked the twins and how they felt about each other which tied them together. Each had a different view on life, but the brother alters his views because he cares for his sister. Once they are separated you could see his development even more. I enjoyed his struggle and for once found a book that I could put myself in the character's view. I get so sick of the unselfish main characters in other books that always save the kitten in the tree or refuses to take the path of power. It is nice to see one that is more like the rest of us (self serving) when the circumstances of life changes.
July 30, 2018
Saffron Bryant’s Shadow of a Slave is the first instalment in the Blood Mage Chronicles. Teen twins Ash and Rae should not exist. They should have been killed at birth. The fact that they’ve avoided the Faceless Monks this long is a miracle, but their luck can’t last.
In a world where twins are feared for the magical powers they possess, the Faceless Monks scour the land to eradicate potential threats. When they finally catch up with Ash and Rae, Rae is captured – and Ash will stop at nothing to rescue his sister. But he is in a race against time. The Faceless are powerful. Can he master the magic he needs in time to save Rae?
I enjoyed this story. There are three books in the series though, and I’m assuming one would need to read all three for the story to be fully resolved. I’ll be putting the next two on my reading list.
In a world where twins are feared for the magical powers they possess, the Faceless Monks scour the land to eradicate potential threats. When they finally catch up with Ash and Rae, Rae is captured – and Ash will stop at nothing to rescue his sister. But he is in a race against time. The Faceless are powerful. Can he master the magic he needs in time to save Rae?
I enjoyed this story. There are three books in the series though, and I’m assuming one would need to read all three for the story to be fully resolved. I’ll be putting the next two on my reading list.
February 9, 2019
I have mixed feelings about this book, I don't love YA which is just my personal preference so I did struggle with some of the teenage angst. The pacing if this novel is unusual, though that isn't inherently bad it did feel like it took a while for the story to have weight behind it but it never felt boring or slow. The author has a very sparse writing style for a fantasy author, which lends itself well to the pacing but also leaves something to be desired at times.
The characters of this novel are flawed, which in my opinion isn't a bad thing. The ending was predictable, I expected the big reveal less than a third of the way into the book. It is my hope that Ash will actually become a true villain, time will tell.
The characters of this novel are flawed, which in my opinion isn't a bad thing. The ending was predictable, I expected the big reveal less than a third of the way into the book. It is my hope that Ash will actually become a true villain, time will tell.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 30, 2018
Interesting magic system. A have a few gripes though that stopped this book from becoming a 4 star book. First the character continues to fall into the same action over and over, even though there are usually severe consequences for his actions, so he is never learning. He and his sister can read each other's thoughts except when they lie to each other? The faceless monks aren't ever explained, I guess the author wants you to read the next book, but for me I don't know if I do want to waste my time and I have theories already in place. And the ultra powerful monks say he won't get away and then they throw him away....Anyways still a decent read.
July 6, 2018
4.5 Stars - I really enjoyed the concept of this book and you are engaged early on in the lives of our twins Ash and Rae. You quickly realize that they were not meant to live as it is against the law to own matching items, whether they be two carvings that are the same or as twins. The punishment for this is execution by the faceless monks. This begins a journey of survival for the twins.
December 28, 2021
This series is good. A little grim but not that grimdark gibberish so good. Surprised the sh*te out of me.
It's got good kids going through tough times and powering up. It hits all my marks with a male hero and no romance so far (into book 3).
I've seen some criticism of the central protagonist as being too whiny, self absorbed and non-ethical.... Now normally I like my heroes humble, honourable, crafty and capable, BUT in this case I commend the author, Ash is a consistent and really believable throughout.
Sure, he's a bit dim, but his one-track mind makes sense—it grates me when a character conveniently forgets momentous developments, but Ash's moodiness masks most plot-holes and his motivations generally make sense.
A rare achievement and a real strength of the series, in fact the only false notes are the ultra modern technological terms littering the book undermining the diegesis.
“Eyes like a laser", "thermodynamic laws", "kinetic energy" even "dictionary up his ass"all serve to puncture the suspension of disbelief.
Overall, a well-plotted, well-edited, well-balanced series with a believable magic system to boot. Very professional—apart from the modern jargon (stemming from the author's professional expertise, no doubt).
It's got good kids going through tough times and powering up. It hits all my marks with a male hero and no romance so far (into book 3).
I've seen some criticism of the central protagonist as being too whiny, self absorbed and non-ethical.... Now normally I like my heroes humble, honourable, crafty and capable, BUT in this case I commend the author, Ash is a consistent and really believable throughout.
Sure, he's a bit dim, but his one-track mind makes sense—it grates me when a character conveniently forgets momentous developments, but Ash's moodiness masks most plot-holes and his motivations generally make sense.
A rare achievement and a real strength of the series, in fact the only false notes are the ultra modern technological terms littering the book undermining the diegesis.
“Eyes like a laser", "thermodynamic laws", "kinetic energy" even "dictionary up his ass"all serve to puncture the suspension of disbelief.
Overall, a well-plotted, well-edited, well-balanced series with a believable magic system to boot. Very professional—apart from the modern jargon (stemming from the author's professional expertise, no doubt).
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews