Bones of Belief: The Chronicles of Darius:

by Jess Thomas, Willard Starwell (Editor)

The Jewel has many protectors and a large family, but it still isn't complete. Trend, a white wizard, is in limbo and can be seen only by Vega, Enif, and Darius. Dorian, one of the newest clan members, can only hear him and none of them are able to tell anyone else about him. Darius knows he needs Trend to help complete the family and fulfill his destiny. He desperately wants to have him home, but there is a major problem, Hippson's timeline. Meanwhile, Trend's mate, Grendolin, has searched everywhere he knows in order to find him, including some very dark places, with no luck, but he never lost hope, never lost his belief that he will be with his true mate one way or another. Can Darius beat the timeline? Must he follow the wishes of those in power who think they know better? Darius's quest of self-discovery continues as his talents grow to astounding proportions. Even the mighty Hippson and Bunthar don't know what to make of Darius's abilities or what the dreaded timeline holds for the Jewel, his mate, and the rest of the clan. Become part of Darius's clan and share his continuing journey in Bones of Belief.

384 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2018

Reviews

[Ditrie Bowie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The world of this book holds so much promise. Magic, alien worlds, romance, lycanthropy and so much more. This is no doubt an imaginative work.

However, several aspects of the writing make this difficult to read. First, there are numerous egregious grammatical errors from homophone swaps to punctuation issues and omitted words. An occasional mistake here or there usually isn’t a problem, but this version of the novel had multiple serious errors in every chapter.

Also, the POV is extremely muddied. Told from a first person perspective, the protagonist (Darius/Paden) narrates events that he did not witness in addition to detailing what other characters are thinking and feeling. Aside from the lycanthropic bond he has with Finnal, his mate, he should not be able to do this. Perhaps his strong connection with the universe allows this ability, but it is never made clear. Also, the focus of the POV changes rapidly without any transition, especially in the earlier parts of the book.

I do want to stress that it is this version, the first edition, that contains these errors. Hopefully the author will release an update in the future to correct these issues because I do believe this has the bones (pun not intended) of a great story.

[Renee Spicuzza · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Bones of Belief: The Chronicles of Darius: (Dagger of Destiny Book 13)” is Jess Thomas’ continuation of the world she has created. It is full of magic and fantasy and everything else that you could hope for in this style of book. The development of Trend’s state, where he is stuck within almost purgatory, in my opinion, and can ony make contact with certain individuals, which makes it difficult to fulfill all of the different issues going on. Darius’s development is very interesting as he tries to understand and obtain the answers he is looking for. I think reading the prior novels in the series would make it quite a bit more easy to follow, as there is a lot of content and development that I think occurs earlier that would have been easier to understand within this novel. You can still enjoy the novel though without that because of all the various aspects that are typical of this style of auction.

[T. Vand · Rating 4 out of 5]

One aspect I love right away about this book is that you can jump in without having read the previous stories and not feel like you are lost. Immediate kudos to the author for that. This book is an interesting blend of sci-fi with a bit of fantasy, something that caught my interest. The world building was excellent in this novel as was the character development and interaction. Like man, sometimes Dorian would drive me up the wall and I loved that there were characters feeling the same way I did. I love reading about characters who are not Another aspect I loved was the seemless romantic subplot. It wasn't forced and felt natural. The only fault I found in this novel was the character descriptions. I think this would be the only aspect where if you read the other novels you would have a feel for what they looked like. But overall, I would recommend this book.

[Mark Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Authors have tried to merge romance, fantasy, and science fiction for years. No one has accomplished this task as well as Jess Thomas. Bones of Belief is the exception to every literary rule. The novel is difficult to put down and entices readers to reread it again. Thomas draws from space adventures to spin a tale of magic and wonder. The Eiravian race have the mystical power to transform into animals. The tight, shapeshifting brothers share each other’s emotions: love, pain, betrayal. Thomas also adds war and survival. This book has it all!

[Jimmy Jefferson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sci-fi fantasy adventure

This is a fun read filled with adventure and a very nice love story between two of the characters. The author does a great job of describing the characters and scenes in such a way that you feel like you are right there in the middle of the action. This story has something for everyone and is a very addicting read. Great character development and fun adventurous storyline that shares the gay relationship that a lot of writers would stay away from. I found this to be a story i would recommend to all my friends and any reader who likes adventure.

[Phoenix J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

Jess Thomas has done it again. I loved this book. Its such a joy reading them. I love all the characters so much. Trend and Darius are my favorites. It just keeps getting better with each new story. I can't wit for the next one. Thank you for this amazing book. Keep on writing and I'll keep on reading!! ^.^

[tammy rufo · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this book and all the characters, Jess's writing style is beyond good. i read this as an arc, and would def recommend. of course now i have to read the first 12, didn't feel lost because i didn't read in order, but i enjoyed it enough to want more. lol