Excalibur

Battlecry #4

by Emerald Dodge

Heather Harris, known as the mighty Excalibur, is a superhero in San Diego, and she has a problem: the cult she and her team were raised in has just commanded that she return home to face punishment for someone else’s failures. Her leader Eleazar refuses. The race is on to find an alternative that both saves Heather and allows the team to escape unscathed. The team, known locally as The Beasts, have few friends… and even fewer options.

With the clock ticking down to an uncertain fate, Heather and her teammate Courtney strike a desperate deal with Alejandro, leader of the local gang known as Las Bellas–because Alejandro is not without problems of his own. The malicious and predatory Roberto, a rival gang leader, is prowling around their neighborhood, seeking to recruit every gang to join his own and kill the superheroes. Alejandro agrees to help the team fake their deaths and flee to Mexico in exchange for the credit of supposedly killing the team.

But when swords are crossed and guns drawn, Heather and Courtney realize that leaving San Diego behind means leaving behind the two members of Las Bellas who have captured their hearts. What is freedom without love? What are beasts without beauties? If you enjoyed the sun-drenched forbidden love story and gritty drama of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet and the understated superheroes of Netflix’s Jessica Jones, you will find a new world to fall in love with in Emerald Dodge’s Excalibur.

Genres: Fantasy

Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Ashy Khaira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book and finally got around to reading it.Heather Harris also known as Excalibur has known nothing beyond her superhero lifestyle and what she gets to watch on tv.Her visions leads to misinterpretations and trust is placed in the wrong people.what follows is a series of events that keeps you on edge and wanting to know more.i loved loved loved the book

[Jonathan Pongratz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book for my unbiased opinion.

5/5

A superhero’s life is the only one Heather Harris knows. Stationed with her team in San Diego, they fight crime and serve justice. But when the city faces cutbacks, the camps they originated from demand one of them return, and they want Heather.

As the gangs of the city grow more and more restless, and Heather is reunited with a long-time admirer of hers, she must make the impossible decision of returning to the torturous camps she came from or fighting for her freedom.

I have been a fan of Emerald Dodge's writing for quite some time, and this novel definitely didn’t disappoint. There’s a great balance of action, drama, and superpowers in this book, and I am totally living for it! One thing that definitely stood out is the characters. Each of them felt so relatable and real it was like talking with one of my friends.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book. I feel like it's just the beginning for Excalibur even though this was supposed to be a stand alone book. It ended fantastically, but you can feel an overall arc happening if the author wanted. This would be a wonderful series that would definitely be an interesting read.

[Jo Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and found that although it’s number four in the series, you don’t need to have ready the others, I haven’t but I will be soon.

The story is good and moves with a steady pace, at no time did I think the author was filling a gap with unnecessary words.

The characters are complete, well rounded, and believable, you can’t help but like them.

There are some twist and highs as well as lows which in my opinion makes for a wonderful story.

I look forward to reading more from Emerald Dodge.

[JoAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically this is a good prequel story for the Battlecry Series. I really enjoyed reading almost all of this story. And I fell in love with almost all of the characters featured in this tale…but I found that as I got invested in the story that I determined that I absolutely hated Heather, who happens to be the main character in this story... I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

[NanaShauna Joesten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excalibur is a great read. Its fast paced and action packed. Excalibur is a Superhero and her group. The group she was raised with demands she return to face failures that are someone elses. The Author has really brought out the characters in this read. This would definitely make a great netflix addition.
SJ

[Scarolet Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excalibur: A Battlecry Series Prequel by Emerald Dodge is an amazing story to read. This is an amazing prequel to the series and I loved reading it. I highly recommend this story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book by this author I have read but won’t be the last. Action packed. Interesting. Full of details. Danger and suspense. Kept my interest throughout.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excalibur - This may have been my favorite. It had a very slow start, but once I got into the story I loved it. Out of all of them, I want to know what this girl does next!

[MLL · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was disappointed that Excalibur refused to do anything to help all the other victims of the hero cult.

[SunnieK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one first though it was written after the rest of the series because it says it’s a prequel. Slow to start but engaging.

Superheroes are born not made. They live in compounds until called to duty. It’s the only life these people know. Raised to become superheroes.

Excalibur aka Heather Harris’s team has just been cut back due to city budget. Since she was the last member to join her team, she will be sent back to the compound. She will be punished for failing her city and her team.

Her team doesn’t want to send her back. So they come up with a plan to disappear that includes the local gangs that they have been battling.

[Stan Hutchings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book. I wanted to read it because I had read the short story version, and have read the entire Battlecry series. I was curious about how the story would be expanded to a novel.

This a prequel set in the Battlecry universe, maybe 20 years before Battlecry. We will meet some of the characters later in the series. This is the story of Excalibur, the code name for Heather, and her team of young superheroes in San Diego led by Eleazar. Each member of the team has unique superpowers. Heather's are an instant-on sword and premonitions of the future. It's action-packed with superheroes vs. gangs in the barrio, several Romeo and Juliet-type romances, politics as usual (both local and superhero camps), difficult team relationships and a lot of regrettable deaths.

It was hard to put the book down, it captured my imagination and interest even though I had read the short story. If you've read the Battlecry series, you'll enjoy this; and if you haven't, it's a good introduction to the Battlecry universe.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun romantic read that took an afternoon. Dodge has done it again with bringing her universe to a classic Romeo and Juliet type plot. Set in San Diego it was a delightful quick read