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Shaman States of America #6
The Mantle
To protect our tradition, and those that cannot defend themselves, those families of the Hunt that produce three children of the same sex - born or chosen - those children are pressed, upon threat of expulsion and exposure, to join the Hunt. - The Spencer Doctrine, founding law of the Shaman States of America.Stefen and Maria Mauer were the fiercest and most famed Hunters in Tennessee. Until a lethal hunt left one man dead and Stefen without his legs.They left the Hunt and never looked back. 18 years later, their son Edward gets news from home - his mother is pregnant with twins. Three siblings of the same gender means they all have to Hunt or face monsters coming to their door. He wasn’t raised in the Hunt, and no real desire to enter it. But Edward begins to see what life would be like if he takes up the mantle of the Hunters before him. Is he ready?
126 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 11, 2018
18 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 15, 2018
After reading the first installment of this series, I am eager to get to read the next one!
This book has a few strong suits, the strongest of which is character development. I felt that each character had their own complex motivations for doing things, and often found myself wanting to know more about how they came to be the way that they are. Probably the best written characters other than the protagonist, Edward, are the twins he encounters toward the end. I got a sense of who those people were and what they stood for pretty much immediately, as their surroundings, the tone of their dialogue, and the way they responded to the world around them made this easy and fun.
Another thing I enjoyed about the book was the authorial voicing. The narrator sounds fully in charge of what the story is doing and where it is headed. The sometimes playfully puckish tone of the storytelling was fun to read and made me laugh out loud several times. I never got the sense that the author was writing themselves into the tale or being haphazard in any way—it is well-organized and well-researched, and best of all, it’s confidently written.
The things I would improve in this work were relatively minor. I do feel that crutches pop up occasionally, such as noting eyebrow movements or the pursing of lips. These things are done a little too frequently and across all characters, which is distracting and gives the impression that these characters all react to the world the same way. Sometimes the dialogue does this, as well—it makes sense that Edward would say “indeed” a lot, as the narrator firmly establishes why this is. But other characters tend to say this word consistently, too, which often just ends up making them sound like Edward. I still think that the character development is strong, though, and that the sense the author has of their personalities can be extended to their verbal and nonverbal dialogue—the author would just need to put themselves in that character’s shoes a little more and describe their interactions differently based on that.
Only other suggestions I have are that I wish the delving into the world of the Shaman States and its powered and non-powered denizens had started a bit earlier in the book. I get that Edward is learning about this stuff, too, and I like that the readers get to learn along with him. But more cues (not even deep exposition, but small tidbits) earlier would make this process less confusing. I also think that the story could have done with another proof, since there were typos in a few places. But this is fortunately a simple fix.
Overall, though, the story has great bones, and the world it discusses is fascinating and entertaining to read about. The author clearly loves sci-fi and fantasy, and he clearly loves his characters and their stories, which always makes for a satisfying read. I am excited for the next installment!
This book has a few strong suits, the strongest of which is character development. I felt that each character had their own complex motivations for doing things, and often found myself wanting to know more about how they came to be the way that they are. Probably the best written characters other than the protagonist, Edward, are the twins he encounters toward the end. I got a sense of who those people were and what they stood for pretty much immediately, as their surroundings, the tone of their dialogue, and the way they responded to the world around them made this easy and fun.
Another thing I enjoyed about the book was the authorial voicing. The narrator sounds fully in charge of what the story is doing and where it is headed. The sometimes playfully puckish tone of the storytelling was fun to read and made me laugh out loud several times. I never got the sense that the author was writing themselves into the tale or being haphazard in any way—it is well-organized and well-researched, and best of all, it’s confidently written.
The things I would improve in this work were relatively minor. I do feel that crutches pop up occasionally, such as noting eyebrow movements or the pursing of lips. These things are done a little too frequently and across all characters, which is distracting and gives the impression that these characters all react to the world the same way. Sometimes the dialogue does this, as well—it makes sense that Edward would say “indeed” a lot, as the narrator firmly establishes why this is. But other characters tend to say this word consistently, too, which often just ends up making them sound like Edward. I still think that the character development is strong, though, and that the sense the author has of their personalities can be extended to their verbal and nonverbal dialogue—the author would just need to put themselves in that character’s shoes a little more and describe their interactions differently based on that.
Only other suggestions I have are that I wish the delving into the world of the Shaman States and its powered and non-powered denizens had started a bit earlier in the book. I get that Edward is learning about this stuff, too, and I like that the readers get to learn along with him. But more cues (not even deep exposition, but small tidbits) earlier would make this process less confusing. I also think that the story could have done with another proof, since there were typos in a few places. But this is fortunately a simple fix.
Overall, though, the story has great bones, and the world it discusses is fascinating and entertaining to read about. The author clearly loves sci-fi and fantasy, and he clearly loves his characters and their stories, which always makes for a satisfying read. I am excited for the next installment!
October 23, 2018
I realize world building takes time, but how long can you look at what’s in front of you and not talk about it?
Edward and his family come from a long line of Hunters, those “powered” and able to see what normal mortals cannot - monsters of legend and some they could never even have in their worst fears. Edward’s family, however, doesn’t hunt anymore. They introduce the dad, Stefen, a man missing his legs, right away, but they never say what happened, only that it had to be bad to turn their backs on their calling and keep their son on the periphery.
When Edward finds out at college that his mother is pregnant with twins, his life skews drastically. There’s a rule that says if there are three of the same sex in a family, the eldest has to hunt and he just feels in his gut that these twins will both be boys. So without telling his family, he starts training, even goes on a hunt or two.
The book was a decent read, it just left me with more questions than answers, as most series do. I feel like the way they glossed over some things that I’m missing something… how am I supposed to know this stuff?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Edward and his family come from a long line of Hunters, those “powered” and able to see what normal mortals cannot - monsters of legend and some they could never even have in their worst fears. Edward’s family, however, doesn’t hunt anymore. They introduce the dad, Stefen, a man missing his legs, right away, but they never say what happened, only that it had to be bad to turn their backs on their calling and keep their son on the periphery.
When Edward finds out at college that his mother is pregnant with twins, his life skews drastically. There’s a rule that says if there are three of the same sex in a family, the eldest has to hunt and he just feels in his gut that these twins will both be boys. So without telling his family, he starts training, even goes on a hunt or two.
The book was a decent read, it just left me with more questions than answers, as most series do. I feel like the way they glossed over some things that I’m missing something… how am I supposed to know this stuff?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 10, 2018
Edward's parents were two of the most fiercest hunters in the world until a major accident cost his father his leg and they left the hunt. Edward was not raised in the hunt and then when he goes off to college he gets a call from his mom she is pregnant with twins and so he freaks out that he will have to join the hunt if he has two brothers and then be spots an SD looking for hunters and he takes the flyer but is he ready or does he want to be a hunter.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 11, 2018
Three child of the same sex must join the hunt. They left the hunt when one of them died and was lost their legs. When he comes home to tell them they are expecting twin. They know he may have to join the hunt. Can they do it? What will happen? Can they stop the monsters from coming? See if they can
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 15, 2018
Good Intro to Shaman States
Come along with Edward and get to know The Hunt! Good pacing and plot; I wish it were longer, tho I’m eagerly anticipating the arrival of more to come.
Come along with Edward and get to know The Hunt! Good pacing and plot; I wish it were longer, tho I’m eagerly anticipating the arrival of more to come.
October 15, 2018
great book
This was a fantastic book, I wasn't to sure what to expect from it but I'm so glad i read it. i look forward to reading more books in the series.
This was a fantastic book, I wasn't to sure what to expect from it but I'm so glad i read it. i look forward to reading more books in the series.
January 22, 2019
Excellent
I really enjoyed reading The Mantle and look forward to the next installment of this series. It is well written!!!
I really enjoyed reading The Mantle and look forward to the next installment of this series. It is well written!!!
December 10, 2019
I really enjoyed this book! Quick read and interesting plot line with a likable main character. I’m excited to read the subsequent books!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews