What do you think?
Rate this book
Wild Heritance #1
Duplicity of Power
An improbable partnership of noble and rogue, an unlikely quest - key to the fate of the Six Realms, power struggles and the machinations of gods, and a legendary artifact of Power... and Namid doesn't even believe in quests. Or fate.
Not always a Shadower, Namid is now one of the leaders of this select group, this guild of rogues in the decrepit city of Rhadanthus. Here she has found a refuge from darker times.
Rescuing a stranger is not usually part of her nightly haul. Her decision to help the wounded man sparks a series of events that upends her hard-won haven and sends her fleeing for her life.
Another's quest snags Namid and casts her across the Six Realms of the Monarch and beyond, entangling her and others in power struggles, the machinations of gods, and the dangers of a past thought left behind.
What at first seemed a fool's errand to restore a legendary artifact of Power becomes a gambit for the fate of the Six Realms. Yet Namid doesn't believe in fate!
Not always a Shadower, Namid is now one of the leaders of this select group, this guild of rogues in the decrepit city of Rhadanthus. Here she has found a refuge from darker times.
Rescuing a stranger is not usually part of her nightly haul. Her decision to help the wounded man sparks a series of events that upends her hard-won haven and sends her fleeing for her life.
Another's quest snags Namid and casts her across the Six Realms of the Monarch and beyond, entangling her and others in power struggles, the machinations of gods, and the dangers of a past thought left behind.
What at first seemed a fool's errand to restore a legendary artifact of Power becomes a gambit for the fate of the Six Realms. Yet Namid doesn't believe in fate!
- GenresFantasy
332 pages, ebook
First published October 25, 2018
8 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
S. Lynn Helton
9 books116 followersI'm Lynn, an author who lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, U.S.A., with my family and a couple of crazy cats. I write fantasy books. (
I also write as Lynn Helton.
)
I enjoy the mountains, playing games, learning new things, and crafting. I'm also an avid reader (various genres, but fantasy and science fiction are favorites). And I enjoy writing, of course!
THE DELIBERIA CHRONICLES
WILD HERITANCE
_
My limited time needs to be directed toward my writing, so I don't chat/socialize via messaging. I also don't accept inquiries about reading/reviewing others' books - I review only through the specific reviewing mechanisms in some groups here on GR.
Note to fellow authors: I've switched away from "friending" fellow authors to "following", to hopefully help keep algorithms on some sites from misinterpreting the "friendship" and removing/disallowing reviews because they decide we are "perceived to have a close personal relationship..."
Visit me
on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SLynnHeltonAuthor
on AllAuthor at allauthor.com/author/slynnhelton/
I enjoy the mountains, playing games, learning new things, and crafting. I'm also an avid reader (various genres, but fantasy and science fiction are favorites). And I enjoy writing, of course!
THE DELIBERIA CHRONICLES
WILD HERITANCE
_
My limited time needs to be directed toward my writing, so I don't chat/socialize via messaging. I also don't accept inquiries about reading/reviewing others' books - I review only through the specific reviewing mechanisms in some groups here on GR.
Note to fellow authors: I've switched away from "friending" fellow authors to "following", to hopefully help keep algorithms on some sites from misinterpreting the "friendship" and removing/disallowing reviews because they decide we are "perceived to have a close personal relationship..."
Visit me
on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SLynnHeltonAuthor
on AllAuthor at allauthor.com/author/slynnhelton/
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
March 1, 2021
This book doesn't deliver on a majestic theme that connects everything in one neat bow. More likely, it is a series of escapades and close calls, plus a lot of travelling (lots of medieval fantasy books seem to feature the walking or horseback riding trip).
The plot got bogged down. Who are the villains? What are the Dark Priests and what do they want? What does Staehw and his band of travellers have to do with the plot? So many names, spelled in archaic style and hard to remember. Inezha. Akavos. A difficult one, Sy'shythys (even the pronunciation guide at the end makes it looks hard to pronounce). Odasoro. And on top of that, I had mentally pronounced the name ("Namid") of the main heroine, NAY-mid, all the way to the end of the book, only to be corrected; it is NAH-meed. Bummer.
We're told that finding magical artifacts, the part of a sword, is the key to the quest, but I wasn't exactly sure what was the point of finding those. What solution do those artifacts deliver? What is the problem faced by the merry band? They go on a journey, but why?
One thing I did enjoy was the confident writing, the flow of the words. However, they didn't do enough justice to the plot, because it meandered so much. Without a firm structure as to who, why, when, and how, no amount of assured prose can help move this book forward. I also enjoyed the medieval fantasy flavour, and it stayed firmly within the boundaries of this genre. It should please dedicated fans of medieval fantasy. Unfortunately, none of the characters particularly endeared themselves to me. I couldn't even get a good grip on what drove one major character who is present in every chapter, Aahmes. One character I could identify slightly more with was Enric, but he fell a little short of brilliance for me.
I couldn't figure out what the cover of this book aimed to represent.
Overall, there are probably legions of medieval fantasy fans would would love this book.
The plot got bogged down. Who are the villains? What are the Dark Priests and what do they want? What does Staehw and his band of travellers have to do with the plot? So many names, spelled in archaic style and hard to remember. Inezha. Akavos. A difficult one, Sy'shythys (even the pronunciation guide at the end makes it looks hard to pronounce). Odasoro. And on top of that, I had mentally pronounced the name ("Namid") of the main heroine, NAY-mid, all the way to the end of the book, only to be corrected; it is NAH-meed. Bummer.
We're told that finding magical artifacts, the part of a sword, is the key to the quest, but I wasn't exactly sure what was the point of finding those. What solution do those artifacts deliver? What is the problem faced by the merry band? They go on a journey, but why?
One thing I did enjoy was the confident writing, the flow of the words. However, they didn't do enough justice to the plot, because it meandered so much. Without a firm structure as to who, why, when, and how, no amount of assured prose can help move this book forward. I also enjoyed the medieval fantasy flavour, and it stayed firmly within the boundaries of this genre. It should please dedicated fans of medieval fantasy. Unfortunately, none of the characters particularly endeared themselves to me. I couldn't even get a good grip on what drove one major character who is present in every chapter, Aahmes. One character I could identify slightly more with was Enric, but he fell a little short of brilliance for me.
I couldn't figure out what the cover of this book aimed to represent.
Overall, there are probably legions of medieval fantasy fans would would love this book.
September 16, 2023
Duplicity of Power is the second of S. Lynn Helton's books centered on the character of Namid that I've read. As with the first, Trial Run, I was not disappointed. Namid is a well-developed character with a complicated past that she doesn't like to share. She's content to be considered an orphan who has risen to a privileged position in an organization of thieves. As the novel begins, Namid appears to be in a comfortable and trusted position among the Shadowers.
A chance encounter puts her in touch with a naive nobleman. She rescues him from one fight and then picks up the pieces after he suffers a beating from another rogue. After a series of mishaps, including a killing fog, Namid and a former Shadower join the young nobleman on his quest to find the blade of an ancient sword for which he possesses only the hilt. The quest takes them to many places--some are pleasant, most are dangerous. We also learn more of Namid's mysterious past. They pick up other companions along the way and learn that the quest is far more involved and monumentally important than they could have imagined.
Duplicity of Power is an entertaining fantasy centered on a quest. Helton populates her broad and colorful canvas with an array of well-developed friends and foes. There's plenty of fighting, magic, and a lot of riding so don your cloak, secret a dagger or three, and saddle up for a wonderful adventure.
A chance encounter puts her in touch with a naive nobleman. She rescues him from one fight and then picks up the pieces after he suffers a beating from another rogue. After a series of mishaps, including a killing fog, Namid and a former Shadower join the young nobleman on his quest to find the blade of an ancient sword for which he possesses only the hilt. The quest takes them to many places--some are pleasant, most are dangerous. We also learn more of Namid's mysterious past. They pick up other companions along the way and learn that the quest is far more involved and monumentally important than they could have imagined.
Duplicity of Power is an entertaining fantasy centered on a quest. Helton populates her broad and colorful canvas with an array of well-developed friends and foes. There's plenty of fighting, magic, and a lot of riding so don your cloak, secret a dagger or three, and saddle up for a wonderful adventure.
January 23, 2021
This was a classic fantasy story that often reminded me of an RPG videogame. The characters are diverse with complementing personalities. The story had decent moments of action spread between character development and worldbuilding. My only big gripe is it soon became apparent plot armor would rear it's ugly head into my story. Many prefer this type of story, so I can safely say that I recommend this book to the traditional fantasy lover. The rest of my review will contain spoilers.
The Good.
The death fog at the beginning. It was cool magic and reminded me what happens to powerful guilds after the prologue ends.
The shadowrunner hand signals. Of course silent thieves would need a non-vocal form of communication.
The Praznys were cool. I loved how the culture emulated modern people. I kept hearing "Prazny's, tramps, thieves" playing to my internal soundtrack.
The gods actually exist in this book. If you are going to have magic, you might as well have deities making appearances.
I liked how Namid used superstition to imply she could curse her captors from beyond the grave.
Inezha's rescue requiring nothing more than a little glamour magic and audacity. If you act like you belong, you can often get away with a lot.
The magic system was awesome. The spells were a little more than the normal stable. I specifically liked the semblance, travel, the concept of wild power, and how Namid responded to the terror spell.
The best part was the fight (and loss) when the team tried to rescue Enric.
The McGuffin jewel was in the chair in the enemy lair. Classic.
Wesh's death. It would be great to see on film a magic overload death goop.
The Bad.
I said it before, and I'll say it again. I despise when authors make up words for standards of measurement to aid "worldbuilding." A chair is still a chair, but a second is now a breath-of-time? It's easy to figure out, but the book snob in me shuns it every time. Here is an actual line from the book that made me cringe: "It took a few breaths-of-time that felt like candle marks." It adds nothing to the story, in my opinion.
The first ten chapters or so didn't have a page break. Again, the book snob in me hates this. I can accept present or past tense. I can accept first person or third person. You want to curse, go ahead. But please have the book formatted the way most do. Thankfully, around chapter eleven or twelve, this was no longer an issue.
The Namid/Aahmes duel was awesome up until the point the author used the cop-out of making it a draw. Just pick a winner. Draws always feel like cheating so you can show both characters are equally impressive. That rarely happens in life.
The Praznys didn't suspect nor detect glamour magic? They knew the heroes had it. They were actively searching for them, but never saw it?
Furthermore, nobody checked for lockpicks on Namid? She's a known thief, but no reason to suspect her boots, I guess.
Why didn't Namid free Aahmes first? She was weak, yet helped him last, despite the fact he was also a thief and could have taken over the lockpicking duties. Nobody even suggested it. Not the time to let Namid fight her own battle and prove she could endure.
The Technical.
There is mild violence in this book.
The Good.
The death fog at the beginning. It was cool magic and reminded me what happens to powerful guilds after the prologue ends.
The shadowrunner hand signals. Of course silent thieves would need a non-vocal form of communication.
The Praznys were cool. I loved how the culture emulated modern people. I kept hearing "Prazny's, tramps, thieves" playing to my internal soundtrack.
The gods actually exist in this book. If you are going to have magic, you might as well have deities making appearances.
I liked how Namid used superstition to imply she could curse her captors from beyond the grave.
Inezha's rescue requiring nothing more than a little glamour magic and audacity. If you act like you belong, you can often get away with a lot.
The magic system was awesome. The spells were a little more than the normal stable. I specifically liked the semblance, travel, the concept of wild power, and how Namid responded to the terror spell.
The best part was the fight (and loss) when the team tried to rescue Enric.
The McGuffin jewel was in the chair in the enemy lair. Classic.
Wesh's death. It would be great to see on film a magic overload death goop.
The Bad.
I said it before, and I'll say it again. I despise when authors make up words for standards of measurement to aid "worldbuilding." A chair is still a chair, but a second is now a breath-of-time? It's easy to figure out, but the book snob in me shuns it every time. Here is an actual line from the book that made me cringe: "It took a few breaths-of-time that felt like candle marks." It adds nothing to the story, in my opinion.
The first ten chapters or so didn't have a page break. Again, the book snob in me hates this. I can accept present or past tense. I can accept first person or third person. You want to curse, go ahead. But please have the book formatted the way most do. Thankfully, around chapter eleven or twelve, this was no longer an issue.
The Namid/Aahmes duel was awesome up until the point the author used the cop-out of making it a draw. Just pick a winner. Draws always feel like cheating so you can show both characters are equally impressive. That rarely happens in life.
The Praznys didn't suspect nor detect glamour magic? They knew the heroes had it. They were actively searching for them, but never saw it?
Furthermore, nobody checked for lockpicks on Namid? She's a known thief, but no reason to suspect her boots, I guess.
Why didn't Namid free Aahmes first? She was weak, yet helped him last, despite the fact he was also a thief and could have taken over the lockpicking duties. Nobody even suggested it. Not the time to let Namid fight her own battle and prove she could endure.
The Technical.
There is mild violence in this book.
August 22, 2022
Namid, a skilled and magically adept thief-for-hire, and her similarly talented male competitor, Ahmes, tangle over a young noble, who has something that interests them both. A dagger with a hint of Power. But a deadly city-wide attack forces the trio to flee into the desert, where the thieves in question, now homeless, agree to accompany the noble on his coming-of-age quest—all for a price, of course.
With a dark cult on the rise, however, and with an enigmatic mage suggesting that the gods themselves are on the brink of war, our heroes’ quest soon becomes a race for life, and quite possibly for the fate of the world. Acquiring friends and enemies along the way, Namid struggles with both her past and her present, unsure of who to trust and what she can possibly do to stem the dark tide sweeping across the land. Will the trials of her past help her or hinder her? And as the Power grows wilder, will she learn to harness it, or will it consume her?
In this first installment of the Wild Heritance series, S. Lynn Helton weaves a complex and compelling story of magic and heroism, friendship and treachery, all while juggling a steadily growing cast of fascinating characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses and each with something important to contribute to the cause. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill epic fantasy, and it will keep you guessing to the very end.
With a dark cult on the rise, however, and with an enigmatic mage suggesting that the gods themselves are on the brink of war, our heroes’ quest soon becomes a race for life, and quite possibly for the fate of the world. Acquiring friends and enemies along the way, Namid struggles with both her past and her present, unsure of who to trust and what she can possibly do to stem the dark tide sweeping across the land. Will the trials of her past help her or hinder her? And as the Power grows wilder, will she learn to harness it, or will it consume her?
In this first installment of the Wild Heritance series, S. Lynn Helton weaves a complex and compelling story of magic and heroism, friendship and treachery, all while juggling a steadily growing cast of fascinating characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses and each with something important to contribute to the cause. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill epic fantasy, and it will keep you guessing to the very end.
August 5, 2023
Great read
Duplicity of Power follows an unlikely band in an initial quest to retrieve a blade for a sword. The story develops into something far more complex and crucial in the power struggle against the Dark Priests in the Six Realms.
It’s an exciting read which is full of action. The writing is very strong, with great worldbuilding, with the mixture of cities, Powers, and different groups. The city of Nazextas was done very well.
The characters are well developed and distinct; I really liked the interactions between Aahmes and Namid, and I felt connected to those two characters in particular. Namid is a strong female lead, full of flaws and vulnerabilities but also compassion and strength. The ‘bad guys’ are a little more mysterious, but it works.
The story kicks off with a bang, and the stakes get higher as the story progresses. The scenes at the end were extremely dark but well executed; I also liked the idea of the death vapor.
Overall, a brilliant read, which I highly recommend to fans of epic fantasy and quest-like fantasy.
Duplicity of Power follows an unlikely band in an initial quest to retrieve a blade for a sword. The story develops into something far more complex and crucial in the power struggle against the Dark Priests in the Six Realms.
It’s an exciting read which is full of action. The writing is very strong, with great worldbuilding, with the mixture of cities, Powers, and different groups. The city of Nazextas was done very well.
The characters are well developed and distinct; I really liked the interactions between Aahmes and Namid, and I felt connected to those two characters in particular. Namid is a strong female lead, full of flaws and vulnerabilities but also compassion and strength. The ‘bad guys’ are a little more mysterious, but it works.
The story kicks off with a bang, and the stakes get higher as the story progresses. The scenes at the end were extremely dark but well executed; I also liked the idea of the death vapor.
Overall, a brilliant read, which I highly recommend to fans of epic fantasy and quest-like fantasy.
April 4, 2021
I throughly enjoyed this fantasy novel. It has a classic feel to it that reminded me of playing D&D with mom and dad. I felt like the band of characters had some lucky dice rolls if you will and a few moments where the dungeon master (author) really backed them into a corner. It was good mix that created a nice blend of tension and ease.
I love journey quests that let me explore new worlds, fantasy creatures, and fun magic systems. This book has all of that and even gods. The crew had a nice mix of characters with different skills and personalities. Namid was main heroine and the one I liked best. She was confident and for good reason, but not arrogant.
The end left me ready for the next part. Fantasy fans will enjoy this story.
I love journey quests that let me explore new worlds, fantasy creatures, and fun magic systems. This book has all of that and even gods. The crew had a nice mix of characters with different skills and personalities. Namid was main heroine and the one I liked best. She was confident and for good reason, but not arrogant.
The end left me ready for the next part. Fantasy fans will enjoy this story.
February 14, 2021
An intriguing story.
I love how this story started! Here we have individuals from different classes of life thrown together in completing a quest. None of them asked for this adventure but they’re stuck with it and are forced to work together or risk getting destroyed apart from each other.
The World building was good and I felt like I was in the moment when our heroes were stumbling from one chaos to the next. But, the third part of the book was a bit drawn out, however it led to a satisfying conclusion with a cliffhanger leaving one interested in the book two. I liked it.
I love how this story started! Here we have individuals from different classes of life thrown together in completing a quest. None of them asked for this adventure but they’re stuck with it and are forced to work together or risk getting destroyed apart from each other.
The World building was good and I felt like I was in the moment when our heroes were stumbling from one chaos to the next. But, the third part of the book was a bit drawn out, however it led to a satisfying conclusion with a cliffhanger leaving one interested in the book two. I liked it.
January 29, 2021
Fans of Tolkien or 1980s-era role playing games will likely enjoy this. My tolerance for worldbuilding is lower than most, but if you’re a devoted fantasy reader, this is something you accept going in. The story begins with a rogue named Namid perhaps acting against her best interests and aiding a stranger. From there, Namid is drawn into an adventure, as the fantasy realm is explored with duels, unique magic, and appearances from this canon’s gods. The writer’s careful to give the leads distinct personalities, and character development is just as important as the worldbuilding.
March 29, 2023
Personally, there are two things that I am wary of in fantasy books: One, stories that are difficult to follow, and second, over-the-top language, especially early in the book when readers haven't had good impressions or attachments to the plot or characters.
That is why I like this book. The story follows a female protagonist who is thrown into a quest. The plot weaves easily when it introduces the characters. The world setting unveils layer by layer, and with everything new, explanations are given without them feeling like exposition.
The book starts strong with solid middle; however, to me, it goes down slightly on the climax because, for some reason, there are some scenes that I find pretty repetitive and requires my suspension of disbelief regarding the villain's actions and character's lucks in order to get the plot going.
Having said that, overall, it's a solid and enjoyable story. There are many distinguishable and root-able characters, and the world is full of imagination and creativity. Revelations of the character backgrounds are done well without them being stretched out for too long or dumped.
That is why I like this book. The story follows a female protagonist who is thrown into a quest. The plot weaves easily when it introduces the characters. The world setting unveils layer by layer, and with everything new, explanations are given without them feeling like exposition.
The book starts strong with solid middle; however, to me, it goes down slightly on the climax because, for some reason, there are some scenes that I find pretty repetitive and requires my suspension of disbelief regarding the villain's actions and character's lucks in order to get the plot going.
Having said that, overall, it's a solid and enjoyable story. There are many distinguishable and root-able characters, and the world is full of imagination and creativity. Revelations of the character backgrounds are done well without them being stretched out for too long or dumped.
July 5, 2022
MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.
Well, this book offers a pretty cool deal – you can pay $4.99, read for a half hour a night, and go on a two-week adventure with an expanding cast of enjoyable characters. Let’s go!
The pace of DUPLICITY OF POWER is steady and quick. The book starts out one night in a public part of town – a tavern. We meet a young woman, Namid, who is seated in her usual spot, with her back safely tucked against the wall, watching calmly whatever there is to watch. She observes a minor scuffle between two patrons at the tavern’s entrance, and this interests her because Namid is sensitive to “power” (magic), and there is something “powerful” about one of the weapons the smaller of the patrons carries.
Namid interrupts the fight before it escalates too far, not truly out of altruism, but in order to learn a little more about the weapon if she can. Events play out naturally, and the characters we meet first, all begin the story as adversaries. The opening few scenes are very smart, giving us plenty of action and insights in very few pages – and before this little cluster of antagonists can completely go their separate ways, Helton puts the city under an attack – an attack that is very unusual, and very spectacular (I absolutely loved it). The attack leaves all characters running for their lives, trying to get to the city gates before the gates are closed (thrilling!).
After the gates are closed, life is instantly altered for most of the characters we’ve met. They are completely cut off from everything they are accustomed to, spilled out into the woods, trying to figure out how to survive, and what to do next. The character with the power-filled sword is on a mission in the local area (the same area where any survivors of the attack are likely to be). This person with the power-laden sword also has money that might buy food and provisions, so the adversaries put aside their differences and agree to help, laughing that they are now on a “quest”.
The quest targets areas in the local vicinity – expanded to include several neighboring lands. It involves a few cities, constant travel, and hardship. The author keeps the action steady. As the group of travelers grows, they scoff at the idea of prophecies, but live through enough coincidences to suggest the prophecy connected to their story might actually be true. The author structures the idea of quest and prophecy as something like a detective story – as every piece of the puzzle is uncovered, it comes with a price – either conflict with the group holding the puzzle piece, or with the groups whose territories the questors must travel through – something is always happening in this story, and the book is short. Helton doesn’t linger on any scene very long, even when the scene is spectacular. (There are four major cities in this story – two are normal (though one is overrun spectacularly), and two are outrageous (I just deleted my descriptions of them) – fantastic concepts! But again, not lingered on.) Let’s see if I can give some opinions without spoiling anything: I thought the Sy’shythys was great. I thought the scenes in Nazextas were amazing – fun to visualize, and fun to read. I thought the idea of how Corentris was constructed was a welcome surprise, and a perfect physical match for the character of the city – and I enjoyed all the twists and turns that happened between Namid and Aahems. There. Commentary without actual spoilers.
As the book neared its end, pacing suggested the story might conclude with a cliff-hanger. But it doesn’t. This is a valid stand-alone book. The ending, in fact, surprised me (always welcome). There is one thread left dangling at the conclusion, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the original mission. The story is complete. The band of survivors disperse. But…
…we’d like to know what happens next.
So yes, get this book! Take the adventure. The author never wastes your time and rewards it with plenty of great ideas. I’d mention them, but they’d be SPOILERS. I already gave some of the great ideas away, but there are plenty more. Enjoy!
Well, this book offers a pretty cool deal – you can pay $4.99, read for a half hour a night, and go on a two-week adventure with an expanding cast of enjoyable characters. Let’s go!
The pace of DUPLICITY OF POWER is steady and quick. The book starts out one night in a public part of town – a tavern. We meet a young woman, Namid, who is seated in her usual spot, with her back safely tucked against the wall, watching calmly whatever there is to watch. She observes a minor scuffle between two patrons at the tavern’s entrance, and this interests her because Namid is sensitive to “power” (magic), and there is something “powerful” about one of the weapons the smaller of the patrons carries.
Namid interrupts the fight before it escalates too far, not truly out of altruism, but in order to learn a little more about the weapon if she can. Events play out naturally, and the characters we meet first, all begin the story as adversaries. The opening few scenes are very smart, giving us plenty of action and insights in very few pages – and before this little cluster of antagonists can completely go their separate ways, Helton puts the city under an attack – an attack that is very unusual, and very spectacular (I absolutely loved it). The attack leaves all characters running for their lives, trying to get to the city gates before the gates are closed (thrilling!).
After the gates are closed, life is instantly altered for most of the characters we’ve met. They are completely cut off from everything they are accustomed to, spilled out into the woods, trying to figure out how to survive, and what to do next. The character with the power-filled sword is on a mission in the local area (the same area where any survivors of the attack are likely to be). This person with the power-laden sword also has money that might buy food and provisions, so the adversaries put aside their differences and agree to help, laughing that they are now on a “quest”.
The quest targets areas in the local vicinity – expanded to include several neighboring lands. It involves a few cities, constant travel, and hardship. The author keeps the action steady. As the group of travelers grows, they scoff at the idea of prophecies, but live through enough coincidences to suggest the prophecy connected to their story might actually be true. The author structures the idea of quest and prophecy as something like a detective story – as every piece of the puzzle is uncovered, it comes with a price – either conflict with the group holding the puzzle piece, or with the groups whose territories the questors must travel through – something is always happening in this story, and the book is short. Helton doesn’t linger on any scene very long, even when the scene is spectacular. (There are four major cities in this story – two are normal (though one is overrun spectacularly), and two are outrageous (I just deleted my descriptions of them) – fantastic concepts! But again, not lingered on.) Let’s see if I can give some opinions without spoiling anything: I thought the Sy’shythys was great. I thought the scenes in Nazextas were amazing – fun to visualize, and fun to read. I thought the idea of how Corentris was constructed was a welcome surprise, and a perfect physical match for the character of the city – and I enjoyed all the twists and turns that happened between Namid and Aahems. There. Commentary without actual spoilers.
As the book neared its end, pacing suggested the story might conclude with a cliff-hanger. But it doesn’t. This is a valid stand-alone book. The ending, in fact, surprised me (always welcome). There is one thread left dangling at the conclusion, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the original mission. The story is complete. The band of survivors disperse. But…
…we’d like to know what happens next.
So yes, get this book! Take the adventure. The author never wastes your time and rewards it with plenty of great ideas. I’d mention them, but they’d be SPOILERS. I already gave some of the great ideas away, but there are plenty more. Enjoy!
July 20, 2023
Duplicity of Power is more of a medieval quest fantasy disguised as a sword and sorcery book. At first, with all the back-alleys and taverns and thieving, it seems like more of a sword and sorcery tale that's going to follow all these thieves just being terrible to each other. I hung in there and found that the story developed into more of a "quest" type story, which would normally be more my thing. Despite a few issues I had with it, the characters were well-written and so I did end up caring for them as the events progressed. The characters are what brought this book up from a 2-star to a 3-star rating.
One thing I didn't enjoy was the way the characters kept just randomly lucking into the right thing that would take them to the next step on their journey, etc. They comment on it a few times, and it is explained in the end, but I still think it was a bit too much. Which also brings me to the character motivations, which I found were lacking on this quest. Only one character, Enric, had a motivation given for being on this journey, the others just kind of went along just because, which eventually grew into "we'll stick around because we think we're supposed to be here." This, coupled with all the lucky happenstances, just made it seem like the events were all just randomly happening because plot. This is disappointing, because with some of their eventually revealed backstories, particularly Namid's, they could have had much more emotional and compelling motivations for wanting to stand up against the Dark Priests, etc.
There are a lot of interesting and creative uses of magic in this book, which I enjoyed, but they again, kept coming out of nowhere. Characters could suddenly do a thing they had never tried before or could be taught how to do it by another Power user in the moment. Still, I did enjoy the creativity of the magic system.
Another thing I liked is the characterizations. All the characters were distinct and had interesting powers and there was a good group dynamic between them. I especially liked the slow development and exploration of Namid and Aahmes' relationship. Speaking of Aahmes...
A lot of the names in this story, names of people, cities, dark princes and magical attacks and swords... were kind of odd, as if some real name had been altered in an awkward way, and a few were just hard to pronounce. I ended up looking up a couple of them, including Aahmes, which was apparently one spelling of a pharaohs name... which, fine, but I don't think anything can excuse the name of the killing mist: Sy’shythys or the dark prince: Sesaisyd.
This is getting long, but I'd say it was a decent enough read with an interesting magic system and some interesting characters.
One thing I didn't enjoy was the way the characters kept just randomly lucking into the right thing that would take them to the next step on their journey, etc. They comment on it a few times, and it is explained in the end, but I still think it was a bit too much. Which also brings me to the character motivations, which I found were lacking on this quest. Only one character, Enric, had a motivation given for being on this journey, the others just kind of went along just because, which eventually grew into "we'll stick around because we think we're supposed to be here." This, coupled with all the lucky happenstances, just made it seem like the events were all just randomly happening because plot. This is disappointing, because with some of their eventually revealed backstories, particularly Namid's, they could have had much more emotional and compelling motivations for wanting to stand up against the Dark Priests, etc.
There are a lot of interesting and creative uses of magic in this book, which I enjoyed, but they again, kept coming out of nowhere. Characters could suddenly do a thing they had never tried before or could be taught how to do it by another Power user in the moment. Still, I did enjoy the creativity of the magic system.
Another thing I liked is the characterizations. All the characters were distinct and had interesting powers and there was a good group dynamic between them. I especially liked the slow development and exploration of Namid and Aahmes' relationship. Speaking of Aahmes...
A lot of the names in this story, names of people, cities, dark princes and magical attacks and swords... were kind of odd, as if some real name had been altered in an awkward way, and a few were just hard to pronounce. I ended up looking up a couple of them, including Aahmes, which was apparently one spelling of a pharaohs name... which, fine, but I don't think anything can excuse the name of the killing mist: Sy’shythys or the dark prince: Sesaisyd.
This is getting long, but I'd say it was a decent enough read with an interesting magic system and some interesting characters.
November 23, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. It's an exciting quest story which was an entertaining read. It starts off with the three main characters fleeing a killer mist, which I thought was a fantastic concept. After escaping, they agree to join Enric on his coming of age quest. Along the way, they visit several cities and towns and their group grows larger.
The world building is great. The author has created her own terminology regarding time and some is easy to get without the need of the glossary at the end, however, after finishing, I had no idea a week was eight days until I finished, but this is a minor issue and didn't affect my grading.
The characters were great, the MC Namid is developed the most as we are in a 3rd person limited perspective so we see everything through her eyes and thoughts. The other characters work well together and the two regal characters slowly become more down to earth as the story progresses. This is my own personal preference, so again, it doesn't affect the grade, but I would have liked to have seen through the other characters too as this would have developed them more, but like I said, this is my own preference.
The plot is fast paced and well set up by the author. You discover why things happened at the epic conclusion when the antagonist is revealed. Minor spoiler,
Magic system. The magic system is not so well defined and seems a mixture of soft magic and hard magic. There are limitations to what characters can do and you see it affect them, however it is hard to see if they are limited to spells they can perform. Characters do learn some spells along the way, but they do seem to pick things up quite quickly, however this is also seen during the conclusion.
One issue I had is with the battles, because of the POV, they are limited in scope and description. There doesn't seem to be danger because you can't see what the other characters are experiencing other than Namid. Fight scenes are over quickly and you find out that some characters suffered from cuts etc, but you don't see the pain and agony other than Namid. The story is relatively bloodless apart from one scene involving a magical whip.
Overall, a solid story, a solid quest and fantastic characters.
The world building is great. The author has created her own terminology regarding time and some is easy to get without the need of the glossary at the end, however, after finishing, I had no idea a week was eight days until I finished, but this is a minor issue and didn't affect my grading.
The characters were great, the MC Namid is developed the most as we are in a 3rd person limited perspective so we see everything through her eyes and thoughts. The other characters work well together and the two regal characters slowly become more down to earth as the story progresses. This is my own personal preference, so again, it doesn't affect the grade, but I would have liked to have seen through the other characters too as this would have developed them more, but like I said, this is my own preference.
The plot is fast paced and well set up by the author. You discover why things happened at the epic conclusion when the antagonist is revealed. Minor spoiler,
Magic system. The magic system is not so well defined and seems a mixture of soft magic and hard magic. There are limitations to what characters can do and you see it affect them, however it is hard to see if they are limited to spells they can perform. Characters do learn some spells along the way, but they do seem to pick things up quite quickly, however this is also seen during the conclusion.
One issue I had is with the battles, because of the POV, they are limited in scope and description. There doesn't seem to be danger because you can't see what the other characters are experiencing other than Namid. Fight scenes are over quickly and you find out that some characters suffered from cuts etc, but you don't see the pain and agony other than Namid. The story is relatively bloodless apart from one scene involving a magical whip.
Overall, a solid story, a solid quest and fantastic characters.
July 4, 2021
I think most fantasy lovers would probably enjoy this book. The pacing was perfect for the character development, and there was quite a bit of good character development. World building was quite thorough, although in one case it may have been a bit too thorough.
I have mixed feelings about fictional measurement systems. I use them myself in my fantasy novels because they make sense - a fictional world certainly won't use the same measurement systems as ours. But they can also confuse the reader, who has to flip back to the table in the appendix to see how far a pace is or whatever. I think this is one of the weaknesses in my first novel, so what I do now is use the fictional measurements in dialog but our world measurements in the narrative. Consider this example I made up:
"The next entrance is thirty paces away," he said. She weighed her options; sixty feet was a long way to walk in plain sight.
So here the reader sees thirty paces is sixty feet, therefore one pace equals two feet. They get that information without having to stop and look it up.
My other criticism is the names. I had no idea how to pronounce several of them, and when I got to the end of the book and discovered the pronunciation guide, I saw I was mispronouncing almost all of them, even one with a straightforward spelling like Namid. I was pronouncing it NAH-mid when it was supposed to be NAH-meed. As both a reader and writer of fantasy, it is my firm belief that if you need to provide the reader with a pronunciation guide, you made a wrong turn. The reader should be able to get all pertinent information simply by reading the story, and that is hindered by words that don't follow phonetics the reader is familiar with.
Those issues aside, I enjoyed this story. I love a good quest, and there was wonderful character development that perfectly matched the pacing, and it's a good start to a series. All in all, I think fantasy fans will enjoy this.
I have mixed feelings about fictional measurement systems. I use them myself in my fantasy novels because they make sense - a fictional world certainly won't use the same measurement systems as ours. But they can also confuse the reader, who has to flip back to the table in the appendix to see how far a pace is or whatever. I think this is one of the weaknesses in my first novel, so what I do now is use the fictional measurements in dialog but our world measurements in the narrative. Consider this example I made up:
"The next entrance is thirty paces away," he said. She weighed her options; sixty feet was a long way to walk in plain sight.
So here the reader sees thirty paces is sixty feet, therefore one pace equals two feet. They get that information without having to stop and look it up.
My other criticism is the names. I had no idea how to pronounce several of them, and when I got to the end of the book and discovered the pronunciation guide, I saw I was mispronouncing almost all of them, even one with a straightforward spelling like Namid. I was pronouncing it NAH-mid when it was supposed to be NAH-meed. As both a reader and writer of fantasy, it is my firm belief that if you need to provide the reader with a pronunciation guide, you made a wrong turn. The reader should be able to get all pertinent information simply by reading the story, and that is hindered by words that don't follow phonetics the reader is familiar with.
Those issues aside, I enjoyed this story. I love a good quest, and there was wonderful character development that perfectly matched the pacing, and it's a good start to a series. All in all, I think fantasy fans will enjoy this.
September 13, 2022
An entertaining and enjoyable read. It has all the tropes of an epic fantasy e.g., a quest, a band of disparate characters, a great evil etc which if not handled well can turn into cliches but that didn’t happen. The author made it fresh and interesting and kept my attention.
I liked that the hero of the book was a woman, not a farm boy with a destiny. Another trope – she has a mysterious past and a secret but again, handled well. Her being a thief did seem a little bit of a cliché but the author made the Shadowers interesting.
I liked that the names of the characters were different from our own. One of my pet peeves in fantasy novels is when authors build a world, and they give characters familiar names from our world. I did think that some of the names were difficult to pronounce which irritated me a little. I only discovered at the end that she had a note about pronunciation of the names. In my opinion, she should have that note at the front of the novel.
The worldbuilding was good and I had only one quibble. It was a great image, a world with five moons but I wondered how having five moons would impact on a world. Surely there would be some physical effects? I liked the names e.g., Six Lands of the Monarch and thought it a very clever idea to have candlemarks as a way to tell the time.
I thought the characters were interesting. At first, I thought there was going to be a love triangle between Namid, Enric and Aahmes but soon realised my mistake. Cameni irritated me but I could see she would be like that because of who she was and the need to have a character who would ask questions, but I thought the rest of the group showed great restraint with her.
I did wonder a little about the Dark Priests. If everyone one knew they were bad, how did the authorities allow them to gain a hold in so many places? Perhaps I missed something in the book.
In summary, I enjoyed reading it and would like to read more of their adventures.
I liked that the hero of the book was a woman, not a farm boy with a destiny. Another trope – she has a mysterious past and a secret but again, handled well. Her being a thief did seem a little bit of a cliché but the author made the Shadowers interesting.
I liked that the names of the characters were different from our own. One of my pet peeves in fantasy novels is when authors build a world, and they give characters familiar names from our world. I did think that some of the names were difficult to pronounce which irritated me a little. I only discovered at the end that she had a note about pronunciation of the names. In my opinion, she should have that note at the front of the novel.
The worldbuilding was good and I had only one quibble. It was a great image, a world with five moons but I wondered how having five moons would impact on a world. Surely there would be some physical effects? I liked the names e.g., Six Lands of the Monarch and thought it a very clever idea to have candlemarks as a way to tell the time.
I thought the characters were interesting. At first, I thought there was going to be a love triangle between Namid, Enric and Aahmes but soon realised my mistake. Cameni irritated me but I could see she would be like that because of who she was and the need to have a character who would ask questions, but I thought the rest of the group showed great restraint with her.
I did wonder a little about the Dark Priests. If everyone one knew they were bad, how did the authorities allow them to gain a hold in so many places? Perhaps I missed something in the book.
In summary, I enjoyed reading it and would like to read more of their adventures.
May 23, 2025
Duplicity of Power kicks off the Wild Heritance series with a slow-burn tale of secrets, survival, and sovereignty, set in a world that feels lived-in and on the edge of upheaval. It’s not a book that rushes. Instead, it builds layer by layer, step by step until you're caught in the web of its characters and their hidden motives.
At the center is Namid who gets pulled into a game of politics and magic she never asked for. Namid is no chosen one, no destined hero. That’s part of the strength here she’s capable, jaded, and fiercely independent, but still very human. Her moral compass doesn’t always point north, and that makes her all the more compelling. You follow her not because she’s righteous, but because she’s real.
The world-building in Duplicity of Power is subtle and smart. Helton doesn’t dump lore on you she reveals it in shadows and hints, through conversation and implication. Magic exists, but it’s scarce, feared, and politically charged. Power be it magical, military, or political is always tangled in compromise and consequence. There’s a tension beneath the surface of everything, and it works.
The book also deals in themes of trust, identity, and autonomy. Namid’s past is never far behind her, and the decisions she makes often reflect a life lived around betrayal. The title is apt this is a story where nearly everyone wears a mask, and power is rarely what it seems. If there’s a flaw here, it’s that the pace may feel too careful for some. Big moves happen, but they’re often buried under subtle character beats. It’s a story that requires patience and rewards it.
For those who enjoy series openers that prioritize character depth over spectacle, and stories that explore the grey areas of loyalty and strength, Duplicity of Power delivers. It’s gritty, not grimdark, and it walks the line between fantasy adventure and political intrigue with confidence.
At the center is Namid who gets pulled into a game of politics and magic she never asked for. Namid is no chosen one, no destined hero. That’s part of the strength here she’s capable, jaded, and fiercely independent, but still very human. Her moral compass doesn’t always point north, and that makes her all the more compelling. You follow her not because she’s righteous, but because she’s real.
The world-building in Duplicity of Power is subtle and smart. Helton doesn’t dump lore on you she reveals it in shadows and hints, through conversation and implication. Magic exists, but it’s scarce, feared, and politically charged. Power be it magical, military, or political is always tangled in compromise and consequence. There’s a tension beneath the surface of everything, and it works.
The book also deals in themes of trust, identity, and autonomy. Namid’s past is never far behind her, and the decisions she makes often reflect a life lived around betrayal. The title is apt this is a story where nearly everyone wears a mask, and power is rarely what it seems. If there’s a flaw here, it’s that the pace may feel too careful for some. Big moves happen, but they’re often buried under subtle character beats. It’s a story that requires patience and rewards it.
For those who enjoy series openers that prioritize character depth over spectacle, and stories that explore the grey areas of loyalty and strength, Duplicity of Power delivers. It’s gritty, not grimdark, and it walks the line between fantasy adventure and political intrigue with confidence.
March 6, 2024
Duplicity of power is an appropriate tittle for this book because the mystery is in the Duplicity that unfolds slowly as you turn the pages of this saga. Duplicity of Power is an easy reading fantasy that takes place on a fictitious planet with five moons, a long journey that flows well and draws the reader in. The author does a good job with descriptions which made it easy for me to envision the landscape and physical attributes of the characters.
The adventure begins on page one and is non stop for 373 pages. The main character, Namid, is a smart, cunning and brave woman portrayed as one of dubious nature we later learn is just the opposite and secretly belongs to royalty. Her greatest power, not in all the “power”endowed to her but the humility she later portrays, especially at the end when evil is vanquished and she soon returns to the location of her beginnings of the story.
Not being a reader of fantasy literature, I had my doubts as to being able to enjoy this tale, but Helton does a good job of keeping the journey magical even though I found it contradictory to projection of life on another world in terms used to express our world.
Even though the pace of the story was good and drew me into the adventure, I had some character development issues. The characters are believable to me in the fantasy context, but at times it did not make sense to me, especially concerning the dark priests who were pure evil.
I thought that there was an overuse of situations placing Namid in pain, mental or physical, and there was too much use of the “power” to enable escape from danger, which I felt hindered the pace of the story.
The adventure begins on page one and is non stop for 373 pages. The main character, Namid, is a smart, cunning and brave woman portrayed as one of dubious nature we later learn is just the opposite and secretly belongs to royalty. Her greatest power, not in all the “power”endowed to her but the humility she later portrays, especially at the end when evil is vanquished and she soon returns to the location of her beginnings of the story.
Not being a reader of fantasy literature, I had my doubts as to being able to enjoy this tale, but Helton does a good job of keeping the journey magical even though I found it contradictory to projection of life on another world in terms used to express our world.
Even though the pace of the story was good and drew me into the adventure, I had some character development issues. The characters are believable to me in the fantasy context, but at times it did not make sense to me, especially concerning the dark priests who were pure evil.
I thought that there was an overuse of situations placing Namid in pain, mental or physical, and there was too much use of the “power” to enable escape from danger, which I felt hindered the pace of the story.
January 7, 2021
The first in the Wild Heritance series, Duplicity of Power by S. Lynn Helton will not disappoint the fantasy author’s fans. New readers will also fall in love with the story. Duplicity of Power has everything needed to create a great fantasy series with enough surprises to keep the story fresh in a genre that can be predictable.
There is a quest and an unlikely partnership between a rogue and a nobleman. Like any good fantasy series the fate of the land, in this case, the Six Realms is at stake. The gods are involved, there are plenty of power struggles, and an ancient artifact that could decide the fate of all that live in the realms.
Even though this seems to be the standard formula for a fantasy series, author S. Lynn Helton expands on it with her fresh and intriguing characters. Readers will be drawn into Namid’s story by the end of the first chapter.
Namid is a Shadower and one of the group’s leaders. While she is a rogue, she also has a past that she will eventually have to confront as the story unfolds. Living in the old city of Rhadanthus, where everyone but the nobles struggles for a living.
“…Rhadanthus – once a prosperous trading center…now belonged less to farmers and traders and more to the dregs and outcasts of Paronia, middlemost of the Six Realms of the Monarch.”
It is in this city that belongs primarily to outcasts that she has found a home, safe Namid believes from her past.
This changes when she rescues an injured nobleman and suddenly finds herself being thrust into a quest. She loses her safe haven for her good deed and finds her life in danger again. The quest Namid undertakes will send her throughout the Six Realms and into the unknown. Along her journey, she meets others that are soon entangled in her quest and the various power struggles among humans and gods.
An interesting aspect of the first installment in the series is Namid’s disbelief in the artifact’s existence. It’s not often that the story’s protagonist undertakes a quest that they don’t believe is real. Namid also does not believe in fate, which helps make her more relatable to readers. It’s refreshing to find a strong female lead that doesn’t automatically believe everything she’s told.
S. Lynn Helton has written a fascinating story in the Duplicity of Power that highlights the strength of female characters. While she does follow the usual format for fantasy series, she has made it fresh and exciting again for lovers of the genre. Whether you’re new to fantasy fiction or a long-time fan, you’ll quickly find yourself engrossed in the fate of Namid and the Six Realms in Duplicity of Power.
There is a quest and an unlikely partnership between a rogue and a nobleman. Like any good fantasy series the fate of the land, in this case, the Six Realms is at stake. The gods are involved, there are plenty of power struggles, and an ancient artifact that could decide the fate of all that live in the realms.
Even though this seems to be the standard formula for a fantasy series, author S. Lynn Helton expands on it with her fresh and intriguing characters. Readers will be drawn into Namid’s story by the end of the first chapter.
Namid is a Shadower and one of the group’s leaders. While she is a rogue, she also has a past that she will eventually have to confront as the story unfolds. Living in the old city of Rhadanthus, where everyone but the nobles struggles for a living.
“…Rhadanthus – once a prosperous trading center…now belonged less to farmers and traders and more to the dregs and outcasts of Paronia, middlemost of the Six Realms of the Monarch.”
It is in this city that belongs primarily to outcasts that she has found a home, safe Namid believes from her past.
This changes when she rescues an injured nobleman and suddenly finds herself being thrust into a quest. She loses her safe haven for her good deed and finds her life in danger again. The quest Namid undertakes will send her throughout the Six Realms and into the unknown. Along her journey, she meets others that are soon entangled in her quest and the various power struggles among humans and gods.
An interesting aspect of the first installment in the series is Namid’s disbelief in the artifact’s existence. It’s not often that the story’s protagonist undertakes a quest that they don’t believe is real. Namid also does not believe in fate, which helps make her more relatable to readers. It’s refreshing to find a strong female lead that doesn’t automatically believe everything she’s told.
S. Lynn Helton has written a fascinating story in the Duplicity of Power that highlights the strength of female characters. While she does follow the usual format for fantasy series, she has made it fresh and exciting again for lovers of the genre. Whether you’re new to fantasy fiction or a long-time fan, you’ll quickly find yourself engrossed in the fate of Namid and the Six Realms in Duplicity of Power.
April 6, 2023
This is a fantasy tale told in a classic style, which is just up my alley. What I liked the most was the world-building. S. Lynn's world feels like a real, lived-in place, a world where magic is rare, and the gods exert influence in the affairs of mortals for their own purposes. At times it brought to mind one of my favorite videogame worlds, The Elder Scrolls. It felt like the world has a backstory that goes far beyond the books.
My main grip is with the main character. No matter how much I tried, I just couldn't enjoy her company. It's not that she's perfect; she fumbles plenty. But somehow, it seems that whenever she is faced with adversity, she has this little box of solutions based on prior knowledge/past experience that she reaches into and... done. I also had some trouble getting the relationship between her and one of her companions; at the beginning of the book, they sound like rivals, but then they're one inch from killing one another over baubles, and then... disaster strikes, and they are escaping together and helping each other like best buds. It was hard to swallow. The book tries to justify that further in, mentioning their shared history, but still... It never felt natural to me.
The challenges they face during their quest, though (which begins with a classic quest for a magical blade but soon twists in unique and interesting ways) range from the mundane to the magical, but are also interesting and engaging.
A solid read.
My main grip is with the main character. No matter how much I tried, I just couldn't enjoy her company. It's not that she's perfect; she fumbles plenty. But somehow, it seems that whenever she is faced with adversity, she has this little box of solutions based on prior knowledge/past experience that she reaches into and... done. I also had some trouble getting the relationship between her and one of her companions; at the beginning of the book, they sound like rivals, but then they're one inch from killing one another over baubles, and then... disaster strikes, and they are escaping together and helping each other like best buds. It was hard to swallow. The book tries to justify that further in, mentioning their shared history, but still... It never felt natural to me.
The challenges they face during their quest, though (which begins with a classic quest for a magical blade but soon twists in unique and interesting ways) range from the mundane to the magical, but are also interesting and engaging.
A solid read.
April 9, 2021
Actual rating 3.5
Duplicity of Power's strengths are its variety for both its character and scenery and events/challenges its protagonists have to overcome, and its conclusion which melds both foreshadowed elements, character work and some pleasing twists. The prose is decent, though some of the action scenes and conflicts lacked impact and weight in their strikes and uses of magic. The magic itself is also extremely nebulous with what's it capabilities are and there are little to no rules provided as to how it is worked or limitations besides a certain amount a person can command.
Namid and Aahmes' relationship is well paced through the book, but they don't have enough meaningful and personal interactions for me to really invest in their relationship; it's mostly just the sharing of histories, and, later in the story, the way he interacts with her as the darker parts of her history are shared. It's with these ending interactions where their relationship started to work for me.
I found the story itself a little too fast paced, though. At least in various places where the author would gloss over an action sequence with a 'they fought' or another scene that was introduced and concluded in half a page. (It wasn't just a discussion between characters.) And some of the major events did feel a bit rushed as well.
Duplicity of Power's strengths are its variety for both its character and scenery and events/challenges its protagonists have to overcome, and its conclusion which melds both foreshadowed elements, character work and some pleasing twists. The prose is decent, though some of the action scenes and conflicts lacked impact and weight in their strikes and uses of magic. The magic itself is also extremely nebulous with what's it capabilities are and there are little to no rules provided as to how it is worked or limitations besides a certain amount a person can command.
Namid and Aahmes' relationship is well paced through the book, but they don't have enough meaningful and personal interactions for me to really invest in their relationship; it's mostly just the sharing of histories, and, later in the story, the way he interacts with her as the darker parts of her history are shared. It's with these ending interactions where their relationship started to work for me.
I found the story itself a little too fast paced, though. At least in various places where the author would gloss over an action sequence with a 'they fought' or another scene that was introduced and concluded in half a page. (It wasn't just a discussion between characters.) And some of the major events did feel a bit rushed as well.
July 30, 2023
In Duplicity of Power Namid is one of the leaders of a thief’s guild in the Six Realms and a woman with a secret past she tries to keep hidden even from her closest friends. After the city where Namid lives is attacked by a mysterious poison mist, she finds herself drawn into a quest that will lead her into unexpected dangers and heartbreaking revelations. As you would expect, as the quest unfolds it draws together a band of unlikely heroes who must overcome their initial suspicions of each other to combine their abilities to overcome the growing evil that threatens to consume their world.
For me, the success of this type of story depends a good deal on how much you want to join in with that mismatched band of heroes. Do you care about the risks they’re taking? Are you intrigued by their developing relationships? Essentially, do you enjoy spending time with them? I thought Duplicity of Power handled this crucial aspect of the story well. Namid is an engaging MC, with just the right balance of charm, emotional complexity and heroism. Aahmes was a good foil for her, while Cameni and Haeith in particular provided a good supporting cast, with clear identities of their own.
All in all, a good read for people who enjoy the classic tropes of fantasy quest sagas, which at the book’s climax is set up nicely for the rest of the series.
For me, the success of this type of story depends a good deal on how much you want to join in with that mismatched band of heroes. Do you care about the risks they’re taking? Are you intrigued by their developing relationships? Essentially, do you enjoy spending time with them? I thought Duplicity of Power handled this crucial aspect of the story well. Namid is an engaging MC, with just the right balance of charm, emotional complexity and heroism. Aahmes was a good foil for her, while Cameni and Haeith in particular provided a good supporting cast, with clear identities of their own.
All in all, a good read for people who enjoy the classic tropes of fantasy quest sagas, which at the book’s climax is set up nicely for the rest of the series.
December 19, 2021
Let me begin with my usual disclaimer: Although I read this as part of the Self Published Only group, this was a verified Amazon purchase, not an ARC.
The main strength of Duplicity of Power, for me, lies with the characters. They are diverse, distinct and entertaining. Each with their own reasons for doing what they’re doing and growing together as a team, a group of friends and perhaps more as they travel together.
There’s a strong RPG feel to this book, which appeals to me enormously. The way these characters lurch from one crisis to another could easily be adapted as a series of campaigns. The plot was thoroughly entertaining for most of the book, but towards the end, I have to admit the constant capture and escape began to wear a little thin.
Not really sure what the cover is meant to represent but that’s sometimes true of traditionally published novels that I’ve read.
One thing I want to highlight for special praise was the use of ‘candle-marks’ and ‘breaths-of-time’ to measure time. It’s a wonderfully inventive idea, and one that makes a surprising amount of difference to the worldbuilding.
Overall, it was an engaging read, which definitely did enough to make me come back for book 2.
The main strength of Duplicity of Power, for me, lies with the characters. They are diverse, distinct and entertaining. Each with their own reasons for doing what they’re doing and growing together as a team, a group of friends and perhaps more as they travel together.
There’s a strong RPG feel to this book, which appeals to me enormously. The way these characters lurch from one crisis to another could easily be adapted as a series of campaigns. The plot was thoroughly entertaining for most of the book, but towards the end, I have to admit the constant capture and escape began to wear a little thin.
Not really sure what the cover is meant to represent but that’s sometimes true of traditionally published novels that I’ve read.
One thing I want to highlight for special praise was the use of ‘candle-marks’ and ‘breaths-of-time’ to measure time. It’s a wonderfully inventive idea, and one that makes a surprising amount of difference to the worldbuilding.
Overall, it was an engaging read, which definitely did enough to make me come back for book 2.
April 23, 2022
Through a raft of hinted-at struggles, Namid, the magical heroine has fought her way up to a position of power in her city. Her skillful use of the power suggests a complicated upbringing, beautiful she’s become settled in her role in the city — till a killer mist absorbs her home and she barely escapes with her life. Namid, along with a young, arrogant noble she rescued and a former colleague, set out on a venture — ostensibly to help the noble find the second half of a mystical sword, but really, so that they can all find a place in the world for themselves. Trite in parts and sometimes predictable, the dialogue between the three is the most entertaining part of the book, and the descriptions of cities and clothing, and magic design are very enchanting.
The addition of involvement from the Gods was a useful way of explaining things, but made it feel a little set in stone at times. I would have preferred a little less introspection, and the reveal was always heavily signposted, but even so, In was drawn into the book from the start. I love a powerful, complex female lead and the world building was really beautifully designed. Lots of potential — as this author gains experience, I can see them producing stronger and stronger works.
The addition of involvement from the Gods was a useful way of explaining things, but made it feel a little set in stone at times. I would have preferred a little less introspection, and the reveal was always heavily signposted, but even so, In was drawn into the book from the start. I love a powerful, complex female lead and the world building was really beautifully designed. Lots of potential — as this author gains experience, I can see them producing stronger and stronger works.
September 15, 2022
Three people are thrown together by unforeseen circumstances in a city of “thieves and assassins, harlots and renegade mages.” We have Namid, one of the deputies of a group of thieves known as the ”Shadowers”; Aames, an old adversary; and Enric, a noble from a much-disliked family.
As they run from a poisonous fog and find themselves in unknown territory outside the city, they band together to search for the second half of a magic sword possessed by Enric. Their friendship deepens as the trek across the six realms of the monarch carries them through adventures steeped in action and twists, eventually coming to a surprise ending.
The author’s descriptions were beautiful, poetic even, imparting both mood and images: “The land they crossed was dry with autumn, gentle hills covered in knee-high grass that had turned a gold-brown color…no trees grew in the stony soil of this vast prairie…”. The characters were also well developed, each bringing something different to the story. I loved Namid, a resilient, caring young woman with skills to rival those of the men.
Sometimes I thought the narration and dialog were a little overwritten and found myself skipping over them. But then I became immersed in the story again. A fun ride for readers of fantasy.
As they run from a poisonous fog and find themselves in unknown territory outside the city, they band together to search for the second half of a magic sword possessed by Enric. Their friendship deepens as the trek across the six realms of the monarch carries them through adventures steeped in action and twists, eventually coming to a surprise ending.
The author’s descriptions were beautiful, poetic even, imparting both mood and images: “The land they crossed was dry with autumn, gentle hills covered in knee-high grass that had turned a gold-brown color…no trees grew in the stony soil of this vast prairie…”. The characters were also well developed, each bringing something different to the story. I loved Namid, a resilient, caring young woman with skills to rival those of the men.
Sometimes I thought the narration and dialog were a little overwritten and found myself skipping over them. But then I became immersed in the story again. A fun ride for readers of fantasy.
August 2, 2022
Classic fantasy - great characters
This was a thrilling read from start to finish. We follow Namid, a mid-level leader of the shadowers, as she rescues a noble and gets entangled in his quest. When the entire city (except Namid, the noble, and a former shadower) is slaughtered in a deadly, magical fog, she decides to commit. From there, they begin a journey across the six kingdoms of the monarch.
This world is vast and stunning. The world-building, while a bit heavy-handed at times, is mostly subtle and well done.
The plot is fresh and fast paced. There's plenty of both action and mystery, and it kept me intrigued all the way through.
And as always when handing out five stars, I really enjoyed the characters. I loved Namid right off the bat and she only got better as the story progressed. Her conversations with Aahmes cracked me up. The cast expands throughout the story and we see people from all over the world. All of them are compelling and lend legitimacy to the world-building.
Recommended!
This was a thrilling read from start to finish. We follow Namid, a mid-level leader of the shadowers, as she rescues a noble and gets entangled in his quest. When the entire city (except Namid, the noble, and a former shadower) is slaughtered in a deadly, magical fog, she decides to commit. From there, they begin a journey across the six kingdoms of the monarch.
This world is vast and stunning. The world-building, while a bit heavy-handed at times, is mostly subtle and well done.
The plot is fresh and fast paced. There's plenty of both action and mystery, and it kept me intrigued all the way through.
And as always when handing out five stars, I really enjoyed the characters. I loved Namid right off the bat and she only got better as the story progressed. Her conversations with Aahmes cracked me up. The cast expands throughout the story and we see people from all over the world. All of them are compelling and lend legitimacy to the world-building.
Recommended!
December 1, 2023
I don’t read fantasy often, but the blurb for Duplicity of Power was intriguing, and I especially loved that a woman was the main protagonist. Namid is the leader of the Shadowers, a group of rogues and misfits who live in the criminal underworld of a dark, dangerous city. After she saves the life of a young nobleman and a killing fog wipes out the city, she and a few survivors are thrust into a quest to find a missing, magical blade that could unite the kingdoms.
Namid was a strong, flawed character whom you couldn’t help but sympathize with and root for. Her friendships and alliances with other characters showed how deep her feelings ran.
Most fantasy books drag on in my opinion, but this book flowed pretty well. Ms. Helton’s writing style was engaging and seemed to fit the genre, what little I know about it.
Overall, readers of high fantasy and medieval fantasy should really enjoy it.
4 Stars
Namid was a strong, flawed character whom you couldn’t help but sympathize with and root for. Her friendships and alliances with other characters showed how deep her feelings ran.
Most fantasy books drag on in my opinion, but this book flowed pretty well. Ms. Helton’s writing style was engaging and seemed to fit the genre, what little I know about it.
Overall, readers of high fantasy and medieval fantasy should really enjoy it.
4 Stars
October 11, 2021
There are many things to enjoy about this book. The heroine Namid is fun, her conflict with her fellow-thief Aahmes entertained me, and watching them slowly fall in love felt satisfying and right. The characterization is generally good all the way through, the emotional arcs are thought through, the world-building is good enough for me. The heroes have their goals clearly stated at each point throughout the book, so I didn't feel confused. I was not a fan of the long journeys. Journey does not equal plot progress, in my view. And some of the actions near the end especially felt a bit contrived to me. But there was a big, magic-filled ending, the hero got her reward, and reader were left with a big hook to pull them into the next book in the series. All in all, I think this book is better than most, and will satisfy most fantasy readers.
April 20, 2021
Here "Power" refers to an older, deeper meaning than that to which we are accustomed. To something arcane and elemental.
The story turns around those who have learned to use it to a greater or lesser degree and then to the ends to which those adepts employ it. Here we have characters representing various personality aspects, ranging from disinterestedly good to out and out plain nasty caught up in a struggle for power.
I liked the interplay between the central group of characters, a far from heterogenous group seemingly thrown together through the haphazard whims of chance.
This is a fantasy which will please anyone who loves exercising their imagination to the full as they follow the quest for something ethereal in essence but brutally worldly in fact.
The story turns around those who have learned to use it to a greater or lesser degree and then to the ends to which those adepts employ it. Here we have characters representing various personality aspects, ranging from disinterestedly good to out and out plain nasty caught up in a struggle for power.
I liked the interplay between the central group of characters, a far from heterogenous group seemingly thrown together through the haphazard whims of chance.
This is a fantasy which will please anyone who loves exercising their imagination to the full as they follow the quest for something ethereal in essence but brutally worldly in fact.
July 18, 2022
Duplicity of Power is a fantasy novel set in the six realms with a colourful cast of characters. There’s plenty to like in this novel and the clever use of conflict keeps the story moving at an exciting pace. The premise is brilliant, it starts with the protagonist, Namid, intervening in a fight, little suspecting that her intervention would trigger the start of a quest that upends her life. There is solid world building throughout with concepts well woven into the story, my favourite being the organised group of thieves known as Shadowers. I also thought the character arcs were particularly well done, with Namid especially becoming a much stronger version of herself by the conclusion. Would definitely recommend for fans of this genre.
August 22, 2022
Namid, the book's heroine, is a minor leader of a group of thieves called the Shadowers. Content with her life in Rhadanthus, she keeps her dark past a secret. Then one day, a fight at a tavern has her defending a noble and allying with him to find the second half of a magical sword, a sword that brings ultimate power to the owner. When a magical fog destroys their city, the quest begins. They travel through four cities of the Six Realms of the Monarch, fighting battles and picking up additional members to locate the sword.
The relationship between Namid and Aehmes grows and becomes more complicated. The plot twists and turns along the way, leading to a surprise ending.
I recommend this book to fans of magic and fantasy since there is no shortage of either.
The relationship between Namid and Aehmes grows and becomes more complicated. The plot twists and turns along the way, leading to a surprise ending.
I recommend this book to fans of magic and fantasy since there is no shortage of either.
April 24, 2023
If you enjoy a good thriller or fantasy, you will likely get what you came for with Helton's books. In this installment, we meet Namid, who is a local thief that gets more than she bargained for, upon intervening in someone else's business. There is a nice touch with magic in this world, and while the world isn't as big as some I have encountered, it is interesting enough to keep the reader involved, with plenty of action and suspense. Pieces of a complex puzzle start to come together, as we continue on this adventurous journey. My only complaints were probably that the names are overly complex and hard to pronounce, and I like my fantasy worlds to be a bit larger and more epic. The climax is ok, but some of the motivations are a bit off, but overall, it is a solid story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews