A Princess of Last Resort

The Blackstaff Siblings #1

by Bill Ricardi

Lifting the ancient orc curse and destroying the Arcane Syphons should have brought peace to Panos. But one generation later, a new force brings destruction from the skies. With the northern elf lands ablaze, Sarah and Granite flee for their lives. Together the children of Parsnip must find new allies, reunite with their family, and discover why shadowy new factions have taken a personal interest in them.

Genres: Fantasy

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2018

About the author

Bill Ricardi is a fantasy author from Belfast in the U.K. He has a bent for writing the unusual.

In addition to Another Stupid Trilogy, which is his fantasy series centred around the magic of orcs, Bill is working on a young adult series that involves becoming the avatar of the Egyptian god of music in the modern world.

Bill has a wonderful life partner, and a giant cat named Loki. Both enjoy tormenting him.

Reviews

[Bill Ricardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey folks, thank you so much for your interest in my new series. 'A Princess of Last resort' was the most difficult novel that I've written to date, but it was worth the effort. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed bringing it to life.

The second book in the series is due out in September of 2018. The final book in The Blackstaff Siblings trilogy will be out April of 2019.

If you have any questions, feel free to head over to my author page and post them in the Q&A. And as always, you can follow my author page for regular Goodreads Blog updates. Cheers!

[Mick Dubois · Rating 4 out of 5]

The children from Parsnip, Sarah an half elf and Granite an half orc, are somehow magically transported during a battle amir flying burning stones (meteors, volcano or magic, they don't know) to an icy place full of snow. They're in the mountains at the equator but all contact with the Elfland's is lost. Suddenly Sarah is the highest ranking member of the Royal family. They must find out what happened to their parents and set out to the town of Ice House first. On their journey they get the help of Vincent a were-wolf, Wendell a wererat and paladin of the order of the snow, cousin Janet a minotaur and cleric of Melflavim, for a short time uncle Benno an archmage, a yeti and a mysterious hawker with magical talent. Help they desperately need as they ate followed, hunted, trapped and fought by a multiracial band of mercenaries, a necro-druid with an army of zombie animals. And then there's a massive tree on the walkabout as well and something called the new hum.... Adventures galore!
This quest is filled with action and adventures, but also magic with all those clerics and mages. Although I really enjoyed this book, I felt something missing. I can't say what it is, but I read it in a lot of sittings as if I couldn't keep reading for a longer period. Maybe because the chapters were really long sometimes, or maybe it's just me. The story line was great and exciting and I really want to read the next books in this series. Of the previous trilogy, I only read the first book and that's a shame, because this story happens 16 years after the last book and they refer several time to events in those. Don't worry if you haven't read it, you can perfectly follow this story. The characters are very life like and even adorable. When 1 of them dies, I kept hoping that some magic miracle would happen!

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a long read that is very well paced and hard to put down. Primarily a high fantasy travel adventure, Ricardi has a way of making the fantastic and outlandish feel like home and family. The cast of characters slowly builds over the course of the book and have some great interactions. A few shorter flashbacks are artfully used to strengthen plot lines.

This is one of those books where the reader finds out what is going on at the same time as the characters do, so for the first half of the book I didn't really know what was going on other than the kids were trying to get home while being mercilessly pursued and picked up some interesting guardians. The second half of the book was far more interesting to me as the whys started to become clear and the situation the siblings were really in became apparent. Lots of surprises in this book even with the excellent foreshadowing. Ricardi seems to be an author who includes things for a purpose and there is a lot going on here that I am curious to see what he will do with.

This book takes place 16 years after the events of Another Stupid Trilogy and throws the reader right into that richly imagined world. It is not necessary to read Another Stupid Trilogy to enjoy the Blackstaff siblings' adventures though. Ricardi includes plenty of information to build the story for new readers and does a good job introducing characters and building the world through the adventure. This book ends at a natural stopping point - but with a huge issue unresolved for book 2.

[Anna Ostberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story about the Blackstaff SIblings. The excellent blurb sets the scene. As Sarah and her half brother, Granite, flee from murderous invaders they cross inhospitable snowy and forested land. The cover is perfect, giving context and setting the mood of their trials. The maps are great too! A map always helps ground the action. In their flight, help comes in varied forms as they are joined by Vincent the alcoholic were-wolf, Wendell the were-rat with anger issues and their cousin Janet, the minotaur, with a lust for life. Sarah's skill as a young mage is extended, and the siblings love and loyalty are tested in the extreme.

Highly recommended. Suitable for young adults and all lovers of well written and action packed fantasy. Beautifully paced. How I let this treasure languish in my TBR pile, I don't know! My only peeve, a cliff hanger ending. Fortunately the next book, A Falconer's Guide to Dying, is now available and a must read for myself.

[Dinees Ponton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting book
I enjoyed the story of the Blackstaff young adults and their guardians. They are on the run. They don't know why nor who is chasing them. This book has a variety of species and each one is special. There are some half breeds too. Everyone excepts and honors the differences. Each character is well described and different from the others. They all have growth and are easy to like. The plot was interesting and the book was action packed. It had some twists and was easy to read. It is a lengthy story.
I would recommend this book to those who like adventure and enjoy stories with multiple species in them. It also has magic.

[Annemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been 16 years since Sorch and Toby gave their lives for Panos. While Granite, Janet and Sarah were younger, Ames was able to lose herself in them. Now however, the children are in their teens and Ames has become a virtual recluse with an all consuming anger at the Gods for Sorch's death.

There is a new Hum with followers that aren't as crazy as the last, for the most part. There is also a new threat to Panos and it seems that it will be up to Sarah and Granite to save the day. Happy reading. Annemarie

I received an ARC of A Princess of Last Resort and have chosen to leave a review.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Bill Ricardi ushers us into the world made famous by Sorch (Another Stupid Spell). New protagonists, new antagonists, old friends; a great new series that continues to tell the history of Panos and its inhabitants. Get a copy of this book, get comfortable and join us in a great adventure. I was lucky enough to get an ARC, Advance Reader Copy, of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Rgc · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book. I enjoyed reading it very much. It is a tale of the road by a half elf and half orc, sister and brother, and their varied companions. The road leads them through forests, underground, up the highest mountain, and elsewhere. Their are many battles and surprising outcomes. Their is a mixture of magic, skill, and supreme efforts to bring them to the end of the story. It is well worth reading.

[Divya · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting fantasy stories following the adventures of siblings Granite and Sarah as they travel through Panos in search of family. They meet a diverse range of mythical creatures along the way which keeps the story interesting. Although the book had a few violent scenes, it was well written. I received a free copy of the book and this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good fantasy, well written with likeable, but different characters. Sarah, a young mage and her half brother, Granite, become embroiled in a need to survive when their lives are in danger, with help from various characters they meet along the way. Contains action, sibling loyalty, humour and passion. Well written and a good read for those who enjoy losing themselves in fantasy.

[Terry M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good fantasy, well written with likeable, but different characters. Sarah, a young mage and her half brother, Granite, become embroiled in a need to survive when their lives are in danger, with help from various characters they meet along the way. Contains action, sibling loyalty, humour and passion. Well written and a good read for those who enjoy losing themselves in fantasy.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new series called The Blackstaff Siblings a well written story that ends on a cliff-hanger, I want to read the next book. This is a new Author to me. I enjoyed reading this book. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whatr a wonderful book. I really like Vincent and Wendall. I like how Janet teases them. It is a great book, I can not wait for the next one.