Orbs of Azure

NecroSeam Chronicles #2

by Ellie Raine

After surviving a vicious battle with the Demon Queen’s army of undead Necrofera, Xavier and Alexander are now fully knighted and have been inducted into the Brotherhood of Reapers. But they are no closer to finding Xavier’s missing body, and his soul is still trapped inside his brother.

Following a possible lead, the coexisting brothers travel to Everland’s capital only to discover the false King has betrayed the Reapers. For the first time in centuries, Knights of the Death Realm are forced to fight against living souls in a double-war with both the Necrofera and Everland armies. When their comrades are taken captive, the twins join Death Princess Willow on a rescue mission to free them from an impenetrable fortress high in the desert canyons. Along the way, the Reaper forces get help from unexpected allies of different realms, all of whom are searching for the “ShadowBlood”, a legendary hero who looks just like the twins... if they had been born as one.

Genres: Fantasy

Kindle Edition

About the author

Award-winning author Ellie Raine is a die-hard lover of epic adventures and thrilling battles. Since it’s what she loves to read (Douglas Hulick, Rachel Aaron, and Brandon Sanderson especially!) obviously it’s what she loves to write.

She grew up in a family of book lovers, comic readers, and video gamers in the suburbs of Georgia where she always dreamed of making the next explosive game series that would catch fire with her darker themes that put the spotlight on her favorite fable: the Grim Reaper.

Her ongoing Scythe-and-Sorcery book series, The NecroSeam Chronicles, was originally intended to be that explosive video game series, but she's found that the book adaptation is far more fulfilling and exciting. Now she writes like mad while at home with her wonderful husband, their two cats, and their darling daughter: the Dragon Princess Felicity.

The first edition of book 1 in the NecroSeam series, Willow of Ashes, was originally published in 2016 by Dark Oak Press, but the second edition was later re-published with ScyntheFy Press in 2018, along with the subsequent books, Orbs of Azure and Pearl of Emerald. Ellie Raine's latest book, Princess of Shadow and Dream, is a Fantasy Novella in the universe of the NecroSeam Chronicles. Her other works include a supernatural-noir novella titled Nightingale that was published with Pro Se Productions in early 2018.

You can find out more about Ellie Raine and her books at: http://www.NecroSeam.com and http://www.EllieRaine.com

Reviews

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started slowly, and I don't know if that was me hitting a slump or the book itself. I liked the more political aspects being added in, and while initially didn't enjoy the additional characters and pov's, they've grown on me. I'm also loving the expanding lore. Can't wait to move on to the next one.

[Y.I. Washington · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Plot Thickens

Book Two was definitely worth the wait. The mysteries continue in this novel of fantasy, magic, action, family love, loyalty and, heartbreak. And as a "momma" of two sweet little Budgies, I truly enjoy the relationship between the Reapers and their messengers.

Ellie Raine does a spectacular job of answering most of the mysteries of book one while foreshadowing what's to come.

I was very happy with the story's twists, pacing and, brilliant Worldbuilding.

I do hope that Book Three goes deeper into Macar's story. While his motives have been briefly mentioned, his story is mostly unknown so, there's not much context to lean on. This almost gives him the feel of the bad guy that's evil just for the sake of evil. Almost. There have been enough hints dropped that lead me to believe there's definitely more going on than we are currently aware of.

And so, I now wait anxiously for Book Three so that I may continue the exciting journey of the NecroSeam Chronicles.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The question with the first book, Willow of Ashes, being so good would Ellie be able to keep up the excellent work in the second book. She not only keeps up the good work but exceeds the quality of her first book while continuing to develop the characters and world(s). As with the first book this is worth a reread or two to get all willow of ashes of the nuances in the book and the best part is that it is so well written that it enjoyable to reread the book even though you know the ending at that point. There should be a warning to wear a seat belt when reading Ellie's books since she tends to get you to think the story is going somewhere only to suddenly take it in an unexpected direction. The clues are there where she ultimately is going to go with the story but you very well may miss them on the first read. This book, and for that matter this entire series, is worth spending money to buy and time to read.

Rumor has it a third book in the series is due. I hope the rumor is correct for I anticipate it being yet another excellent book.

[Vincent Thorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Willow of Ashes was a fantastic opener, and Orbs of Azure took the story so far and ran with it. In this installment, Raine demonstrates her mastery of the balance between suspense and relief, between mystique and satisfying answers, and between action and deliberation.

From the beginning, the consequences of the villain's plot as well as the hero's actions begin to unfold, revealing the tapestry of the story to come. At no point does the story backtrack or fallback on delaying tropes for the sake of status quo, it's constantly moving forward and progress os always happening in a satisfying direction.

I experienced this story through the audiobook, and highly recommend the stellar performances, but either way, get on these books.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story continues. The twins are on the path to find out what needs to be done to make them "normal" again. The story gets more interesting and more intertwined. A bit confusing at times.