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Curse of the Shadow King: Knights of Avalon
Centuries ago, Jasper Kain transformed into an immortal warrior when an ominous phantom known as the Shadow King seared mysterious circular runic designs into his palms, a curse with forbidden blood magic. Demonic armies invade Japan and rampage through the streets of Tokyo, demolishing everything in sight. Vincent Angelo, an unhinged stranger appears, bearing the same cursed tattoos as Jasper, and answers to a dark prophecy foretelling the end of the world; hidden within the shadows of his fractured mind. Jasper, together, with fellow Chosen Knights, Hanako, and Tenchi, face many perils while fighting against powerful mythological adversaries. The heroes cross realms and risk everything to awaken the Children of the Gods; The Holy Mages, who are sworn to protect the heart of magic, Avalon.
314 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2020
8 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 20, 2023
Engaging read
Jasper is an immortal protagonist who fights with supernatural villains. This story starts in Japanese settings, and the writer managed to create a unique atmosphere of asian culture filled with magic. Katana fight scenes, for example, were very vivid.
The plot is based on Arthurian Legend and contains multiple twists which make reading very compelling. However, at my taste the plot was overwhelmed with action. A lack of settings between the dialogues made it feel too fast-paced.
Overall, this story is engaging, and if you love paranormal reads based on unique settings, I highly recommend it!
Jasper is an immortal protagonist who fights with supernatural villains. This story starts in Japanese settings, and the writer managed to create a unique atmosphere of asian culture filled with magic. Katana fight scenes, for example, were very vivid.
The plot is based on Arthurian Legend and contains multiple twists which make reading very compelling. However, at my taste the plot was overwhelmed with action. A lack of settings between the dialogues made it feel too fast-paced.
Overall, this story is engaging, and if you love paranormal reads based on unique settings, I highly recommend it!
January 19, 2021
This book is not what I was expecting in a great way! I like how the author manages to get, what to me looks like Japanese anime world, mixed with the legend and magic of Avalon and all its magic. Aside from a fantastic world, which it is complex and intriguing, the characters are fun to get to know over the plot. I like how it is easy to picture the battles and the settings, almost as if it was painting a graphic novel. Great beginning from a promising series.
March 21, 2022
Highly Imaginative
This novel combines a plethora of mythology and folktales along with modern influences and slang into an action packed adventure. It’s gripping from the very start with the character of Jasper, a cursed immortal man that wields dual katana that absorb blood. He’s cool, he has a British accent, and he just wants to live his life without issue. Quickly joined by some superhero siblings, they’re off on their quest to reach Avalon and somehow save it from a vague prophecy that everyone they meet is somewhat aware of.
While I will say that it is very intriguing and the variety of elements included make this novel rather unique, it feels very chaotic, both in the world building and the writing itself. At times, I felt like all the characters were talking, but not necessarily talking to each other. The story line is fairly jumpy and while it is nearly non-stop action, it does get a little tiring going from action sequence to action sequence with a couple plot exposition scenes here and there. Along with that, there were enough grammar/punctuation mistakes that it did bother me. The entire book could use a good overall polish, but there is a lot of good story in there. It’s enough to knock off a star for me, but if you’re looking for adventure, I would recommend.
This novel combines a plethora of mythology and folktales along with modern influences and slang into an action packed adventure. It’s gripping from the very start with the character of Jasper, a cursed immortal man that wields dual katana that absorb blood. He’s cool, he has a British accent, and he just wants to live his life without issue. Quickly joined by some superhero siblings, they’re off on their quest to reach Avalon and somehow save it from a vague prophecy that everyone they meet is somewhat aware of.
While I will say that it is very intriguing and the variety of elements included make this novel rather unique, it feels very chaotic, both in the world building and the writing itself. At times, I felt like all the characters were talking, but not necessarily talking to each other. The story line is fairly jumpy and while it is nearly non-stop action, it does get a little tiring going from action sequence to action sequence with a couple plot exposition scenes here and there. Along with that, there were enough grammar/punctuation mistakes that it did bother me. The entire book could use a good overall polish, but there is a lot of good story in there. It’s enough to knock off a star for me, but if you’re looking for adventure, I would recommend.
June 16, 2020
What an amazing wild ride this whole book was. Jasper is an immortal warrior. You would think living centuries he would know all there is to know about himself. Not even close. Truths come to light in such a quick timeline of events I bet his head was spinning. Suddenly he is on an epic adventure with two new Chosen Knights Tenchi & Hanako. They are fighting ancient enemies,d emons and more. Mythology fans, let me introduce your new favorite book. This book jumped right into the action from the start and just the first few chapters could have been an adventure in themselves. This epic story will grab you and throw you into the adventure. I really felt like I was fighting right along side of them. There were so many moments that shocked me. I loved every minute of this story and couldn't put it down. No lie, I was reading until the late night because I had to know what was going to happen. And the tale isn't over! I can't wait for more in this adventure. I highly suggest this story to fantasy adventure fans. I swear this story needs to be a movie. It's that epic.
February 9, 2021
Interesting read
Reads like a manga or an anime with episodes, sort of how I write my stories. Nice action, with minor flaws. I get what the prelude was trying to do but the lack of imagery made it hard to picture in my head. It felt rushed. Also the scene build up could have been more fleshed out. Overall it kept my attention so 4 stars.
Reads like a manga or an anime with episodes, sort of how I write my stories. Nice action, with minor flaws. I get what the prelude was trying to do but the lack of imagery made it hard to picture in my head. It felt rushed. Also the scene build up could have been more fleshed out. Overall it kept my attention so 4 stars.
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December 16, 2020Fun read
I really enjoyed this author and I’m so excited to see his upcoming anime inspired series. Well written and fun and a bit of romance which I liked.
I really enjoyed this author and I’m so excited to see his upcoming anime inspired series. Well written and fun and a bit of romance which I liked.
March 5, 2023
I remember putting the book down after reading the Prologue and thinking to myself, "Gosh, a Prologue that's actually very good!" What a breath of fresh air!
This feeling continued through the next couple of chapters and I came away feeling that I had found myself in a well-built world filled with an engaging story.
I was a little thrown when everything went MANGA on me. I've never read Japanime before, but I believe I can happily add it to the list of things I've done after reading this book.
I had a bit of an issue with it reading that way when each successive effort came with ever-increasing amounts of power. I realize that is a trope of the story-telling style, but it's one of the reasons why I don't watch Japanime. I also believe there are many other available measures one can take to demonstrate a character is British outside of using "bloody" and "bollocks" all the time.
Still, all in all, I was impressed with the author's storytelling capability.
This feeling continued through the next couple of chapters and I came away feeling that I had found myself in a well-built world filled with an engaging story.
I was a little thrown when everything went MANGA on me. I've never read Japanime before, but I believe I can happily add it to the list of things I've done after reading this book.
I had a bit of an issue with it reading that way when each successive effort came with ever-increasing amounts of power. I realize that is a trope of the story-telling style, but it's one of the reasons why I don't watch Japanime. I also believe there are many other available measures one can take to demonstrate a character is British outside of using "bloody" and "bollocks" all the time.
Still, all in all, I was impressed with the author's storytelling capability.
May 4, 2024
Curse of the Shadow King a Blessing to Read!
This was the first book I've read of Joseph Harness set's and it won't be the last. The pacing was consistent throughout, and all the characters came across as having substance to them. I look forward to reading future installments of this series!
This was the first book I've read of Joseph Harness set's and it won't be the last. The pacing was consistent throughout, and all the characters came across as having substance to them. I look forward to reading future installments of this series!
December 9, 2020
It's really important to know that I enjoyed the overall story of this book. It took me a while to get into it, but I got there eventually.
I'm a sucker for supernatural elements and all things Arthurian.
This should have been an easy read, but the repetitive grammar mistakes kept throwing me out.
This is more of a personal peeve than anything else, but I had a tough time with how many pop culture references the book had. It didn't lessen my enjoyment of the story, but this book went beyond my normal tolerance for them. Not everyone has the same issue with it that I do, so take that with a big grain of salt.
In any case, the story was enjoyable and ended with a clear lead in to the next book. I'm curious to sew where he goes with the story.
I'm a sucker for supernatural elements and all things Arthurian.
This should have been an easy read, but the repetitive grammar mistakes kept throwing me out.
This is more of a personal peeve than anything else, but I had a tough time with how many pop culture references the book had. It didn't lessen my enjoyment of the story, but this book went beyond my normal tolerance for them. Not everyone has the same issue with it that I do, so take that with a big grain of salt.
In any case, the story was enjoyable and ended with a clear lead in to the next book. I'm curious to sew where he goes with the story.
May 22, 2024
Tell me a book is based on Arthurian Legend and I will eagerly pick it up and begin reading it. This story, however, was unlike any of the other adventures I have read in Avalon. First off, it reads like a comic book or manga without the pictures, incredibly fast paced and action filled. The world building transports you into an anime that plays in your head while you read the story. Somehow with all of the action, the characters are so well written and so complex that you find their stories to be what keeps you reading, not the fate of Avalon. I cannot wait to read the second book and learn what has become of their world and see how their relationships blossom.
July 1, 2020
If you're a fan of Cassandra Clare's books, you'll love this amazing adventure! I loved all the fights, magic, and demons and the bit of romance. The book had great plot twists and had me super intrigued to find out more. Can't wait for the next books in the series!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews