What do you think?
Rate this book
A Tale of the Eternal Stones #1
Firestone: The Dragon's Blood Prophecy
Put down your wands and pick up some 'sticks and stones!' If you love Monsters, Magic and Misfits, and getting lost in an epic fantasy, then you're going to love Firestone!
Two groups... 12000 years ago... in a race to find an eternal stone!
When the Great Spirit Clan shamanforetells of a coming fire from the sky that will bring a great sadness, Roeg Stonehold'r and the twins, Tsisa and Ookum, embark on a quest tofind the Bloodstone. Little do they know that it's a race.
Far to the west, on the island ofAtlantea, three crystal hunters, under orders from the High Priest ofAtlantea are searching for the same Bloodstone.
Two groups... 12000 years ago... in a race to find an eternal stone!
When the Great Spirit Clan shamanforetells of a coming fire from the sky that will bring a great sadness, Roeg Stonehold'r and the twins, Tsisa and Ookum, embark on a quest tofind the Bloodstone. Little do they know that it's a race.
Far to the west, on the island ofAtlantea, three crystal hunters, under orders from the High Priest ofAtlantea are searching for the same Bloodstone.
- GenresFantasy
433 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 26, 2019
1 person is currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Ryan Carriere
24 books34 followersRyan escaped the corporate world in 2018 when a wild story developed in his mind, sparking his overactive imagination, and fueled a growing ambition to bring this epic tale to readers. Not satisfied with dabbling only in fantasy, Ryan has tempted fate and is writing a near-future, sci-fi thriller 'Extinction Files' set to release in late 2022. Ryan is now the owner of the Rocking R Guest Ranch, which he runs with his wife and three kids; their dog, a couple of horses, a mini donkey and pony, a small herd of nigerian dwarf goats, and their jersey milking cow. Somewhere in all the chaos, he finds time to write magical stories.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 10, 2020
Firestone by Ryan Carriere is the 1st in the Eternal Stones YA fantasy series.
First, let me thank the author, for reaching out to me and providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My Synopsis: (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Sephonei's parents own a merchant barge, and she lived in Atlantea all her life. But now she has been pulled from the vessel and recruited by The Order to become a Crystal Hunter. Given minimal training, she is to serve under the guidance of Ku-Aya and Abil. Sephonei will be the apprentice of the team...if she survives. The high priest of The Order, Sin, has instructed them to find a certain crystal. Along the way, Sephonei discovers she has a rare talent.
Roeg was raised by the clan elder Unn, when his mother left him to flee her village. His fire-scarred hand has left him unable to become a spear hunter, and he is often ridiculed. His best friends are twins Ookum, who seems to freeze in the face of danger and Tsisa who seems to have no fear at all. When Unn has a dream of doom, he takes the three on a quest to save the world. Along the way, Roeg discovers more about his faulty hand, as well as a talent that is developing.
Sephonei and Roeg are after the same thing....and they may not be the only ones.
My Opinions:
This is a debut novel, and I'm very impressed. The story was very good, the characters interesting, and the world Carriere created was intriguing. The author created rather bizarre creatures, wonderful imagery and good dialog.
Unfortunately, there are drawings and Sephonei's journal pages mixed in with the chapters of the books, and these do not translate well on an ebook. Although the drawings look fine, the writing is almost indecipherable....and end up being annoying, as I had to keep opening them on my laptop, enlarging them, and the wording was still not clear. I ended up disregarding most of them. Hopefully this is better in print form.
But overall, the story is good, and the characters entertaining. The ending, while it did not actually "end", did leave the characters at a good point in their journey to start fresh. It does make the reader want to pick up the second book to see what is next on the journey for Roeg and Sephonei.
For a more complete review of this book and others (including author information), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
February 1, 2020
Action-packed adventure and well-written fantasy. I enjoyed the characters and story and will be reading more from this author; I'm looking forward to reading book two in the series. Well done!
August 24, 2019
This was a unique story with unique characters that readers can either love or hate, without a lot of trouble. I personally found Roeg and Sephonei interesting and relatable while at the same time wanting to tell at Abil and Ku-aya for not having an ounce of compassion. Sin is a character I gladly loathed. I struggled a bit with Minnoa's character because she giggled. A lot. But I am hoping to get to know her character better in the next book in the series. This story is a mix of cavemen lore and the cast system, with magic and medieval mixed in. I found the artwork in Sephonei's journals very interesting. It is obvious the author is as an artist as well. All in all, though this isn't my usual genre, I am definitely interested in reading the next book in the series to see what happens.
January 30, 2020
Firestone is the first book in a middle grade fantasy series set in a mythical world inspired by the legendary city of Atlantis. The story evolves around two main characters: the first is Sephonei, who has just been drafted into the League of Crystal Hunters – a force under the orders of the Archmage Sin whose mission is to retrieve the Bloodstone, a powerful artifact said to contain the power of immortality. On the other side of the world, young Roeg is given the same task, indirectly from the Great Mother who communicates with Unn, Roeg's adoptive father, through visions.
To be honest, the story was not easy getting into, at least for me. I was a little confused at the beginning, because it started with Sephonei getting into her first mission, with only bits of information about what happened before she was drafted and what her life was like. But after the first 25-or-so pages, the story becomes fast-paced and really gripping, and that's the moment I started to enjoy it.
The characters felt alive and nuanced, especially Ku-aya, while others, like Krukk or Abil, I loved to hate. The second half of the book is definitely the best, it's really easy to follow the events even when they happen so quickly, and it kept me at the edge of my seat all along.
The best part about this book was the illustrations at the end of Sephonei's chapters, the art being incredibly well done and funny. The mythical creatures and the way they were portrayed was also greatly done, especially since most of them are not commonly used in modern fantasy books.
Overall I loved this story, despite a slightly confusing beginning, and the ending definitely made me want to pick the next one, since we will get the reunion we were longing for.
To be honest, the story was not easy getting into, at least for me. I was a little confused at the beginning, because it started with Sephonei getting into her first mission, with only bits of information about what happened before she was drafted and what her life was like. But after the first 25-or-so pages, the story becomes fast-paced and really gripping, and that's the moment I started to enjoy it.
The characters felt alive and nuanced, especially Ku-aya, while others, like Krukk or Abil, I loved to hate. The second half of the book is definitely the best, it's really easy to follow the events even when they happen so quickly, and it kept me at the edge of my seat all along.
The best part about this book was the illustrations at the end of Sephonei's chapters, the art being incredibly well done and funny. The mythical creatures and the way they were portrayed was also greatly done, especially since most of them are not commonly used in modern fantasy books.
Overall I loved this story, despite a slightly confusing beginning, and the ending definitely made me want to pick the next one, since we will get the reunion we were longing for.
February 13, 2020
I couldn’t put it down
Once I opened this book I couldn’t put it down! The author tells the story from multiple viewpoints but there are two main characters who we are following. Roeg is a young teen following a quest after his father has a vision, Sephonei is an older teen who gets taken from her family to hunt crystals for Sin a ruler of her country. Good book for all ages.
Once I opened this book I couldn’t put it down! The author tells the story from multiple viewpoints but there are two main characters who we are following. Roeg is a young teen following a quest after his father has a vision, Sephonei is an older teen who gets taken from her family to hunt crystals for Sin a ruler of her country. Good book for all ages.
September 1, 2019
This is a thoroughly enjoyable fantasy book with rich world-building and characters who are three dimensional. I especially enjoyed the quest aspect, as well as getting to learn the nuances and differences of each of the different regions and cultures. Clearly the author has put a lot of work into creating a populated world with unique people and lands. The drawings from Serephoni’s sketchbook added to the story, and I enjoyed seeing her take on the fantastical creatures. It wasn’t until I saw the book’s Amazon page that I realized that it was a middle grade book; I found it truly engrossing and felt as if I were along for the journey with the characters. One warning, the book ends in a cliffhanger, so hopefully we’ll be seeing these characters again soon. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy unique fantasy realms.
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
December 15, 2019
I’ve really enjoyed this middle grade fantasy book. The story is fast-paced and the characters are very engaging. The rich and detailed world building helps the readers imagination fly while reading the story. The illustrations in Sephonei’s sketchbook are also amazing. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series to know what is going to happen.
July 20, 2022
A Tale of the Eternal Stones: Firestone is the first in a fantasy series aimed at absolutely any age group that enjoys a good fantasy story.
Two stories run parallel to each other and are sure to meet up sometime within the series. On one side you have Sephonei, who has been forced into becoming a Crystal Hunter (with the barest of training), and who has set off with Ku-aya and Abil to find an eternal stone from a cavern just outside Atlantea.
On the other side, you have Roeg, who lives with the Great Spirit Clan but is an outsider as he was brought in as a child and looks different to everyone else. While battling to find his place within the clan, Roeg is given a quest by his adopted father and the shaman of the clan to go to the King of Gnomes, who will help him find the Land of Darkness. Along with his clanmates Tsisa and Ookum, Roeg will embark on a perilous journey to battle a fire demon and find the meaning of the firestone he carries.
However, the Crystal Hunters are after the same stone and their paths are on the verge of colliding…
First, I must apologise to the author for taking this long to write a review of the book. I only recently found it again after hardware crashed and burned and a promise is a promise!
I enjoyed the book tremendously. I suspect the author has ties to South Africa as the terms “eish” and “kuk (kak)” were all too familiar! And I suspect the gnome bread had its roots in a rusk?
I liked how Sephonei was coming into her own, and no longer the scared child she started off as. Her quick thinking and abilities to understand her aura reading made her an excellent empath. Ku-aya was needed to ground the trio and Abil was just a nasty piece of work. However, I battled to understand their use of language sometimes with dialect words like fistler, and when I saw “yaa” my mind automatically said it was spelt incorrectly.
Roeg’s side spoke more to me as I felt transported along with his “growth” story and how he felt he didn’t belong anywhere, to showing his courage and being an integral part of saving the day. He showed that trying and trying again was what was needed and his empathy I think will somehow integrate with Sephonei’s. Tsisa’s bravery was fun but foolish, and I enjoyed Ookum’s perseverance in trying to find his place in the world.
I was intrigued by the mythical creatures, and Sephonei’s recordings of them in her journal, including the sketches. There were, however, a few grammar and punctuation errors that stopped me a couple of times within the script. Overall, a fantastic read and since the story ends in a place open for the next chapter, I look forward to reading the next one!
Thanks to the author for the opportunity to review the book (albeit eventually!).
Two stories run parallel to each other and are sure to meet up sometime within the series. On one side you have Sephonei, who has been forced into becoming a Crystal Hunter (with the barest of training), and who has set off with Ku-aya and Abil to find an eternal stone from a cavern just outside Atlantea.
On the other side, you have Roeg, who lives with the Great Spirit Clan but is an outsider as he was brought in as a child and looks different to everyone else. While battling to find his place within the clan, Roeg is given a quest by his adopted father and the shaman of the clan to go to the King of Gnomes, who will help him find the Land of Darkness. Along with his clanmates Tsisa and Ookum, Roeg will embark on a perilous journey to battle a fire demon and find the meaning of the firestone he carries.
However, the Crystal Hunters are after the same stone and their paths are on the verge of colliding…
First, I must apologise to the author for taking this long to write a review of the book. I only recently found it again after hardware crashed and burned and a promise is a promise!
I enjoyed the book tremendously. I suspect the author has ties to South Africa as the terms “eish” and “kuk (kak)” were all too familiar! And I suspect the gnome bread had its roots in a rusk?
I liked how Sephonei was coming into her own, and no longer the scared child she started off as. Her quick thinking and abilities to understand her aura reading made her an excellent empath. Ku-aya was needed to ground the trio and Abil was just a nasty piece of work. However, I battled to understand their use of language sometimes with dialect words like fistler, and when I saw “yaa” my mind automatically said it was spelt incorrectly.
Roeg’s side spoke more to me as I felt transported along with his “growth” story and how he felt he didn’t belong anywhere, to showing his courage and being an integral part of saving the day. He showed that trying and trying again was what was needed and his empathy I think will somehow integrate with Sephonei’s. Tsisa’s bravery was fun but foolish, and I enjoyed Ookum’s perseverance in trying to find his place in the world.
I was intrigued by the mythical creatures, and Sephonei’s recordings of them in her journal, including the sketches. There were, however, a few grammar and punctuation errors that stopped me a couple of times within the script. Overall, a fantastic read and since the story ends in a place open for the next chapter, I look forward to reading the next one!
Thanks to the author for the opportunity to review the book (albeit eventually!).
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews