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Emissary Quintet #1
Emissary
Two Worlds. One Future.
Ewan O’Meara is no stranger to death: in recent months, he’s found his way to limbo at least once per week, much to his parents’ concern. It’s a necessary price for getting experience to become the greatest adventurer his homeland of Veridor has ever known, but the overbearing Veridian Church has him pinned down, soaking him for the penance gold to unlock his stats each time he respawns. And because the Church’s ancient war put an end to both the godlike Gems and the epic quests they once bestowed, Ewan has no better alternative.
That is, until he encounters a young woman fleeing arrest from the Church’s soldiers. At first glance, Treanna Rothchild needs it: she’s clueless about Veridian life. But she has other skills that defy Ewan’s understanding, and she knows things. Unsettling, seditious things the Church wants kept secret at any cost.
And she’s in Veridor to raise an army, to fight an enemy only she can see.
Risking both life and soul, Ewan follows Treanna where no Veridian has ever been, where there is no respawning. But for him to have a chance at making a real difference in the strange, harsh world she reveals to him, he must first come to terms with it. Especially as he and Treanna discover how much it has in common with Veridor—and how much they depend on each other to survive.
Ewan O’Meara is no stranger to death: in recent months, he’s found his way to limbo at least once per week, much to his parents’ concern. It’s a necessary price for getting experience to become the greatest adventurer his homeland of Veridor has ever known, but the overbearing Veridian Church has him pinned down, soaking him for the penance gold to unlock his stats each time he respawns. And because the Church’s ancient war put an end to both the godlike Gems and the epic quests they once bestowed, Ewan has no better alternative.
That is, until he encounters a young woman fleeing arrest from the Church’s soldiers. At first glance, Treanna Rothchild needs it: she’s clueless about Veridian life. But she has other skills that defy Ewan’s understanding, and she knows things. Unsettling, seditious things the Church wants kept secret at any cost.
And she’s in Veridor to raise an army, to fight an enemy only she can see.
Risking both life and soul, Ewan follows Treanna where no Veridian has ever been, where there is no respawning. But for him to have a chance at making a real difference in the strange, harsh world she reveals to him, he must first come to terms with it. Especially as he and Treanna discover how much it has in common with Veridor—and how much they depend on each other to survive.
433 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 18, 2020
3 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
E.B. Brooks
3 books148 followersE.B. Brooks lives in West Virginia, where in addition to writing, he builds his house and homestead with his wife, children, and many pets.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 12, 2021
Brooks promises action, adventure, and a little love to boot in the first book of his quintet, and “Emissary” certainly delivers. Our daring and intrepid adventurer Ewan is every teenaged boy who’s loved video games: Recklessly running into every adventure he can because he knows that he’ll always be able to come back and try again. Until the day he discovers that his life is more than just a game. When he’s ripped from the world he knows, Ewan is left to bumble his way through the foreign land he’s actually from and learns that real life doesn’t come with a respawn. Both Ewan’s world and Tree’s world were immersive and descriptive, and the mistrust between the people groups well-explored. It’s a good thing more books were coming, because I still have questions about the different worlds and how things function that I imagine will be expounded more in depth in the following sequels. “Emissary” is a solid start to what promises to be an epic adventure quest.
May 21, 2021
Emissary is a genre mashup—it’s got the magic of a fantasy novel, with sci-fi elements, in a gamelit / LitRPG setting. E.B. Brooks juggled these genres well, resulting in a fun story and two settings (both of which are truly intriguing in their own way).
Ewan and Tree, the main characters, are both likable, and I was rooting for them from the start. Kate, Ewan’s sister, is a fantastic character too. The book has terrific villains with some great secrets revealed plus hints of much bigger secrets coming in book 2.
This is quality indie fiction, well edited with worldbuilding that clearly goes even deeper than we see on the page.
As far as content, I’d call it “mild PG-13.” It stays away from swearing and steamy romance. It does have quite a bit of violence that’s necessary for the plot but stays away from anything overly gory.
Recommended for readers of gamelit looking for a new series to jump into!
Ewan and Tree, the main characters, are both likable, and I was rooting for them from the start. Kate, Ewan’s sister, is a fantastic character too. The book has terrific villains with some great secrets revealed plus hints of much bigger secrets coming in book 2.
This is quality indie fiction, well edited with worldbuilding that clearly goes even deeper than we see on the page.
As far as content, I’d call it “mild PG-13.” It stays away from swearing and steamy romance. It does have quite a bit of violence that’s necessary for the plot but stays away from anything overly gory.
Recommended for readers of gamelit looking for a new series to jump into!
October 31, 2020
Heroes save the day!
A pair of young adults take on the saving of earth with some unusual twists and turns. It took me a long time to figure their truths. This is the kind of book you get lost in trying to figure who is on which side.
A pair of young adults take on the saving of earth with some unusual twists and turns. It took me a long time to figure their truths. This is the kind of book you get lost in trying to figure who is on which side.
July 22, 2020
As someone who spent a good chunk of my younger life gaming, I've found books in the GameLit genre to be very similar in how they tackle storytelling. For most, they tend to follow a character who, through their deep (or quickly growing) knowledge of a game, get to a point where they are either unstoppable or they find a loophole in the game logic to do things everyone else couldn't do.
Most tend to tackle the treatment of the story as if it's partly a game manual or guide, getting into the mechanics of the game itself, down to literally providing weapon attributes (ex: Sword of Ogre-Slaying: +4 against Ogres), character point allocations, and enemy hit points remaining over the course of a battle. In some instances, I've seen stories with literal tables and graphs plotting how item attributes could scale with a character's level over time.
It's not that I'm opposed to all of that - I've done my time in World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2 and still play games like Stellaris and Elite: Dangerous, after all. But one thing I've learned about myself is... I'm not sure I personally want to read a book which gets so much into the details such that it feels like I'm on the game's wiki page. There has to be a better way to tell stories within this growing niche in the literary world.
Finally, most of these stories tend to gloss over the real world and how the activities of the real influence or otherwise interact with the game itself. Given that GameLit is largely based in a game, understanding some of the larger context behind its existence I believe can always be a strong driver for story plotlines. It's disappointed me just how few don't give the real world much to do.
I share all of this because Emissary does not fall into any of these trappings. In fact, it's the first GameLit novel which truly feels unique in its genre. That uniqueness - and much more - is why I'm giving this a solid five-star rating.
A (Virtual) World Done Right
Emissary follows Ewan, a teen who lives a life of adventuring in the world of Veridor. At least, he wants to be adventuring. His parents want him to take on a more respectable profession while "The Church," a seemingly omnipresent organization which rules over Veridor, frowns upon people who continuously risk their lives for what's considered a profession no longer needed or wanted. All of that changes when he crosses paths with Treanna, a woman who's on the run from the Church. Being a hot-blooded teen that he is, he throws himself to her defense, resulting in not only incredible bounties being placed on his head, but also becoming intertwined in her mission to save her world - which would in turn save his.
The story started off slow, with a prologue that didn't make much sense to me until I finished the story - and went back through it a second time. There were eventually several tie-ins with what was presented in the prologue, but I feel the start of the book could've been served better without it. I particularly feel this way since just about all that was presented in the prologue is explored over the course of the story.
Fortunately the inciting incident occurs just a few chapters past the prologue. After Ewan crosses paths with Treanna everything speeds up. And the minute Treanna uses one of her "abilities" () I was HOOKED.
One of the reasons I enjoy Emissary so much is just how much it reads like a fantasy novel with dashes of elements which, to the reader, makes it clear this is a virtual world. There's very little talk about raw stats beyond cursory dialogue between characters, and even then it's less about the numbers and more about one's overall experience and strength in comparison to the creatures that live in an area (ex: Ewan and his sister, Kate, talk on more than one occasion about how underleveled Ewan tends to be for the regions he chooses to explore, usually resulting in him being killed). I think what's thrown me off about how the world of Veridor is initially presented is now natural all the mechanical game elements are presented to us - as if Ewan, his family, and everyone around him treat it all the way we treat the air we breath or the ground we walk on. All the virtual elements are just there - when I had this revelation, it blew my mind.
Most importantly, there were many instances when Ewan's inner monologue indicated that he was seeing details of enemies and other antagonists in a video game interface (ex: mentions of someone's strength stats being very buffed, or seeing red dots on a map indicating hostiles nearby), but none of it felt like he was treating it like he was in a game. It's almost hard to explain, but when reading the story it made sense as to why he treated something so artificial to us (the reader) as natural to him.
The reason for that is fully realized in the second-half of the novel. I gotta say, I ate it all up. I don't dare say more than that because breaking down the last half of the book would be a massive spoiler throughout. I'll see what I can do without finding the need to use spoiler tags. I'll say that the history explored is just fascinating, though the biggest mystery of was never really answered beyond some speculation among the characters. Did that bother me? Yes. Does that tarnish the story at all? I don't think so. In fact, the map provided at the start of Part Two was both informative and just a massive driver for my wanting to learn so much more.
I found Ewan to be insufferable at times as the decisions he'd make just wanted me to bang my head against a wall. But... he is a teen, and us teenagers certainly made our share of dumb decisions. That said, his character was fleshed out and felt real from start to finish. He didn't get absurdly lucky or find godlike items to help him along - everything he did had tangible consequences, some good and some bad. I appreciated that lack of his character getting a "Super-Star" just because he was in a virtual world.
The relationship which evolved between Ewan and Treanna was predictable. I felt it moved really fast despite the time scales presented. However, it was enjoyable to see their interactions evolve over the course of the book. My favorite relationship, however, was the one between Ewan and his sister, Kate. I got a couple of chuckles as I experienced their banter, and also felt the warmth from Kate as she still expressed much love and concern for her younger brother over the course of the book,
Give Me Frapping More!
Though the prologue served as speed bumps for me, the story as a whole was an absolute joy. The attention to world-building, the character relationships, the emotions on display across many different scenes and moments, the climax at the end - it was all a part of a single ride which I'd very gladly jump on again. Given the way Emissary ended, I'll be interested in seeing how subsequent novels in this series play out, but there is a LOT of potential for companion novels!
I highly recommend Emissary. I cannot wait to see what else E. B. Brooks delivers to us in the future.
Most tend to tackle the treatment of the story as if it's partly a game manual or guide, getting into the mechanics of the game itself, down to literally providing weapon attributes (ex: Sword of Ogre-Slaying: +4 against Ogres), character point allocations, and enemy hit points remaining over the course of a battle. In some instances, I've seen stories with literal tables and graphs plotting how item attributes could scale with a character's level over time.
It's not that I'm opposed to all of that - I've done my time in World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2 and still play games like Stellaris and Elite: Dangerous, after all. But one thing I've learned about myself is... I'm not sure I personally want to read a book which gets so much into the details such that it feels like I'm on the game's wiki page. There has to be a better way to tell stories within this growing niche in the literary world.
Finally, most of these stories tend to gloss over the real world and how the activities of the real influence or otherwise interact with the game itself. Given that GameLit is largely based in a game, understanding some of the larger context behind its existence I believe can always be a strong driver for story plotlines. It's disappointed me just how few don't give the real world much to do.
I share all of this because Emissary does not fall into any of these trappings. In fact, it's the first GameLit novel which truly feels unique in its genre. That uniqueness - and much more - is why I'm giving this a solid five-star rating.
A (Virtual) World Done Right
Emissary follows Ewan, a teen who lives a life of adventuring in the world of Veridor. At least, he wants to be adventuring. His parents want him to take on a more respectable profession while "The Church," a seemingly omnipresent organization which rules over Veridor, frowns upon people who continuously risk their lives for what's considered a profession no longer needed or wanted. All of that changes when he crosses paths with Treanna, a woman who's on the run from the Church. Being a hot-blooded teen that he is, he throws himself to her defense, resulting in not only incredible bounties being placed on his head, but also becoming intertwined in her mission to save her world - which would in turn save his.
The story started off slow, with a prologue that didn't make much sense to me until I finished the story - and went back through it a second time. There were eventually several tie-ins with what was presented in the prologue, but I feel the start of the book could've been served better without it. I particularly feel this way since just about all that was presented in the prologue is explored over the course of the story.
Fortunately the inciting incident occurs just a few chapters past the prologue. After Ewan crosses paths with Treanna everything speeds up. And the minute Treanna uses one of her "abilities" () I was HOOKED.
One of the reasons I enjoy Emissary so much is just how much it reads like a fantasy novel with dashes of elements which, to the reader, makes it clear this is a virtual world. There's very little talk about raw stats beyond cursory dialogue between characters, and even then it's less about the numbers and more about one's overall experience and strength in comparison to the creatures that live in an area (ex: Ewan and his sister, Kate, talk on more than one occasion about how underleveled Ewan tends to be for the regions he chooses to explore, usually resulting in him being killed). I think what's thrown me off about how the world of Veridor is initially presented is now natural all the mechanical game elements are presented to us - as if Ewan, his family, and everyone around him treat it all the way we treat the air we breath or the ground we walk on. All the virtual elements are just there - when I had this revelation, it blew my mind.
Most importantly, there were many instances when Ewan's inner monologue indicated that he was seeing details of enemies and other antagonists in a video game interface (ex: mentions of someone's strength stats being very buffed, or seeing red dots on a map indicating hostiles nearby), but none of it felt like he was treating it like he was in a game. It's almost hard to explain, but when reading the story it made sense as to why he treated something so artificial to us (the reader) as natural to him.
The reason for that is fully realized in the second-half of the novel. I gotta say, I ate it all up. I don't dare say more than that because breaking down the last half of the book would be a massive spoiler throughout. I'll see what I can do without finding the need to use spoiler tags. I'll say that the history explored is just fascinating, though the biggest mystery of was never really answered beyond some speculation among the characters. Did that bother me? Yes. Does that tarnish the story at all? I don't think so. In fact, the map provided at the start of Part Two was both informative and just a massive driver for my wanting to learn so much more.
I found Ewan to be insufferable at times as the decisions he'd make just wanted me to bang my head against a wall. But... he is a teen, and us teenagers certainly made our share of dumb decisions. That said, his character was fleshed out and felt real from start to finish. He didn't get absurdly lucky or find godlike items to help him along - everything he did had tangible consequences, some good and some bad. I appreciated that lack of his character getting a "Super-Star" just because he was in a virtual world.
The relationship which evolved between Ewan and Treanna was predictable. I felt it moved really fast despite the time scales presented. However, it was enjoyable to see their interactions evolve over the course of the book. My favorite relationship, however, was the one between Ewan and his sister, Kate. I got a couple of chuckles as I experienced their banter, and also felt the warmth from Kate as she still expressed much love and concern for her younger brother over the course of the book,
Give Me Frapping More!
Though the prologue served as speed bumps for me, the story as a whole was an absolute joy. The attention to world-building, the character relationships, the emotions on display across many different scenes and moments, the climax at the end - it was all a part of a single ride which I'd very gladly jump on again. Given the way Emissary ended, I'll be interested in seeing how subsequent novels in this series play out, but there is a LOT of potential for companion novels!
I highly recommend Emissary. I cannot wait to see what else E. B. Brooks delivers to us in the future.
December 29, 2020
Review first posted on Uptown Oracle
The prologue of Emissary starts off by introducing us to Maximillian who is a legendary figure in this world, and it shows some of his great accomplishments. I enjoyed how it set up the fantasy setting, and it led me to think a bit more cynical because this scene contrasts with the hero figure our main character looks up to in the rest of the book. The villain calls out the heroes as taking action (like war) which are less than righteous and “bad” in a way villains have been accused of. It definitely sets up the rest of the book which has our main characters sometimes make tough moral decisions.
After the prologue, we realise it was more of an initial cutscene as this world is set up like a video game. When losing against monsters you don’t die, you respawn at your bindspots however you can be logged out which is when you fully die. There’s info screens, IMs between characters and even inventories which have limits but allow our characters to carry a lot more than a normal human would be able to. The world is a traditional fantasy game with armour, skill trees, quests etc and I was really interested by the concept.
Our main character Ewan is then introduced to us as an adventurer, and I guess for any game the “main character” would have a bit of a hero complex. But Ewan wants to be a legendary hero like Maximillian, and at times this made his character make annoying decisions. At the same time, if this was a video game the main character would be getting involved in every little side quest to prove themselves, so once you move past that his character is better. By the end of the book, his story arc leads him to think more and depend less on the video game aspects that ensure his safety too so he does improve.
What I liked about Ewan was that he had a tight knit family unit in the book, that actually acted like family members. His sister, Kate, was his partner in crime when growing up as she’s a crafter. As anyone who plays games would know, having someone with the skills you don’t have in your party really helps you get through quests easier. On top of this, his parents are caring without being overbearing to the story and the dialogue feels realistic. Kate is probably my favourite secondary character, so I hope we see more of her in the second book.
Our other main character Treanna, is nicknamed Tree by Ewan and I think this decision by Ewan to pick a name for her as soon as they meet explains her character a lot. She is a starting point of the story for Ewan to be involved, a way Ewan is pushed forward, and kind of the reasoning for the second half of the book but she’s mostly there for Ewan to be the hero. The romance felt off for me, it hit almost every relationship milestone possible in the first of four books. This was too fast, and I think if instead of romance the focus was on giving more depth to Tree’s character it would have read a little better even if romance did eventually happen in a later book when they knew each other more.
What I did like about Tree’s character is that she levelled up to be a mage in Veridor and this brought more fantasy into the fold. I liked how similar to Kate, she brought a new set of skills and class to improve on Ewan’s warrior/adventurer style of fighting. Plus, her character was the perfect way to introduce new aspects of the world to us as readers, Ewan would explain things to her or she would react towards new or different things throughout Veridor.
Without spoiling the book I want to talk quickly about the second half of the book. The first half is very fantasy in setting, with sci-fi elements in terms of technology. The second half is all sci-fi and unfortunately didn’t feel like it had as much depth as the first half. This is mostly because of the characters I think, I found Veridor’s citizens to be more interesting and have more behind them than the other characters we meet with Tree. This kind of mirrors how much we know about Ewan, and how little we know about Tree as well. However, we met a lot of new characters in the second half that I just don’t think we had enough time with to care about them like we do Ewan’s parents, Kate and Paul.
The overall writing skill isn’t awful, but it could be improved. It probably does need an editor to go through it to tighten up the story in places, work on sentences that don’t quite work, and there’s some spelling errors. There’s also some info dumping around the start, mainly about the video aspects such as the menus, respawning etc. Emissary is, I believe, a debut book and it’s also been self-published so I fully believe E.B. Brooks will be able to improve his writing as the series goes on in these areas and so I’m excited to read more from him.
As a whole, Emissary is a thoroughly enjoyable (and quick!) read that captures your attention. Whilst some parts are easily predictable, you still want to find out the “whys” behind them, and continue reading. I’d recommend for those who love both reading and gaming!
Positives of Emissary
Good initial tone of the story and story arc
Brilliant integration of video game elements
Negatives of Emissary
Stark difference between first half and second half of book
I received Emissary by E.B. Brooks from the author. This is an unbiased and honest review
The prologue of Emissary starts off by introducing us to Maximillian who is a legendary figure in this world, and it shows some of his great accomplishments. I enjoyed how it set up the fantasy setting, and it led me to think a bit more cynical because this scene contrasts with the hero figure our main character looks up to in the rest of the book. The villain calls out the heroes as taking action (like war) which are less than righteous and “bad” in a way villains have been accused of. It definitely sets up the rest of the book which has our main characters sometimes make tough moral decisions.
After the prologue, we realise it was more of an initial cutscene as this world is set up like a video game. When losing against monsters you don’t die, you respawn at your bindspots however you can be logged out which is when you fully die. There’s info screens, IMs between characters and even inventories which have limits but allow our characters to carry a lot more than a normal human would be able to. The world is a traditional fantasy game with armour, skill trees, quests etc and I was really interested by the concept.
Our main character Ewan is then introduced to us as an adventurer, and I guess for any game the “main character” would have a bit of a hero complex. But Ewan wants to be a legendary hero like Maximillian, and at times this made his character make annoying decisions. At the same time, if this was a video game the main character would be getting involved in every little side quest to prove themselves, so once you move past that his character is better. By the end of the book, his story arc leads him to think more and depend less on the video game aspects that ensure his safety too so he does improve.
What I liked about Ewan was that he had a tight knit family unit in the book, that actually acted like family members. His sister, Kate, was his partner in crime when growing up as she’s a crafter. As anyone who plays games would know, having someone with the skills you don’t have in your party really helps you get through quests easier. On top of this, his parents are caring without being overbearing to the story and the dialogue feels realistic. Kate is probably my favourite secondary character, so I hope we see more of her in the second book.
Our other main character Treanna, is nicknamed Tree by Ewan and I think this decision by Ewan to pick a name for her as soon as they meet explains her character a lot. She is a starting point of the story for Ewan to be involved, a way Ewan is pushed forward, and kind of the reasoning for the second half of the book but she’s mostly there for Ewan to be the hero. The romance felt off for me, it hit almost every relationship milestone possible in the first of four books. This was too fast, and I think if instead of romance the focus was on giving more depth to Tree’s character it would have read a little better even if romance did eventually happen in a later book when they knew each other more.
What I did like about Tree’s character is that she levelled up to be a mage in Veridor and this brought more fantasy into the fold. I liked how similar to Kate, she brought a new set of skills and class to improve on Ewan’s warrior/adventurer style of fighting. Plus, her character was the perfect way to introduce new aspects of the world to us as readers, Ewan would explain things to her or she would react towards new or different things throughout Veridor.
Without spoiling the book I want to talk quickly about the second half of the book. The first half is very fantasy in setting, with sci-fi elements in terms of technology. The second half is all sci-fi and unfortunately didn’t feel like it had as much depth as the first half. This is mostly because of the characters I think, I found Veridor’s citizens to be more interesting and have more behind them than the other characters we meet with Tree. This kind of mirrors how much we know about Ewan, and how little we know about Tree as well. However, we met a lot of new characters in the second half that I just don’t think we had enough time with to care about them like we do Ewan’s parents, Kate and Paul.
The overall writing skill isn’t awful, but it could be improved. It probably does need an editor to go through it to tighten up the story in places, work on sentences that don’t quite work, and there’s some spelling errors. There’s also some info dumping around the start, mainly about the video aspects such as the menus, respawning etc. Emissary is, I believe, a debut book and it’s also been self-published so I fully believe E.B. Brooks will be able to improve his writing as the series goes on in these areas and so I’m excited to read more from him.
As a whole, Emissary is a thoroughly enjoyable (and quick!) read that captures your attention. Whilst some parts are easily predictable, you still want to find out the “whys” behind them, and continue reading. I’d recommend for those who love both reading and gaming!
Positives of Emissary
Good initial tone of the story and story arc
Brilliant integration of video game elements
Negatives of Emissary
Stark difference between first half and second half of book
I received Emissary by E.B. Brooks from the author. This is an unbiased and honest review
January 6, 2021
Immersive. Engaging. Thrilling. Those are three words I would describe E.B. Brook's first installment of the Emissary quintet.
You follow Ewan O'Meara who dreams of becoming the greatest adventurer in Veridor. Of course, his adventure takes off when he meets Treanna (Tree- my absolute favorite character). Partnering up with her opens Ewan's eyes to a harsh reality.
This is a YA science fiction novel, primarily character driven, that focuses a lot about living with consequences of human action. It contains a beautiful virtual-real world relationship, a trope that does exist but is written in a beautifully unique way. The plot moves along swimmingly, planting seeds of Ewan's growth throughout (and setting the scene for future installments).
This science fiction adventure should be on everyone's 2021 list of books to read. (Especially when book 2 is around the corner...)
You follow Ewan O'Meara who dreams of becoming the greatest adventurer in Veridor. Of course, his adventure takes off when he meets Treanna (Tree- my absolute favorite character). Partnering up with her opens Ewan's eyes to a harsh reality.
This is a YA science fiction novel, primarily character driven, that focuses a lot about living with consequences of human action. It contains a beautiful virtual-real world relationship, a trope that does exist but is written in a beautifully unique way. The plot moves along swimmingly, planting seeds of Ewan's growth throughout (and setting the scene for future installments).
This science fiction adventure should be on everyone's 2021 list of books to read. (Especially when book 2 is around the corner...)
May 4, 2021
This book promises to essentially be NA's answer to "The Matrix" or "Tron" and it definitely delivers. The banter is witty and entertaining, and the adventure can certainly said to be sprawling. While I can't say I was totally blindsided by many of the story developments, and the romance between the two young protagonists admittedly moves a bit fast, the vision and realization of the worlds described in this book are fascinating and extremely well thought-out and written, in a way that I only hope I can create in my own fantasy worlds! The concepts of various video games are so seamlessly integrated into the story in ways that I'd never considered and that seem completely natural for the setting. It's really quite brilliant, and I've never read anything like it! While I wish we had a bit more time to get to know some of the other characters, the leading duo of Tree and Ewan carry the story with no problems at all, and they always kept me guessing. Would definitely recommend and I can't wait to see what comes next!
October 12, 2020
(Won this book in a Giveaway) I LOVE IT! 🤩 Please buy it, pretty please! 🥺
It's an amazing book! I'm not sure what to say without spoiling anything, but the characters are vivid, so is the story and the world itself! 😆 More please!
It's an amazing book! I'm not sure what to say without spoiling anything, but the characters are vivid, so is the story and the world itself! 😆 More please!
April 21, 2020
Emissary is an exciting read! I received an ARC copy, and I don't freakin' lie. So, here's an honest review. ;o)
I *personally* had never read anything like this before, and it gave me all kinds of enjoyment. I was constantly looking up from the book to tell my husband, "This is just so... creative!"
Emissary keeps things lively with action and quite a few unexpected turns and revelations, not to mention the energy that radiates from the story by seeing the world of "Emissary" through the driven eyes of the hot-blooded, good-natured young man, Ewan.
I appreciate a male character, like Ewan, who isn't contrived to promote an ideology but is allowed to be himself. I'm always delighted to find a literary man in all his manny glory--for good or for ill, both competent and flawed. He's a nuanced, passionate character who isn't perfect... And that's what makes him perfect. ;o)
I also found the partnership of men and women, bolstering one another in their inevitable times of weakness or need, a healthy thread woven throughout the story. One I can get behind. :o)
I look forward to the next in the series!!!
I *personally* had never read anything like this before, and it gave me all kinds of enjoyment. I was constantly looking up from the book to tell my husband, "This is just so... creative!"
Emissary keeps things lively with action and quite a few unexpected turns and revelations, not to mention the energy that radiates from the story by seeing the world of "Emissary" through the driven eyes of the hot-blooded, good-natured young man, Ewan.
I appreciate a male character, like Ewan, who isn't contrived to promote an ideology but is allowed to be himself. I'm always delighted to find a literary man in all his manny glory--for good or for ill, both competent and flawed. He's a nuanced, passionate character who isn't perfect... And that's what makes him perfect. ;o)
I also found the partnership of men and women, bolstering one another in their inevitable times of weakness or need, a healthy thread woven throughout the story. One I can get behind. :o)
I look forward to the next in the series!!!
October 8, 2022
Rating: B-
Emissary was provided to be as a free review copy by Voracious Readers. It's been a while since I received the book. So, this is definitely a late one.
Emissary is a book that promises to be a lot, and it really did deliver a lot. This is a YA action/adventure book that is about Ewan, a teenager who lives with his family who are blacksmiths. He wants to be an adventurer and spends his days fighting monsters with his sister and harvesting their materials to make into weapons and armour. The world is unique in that when someone dies, they are reborn in Logos and resume life, simply having to pay a fee to the church to cover the cost of revival. One day, a strange young woman appears, escaping warriors of the church and Ewan decides to save her. Her name is Treeanna and she comes from a strange world where none of the things familiar to those living in Veridor know, and she seems to have powers that no one else in their world have.
To be honest, I was pretty surprised by this book. There is a huge tonal shift about halfway through the book that makes this change from what looks to be a simple adventure story into one that becomes much darker - and picks up . Having gone in completely blind, I never could have expected this and I was really impressed by the author's ability to surprise me. I have read a few LitRPGs and had expected this to be like those, but in reality it was more of a fantasy with a few game elements. I did think Veridor had an interesting backstory and I liked the worldbuilding through Ewan explaining basic concepts to Tree - I did feel like it came across naturally and didn't disrupt the narrative flow. I enjoyed seeing the story unfold and where it was going in the end.
But what I really struggled with was the pacing and character interactions. I wholly understand the characters are teenagers, but because I couldn't feel the flow of time, I felt like things moved really quickly between the characters. The relationship became very serious very quickly - motivated by the circumstances? - and before long they were wholly embroiled in one-another. I also found the inter-character conflict especially since there was so little communication between Tree and Ewan, when they had
I also felt like the further I got into the book, the more things kind of fell apart. There were scenes in all different locations that felt like they were just happening with not much cohesion and at parts I didn't really see the point. I did like the reveal and conclusion of the final confrontation, but I didn't finish the book having enjoyed the ending or liked the characters that much.
Thank you for the opportunity to read it.
Emissary was provided to be as a free review copy by Voracious Readers. It's been a while since I received the book. So, this is definitely a late one.
Emissary is a book that promises to be a lot, and it really did deliver a lot. This is a YA action/adventure book that is about Ewan, a teenager who lives with his family who are blacksmiths. He wants to be an adventurer and spends his days fighting monsters with his sister and harvesting their materials to make into weapons and armour. The world is unique in that when someone dies, they are reborn in Logos and resume life, simply having to pay a fee to the church to cover the cost of revival. One day, a strange young woman appears, escaping warriors of the church and Ewan decides to save her. Her name is Treeanna and she comes from a strange world where none of the things familiar to those living in Veridor know, and she seems to have powers that no one else in their world have.
To be honest, I was pretty surprised by this book. There is a huge tonal shift about halfway through the book that makes this change from what looks to be a simple adventure story into one that becomes much darker - and picks up . Having gone in completely blind, I never could have expected this and I was really impressed by the author's ability to surprise me. I have read a few LitRPGs and had expected this to be like those, but in reality it was more of a fantasy with a few game elements. I did think Veridor had an interesting backstory and I liked the worldbuilding through Ewan explaining basic concepts to Tree - I did feel like it came across naturally and didn't disrupt the narrative flow. I enjoyed seeing the story unfold and where it was going in the end.
But what I really struggled with was the pacing and character interactions. I wholly understand the characters are teenagers, but because I couldn't feel the flow of time, I felt like things moved really quickly between the characters. The relationship became very serious very quickly - motivated by the circumstances? - and before long they were wholly embroiled in one-another. I also found the inter-character conflict especially since there was so little communication between Tree and Ewan, when they had
I also felt like the further I got into the book, the more things kind of fell apart. There were scenes in all different locations that felt like they were just happening with not much cohesion and at parts I didn't really see the point. I did like the reveal and conclusion of the final confrontation, but I didn't finish the book having enjoyed the ending or liked the characters that much.
Thank you for the opportunity to read it.
November 26, 2023
Emissary” by E.B. Brooks is an engaging GameLit novel that opens the door to a thrilling adventure. In a world where death leads to frequent visits to limbo and the overbearing Veridian Church holds sway, Ewan O’Meara’s quest for greatness takes a dangerous turn. The story introduces us to a young woman, Treanna Rothchild, who possesses mysterious skills and knowledge that challenge the Church’s secrets.
The novel is a solid start to what promises to be an epic adventure quest. Even if GameLit is not your usual genre, “Emissary” offers an enjoyable experience with well-crafted characters, including both heroes and villains. The author’s world-building skills shine through, immersing readers in a rich and intriguing setting. As Ewan and Treanna venture into the unknown, the story showcases their worlds’ interconnectedness and dependency on each other for survival. “Emissary” is a captivating and well-executed tale that paves the way for an exciting journey ahead.
I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
The novel is a solid start to what promises to be an epic adventure quest. Even if GameLit is not your usual genre, “Emissary” offers an enjoyable experience with well-crafted characters, including both heroes and villains. The author’s world-building skills shine through, immersing readers in a rich and intriguing setting. As Ewan and Treanna venture into the unknown, the story showcases their worlds’ interconnectedness and dependency on each other for survival. “Emissary” is a captivating and well-executed tale that paves the way for an exciting journey ahead.
I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
November 2, 2022
I can not sing my praises for this book enough. The characters are really well written. The love that builds between the two main characters feels genuine. The tone is also perfect when it needs to be, blending happier scenes, with sadder and darker ones perfectly. Also blending action, adventure and little romance excellently. The world building is also phenomenal. To avoid spoilers, the first half of this book is great, the second half is amazing. This was definitely one of those books for me that I couldn't put down, especially the last fourth. Very excited to check out more work from this author.
December 30, 2023
I loved every moment of this video-game world style adventure. Ewan and Treanna were so different but worked so well together. The contrast in their backgrounds did a great job of mashing LitRPG and fantasy together. Their two different worlds were very well-developed, and it was fun getting to explore them. I liked the idea of the “church” being a controlling force who knows more than they’re willing to share about the world outside the game one. The story itself moves along at a good pace, and keeps you hooked from page one. If you’re looking for a fantasy mashup, then you’ll want to grab this.
June 22, 2020
The writing style is absolutely beautiful and really blew me away when I picked up this book. (I tend to be picky) The author goes into wonderful detail about the world surrounding Ewan and submerges the reader into the character's plight perfectly. I fell in love with the characters, especially the sassy little sister and can't wait to read on in the series. Seriously, you don't want to miss this one.
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