What do you think?
Rate this book
Lands of the Faith #1
The Eighth Stone
Lara, a princess still devastated by the loss of her mother; Jethro, an apprentice to a failed painter; Arlan, a warrior barely out of training. Only these three can stand in the way of the dark forces now loose in the Lands of the Faith.
Only they can prevent a plot by Lord Draxta of Fornea to find the secret keys that will unlock powers from the past that should have remained buried forever. They must travel eastwards from their homeland Maltia across the other lands, in a race to find the last key before Draxta and the mysterious priest who never leaves his side.
There will be a final deadly clash at Hazrakeel, the ice castle in the middle of the desert, where the last key can be found and the gate to the dominion of death can be opened.
But none who enter through the gate can return without sacrificing the life of another.
Only they can prevent a plot by Lord Draxta of Fornea to find the secret keys that will unlock powers from the past that should have remained buried forever. They must travel eastwards from their homeland Maltia across the other lands, in a race to find the last key before Draxta and the mysterious priest who never leaves his side.
There will be a final deadly clash at Hazrakeel, the ice castle in the middle of the desert, where the last key can be found and the gate to the dominion of death can be opened.
But none who enter through the gate can return without sacrificing the life of another.
- GenresFantasy
342 pages, Paperback
First published September 25, 2022
8 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 7, 2022
This is a fantasy novel that captures attention right from the start. There are several story lines that seem disparate at first before they gradually intertwine and converge. This styling reminded me of the Games of Thrones approach, but with a lighter touch - easily suitable for YA, NA or adult audience. As the key story lines converge in the second half of the novel, the YA styling becomes more pronounced and some of the character and narrative complexity gives way to the more traditional fantasy genre story-telling. The novel is very well paced with story elements skilfully interspersed with world-building descriptions and backstory elements. The story itself follows the classic lines of fantasy story-telling: a villain seeking power through magical items, young characters finding their identity through adversity, ancient legends reaching from the past and throwing a shadow over the present, and the background of political power plays between different kingdoms.
March 2, 2022
Fine writing, easy reading.
This first-in-series is an easy read, an easy ‘fantasy escape, and it nicely uses devices we expect in a such a read. It’s got magic, secrets, horses, markets, nobility, heroes… you get the idea. The writing is solid and polished. The world building is robust. If you’re looking for a new world to sink into, this might be up your alley. The author can write.
In terms of down sides, I wish the characters had entered the story with meaningful relationships already underway. Friendships and lovers, children to tend, all the muddy details of life. Instead, these characters enter the story with few strings attached. Clearly, this story was plotted ... and the plot was served ahead of the characters.
A second drawback to the story is the 3:1 ratio of men to women. There’s no *significant* feminine presence until perhaps page 35, and no women at all until Chapter 2. The first woman is a dead one—a dead queen, followed by a daughter who lives at the king’s bidding, and he disparages her to others (“Forgive her, she forgets her manners” and so on). My guard was well up at this point.
And so, I then noticed: the villagers are men. The trumpeter is a man. The teacher is a man, as is the steward, as is the painter. The king, unsurprisingly, is a man. Characters we have aplenty, but they’re all men. It’s a veritable *kingdom* of men. The third female introduced, in chapter 3, is another dead one, like the queen. One of the females… is a dog. Overall there are almost 4 times as many ‘hes’ as ‘shes’ in the text, and a similar 3:1 ratio of ‘his’ to ‘her.’
Despite a female protagonist (the king’s ‘ill-mannered’ daughter), this is a man’s book, about men doing manly things. It's a common feature (shortcoming) in fantasy works (for example: the fellowship of the ring was, I believe, all men; and Luke, Han, Chewy, and Obi Wan were men who ran off to save a princess--so plenty of precedent for this flavour of writing). The author likely writes this way unawares, due to stories he himself has consumed. I’d encourage him to think in new ways in the next installment. Bring in a little more diversity, because why not? We have the freedom to do so as we craft new stories.
However, these are only nitpicks, no more, and I share them so that readers can get a sense of whether this book would be a good choice for them or not. I suspect some readers don’t care about such things, and for those people let me reiterate that this is a great story if you are looking for an escape into a fantasy world. The Eighth Stone is a hero’s journey told well. Four stars.
This first-in-series is an easy read, an easy ‘fantasy escape, and it nicely uses devices we expect in a such a read. It’s got magic, secrets, horses, markets, nobility, heroes… you get the idea. The writing is solid and polished. The world building is robust. If you’re looking for a new world to sink into, this might be up your alley. The author can write.
In terms of down sides, I wish the characters had entered the story with meaningful relationships already underway. Friendships and lovers, children to tend, all the muddy details of life. Instead, these characters enter the story with few strings attached. Clearly, this story was plotted ... and the plot was served ahead of the characters.
A second drawback to the story is the 3:1 ratio of men to women. There’s no *significant* feminine presence until perhaps page 35, and no women at all until Chapter 2. The first woman is a dead one—a dead queen, followed by a daughter who lives at the king’s bidding, and he disparages her to others (“Forgive her, she forgets her manners” and so on). My guard was well up at this point.
And so, I then noticed: the villagers are men. The trumpeter is a man. The teacher is a man, as is the steward, as is the painter. The king, unsurprisingly, is a man. Characters we have aplenty, but they’re all men. It’s a veritable *kingdom* of men. The third female introduced, in chapter 3, is another dead one, like the queen. One of the females… is a dog. Overall there are almost 4 times as many ‘hes’ as ‘shes’ in the text, and a similar 3:1 ratio of ‘his’ to ‘her.’
Despite a female protagonist (the king’s ‘ill-mannered’ daughter), this is a man’s book, about men doing manly things. It's a common feature (shortcoming) in fantasy works (for example: the fellowship of the ring was, I believe, all men; and Luke, Han, Chewy, and Obi Wan were men who ran off to save a princess--so plenty of precedent for this flavour of writing). The author likely writes this way unawares, due to stories he himself has consumed. I’d encourage him to think in new ways in the next installment. Bring in a little more diversity, because why not? We have the freedom to do so as we craft new stories.
However, these are only nitpicks, no more, and I share them so that readers can get a sense of whether this book would be a good choice for them or not. I suspect some readers don’t care about such things, and for those people let me reiterate that this is a great story if you are looking for an escape into a fantasy world. The Eighth Stone is a hero’s journey told well. Four stars.
December 6, 2020
This is a fantasy tending towards sword and sorcery with a quest – a save the world mission. Of the three youngsters on the mission, one has advanced weapons training, none have magic. They are up against priests of a dark ancient magic who are trying to steal and use artifacts to gain even more power. It is a mostly fast moving adventure story. In terms of basic grammar and spelling, this is a well produced book. In terms of good prose, story telling, characterisation and description of place, there are parts I found a bit confusing. The prelude is a bit “off” - the drama is good, the information is important to the story, but the Abbot – the starring character in the prelude - has really inconsistent reactions to the events that are unfolding. The text does mostly improve once you are into the first chapter, and the book is then largely readable with a few scenes that I struggled with.
In more detail
There is a lot to like about this book, and repeated problems that I didn't like. I will say up front that I can be a tough audience as I have read a lot of fantasy, historical fiction and some history. I picture what is going on, and try to be in the character's shoes and so I do tend to pick up on inconsistencies in the character's viewpoint. I have also done years of re-enactment and experienced the practical side of seventeenth century life, so I notice details that another reader wouldn't notice, or wouldn't care about.
Things I like include the author choosing Jethro the apprentice of a travelling portrait painter as one of the main characters – not run into that before in a fantasy and that is original and also period accurate. However there is then an immediate problem – the author describes what sounds like at least a wagon and possible a wooden sided gaudily painted gypsy style caravan. The apprentice and his very overweight master make their entrance with the master riding in this already heavy caravan and the apprentice between the shafts pulling it as they had to sell their horse as they couldn't afford to keep her. Sorry, no way. It often takes two people to pull a mere handcart, and that is an effort. No way could one lad on his own pull a laden wagon or caravan. A whole team of men could do it, but not one on his own. Later on the wagon/caravan makes a re-appearance and one night they decide to tip it over so it is a better shelter in the rain. Er no, if it wasn't covered you'd just lie on the ground underneath it and it is likely to be far too heavy for three people to tip over, probably damaged if you did it, and really hard to turn it right way up in the morning.
I liked how a messenger felt sorrow for the death of his horse – good not to have horses being used as throwaway items. However the messenger then thinks about how he'd like to bury his horse, even though no fast messenger would be carrying a spade and it would take hours to dig even a shallow grave for a horse and a horse weighs a goodly part of a ton – so how would one man tip the horse into the hole he'd dug.
On arriving in the castle, Arlan, a lower class young character asks his lower class older companion about the background smell of the castle, and is told it is the smell of money, that all the rich nobles wear scent and have scented candles in their toilets. Kudos to the author for thinking of smells and creating a scene where they are part of the ongoing action, rather than an info dump. Correct on wearing scent. The trouble is, medieval castle toilets are known as garde robes – robe guards – because strong smells keep away moths from robes and fur and the smell of a cess pit below a shaft such as was typical castle toilet was a very effective moth repellent. So unconvinced by scented candles in the khazi.
The prelude I mentioned earlier, has the abbot finding the bodies of two of his monks with their throats slit lying on the path to a building holding valuable manuscripts – but the only emotion mentioned is annoyance as he slips in their blood. Now it may be that he is someone really focused on the manuscripts to the exclusion of all else – but later on he seems more considerate and liked. He works out that an important manuscript has been compromised and dangerous information stolen, but the scene includes a chunk of world building about the type of calligraphy typical to the manuscripts. It is just out of place and threw me out of the story – and is not anything that matters later in the plot. There is also what is really a minor item – but the Island of Cows is said to be lush, green and its two exports are a milk based fermented drink and manure to market gardens. Points to the author for thinking of the importance of manure, but manure would be kept on the island for fertilizing their own fields. Export the manure and the fields will stop being so lush and green.
Potential Spoilers in the examples from here on.
In places I thought the word “seemed” and “seeming” were overused – in places they appeared several sentences in a row and mostly in descriptions of the more fantastical elements. It detracted a bit from the enjoyment of the story – to me something is, or it isn't and using “seemed” implies a deception – e.g. it seemed like it was this (and you later find out it wasn't “this” but “that”)
“There was a tremendous noise as the earth around the hole seemed to lift up in the air”
It did lift up in the air, there was no seemed about it.
“Clearly” was another word I felt over used, or misused – the princess was “clearly” startled. Just startled would have done fine.
Physical place descriptions were sometimes baffling. The layout of the castle/fortified town that was under siege was one such and the siege was just odd – no-one rushed to shut the gates and as far as I could tell, the entire attack was by special forces type parties making sorties into the walled town and everyone pulling back into the concentric rings of buildings that are supposed to baffle attackers. No soldiers firing from walls, no siege engines bashing away.
The layout of the ice palace in the grand finale was another puzzler. Jethro is trying to rescue his two travelling companions. There is a detailed description of what he sees and the layout of the land as he tries to approach them to free them. However from the description he has to slide down a bank to reach them – yet even though they were at a lower ground level, he was able to see them from the entrance. The description of the mystical pillars and the courtyard itself is fine, it is the layout in relation to Jethro's movements that lost me. My suspicion is that what the writer has done, is plotted out the action essentially looking down from above, and from there it is all clear. I think what he has missed out, is the limitations in view of the character on the ground and he has not told the story from the character's actual viewpoint.
There are later points in the grand finale scene, where characters' reactions seem off, or things appear out of nowhere so far as the reader is concerned. In particular, after Jethro had cut the ropes binding their hands, and Arlan and the princess are trying to escape, it comes out of the blue that they are still bound together at the waist by a rope – why didn't Jethro cut it too? And when the guards and priests look round for them, because they need them for the next bit of the ceremony, and see they've moved a good distance from where they were left, there is no alarm, no “how did they get there” or “stop them quick” they just go and re-acquire them.
In conclusion, I think this could easily be a four star book for me, but in its current edition (as of December 2020) it is a three star as there were too many things I found either confusing or irritating.
In more detail
There is a lot to like about this book, and repeated problems that I didn't like. I will say up front that I can be a tough audience as I have read a lot of fantasy, historical fiction and some history. I picture what is going on, and try to be in the character's shoes and so I do tend to pick up on inconsistencies in the character's viewpoint. I have also done years of re-enactment and experienced the practical side of seventeenth century life, so I notice details that another reader wouldn't notice, or wouldn't care about.
Things I like include the author choosing Jethro the apprentice of a travelling portrait painter as one of the main characters – not run into that before in a fantasy and that is original and also period accurate. However there is then an immediate problem – the author describes what sounds like at least a wagon and possible a wooden sided gaudily painted gypsy style caravan. The apprentice and his very overweight master make their entrance with the master riding in this already heavy caravan and the apprentice between the shafts pulling it as they had to sell their horse as they couldn't afford to keep her. Sorry, no way. It often takes two people to pull a mere handcart, and that is an effort. No way could one lad on his own pull a laden wagon or caravan. A whole team of men could do it, but not one on his own. Later on the wagon/caravan makes a re-appearance and one night they decide to tip it over so it is a better shelter in the rain. Er no, if it wasn't covered you'd just lie on the ground underneath it and it is likely to be far too heavy for three people to tip over, probably damaged if you did it, and really hard to turn it right way up in the morning.
I liked how a messenger felt sorrow for the death of his horse – good not to have horses being used as throwaway items. However the messenger then thinks about how he'd like to bury his horse, even though no fast messenger would be carrying a spade and it would take hours to dig even a shallow grave for a horse and a horse weighs a goodly part of a ton – so how would one man tip the horse into the hole he'd dug.
On arriving in the castle, Arlan, a lower class young character asks his lower class older companion about the background smell of the castle, and is told it is the smell of money, that all the rich nobles wear scent and have scented candles in their toilets. Kudos to the author for thinking of smells and creating a scene where they are part of the ongoing action, rather than an info dump. Correct on wearing scent. The trouble is, medieval castle toilets are known as garde robes – robe guards – because strong smells keep away moths from robes and fur and the smell of a cess pit below a shaft such as was typical castle toilet was a very effective moth repellent. So unconvinced by scented candles in the khazi.
The prelude I mentioned earlier, has the abbot finding the bodies of two of his monks with their throats slit lying on the path to a building holding valuable manuscripts – but the only emotion mentioned is annoyance as he slips in their blood. Now it may be that he is someone really focused on the manuscripts to the exclusion of all else – but later on he seems more considerate and liked. He works out that an important manuscript has been compromised and dangerous information stolen, but the scene includes a chunk of world building about the type of calligraphy typical to the manuscripts. It is just out of place and threw me out of the story – and is not anything that matters later in the plot. There is also what is really a minor item – but the Island of Cows is said to be lush, green and its two exports are a milk based fermented drink and manure to market gardens. Points to the author for thinking of the importance of manure, but manure would be kept on the island for fertilizing their own fields. Export the manure and the fields will stop being so lush and green.
Potential Spoilers in the examples from here on.
In places I thought the word “seemed” and “seeming” were overused – in places they appeared several sentences in a row and mostly in descriptions of the more fantastical elements. It detracted a bit from the enjoyment of the story – to me something is, or it isn't and using “seemed” implies a deception – e.g. it seemed like it was this (and you later find out it wasn't “this” but “that”)
“There was a tremendous noise as the earth around the hole seemed to lift up in the air”
It did lift up in the air, there was no seemed about it.
“Clearly” was another word I felt over used, or misused – the princess was “clearly” startled. Just startled would have done fine.
Physical place descriptions were sometimes baffling. The layout of the castle/fortified town that was under siege was one such and the siege was just odd – no-one rushed to shut the gates and as far as I could tell, the entire attack was by special forces type parties making sorties into the walled town and everyone pulling back into the concentric rings of buildings that are supposed to baffle attackers. No soldiers firing from walls, no siege engines bashing away.
The layout of the ice palace in the grand finale was another puzzler. Jethro is trying to rescue his two travelling companions. There is a detailed description of what he sees and the layout of the land as he tries to approach them to free them. However from the description he has to slide down a bank to reach them – yet even though they were at a lower ground level, he was able to see them from the entrance. The description of the mystical pillars and the courtyard itself is fine, it is the layout in relation to Jethro's movements that lost me. My suspicion is that what the writer has done, is plotted out the action essentially looking down from above, and from there it is all clear. I think what he has missed out, is the limitations in view of the character on the ground and he has not told the story from the character's actual viewpoint.
There are later points in the grand finale scene, where characters' reactions seem off, or things appear out of nowhere so far as the reader is concerned. In particular, after Jethro had cut the ropes binding their hands, and Arlan and the princess are trying to escape, it comes out of the blue that they are still bound together at the waist by a rope – why didn't Jethro cut it too? And when the guards and priests look round for them, because they need them for the next bit of the ceremony, and see they've moved a good distance from where they were left, there is no alarm, no “how did they get there” or “stop them quick” they just go and re-acquire them.
In conclusion, I think this could easily be a four star book for me, but in its current edition (as of December 2020) it is a three star as there were too many things I found either confusing or irritating.
November 7, 2020
This is an exciting fantasy tale that is fast paced and suspenseful. It left me constantly wondering what was going to happen next since the action began from the get go. The story gave me enough information to be interested, but not enough information to answer certain questions right away which created just the right amount of suspense. I did find the unexpected shifts in pov here and there a bit distracting when I was in one person’s head, and suddenly was seeing things from someone else’s perspective without warning. Otherwise, the plot was very well thought out, and move forward with enjoyable turns and twists. I liked Jethro and Lara. They were both good characters. People who enjoy fantasy that moves quickly, exciting action and likable heroes and sneaky bad guys would enjoy this book.
November 27, 2020
A fast paced fantasy adventure that uses some familiar genre tropes and throws in its own ideas to make for an enjoyable read that is let down a little by the supporting characters. The story is straightforward good vs evil where the followers of a long-dead cult leader aim to resurrect him by channelling the powers of eight stones scattered far and wide hundreds of years ago after a previous war. The driving force behind the plans are a secretive order of monks who use a crippled lord and his army to steal the stones and bring them together to perform a raising the dead ritual.
The three main protagonists who team up to stop the evil are fairly well-rounded. A princess unhappy with her royal role, an apprentice artist treated more like a general dogsbody by his master, and a young man from a skin house (a place where orphans and abandoned children are trained to work for the king). The support characters, kindly king, scheming servant, and mad monk are more run of the mill and never carry any feeling that they are there other than to advance the story.
I liked the world-building, it’s always a tough ask in fantasy and the author has given us a religion, several disparate nations, cities, cultures, and animals that bind together to give the characters a background to live against. There’s never too much info-dumping about this world, letting the story carry us forward at a fairly breakneck speed. It’s this speed that let’s the book down, putting our three favourites in jeopardy and then getting them out within a few paragraphs, sometimes way too easily.
The book becomes a little disjointed in the final third, jumping from viewpoint to viewpoint in a way that makes it hard to keep track of who is where and doing what but does have a good final confrontation. If you like your fantasy light and quick then this is for you.
The three main protagonists who team up to stop the evil are fairly well-rounded. A princess unhappy with her royal role, an apprentice artist treated more like a general dogsbody by his master, and a young man from a skin house (a place where orphans and abandoned children are trained to work for the king). The support characters, kindly king, scheming servant, and mad monk are more run of the mill and never carry any feeling that they are there other than to advance the story.
I liked the world-building, it’s always a tough ask in fantasy and the author has given us a religion, several disparate nations, cities, cultures, and animals that bind together to give the characters a background to live against. There’s never too much info-dumping about this world, letting the story carry us forward at a fairly breakneck speed. It’s this speed that let’s the book down, putting our three favourites in jeopardy and then getting them out within a few paragraphs, sometimes way too easily.
The book becomes a little disjointed in the final third, jumping from viewpoint to viewpoint in a way that makes it hard to keep track of who is where and doing what but does have a good final confrontation. If you like your fantasy light and quick then this is for you.
October 19, 2021
This is a classic tale of good versus evil, centering around eight mystical stones that will give the person who possesses them unimaginable power. It is Draxta’s mission, with the help of a priest with magical powers, to collect all the stones and take over the Lands of the Faith. When the leaders of the lands and custodians of the stones fail to protect them, the job of stopping Draxta falls to three adolescents: Lara, a princess; Arlan, a boy from the skinhouse training to be a fighter; and Jethro, an apprentice to a painter.
Their courage and determination as they set off without hesitation to rescue the world are inspiring. Draxta’s army, however, under the protection of Azakel’s magical powers, is unbeatable. One has to wonder what Azakel is getting out of helping an evil entity take over the world. Does he have an ulterior motive?
I really enjoyed the author’s straightforward writing style, which is easy to follow, but not lacking in eloquence. Right from the beginning, he instills a sense of dark mysticism with beautiful descriptions which paint pictures for the reader: “…shivering in the night chill, their black robes swirling around their ankles as the breeze off the sea picked up.” The paintings continue as the story progresses, depicting exotic lands and cultures, more magic.
The growing attraction between Lara and Jethro never becomes the focus of the story, which I think would have distracted from it. Arlan’s steadfast, level-headed presence, unhindered by romantic notions, impressed me the most.
The tail-end of the book is a little convoluted and made my head spin, but the twist at the end was very satisfying, even though I did wonder about it.
Their courage and determination as they set off without hesitation to rescue the world are inspiring. Draxta’s army, however, under the protection of Azakel’s magical powers, is unbeatable. One has to wonder what Azakel is getting out of helping an evil entity take over the world. Does he have an ulterior motive?
I really enjoyed the author’s straightforward writing style, which is easy to follow, but not lacking in eloquence. Right from the beginning, he instills a sense of dark mysticism with beautiful descriptions which paint pictures for the reader: “…shivering in the night chill, their black robes swirling around their ankles as the breeze off the sea picked up.” The paintings continue as the story progresses, depicting exotic lands and cultures, more magic.
The growing attraction between Lara and Jethro never becomes the focus of the story, which I think would have distracted from it. Arlan’s steadfast, level-headed presence, unhindered by romantic notions, impressed me the most.
The tail-end of the book is a little convoluted and made my head spin, but the twist at the end was very satisfying, even though I did wonder about it.
February 18, 2022
LOVE THE COVER
This is a classic good-verses-evil tale with three protagonists and told from their three viewpoints. Lara is a princess, Jethro is a painter's apprentice, and Arlan is an orphan who was trained to serve the king. All three are likable but flawed heroes. This unlikely team of teens band together to stop the evil Draxta whose army is raiding churches and villages with one goal in mind—to steal the stones of magic for an evil magician. Can these heroes find the eighth stone first and save their world?
What I liked about the story: I really enjoyed the three teens in this coming of age fantasy and loved rooting for their success. The bad guys were fun to hate. The magic of the stones felt like a fresh concept and was interesting.
What I didn't enjoy: At times I had to reread sections with abrupt viewpoint shifts and it wasn't clear who's head I was in. It pulled me out of the flow of the story and the fantasy world.
Still this is a very worthwhile read and the good far outweighed the bad. Fantasy fans will enjoy.
This is a classic good-verses-evil tale with three protagonists and told from their three viewpoints. Lara is a princess, Jethro is a painter's apprentice, and Arlan is an orphan who was trained to serve the king. All three are likable but flawed heroes. This unlikely team of teens band together to stop the evil Draxta whose army is raiding churches and villages with one goal in mind—to steal the stones of magic for an evil magician. Can these heroes find the eighth stone first and save their world?
What I liked about the story: I really enjoyed the three teens in this coming of age fantasy and loved rooting for their success. The bad guys were fun to hate. The magic of the stones felt like a fresh concept and was interesting.
What I didn't enjoy: At times I had to reread sections with abrupt viewpoint shifts and it wasn't clear who's head I was in. It pulled me out of the flow of the story and the fantasy world.
Still this is a very worthwhile read and the good far outweighed the bad. Fantasy fans will enjoy.
May 2, 2022
The Eighth Stone is an exciting YA adventure that brings together an unlikely trio to save the kingdom from Lord Draxta, ambitious neighboring ruler, and a fanatical religious order. Chance and circumstance throw Princess Lara, apprentice painter Jethro, and soldier-in-training Arlan together during the siege of the capital. After talking with a dying priest, they realize that Draxta is collecting religious items with the purpose of acquiring insurmountable power. After escaping the siege, they decide to travel to a shrine in the desert to stop Draxta from gaining the last key to power.
The Eighth Stone builds the mystery of Draxta's intentions slowly and moves between the perspectives of various characters. The pace of the story increases as it builds to a satisfying conclusion. Featuring court intrigue, a siege, a journey across a desert, and a descent into the world of death, The Eighth Stone delivers a wonderful fantasy journey.
The Eighth Stone builds the mystery of Draxta's intentions slowly and moves between the perspectives of various characters. The pace of the story increases as it builds to a satisfying conclusion. Featuring court intrigue, a siege, a journey across a desert, and a descent into the world of death, The Eighth Stone delivers a wonderful fantasy journey.
April 1, 2021
This was wonderful read that felt like classic coming of age, epic fantasy. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't get bogged down world-building and details as fantasy often does and held a great pace throughout, keeping me engaged.
There were multiple points of view that gave a window into what was happening in the world, making things richer and more intense. My favorite, my hero, if you will, was Jethro. His nature spoke to me. That's not to say the two others on team hero didn't as well. I enjoyed Lara and Arlan, and felt they made great complements to Jethro.
The story behind the stones was fascinating, and I truly love that the book had a satisfying end, no cliffhangers on the important points, yet left room for more parts.
There were multiple points of view that gave a window into what was happening in the world, making things richer and more intense. My favorite, my hero, if you will, was Jethro. His nature spoke to me. That's not to say the two others on team hero didn't as well. I enjoyed Lara and Arlan, and felt they made great complements to Jethro.
The story behind the stones was fascinating, and I truly love that the book had a satisfying end, no cliffhangers on the important points, yet left room for more parts.
April 20, 2021
Magic, Betrayal and lots of adventure!
This was a good story about three young people of different stations thrown together when a nefarious army starts raiding churches and villages for Seven Stones of Magic. These Stones are needed to find a more powerful Eighth Stone. As I read the story, it felt like it was set in the time of Jesus Christ though his Name is not mentioned. I got that vibe and I liked it. The character arc of the three young people was interesting. But the middle of the story felt a bit all over the place during the world building. The main bad guy’s behaviour at court had me giggling when he responded to a reasonable question with extreme violence. However the final act was a delight and I felt it ended quite nicely. I enjoyed reading this story.
This was a good story about three young people of different stations thrown together when a nefarious army starts raiding churches and villages for Seven Stones of Magic. These Stones are needed to find a more powerful Eighth Stone. As I read the story, it felt like it was set in the time of Jesus Christ though his Name is not mentioned. I got that vibe and I liked it. The character arc of the three young people was interesting. But the middle of the story felt a bit all over the place during the world building. The main bad guy’s behaviour at court had me giggling when he responded to a reasonable question with extreme violence. However the final act was a delight and I felt it ended quite nicely. I enjoyed reading this story.
September 3, 2021
A light fantasy that moves fast and doesn’t allow world-building to drag down the plot, The Eighth Stone has numerous stock elements but enough of its own personality to be enjoyable. The perspective shifts with each chapter, as the narrative jumps from the three unlikely heroes thrust together to save the world from a cult determined to raise A Very Bad Man from the dead. Some readers have a visceral reaction against multiple POVs, but the story handles this well. All of the lead characters are enjoyable, and Pedersen has a knack for writing prose that feels just epic enough to suit the material without sounding pretentious. A recommend for fantasy fans.
September 22, 2021
This is a big adventure fantasy, starring a princess and two commoners who vie for her hand, when they are not all saving each others' lives. The characterization is good, and often amusing. There are bad guys to hiss at, good folks to cheer for, and a big problem that needs to be solved. The early limits the author places on magic help to create believability. The book holds a satisfying balance of vile murder and mystifying magic, with vague troubles, evil portents and small attacks that grow into much more. I found the middle of the book slower going, but the ending was complicated and interesting. I recommend this book.
June 2, 2021
A fun Middle-Ages-plus-magic story with well-rounded characters and lots of action in a well-worked-out world. Worth another star if the pronouns and quote paragraphs could be fixed so I could keep better track of who was doing what and who was saying what. But at the moment rather confusing to read: I had to go backwards and forwards more than I wanted to to make sense of everything.
September 28, 2021
A light fantasy and a great escape from reality. Three young people who team together to fight against evil. The storyline is interesting. the shift in perspective is done extremely well. You close your eyes and you can see the characters, the world the author had built and you become part of it. This is a wonderful story.
April 13, 2021
I read this in just a couple of sittings because I was so caught up in the story that it was hard to put down. It's a wonderful fantasy adventure with magic and mayhem and all sorts of interesting characters on a difficult quest. Looking forward to the next installment.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews