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Hard Cleft: An Unofficial Legend of The Secret World
Wedd is seeking a sword. The sword.
The sword that can start wars and end them.
The sword that can break worlds or mend them.
The sword that calls out to the living and the dead.
Having confronted cosmic evil and discovered what she thinks is the cause of the zombie outbreak in Kingsmouth, Wedd is ready to get back to work. She’s anxious to follow the trail of the glowing artifact recovered by the crew of the Lady Margaret, a ship which has since disappeared.
But, with her mother still missing, her father a mystery, a rogue sorcerer on the loose, and tensions between the factions at an all-time high, she may be facing more bad news than she can bear.
She is cut off from her friends. Her partnership with Sevenoir is strained. The Templars are hiding the truth about her family. With no one to turn to, she may have to go it alone.
Will she find the sword, but lose something far more important?
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 29, 2020
3 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Blodwedd Mallory
8 books19 followersBlodwedd Mallory is the Secret World alter ego of Amber McKee, a Utah-based writer, editor, and Jill-of-all-trades.
Over the course of her career, she's been a newspaper reporter, movie reviewer, bartender, tarot reader, magazine editor, advocacy trainer, instructional designer, service delivery manager, and more. Now, she realizes what she probably should have been all along was a video game developer. She assuages that pain by creating paranormal fantasy fiction books based on her in-game experiences of an urban fantasy/horror video game. Go figure.
She lives with her hubby and two rescue pups in a formerly haunted house.
Over the course of her career, she's been a newspaper reporter, movie reviewer, bartender, tarot reader, magazine editor, advocacy trainer, instructional designer, service delivery manager, and more. Now, she realizes what she probably should have been all along was a video game developer. She assuages that pain by creating paranormal fantasy fiction books based on her in-game experiences of an urban fantasy/horror video game. Go figure.
She lives with her hubby and two rescue pups in a formerly haunted house.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 29, 2020
It’s been roughly a year since I last read a story in this Unofficial Legend of the Secret World series but it was easy to slip back into the action. Craziness continues to revolve around Solomon Island and whatever dark magic keeps the perpetual fog and the zombies there. Mallory and her partner eventually work out the next steps in the mystery, hunting down a mysterious wizard who, with the help of a magic item, appears to be behind this mess.
The novel was slow to get started and it wasn’t until roughly the halfway point that Mallory found her stride and the book recaptured the fast pace of earlier stories. Part of the problem may be that the character Blodwedd seemed to have lost some of her hard-earned maturity from earlier books in the series. She has a lot of personal problems and makes some frankly ridiculous choices, the biggest of which was the outing of an undercover Templar to a woman because she wants her to be her friend. Think about that for a moment. She didn’t even appear to understand that her actions may well endanger the undercover agent’s life. I also found it rather unbelievable that everyone at her old academy appeared to know the location of a super-secret Illuminati library, but perhaps that resulted from the author’s desire to keep the pace moving.
That being said, once the action starts the novel quickly produces the high-octane atmosphere that we saw in the earlier books. The problems are serious and the solutions overall were exciting and credible. Serious progress is made in advancing the overarching plot of the series offering a couple of truly interesting possibilities for the next book. If you liked the earlier installments in this series you will definitely like this one as well. Once it finds it stride it gives you all the action that we’ve come to expect from Blodwedd Mallory.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
The novel was slow to get started and it wasn’t until roughly the halfway point that Mallory found her stride and the book recaptured the fast pace of earlier stories. Part of the problem may be that the character Blodwedd seemed to have lost some of her hard-earned maturity from earlier books in the series. She has a lot of personal problems and makes some frankly ridiculous choices, the biggest of which was the outing of an undercover Templar to a woman because she wants her to be her friend. Think about that for a moment. She didn’t even appear to understand that her actions may well endanger the undercover agent’s life. I also found it rather unbelievable that everyone at her old academy appeared to know the location of a super-secret Illuminati library, but perhaps that resulted from the author’s desire to keep the pace moving.
That being said, once the action starts the novel quickly produces the high-octane atmosphere that we saw in the earlier books. The problems are serious and the solutions overall were exciting and credible. Serious progress is made in advancing the overarching plot of the series offering a couple of truly interesting possibilities for the next book. If you liked the earlier installments in this series you will definitely like this one as well. Once it finds it stride it gives you all the action that we’ve come to expect from Blodwedd Mallory.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
November 3, 2020
Absolutely Divine.
As a player of both TSW & SWL I always found the stories and writing of the game to be far superior to any other. They were in a class and world class at that, of their own.
Now I read these books that literally bring more life than can have ever been imagined into places I myself once stood in game. Each turn of the page reveals more life, voices I know saying things in familiar yet new ways.
Blodwedd Mallory has achieved the once thought impossible. To extend the stories of The Secret World with these books is more than a miracle.
It is divine.
The pace and excitement meant I could not put it down as I read from my phone (ordering both the book and Kindle version - I just could not wait!) Having been moved to tears with the journey, with laughter, joy & sadness, I recommend this to anyone and everyone.
I pray this gets picked up as a TV series, these books are just... Perfect.
As a player of both TSW & SWL I always found the stories and writing of the game to be far superior to any other. They were in a class and world class at that, of their own.
Now I read these books that literally bring more life than can have ever been imagined into places I myself once stood in game. Each turn of the page reveals more life, voices I know saying things in familiar yet new ways.
Blodwedd Mallory has achieved the once thought impossible. To extend the stories of The Secret World with these books is more than a miracle.
It is divine.
The pace and excitement meant I could not put it down as I read from my phone (ordering both the book and Kindle version - I just could not wait!) Having been moved to tears with the journey, with laughter, joy & sadness, I recommend this to anyone and everyone.
I pray this gets picked up as a TV series, these books are just... Perfect.
November 1, 2020
Another great story about Wedd and her partner Sev. I was excited to see another book was coming out, and I wasn't disappointed. I like the mix of action and character development. Wedd finds herself in situations where she struggles against her own curiosity and drive and her growing maturity. Her natural tendency to dive in headfirst gets her into some sticky situations, but she learns some lessons and, through her tenacity and grit, finds a way through. My own aversion to spoilers prevents me from being specific, but it is a wonderful story of a young woman finding her way in a world of magic and monsters.
October 31, 2020
In Hard Cleft, we once again join Blodwedd Mallory as she jumps into a new mystery. Educated in magic at an exclusive university and gifted with Gaia's power to fight against the darkness, Wedd searches to find her place among the Templars, seeks to unlock further mysteries of Solomon Island, and perhaps the path to an elusive and mysterious sword.
Seeing the world from the game of Secret World Legends is always a delight. With robust characters and involved plots that are more than just an extension on the gameplay, Hard Cleft will keep you turning the pages until the end. Looking forward to enjoying the further adventures of these characters!
Seeing the world from the game of Secret World Legends is always a delight. With robust characters and involved plots that are more than just an extension on the gameplay, Hard Cleft will keep you turning the pages until the end. Looking forward to enjoying the further adventures of these characters!
October 30, 2020
Hard Cleft is vibrant and captivating. I can't believe I just finished book five! This installment is the most captivating thus far. Blodwedd is struggling with some self doubt, but that only makes her more human. Combined with a new challenge and a quest for an important blade, there's never a dull moment, even when Wedd is in the practice arena. The descriptions are so vivid I felt like I was watching it all unfold (even though I have never even seen the game). Of course if you haven't read any of the others you really should so you can understand the full backstory leading up to this!
November 1, 2020
A wise man once said, "that's another fine mess you've gotten us into."
Wedd gets into one fine mess after another. Things go from bad to worse to deadly. Enjoy the drama as Wedd's relationships, profession, and life all face a potential point of no return. A solid entry in the series and a fun read.
Wedd gets into one fine mess after another. Things go from bad to worse to deadly. Enjoy the drama as Wedd's relationships, profession, and life all face a potential point of no return. A solid entry in the series and a fun read.
October 29, 2020
Wedd does it again! Her and Sev are off to fight religion. Both of them finding clarity in themselves while doing it. Wedd has pieces of her past revealed and Sev meets a beautiful man with a warning. What more could you ask for? The adventure continues in Hard Cleft and you don't want to miss out.
November 26, 2020
I was anxiously awaiting Wedd's next adventure. And I have to say, they keep getting better and better. These books are a marvelous meld of game and narrative and will captivate both the reader who loves a good story and the gamer who is looking for adventure.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews