Devin has come of age and dreams of leaving the home of his father and stepmother. Devin is his father's oldest child and wants to join the Knights, one of the premier peacekeeping forces in the Kingdom. War breaks out which makes it difficult but Devin succeeds in his goal only to discover that he is different, way different. His agility and accuracy is on par with the other peacekeeping force, the Wizards. When Devin accidentally casts a spell during a friendly duel, he is whisked away from the war to learn magic. When the other side starts using their own Wizards, Devin is rushed through training to help defend the Kingdom.
I know a bunch of you have been asking exactly you the heck I am. First off, my name is Whiskey Flowers, I was active duty army and now I am a proud member of the New Mexico National Guard. In my day job, I am a corrections officer, I watch the best and brightest Albuquerque has to offer and make little money doing it. I am originally from Oakland, California, home of dumbasses and knuckleheads everywhere where I attempted to become their leader until the army put me on a different path. As many of you have pointed out, I never got my high school diploma, I am a GED student but I make it look good. If any of you are ever in New Mexico and want a drinking partner, I got you.
This is the third book I have read from this author and I am still having a hard time understanding where each book is trying to take me. His style is hard to describe. It is very easy to read and interesting but it is an "in the moment" kind of writing. Things just happen. While I am reading the parts I am interested, then it switches to another part which is also interesting but I can't figure out how or why it when from one section to the next. When I look at the book as a whole I ask myself "what the hell happened?" The MC is Devin, he is the son of a blacksmith. His stepmother has never like him and has 2 other boys. He needs to figure out what to do with his life. He plans to either be a squire, become a blacksmith or join the army. He would love to be a Wizard but that would never happen. War comes and he has no choice and is enlisted in the army. He is an archer and then is given the the chance to be a squire. While doing that job, he finds out he has magic. He then is forced to join the wizards group. They fight a war. Then something happens and they have to fight someone else. Then something happens and they have to go assassinate someone else. Again, I didn't mind it while I was reading because the day-to-day way it was told was easy to read. Overall I am scratching my head about what the author was trying to accomplish with this book. I had the same feeling after reading the other two books. I wouldn't say it was bad. It is a very unique style of writing.
It jumps a bit &the editing is pretty average. A bit light on with depth. Thats the negatives. Its actually not a bad read at all. Worth the few dollars paid. It all smacks of an author finding thier way & developing a style. I reckon Whiskey will improve & settle down to crafting better works. Gaining depth, a more lyrical & descriptive style. A lot of readers (I'm one) don't really see words from a skilled writer, it plays accross in our heads like a movie. Thus more effort describing people, locations, body language, ambiance & scenery are essential. The ability to truly wordsmith requires the author using as few words as possible otherwise the book becomes unwieldy. I suggest Whiskey reads an Australian author called Matthew Reilly. A man who really knows how to cut out the extraneous while giving his writing a real visceral punch. His stuff is highly visual as well. Bit tired of suggesting this to authors but chuck in a locality map & make sure you refer to it regularly when your characters travel. Cheers, keep it up I'm prepared to follow an author developing themself.
There is a solid story here with some glaring issues that could be solved by an editor or even a second look. I can’t tell if this was written by a non native English speaker, hyper 12 year old fantasy lover, or someone on a 2 week speed/meth binge. Contradictory in many places, poor character development, bunch of 2 dimensional extras that serve no purpose and seemingly random changes to the rules the author set up. Time is very wibbly wobbly here and you don’t get a true sense of timeline, because the rules keep changing with no explanation The absolutely GLARING plot holes and simple grammar and spelling errors make this a chore to read. Please get an editor and some trusted beta readers. There is a solid story here that needs some work. Good luck.
Interesting but abrupt ending left me wanting more!
This is the 4th book I have read by the author. I have read that English is not the authors original language so I do make allowances. There are a few spelling issues but don’t detract from the story and are easily figured out. The dialogue and action sequences are well done. I like the story but was left wanting more so hopefully there are more books to make it a duology or trilogy!? I thought this was a one and done but having completed it definitely should not be. Price wise for entertainment there are several $1 by this author and I don’t recall if this was one or not? I had it in my dock to purchase and read and for awhile and just decide to go for it. I was not disappointed other than wanting more to the story.
Enjoyed the story. But could only give three stars because it was so poorly edited. Names were routinely transposed, many misspelled words, many homophones and homonyms, and Some continuity issues. Basically the book needed a thorough editing job before release. That said it has lots of promise and perhaps the second edition will read much better after it’s cleaned up. Would read a second installment if it continues as a series.
I actually downloaded this book twice. First time I didn’t make it through the first chapter. Much later I again was attracted to the cover and downloaded it again (kindle unlimited). Of course it opened where I had stopped. I decided to push on to see if the story got better. BOY am I glad I did. Wonderful story. Very original situations and great fully rounded characters. I recommend you give it a read.
I kind of found this book a bit sexist and the version I am reading has loads of spelling errors. The only good thing about this book in my opinion is the plot (the plotline is about fast though) which is in turn full of plot holes. The only part which was not sexist was the relationship between Tasha and Gerald, though I kind of felt that was sort of forces on him by Tasha. Would usually not recommend
I think it would make a good series. I did find some English errors such as using 'threw' to describe passing 'through' something. I report such as typos but do so to help make the story more successful and not to be cruel. I was happy to see that no false gods were injected into the story, other than a brief mention at the beginning. All in all it was a good story that held my interest to the end of the book.
Devin has a seemingly unknown past. His father has protected him and raised him to be a hard worker. He has goals and his father trains him to be a strong, competent fighter. Will he be able to protect his family? Will he be a squire, a soldier, or what? I like the action, humor, and beat downs of bullies. Another book would be appreciated.
Interesting writing style. This author writes the dialogues and the actions and worries about the story arc after the fact, if at all. Instead of a multi-part epic, he is shooting for a story journal told from the first person perspective. In some ways, the author style reminds me of C.J. Cherryh and the Chanur series.
The characters are pretty standard with very little originality. The plot is solid, if a bit stale. The story is unbelievably predictable.
Not a bad story to kill some time. Nothing brilliant, but not horrible.
This was a very good action packed well thought out sequence of going to go in the characters into meaningful people that you can relate to. It was in the style of the good guys and bad guys interaction like his old books. Is still fresh enough to be worth reading.
Lots of using the wrong word. E.G. "straps" instead of steps. Often uses a singular verb when a plural is needed. Comma used when a period is called for. Leaving out a comma in dialogue when naming in direct address. And finally, linking to the second book in another series: "Wizard Born" instead of "The Wizard".
I don't know about this person, the plots are interesting but the grammar and typos have not improved. Quit doing spell check, let someone read your stories to catch the errors.
The m kidding the grammar is trash like always but the story was good. Only used “screamed” four times in the book which is an improvement! Keep these hacks coming.
This is a great book. So much adventure and growth. There characters are great and well developed. The world building is well done. I really want the next book now, but I guess I will have to be patient.
The uneducated use of past tense ruined this for me. Also what was a simple good story got completely buried under the massively excessive badly written fight scenes. I could only suffer through half of it.
I like the main character, could use a bit more development. The book seemed short but could be because I read it straight through. Overall a good story.
This is the first time I experienced a writer that has taken this direct approach to the protagonist being so direct and forthright. Not always the best story line but it was manageable. Cant say I will pick up the next book though.
Really need to proofread before you publish. Spell check makes mistakes. Fighting scenes were pretty good. I liked that the foot technique did not work against a trained individual.
I liked it and it definitely a good book, albeit a bit short. The MC is a bit OP, but so far the author is handling that very well. MC is a little stupid around girls, but nothing that is irritating. Solid Sword and Magic fantasy.
Seems obvious that re-writes we’re not reviewed for unnecessary and/or superfluous words. Editorial help to clean up errors (threw instead of through) would make this more readable.
Enjoyed reading this book, good story and well developed characters. Looking forward to reading book two! I am happy to recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories with fighting and magic!
I wanted to like this book. Actually, I liked a good portion. The problem is that the ending is just there. Maybe if there is a sequel, it will make this one seem better.
The author spins a good tale. Unfortunately, also has a problem with many typos and grammatical errors. Although he conceives captivating tales, they rarely resolve the plot lines and leaves the stories unresolved and the reader hanging.