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Sisters of Fate #1
Escape From Arcadia
The town of Arcadia has been a haven for the people who live there for centuries. With a magical barrier keeping them secure from a threat outside that was forgotten long ago. Whilst most see this as a blessing, some see it as a curse as Cad fights for his freedom against the towns policies and laws. When he learns of the corruption and plots in his town, he is not sure who he can turn to, all he knows is that he is more desperate than ever to get out.
254 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 21, 2021
3.75 - 4 stars
I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review.
I've been struggling to decide on my review for this book. I don't know what rating I want to give it, or where it really sits for me. I've been hovering between 3.75 and 4 stars for a while. But I've still not been able to fully decide.
Despite the cover of this book looking as though it is aimed at adult audiences, this is a YA fantasy debut. Cad is a young boy trapped within the magical confines of Arcadia. He is soon to descend upon manhood, and with this is the chance to find out his role in Arcadia. He's always dreamed of being the swordmaster, but with sword fighting being deemed an unimportant task it's not likely he'll get his wish. After stumbling across a secret with his friend Will, he finds his life is not something he can control.
There were no obvious triggers in this book. There was some small swearing, and some fight scenes but nothing describe in too much detail.
I would say this is aimed at young teens, although discretion is needed with the odd use of swearing. This may not be appropriate for all readers.
I really loved the premise of this book. Our plucky young hero manages to escape the magical barrier protecting his city and he must learn how to live on the outside. It is very reminiscent of farm boy prophecy plots with a strong hero's journey structure. This is a type of story I've long loved and, in places, I did with this as well.
The driving force behind the character was strong. There was a lot of intrigue and world-building, but sometimes I felt it fell a little flat. Cad meets a female bounty hunter and is instantly attracted to her. At one point mentioning his erection (which seemed a little out of place given the overall YA/MG vibe of the writing style). I understood in a sense, there were no young women within his city that he found attractive, but it felt like a little bit of a forced romantic plot. As though it was there because genre dictates this must be here.
I feel the ending was a little rushed, and didn't make a lot of sense. I'm guessing this was to help build the suspense for the next book in this trilogy but it left me feeling a little bit confused.
Overall, I think this was a really promising debut and will be interested to see where the author goes next.
I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review.
I've been struggling to decide on my review for this book. I don't know what rating I want to give it, or where it really sits for me. I've been hovering between 3.75 and 4 stars for a while. But I've still not been able to fully decide.
Despite the cover of this book looking as though it is aimed at adult audiences, this is a YA fantasy debut. Cad is a young boy trapped within the magical confines of Arcadia. He is soon to descend upon manhood, and with this is the chance to find out his role in Arcadia. He's always dreamed of being the swordmaster, but with sword fighting being deemed an unimportant task it's not likely he'll get his wish. After stumbling across a secret with his friend Will, he finds his life is not something he can control.
There were no obvious triggers in this book. There was some small swearing, and some fight scenes but nothing describe in too much detail.
I would say this is aimed at young teens, although discretion is needed with the odd use of swearing. This may not be appropriate for all readers.
I really loved the premise of this book. Our plucky young hero manages to escape the magical barrier protecting his city and he must learn how to live on the outside. It is very reminiscent of farm boy prophecy plots with a strong hero's journey structure. This is a type of story I've long loved and, in places, I did with this as well.
The driving force behind the character was strong. There was a lot of intrigue and world-building, but sometimes I felt it fell a little flat. Cad meets a female bounty hunter and is instantly attracted to her. At one point mentioning his erection (which seemed a little out of place given the overall YA/MG vibe of the writing style). I understood in a sense, there were no young women within his city that he found attractive, but it felt like a little bit of a forced romantic plot. As though it was there because genre dictates this must be here.
I feel the ending was a little rushed, and didn't make a lot of sense. I'm guessing this was to help build the suspense for the next book in this trilogy but it left me feeling a little bit confused.
Overall, I think this was a really promising debut and will be interested to see where the author goes next.
June 7, 2021
ARC Review of Audio book
Escape from Arcadia is a classic YA epic fantasy story with a prophesy about a foretold hero, an interracial ensemble and a naïve protagonist from a secluded town.
That having said, there are a handful of great ways the author has given his spin to these tropes, one of them being the fact that Arcadia isn't just some agricultural town. Arcadia has a bit of interesting history.
The narrator does an amazing job, including even different voices for different characters, and he was clearly familiar with the story which made it all the easier to follow along.
Although I found myself struggling to feel fully engaged during a big chunk in the middle, the beginning of the story swept me away. I found it easy to connect with Kad from the start.
I wasn't a fan of the romantic plot.
Sexual content: mild (some graphic mentions of male sexual functions that, in my opinion, felt a little jarring and unnecessary in a YA story, but any sex scenes were off screen)
Coarse Language: mild
Violence & gore: moderate
Conclusion
Classical tropes but with some cool twists, very strong start and a setup for book two a little rushed but clearly showing potential. Overall, I enjoyed my 'read'.
Escape from Arcadia is a classic YA epic fantasy story with a prophesy about a foretold hero, an interracial ensemble and a naïve protagonist from a secluded town.
That having said, there are a handful of great ways the author has given his spin to these tropes, one of them being the fact that Arcadia isn't just some agricultural town. Arcadia has a bit of interesting history.
The narrator does an amazing job, including even different voices for different characters, and he was clearly familiar with the story which made it all the easier to follow along.
Although I found myself struggling to feel fully engaged during a big chunk in the middle, the beginning of the story swept me away. I found it easy to connect with Kad from the start.
I wasn't a fan of the romantic plot.
Sexual content: mild (some graphic mentions of male sexual functions that, in my opinion, felt a little jarring and unnecessary in a YA story, but any sex scenes were off screen)
Coarse Language: mild
Violence & gore: moderate
Conclusion
Classical tropes but with some cool twists, very strong start and a setup for book two a little rushed but clearly showing potential. Overall, I enjoyed my 'read'.
May 27, 2021
What an Adventure!
So, I loved this book and am looking forward to the next one. The author has managed to capture and visualise each chapter exceptionally well with detail added in length. As a fan of this genre of book anyway, I was immediately enthralled by the prologue and knew that it was going to be a good book. The plots, twists, character progression and development throughout the book made every page suspenseful and on the edge of my seat.
The swordplay and fantasy aspect, intriguing character motives, and twists kept me wanting to read more. Once I caught a better understanding of the book, I soon learned just how intricate the storyline was as the primary protagonist had this recurring dream of striving through the barrier (something you'll soon come to learn of).
Overall, it was quite the visual adventure and my imagination ran wild. It was intriguing, mystical, captivating, mesmerising, and I honestly cannot wait to read the next one. Thank you for writing this. You've done an amazing job!
So, I loved this book and am looking forward to the next one. The author has managed to capture and visualise each chapter exceptionally well with detail added in length. As a fan of this genre of book anyway, I was immediately enthralled by the prologue and knew that it was going to be a good book. The plots, twists, character progression and development throughout the book made every page suspenseful and on the edge of my seat.
The swordplay and fantasy aspect, intriguing character motives, and twists kept me wanting to read more. Once I caught a better understanding of the book, I soon learned just how intricate the storyline was as the primary protagonist had this recurring dream of striving through the barrier (something you'll soon come to learn of).
Overall, it was quite the visual adventure and my imagination ran wild. It was intriguing, mystical, captivating, mesmerising, and I honestly cannot wait to read the next one. Thank you for writing this. You've done an amazing job!
May 27, 2021
I absolutely fell in love with all of the characters in Escape From Arcadia. This book has a really exciting storyline that keeps you gripped from start to finish! I can't wait to see what Nathan has planned for his characters in the next books. Definitely a book that I will go back to again and again!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews