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Creation Chronicles #1
Shadows of Creation
An ancient darkness has awoken, A legend come to life. A studious, young apprentice unhappy with her mundane life of learning at one of Turina’s magical temples is forced into a research project with the Order’s most arrogant protégé, throwing both of them into a dangerous quest they could have never anticipated. Two young royals, both heirs to their own Elven kingdoms, reconnect after long years apart in hopes of solving all of their people’s problems only to find the world isn’t as simple as they thought. A down on his luck mercenary drunkenly stumbles into the fray, battling a conflict inside of himself as dark as the road ahead. Their paths collide in this fast-paced escapade filled with action, peril, and mystery. A story you won’t soon forget. What other secrets hide within the pages of Shadows of Creation?
368 pages, Paperback
Published May 16, 2020
32 people are currently reading
534 people want to read
About the author
Ryan D. Meier
3 books20 followersRyan D Meier (1984-present) was born and raised in the Hudson Valley region of New York, where he still resides today with his wife and four children.
Outside of writing and family, Ryan is the founder of Worldhoppers Guild (www.worldhoppersguild.com), a not-for-profit indie author platform. He enjoys hiking and consuming as much creative fiction as possible (reading, watching, video games).
"There are many I'm capable of, but only one thing I was meant to do."
Outside of writing and family, Ryan is the founder of Worldhoppers Guild (www.worldhoppersguild.com), a not-for-profit indie author platform. He enjoys hiking and consuming as much creative fiction as possible (reading, watching, video games).
"There are many I'm capable of, but only one thing I was meant to do."
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 16, 2020
* I read this as a judge for the #SPFBO *
I am super glad that this was one of the last books I read for this year's #SPFBO as it was certainly one of the best. I was pleased to discover that this ties in a lot of things I really like about fantasy in clever ways such as an apprentice learning, different cultures, the lone wolf thief, politics, royalty and more. Yet, even with all the things I enjoy, it's also a fresh book because it doesn't focus on only one or two, but rather weaves them all together nicely and effectively.
The characters worth noting in this are:
Zyla - Young trainee of magic and paired up with the best in the school.
Brenn - a lone wolf slightly embittered character whos turned to a life of crime after a tragic past.
Tanik - a talented young sorcerer and mentor.
Asrai - wood elven Princess who wants to defend the rights of her people
Euri - Prince of the high elves
This cast is quite a mix, but somehow their stories all end up mixed together and when a looking threat of the Void threatens the world they're all a part of they have to decide how they can work against it.
I will say this one felt like it had a first-book theme where the real drama starts halfway through and builds to an epic ending. It certainly makes you want to read on and to find out where we're heading to in the next book. I know I want to know more!
The pacing felt very reasonable and comfortable to me with easy transition between characters and chapters. Each character felt distinct enough for me to enjoy their story.
Overall a lot of fun to read and promises for more excitement to come in the series. 4*s from me and 8/10 for #SPFBO.
I am super glad that this was one of the last books I read for this year's #SPFBO as it was certainly one of the best. I was pleased to discover that this ties in a lot of things I really like about fantasy in clever ways such as an apprentice learning, different cultures, the lone wolf thief, politics, royalty and more. Yet, even with all the things I enjoy, it's also a fresh book because it doesn't focus on only one or two, but rather weaves them all together nicely and effectively.
The characters worth noting in this are:
Zyla - Young trainee of magic and paired up with the best in the school.
Brenn - a lone wolf slightly embittered character whos turned to a life of crime after a tragic past.
Tanik - a talented young sorcerer and mentor.
Asrai - wood elven Princess who wants to defend the rights of her people
Euri - Prince of the high elves
This cast is quite a mix, but somehow their stories all end up mixed together and when a looking threat of the Void threatens the world they're all a part of they have to decide how they can work against it.
I will say this one felt like it had a first-book theme where the real drama starts halfway through and builds to an epic ending. It certainly makes you want to read on and to find out where we're heading to in the next book. I know I want to know more!
The pacing felt very reasonable and comfortable to me with easy transition between characters and chapters. Each character felt distinct enough for me to enjoy their story.
Overall a lot of fun to read and promises for more excitement to come in the series. 4*s from me and 8/10 for #SPFBO.
March 5, 2021
Shadows of Creation is an interesting low fantasy book with lots of lore, one of my absolute favorite things. However, I can’t give this book more than 3 out of 5 stars for several reasons. The opening is description heavy and didn’t pull me in at all. While it does get more interesting with the first little magical mini-tournament it quickly drops right back off again. The first few characters did start to pull me back in but then it suddenly started to quickly flip between other characters. The intros to everyone else were very lackluster and did not make me care about the characters at all. One character in particular’s opening could have been completely eliminated since it added nothing but filler to the book. I would have not finished this book if I wasn’t reading it as part of a challenge.
The author does have amazing potential. They do know how to weave words together in an artful and creative way. That isn’t something that can really be taught. I prefer books with more magic, but the concept they had with the shadows of creation did intrigue me a lot. With a strong restructuring and developmental edits, this book could easily be a five star book. It has everything it needs, just not in the right order. The last line was amazing but the overall ending cliffhanger was not inviting or done well.
A lot of the character points did not make sense and there was little to no character development. Spoilers: How did the Star not realize the Sun wouldn’t expect her? It’s literally mentioned that all the high elves could see them coming and word would probably get around. It felt like the character should have been far smarter than that. And then her little showdown, bringing forth all her magic for the first time. She’s able to do all these great deeds, which would have been cool if it made sense. There is no way she had the practice or control for it, and should have been exhausted far earlier on, even with adrenaline running.
The use of flashbacks is one of my favorite things frequently used in fantasy, but the style in which these were done didn’t make any sense. It felt choppy instead of integrated, pulling you out of the plot instead of adding to it. Flashbacks should be immersive, not an awkward distraction. The information was interesting, and most of it I think the author should keep, just as I mentioned earlier, the use of a dev editor would help pull it into the story better.
There are several other nitpicky points, but developmental edits would easily eliminate them. The right concepts are there, and the hints of lore were fun. I will probably look for other books from this author in the future but I have no intentions of reading any more of this series as it stands now.
The author does have amazing potential. They do know how to weave words together in an artful and creative way. That isn’t something that can really be taught. I prefer books with more magic, but the concept they had with the shadows of creation did intrigue me a lot. With a strong restructuring and developmental edits, this book could easily be a five star book. It has everything it needs, just not in the right order. The last line was amazing but the overall ending cliffhanger was not inviting or done well.
A lot of the character points did not make sense and there was little to no character development. Spoilers: How did the Star not realize the Sun wouldn’t expect her? It’s literally mentioned that all the high elves could see them coming and word would probably get around. It felt like the character should have been far smarter than that. And then her little showdown, bringing forth all her magic for the first time. She’s able to do all these great deeds, which would have been cool if it made sense. There is no way she had the practice or control for it, and should have been exhausted far earlier on, even with adrenaline running.
The use of flashbacks is one of my favorite things frequently used in fantasy, but the style in which these were done didn’t make any sense. It felt choppy instead of integrated, pulling you out of the plot instead of adding to it. Flashbacks should be immersive, not an awkward distraction. The information was interesting, and most of it I think the author should keep, just as I mentioned earlier, the use of a dev editor would help pull it into the story better.
There are several other nitpicky points, but developmental edits would easily eliminate them. The right concepts are there, and the hints of lore were fun. I will probably look for other books from this author in the future but I have no intentions of reading any more of this series as it stands now.
September 7, 2021
Unfinished story
I really liked the book and the fantasy element of wives and magic. However, it created a huge mystery and battle between what I assume is good vs evil. Then it straight up ends with no mention of another book or what happened to all who are caught up in this attempt at the destruction of their communities, their way of life or even their lives. Its like a book was written and only the first half was published. There is no mention of a second book to finish the story. I bought the kindle version for $4.99 and expected a whole story, not a half of a story.
I really liked the book and the fantasy element of wives and magic. However, it created a huge mystery and battle between what I assume is good vs evil. Then it straight up ends with no mention of another book or what happened to all who are caught up in this attempt at the destruction of their communities, their way of life or even their lives. Its like a book was written and only the first half was published. There is no mention of a second book to finish the story. I bought the kindle version for $4.99 and expected a whole story, not a half of a story.
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May 28, 2021Fantastic story
The basic story is very good, even enthralling, at times. I'd have given 5 stars but for the glaring errors of grammar, punctuation and continuation. Please get yourself an editor. You have the potential to be a truly great writer, instead of just a really good storyteller. I'm definitely going to read the next book in the series, as I'm eager to see what happens next.
The basic story is very good, even enthralling, at times. I'd have given 5 stars but for the glaring errors of grammar, punctuation and continuation. Please get yourself an editor. You have the potential to be a truly great writer, instead of just a really good storyteller. I'm definitely going to read the next book in the series, as I'm eager to see what happens next.
August 5, 2020
It was a well paced story, although a bit of an arbitrary ending point. I was also a bit off-put by the modern anachronisms and grammar/vocabulary misses (ruckus instead of raucus, "this is me asking nicely," "rode a horse," "Brenn's grin didn't budget," etc.
I look forward though to following the story and seeing the author's development.
I look forward though to following the story and seeing the author's development.
July 13, 2021
Will past wrongs be inflicted upon innocent generations? Can you escape your past or the people who raised you and even more importantly can you stand up to right the wrongs? Action, with diversity, redemption, social injustice, magic & a cast of characters that will capture your interest. The reveal is where the quests really starts & you'll be demanding book 2!
June 30, 2020
Fantastic!!!
I loved this story and look forward to more. It has everything that good fantasy needs. Magic, evil villains, good guys will some flaws, a little romance and a cool world. Highly recommend!!!
I loved this story and look forward to more. It has everything that good fantasy needs. Magic, evil villains, good guys will some flaws, a little romance and a cool world. Highly recommend!!!
July 12, 2020
good book
July 29, 2020
One of the best, if not the best, book I have read this year. Great story. Captivating. Easy to read. Can't wait for next book to come out.
August 12, 2020
This is one of my new all time favorites. I can't wait for the second book. Wonderful world building and great characters. I would re-read this like I was the childhood me reading Harry Potter until the books fell apart.
May 31, 2021
Outstanding
Adventure, magic and war combined and the results are breathtaking. A bit of romance thrown in to sweeten and what a ride!
Adventure, magic and war combined and the results are breathtaking. A bit of romance thrown in to sweeten and what a ride!
November 16, 2022
What a wonderful read! Can't wait to get to the next in the series which I have heard just came out!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews