What do you think?
Rate this book
Chaos Reigns: Oath Broken
Kaleb Reigns just wants to live a normal life. So much in fact that he swore an Oath to never use any of his gifts again. An Oath to leave the supernatural world behind, to walk away and never interfere again.
Kaleb's best friend is missing, and someone is messing with his dreams. He has been warned by the witches not to get involved, but Kaleb has to make a choice.
Some Oaths are meant to be broken.
Kaleb's best friend is missing, and someone is messing with his dreams. He has been warned by the witches not to get involved, but Kaleb has to make a choice.
Some Oaths are meant to be broken.
ebook
Published June 17, 2021
1 person is currently reading
31 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 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 10, 2021
Fight the dead
He swore not to use his powers. Then a dead witch called forth ghosts. The fight is on. Jarryd Smith has created a most glorious book of action. The paranormal world takes the lead. I loved this!!
He swore not to use his powers. Then a dead witch called forth ghosts. The fight is on. Jarryd Smith has created a most glorious book of action. The paranormal world takes the lead. I loved this!!
July 9, 2022
Chaos Reigns: Oath Broken is a compelling start to a gripping urban fantasy saga. Kaleb is a charismatic lead which made for an entertaining narration throughout the book. He’s a bit of a wise cracker, but still flawed and there are certainly hidden emotional depths to his soul. In my experience with Storm Front by Jim Butcher I found the urban fantasy plot lacking; however here we had an absorbing mystery to be solved that kept me intrigued until the end, involving the sudden disappearance of some of Kaleb’s friends.
Very quickly Kaleb finds himself in over his head and constrained by an agreement that prevents his magic usage, having to rely on his Witch best friend and some new supernatural allies to assist him in containing the chaos that has been unleashed. An emotionally charged climax ( though don’t expect anything too rich as this is on the shorter side) rounded off a really fun read and left plenty to be explored further.
The prose was highly readable, and the characters all had fun personalities, whilst Flynn was an hilarious surprise. I would qualify this by adding that the female characters, at first at least, could fall into a bit of an ‘overbearing and slightly aggressive’ female stereotype, whilst some readers may not appreciate some of the language used to refer to them at times, although they do refer to each other as such as well. Over the course of the book, I think that any concerns I had were addressed, and I certainly didn’t see it as any intentional slight by the author, so it didn’t ruin my experience but I wanted to put it out there as I know not everyone will feel the same.
Read this for a book full of charm, magic and wit that definitely left me wanting more, but also to return to take in the lore again which I’m certain will be further explored.
4/5 for the sheer fun of it
Kaleb Reigns just wants to live a normal life. So much in fact that he swore an Oath to never use any of his gifts again. An Oath to leave the supernatural world behind, to walk away and never interfere again. Kaleb’s best friend is missing, and someone is messing with his dreams. He has been warned by the witches not to get involved, but Kaleb has to make a choice.
Some Oaths are meant to be broken.
We start off this book with a banger of a prologue. Very foreboding and atmospheric, which is absolutely my jam. Unfortunatel the prologue and the lore it sets up don’t entirely get addressed in this debut, however it certainly was a fantastic way to start the novel.
Straight away we are introduced to Kaleb Reigns, a bit of a smartass wise cracking young adult on his way to a wedding. As mentioned, Kaleb is certainly a very charismatic lead for the novel, and I certainly appreciated his acerbic comments at times, often bringing levity to scenes that need a bit of a breather.
Wedding shenanigans ensue, and it is in the aftermath of these events that the main story really begins, following the disappearance of Kaleb’s friend Sam. Kaleb quickly realises he has been drawn into events beyond his control, and has to rely on his witch friend Abbie, along with his newfound companions Alex and Nina ( amongst others).
The banter that occurred between Kaleb and Nina was actually highly entertaining! Both of them have a little bit of an indignant, childlike streak to their personalities, and they certainly loved to push each other’s buttons. Alex and Kaleb have a clear bond with one another and I for one really enjoyed their wholesome partnership that lent a lot of heart to the novel.
It is these interactions between the characters that really helped elevate the characterisation within, as for the most part we don’t get too in depth to the characters and their motivations. Not to suggest these are cardboard cut-outs, merely that the length of the novel doesn’t afford the level of character examination that an 800+page extravaganza would do.
The highest possible praise I could give to this debut is that it is certainly a far better debut than Storm Front by Jim Butcher was. Where that novel felt lazy and stereotypical, this novel felt vibrant in its worldbuilding, cast, and had an engrossing and well-rounded plot.
There is clearly a lot of foundation laid out here, and I like that it was more explicit than it felt in Storm Front, so that there are clearly further avenues to be explored later on in the series.
The climax was very satisfying and did a fantastic job at drawing all the threads together, with just enough emotional resonance to make it stand out.
Overall, a really fun and entertaining read full of humour, and a whip fast pace. Well worth the investment in this new urban fantasy, especially for fans of Jim Butcher, as well those willing to give UF another chance!
Very quickly Kaleb finds himself in over his head and constrained by an agreement that prevents his magic usage, having to rely on his Witch best friend and some new supernatural allies to assist him in containing the chaos that has been unleashed. An emotionally charged climax ( though don’t expect anything too rich as this is on the shorter side) rounded off a really fun read and left plenty to be explored further.
The prose was highly readable, and the characters all had fun personalities, whilst Flynn was an hilarious surprise. I would qualify this by adding that the female characters, at first at least, could fall into a bit of an ‘overbearing and slightly aggressive’ female stereotype, whilst some readers may not appreciate some of the language used to refer to them at times, although they do refer to each other as such as well. Over the course of the book, I think that any concerns I had were addressed, and I certainly didn’t see it as any intentional slight by the author, so it didn’t ruin my experience but I wanted to put it out there as I know not everyone will feel the same.
Read this for a book full of charm, magic and wit that definitely left me wanting more, but also to return to take in the lore again which I’m certain will be further explored.
4/5 for the sheer fun of it
Kaleb Reigns just wants to live a normal life. So much in fact that he swore an Oath to never use any of his gifts again. An Oath to leave the supernatural world behind, to walk away and never interfere again. Kaleb’s best friend is missing, and someone is messing with his dreams. He has been warned by the witches not to get involved, but Kaleb has to make a choice.
Some Oaths are meant to be broken.
We start off this book with a banger of a prologue. Very foreboding and atmospheric, which is absolutely my jam. Unfortunatel the prologue and the lore it sets up don’t entirely get addressed in this debut, however it certainly was a fantastic way to start the novel.
Straight away we are introduced to Kaleb Reigns, a bit of a smartass wise cracking young adult on his way to a wedding. As mentioned, Kaleb is certainly a very charismatic lead for the novel, and I certainly appreciated his acerbic comments at times, often bringing levity to scenes that need a bit of a breather.
Wedding shenanigans ensue, and it is in the aftermath of these events that the main story really begins, following the disappearance of Kaleb’s friend Sam. Kaleb quickly realises he has been drawn into events beyond his control, and has to rely on his witch friend Abbie, along with his newfound companions Alex and Nina ( amongst others).
The banter that occurred between Kaleb and Nina was actually highly entertaining! Both of them have a little bit of an indignant, childlike streak to their personalities, and they certainly loved to push each other’s buttons. Alex and Kaleb have a clear bond with one another and I for one really enjoyed their wholesome partnership that lent a lot of heart to the novel.
It is these interactions between the characters that really helped elevate the characterisation within, as for the most part we don’t get too in depth to the characters and their motivations. Not to suggest these are cardboard cut-outs, merely that the length of the novel doesn’t afford the level of character examination that an 800+page extravaganza would do.
The highest possible praise I could give to this debut is that it is certainly a far better debut than Storm Front by Jim Butcher was. Where that novel felt lazy and stereotypical, this novel felt vibrant in its worldbuilding, cast, and had an engrossing and well-rounded plot.
There is clearly a lot of foundation laid out here, and I like that it was more explicit than it felt in Storm Front, so that there are clearly further avenues to be explored later on in the series.
The climax was very satisfying and did a fantastic job at drawing all the threads together, with just enough emotional resonance to make it stand out.
Overall, a really fun and entertaining read full of humour, and a whip fast pace. Well worth the investment in this new urban fantasy, especially for fans of Jim Butcher, as well those willing to give UF another chance!
July 29, 2023
A flipping entertaining urban fantasy with a lot of foundation to burn through. Made me snort out my fizzy drink at once point with it's humour. It's got guts and it's hard to break out from unfathomably sized wizarding warlock cloud the Dresden Files overshadows on the genre. Yet it blindingly brightens a light through to stand out. Not a bad start.
August 2, 2022
This was a fun quick read with lots of action and interesting magic and world building. I particularly liked the author's visual descriptions, which really made the magic come to life. I almost wish the book had been a bit longer, though, to allow for some quiet moments and more character development. A lot of the side characters kind of blended together for me and lacked distinction other than maybe one or two personality traits each, and this could have easily been solved with simply more space for us to get to know the characters. Also a minor quibble that a lot of the names seemed too similar -- the three most prominent female characters in the story are named Abby, Alex, and Agnes, for instance, and at one point the hero fights a zombie named Dave alongside a vampire named David. Still I think this series has a lot of potential and look forward to seeing what comes next from this author.
December 11, 2021
good book . I really enjoyed this. Caleb is a fun character and I can't wait more books in this world.. the story has a "supernatural " (the t.v. show) kinda vibe and I love it. I'm a fan of Jarryd Smith and the world he created
June 27, 2021
3.5 Stars Though my normal preference is for clean books with limited violence, there are times I enjoy a gritty urban fantasy. Chaos Reigns fit the bill with a fair amount of profanity, gruesome violence, and a bit of sex.
What I liked: With likable, if somewhat vomit-prone, main character, Kaleb Reigns, and a supporting cast of vampires, witches, and other supernatural creatures Chaos Reigns proved to be a quick and enticing read, keeping me turning pages. Kaleb’s backstory as revealed in pieces throughout the book helped me want to see him succeed.
What I didn’t like: Unfortunately, the book could use a good edit. There are many places where the writing should have been tightened and polished. The frequent use of being verbs and awkward phrasing like “could see” or “could feel” rather than the more concise “saw” or “felt” make the writing clunky and wordier than it needed to be, slowed the action, and pulled me out of the character’s POV.
All in all, though, I enjoyed the read and would recommend Kaleb Reigns to older readers who prefer gritty urban fantasy and are not offended by foul language, actions, and violence.
What I liked: With likable, if somewhat vomit-prone, main character, Kaleb Reigns, and a supporting cast of vampires, witches, and other supernatural creatures Chaos Reigns proved to be a quick and enticing read, keeping me turning pages. Kaleb’s backstory as revealed in pieces throughout the book helped me want to see him succeed.
What I didn’t like: Unfortunately, the book could use a good edit. There are many places where the writing should have been tightened and polished. The frequent use of being verbs and awkward phrasing like “could see” or “could feel” rather than the more concise “saw” or “felt” make the writing clunky and wordier than it needed to be, slowed the action, and pulled me out of the character’s POV.
All in all, though, I enjoyed the read and would recommend Kaleb Reigns to older readers who prefer gritty urban fantasy and are not offended by foul language, actions, and violence.
January 26, 2022
I was going to give this 2 Stars but I boosted a star due to actually enjoying the story.
The author on Twitter gave me an audible code for the book so I feel I must be honest.
Audiobook:
Performance: 2 stars (seriously couldn't gel with the narrator. He made juvenile dialogue alot more juvenile with his bad voices)
Story:
Really enjoyable and lots to go on, ok it needed a bit more finesse but we can forgive that. I particularly loved the prologue and the epilogue. The main characters (in particular Reigns) I just couldn't work with, I found them annoying and alot of them dull.
This hasn't/won't stop me reading more by Mr Smith because there is definitely something there, it's just not fully developed yet.
The author on Twitter gave me an audible code for the book so I feel I must be honest.
Audiobook:
Performance: 2 stars (seriously couldn't gel with the narrator. He made juvenile dialogue alot more juvenile with his bad voices)
Story:
Really enjoyable and lots to go on, ok it needed a bit more finesse but we can forgive that. I particularly loved the prologue and the epilogue. The main characters (in particular Reigns) I just couldn't work with, I found them annoying and alot of them dull.
This hasn't/won't stop me reading more by Mr Smith because there is definitely something there, it's just not fully developed yet.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews