A sinister plot brews in Caledonia...He’s fighting dark magic.She’s conspiring against the King.Will their efforts be enough to stop a Ghoule invasion?In Book Two of The Tales of Caledonia, Bryen and Aislinn both learn they hold immense power as Magii. Working separately, they discover multiple players vying for control of Caledonia. The King and his Advisor are obvious threats, but an evil runs deeper and endangers more than who controls the Duchies.As more Ghoules break through the Weir, the soldiers of the Southern Marches start to feel the strain of battle – and the Magii realize they may be too few in number to combat the beasts.Bryen soon realizes his power also contains the Curse, an ancient connection to Dark Magic that cannot be tamed and ultimately consumes its host.Will Bryen figure out how to control the two sources of magic within him to stop the Ghoule Overlord? Will Aislinn find a way to stop the King and his Advisor before it is too late?Discover why an Amazon reviewer says of Amazon best-selling author Peter Wacht, “From the very first page Peter Wacht pulls the reader in and then deftly inserts a plot twist. I couldn't put this book down. Masterful storytelling, great characters and the world building is layered and leaves one wanting more. Get cozy for this one.”Click now and start reading.
Growing up in New York when I was a kid, I used to haunt the science fiction and fantasy bookstore in Yonkers, searching for the epic fantasy stories that I loved to read. When I exhausted all my options, I started writing my own stories, never realizing that one day I would publish them.
As you read my stories, you’ll notice certain themes and I like to carry them over from one book to the next. I always include adventure, humor, a few twists, a bunch of fights (magic and steel), and a little romance, along with a few good monsters. But for me it always starts with engaging characters. Because without characters who grow and change as they seek to overcome the challenges placed before them, as they seek to move forward, the story can’t move forward.
In particular, I like to focus on the reluctant hero, a man or a woman not seeking glory, but rather seeking to help others and challenge the evil plaguing the world – a world that I’ve created, The Realms of the Talent and the Curse. They need to learn how to believe in themselves before they can do what’s demanded of them. A personal journey that all of us experience, often more than once in our lifetimes, from lack of belief to belief in the self.
To learn more, check out the Amazon series pages for my current epic fantasy series -- The Sylvan Chronicles, The Tales of Caledonia, and The Tales of the Territories -- and my first foray into urban fantasy, The Fallen Knight Series. (Many of the books in these series have been or are Amazon #1 Bestsellers in various categories as well as #1 New Releases.)
And to download a free story, or join my newsletter for the latest news and releases, visit https://peterwachtbooks.com
Disappointing sequel, too much glaring inconsistency
Enjoyed First book, for the most part, as the story had a grim, gritty tone. Now it’s a PC Fairy Tale, as the 2 major MC’s evolve and become Captain America and Super Princess in this one, book 2. Marvel fans will probably enjoy but I prefer real people rising to the occasion. If an author throws in some ‘credible’ magic, I can live with that but the magic system here becomes nonsensical.
More typo and grammar errors than should be. If this story was translated, OK but prose should still be better.
The Inconsistencies, alongside contradictions, became maddening…to me, at least. It’s everywhere, from storyline, plots and the world the author builds. GG (Good guys) don’t have any body armor worth mentioning by author and BG (Bad guys) use armor-ish stuff and have ‘armor like’ skin. Book 1, normal sword wasn’t effective for about 90% of the area of a BG. Sometimes a weapon was effective anywhere against BG by any GG and sometimes not. MC could magic his sword so…but there weren’t many super mages running around.
Considering world built, I kept asking myself where are the bows and arrows. MC magics himself a shield but no one else gives it a thought. Visibility spell for ambush and BG were feet away from GG…who were on horseback. Guess horses don’t count for much and obviously well trained…author forgot to tell us. Oh, a spear with huge blades on both ends. Hey, us humans are pretty clever when it comes to conflict and wars. Lots of reasons why this ain’t a good idea unless you’re a Klingon.
Within 3 pages, one group of GG want to ambush BG in open field and author explains why, logically. BG chameleon like appearance wouldn’t be a problem and GG need room fighting BG 8 feet tall, strength and speed. Then author contradicts everything when another GG group is ambushing in a confined area along with logical justification. So which is it?
Narrative of combat by an MC is long, wordy and overdone. Extended summary for anything else. Lots more but I’m done.
3.5 stars - I didn’t realise this was more of a kids book than young adult, and I just think I’m past the age for this book. The writing lost a star for being so repetitive - many things were repeated over and over for no reason and it got quite frustrating and really diminished the reading experience. I also feel like the pace of the book has really been spread out to stretch the series into something longer than it needs to be. I’ve got lots of other books on my TBR, so won’t be returning to this series.
90% of the way through book 2 of this series, with our heroes on the way to deal with the evil king and save our princess, we get involved in a McGuffin† battle. The MC and 3 major characters are involved, and as the author switches viewpoints we are treated to page after mind-numbing page of plot rehash and character back-story. The battle narrative lasts 55 pages, well over 10% of the book.
† a McGuffin is a task or quest the characters care about, but the reader doesn't
This book is mildly interesting. It's a book you read if you have nothing better to do at the time. The story line is really childish and not very well laid out. Characters are boring, argue all the time and ate just not very interesting. The writing style and lack if depth is fit more towards young kids.
First book had some interesting story points. This book keeps repeating the same narration over and over and rehashing everything from the first book. I just found myself skipping paragraphs and paragraphs.
Main characters quickly become 1-dimensional. Ghoules that were near invincible in first book now get mowed down like grass.
This second book of the series continues the story. A little too much Ghoule-fighting and since the two main characters, Bryen and Aislinn, are separated through most of the story, I missed the interaction between them. I'm still invested in the plot and characters and have purchased the next book in the series.
The Protector has been freed but duty and justice call him.
All the Overlord's resources are now focused on the Protector since he merged with the Seventh Stone. He now leads his allies toward the capital for a show down with the King and his evil advisor.
This is my new favorite fantasy series. I can’t wait for the next book. Wacht has polished his writing style after the Sylvan series and is delivering high quality and thoughtful storytelling. Very much looking forward to the next installment.
This series never stops developing its characters. keeping one intrigued and creating a land to get lost in! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to be entertained and swept away from today's current reality
I am amazed at how the author continues to create such entertaining books with such strong characters and well written story lines. I have yet to be even a little disappointed in his writing.
Very enjoyable. I'm really enjoying this series. And this book was a reason why. I just read the its going to be a five or six book series. With all that's happened so far I'm curious to see where it goes but I'm sure it going to be a fun ride.
The book is an easy read fun read. I enjoyed reading it. I enjoyed the characters. I enjoyed to see the character development and the story develop. Feels a little bit like a young adult book rather than a adult novel. But still a very enjoyable read
With the Ghoules becoming more of a problem and now that Bryen is a Magus the story is getting more intense. Bryen has learnt how to master the talent and the dark magic and that helps with the defeating of the Ghoules. But the adventure continues in rescuing of Alisanna and her father hopeful before she forced to marry the king. Very intense and a real page turning.
Merged review:
With the Ghoules becoming more a problem and now that Bryen is a Magus the story is getting more intense. Bryen has learnt to master the Talent and the dark magic and that helps with the defeating of the Ghoules coming through the Wier. But the adventure continues in rescuing Aislinn and her father hopefully before she is forced into marring the King. Very intense and a real page turner. Greatly written and another great book in the series.