Rebels of Halklyen

The Hawks #1

by Paula Baker, Aidan Davies

It was an accident. But that matters little in Abbarkon. A duke is dead and Flint is sentenced to hang. Steps away from the gallows, a mysterious jester and a black-cloaked man snatch him from his guards.

He joins the Hawks as an untrained serving boy, but under the rebels' instruction, he becomes a master of two swords.

Prepare to be swept away in a whirlwind adventure where the line between heroes and assassins blurs. The clash of swords and magic will determine the fate of a kingdom.

A spell binding tale, Rebels of Halklyen will enchant fans of Eragon and Ranger's Apprentice, leaving you craving more of Flint's extraordinary journey.

Genres: Fantasy

Paperback

First published July 8, 2012

About the author

Part of a mother-and-son author team, Paula Baker wrote Rebels of Halklyen, The God Sword and The White Wolf, a middle grade fantasy trilogy, with her son, Aidan Davies. She grew up on a farm in Manitoba where she spent as much time reading as she did building treehouses.

After earning a Bachelor of Music Education from Brandon University and a Masters in Gifted Education from the University of North Texas, she worked as a band teacher and librarian for thirty-five years.

Her writing partnership with Aidan began on the first day of summer holidays after his grade nine year. They decided they would list their names alphabetically on the cover of their book. He was thinking of first names and as a librarian, she knew it was last names that mattered. Over the years, they have developed a system where after discussing the story, he outlines the chapters and she writes them.

She lives in British Columbia, Canada with her husband, two kayaks, five bikes, nine pairs of skis and a well-used pair of hiking boots.

Reviews

[Robin Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love stories with swords, axes, kings guards,magic and lots of fighting. This story has all of these things. Great story. These authors have out done themselves.

[Anya Josephs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rebels of Halklyen is a dark adventure fantasy (though suited, I would say, for younger readers) about a boy named Flint who is wrongfully sentenced to death and then caught up in a political conspiracy.

The book tends more toward military fantasy than is my personal preference. However, it does what it does extremely well.

The authors are wonderful storytellers, with a clear voice and a particular talent for action sequences . The book is very well-paced and well-plotted. The scenes of action are filled with a page-turning energy, and also coalesce into a sweeping narrative. Also, Mortakallu, the villain, is a terrific antagonist in the "dark lord" mode. Powerful, scary, and totally evil.

I look forward to learning more about the characters and the world in the sequels!

You can read my full review here: https://wordpress.com/post/anyajoseph...

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic adventure, which follows on from it's introduction, Raptor's Call. Perfect for YA and those who enjoy a good, clean, dark fantasy. Great characters and world building which keeps you engaged throughout. Filled with missions, fighting, actions  humour and loss. A good read for any age.

[Judy Sacco · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast read with enough excitement to take you into a different world and give you a break from your own

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rebels of Halklyen: The Hawks: Book One, my third read from author Paula Baker, co-written with her son Aidan Davies. A 319-page entertaining & enjoyable adventure. The book calls itself a Teen & Young Adult Sword & Sorcery Fantasy but I sat it's an epic fantasy with a hint of steampunk. “I received a Kindle copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. I'll read more from this author. I look forward to reading The God Sword: The Hawks: Book Two, high on my TBR list. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Micah Carleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was definitely more YA than I initially thought, which made it a little slow of a read for me. Also, I listened to it on audiobook and the reader was just tough to listen to. Really enjoyed the characters in this book though, and wish that I could start the next book in the series right away (want to see what happens with Fletta, Del, and Flint) but cannot seem to find them available anywhere.

This book was fun, cute, and the kind of book I would recommend to a high schooler or someone looking for a book for a weekend.

[Ami Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a grand adventure! This was a clean first book of three in a fantasy that had monsters and zombies and heroes who had to figure out how to conquer before they were killed. I loved the ease of reading, how the world building brought me in with no problem, and how the story progressed. There was enough tension that I wasn’t bored, but not so much that I couldn’t breathe. I’m definitely interested in the rest of this series!

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll be honest. It probably will be rated higher by others. I enjoyed most of the audiobook. But some parts just went slow to me. The narrator did a good job. I’m relatively new to audiobooks. Maybe that’s part of it. I still enjoy what I can see and feel. A better statement might be will I listen to it again. Yes. It does deserve a second chance and maybe my enjoyment will improve so please give it a chance.

[T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this series is for young readers (I think), it is still an enjoyable and exciting read for us older readers. There is enough emotions present in the characters and their actions. Especially during/after the death of a certain person. That was sad. I would like to know how the characters will develop further, and will Dell ever show his face?

I will read the rest of the books. I need to know how this will end!

[Terry M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good fantasy. An epic adventure, which follows on from it's introduction, Raptor's Call. Perfect for YA and those who enjoy a good, clean, dark fantasy. Great characters and world building which keeps you engaged throughout. Filled with missions, fighting, actions  humour and loss. A good read for any age. I received an copy for free from storyorigin, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Raeleane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic epic fantasy story by Paula Baker and Aiden Davies. Cadmon, Gode, Flint,Fleta and Orma's characters are my my favorites. I think all the characters were well developed and engaging. And once again the world building is spot on. There are a few twists and turns, as well as humor. So far a great trilogy to read!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew this was a kids series, but the adults are written like a kid would write it, not FOR kids. Just a weird vibe for the whole story. It made it worse with the audiobook narrator sounding bored the entire time she read the story.

[aem · Rating 4 out of 5]

exciting adventures of rebel group fighting against an oppressive ruler

[Justin Zepf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great light read!

Picked up this book at random , I was looking for something fun. This story had me hooked by the second chapter. Looking forward to reading the next one.

[Kl · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't get into to it. The writing was fine the story line just wasn't interesting to me.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than I expected.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story for middle grade readers who enjoy adventure and sword fights.