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The Sum of Ages #3
Harrowing Echoes
The demon armies have returned, and the world was not prepared to face them.
Each bearing a piece of the sacred light, Corin and Olenka have finally found the power to defend their people. But the demon scourge is spreading fast, and there are few places of refuge left in the endless storm. Very soon, there may be no one left to save amid the breathless hordes of infected.
Unless the world can come together.
But the stone giants of Shan Zhong are not easily swayed. Now Corin must prove himself to the children of the mountains, a race so ancient that they remember the first yokai calamity…
…as well as Vallin’s failure to end it.
To the south, Olenka races from the safety of the sacred city to rescue a doomed fleet on a sick sea, but help is hard to come by on the blackened tides of a tainted ocean. Should she place her trust in her own finite strength, or in the bloody hands of pirates who claim noble intent?
Either way, the future is filled with the harrowing echoes of the past.
Each bearing a piece of the sacred light, Corin and Olenka have finally found the power to defend their people. But the demon scourge is spreading fast, and there are few places of refuge left in the endless storm. Very soon, there may be no one left to save amid the breathless hordes of infected.
Unless the world can come together.
But the stone giants of Shan Zhong are not easily swayed. Now Corin must prove himself to the children of the mountains, a race so ancient that they remember the first yokai calamity…
…as well as Vallin’s failure to end it.
To the south, Olenka races from the safety of the sacred city to rescue a doomed fleet on a sick sea, but help is hard to come by on the blackened tides of a tainted ocean. Should she place her trust in her own finite strength, or in the bloody hands of pirates who claim noble intent?
Either way, the future is filled with the harrowing echoes of the past.
374 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 31, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 18, 2023
‘Welcome to eternity…’
…where immortality is the only true freedom. Freedom from hunger, fear, sleep, illness, cold, pain, thirst, and even death. Would you want to live forever? I know I wouldn’t, especially knowing that there is always a steep price to pay (Daniel Webster, Dorian Gray, Dr. Faustus, etc.).
There are cultural differences among the various peoples. Speech patterns is the most common and ways of thinking (related to each other) as well as oral story-telling (a lost art in many parts of our world).
The author has some sage advice (that I could have used back in the day when dating):
‘Even a fool like me knows not to sail back into a storm after it’s passed.’
Fave quotes:
‘Anger is not courage.’
‘Pride is not confidence.’
I picked up on Olenka’s comments that the infected were sick and needed help. Rather than fear those who are in dark places (addiction, emotional & mental health issues, PTSD, etc.), we should reach out a helping hand. Many of these issues can be mitigated if addressed and treated properly.
This book can inspire our youth to think creatively, hone their self-esteem, take action, help people, recognize and solve problems, consider the greater good, respect cultures other than their own, listen to the wisdom of their elders, work together, take (calculated) risks.
‘Use your gifts and you will live’
Will totally continue with this series (including the Aetorium Anthology) as well as start ‘Kindred Straits (Daughters of the Storm #1).
…where immortality is the only true freedom. Freedom from hunger, fear, sleep, illness, cold, pain, thirst, and even death. Would you want to live forever? I know I wouldn’t, especially knowing that there is always a steep price to pay (Daniel Webster, Dorian Gray, Dr. Faustus, etc.).
There are cultural differences among the various peoples. Speech patterns is the most common and ways of thinking (related to each other) as well as oral story-telling (a lost art in many parts of our world).
The author has some sage advice (that I could have used back in the day when dating):
‘Even a fool like me knows not to sail back into a storm after it’s passed.’
Fave quotes:
‘Anger is not courage.’
‘Pride is not confidence.’
I picked up on Olenka’s comments that the infected were sick and needed help. Rather than fear those who are in dark places (addiction, emotional & mental health issues, PTSD, etc.), we should reach out a helping hand. Many of these issues can be mitigated if addressed and treated properly.
This book can inspire our youth to think creatively, hone their self-esteem, take action, help people, recognize and solve problems, consider the greater good, respect cultures other than their own, listen to the wisdom of their elders, work together, take (calculated) risks.
‘Use your gifts and you will live’
Will totally continue with this series (including the Aetorium Anthology) as well as start ‘Kindred Straits (Daughters of the Storm #1).
February 5, 2023
Audiobook: I enjoyed book 3 of "The Sum Of Ages" series a lot. Both Corin and Olenka continued to follow their own torturous paths to gain understanding and mastery of their powers. The demon army continued to amass strength and enticed more members to its purpose. I appreciated the lyrical language of the outlanders. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Zac Aleman's narration was superb. His varied voices were fun. His skillful vocalization of the English language was profound. His name has been added to my personal group of favorite narrators, and I will look for more audiobooks performed by him. I was given a free copy of the audiobook through Spotify, and I have voluntarily posted this review.
February 2, 2023
A great continuation of the series. There's still a great amount of action and suspense with just enough hints of possible conclusions to make you both celebrate taht this isn't the final book (because you can keep reading and lament it (because you want to know how it's going to tie together). This novel hit a bit more on philosophy than my usual preference but it balanced it nicely with continued progression, which stopped anything from sounding preachy. I'm excited to see the 2 main characters storylines winding closer and closer together. Can't wait to see what book 4 brings!
February 14, 2023
I think that this series keeps getting better and better. I did miss the pov swapping back and forth in lieu of half about one mc and the other half about the second mc. This is just personal preference though. I really loved watching the main characters preparing for their battle against the big bad. I like seeing the mind warping hive mind's pov too. I know I'm excited for the next release in this series.
August 23, 2023
This book dragged on. And it didn't help that I didn't know the story would not be wrapped up by the end of it. When the next part of the story does come out, I'll probably read it. Though it looks like right now he's working on a prequel series so it may be a while.
Unfortunately, my library doesn't own the correct, published copy of the ebook, so I'm not totally sure of the ending but I'm trying to figure out if I want to buy the kindle version or not 😅
Unfortunately, my library doesn't own the correct, published copy of the ebook, so I'm not totally sure of the ending but I'm trying to figure out if I want to buy the kindle version or not 😅
September 4, 2022
Benjamin Schwarting continues his engaging coming of age fantasy! A well written story, the pacing is good, and the characters and world are well fleshed out and interesting. I look forward the next series from Benjamin! Audio Version: Zac Aleman continues to do a great job with each character and the overall narration.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews