Title: King's Warrior
Series: The Minstrel's Song (Book #1)
Year: 2012
Author: Jenelle Leanne Schmidt
Summary: Six hundred years ago the land of Aom-igh was threatened with invasion by the Dark Country across the Stained Sea; in their danger King Llian sought the help of the dragons and the myth-folk. Graldon, King of the Dragons, granted the human king with a gift that would help him defeat his enemies. Graldon also promised King Llian that the dragons would come to the humans’ aid should Aom-igh ever be in such danger again. Years passed, and Aom-igh remained safe and isolated from its enemies. The dragons slowly disappeared and faded into legend and myth, and people forgot magic had ever existed.
When her kingdom is threatened by the Dark Country once again, the headstrong Princess Kamarie sets off on a quest to find the man who may be able to save them all: the former King’s Warrior. Traveling with her are two companions: her eccentric maid, and a squire who resents his charge to travel with and protect the princess. However, finding the legendary hero proves to be the least of their worries. Together the companions encounter more than they ever bargained for. A beautiful gatekeeper, a sword fashioned by dragons, enemies who pursue them relentlessly and hound them at every turn, and an underground world full of mythical creatures are just the beginning of their adventures.
As they search for the answers to mystifying riddles and seek a way to save everything they hold dear the comrades will learn a little about courage, a lot about truth, and more about themselves than they ever imagined. But if they can succeed in their quest, they may join worlds together. (from Goodreads)
When her kingdom is threatened by the Dark Country once again, the headstrong Princess Kamarie sets off on a quest to find the man who may be able to save them all: the former King’s Warrior. Traveling with her are two companions: her eccentric maid, and a squire who resents his charge to travel with and protect the princess. However, finding the legendary hero proves to be the least of their worries. Together the companions encounter more than they ever bargained for. A beautiful gatekeeper, a sword fashioned by dragons, enemies who pursue them relentlessly and hound them at every turn, and an underground world full of mythical creatures are just the beginning of their adventures.
As they search for the answers to mystifying riddles and seek a way to save everything they hold dear the comrades will learn a little about courage, a lot about truth, and more about themselves than they ever imagined. But if they can succeed in their quest, they may join worlds together. (from Goodreads)
Main Characters:
~ Kamarie
~ Oraeyn
~ Brant
~ Dylanna
~ Yole
~ Kamarie
~ Oraeyn
~ Brant
~ Dylanna
~ Yole
Review: I'd heard a lot about this book through many of my blogging friends, and I've wanted to read it for a while. It took a while to get me to get it for my Kindle, and then it took even longer to get around to actually reading it. No fault of the book's; I'm just a avid procrastinator.
This is a fantastic fantasy adventure in the style of Narnia or the DragonKeeper Chronicles. I did very much enjoy it. The characters, at first, seem a bit stereotypical of an epic fantasy tale, but once you get to know them, they dash all stereotypes to pieces. Kamarie is a sword-loving, action-loving princess, but she's not above asking for help. Darby is her eccentric old maid, but she's got her secrets and isn't too stuck up to get her elbows dirty in the adventure. Oraeyn is a squire, working towards being a full-fledged knight, but he'll admit that there's still a lot he doesn't know. Brant is a well-trained warrior and outdoorsman, but he has his share of tragedy and secrets. Yole is a fun orphan boy, but there's a lot more to him than meets the eye.
The style is a little wordy, and I felt that at times a lot of information was repeated, first in the narration and then by someone talking. Personally, I think that this story could have used a little more editing to cut down on the repetitions and wordiness, but it was still very enjoyable.
The plot and events were sometimes a little unusual and full of twists! It was fun to read and ride along on the adventures of Kamarie and her friends. One of my absolute favorite scenes was early on when Oraeyn and Kamarie settle the question of leadership on their quest - involving a river. Quite out of the ordinary, but very memorable. *grins*
Also: DRAGONS!! I loved the dragons. They were amazing. And dragons are wonderful things to have in stories. They were a pretty epic bonus to an epic story. Dragons are good things to read about. As a confession, I feel like I would read and enjoy almost any story with a good dragon in it.
I would recommend this book to lovers of fantasy, adventure, and fun. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series (The Minstrel's Song), and I was very pleased to note I already have the other two books (Second Son and Yorien's Hand) on my Kindle. Guess what I'll be doing soon? While the end was satisfactory, I still had too many questions to allow the story to end with book one. Relationships, people, REASONS. Things still need to happen, so I'm going to keep reading and not talk about it because of spoilers. But I'm pretty sure you'd get hooked too, so read, enjoy, and read some more.
This is a fantastic fantasy adventure in the style of Narnia or the DragonKeeper Chronicles. I did very much enjoy it. The characters, at first, seem a bit stereotypical of an epic fantasy tale, but once you get to know them, they dash all stereotypes to pieces. Kamarie is a sword-loving, action-loving princess, but she's not above asking for help. Darby is her eccentric old maid, but she's got her secrets and isn't too stuck up to get her elbows dirty in the adventure. Oraeyn is a squire, working towards being a full-fledged knight, but he'll admit that there's still a lot he doesn't know. Brant is a well-trained warrior and outdoorsman, but he has his share of tragedy and secrets. Yole is a fun orphan boy, but there's a lot more to him than meets the eye.
The style is a little wordy, and I felt that at times a lot of information was repeated, first in the narration and then by someone talking. Personally, I think that this story could have used a little more editing to cut down on the repetitions and wordiness, but it was still very enjoyable.
The plot and events were sometimes a little unusual and full of twists! It was fun to read and ride along on the adventures of Kamarie and her friends. One of my absolute favorite scenes was early on when Oraeyn and Kamarie settle the question of leadership on their quest - involving a river. Quite out of the ordinary, but very memorable. *grins*
Also: DRAGONS!! I loved the dragons. They were amazing. And dragons are wonderful things to have in stories. They were a pretty epic bonus to an epic story. Dragons are good things to read about. As a confession, I feel like I would read and enjoy almost any story with a good dragon in it.
I would recommend this book to lovers of fantasy, adventure, and fun. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series (The Minstrel's Song), and I was very pleased to note I already have the other two books (Second Son and Yorien's Hand) on my Kindle. Guess what I'll be doing soon? While the end was satisfactory, I still had too many questions to allow the story to end with book one. Relationships, people, REASONS. Things still need to happen, so I'm going to keep reading and not talk about it because of spoilers. But I'm pretty sure you'd get hooked too, so read, enjoy, and read some more.
Advisory: Some fantasy violence/fighting/death. Not over the top, and I thought it very well handled for the tone of the novel.
There is also magic in this story, but I think the author handled that well, too. Normally, I don't enjoy books with lots of magic in it (I'll leave my lengthy explanation for another time). The magic in this book is used only by those who have been trained to use it (i.e. the wizards and wizardesses) for the benefit of others. I didn't think the magic overused, but I'd be interested in reading and researching more of this author so that I could more fully understand how she's using that magic as it's not completely clear in this one novel.
There is also magic in this story, but I think the author handled that well, too. Normally, I don't enjoy books with lots of magic in it (I'll leave my lengthy explanation for another time). The magic in this book is used only by those who have been trained to use it (i.e. the wizards and wizardesses) for the benefit of others. I didn't think the magic overused, but I'd be interested in reading and researching more of this author so that I could more fully understand how she's using that magic as it's not completely clear in this one novel.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
