Synopsis
Adventure. Competition. A duel to the death.
While on a journey to the famous city of Thronehold, Volke Savan learns of the Sovereign Dragon Tournament. The massive celebration involves hundreds of arcanists competing for fame and glory, and Volke is determined to win.
Dark forces dwell in the city, however, and rumors of the legendary world serpent spread amongst the shadows. Whoever bonds with a god-like mystical creature will gain magic beyond compare, and the queen's guards suspect cutthroats will use the chaos of the tournament to hide their plotting.
Unsure of who to trust, Volke investigates the terrible rumors while advancing in the ranks of the tournament. Unfortunately, the true villain may be closer than he realizes...
Continue the Frith Chronicles with the third book, Coliseum Arcanist !
Buy Link
My Review
Oh. My. God. This book is amazing. If you thought the first two were fantastic, prepare to be blown away by Coliseum Arcanist. Seriously, I'm an emotional wreck after reading this.
In Coliseum Arcanist, Volke and the other members of the Frith Guild are traveling to Thronehold to speak to the Queen. While there, Volke learns about the Sovereign Tournament. Hexa and Zaxis are adamant about joining (and winning), so Volke and Illia decide to compete as well.
But the tournament is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There's so much going on in this book. I don't really know what to say without spoiling anything or giving too much away, but just know that the tournament is basically a pebble causing a ripple in a puddle, and everything else that's going on is a giant boulder crashing into a lake with a huge splash. Everyone is on edge (including the reader). I can say, without a doubt, that I was so stressed out reading this book because I kept anticipating the worst, and I had no idea what might happen next.
I love the world-building in this series. There's so much more to Thronehold than anywhere else the guild has been so far, and it's fascinating to discover the different locations dotted throughout the city. Each district is named, and the characters visit quite a few of them while there. The Moonlight District is definitely the most intriguing.
Also, new human characters and eldrin. I loved that! Mythical creatures fascinate me, and seeing all the amazing additions to the story made me ridiculously happy. There's one arcanist who is bonded to a creature, and the only reason I knew what that creature was is because of the author I sometimes work for. He wrote a Peter Pan retelling and had one of those creatures in his book, so I was excited to see it mentioned in my new favorite series.
I think my favorite new character is Karna. She's super neat, and I'd love to know more about her. And my favorite character overall now is Fain. Why, I won't say (no spoilers!), but I adore him so much now.
Also, as much as I find Adelgis's father to be an awful person, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he's going to prove me wrong, and that he might end up being the hero we (the readers) never knew we needed.
Coliseum Arcanist is a large, long read (700 pages!), but every page counts. There's no lag in the pacing of the plot. There's action, adventure, romance, a thrilling competition, an undercurrent of terrible things to come, and so much more. It's well worth the read, and I'm beyond excited for book four.
5 (but realistically 10) very well-deserved stars from me!
Author Bio
Shami Stovall grew up in California’s central valley with a single mother and little brother.
Despite no one in her family earning a degree higher than a GED, she put herself through college
(earning a BA in History), and then continued on to law school where she obtained her
Juris Doctorate.
Despite no one in her family earning a degree higher than a GED, she put herself through college
(earning a BA in History), and then continued on to law school where she obtained her
Juris Doctorate.
As a child, Stovall’s favorite novel was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell.
The adventure on a deserted island opened her mind to ideas and realities she had never given
thought before—and it was at that moment Stovall realized story telling (specifically fiction) became
her passion. Anything that told a story, be it a movie, book, video game or comic,
she had to experience. Now, as a professor and author, Stovall wants to add her voice to the
myriad of stories in the world and she hopes you enjoy.
The adventure on a deserted island opened her mind to ideas and realities she had never given
thought before—and it was at that moment Stovall realized story telling (specifically fiction) became
her passion. Anything that told a story, be it a movie, book, video game or comic,
she had to experience. Now, as a professor and author, Stovall wants to add her voice to the
myriad of stories in the world and she hopes you enjoy.
You can contact her at the following addresses.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SAStovall/
Twitter: @GameOverStation
Website: https://sastovallauthor.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.