Julia Phillips Smith

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This was a great coming of age novel for readers of all ages. You feel Scorpius’ disappointment at being raised by Nurse and no Noble came to retrieve him. Then one day when he was seven years old, a Falconer came for him to become his apprentice. The falconer tried to raise him not knowing much about the outside world. But Scorpius finds out about the world on him own.

I enjoyed the pace of the novel, as there was always something going on. You could easily see the line that is drown between the Nobles and servants. In this book, we saw Scorpius grow up and the Falconer age. Then the troubles arrive. Scorpius saves a young Noble, and that bring him on a new and adventurous adventure. This was a really great book, I can’t wait to see the next book in this series!
… (mehr)

This well-written story is a fresh interpretation of vampire mythology, in an accurately described dark ages setting. It begins as a simple romance cut short by death, and grows into a layered tale of a love triangle involving people in warring groups. These vampires take great delight in drinking the blood of their victims, and in other sensual pleasures, but the telling is never gratuitous. As this is part one of a trilogy, the ending does not resolve all issues. I'm looking forward to the next one, both to read more by this author, and to find out what happens next.… (mehr)

This is a story of a young child taken from the nursery of nobility because no one claimed him. He is raised as a falconer’s apprentice and grows into a fine young man. During his time as an apprentice, he is exposed to the treachery and deceit of the nobility. What he never expects is how much his life will be swallowed up by those he despises and how he’ll find a place he belongs.

The story is set at a very even and steady pace without much in the way of sitting on the edge of your seat. It is written more in an epic style which spreads the story out and allows the reader to stop when he needs to and return just as easy. I read pretty fast, but this one took me longer to digest as there was so much going on that had to be taken in and processed. It was not too much, at all. Everything in the story is significant. There is no fluff added to it. It is a very deliberate story that will have you hooked.

The characters are extremely well-written with depth and potential. I enjoyed them all, even the ones I loathed. They are complex and just plain beautiful.

I have to say that the writing for this book is one of the best that I have read in ages. It is not written down to lower levels like many books are. It is a mix of genres with the echo of an epic. I cannot wait for the next one. This is a future classic right here.

There is some violence in the story but nothing graphic.

Note: I received this book from participating in a book tour with no expectation of a positive review.… (mehr)