The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! š
thymrman's review against another edition
2.0
I found this book to be rather generic and uninteresting after a sort while. Nothing in this book felt like a really original idea, and it wasn't all that well put together with his method of writing. It felt like he had a list of places, ideas, and people he wanted in the book. Than tried to fill in the space between them to put things together.
The ideas never felt like they escaped the realm of generic fantasy tropes I've read many times before. We have a prophecy that involves a dark lord with a massive army and this has happened before in the past. We have the romance trope of not being good enough for the other. The cast runs into a haunted evil castle that has some back story, never does get explained, in order to escape a threat. The dark lords city stays hidden via magical macguffin for thousands of years without issue, until the heros stumble upon it.
At times the characters will escape an event through complete deus ex machina. It feels like he created this location and wanted to use it. But once he wrote the characters into it, he didn't know how to extract the characters. So he just kinda made something work, regardless of it being something that really works logically.
The characters didn't impress me really, Carol grows in her abilities way too fast with very little restrictions. And Blade felt like he was so much more powerful than any of the other characters he was around, an assassin shouldn't be all powerful rushing through a large crowd of enemies and in fact should be struggling. And the side characters felt underdeveloped and just doing the same things over and over.
I would have to say that while the book had good editing and didn't discover any issues with that. It doesn't really do much to make it original or interesting to a fantasy fan. It uses all the same tropes and ideas that fantasy has been using for years, but doesn't give you any interesting curve balls or characters to make it feel new and interesting.
The ideas never felt like they escaped the realm of generic fantasy tropes I've read many times before. We have a prophecy that involves a dark lord with a massive army and this has happened before in the past. We have the romance trope of not being good enough for the other. The cast runs into a haunted evil castle that has some back story, never does get explained, in order to escape a threat. The dark lords city stays hidden via magical macguffin for thousands of years without issue, until the heros stumble upon it.
At times the characters will escape an event through complete deus ex machina. It feels like he created this location and wanted to use it. But once he wrote the characters into it, he didn't know how to extract the characters. So he just kinda made something work, regardless of it being something that really works logically.
The characters didn't impress me really, Carol grows in her abilities way too fast with very little restrictions. And Blade felt like he was so much more powerful than any of the other characters he was around, an assassin shouldn't be all powerful rushing through a large crowd of enemies and in fact should be struggling. And the side characters felt underdeveloped and just doing the same things over and over.
I would have to say that while the book had good editing and didn't discover any issues with that. It doesn't really do much to make it original or interesting to a fantasy fan. It uses all the same tropes and ideas that fantasy has been using for years, but doesn't give you any interesting curve balls or characters to make it feel new and interesting.
klistoff's review against another edition
4.0
A welcome surprise
This was a Kindle first freebie which Iām now wondering why I waited so long before starting the journey through its world.
Whilst the world it depicts has been clearly well developed, my one gripe would be that although it is fairly obvious that two of the characters are one and the same, the naming flips back and forth with no apparent reason.
Still, I find I now need to venture forth into the sequels for the next twist...
This was a Kindle first freebie which Iām now wondering why I waited so long before starting the journey through its world.
Whilst the world it depicts has been clearly well developed, my one gripe would be that although it is fairly obvious that two of the characters are one and the same, the naming flips back and forth with no apparent reason.
Still, I find I now need to venture forth into the sequels for the next twist...
sweetheart_ok's review against another edition
5.0
This was an enjoyable book that follows three storylines working throughout the novel to finally cross at a common point just as the first book ends. The plot moves forward with plenty of development and action, as well as intrigue. Fantasy lovers will appreciate the use of magic, alternate planes, various races, and interestingly diverse realms. The characters are fun and distinct, providing a wide range for a reader to appreciate. I can tell that these will be developed in future installments, and I am committed to them already. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series and already bought all the books in anticipation. I'm glad to have stumbled across this in my Kindle First reads and highly recommend it for Sci Fi Fantasy lovers.
az_green's review against another edition
4.0
3.8
Slow to start. The world building was almost too vague in the early chapters, it left me confused frequently. But after i got about 40% in it smoothed out and became a page turner. Looking forward to book 2.
Slow to start. The world building was almost too vague in the early chapters, it left me confused frequently. But after i got about 40% in it smoothed out and became a page turner. Looking forward to book 2.
obscurityshero's review against another edition
3.0
I bought this book from Amazon, the Fantasy book of the month for October in the Kindle First program. I'm going to be completely honest on this, I accidentally pressed the buy now button, but since it was $1.99, I figured no harm no foul.
I love fantasy books, but starting a new series, especially one without a following already, is always a roll of the dice for me. Not only is this a new series, but I have never even heard of the author, Richard Phillips. I was pretty skeptical starting out, and quite honestly was not impressed through the first quarter of the book. Not that it's a bad thing, but you're kind of thrown right into the story. There was no character or world building done prior to the start. You're introduced to the main cast of characters as they are presently, without any detail or history as to the "why" of the events unfolding. You're to just accept that things are happening to people.
As the story progressed, I found myself more invested in the characters and the story. The world becomes richer with the turn of each page, and the main cast of characters end up with minor development. I became more and more hooked with each reading session, and by the end, I've become fully immersed and drawn in. I'm eagerly anticipating the release of the next book, Prophecy's Daughter, this coming January.
I ended up giving the book 3 stars because of how long it took to get immersed. If you're a fan of fantasy, this one's definitely worth the read. The Endarian Prophecy is a series to keep an eye on this year.
I love fantasy books, but starting a new series, especially one without a following already, is always a roll of the dice for me. Not only is this a new series, but I have never even heard of the author, Richard Phillips. I was pretty skeptical starting out, and quite honestly was not impressed through the first quarter of the book. Not that it's a bad thing, but you're kind of thrown right into the story. There was no character or world building done prior to the start. You're introduced to the main cast of characters as they are presently, without any detail or history as to the "why" of the events unfolding. You're to just accept that things are happening to people.
As the story progressed, I found myself more invested in the characters and the story. The world becomes richer with the turn of each page, and the main cast of characters end up with minor development. I became more and more hooked with each reading session, and by the end, I've become fully immersed and drawn in. I'm eagerly anticipating the release of the next book, Prophecy's Daughter, this coming January.
I ended up giving the book 3 stars because of how long it took to get immersed. If you're a fan of fantasy, this one's definitely worth the read. The Endarian Prophecy is a series to keep an eye on this year.
quirkycatsfatstacks's review against another edition
3.0
I received a free copy of Mark of Fire through the Kindle First program. Thereās no requirement for me to leave a review, but I am choosing to do so.
The first thing that caught my attention about Mark of Fire was the beautiful cover ā I loved the choice of showing a landscape for the cover of an epic fantasy series. It just feels so appropriate for something that involved and intense. The description further convinced me to give it a try; an epic fantasy that includes a complex magic system and a tale of unrequited love.
Warnings first: Thereās a system of slavery in some of the outer towns in this world. Thereās a very heavy implication that the female slaves are just used for sex (obviously rape, not consensual at all). Thereās even a seen showing naked women being auctioned off, with men joking about how theyāve already been ātouched all overā by the men that caught them. Nothing is actually shown, but the implications are more than enough. Thereās also some animal death ā mostly horses dying in battle. Thankfully theyāre not as detailed as the other scenes Iāve described.
Mark of Fire is being described as the Epic Fantasy of the year, and when I saw the pretty cover and interesting description, I was inclined to agree. If youāre looking for a quick read about a world with a complex magical system, then this may be the perfect book for you. But if youāre looking for a book with in depth character development, then maybe this isnāt the book for you.
Iāll admit I was actually disappointed by this series. I donāt read too many epic fantasies lately (mostly because it feels like theyāre so few and far between) but I was really looking forward to this one. While I loved the magical system shown I feel like more could have been done with it. For example our one character perspective with the ability (Carol) starts off without ever being allowed to use magic. So understandably sheās pretty behind. She then gets involved in magic, but mostly sheās only ever used to bolster other magic userās abilities. And finally she ends up losing her magical ability all together. Presumably itās only temporary, but I was still annoyed by this.
I felt the character development was lackluster, we have two characters that are meant to be madly in love with each other, but other than having them directly tell the reader that thereās really no way we would have known it. I felt absolutely no attachment to any of the characters, and so I wasnāt worried when one of them found themselves in danger or on the verge of death. Which is really a shame. I feel like if the characters had been development more (it is a series after all, plenty of time to take a moment and let us get to know them) then we may have appreciate the circumstances they were in a bit more.
On a funny side note; I read the acknowledgement at the end of the novel and had a funny realization. The author thanks his wife, Carol, and his best friend John Ty Warner. In case you were curious why I found that amusing; Iāve just listed to you three of the character names from this book (Carol, John, and Ty). Itās nice that Phillips likes his family/friends enough to give them such prominent roles in his series.
Iām uncertain if I would continue reading this series, given a choice. I may be tempted to give it another chance, especially if I was told that the characters were developed a bit farther. I truly do believe that the magical system and world itself have a lot of potential ā I just hope that Phillips takes advantage of said potential and does something truly unique with it.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
The first thing that caught my attention about Mark of Fire was the beautiful cover ā I loved the choice of showing a landscape for the cover of an epic fantasy series. It just feels so appropriate for something that involved and intense. The description further convinced me to give it a try; an epic fantasy that includes a complex magic system and a tale of unrequited love.
Warnings first: Thereās a system of slavery in some of the outer towns in this world. Thereās a very heavy implication that the female slaves are just used for sex (obviously rape, not consensual at all). Thereās even a seen showing naked women being auctioned off, with men joking about how theyāve already been ātouched all overā by the men that caught them. Nothing is actually shown, but the implications are more than enough. Thereās also some animal death ā mostly horses dying in battle. Thankfully theyāre not as detailed as the other scenes Iāve described.
Mark of Fire is being described as the Epic Fantasy of the year, and when I saw the pretty cover and interesting description, I was inclined to agree. If youāre looking for a quick read about a world with a complex magical system, then this may be the perfect book for you. But if youāre looking for a book with in depth character development, then maybe this isnāt the book for you.
Iāll admit I was actually disappointed by this series. I donāt read too many epic fantasies lately (mostly because it feels like theyāre so few and far between) but I was really looking forward to this one. While I loved the magical system shown I feel like more could have been done with it. For example our one character perspective with the ability (Carol) starts off without ever being allowed to use magic. So understandably sheās pretty behind. She then gets involved in magic, but mostly sheās only ever used to bolster other magic userās abilities. And finally she ends up losing her magical ability all together. Presumably itās only temporary, but I was still annoyed by this.
I felt the character development was lackluster, we have two characters that are meant to be madly in love with each other, but other than having them directly tell the reader that thereās really no way we would have known it. I felt absolutely no attachment to any of the characters, and so I wasnāt worried when one of them found themselves in danger or on the verge of death. Which is really a shame. I feel like if the characters had been development more (it is a series after all, plenty of time to take a moment and let us get to know them) then we may have appreciate the circumstances they were in a bit more.
On a funny side note; I read the acknowledgement at the end of the novel and had a funny realization. The author thanks his wife, Carol, and his best friend John Ty Warner. In case you were curious why I found that amusing; Iāve just listed to you three of the character names from this book (Carol, John, and Ty). Itās nice that Phillips likes his family/friends enough to give them such prominent roles in his series.
Iām uncertain if I would continue reading this series, given a choice. I may be tempted to give it another chance, especially if I was told that the characters were developed a bit farther. I truly do believe that the magical system and world itself have a lot of potential ā I just hope that Phillips takes advantage of said potential and does something truly unique with it.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
sarzwix's review
4.0
Good start
Good start to the series. New author to me, and I'm happy to have found them. Interesting world, great art of characters and 'baddies' that you want to see defeated. A bit clichƩd in some ways, with the standard 'more magical race who were defeated and went into hiding but will now emerge to help the humans' trope, but I enjoyed it anyway. Onto the next.
Good start to the series. New author to me, and I'm happy to have found them. Interesting world, great art of characters and 'baddies' that you want to see defeated. A bit clichƩd in some ways, with the standard 'more magical race who were defeated and went into hiding but will now emerge to help the humans' trope, but I enjoyed it anyway. Onto the next.
deearr's review against another edition
4.0
Right from the first page of āMark of Fire,ā author Richard Phillips begins the hard-charging pace that could describe this entire book. This is definitely an action-oriented story, neatly wrapped inside a world that also has its share of magic wielders and evil half-men called vorgs.
The author trades description for story. Although providing the least amount of words forces the reader to ingest more imagination into the bookās world, Mr. Phillips focuses on moving the characters forward. This propels the tale, sometimes at a breakneck pace. For those looking for a fast read versus a lush background, this book will suit your taste.
I liked the two main characters, Carol and Arn. Carol is developing her study of magic, battling the elementals she must learn to control as well as the men and beasts that hunt her. The author shares just enough about Arn to keep the reader guessing about his nature (is he good? bad? cold-hearted?), although right from the start we are allowed peeks into his nature. All characters could be more developed, but there is enough offered to describe the main characters that it is not bothersome. Once again, action provides momentum and reason for what the characters do, and readers are pulled into the story despite any descriptive shortcomings.
The plot develops quickly, and plot and pace are the authorās five-star qualities. The kingās magic wielder has his own plans for the kingdom and manipulates the king into believing Carolās father wishes to become the next king. This sets in motion the entire story as Carolās father Rafel must decide what to do in order to save his family as well as the people who follow him. The telling of two separate tales at once (Carolās and Arnās) helps to keep tension in the book and prods the reader to continue turning pages.
If I was bothered by anything, it was by the passage of time as indicated by the chapter headings. While the chapters themselves talked of days or weeks going by, the seasons passed quicker than any I have ever seen (although perhaps on this planet that is the norm...who is to say). The other was the author's mention of tanning and leather reins and such, granting his characters the ability to make these sorts of things within hours, which is not possible.
I was about 25% into the tale when one of the characters said the word ādamn,ā at which point I realized this was the strongest language I had heard up to that point. In this day and time, it is wonderful to find an author who doesnāt feel he has to rely on vulgarities to add color to his novel.
I knew ahead of time that this was a three-book saga, but I note here that for those who find the book engrossing, the next two books will be released in the first two months of 2018. I found this story enjoyable and refreshing, and recommend this to those who love reading sword and sorcery tales. The book was good enough to help me decide to purchase the next one. Four stars.
Note to GR readers: Kindle First book, available to Amazon Prime members now, released on 11/1
The author trades description for story. Although providing the least amount of words forces the reader to ingest more imagination into the bookās world, Mr. Phillips focuses on moving the characters forward. This propels the tale, sometimes at a breakneck pace. For those looking for a fast read versus a lush background, this book will suit your taste.
I liked the two main characters, Carol and Arn. Carol is developing her study of magic, battling the elementals she must learn to control as well as the men and beasts that hunt her. The author shares just enough about Arn to keep the reader guessing about his nature (is he good? bad? cold-hearted?), although right from the start we are allowed peeks into his nature. All characters could be more developed, but there is enough offered to describe the main characters that it is not bothersome. Once again, action provides momentum and reason for what the characters do, and readers are pulled into the story despite any descriptive shortcomings.
The plot develops quickly, and plot and pace are the authorās five-star qualities. The kingās magic wielder has his own plans for the kingdom and manipulates the king into believing Carolās father wishes to become the next king. This sets in motion the entire story as Carolās father Rafel must decide what to do in order to save his family as well as the people who follow him. The telling of two separate tales at once (Carolās and Arnās) helps to keep tension in the book and prods the reader to continue turning pages.
If I was bothered by anything, it was by the passage of time as indicated by the chapter headings. While the chapters themselves talked of days or weeks going by, the seasons passed quicker than any I have ever seen (although perhaps on this planet that is the norm...who is to say). The other was the author's mention of tanning and leather reins and such, granting his characters the ability to make these sorts of things within hours, which is not possible.
I was about 25% into the tale when one of the characters said the word ādamn,ā at which point I realized this was the strongest language I had heard up to that point. In this day and time, it is wonderful to find an author who doesnāt feel he has to rely on vulgarities to add color to his novel.
I knew ahead of time that this was a three-book saga, but I note here that for those who find the book engrossing, the next two books will be released in the first two months of 2018. I found this story enjoyable and refreshing, and recommend this to those who love reading sword and sorcery tales. The book was good enough to help me decide to purchase the next one. Four stars.
Note to GR readers: Kindle First book, available to Amazon Prime members now, released on 11/1
deedireads's review against another edition
3.0
I downloaded this title as my Kindle First October Book. I enjoyed it, but I knew I was going to get myself into trouble reading the first of a series that isn't fully published yet!
My overall impression is that this book has a classic but compelling fantasy plot, but I wish everything had been more fully developed. There wasn't much world-building in the beginning and the characters are not very complex, but I can feel their potential. I hope that the second and third books in the series add to the world's depth more effectively and make the characters nice and round. However, the book's simplicity does make it a quick read.
I also felt like the "action" scenes were well-written and engaging, but the slower scenes that were meant to develop the plot were not. There was so much blase description ofĀ unimportant activity. For example, the main character, Carol, would wake up, eat something for breakfast, go wash up in the stream, chat with an acquaintance, take a nap, then have a four-sentence conversation with her mentor, say she'd be right back after she packed her wagon, go pack the wagon, return for six more sentences with her mentor, and then go to bed. I really didn't need any of thatācould they not just have had the conversation? Do I care that she took a nap or had to pack her wagon? No, I do not.
When men try to write feminist lead characters, there's often something just slightly off about it, and this is no exception. Nothing seemsĀ wrong, per se, but maybe it's just because the characters are still so flat. I just felt like Carol's thoughts and emotions were stated to plainly and left for face-value. Sometimes Phillips felt the need to write her internal monologue in a way that reiterated important things that happened, almost as though he was afraid you hadn't caught them the first time. But...yeah...we got it, thanks.
All in all, I read this book quickly and did enjoy it. I'm intrigued by the story and certainly want to know what happens next, so I'll keep my eyes out for the next one. I just need to remember that it's going to be a quick and not-too-deep type of read.
My overall impression is that this book has a classic but compelling fantasy plot, but I wish everything had been more fully developed. There wasn't much world-building in the beginning and the characters are not very complex, but I can feel their potential. I hope that the second and third books in the series add to the world's depth more effectively and make the characters nice and round. However, the book's simplicity does make it a quick read.
I also felt like the "action" scenes were well-written and engaging, but the slower scenes that were meant to develop the plot were not. There was so much blase description ofĀ unimportant activity. For example, the main character, Carol, would wake up, eat something for breakfast, go wash up in the stream, chat with an acquaintance, take a nap, then have a four-sentence conversation with her mentor, say she'd be right back after she packed her wagon, go pack the wagon, return for six more sentences with her mentor, and then go to bed. I really didn't need any of thatācould they not just have had the conversation? Do I care that she took a nap or had to pack her wagon? No, I do not.
When men try to write feminist lead characters, there's often something just slightly off about it, and this is no exception. Nothing seemsĀ wrong, per se, but maybe it's just because the characters are still so flat. I just felt like Carol's thoughts and emotions were stated to plainly and left for face-value. Sometimes Phillips felt the need to write her internal monologue in a way that reiterated important things that happened, almost as though he was afraid you hadn't caught them the first time. But...yeah...we got it, thanks.
All in all, I read this book quickly and did enjoy it. I'm intrigued by the story and certainly want to know what happens next, so I'll keep my eyes out for the next one. I just need to remember that it's going to be a quick and not-too-deep type of read.
christie's review against another edition
3.0
More of a 3.5 star read for me.
This is a fast-paced book that introduces a set of interesting characters and a creative world. I sailed through it and it kept my attention, despite the fact that a good portion of it involves a traveling caravan (which is normally a bit of a boring prospect). My main complaints are that the characters did feel a little underdeveloped and it's not as detailed as I would have liked. However, because I liked the characters and the world, I would read on to learn more.
This is a fast-paced book that introduces a set of interesting characters and a creative world. I sailed through it and it kept my attention, despite the fact that a good portion of it involves a traveling caravan (which is normally a bit of a boring prospect). My main complaints are that the characters did feel a little underdeveloped and it's not as detailed as I would have liked. However, because I liked the characters and the world, I would read on to learn more.
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