ruth_miranda's review against another edition
5.0
Good lord, did I love this story!! Is it a short story, is it a novella, I'm not quite sure, it is rather small and reads so well and fast I devoured it in one afternoon. But boy, does it deliver! Despite being so short, the world building is pristine. You're thrown smack into the middle of it, with no preparation whatsoever, but the authors blend in the lore and legends of this world with the current events in a way that makes it so natural and organic I couldn't fail to feel like I was part of it. Part of that world. The MC, Elinor, must be one of the best female leads I've encountered so far, and I was left hungered for more on her, I want to follow along on her journeys and adventures. Will certainly be keeping my eye out for other books by this duo, they're that good!!
shennlein's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
bookishlizz's review
2.0
You can read my full review here:
I had really looked forward to this book because this was the description: A Reaper of Stone is the thrilling first novella of the fantasy series of the same name. It is a rich, twisting tale with all the elements of a classic, epic fantasy story, in a tight, fast-paced, 90-minutes. Reviewers compare it to Game of Thrones and the works of Joe Abercrombie. It is recommended for readers who enjoy epic fantasy, myth and legend, and/or stories with a strong female protagonist.
I mean, it was compared to Game of Thrones and mentioned some of my favorite genres. I really expected to love this, so I went in way over-confident that this was going to be the book for me. The good thing about readers is not everyone is going to like every book, that's why there are so many great books out there. I always feel bad when I really (really) don't like something because I know that others love it. I'm the first one to jump up and defend a favorite book or author so I hate being the person to say that I didn't like a story. But I didn't like this one. I didn't connect. It's okay, there are more stories to read and I'm off to find them.
I was provided a review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I had really looked forward to this book because this was the description: A Reaper of Stone is the thrilling first novella of the fantasy series of the same name. It is a rich, twisting tale with all the elements of a classic, epic fantasy story, in a tight, fast-paced, 90-minutes. Reviewers compare it to Game of Thrones and the works of Joe Abercrombie. It is recommended for readers who enjoy epic fantasy, myth and legend, and/or stories with a strong female protagonist.
I mean, it was compared to Game of Thrones and mentioned some of my favorite genres. I really expected to love this, so I went in way over-confident that this was going to be the book for me. The good thing about readers is not everyone is going to like every book, that's why there are so many great books out there. I always feel bad when I really (really) don't like something because I know that others love it. I'm the first one to jump up and defend a favorite book or author so I hate being the person to say that I didn't like a story. But I didn't like this one. I didn't connect. It's okay, there are more stories to read and I'm off to find them.
I was provided a review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
madi180's review
5.0
A Lady is dead. Her noble line ended. And the King’s Reaper has come to reclaim her land and her home. In the marches of Aedaron, only one thing is for certain. All keeps of the old world must fall.
Elinor struggles to find her place in the new world. She once dreamed of great things. Of becoming a hero in the ways of the old world. But now she is a Reaper. And her duty is clear. Destroy the old. Herald the new.
I received this e-book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.
So I went on NetGalley Monday because even though I have a hundreds of books to read, I still want more books and if they are free, then heck yes! So I spotted this one and was curious because the cover really appealed to me. Yes I know, I am a cover whore. I admit it. I did take the effort to skim the description and then I clicked the read now. My adventure with Elinor would begin on Tuesday.
I use the word so a lot. I need to stop that. Anyway, I started A Reaper of Stone last night and finished it in about an hour. Right off the bat, I just wanted to say I loved the length of this book. Most books have so much word building and so many minuscule details that really have no benefit to the book besides adding a lot of length. This book was really good. I gave it a 5 star because the authors did an amazing job with the world building. They were able to pull you in and describe the world around Elinor without so much extra detail as others I have read. They had just the right amount of detail because I can clearly see Elinor, Con, Tae, the rendworms, and Timberline.
Caution Dearies. From here on out, there will be full on spoilers. You have been warned.
The book starts out following Conbert as he is going along the Reach Road through the drowning grass. He was extremely nervous because within the drowning grass there are creatures called rendworms. They are attracted to noise and vibrations. They are huge and scary that will eat you. Anyway, he notices a girl under a tree not far from him but across the drowning grass. He is really scared to attempt to help her but he does anyway.
Once he gets to her under the tree, he says something to her and she immediately shushes him. She tells him she is hunting rendworms because she needs to get the jaw of one to honor the First Trial of Aedan. The upperclassmen play jokes on first year cadets at the Academy by telling them the tale of Aedan and the Shepherd of Tree and Stone and sending them through the gate but then stopping them because they know it is most likely to kill the cadets.
He is about to tell her that this is all a really bad joke, when the girl puts her hand on his shoulder to tell him he must not move. Two rendworms come and eat Con's horse and almost get him but the girl saves him with her mace and kills them both. She succeeds in getting the rendworm's jaw bone. Her name is Elinor.
Fast forward to years later, Elinor is a Reaper and Con is an engineer. If I am getting it correct, then a reaper is basically like a soldier/warrior that does the judging and carrying out of the kings orders. She has been put in charge of dismantling Timberline's Keep, since the ruling lady Kian Lilane had died and they did not want bandits or other such to get it when they abandoned it.
Now insert the disgusting bad guys. "Lord" Piersym and his henchman (basically) Ephed. Piersym makes me think of the leaders that sit on a throne and just eat, yell at people and be disgusting. Ephed is a Razor, who can use powers aided by nature and he is Piersym's First Blade which means he is the one that carries all the orders out.
They all arrive and they are honored by a ceremony from the old ways by Tae (a Razor) and Aebelm (former First Blade of Lady Kian Lilane). Piersym insults them and ignores this and Elinor sees the honor that Tae and Aebelm gave them, and accepts the honor and replies in turn. Tae and Aebelm end up speaking with Elinor later on letting her know they want to take her to where the lady and her first blade were killed. Tae and Aebelm explain that Piersym and Ephed are the ones who killed the lady and the first blade.
Elinor first tells them that they need to drop the subject because they are too powerful but she changes her mind and agrees to go with them to see where they were killed. When they got there they were suddenly joined by Ephed and 10 other Razors. Ephed challenges Elinor and they fight. Elinor gets knocked down and is about to be killed when Tae and Aebelm rush to her side. Tae gets stabbed in the stomach by another Razor and collapses at the edge of a cliff. Aebelm steps in front of Elinor and takes the hit that was meant to kill her.
I know. We knew him such a short time but he is one of those characters you immediately liked. He was brave and very honorable. Elinor dives to Tae and rolls off the cliff and barely grabs hold of the edge of the side. Tae is dangling just by Elinor's arm when she tells her to let go. Elinor tells her no and suddenly the earth starts collapsing under her hand and they fall.
And with that I end my review, I know. I know. I am a tease but the reason why I stopped is because you will just have to go read it yourself and give them a review!
I give A Reaper of Stone a 5 out of 5 stars.
I look forward to reviewing other books by these authors.
Elinor struggles to find her place in the new world. She once dreamed of great things. Of becoming a hero in the ways of the old world. But now she is a Reaper. And her duty is clear. Destroy the old. Herald the new.
I received this e-book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.
So I went on NetGalley Monday because even though I have a hundreds of books to read, I still want more books and if they are free, then heck yes! So I spotted this one and was curious because the cover really appealed to me. Yes I know, I am a cover whore. I admit it. I did take the effort to skim the description and then I clicked the read now. My adventure with Elinor would begin on Tuesday.
I use the word so a lot. I need to stop that. Anyway, I started A Reaper of Stone last night and finished it in about an hour. Right off the bat, I just wanted to say I loved the length of this book. Most books have so much word building and so many minuscule details that really have no benefit to the book besides adding a lot of length. This book was really good. I gave it a 5 star because the authors did an amazing job with the world building. They were able to pull you in and describe the world around Elinor without so much extra detail as others I have read. They had just the right amount of detail because I can clearly see Elinor, Con, Tae, the rendworms, and Timberline.
Caution Dearies. From here on out, there will be full on spoilers. You have been warned.
The book starts out following Conbert as he is going along the Reach Road through the drowning grass. He was extremely nervous because within the drowning grass there are creatures called rendworms. They are attracted to noise and vibrations. They are huge and scary that will eat you. Anyway, he notices a girl under a tree not far from him but across the drowning grass. He is really scared to attempt to help her but he does anyway.
Once he gets to her under the tree, he says something to her and she immediately shushes him. She tells him she is hunting rendworms because she needs to get the jaw of one to honor the First Trial of Aedan. The upperclassmen play jokes on first year cadets at the Academy by telling them the tale of Aedan and the Shepherd of Tree and Stone and sending them through the gate but then stopping them because they know it is most likely to kill the cadets.
He is about to tell her that this is all a really bad joke, when the girl puts her hand on his shoulder to tell him he must not move. Two rendworms come and eat Con's horse and almost get him but the girl saves him with her mace and kills them both. She succeeds in getting the rendworm's jaw bone. Her name is Elinor.
Fast forward to years later, Elinor is a Reaper and Con is an engineer. If I am getting it correct, then a reaper is basically like a soldier/warrior that does the judging and carrying out of the kings orders. She has been put in charge of dismantling Timberline's Keep, since the ruling lady Kian Lilane had died and they did not want bandits or other such to get it when they abandoned it.
Now insert the disgusting bad guys. "Lord" Piersym and his henchman (basically) Ephed. Piersym makes me think of the leaders that sit on a throne and just eat, yell at people and be disgusting. Ephed is a Razor, who can use powers aided by nature and he is Piersym's First Blade which means he is the one that carries all the orders out.
They all arrive and they are honored by a ceremony from the old ways by Tae (a Razor) and Aebelm (former First Blade of Lady Kian Lilane). Piersym insults them and ignores this and Elinor sees the honor that Tae and Aebelm gave them, and accepts the honor and replies in turn. Tae and Aebelm end up speaking with Elinor later on letting her know they want to take her to where the lady and her first blade were killed. Tae and Aebelm explain that Piersym and Ephed are the ones who killed the lady and the first blade.
Elinor first tells them that they need to drop the subject because they are too powerful but she changes her mind and agrees to go with them to see where they were killed. When they got there they were suddenly joined by Ephed and 10 other Razors. Ephed challenges Elinor and they fight. Elinor gets knocked down and is about to be killed when Tae and Aebelm rush to her side. Tae gets stabbed in the stomach by another Razor and collapses at the edge of a cliff. Aebelm steps in front of Elinor and takes the hit that was meant to kill her.
I know. We knew him such a short time but he is one of those characters you immediately liked. He was brave and very honorable. Elinor dives to Tae and rolls off the cliff and barely grabs hold of the edge of the side. Tae is dangling just by Elinor's arm when she tells her to let go. Elinor tells her no and suddenly the earth starts collapsing under her hand and they fall.
And with that I end my review, I know. I know. I am a tease but the reason why I stopped is because you will just have to go read it yourself and give them a review!
I give A Reaper of Stone a 5 out of 5 stars.
I look forward to reviewing other books by these authors.
maddydeason's review
4.0
Although this novella is short, it packs a lot into its pages, and in the best possible way. The world building is there, the action is there; Elinor and Con are interesting, well developed characters and I can't wait to see where Elinor's journey takes her! My only compliant is that I wanted more! and I hope I'll find that in Broken Banners.
I'll definitely be checking out the other storylines in the Echoes of the Ascended series as well.
I'll definitely be checking out the other storylines in the Echoes of the Ascended series as well.
ruth_miranda's review
5.0
Good lord, did I love this story!! Is it a short story, is it a novella, I'm not quite sure, it is rather small and reads so well and fast I devoured it in one afternoon. But boy, does it deliver! Despite being so short, the world building is pristine. You're thrown smack into the middle of it, with no preparation whatsoever, but the authors blend in the lore and legends of this world with the current events in a way that makes it so natural and organic I couldn't fail to feel like I was part of it. Part of that world. The MC, Elinor, must be one of the best female leads I've encountered so far, and I was left hungered for more on her, I want to follow along on her journeys and adventures. Will certainly be keeping my eye out for other books by this duo, they're that good!!
lulustjames's review
3.0
Originally drawn to this because of the beautiful cover, I continually put of reading Reaper of Stone by Mark Gelineau and Joe King because I thought there is no way this can be as good as the cover. Finally, I decided I needed to just read it and see and I was completely wrong! This was such an enjoyable story that I was upset at how short it is (only about a hundred pages.)
The authors create such a salivating peek at their new fantasy world in introducing us to protagonist Elinor and friend Conbert as they take on their mission to tear down a stone fortress. Elinor is the Reaper of Stone and everyone knows what that seems to mean, save the reader. We see how this world works on a feudal system of Kings and Lords and fealty earned. We see that magic exists and corruption. A school for youth and wild creatures. What we don’t see is is the how or why, which was why I was upset at the length of the novella.
We are teased with things that don’t ever materialize. We are given enough to sate our palette but not enough to truly understand. This ends up feeling like a small scene of a much larger novel that the authors released solely to build interest. I thought at first this was solely a teaser novella, but it isn’t. The entire series, which to their credit was rapidly released, consists of novellas. I haven’t picked up any follow-ups, but i’m interested if only to see if we ever get the payoff I really wanted to see.
A Reaper of Stone by Mark Gelineau and Joe King feels solid and promises a great story, only, we never get to see it. It’s almost like a story we’re told after the fact instead of living it, experiencing it ourselves. This fault lies mainly with the short length of the novella.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this title.
The authors create such a salivating peek at their new fantasy world in introducing us to protagonist Elinor and friend Conbert as they take on their mission to tear down a stone fortress. Elinor is the Reaper of Stone and everyone knows what that seems to mean, save the reader. We see how this world works on a feudal system of Kings and Lords and fealty earned. We see that magic exists and corruption. A school for youth and wild creatures. What we don’t see is is the how or why, which was why I was upset at the length of the novella.
We are teased with things that don’t ever materialize. We are given enough to sate our palette but not enough to truly understand. This ends up feeling like a small scene of a much larger novel that the authors released solely to build interest. I thought at first this was solely a teaser novella, but it isn’t. The entire series, which to their credit was rapidly released, consists of novellas. I haven’t picked up any follow-ups, but i’m interested if only to see if we ever get the payoff I really wanted to see.
A Reaper of Stone by Mark Gelineau and Joe King feels solid and promises a great story, only, we never get to see it. It’s almost like a story we’re told after the fact instead of living it, experiencing it ourselves. This fault lies mainly with the short length of the novella.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this title.
beammey's review
4.0
I liked this story. I loved Elinor. I love this story and can't wait to jump into the second book, but this was such a great, quick read. I really, really enjoyed it and I'm totally rooting for Tae. This was great. 4.5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this book.
urlphantomhive's review
3.0
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
If I understood correctly, A Reaper of Stone, is the first novella in An Echo of the Ascended series, a collection of novella's spanning multiple genres. It sounds very interesting and I plan on following the series.
This first novella is an interesting story with the medieval/fantasy feel to it. A House has fallen and now the lands must be reclaimed by the King, a job that befalls the main character, a Reaper.
The story is really short but still a lot happens and you also get quite a view of the world. I would have liked to see the story a bit longer, I think it would have made it even better, but I also believe the authors did a good job making this novella feel like something more than a rushed read in which nothing happens. I'm looking forward to reading the next novellas, although secretly I wouldn't have minded if the next novellas were set in the same world, which seemed really interesting.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
If I understood correctly, A Reaper of Stone, is the first novella in An Echo of the Ascended series, a collection of novella's spanning multiple genres. It sounds very interesting and I plan on following the series.
This first novella is an interesting story with the medieval/fantasy feel to it. A House has fallen and now the lands must be reclaimed by the King, a job that befalls the main character, a Reaper.
The story is really short but still a lot happens and you also get quite a view of the world. I would have liked to see the story a bit longer, I think it would have made it even better, but I also believe the authors did a good job making this novella feel like something more than a rushed read in which nothing happens. I'm looking forward to reading the next novellas, although secretly I wouldn't have minded if the next novellas were set in the same world, which seemed really interesting.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!