jbronderbookreviews

8: The Previous Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8^th Dwarf by Michael Mullin

5 stars

(Excerpt from Goodreads) Written in verse, this is the previously untold story of the previously unknown 8th dwarf, named Creepy. He is banished to the basement for being different and, well, weird. Yet he plays a vital – and of course previously unknown – role in the popular tale of Snow White (whose title character is an intruder Creepy refers to as “the Maid”).

We all know the story of Snow White. But what do we know about the Seven Dwarves? They lived together in the forest and mined gems. But what if that was not the entire story? What if there was another dwarf, Creepy, that didn’t fit in and was locking in the basement because he was different?

This is Creepy’s story about how this lady breaks into the house and agrees to cook and clean to stay there. She is not the brightest of creatures since she almost dies a couple times and Creepy has to save her.

I loved this story/poem, and I admit that I’m not a fan of verse. Poor Creepy is shunned because of his behavior. The twist on Snow White was great too. Although really short, if you like your fairy tales with a new twist, you will really like this.

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Prophecy of the Guardian (Guardian of the Seventh Realm – 1) by JW Baccaro

5 stars

(Excerpt from Barnes and Noble) The Second Great War between the Light and the Dark has begun, and Abaddon the Demon Lord is searching for the four ancient Wizard Crystals of the Elements.

Once the Crystals are in his hands, and corrupted to evil, he will destroy the forces of Light upon the earth, and transform the world into eternal darkness.

But Darshun Luthais, one of the last Nasharin warriors, along with a few companions, sets out on a quest to find the Crystals first. Along the journey they encounter giant six-legged serpents, the ruthless Cullach, and other entities of darkness; yet the most challenging obstacle is Darshun’s constant struggle against temptations of evil, and his vow to hold to the faith of all who are calling him the Guardian-the prophesied warrior who will bring down the Demon Lord.

Angels, fallen from the Light for their sinning, came to inhabit the lands with the idea to make the weaker races to worship them. Because of this attitude, Holy Angels fight a great battle with the Fallen and forced them back into their own realm. The blood spilled from the Holy Angels formed crystals that had power and caused some humans to gain powers from the elements. From there we have the division of different types of humans with different powers; Wizards, Nasharin, etc.

We start the story with the end of a great war with the Cullach, boar like men that fight for the Dark, where humans are forced from their kingdoms. As the people are fleeing, Mirabel and Seth, Nasharin’s, sense the presence of someone with Nasharin’s powers. They go to save that person and end up rescuing an infant that was going to be sacrificed to the Dark Lord.

Several years later, Darshun, the child rescued from sacrifice, has learned that he is Nasharin and has gone through his training. But something is happening in the lands. The Cullach have risen again and the five Wizard Crystals are starting to surface. The Second Great War is beginning and Darshun has learned that he is the guardian of the Wizard Crystals.

Now Darshun must find it in himself to be the guardian that everyone expects of him even though he would have rather lived his own life without everyone telling him what to do. He will meet one of the last Wizards and help him find the fire Wizards Crystal, fight Cullach, and find his true self along the way.

I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down. This is a well-crafted world with great description to both the land and characters. I wanted to cheer and beat Darshun at the same time as he is trying to figure out where he fits into the world while trying to figure out who he really is. I honestly can’t say that I find any faults with this story. I recommend this to anyone that likes the Fantasy/Science Fiction genera. You will not be disappointed.

I received this for free from the author.

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