jbronderbookreviews

Well I missed this one, I just knew I was forgetting something yesterday. Anyway, here is my review for Kings or Pawns.

Kings or Pawns (The Kings: Book 1, Steps of Power – 1) by JJ Sherwood

(Excerpt from Goodreads) The first book in JJ Sherwood’s Steps of Power epic fantasy series. The Kings, Book I: Kings or Pawns is a political intrigue that spirals into an action and adventure series as the final events unfold.

8,994 P.E.-The elven city of Elvorium has become corrupted to the core by politics. With his father dead and The Royal Schism at his back, Prince Hairem becomes the king of the elven world on Sevrigel. Young and daring, Hairem is determined to undo the council’s power, but quickly finds his loyal council members brutally murdered by an assassin loosed within the city.

As corruption and death threaten to tear the city apart from within, the warlord Saebellus threatens the city from without, laying siege to Sevrigel’s eastern capital. With the elven world crumbling around him, Hairem finds himself in a dangerous political balance between peace and all out war.

JJ Sherwood

J.J. Sherwood lives in Ohio with her husband and four near-identical cats. KINGS OR PAWNS is J.J.’s widely anticipated debut novel, and is the first book of The Kings quartet. The series is set in the high fantasy world of Aersadore, home to hundreds of characters who all clamor for J.J.’s attention. To learn more about the trials and tribulations of General Jikun and King Hairem, visit StepsofPower.com. J.J. Sherwood will be at the tenth Fandom Fest Comic Con in Louisville, Kentucky this coming August 7th-9th.

My Review

5 stars

The city of Elvorium has become corrupted and is now run by the counsel of Elves. Years prior, the king left the city because of this corruption. But now Prince Hairem going to try to get rid of the counsel of Elves and clean the kingdom. But this is not going to be an easy task. The counsel’s power reaches further than he realized. Those few council members that Hairem has managed to persuade to his ideas are being found murdered. There is an assassin that is bound and determined to keep Hairem from taking full control from the counsel. Now Hairem has to figure out who is friend or foe, who really wants to help him or kill him, and he has to keep Saebellus from attacking Sevrigel.

This is an amazing story. There is so much detail that I felt right there in Sevrigel. There are a wide variety of characters but they all were beautifully described. I couldn’t help but cheer for Hairem, he is trying to do the impossible by removing the corruption from Elvorium. If that was not a big enough task he also has to deal with an assassin killing loyal council members and Saebellus trying to invade Elvorium. His work is definitely cut out for him.

If you like epic fantasy stories I recommend you get a copy of Kings or Pawns. This is the first book by JJ Sherwood and I cannot wait for the next one.

To purchase Kings or Pawns make sure to visit Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, and JJ Sherwood’s website.

I received Kings or Pawns from iRead Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

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The Book of Nonsense (Forbidden Books – 1) by David Michael Slater

(Excerpt from Goodreads) Before there were books, there were Words of Power, and those who spoke them could rule the world…

Dexter and Daphna Wax don’t quite fit in, even with each other. She loves reading and he loathes it, but neither is pleased by their “special” thirteenth birthday gift, a ruined old book full of nonsense.

But the moment it enters the twins’ lives, bizarre things begin to happen. Why is their father, who found the book, suddenly so distant? Is the old man who took it from him some kind of hypnotist? Why is a giant, red-eyed boy stalking them?

Now Dex and Daphna have to work together to stop the old man from ruining their lives. But as they unravel the secrets of The Book of Nonsense, they will discover the truth about their own extraordinary destiny.

My Review

5 stars

Daphna and Dex are pre-teen twins that find themselves on an adventure when their father brings home a rare magical book. Their father, Milton, works as a book scout. He seems to always be off on adventures looking for rare books. He brings one home with him and Daphna convinces him to take his books to the new store that just opened, Antiquarian Book Center or abc. There they meet the owner, Asterius Rash.

Rash knows that the book is a magical Book of Nonsense and must own it. He uses mind control on Milton and a strange kids that watches the twins. Now the twins must work together to save their dad and keep the Book of Nonsense out of Rash’s hands.

I really liked this story. I could relate to Daphna’s love of books even if she comes across as a know it all. I felt for Dex, I could understand why he doesn’t like reading. Although the twins fought like cats and dogs they do work together to keep the book from Rash’s hands. Rash was a creepy bad guy and I liked his role in the story.

This is a great story with lots of action and a really evil bad guy. I can’t wait to see what happened in the next book. This is a great story for mid-grader readers and adults alike. Make sure to get yourself a copy of The Book of Nonsense.

To purchase The Book of Nonsense make sure to visit Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, and David Michael Slater’s website.

I received a copy of The Book of Nonsense for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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