Feast of Fates (Four Feasts Till Darkness – 1) by Christian A. Brown
Morigan lives a quiet life as the handmaiden to a fatherly old sorcerer named Thackery. But when she crosses paths with Caenith, a not wholly mortal man, her world changes forever. Their meeting sparks long buried magical powers deep within Morigan. As she attempts to understand her newfound abilities, unbidden visions begin to plague her—visions that show a devastating madness descending on one of the Immortal Kings who rules the land.
With Morigan growing more powerful each day, the leaders of the realm soon realize that this young woman could hold the key to their destruction. Suddenly, Morigan finds herself beset by enemies, and she must master her mysterious gifts if she is to survive.
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Author’s Bio
“Bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Feast of Fates, Christian A. Brown received a Kirkus star in 2014 for the first novel in his genre-changing Four Feasts Till Darkness series. He has appeared on Newstalk 1010, AM640, Daytime Rogers, and Get Bold Today with LeGrande Green. He actively writes a blog about his mother’s journey with cancer and on gender issues in the media. A lover of the weird and wonderful, Brown considers himself an eccentric with a talent for cat-whispering.”
My Review
5 stars
Morigan is a handmaiden to the sorcerer Thackery. But one day while she was out she meets Caenith, a wolf shifter. Caenith awakens the limitless powers in Morigan and while she is trying to figure out how to use them she is kidnapped. Caenith and Thackery go after Morigan to save her.
At the same time you have two powerful kings, one who thinks the other infected him with darkness getting ready to battle. While the kings march the two queens have their own plans. One is looking into the darkness and the other is planning on destruction.
This book has a lot happening in it. I loved the romance between Morigan and Caenith. They are bloodmates and they bring the romance crashing into the story. But beyond them there is so much more. This is a huge world full of magic, good and evil, those that want to rule and those that want destruction. It is an epic fantasy story.
For a first book it is amazingly crafted and although it is a large book, don’t let that dissuade you from digging in. It was easy to falling into the story but then you run into a cliff hanger that will leave you feeling lost and wanting to get the next book ASAP.
I received Feast of Fates from Sage’s Blog Tours and Author Marketing Experts for free. I didn’t realize that I signed up for a blog tour for the first book then agreed to review the three that has been released. Oops!! This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.
Feasts of Dreams (Four Feasts Till Darkness – 2)
As two queens plot each other’s destruction, a small band of adventurers continues its quest for the knowledge needed to defeat the mad King Brutus and his unearthly parasite, the Black Queen. Their search brings Morigan and the Wolf to the perilous forests of Alabion, where they and their companions will face the darkness of their pasts-and discover equally dark destinies.
Meanwhile, far from Alabion, the queens of the East and West continue their deadly dance. One seeks a relic of great power, while the other puts her faith in a mix of military and technomagikal force. Both are aware they have a slim window of opportunity to settle their power struggle-after all, Mad Brutus’s recent defeat is at best a setback. The mad king is already amassing a new army of soulless husks in the wastelands of Mor’Khul.
Unknown to the great powers struggling for control, a father and son wander those same wastelands, scavenging what they can as they weather Brutus’s gathering storm. They too have a role to play in Geadhain’s fate-a role which may just provide a last remnant of hope.
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My Review
5 stars
Morigan is trying to deal with her abilities and looking for an answer her and Caenith find themselves and their little band at the forests of Alabion. They have to face the darkness of their own lives to continue on. But they cannot give into the darkness, they have to get the answers to stop the Black Queen and Queen Lila. The queens are trying to kill on another but trying to be quick before the king can gather his army.
This story just keeps getting darker and darker. Morigan, Caenith, and their group are going to have to fight the dream walkers that are trying to stop them. They are going to have to face their pasts, there fears, and the bleak futures they will face. There are also several powerful people trying to rule everything and keep power out of the mad king’s hands. But even though they are trying their hardest, like Queen Lila, you can tell this is a train wreck about to happen but you can’t look away from it.
There is just so much happening in this story. But I had no problem keeping everyone separated. I love the twists and turns in this story. Just when you think something is going to work out, bam, left turn and it goes horribly wrong. I love how Morigan’s group keeps fighting even when things seem hopeless.
I love this series. I had a hard time putting this book down but I did have to try and get some sleep. Now I can’t wait to see what is in story for Feast of Chaos.
I received Feast of Dreams from Author Marketing Experts for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.
Feast of Chaos (Four Feasts Till Darkness – 3)
Menos has been destroyed. No corner of the realm of Geadhain is safe from the Black Queen’s hunger. Zionae—or the Great Dreamer, as she has been called in ancient tongues—has a thirst that cannot be quenched until all of Geadhain burns and bleeds. She preys on the minds of weak men and exploits human folly for an unhuman end. She cannot be defeated in her current state, but the answer to her downfall may lie in the land of her past.
It is with this aim that a Daughter of Fate, Morigan, and her brave and true companions venture to the mysterious Pandemonia, the land of chaos itself. Ancient secrets and even older power lurk in its swamps and deserts. Life itself becomes uncertain, but the Hunters of Fate have no choice: Pandemonia must give up its secrets if they want to find the Black Queen’s weakness.
Elsewhere in the realm, alliances form and break. Dead men rise and heroes fall. Eod prepares for war. In hiding, Lila, the bearer of its destruction, will be given a chance to atone and answer for her sins. Will her actions save Eod, or has she damned it with her crimes?
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My Review
5 stars
Morigan and Caenith’s group has gone to the island of Pandemonia hoping to find a way to stop the Black Queen. But they find themselves divided into two groups on separate quests. Along with facing the unexpectedness of Pandemonia they also have to fight the Dreamers, the creators of Geadhain. Morigan, while her powers are still growing, also has her hands full with the Dreamstalker. But if they stay strong they should be able to find the key to stopping the Black Queens destruction.
There is so much that is happening in these stories, we find ourselves in new and exciting locations, and yet the base feeling of family and hope is present even though things look bleak. The story gust keeps getting darker and darker. Everyone keeps facing increasingly harder challenges and it seems that destruction is inevitable. But Morigan, Caenith, and their group are determined to put everything right. Even Queen Lila has the opportunity to atone.
This is an amazing series. It’s is a great epic fantasy that can stand next to other greats. It has everything from romance, death, betrayal, and new beginnings. I can’t praise the series enough. Everything is balancing on the edge of a blade and I can’t wait to see what happens in the last book.
I received Feast of Chaos from Author Marketing Experts for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.
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