| Title | : | Seeds of Ruin (Sacred Continent Book 1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 1112 |
| Publication | : | Published January 31, 2024 |
The last of the legendary Zidrogans languishes in a fortified palace. A pawn of her own courtiers who dream of restoring the thousand-year Empire to its former glory, she lives in seclusion, lonely and pining for her lost brother. But when a hulking brute with obsidian eyes spewing hellfire breaks into the Alcazar, the princess' world is set ablaze. On the run, friendless and unprotected, she must match wits and cross swords with a man whose name makes the continent tremble. Alone and without any allies to back her up, she is pushed to the brink in a duel of acumen, will, guile and power. Along the way, the princess learns that, even for a woman with no future, there are worse fates than dangling at the end of the Imperium's strings.
Change is sweeping across the realm. The Empire gasps its last while the dominions rise and the frontier falls to two blood-thirsty reavers. In the aftermath of the Sovereign's disastrous alliance with a gifted Diviner, the Magi are on the run and the celebrated Imperial institutions in disarray. As the fog clears from the darkest hours and deeds that begat the ruin of a mighty empire, can the Zidrogan princess stand up to the forces arraigned against her?
Author's Note: This is the first book of a fantasy romance peppered with intrigue, magic and adventure. At the center of the storm is a young woman foretold to be the powerbroker of the realm. Instead, she is beset by loneliness and loss, besieged on all sides and condemned by circumstances beyond her control. This is her story as much as it is the story of the Sacred Continent.
Seeds of Ruin (Sacred Continent Book 1) Reviews
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3.5/5.0
This one’s gonna be a hard one to explain so hang with me here, folks!
The story is AMAZING! Well, the main story. Actually all the stories inside the story are good, it’s that it is just TOO LONG! For the first time, I completely understand the old adage, “too much of a good thing is not a good thing”. The book is over 1100 pages long! Yes, you read that right, one thousand one hundred and twelve pages to be exact. And, even with a great story buried in those pages, it needs to be cut down to a reasonable reading amount. Stretching one single story arc over that many pages just doesn’t work well at all. Heck even the greatest of the great authors knew better than to stuff three entire books into one and just keep it going, and going, and going.
But, if the story was SO good, how would one cut it down? The easiest way, as I see it, needs a bit of an explanation: There are three distinct plot lines running concurrently throughout the book. The main plotline is with Cassia (Sia) and Sin (“Viper”). This storyline is absolutely riveting, can’t-put-down, nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat, reading addiction. The second storyline involves Mirko (“Iceman”) and Reverie (Rie). It’s a bit less riveting but very good and will assuredly play into what comes in future books. The third storyline, however, deals with all these characters parents and is set in the past. That one really should have been a prequel book to the main series. The information ties into what is happening in the present storylines and it would have made a fabulous book of its own. Here, however, it just bogs the main storyline up and slows everything down. Having it be a prequel book would have also allowed for THIS book to be an absolute five star read, rather than a cumbersome, too-long, tome.
Still, if one is up for a HUGE book commitment and can skim parts that aren’t really intricate to the overall, the story is ultimately more than worth it. And, the ending, while not a definite cliffhanger, does leave the reader aching to see what happens next. Here’s hoping the next installment comes out soon - and that it isn’t quite such a challenge to wade through. -
This is the first book in a fantasy series that promises everything the genre has to offer.
The author never ceases to amaze me with her eloquence and vivid imagination. The world she has created in this book is complex and described in intricate detail. From the very start, I was swept into the lives of Cassia and Sin and the many others who inhabit this magical and alternative world, where knights ride twolers (motorbikes) and magic is a blessing and a curse.
The characters take you on a journey as they traverse the landscape: some with hidden agendas and others whose machinations are very much apparent. I particularly fell in love with Sin and his three brothers. Their camraderie and loyalty is never in doubt, and together, they are a force to be reckoned with.
If you are like me and love to be immersed in alternative worlds where anything can and does happen, then this story is for you. I have no hesitation in recommending this book or awarding it 5 spellbinding stars. I can’t wait to see where this epic series takes me next. -
5 stars!!! This was the best book I’ve read in a long while.
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January 31, 2024 : Seeds of Ruin is LIVE!
