| Title | : | The Axe of Sundering (Adventurers Wanted, #5) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1609079345 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781609079345 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 400 |
| Publication | : | First published October 23, 2017 |
Whalen Vankin is the worlds greatest wizard, and he has only ever personally trained two other wizards. One is Alexander Taylor, a young man who has earned a reputation as a brave adventurer, a warrior, and man of honor. The other is Jabez, Vankin's nephew and a man whose choices have led him down a different, darker path.
Dark magic has covered Westland, and evil is stirring. Whalen and Alex must journey together into the heart of danger, confronting a sea serpent, battling their way through a goblin army, and facing down more than one dragon. Alex must find the legendary Axe of Sundering the one weapon that offers a chance to defeat Jabez and protect the land from the dark wizards plans. But finding it will be an adventure of its own as the only pathway to the Axe leads through the underground tunnels and secret passages of Castle Conmar.
But Jabez has one final weapon at his disposal: the powerful Orion Stone, which could spell the end to Whalen and Alex both.
The Axe of Sundering (Adventurers Wanted, #5) Reviews
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*whimpers
I need this... -
Wonderful conclusion to the series. I did think that the end felt a bit rushed as the series finale and that there are still some unanswered questions/other ways that elements from the past books could have been worked into the conclusion to wrap it up. For instance, Whalen mentioned after Alex showed him his true form in book 3 that he knew of an old legend myth about a true silver dragon but we never learned more of that. Unless this myth is being saved to be used in other books I think it would have been a good way to potentially link the sea elves redemption legend giving it more weight since it came to pass in the end. I also feel that the end battle between Zain/Galin and Alex was a little too quick compared to the battle with Jabez. Since most of the book revolved around Jabez and his defeat the battle scene was the appropriate size to the length of the plot that it took to get there, however, the battle with Zain/Galin and Alex was supposed to be the culmination of the entire series and thus should be an appropriate size to the length of plot that it took to get there. Instead they were easily defeated with Alex's binding spell and quick work from the Axe of Sundering with hardly any fight/retaliation/trickery from Zain/Galin.
Regardless of these points I did LOVE the book and LOVED the series to the end. It was still a very good way to wrap up the series and I did enjoy seeing that Alex failed at least once throughout the series. It was getting a little far fetched with the amount of times he succeeded throughout the other books in the series. Shoutout to M.L. Forman for the hard work so that we could finally know what happened with Alex.
Edit: The book cover also bothers me as well as the book covers of the others books minus book one because they get one detail wrong. Alex has sandy blonde hair as described in book one. Otherwise they are all good covers. -
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Perspective of a Writer...
Alex now has the opportunity to help his mentor and the world's greatest wizard, Whalen Vankin as he faces his evil nephew whom he trained before Jabez took this dark path away from the ways of a true wizard. The secret to defeating Jabez before he takes over Westland is the legendary Axe of Sundering which has been secreted away. Alex must find it and face the powerful Orion Stone if he and Whalen have a chance of protecting the land.
This is a very solid better than middle grade, middle grade series and the latest book in the series captures the same magic as the books before it! I loved the cover and the title... they left you intrigued the entire book as you wondered how the Axe of Sundering would work. My only complaint was that a murky brown was used instead of a pop of color behind the axe so that we could see better that Alex was also on the cover. Even if Alex was just dressed more in a green it would make him show up better.
The story was just like the cover... almost perfect but with a few slow points where enough re-writing wasn't done to smooth away the info dumping or the slow weariness of travel. Ultimately Alex and Whalen are traveling to where Jabez is holed up in the castle Conmar... since he can sense their magic they must take it slow and steady to not draw attention to themselves. I really enjoyed the larger moments that were developed along the trail. There were some connective events that lead between the larger plot points that I thought lacked the charm of previous books.
This lack of charm has to do with there being NONE of the friends that Alex normally has with him and hence a lot LESS interaction with others. This isn't bad per se... its just really different! Instead of starting with people he's comfortable with Alex meets a couple new friends along the way. There are only two but I liked both characters and thought their first meetings were fun. A LOT of pages was spent with Whalen and this time there was a focus on how to treat an elder... someone who is MUCH wiser than Alex but whom he didn't always see eye to eye with. I enjoyed how he handled those differences. The sea elves were a particular favorite of mine and I liked how they were personified through a couple characters...
The world of Westlands is one of island nations and little cities that stand free of one another. We get a sense of the history of the place as Alex travels along a merchant route and they start to get glimpses of the troubles that plague the area. It was all very intriguing. Of course, we KNEW who was doing it and why but it was fun to see what antics the evil wizard would throw at Alex. If you enjoy a Hobbit or D&D sort of world then this series as well as this book are for YOU!
Two other things I struggled with a touch were development and pacing. I appreciate the friendships that Alex made but events along the trail needed a bit more development so that the pacing felt more exciting. While I loved the book and enjoyed what happened there were times I could put down the book and I wasn't plagued to come back to it. This makes me sad as I'm normally raring to read the next page of this series the entire time...
The incorporation of many details from past books for the end was incredible! The dragons made my heart sing and I was NOT disappointed in the dragon lord part of the storyline. Really the way the END CAME TOGETHER is why I'm rounding up to 4 stars and why I still HIGHLY suggest this book despite it's flaws. Some of the best plotting all jammed up at the end... I literally could not put it down once we got to the castle and KEPT READING to Jabez and beyond!!
Alex totally makes this series and this book! To have read as he comes to be a young man is so incredible and such an example to other readers... I really think every young man could read this series and book and get SO MUCH out of them!! I want to say though that he is a normal kid who didn't think much of himself or his life but through persistence and being aware of opportunities he made choices that took him down this path to being an honorable, wise, respectful, magical, intuitive wizard who is a joy for those of like honor to know and adventure with...
⋆⭐⭐⭐⭐ Premise & World Building
⋆⭐⭐⭐⭐ Cover & Title
⋆⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Development & Storycraft
⋆⭐⭐⭐⭐ Writing & Narrative
⋆⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Plot & Pacing
⋆⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Relationships
⋆⭐⭐⭐⭐ Feelings
BOTTOM LINE: A Dragon Lord in the making!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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You can find this review and many others on my book blog @
Perspective of a Writer. See my special perspective at the bottom of my reviews under the typewriter... -
Wow. I would not typically recommend reading the last book in a series. Yet, this is what I did. However, it was like I had been following along since the being. This is how easy the reading was and the fact that I was able to connect to the characters and the story. As I was reading this book I could not help but feel a little influence of The Sword and the Stone as well as The Hobbit.
The world that this series takes place in is magical. Yet, the true star is Alex. While, he may be young, he is brave and smart. There was a point in the story where Alex had to travel on his own but he was up for the challenge. Than when it came time for him to face Jabez, he did so with everything that he had. A fitting conclusion to this series. You could say that I was transported to another world. This is the best part of books. I plan to go back and read books one through four. Although, I will not be alone as I will be introducing my nephews to this series as well. -
Psyched! I'm really looking forward to reading this book! Will it be the end of the series? I can't recall hearing anything...
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Липсата на напрежение пречи на иначе тази симпатична фентъзи книжка да стане страхотна, но авторът й заслужава уважение, защото я написа след прекаран инсулт, което ме кара да поставя с една звездичка по-висока оценка от реалната. Ревюто на линка:
https://citadelata.com/the-axe-of-sun... -
Don't end
I know this is the last book in the series. I don't want it to end. I do like how the author wraps up the story, but I want to read more. I am looking forward to what else this author will do. -
When will it come out???!!!
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3.5 stars I was very lucky to get an advanced copy of this final chapter in the Adventurer's Wanted series. Because I have been waiting so long, I had very high expectations. (Probably not fair to the author!)
While this wasn't my favorite in the series, it was a solid conclusion. It even left the possibility of more books in this world--they just wrapped up this series by defeating the evil they have been chasing. (Really since wizards and dragons can live for a VERY long time, it would be quite easy to write more just set a few decades later)
I really enjoyed that everything doesn't come easily to Alex in this book! He had to work hard, face failure, and lose to really grow as a character! The final resolution was over a little too quick for my liking, but otherwise a good book! -
This is a series I have thoroughly enjoyed. Each book is definitely a fantastic adventure. I enjoyed being back with Whalen and Alex. It did take several chapters for me to get into the story, but once I was invested, I didn't want to put it down. In trying to figure out why it took me awhile to get into the story, the only thing I can think of is I had been out of that world for to long. I think if I had read all five books back-to-back it would have flowed better for me. I thought there was a very powerful lesson taught toward the end of the book about success and failures. Too often kids want to get up and the world judges us based on our successes. Alex learned a great lesson about the two. I would recommend this book and series to any fantasy lover.
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I have to admit that I felt like I won the lottery when I received this from NetGalley. As with all the fans of this series, the wait was long, but we understand; the positive side was it gave me time to re-read the other books and enjoy the adventures again.
The wait was SO worth it! The story does not disappoint and is just as exciting as the other four books. This was full of action and emotions. I do hope there are more adventures to come for all of the characters. It would be fun to see more characters from the dark elves develop in other adventures.
I received the from NetGalley.com for my honest review. -
Having to wait for something can be difficult, but it avoids rushing something and having it half baked. When the news broke in 2015 that M.L. Forman had suffered from a stroke, many questioned when the book would be published. Luckily Forman not only managed to pull through, but also kept his drive to finish the book.
After the events from the previous adventure, Alex is asked by his mentor Whalen to accompany him to the land of Jarro to stop a former student of Whalen named Jabez who has been helping the evil organization the Brotherhood attempt to rule the known lands. Due to Jabez’s specific dark power, only the legendary Ax of Sundering can end his evil for good. To get the Ax, Alex and Whalen must travel across Jarro in a way that doesn’t alert their presence to the evil wizard while preparing the lands for the Brotherhoods attack.
In the course of Alex’s adventures, he has gone to many unique lands, and Jarro is no exception. The islands are each interesting, and Alex is once again exposed to different scenarios that test his skills as both an adventurer and a Dragon Lord. Most scenarios aren’t too different than what most people would interact with, making each part a chance to teach a lesson.
Just like previous books, the story goes from one part to the next with Alex rarely interacting with previous characters from earlier in the book. The author makes up for this by having each one be different and creative. Alex himself has grown a lot since the first book. He still makes mistakes, but is far more confident and skillful when it comes to approaching different legs of the journey. Unlike the previous books, Alex travels mainly with his mentor Whalen instead of a band of adventurers. While I did miss the D&D adventure group, the story managed to keep me interested by having other elements that made the expedition fresh and interesting.
One thing that I would have loved would have been Alex seeing (if only briefly) some of the characters he had encountered throughout the story at the end of the book. We do get mentions of Aliia and Lupo for instance, but it would have been nice to have brief farewells between the characters. The ending also gives us a bit of hope that if he is able, the author would like to return to the series one day. If that happens by himself or by someone under his guidance, I would welcome the chance to read more of Alex’s adventures. -
Alex must face his toughest opponent, Whalen’s past mentee, Jabez. I appreciated that things didn’t come as easily to Alex as they often did in the other books. Though things still were a little too convenient. The beginning with Alex’s lost memories gripped me, but then I had to slog through the first few chapters of Whalen telling his sad backstory and Alex preparing for his quest. Whalen was overly secretive and I found it a little annoying that he didn’t give any reason for having Alex take so many circuitous routes.
The journey to Conmar was a little long without some of the fun banter and connection in previous books. I did, however, really like how Alex learned to respect Whalen and not rely only on himself and his own past successes. It was great to see him have to deal with accepting Whalen’s wisdom gathered through generations even when Alex didn’t agree with him. There wasn’t interaction with others until further along the journey, but once they came in they were fun. The sea elves and some other creatures introduced were so cool!
The evil wizard’s obstacles were intriguing and it was cool to have Alex get glimpses of trouble in Westlands as he traveled. The pacing was a bit slow in many areas, but with a little more development of the plot and subplots, it could have moved a little better.
That said, the ending was amazing! It tied in details and loose ends from previous books to the sweeping conclusion. I did feel the big confrontation was over a little fast after the big build-up, but once you get to the castle it’s hard to stop reading. I loved the dragons, because dragons make everything cooler, and how the magic was shown.
The series is about Alex growing into a great young man and dragon lord. This would be a great book for late elementary school and middle-grade readers who love adventure, think Dungeons and Dragons and The Hobbit, and magic. -
Welcome back to the land of Adventures Wanted! In this fifth book, we find Alex and Whalen about to set off on a quest to stop Whalen's evil great-great-great-etc-nephew. Together Alex and Whalen, the two greatest wizards in the land, must disguise themselves and travel to the land where Jabez, the evil nephew, is plotting to overthrow Westland.
His death will be difficult, because he has tied his life force to any person he has ever helped, so Alex must find The Axe of Sundering, to cut through the ties and then end Jabez's life. Of course, the Axe is hidden and guarded by a dragon. The Brotherhood is also on the rise, and Alex and Whalen must watch their every move or the greater good might be in jeopardy.
My Thoughts-
So Good! I've been waiting for this book to come out. The author suffered an illness, and luckily got better. The Adventures Wanted world is FABULOUS! If you missed book one, Alex, then a sixteenish year-old, answered a sign in a shop window that said, Adventures Wanted. Think of all your favorite World of Warcraft or Dungeon and Dragon dreams come true. Plus, while he is gone in adventure land, barely any time passes in his home world.
This time he is with his teacher, Whalen, and together they travel with a caravan around Westland, so that they can sneak up on Jabez. As a reader, you are able to watch as Alex's character becomes even more powerful and smart. He is also kind, which makes him a great wizard. He discovers a clue about a dragon with no name who will save the land. Hmm, a tasty tidbit he tries to unravel for most of the book. As he travels, he meets wondrous creatures, including Sea Elves and Dark Shadows. He uses his talents to deal with each accordingly. He continues to grow into his destiny with fabulous fight scenes and skill challenges.
This story just flows, moving from beginning of quest, through trials, to a spectacular ending, and then bam! and extra ending you didn't see coming. I love this series. 5 stars! -
I'm sad to see yet another of my personal favorite series come to an end. This series has been full of action and adventure. It's a series that my daughter and I have been able to relive again and again. And we'll still do that, but there will be no more of Alex's new adventures to tag along on.
This book has been worth the wait that it's taken to get it into the hands of the reader. The author suffered a stroke while writing this one, so it's taken years and years to get it. I loved how I was able to open it and be sucked right back into Alex's world of adventures as if no time had passed. So fabulous!
I love the characters in this series. You see everything through Alex's eyes, so you only know what he knows. You only see what he sees. That can be detrimental in certain books but I love the way it works with this series. I love that you can try to figure out just how to get out of situations while Alex does, or figure out just what he should do next with him. I love his sense of honor and duty. He is one of my favorite literary characters I've ever read.
I love the plot of this one. There is plenty of action and adventure. And even when the book is winding down in the final closing scenes, it still is filled with action and adventure. I was surprised by how it all ended. But it was a fitting end to an amazing series.
Make sure to go get this book, but make sure that you start at the beginning of the series if you haven't already! -
I'm sad to see yet another of my personal favorite series come to an end. This series has been full of action and adventure. It's a series that my daughter and I have been able to relive again and again. And we'll still do that, but there will be no more of Alex's new adventures to tag along on.
This book has been worth the wait that it's taken to get it into the hands of the reader. The author suffered a stroke while writing this one, so it's taken years and years to get it. I loved how I was able to open it and be sucked right back into Alex's world of adventures as if no time had passed. So fabulous!
I love the characters in this series. You see everything through Alex's eyes, so you only know what he knows. You only see what he sees. That can be detrimental in certain books but I love the way it works with this series. I love that you can try to figure out just how to get out of situations while Alex does, or figure out just what he should do next with him. I love his sense of honor and duty. He is one of my favorite literary characters I've ever read.
I love the plot of this one. There is plenty of action and adventure. And even when the book is winding down in the final closing scenes, it still is filled with action and adventure. I was surprised by how it all ended. But it was a fitting end to an amazing series.
Make sure to go get this book, but make sure that you start at the beginning of the series if you haven't already! -
After a wait of several years, I'm thrilled to have finally had the chance to read the last book in the Adventurers Wanted series. I'm also sad that the series has ended. It's always sad to say goodbye to favorite characters. In this last book of the series, Alex, a young wizard, adventurer, and dragon lord, sets off with his mentor, Whalen Vankin, to address the evil actions of Vankin's former apprentice and great-nephew, Jabez. At the same time, they are trying to figure out what the evil organization known as the Brotherhood is working toward.
But to have a chance to defeat Jabez or the Brotherhood, they must travel incognito and at a slow pace. Neither of these things come easy to Alex, especially once he learns that Jabez has a dragon enslaved and is starting warfare throughout the land of Jarro. And the greater uncertainty is that the only way to defeat Jabez is with the Axe of Sundering, which Jabez has in his possession. Not only do Alex and Whalen have to try to sneak up on Jabez, no easy task with Whalen's natural connection to his former apprentice, but they have to get their hands on the Axe before they confront him.
Alex has survived many challenges over his years as an adventurer, but he's never faced the kind of evil that the Brotherhood represents, having built itself over 2,000 years. But failure means the enslavement of the entire known lands, something that Alex can't abide. This is a nice, exciting ending to a thoroughly enjoyable series. -
When I started this series a few years ago, I was absolutely in love with it. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and plot, and for a while, this series was one of my favorites. Not too long ago, in preparation for reading this, the next and final book, I decided to do a full reread of the series. I started and finished "Slathbog's Gold" but found my original feelings for the series much altered. The writing seemed too obvious and flat, and our main character, Alex, wasn't nearly as compelling as I remembered. I think the cause of this drastic change in emotion was simply due to my tastes changing slowly over the years.
This book and this series are not bad by any means, I simply don't enjoy them the way I used to. I don't regret reading this book, and I'm glad I finished the series. The ending wasn't bad, per se, but I felt that there was a lot left out and it felt rather rushed. Perhaps that is just the result of the author trying to keep an opening for future books in the future. I don't presume to understand.
I hope that if you read this series as a whole, you will find the same immense enjoyment in the world, characters, and story that I felt in the past. Just because I've changed doesn't mean that I regret reading this series. I don't think I ever will, and I still believe it was worth every second of my time. -
This book has been long awaited at our house! My kids and I have enjoyed this series so much! This book, although not as good as the first four, was still a good book. Yes, there were some unanswered questions, and a few things left undone, but I'm glad that Mr. Forman was able to finish it. Alex is such a great character! I love that he has morals and high ethical standards. I like his hard work ethic, and how he treats everyone so well. He doesn't even like hurting the bad guys. This book has some fun surprises and twists that makes it fun to read. The character development is well done, and the book is well written, despite a few small things. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and if you like the series you should definitely read it. There is not any profanity or "intimacy," but there is some violence, with quite a bit of fighting and a few prominent characters dying. I would recommend it for middle-graders and up. (I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.) You may read my full review on my book blog:
www.the-readathon.blogspot.com. -
I am giving this book 3.5.
It was a great book, but the story felt rushed.
The story of the Brotherhood, the Darklands and the nameless dragon didn't feel complete even through it was about fifty pages long.
HOW Alex helped those of the Darklands was disappointing. Only a sentence was mentioned about how he returned to keep a promise but not how he did it, or how he helped the enslaved dragon.
I know there are two more books in the series (and looking forward to them), because he still has magic bags to return.
Don't get me wrong I enjoyed this book. I read it with in a day, and had it on pre-order since 2015.
But this book could have been made into two novels with the amount of storyline he could've expanded on instead of squeezing into one book.
I glad that Alex grew a lot in this novel and learned not to rely on magic alone and to be very patient.
I hope to read more from M.L Forman and from the Adventures Wanted.
