Nightborn (Thrones & Bones #2)

 Two weeks until Nightborn releases on July 14th! That's enough time to check out the first book, Frostborn, before picking up the sequel. Check out my review of the book below.

About the book:
From the author of "Frostborn" comes Book 2 in the acclaimed Thrones and Bones fantasy-adventure trilogy for fans of Lloyd Alexander and Brandon Mull. 

Karn Korlundsson is a gamer. "Not" a riddle solver. But in order to rescue his best friend, Thianna Frostborn, he will need to travel to the faraway city of Castlebriar (by wyvern), learn how to play a new board game called Charioteers (not a problem), decipher the Riddle of the Horn, and tangle with mysterious elves. 

Meet Desstra. She's in training to join the Underhand--the elite agents of the dark elves. When she crosses paths with Karn, she is not all that she appears to be. 

Everyone is chasing after the horn of Osius, an ancient artifact with the power to change the world. The lengths to which Karn will go in the name of friendship will be sorely tested. Who knew that solving a riddle could be so deadly? 

The novel includes instructions for playing the board game Charioteers. Visit ThronesandBones.com for additional games, maps, character profiles, and more!

Find it on:   Goodreads  Amazon   Barnes & Noble

Review:
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

After reading Frostborn, the first Thrones and Bones book, I knew that I had to read Nightborn, the second book in the series. Lou Anders' world intrigued me, and I wanted to see where he would take readers next. Luckily for me, the publisher sent me a copy to review. (Click here to see my thoughts about Frostborn)

Readers can enjoy the second book in the series without reading the first book, but I wouldn't recommend it. Lou Anders sets the foundation of Karn and Thianna's friendship in the first book, and it is the main reason Karn is so adamant about saving his friend, especially since Thianna is very different from Karn.

Nightborn takes readers further away from Karn's home. We discover more of Anders' world, and see different cultures incorporated into the storyline. Readers also learn more of the world's history. There is even a timeline in the back of the book that breaks down the history.

The story opens up with new characters, and an interesting twist to the capture the flag game. Readers learn that this is the "final exam" for the characters, and Dessetra is not going to lose! When graduation comes, she is forced to go on a special mission before truly graduating and joining the Underhand. Karn, on the other hand, is adjusting to his new normal. He's now a local celebrity after the events that happened in Frostborn, and he is stepping up to be hauld of the farm. Too bad he is taken and forced on a mission to retrieve a special item and find his friend Thianna.

Just like in the first book, Karn and Thianna have "bad guys" that they have to defend themselves from. Anders again incorporates mythical characters, this time elves, as key characters in the story. But this time, the dark elves are going after the same horn that Karn and Thianna are.
  
Desstra was my favorite character in the story. She is cunning, and the way she thinks is similar to Karn's way of thinking. Unlike her counterpart, Tanthal who uses the people around him and isn't afraid to hurt or kill them, Desstra shows compassion and mercy. Desstra isn't perfect though. She befriends and then betrays Karn. But when Tanthal tells her that she has to kill him, she finally does what is right, even if it means giving up on her lifelong dream. I look forward to reading about her in the third book and seeing how Anders continues to shape her character.

The story is wrapped up completely by the end of the book, just like in the first book. It ends with the characters setting out to explore more of the world. Thianna hasn't found out the history of her mother, after all. Now she has a worthy travel companion. I am interested to see how important Karn's role will be in the third installment.

Anders created another board game, Charioteers, for Nightborn. Just as he did in Frostborn, instructions, pictures, and rules are included in the back of the book. Readers can create their own board and play just as the characters do.

All in all, Nightborn is an adventurous story that is fun to read. It is perfect for middle graders, teens, and even adults. There is action and mystery.  It shows how true friendship is meant to be.

About author Lou Anders:

Lou Anders's research on Norse mythology while writing Frostborn turned into a love affair with Viking culture and a first visit to Norway. He hopes the series will appeal to boys and girls equally.

Anders is the recipient of a Hugo Award for editing and a Chesley Award for art direction. He has published over 500 articles and stories on science fiction and fantasy television and literature.

Frostborn, which Publishers Weekly described as “thoroughly enjoyable” (starred review), is his first middle grade novel. A prolific speaker, Anders regularly attends writing conventions around the country. He and his family reside in Birmingham, Alabama. 

You can visit Anders online at louanders.com and ThronesandBones.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter at @ThronesandBones



 

Blade Singer review and giveaway!

About the book:
Manuel “Manny” Boreaux, a troubled adolescent from Texas, is magically transported into the body of a goblin pickpocket in an alternate world inhabited by faerie creatures. Manny must quickly adapt to the danger all around him and try to find a way to get back home, a feat complicated by the pickpocket’s association with a notorious gang of thieves. But when Manny uncovers a plot to assassinate a young king, he must enlist the aid of an elf cavalier and a cat burglar to thwart a Sidhe witch’s scheme to ignite a civil war between humans and the Fae.

Goodreads   Amazon

Review:
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After checking out the blurb of this book, I decided to read it because of all of the fantasy creatures in it. Mixing magical creatures can be a dangerous thing for authors. So much can go wrong in the process, but in Blade Singer so much went right! The mix of trolls, goblins, elves, humans, etc. really helped create the feel of another magical world.

The first thing that surprised me in the book is that the main character is not white or black, but rather he has a Hispanic background. I loved this. There is a lack of diversity in many books (or maybe I'm not seeking out the diversified books), and for the main character to be Hispanic, it was exciting. It really didn't impact the main story line, but the authors wove bits of it throughout the story.

I loved that Manny was able to reunite with his parents in Aquitania. After their deaths, he was having a difficult time coping. Even though they didn't know who he was, he was still able to interact and grow their relationship.

It was interesting to see how Manny changed over the course of the book. In the beginning, he was a thief in the real world as well as in Aquitania. But when he arrived in Aquitania and saw that being bad was changing him into a goblin, he changed his ways. He tried to do the right thing, even if it was harder to do than the wrong thing. Perfect lesson for the middle grade kids that the story is geared toward.

As kids are learning this lesson, the authors keep it interesting. Manny and Adriana face lots of danger. From sword fights and spies, to being captured and being chased by "bad guys", the action throughout the book keep readers interested and eager to turn the page.

The story is told through a single point of view, Manny's. Although it would have been interesting to get other character's take on what was going on and what was running through their minds, the single POV allows readers to show how Manny's mentality changes. This was definitely the most effective way to show that.

Readers looking for the next great fantasy adventure should pick up Blade Singer. This is a story that I'd recommend to kids, teens, and even adults!

About the authors:
Aaron de Orive
A graduate of the University of Texas’ film program, Aaron de Orive began his professional writing career in the video game industry, serving as a lead or senior writer on Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided, Tabula Rasa, Anarchy Online, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. He is also the creator of the fantasy role-playing game SHARD: World of the False Dawn. Blade Singer is his first novel. Aaron lives in Austin with his wife, daughter, and two very spoiled terriers.

Website   Twitter

Martha Wells
Martha Wells is the author of a number of fantasy novels, including The Cloud Roads, The Siren Depths, The Wizard Hunters, Wheel of the Infinite, and the Nebula-nominated The Death of the Necromancer. Her YA fantasy, Emilie and the Hollow World, was published by Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry in April 2013, and the sequel, Emilie and the Sky World, was released in March 2014. Two collections of Books of the Raksura novellas will be published in September 2014 and Fall 2015. She has had short stories in Black Gate, Realms of Fantasy, Stargate Magazine, and Lightspeed Magazine, and in the anthologies Elemental, The Year’s Best Fantasy #7, Tales of the Emerald Serpent and The Other Half of the Sky. She has essays in the nonfiction anthologies Farscape Forever, Mapping the World of Harry Potter, and Chicks Unravel Time. She has also written media-tie-in novels, Stargate Atlantis: Reliquary and Stargate Atlantis: Entanglement, and a Star Wars novel, Empire and Rebellion: Razor’s Edge.

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