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Book Review: Even Though I Knew the End

On: December 16, 2022

In: Books

Tagged: Books, fantasy, mystery, noir, review, sapphic

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Jonathan’s spoiler-free review of Even Though I Knew the End, by C. L. Polk.Read More →

Publisher: J&K Writing

Release Date: 2023-12-01

Summary: It’s like Christmas and May Day fused together in this cozy fantasy adventure short story. As the finishing winds blow and the weather turns colder, Kilahym the bard arrives at his hometown to perform for the Day of Laphrim celebration. His friend and peer, Ansgar, is there to make sure everything goes according to plan—but Ansgar has a nose for trouble. Amidst the scent of honeyed nuts and revelers weaving ribbons around a tree, a plot is afoot. When Kilahym’s performance doesn’t go as planned, Ansgar seizes the moment and leads him in pursuit of a legendary creature. Will they find something magical in the forest, or will something find them instead? Step into the world of Etherea in a winter holiday short story set before the events of the novel Trials of the Innermost. Readers of the Etherea Cycle will see the character Kilahym before he was chosen for the Trials, and the loveable rogue Ansgar. This winter fantasy adventure is packed with sass, charm, and magic. If you enjoy the cozy feel of Legends and Lattes, and the winter holiday vibes in The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe then this story is for you!

Publisher: Hansen House

Release Date: 2023-05-26

Summary:

About Trials of the Innermost

Could you defeat the darkness within? In a world that stopped spinning, six young people embark on a quest to preserve peace between their homelands and fulfill a prophecy that says they will save their world from being devoured. A cataclysm in Etherea’s past stopped its rotation, leaving three distinct realms: one of light, one of dark, and one of twilight. Years of war between them followed. Until the establishment of the Trials of the Innermost. A new set of Six Truthseekers are chosen for this quest of learning and cooperation. But the fragile peace created by the Trials is crumbling, even as they begin their first task. The group is composed of each realm’s best and brightest, and their talents range from magic channeled through music to explosive crystals. They will need all their unique abilities to survive the Trials, which take them through scorched wastes, a wall of storms, and the shadowed Fellwood. Along their journey, a shared lost past is rediscovered that forces the Truthseekers to question all they once held to be true. Yet even as they grapple with their new reality, a deadly secret is unveiled. A fragment of an alien force called the Penumbra has possessed one of their own, granting him preternatural abilities. One realm seeks to control the entity, but the Penumbra has other plans. If it can succeed in reuniting its broken pieces, it will gain the power to consume all of Etherea’s abundant life force. The Truthseekers must overcome their differences and work together to stop the malevolent entity before they lose their friend—and their world—to the Penumbra’s hunger. Universal Buy Links