VOICE OF GODS by Eleanor Herman

4 out of 5

Voice of Gods, the prequel to Eleanor Herman’s first novel in the Blood of Gods and Royals series, tells the story of three women who are catalysts in this fictional rendition of Alexander the Great’s legacy. There is Helen, the young oracle who detests her fate and feels so lonely despite the voices that crowd her mind; Ada, Helen’s friend and sister to the incestuous king and queen of Caria, who fears she may be destined to live the same life that the king and queen chose; and Myrtale, saddled with an abusive stepmother and the love for someone that she can never have, vows to gain power so that she can make people miserable in the same way power wielded over her has made her miserable. Together the stories of these three women—two of them factual, one of them not—weave together in much the same way as the threads of the Furies’ loom to propel the reader forwards through the events leading up to the heart-stopping Legacy of Kings and also raise new questions for the books to follow. Free to download on any device, Voice of Gods is definitely worth the read as we eagerly await the release of Legacy of Kings, Book 1 in Herman’s new series.

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While not on the scale of Legacy of Kings [which I reviewed here], I enjoyed this novella and prequel to Legacy. Voice of Gods starts off with the narrative largely in Ada’s perspective, and her character development is slow, which made it difficult to get into. However, there is lots of physical action happening, which was somewhat interesting; my only complaint is that it was difficult to follow along at times, in part because of the slow character development, but also because so much was happening in such a short space.

Character development is much more progressive when it comes to Helen and Myrtale, characters who are also in Legacy of Kings. The storyline here is also much more interesting. However, when it comes to Myrtale’s storyline, it can be a bit confusing because there are minor parts where it is not quite linear. One minute she seems to want one thing and the next that changes. It felt a little scattered to me at times.

For a while it was also unclear what the purpose of introducing Ada as a separate narrative was, but it is more evident towards the end. However, I think less time could have been spent with her in the beginning. The narrative should have shifted to Helen and Myrtale faster, as it is much more interesting and points the reader in the direction of the main storyline. I didn’t understand the need for so much focus on Ada’s perspective early on. This being said, once the narrative shifts away from Ada, the narrative voice more closely resembles the one I grew to love in Legacy of Kings. I am very pleased with the questions this prequel raises that are significant to the plot of Legacy of Kings and its sequel(s). Voice of Gods thickens the suspense of Legacy of Kings really well and I’m even more excited for the second book in the series to come out in 2016!

-Ember Book Reviews xxoo

Check out this book on Goodreads.

Download for free on any device!

My First Ever Wrap-Up!

This is my first ever wrap-up! This is so exciting.

So during the month of July I read my favourite contemporary YA novel of 2015 so far, and that was All the Rage by Courtney Summers. I absolutely adore this book, and I completely feel that everyone should read this book at some time in their lives (hopefully early on! Lots of important life lessons in there).

I also read my favourite YA historical fiction of ALL TIME, which is Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman. This book comes out in August, so make sure to keep an eye out for it! Also, if you click on the link below, I’ve shared details on how to get the free prequel and about a swag pack that’s happening if you pre-order.

Also new this month (at least I think this month…) is that one of my favourite YA contemporary authors Lauren Morrill now has a PO Box. I really love snail mail. I think it’s a dying art form, and I think it makes people feel a bit more special that you’ve taken the extra time to send something. So if you’ve read her (which you definitely should), then please send her some mail! She mentioned sending out swag to people who did…

Her website with her contact information is here.

And lastly, but not least, I have a total of FOUR books on the go right now, with a few more waiting for me. I am trying to read, for only the third time in my life, a graphic novel called Alice in the Country of Hearts, and I have to say, I’m really enjoying it. It’s a refreshing change from what I normally read, and I’m excited to stretch past my usual boundaries. I also noticed that I read hardly any books written by men, so I’m going to be making a conscious effort to change that. I want to break the stereotype that women write for women and men write for men, because that’s so not true.

A final reminder as well that there is a giveaway happening. If I can reach 50 blog followers, then I will be giving away a book. So make sure to follow if you want to enter!

Books read:

The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls by Julie Schumacher (5 out of 5)

Most Likely to Succeed by Jennifer Echols (3 ½-4 out of 5)

Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman (5 out of 5)

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (4 ½ out of 5)

All the Rage by Courtney Summers (5 out of 5)

Total books read: 5

Other posts:

“Giveaway…”

“Blog Redesign News”

“How to Write a Good Book Review”

“Tuesday’s Track List #2”

Total posts (including reviews): 9

Books currently reading:

Jackaby by William Ritter

Mosquitoland by David Arnold

Alice in the Country of Hearts by QuinRose and Soumei Hoshino

Voice of Gods by Eleanor Herman

LEGACY OF KINGS by Eleanor Herman & FREE Prequel!

5 out of 5

[ARC provided to me in PDF format in exchange for an honest review in my work as a VIP Trendsetter for Paper Lantern Lit. You can view their website here.]

Alexander – The crippled prince regent who wants nothing more than to prove himself to his father and his people.

Cynane – The daughter of King Philip II, the half-sister of Alexander, Cynane is sick of being expected to sit idly by and is determined to not let the same fate that befell her mother befall her as well.

Kat – A feisty peasant girl who will not be at peace until she has travelled to the royal palace and avenged her mother’s murder.

Jacob – A peasant boy chosen to participate in the Blood Tournament, Jacob needs to win so that he can provide the life to Kat that she deserves. Only, things take a dark turn when Jacob suspects that Kat doesn’t want that life after all.

Zo – Lovesick and forced into a diplomatic marriage that she does not want, Zo runs away from the comforts of her palace life in search of the Persian warrior she loves so much. But something else finds her before she finds him.

Heph – As Alexander’s best friend, Heph’s past makes his position in the palace a precarious one. Pride is his weakness, along with women. When things take an unexpected turn in the Blood Tournament, he begins to doubt Alex’s friendship and his own place in the world.

Olympias – If she had been given the choice, she would have chosen a different life for herself—one with the immortal man she loves and one that leaves her free to worship the snakes. But she did not have a choice, and for that she has become bitter, seeking revenge on anyone who crosses her path.

In Eleanor Herman’s Legacy of Kings, the tales of seven characters—some factual and some fictional—intertwine to create an engrossing epic on the scale of The Iliad and Odyssey. Not in years has something so spectacular graced the publishing world, and readers both young and old will truly delight in perusing its pages. Fans of Game of Thrones and the Starcrossed trilogy by Josephine Angelini are sure to love this brilliant new novel featuring the rise of Alexander the Great and the books to follow. Legacy of Kings is truly such an amazing read.

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Let me start off by saying that this book is amazing. I think it’s pretty clear based on my synopsis how in love with this book I am. I don’t think I’ve reviewed a book yet that I was this excited about, so I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts with you and encouraging you to buy this book at your earliest opportunity!

The world-building in this book is awesome, though at times I did wish for a tiny bit more description of the actual setting rather than the characters’ movements and thoughts. That being said, Legacy of Kings is like a travel guide through the ancient Mediterranean. I genuinely hope that the printed version comes with a map detailing the different characters’ journeys throughout the Mediterranean because it is just so fascinating to me, and I hope to all of you as well.

As I’ve said before, I’m normally not a fan of books that switch points of view, but I loved it in this book. I think it works so well because the book is told from a third-person perspective. It felt to me very much like reading The Odyssey in terms of narrative voice, which, of course, is enormously appropriate and awesome given the context of the novel.

This novel was filled with so many interesting facts and legends, as well as tidbits about the various mythologies from the periods surrounding that time (the mid to late-300s BC). Not only was the book fun to read, but I learned something as well. As a history nerd who has studied this time period many times throughout university, I really enjoyed the more historical aspects of the novel.

There were many pleasant surprises throughout the book that make it hard to guess what will happen next or how it will end. My only complaint is that Zo doesn’t have much of a role or storyline. Hopefully her journey has something to do with Book 2 (to be released September 2016). I also don’t like love triangles, so hopefully that doesn’t happen in Book 2, but it looks like it might…

As I’ve said, I absolutely loved this book and I think everyone needs to buy it/borrow it the minute it comes out on August 25^th, 2015. If you like Game of Thrones or the Starcrossed trilogy by Josephine Angelini (which I posted about here), then you are going to absolutely die for this book. It truly is that amazing. My favourite read of 2015 so far, and it may just take the cake on that.

Please read this book and let me know what you think in the comments below. I’d love to get in touch with any of you guys and have a chat about the books we love!

-Ember Book Reviews xxoo

P.S. Is it a coincidence that there is a little person referred to as “the Tyrrhian” in the novel? Game of Thrones, anybody?

You can get the prequel for FREE on Amazon.

Check out this book on Goodreads!

Pre-order this book and email ehermanlegacy@gmail.com with proof of purchase to receive a pre-order reward! Details here.

Or, wait until August 25th and check out your local indie bookstore or library. 🙂