I had planned on featuring Sigmund Brouwer's "Merlin's Immortals" series over all three days of the tour as these books deserved to be noticed every one of those days. Unfortunately, even the best and most carefully laid out plans can be uprooted, especially when we rely on technology to get it up and out. :( So, here I am today, crunching everything together and not giving the attention that these great books deserve.
Arthurian tales are probably my favorite of the young adult fantasy genre. Based on possible truth (some say King Arthur wasn't a real person), these tales have all the elements of a fantastic story line: knights, castles, kings, sorcerers, good vs. evil, magic, immortality and love. Yet, with such a great story line, it seems to be somewhat overused and many of the stories seem the same... but not with Brouwer's "Merlin's Immortals" series.
In Book One "The Orphan King", we are introduced to Thomas, an abused orphan who was raised in a monastery after his mother passed away. She was in the process of teaching him and preening him for his future role when she died. Thomas continued those studies in secret until he grew old enough to leave the monastery. He then pursued his predestined course of action that his mother had carefully laid out and he discovered so much more that she never had the chance to tell him...
"The Orphan King" was a wonderful start to the series, and I must say I was reading it every chance I got until the end. Thankfully I had the second book, "Fortress of Mist" to continue with right away. I HAD to know what happened to Thomas when... (nope, no spoilers here!!)
"Fortress of Mist" picks up where "The Orphan King" lets off, making this a series you must read in sequence - no starting in the middle of this series. I'm really not sure how to go from here, as I'm afraid to give away anything important that may spoil the first book. Hmmm, let's see... Thomas continues his destiny, however the forces of good and evil are playing against each other and Thomas has to decide which one is which. Some of the pieces of the puzzle are revealed and he finds out people are not always as they seem.
Ohhhh - Talk about keeping one on the edge of their seat! I devoured the second book and got to the end only to cry "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! You can't end it here!! I need to know and I need that third book now!" (Book 3, "Martyr's Fire" is scheduled to be released October 15th, 2013)
Truly, I have enjoyed everything about this series, from the story line to the characters to the suspense that is skillfully woven throughout the story. Thomas is a wonderful character - one with high standards that his mother carefully taught him and those standards impress many. He is a fantastic role model for the young adult audience and a delight to the older reader.
So far I have focused on Thomas, but the other characters: Katherine, William, John, and even Isabelle are characters that were believable, likable and even frustrating at times, and like real life, not always as they seem. Isabelle threw me a curve ball as she had me eating out of her hand. I thought she was amazing because she was there to protect Thomas. Knight William had a sense of humor that made me chuckle more than once, but at the same time he had concerned me in the beginning of the story. John was a little devil and amused me often with his skills. Katherine broke my heart and I fell in love with her character. She's so mysterious and yet her destiny scared me - especially when it revolved around Thomas's allegiance.
As for the setting, the setting of the story is wonderful and the descriptions are amazing. One can honestly hear the sounds and see the sights, feel the weather and smell the smells (although not always wanting to!) This series has cemented Brouwer in my favorite authors list - he is nothing less than brilliant when it comes to weaving a story - he is truly masterful!
This series comes
highly recommended for both the young adult and adult audience!!
Make sure to look for "Martyr's Fire", Book 3 of the "Merlin's Immortals" series in October. It can be pre-ordered at your favorite retailer now.
The Orphan King Trailer:
Fortress of Mist Podcast:
If you would like to add these books to your reading library, for your convenience, you can find them at the links below, or at your local bookstore:
The Orphan King
Fortress Of Mist
To find out more about the author, you can visit Sigmund Brouwer's website at:
http://www.sigmundbrouwer.com/ .
You can also find him on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/SigmundBrouwer
and Twitter at:
https://twitter.com/BrouwerSigmund
Make sure to visit the others on the tour to see what they are saying about the "Merlin's Immortals" series:
Gillian Adams
Julie Bihn
Thomas Fletcher Booher
Beckie Burnham
Janey DeMeo
Theresa Dunlap
Victor Gentile
Nikole Hahn
Jeremy Harder
Ryan Heart
Janeen Ippolito
Becky Jesse
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Emileigh Latham
Rebekah Loper
Shannon McDermott
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Megan @ Hardcover Feedback
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Anna Mittower
Eve Nielsen
Nathan Reimer
James Somers
Steve Trower
Phyllis Wheeler
In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a favorable review, but one the reflects my own personal opinion.
