Blog Tour: The Hero's Lot

heros lot tour

 
The Hero's Lot
(The Staff and the Sword #2)
by Patrick W. Carr
YA Christian Fantasy
July 15th 2013 by Bethany House Publishers

Summary
A Riveting Sequel from Christian Fantasy's Most Talented New Voice.

When Sarin Valon, the corrupt secondus of the conclave, flees Erinon and the kingdom, Errol Stone believes his troubles have at last ended. But other forces bent on the destruction of the kingdom remain and conspire to accuse Errol and his friends of a conspiracy to usurp the throne.

In a bid to keep the three of them from the axe, Archbenefice Canon sends Martin and Luis to Errol's home village, Callowford, to discover what makes him so important to the kingdom. But Errol is also accused of consorting with spirits. Convicted, his punishment is a journey to the enemy kingdom of Merakh, where he must find Sarin Valon, and kill him. To enforce their sentence, Errol is placed under a compulsion, and he is driven to accomplish his task or die resisting.

My Review

I loved A Cast of Stones, so I was very excited to read The Hero's Lot. This series reminds me a little of The Lord of the Rings series, except it isn't as wordy with descriptions or as drawn out, and there is more romance. It is also well written with a fully fledged fantasy world, plot, and characters.

I know that this series falls under the Christian genre. I suppose you could read into the belief system and how it can relate to Christianity, but it also reads to me like any fantasy novel where some parts of the story are about the country's religious beliefs and system. I would recommend it to anyone, regardless of religious preference.

I really love Errol. He has his flaws, but he has risen above so many challenges that have been thrown at him, and he will still face more. He feels things deeply, even though he tries to hide that. He wants so desperately to just be free, have a simple life, and to love and be loved. His world, circumstances, and situation will not allow him those things. He has enemies everywhere, but also friends in surprising places, and a group of very loyal friends who would do anything for him. The other characters all have their own roles to play as well and they are each interesting and unique.

One of the things I loved the most about all of the characters, including Errol, is seeing how they continue to change as the story continues. So many of them might have poor judgement at one point or another, but redeem themselves during the story or in the end. You have a princess who swallows her pride and tries to be useful;  a priest who changes what he believes; a selfish swordsman who sacrifices all for what is right. Then Errol himself who is constantly trying to stay alive and do what is right for a cause he may not believe in.

The story was pretty intense in some parts, then sweet, humorous, and sad in others. The mission that Errol and his group have undertaken is nearly impossible. They have enemies on so many sides, even from within their own country. There were several things that didn't go as planned. I wasn't entirely sure if everyone was going to survive or not and there are some casualties. I liked that this didn't end all easily wrapped up. Of course now I'm dying to read the third book, which won't be out until February, 2014.

If you enjoy reading fantasy or need something good and exciting to pick up, then I would definitely recommend this!

Content: Some violence and mild innuendo, but I would consider this clean for YA.
Source: Copy from tour host/NetGalley, which did not affect my review in any way.



I highly recommend the first book in the series, as well. You can see my 5-star review here.

  A Cast of Stones
(The Staff and the Sword #1)
by Patrick W. Carr
YA Christian Fantasy
February 1st 2013 by Bethany House Publishers
 
Summary
An Epic Medieval Saga Fantasy Readers Will Love.

In the backwater village of Callowford, Errol Stone's search for a drink is interrupted by a church messenger who arrives with urgent missives for the hermit priest in the hills. Desperate for coin, Errol volunteers to deliver them but soon finds himself hunted by deadly assassins. Forced to flee with the priest and a small band of travelers, Errol soon learns he's joined a quest that could change the fate of his kingdom. Protected for millennia by the heirs of the first king, the kingdom's dynasty is near an end and a new king must be selected. As tension and danger mount, Errol must leave behind his drunkenness and grief, learn to fight, and come to know his God in order to survive a journey to discover his destiny.
 
 
 
About the Author

Patrick Carr was born on an Air Force base in West Germany at the height of the cold war. He has been told this was not his fault. As an Air Force brat, he experienced a change in locale every three years until his father retired to Tennessee. Patrick saw more of the world on his own through a varied and somewhat eclectic education and work history. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1984 and has worked as a draftsman at a nuclear plant, did design work for the Air Force, worked for a printing company, and consulted as an engineer. Patrick’s day gig for the last five years has been teaching high school math in Nashville, TN. He currently makes his home in Nashville with his wonderfully patient wife, Mary, and four sons he thinks are amazing: Patrick, Connor, Daniel, and Ethan. Sometime in the future he would like to be a jazz pianist. Patrick thinks writing about himself in the third person is kind of weird.

Website - Facebook


Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 8/14/13
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

No comments

Post a Comment

I love comments! I try to read and reply to them all. Feel free to agree or disagree and generally share your thoughts with me.