Tag: Watson Davis

The Lich’s Heart (The Windhaven Chronicles) by Watson Davis

On By JolieIn ARC, book review4 Comments
The Lich's Heart (The Windhaven Chronicles) by [Davis, Watson]

5 Stars

Publisher:

Date of publication: March 14th, 2019

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Series: The Windhaven Chronicles

The Devil’s Library—Book 1 (review here)

The Shepherd Girl’s Necklace—Book 2 (review here)

The Archbishop’s Amulet—Book 3 (review here)

The Snowtiger’s Trail—Book 4 (review here)

The Lich’s Heart—Book 5

Where you can find The Lich’s Heart: Amazon

Synopsis:

A rebellion rising. A land under siege. Can a conflicted priestess defeat an ancient, ruthless magic?

Hanno’s husband is dead. Filled with pain, the priestess and healer questions her faith in the almighty Eternal Council. When she unknowingly aids a wounded rebel, she’s forced to choose between returning to her old life or taking up arms against the rulers she used to worship…

Deep within the heart of the rebel ranks, Hanno witnesses the Council cut down the lives of her new and dwindling allies. But the healer knows a secret. And if she’s able to reach the enemy’s hidden, vulnerable weakness, then the rebels may just have a chance to avoid obliteration.

Can Hanno guide her people to freedom, or will vicious rulers make her pay dearly for her betrayal?

The Lich’s Heart is a thrilling dark fantasy in the sweeping Windhaven Chronicles. If you like determined heroes, mythical lands, and swords and sorcery, then you’ll love Watson Davis’s epic adventure.

Buy The Lich’s Heart to rise up against dark magic today!

My review:

Hanno is a healer in a small village. Once a priestess of Gal-nya, she retired to the village to mourn her husband. Her peaceful life comes to an end when she heals a wounded rebel. She gets caught up in a rebellion that makes her the figurehead. With the rebel forces being decimated, Hanno must go on a journey. Her mission: Find the heart of one of the Eternal Council and destroy it. But it is easier said than done. Can she do it? Can Hanno take down a Council member? Or will she die trying?

Hanno: I liked Hanno and I understood her reluctance to get involved with the rebellion. She was a healer. Her vow was to heal people whenever she could. She wasn’t going to ignore an injured person because they were a rebel. If they needed healing, she was going to do it. She was also a little naive. She kept giving people the benefit of the doubt. But, at the same time, it was refreshing.

What I also liked about Hanno was that she was conflicted. She stayed conflicted for almost the entire book. I got why she was so conflicted. She still believed in the temple and its teachings. But at the same time, she understood why the people were rebelling. Even towards the end of the book, she was still trying to pave the way for communication.

If you have been reading this blog long enough, my love for dark fantasy is well known. I have become picky about what kind of dark fantasy books that I read. When I read the blurb for The Lich’s Heart, I knew that it was going to be a great book. And it was.

The plotlines for The Lich’s Heart were well written. The author did a great job of keeping the pace of the book up for the entire book. There was no lag. There were no dropped storylines. The storylines were also wrapped up in a way that I liked too.

The secondary characters made the book. I was surprised by the appearance of Gartan. I liked seeing this different side to him. He cared for Hanno and she for him. The other characters in the book flushed it out. They added extra depth that was needed.

There is a lot of violence and violent situations in The Lich’s Heart. There were several scenes where I did wince. But I also realized that this book wouldn’t be as good as it is if there wasn’t violence. That whole culture is a violent one. The book couldn’t have been written any other way.

The end of The Lich’s Heart was interesting. While the plotlines were wrapped up, I still had some questions. Mainly after reading the final chapter.

I would give The Lich’s Heart an Adult rating. There is no sex but there are sexual situations discussed in the book. There is no language. There is explicit violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Lich’s Heart. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review The Lich’s Heart.

All opinions stated in this review of The Lich’s Heart are mine.

Have you read The Lich’s Heart?

Did you like it or not?

Have you ever been pulled into something against your wishes?

Let me know!!

The Snowtiger’s Tale by Watson Davis

On By JolieIn ARC, book review1 Comment

The Snowtiger's Trail (The Windhaven Chronicles) by [Davis, Watson]

5 Stars

Publisher

Date of publication: April 12th, 2018

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Series: The Windhaven Chronicles:

The Devil’s Library – Book 1 (review here)

The Shepherd Girl’s Necklace – Book 2 (review here)

The Archbishop’s Necklace – Book 3 (review here)

The Snowtiger’s Trail – Book 4

Where you can find The Snowtiger’s Trail: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Amazon):

Welcome to Windhaven and the Wrath of the Wizard-King!

A deposed Wizard-king leads his ragged band of followers to the last town before the Far Waste and hides there from his vengeful queen while building an army to re-take his rightful kingdom. A regular army won’t do for the Wizard-king. He needs something deadlier, something magical, something demonic.

When Wallak of the Bright Fox tribe wakes up from a night of carousing in Ancliff, he can’t find his nephew. He can’t return to his tribe alone, but if he discovers his nephew whereabouts, he may never return to his tribe at all.

This is a swords and sorcery tale of dark, soul-twisting magic where no-one is safe.

My review:

I have become a huge fan of Watson Davis. I have enjoyed reviewing his The Windhaven Chronicles. So when he asked me to read and review The Snowtiger’s Trail, I jumped on it. This book exceeded my expectations!! It also answered some questions that I had about the other books in the series.

The Snowtiger’s Trail follows Wallak of the Bright Fox clan as he tries to save his nephew from an evil king. This evil king is using dark magic to transform the people of the village that he took over. Wallak is captured while looking for his missing nephew. He is then transformed and used to fight the other villagers who were also transformed. Wallak needs to find a way to defeat the evil king. That way everyone who was transformed by the evil king can be free. But will Wallak be able to do it? Or will he be doomed to be enslaved to a monster for the rest of his life?

I liked Wallak’s character. He was such a wise guy. He was also a tough bugger too. I mean, he got beat on during the book. There were chapters where I wondered to myself “How on Earth is he still alive“. He was a dedicated uncle, brother, lover, and tribesman. I will say that I was not expecting what happened to him to happen.

I thought that the fantasy aspect of the book was wonderfully written. The author did a great job of gradually introducing King Thrune’s magic. He didn’t get into the transformation. That was left up to my imagination and I loved it. All I knew is what Wallak and Brida felt after each transformation.

The monsters that made up a good part of this story were creepy. There were minotaurs, centaurs, and Valryke type monsters, to name a few. The author also made up a few. The crab creatures and the flying snow tigers are ones that stood out in my mind the most.

I liked the secondary storyline of Wallak and Brida’s romance. I thought that it was skillfully woven into the main storyline. It was written in such a way that it didn’t take over the main storyline. It actually added to it.

I will admit, I was surprised at who those tribes ended up being. Thinking about it, after reading the book, it does make sense. I couldn’t wrap my head around it at the time.

There is a fair amount of violence in The Snowtiger’s Trail. Saying that I wasn’t turned off by the violence. The violence was needed to make the reader understand what Wallak, Brida, and the other changed people were going through. What I also liked is that no character was spared when it came to being killed off. It was another way of keeping me glued to the book.

The end of the book, which I mentioned above, was surprising. Like I mentioned above, I wasn’t expecting what happened to happen. The end of the book made me smile because it was fitting. It came around in a full circle.

What I liked about The Snowtiger’s Trail:

A) Rich, complex world

B) 3D characters

C) the fantasy aspect of the book was very well written.

What I disliked about The Snowtiger’s Trail:

A) King Thrune

B) The children being abducted and changed

C) The gladiator scenes

I would give The Snowtiger’s Trail a rating of Adult. There is explicit violence. No language. There are sexual situations but they were not graphic.

I would give The Snowtiger’s Trail trigger warnings. They would be attempted rape, abduction of children. If you are triggered by those, I would suggest not reading the book.

I would recommend The Snowtiger’s Trail to family and friends. I would include a warning about the explicit violence and the trigger warnings. This is a book and series that I would reread.

I would like to thank Watson Davis for allowing me to read and review The Snowtiger’s Trail.

All opinions stated in this review of The Snowtiger’s Trail are mine.

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

The Shepherd Girl’s Necklace (The Windhaven Chronicles) by Watson Davis

On By JolieIn book review, Non ARC5 Comments

The Shepherd Girl's Necklace (The Windhaven Chronicles) by [Davis, Watson]

Title: The Shepherd Girl’s Necklace

Author: Watson Davis

Publisher:

Date of publication: September 27th, 2017

Genre: Fantasy

Number of pages: 401

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Windhaven Chronicles

The Devil’s Library – Book 1 (review here)

The Archbishop’s Amulet – Book 2 (review here)

The Shepherd Girl’s Necklace – Book 3

Where you can find The Shepherd Girl’s Necklace: Amazon

Book Synopsis (from Amazon):

Sifa grew up dreaming of one day meeting her father, knowing only her protector, the desert, their herd of goats, and an ache in her heart. When their herd is stolen and she learns a bit of her protector’s past, she decides it’s time to follow her heart and run away. But the world is not as she imagined. Her childhood heroes are villains, every priest wants to sacrifice her to infernal gods, and her heart leads her to the last place she should be with only a gemstone on a rawhide string to protect her. 

Trigger Warning: None

Continue reading “The Shepherd Girl’s Necklace (The Windhaven Chronicles) by Watson Davis” →

FountainCorp Security: Diaries of a Space Marine by Watson Davis

On By JolieIn book review, Non ARC, Self published1 Comment

FountainCorp Security: Diaries of a Space Marine by [Davis, Watson]

Title: FountainCorp Security

Author: Watson Davis

Publisher: Self-published

Date of publication: December 10th, 2016

Number of pages: 259

Genre: Science Fiction

POV: 1st and 3rd person

Where you can find FountainCorp Security: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Interplanetary Terrorism, Corporate Backstabbing, and Nanotech Zombies! 

Dorothea, decorated veteran of the Martian Marines and paroled war-criminal, has a new job using her old skills, but her first mission takes off on the wrong foot. In a zombie-infested station, every mistake can be your last.

In this military sci-fi romp across the solar system, Watson Davis weaves a tale of intrigue and terror with guns and blasters blazing.

Buy this book and start reading the Diaries of a Space Marine series today!

Trigger Warning: None

Continue reading “FountainCorp Security: Diaries of a Space Marine by Watson Davis” →

Once A Hero: Diaries of a Space Marine by Watson Davis

On By JolieIn book review, Non ARC1 Comment

Once A Hero: Diaries of a Space Marine by [Davis, Watson]

Title: Once A Hero

Author: Watson Davis

Publisher: Unknown

Date of publication: January 10th 2015

Genre: Science Fiction

Number of pages: 56

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find Once A Hero: Amazon

Book Synopsis (from Amazon):

Paroled from military prison, Dorothea wants to kick back and become a regular citizen with a regular job but the wrong people remember who she is, what she’s done, and who she’s killed.

Those people want her dead, and they’re willing to pay.

Welcome to the first novella in the Diaries of a Space Marine military science fiction series, a rousing tale of a warrior who’s trying to fit in.

Buy this book and start the adventure.

My review:

I really enjoyed reading Once A Hero. While short, it was full of action and science fiction (hello, on a different plant) with a main character that I didn’t know if I wanted to feel bad for, strangle her or a combination of both.

Not a lot of background is given about Dorothea, just that she was in jail for war crimes and that she was hated by the population. So when she was paroled, I knew that trouble was going to follow her and oh boy did it.

I really can’t go into the book except that it does get interesting when she is released. People are out to get her and she literally cannot go anywhere without someone attacking her. Which explains why she did what she did later in the book. Heck, I would have done the same thing.

For it being a short story, I felt that the author did do a great job with letting me get to know Dorothea. I also liked that he set up for the other book. How he did that, I really can’t say (will be giving away a major reveal in the plot).

I am very interested in seeing how the other book pans out. Because of Dorothea’s choices.

This would be a perfect book for the beach, pool or sitting out back with your kids during summer vacation (guess where I read Once A Hero….lol).

How many stars will I give Once A Hero: 4

Why: Short but good. Makes you need to read the next book.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence and language

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

The Archbishop’s Amulet (The Windhaven Chronicles)by Watson Davis

On By JolieIn book review, Non ARC4 Comments

The Archbishop's Amulet (The Windhaven Chronicles Book 1) by [Davis, Watson]

Title: The Archbishop’s Amulet

Author: Watson Davis

Publisher: Unknown

Date of publication: April 17th, 2016

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Number of pages: 334

POV: Alternating 1st person and 3rd person

Series: The Windhaven Chronicles

The Devil’s Library – review here

Not Dead Enough – review here

The Archbishop’s Amulet

Where you can find The Archbishop’s Amulet: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

On the frontier of the Nayen empire, the last few human kingdoms cling to independence, and the Onei hide in their wastelands. The Nayen armies, a military force supplemented with creatures summoned from a list of hells, batter the human defenders while the newly built Nayen monasteries sacrifice conquered souls to the infernal realms to pacify their subjects.

Caldane, a young Onei shaman enslaved when his clan was destroyed, a survivor of several sacrifices, yearns to return to his homeland to find a new clan, until he learns his mother’s fate. Aissal, an idealistic blue-skinned coulven lass who chose to come to this world to fight the evil spreading through the realms, finds herself captured and alone in a world she does not understand. Rucker, a young southlander boy from Timyiskil, wants to go back to his family at the brewery and have things go back to the way they used to be.

Overseer Fi Cheen, a Nayen monk with his career path on his mind, tracks the escaped slaves across the southlander kingdoms to Windhaven. General Esmela Silverhewer, a Giantess from the realm of Stone, revels in her charge of conquering the human kingdoms and killing every last Onei on the planet, a commission straight from the Empress herself.

But when Caldane escapes, he takes more than a few useless slaves with him; he takes the Archbishop’s Amulet, a powerful magical item central to the Nayen spells used to remove the hopes and dreams of the subjugated populace.

My Review:

Dark Fantasy has been a long time favorite genre of mine to read. I actually started reading this genre around 2000. I had picked up Daughter of The Blood by Anne Bishop at Barnes and Nobles, thinking it was regular fantasy and ended up getting hooked. While I have expanded my view, greatly, on reading different genres, dark fantasy is and always will be one of my favorites to read.

The Archbishop’s Amulet is another great book written by Watson Davis. Told several generations after The Devil’s Library but before Not Dead Enough, it brings you full force into the Nayen Empire and their desire to wipe out all who oppose the Empress. It also tells a tale of a people who will fight the Empress and the Empire to their last breath. I really enjoyed, as I did in the last couple of books, how the author intermingled Asian and Norse mythology. Like in The Devil’s Library, it made for a very interesting book to read. Just the differences in the religions alone were fascinating to read.

Caldane was such a strong young man. To survive what he survived, no wonder he didn’t want to make friends or feel anything for anyone. He was just trying to survive in a world where he could die any minute and if he didn’t, any friends would die. So, I was a little surprised when he decided to take Rucker along with him and when he went back to get him after almost being free. Which resulted in him getting caught again and resulted in another sacrifice.

I didn’t understand the purpose of the sacrifices until that scene and I was sickened by it. But when it went horribly wrong and Caldane, Aissal, Rucker, and Cole were freed, I cheered. I cheered, even more, when Caldane took the amulet off of the Archbishop. The only reason I cheered was that I knew that amulet would play a huge role in the book. And I was right but you need to read the book to find out.

I did get annoyed by Aissal, Rucker, and Cole. Cole was beyond aggressive, Rucker was just annoying and Aissal was too optimistic. Even after everything that happened, two of them still got into shenanigans and wouldn’t listen to Caldane. Which made me want to rip my hair out of my head and smack a couple of kids upside the head. But then I got to thinking about it and they were acting like typical tween/teenagers…even though they were on the run and their behavior made sense.

The other storyline with Fi Cheen and General Silverhewer was very interesting. Very interesting because General Silverhewer was bribing Fi Cheen to get more money and Fi Cheen was going along with it because he wanted the slaves and the amulet back. Also added into the mix was that General Silverhewer had an ace up her sleeve when it came to the kids and she wasn’t afraid to use it.

The storylines were wrapped up perfectly at the end of the book, leaving Caldane’s open. I really hope that the author is planning on writing another book in this world because I loved it. He did such great world building and adding that the worlds are multidimensional, yeah, I need to read another one. I am actually hoping that Aissal’s people get a book because I would love to know more about them. Blue-skinned, white-haired witches from another dimension….sign me up!!

How many stars will I give The Archbishop’s Amulet: 4

Why: Again, another great book by Watson Davis. It has a great plot, characters that grow on you and enough action that I will be satisfied for a few weeks. Plus, don’t forget that it’s a fantasy, so there is magic all around!!

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence.

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Not Dead Enough: Tales of Windhaven by Watson Davis

On By JolieIn book review, Non ARC2 Comments

Not Dead Enough: A Windhaven Chronicles Anthology (The Windhaven Chronicles) by [Davis, Watson]

Title: Not Dead Enough

Author: Watson Davis

Publisher: Unknown

Date of publication: September 20th, 2014

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Paranormal

Number of pages: 99

POV: 1st person

Series: The Windhaven Chronicles

The Devil’s Library – Book 1 (review here)

Not Dead Enough – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (through Amazon):

A Vampire Assassin and a Book of Evil.

With the Empress’ soul bound into the pages of a book, all Gartan the Cursed has to do is destroy it to be free of her forever, free to wreak his vengeance on those priests and nobles who treated him like a subhuman animal, free to return home to the ruins of a city he ruled centuries before.

But the Empress did not escape from Hell by accepting Her fate, and She is nothing if not cunning.

In this collection of sword and sorcery short stories set in the world of Windhaven, Watson Davis takes us on a harrowing series of adventures through ghost towns and vibrant cities, into the mouths of angry volcanoes and across stormy seas filled with monsters.

Continue reading “Not Dead Enough: Tales of Windhaven by Watson Davis” →

Book Blast: The Devil’s Library by Watson Davis

On By JolieIn book reviewLeave a comment

The Devil's Library: The Windhaven Chronicles by [Davis, Watson]

I was asked by Watson Davis, the author of The Devil’s Library (review here), to let my readers know of an awesome deal that is going on now.

Starting yesterday and going through Monday, February 13th….The Devil’s Library will be free on Amazon. Then for February 14th and 15th, it will be $.99.

I would go and grab this book before it goes back to regular price. It’s a steal at that price!!

Here, I’ll make it easy for you

Amazon

Go on, click it, you know you want to!!!

The Devil’s Library: The Windhaven Chronicles by Waston Davis

On By JolieIn book review7 Comments

The Devil's Library (The Windhaven Chronicles) by [Davis, Watson]

Title: The Devil’s Library

Author: Watson Davis

Publisher: Unknown

Date of publication: February 8th, 2017

Genre: Fantasy, Dark Fantasy

POV: 3rd person

Number of pages: 283

Series: The Windhaven Chronicles

The Devil’s Library – Book 1

Can be read out-of-order from series: Yes, the first book in series

Where you can find this book: Amazon | Goodreads

Amazon synopsis:

A Rogue, A Renegade, and a Treasure Beyond Belief

Gartan finds a map to a treasure across the sea, and he decides he must have it. He plots and plans and refuses to be denied the greatest raid in history, even if he has to face down two of the greatest empires in the world.

And then the dragon arrives.

In this action-packed sword and sorcery novel of The Windhaven Chronicles, Watson Davis tells a tale of pride and greed, of magic beyond comprehension, and creatures beyond belief.

Buy it today.

My review:

As most of you know by now, if you have followed my reviews on Amazon or reading my blog long enough, I am a huge fan of anything in the dark fantasy genre. So when I was approached by Watson Davis to review this ARC, I jumped at the chance and I wasn’t disappointed.

Gartan, the Onei leader, reminded me of a 3-year-old. Very impulsive, selfish and prone to just doing what he wanted without thinking of the consequences. He drove me nuts for about half the book and I seriously wanted to smack him at times. Around the middle of the book, after the battle with the kraken, he started turning around for me. I believe it was when he kept Dyuh Mon from drowning after the kraken destroyed the boat he was on.

On the other hand, Tethan, Gartan’s son, the exact opposite of him. He spoke Shiran, so was able to communicate with about almost everyone that they came into contact with….not that it did any good with Gartan just killing them. He was against Gartan’s quest (following a map on human skin to a great prize….sounds like a good time (sarcasm here). But like a good son, he followed his father into battle. Hell, he even killed a dragon, earning the respect of the clans and his father.

I didn’t trust Dyuh Mon when he first appeared in the book. I don’t know if it was because you could tell that he was lying or his pointy teeth or what but he rubbed me the wrong way. For someone who used to be the Librarian for the Eternal Council, he was a weak little thing and he was more than happy to let Gartan do his dirty work for him. I did feel vindicated at the end of the book about my feelings for him (want to know what, read the book).

There are so many secondary characters that this post would be taken over. When I say I got very upset when some of these characters died (like Nohel), I am not lying. Normally, the secondary characters are flat and two-dimensional. These are not and they add so much to the story.

I will say that I liked the take on the magic users in this book. They were not all good, they used their magic in battle and they killed people with it. Which was utterly refreshing to read. Listen, I am all for magic being used for good with hearts and sparkles everywhere. But sometimes, you need to have magic that can blow a head off or explode a person.

I did get a laugh out of the book. Sorry, but I was gigglesnort laughing at the description of a honking kraken. For some reason, I had the image of a very angry goose…..lol.

I will also warn everyone, there is a lot of violence in this book. The Onei are barbarians and they definitely act like it. Between people getting blasted by magic, attacked by a mind-controlled dragon and getting killed in raids or by ships being attacked, the violence was through the roof and it was bloody. Now, it didn’t bother me any but it might bother someone who hates any type of violence.

I will say that the Gartan/Dyuh Mon storyline, once it merged, did surprise me at the end. I was not expecting what happened to happen. I don’t want to give too much of that away but the chick that was freed…….she was creepy.

The end of the book was pretty open and I really wasn’t surprised at by what I read. The way the book was set up at the end, though, would make a great intro to book 2.

How many stars will I give The Devil’s Library: 4

Why: I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters were well written and very 3 dimensional. I also liked the fact that magic wasn’t fluffy and cute in this book. It was used for good and bad. While the violence portrayed in the book didn’t bother me, it might bother other people who are sensitive to it.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes but with a warning about the violence

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**