Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Book review: "Amulet" by Nancy Lee Parish

"Amulet" by Nancy Lee Parish 



Description:
 A different kind of fantasy adventure.

When Tristan finds an amulet, he has no idea how much his life is about to change. When his amulet awakens the evil of another amulet, long thought lost, it is all of Ranaria that hangs on the brink. The black crystal has stirred.
There are those who seek its power and there are those who seek its destruction. There are also those who know its secrets.
Even with dragons on his side, is there enough time for Tristan and his companions to stop that which has been unleashed?

With many twists and turns, a story unfolds that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Expect the unexpected. 


You can get it at Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Amulet-DragonBlade-ebook/dp/B0066HCK9K

Review

First let me say that I got this book because I loved the cover.  It's simple but powerful and elegant.  The gold over blue catches the eye and the artwork of the dragon amulet is perfect. :)

Amulet is a fast-paced book.  This story captures interest from the very beginning.  From there, the story unfolds with interesting characters and settings.  It took me a little while to get used to the shifting viewpoints where one paragraph would be from inside one character's head  and the next from another's.  The chapters are very short based largely upon switching locations, but I enjoyed this aspect.

The story is based around a young man named Tristan, but every character in the book is a vital part.  I like that it's not a one person save the world story.  An unusual character named Bub is one of the highlights of the story.

The best part is the dragons.  They each have their own unique personalities and strengths. The first appearance is filled with mystery and then you get to know them well.  My favorite is the big dragon at the end that's afraid of flying.

The humor and wordplay is a strength in the book with well written dialogue.  I enjoyed the characters, even the bad guys who were much more complex than just good vs. evil.

I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy, especially with dragons.

About the Author

Nancy Lee Parish, former matriarch of a tenting community, was appointed "Supreme Ruler" of all Canada Geese. Fiercely protected by her loyal followers, she was often heard asking the perplexing question, "Are we out of bread again?"
Now her endeavors include granting life or death at whim to the likes of dragons, bossy dachshunds and the occasional annoying bad guy.
Although the geese play a lesser role these days, they remain in the wings, so to speak, ready to protect their Supreme Ruler if need be.




Disclaimer

I have decided to review books that I enjoy.  I am an avid reader of fantasy, so most of them will be in that genre.  I'm not taking any requests, just reading what catches my eyes.  You'll find that most of these are from Indie Authors.  The way I figure it, David Eddings, Anne McCaffrey, Alan Dean Foster and Piers Anthony (my favorite authors) already have enough reviews, but Indies could always use a few more.

It is important to note here that while I am a writer, I am doing these reviews as a reader.  I also know a number of the authors I will be reviewing.  This is not an exchange of reviews, nor have I been solicited by those authors to write the review.  At no time will I ever accept any form of payment for a review.  When I say that I'm am doing this as a reader, I mean it.  I get nothing in exchange.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds very interesting! Where can i get it. Is it possible to post a link?

John H. Carroll said...

*facepalm* Thank you for bringing that to my attention. Link is now posted in the blog. I'm including it here as well:

http://www.amazon.com/Amulet-DragonBlade-ebook/dp/B0066HCK9K

Unknown said...

Good idea what you're doing here! I find that indie books are in most need of reviews. Perhaps this is an idea of yours I can borrow :P

I think I have at least a few indie books I need to read (including yours).

...and on top of that, I have like 15 big6pub books to read >.o

John H. Carroll said...

You can totally use this idea! It helps the author and it's a great idea for a blog post, so it works for me too. :D

My to-read list is overwhelming. I'm just trying to take it one at a time along with all the other crap I have going on. :P