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The Aepistelle Chronicles #2
The Isle of Abandonment
She once saved a kingdom with her friends. Now she must do it alone.
The nefarious King Davin has escaped captivity, bent on covering up his atrocious misdeeds by declaring Gemma Calvertson and her friends enemies of the state.
Gemma is unable to publish her manuscript about Aepistelle's true history, and her friends have problems of their own. Marzele loses faith in his god, driving him to join a cult that employs dark sorcery for vengeance. A new vision gives Denny insight into the location of his parents and their impending deaths, and Arnem insists on aiding the rescue mission with the Royal Mystic Committee in pursuit.
When a vigilante journalist promises to help Gemma get her story out, she worries that this new companion can't be trusted. If she rejects him, Davin will resume his rule unopposed, and Gemma's family and friends will never be free. Gemma and her crew were strong together, but now their paths must diverge, and Gemma must put her life into this stranger's hands.
From a prison break to a train heist, The Isle of Abandonment takes Gemma and her friends on their most difficult journeys yet. And this time, they don't have each other for support.
The nefarious King Davin has escaped captivity, bent on covering up his atrocious misdeeds by declaring Gemma Calvertson and her friends enemies of the state.
Gemma is unable to publish her manuscript about Aepistelle's true history, and her friends have problems of their own. Marzele loses faith in his god, driving him to join a cult that employs dark sorcery for vengeance. A new vision gives Denny insight into the location of his parents and their impending deaths, and Arnem insists on aiding the rescue mission with the Royal Mystic Committee in pursuit.
When a vigilante journalist promises to help Gemma get her story out, she worries that this new companion can't be trusted. If she rejects him, Davin will resume his rule unopposed, and Gemma's family and friends will never be free. Gemma and her crew were strong together, but now their paths must diverge, and Gemma must put her life into this stranger's hands.
From a prison break to a train heist, The Isle of Abandonment takes Gemma and her friends on their most difficult journeys yet. And this time, they don't have each other for support.
390 pages, Hardcover
Published June 21, 2023
1 person is currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Ryan Hoyt
14 books78 followersRyan Hoyt is a San Francisco Bay Area native currently residing near Sacramento, CA. His love for creepy and fantastic stories was nurtured early on by his mother, who let him watch the TV miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s It at six years old.
Since 2021, Ryan has published several fantasy and horror books through his publisher, Machete & Quill Press. Sign up for his newsletter at MacheteAndQuill.com to get exclusive news and more!
Since 2021, Ryan has published several fantasy and horror books through his publisher, Machete & Quill Press. Sign up for his newsletter at MacheteAndQuill.com to get exclusive news and more!
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 24, 2024
The Isle of Abandonment is another great addition to this series. There were some great twists, including a couple where my jaw literally dropped. This book focuses on King Davin’s back story, as well as some major changes in some of the characters. There is more adventure, a little bit of romance, a lot of betrayal, and plenty of good vs evil and the inner turmoil a person can go through when trying to decide the right path. The book moves the story along well. I never felt it was dragging. There were a couple of scenes when there was a major change in a character that I wish had more build up or explanation behind it. To me, for such a major change, I should have felt the gravity of it when reading about it happening. Overall, fantastic book and I am excited to read the conclusion in book 4.
July 6, 2023
Gemma and her friends try desperately to get the truth out about King Davin. There are so many duplicitous peoples that it is hard at times to determine friend from foe. Each of her companions have thier own reasons for wanting to get rid of King Davin. Mystical powers both scare and fascinate people. People always fear what they don't know, but the unknown isn't always bad. It is bad when used for nefarious purposes. I did read the first book and agree that this can be read as a stand alone. Very good.
September 3, 2024
Thank you, Ryan Hoyt
This is part of this epic fantasy world.
The king character is examined more closely, including a new claimed son. This action-packed fantasy world is darker and more spicy than the first story. There are twists and turns throughout as well as more gore. Some modern-day issues are outlined in the story.
I think JRR Tolkien would be proud to read these series.
Ryan Hoyt is definitely an author to watch. He is a creative writer with a great imagination. I look forward to reading more of his novels.
This is part of this epic fantasy world.
The king character is examined more closely, including a new claimed son. This action-packed fantasy world is darker and more spicy than the first story. There are twists and turns throughout as well as more gore. Some modern-day issues are outlined in the story.
I think JRR Tolkien would be proud to read these series.
Ryan Hoyt is definitely an author to watch. He is a creative writer with a great imagination. I look forward to reading more of his novels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2023
This series is a dark wonderful fantasy. Character driven we see them move to follow their own paths to take care of things they feel they must overcome. Easy to empathize and root for these heros.. Definitely worth the read.
I received this ARC from BookSirens and am happy to leave this reveiw.
I received this ARC from BookSirens and am happy to leave this reveiw.
July 8, 2023
Terrific continuation from the first book. The characters and their relationships with each other are so complex and help expand the world and give a nuance to the story that elevates it. And the continued twists and turns keeps the pace high, making this a tense but enjoyable read. Great book, highly recommend, looking forward to more.
May 19, 2023
Epic fantasy.
Highly recommended for lovers of fantasy.
This all started with the dream of writing a book, the history of courageous people in a time of war. One young woman's quest. Like most dreams, there's a shadow lurking about; Like a tyrannical king that is killing magic born and brainwashing the population. A man so dark that nothing can imprison him for long.
The heroes of book one have different, personal paths to take in this book. Darker fantasy than book one, faith, friends and even hope are sorely tested. These people are fighters and even the deepest despair can be overcome.
From chapter 13:
Gemma reached into her bag. She ran her fingers along the top page of her manuscript, feeling the imprints made by her pen. “You sent me out on an assignment to learn more about the Great Journey from Richard the Elusive’s perspective. Obviously I learned a whole lot more than that. What you and I know about King Davin should be more than enough—”
“To get us both killed. And our families. And everyone we love. Gemma, I cannot publish what you have in that bag. It’s beyond me why Davin has even let me live this long, but I’ve done all I’m willing to do to set events in motion .” He rose and walked to the window again. “This must be our last meeting . For your own safety, I advise you to burn what’s in your bag, then run away. Never look back."
This book was beautiful and tragic, I cried and read on. Fantastic characters and great world building. I am already looking forward to the next book.
I received this ARC from BookSirens, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Highly recommended for lovers of fantasy.
This all started with the dream of writing a book, the history of courageous people in a time of war. One young woman's quest. Like most dreams, there's a shadow lurking about; Like a tyrannical king that is killing magic born and brainwashing the population. A man so dark that nothing can imprison him for long.
The heroes of book one have different, personal paths to take in this book. Darker fantasy than book one, faith, friends and even hope are sorely tested. These people are fighters and even the deepest despair can be overcome.
From chapter 13:
Gemma reached into her bag. She ran her fingers along the top page of her manuscript, feeling the imprints made by her pen. “You sent me out on an assignment to learn more about the Great Journey from Richard the Elusive’s perspective. Obviously I learned a whole lot more than that. What you and I know about King Davin should be more than enough—”
“To get us both killed. And our families. And everyone we love. Gemma, I cannot publish what you have in that bag. It’s beyond me why Davin has even let me live this long, but I’ve done all I’m willing to do to set events in motion .” He rose and walked to the window again. “This must be our last meeting . For your own safety, I advise you to burn what’s in your bag, then run away. Never look back."
This book was beautiful and tragic, I cried and read on. Fantastic characters and great world building. I am already looking forward to the next book.
I received this ARC from BookSirens, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 16, 2023
The Isle of Abandonment is Book 2 in The Aepistille Chronicles by Ryan Hoyt. This epic trilogy is a little bit dark. The evil King Davin has not been exposed and Gemma along with her friends, are trying to get her story out. I find this story to be big and although there are a lot of characters, the author tells the story in a way that I was able to follow the events and not get lost. I can't wait to read Book 3 and see how everything is resolved. I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.
July 23, 2023
I had enjoyed the first book a lot and was glad that this series has continued. It was a strong sequel in the Aepistelle Chronicles series, it had everything that I was hoping for and enjoyed how good the characters were. Ryan Hoyt has a great writing style and this book has the same magic that I enjoyed from the first. Can't wait to read more in this series and the author.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 31, 2024
Book two in this dark fantasy and what a fantastic addition it is to this incredible trilogy. Gemma needs to get the truth out regarding the nefarious King Davin but is being hampered at every turn. It’s brimming with adventure, intrigue, betrayal and so much more as our characters face more challenges and the author throws more surprises and twists and turns in our path. I am super excited to read book three!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews