"Journey to Khodara," second book of The Key of Creation series: Aldrick faces the most difficult decision of his life. Brodan, current regent and his life-long friend, has claimed he is the rightful king, and yet Gilmoure, who is a man with a secret, is the rightful holder of the crown. With the rule of Asturia on the line, who will Aldrick side with? Aldrick and his new-found companions, including a beautiful, mysterious warrior from the exotic desert lands to the south, must then face a long and arduous… …Journey to Khodara. Journey to Khodara is the 2nd book in the Key of Creation Series, which began with Rise of the Destroyer. The Temple of Kian, which concludes the first trilogy, is scheduled to be released on May 21st, 2013. Join us at www.facebook.com/KeyofCreationSeries.
A.R. Voss (1970- ) Has been writing fiction since the young age of 8; his debut publication is the first book of "The Key of Creation" series, "Rise of the Destroyer." He graduated California State University, Fullerton with a Theatre degree, majored in Directing and is currently working on numerous projects including the remaining books of "The Key of Creation" series.
DISCLAIMER: I received a free copy of this book (from the Shut Up & Read / Read It & Reap group) in exchange for an honest review.
Well, I wasn't sure if the book would work as a standalone, since I haven't read the first book of the series. However, I found it to be a fairly easy read. Previous events were alluded to, with just enough information to fill in the gaps. That being said, the story and characters were interesting enough to make me want to add the other books to my "to read" list.
The story is set in the lands of Asturia and Illyria, and is centered around the search for the "wayward" prince (Garrick), as well as palace intrigue related to a deposed regent (Brodan), the newly-crowned king (Gilmoure) and his travelling companions (Aldrick and Warren), and the sudden appearance of the mysterious and deadly warrior (Aelianna) from the desert land of Kemett. Amidst rumors of invasion, our heroes join forces in an attempt to retrieve an artifact stolen by a sorcerer. Dark forces conspire to place other obstacles in their path. Meanwhile, back at the palace, supporters of the former regent begin to stir the pot, while an old enemy watches from afar and is poised to strike.
Overall, I felt this was a well written story, with very few (mostly minor) negatives. For me, these included the following: (1) characters introduced early in the book (Dathan and Aelianna) do not reappear again until much later, (2) Aelianna's style of speech got to be a little annoying, (3) a minor character had a name change (from Gerda to Greta) for no known reason other than typos or a missed global replace, (4) other glaring proofing errors, such as "right of passage" and "peace of my mind", and (5) only available through Amazon, though you can install the Kindle app for Android (or other platforms).
I look forward to reading the other books in the series.
Aldrick of Akkadia is having vivid dreams much like he did just before The Crown in the Tournament of the King this past spring. King Gilmoure is really Crown Prince Garrick of Illyria. He's hidden his identity from the People of Akkadia to prevent the man claiming to be Garrick's father Zabalan. King Gilmoure has only told a few people of his true identity as Garrick among them is Aldrick's father Tiberius, Jelenna(Aldrick's wife), and Paden. Aldrick knows he must go with the King in search of The Clavis and Jahann who is really Ra'jahankar, a mysterious sorcerer, noted to follow the Fake Zabalan. A Kemettan named Aelianna doing an Ae'roya Jost in search of lost prince and the clavis. It appears that Aelianna needs to continue her journey along with King Garrick to legendary Khodara. What does the Fake Zabalan want and his true purpose? Will King Garrick, Aldrick, and Aelianna find the legendary road to Khodara? What will King Garrick do about Regent Brodan? Your answers await you in Journey to Khodara.
I liked this book but not as much as the first one. It's a good book but the addition of some characters made it less of a four star book in my opinion. I liked that Aldrick and Garrick came to understanding with one another which was really important to the flow of the story. I realize that many key elements came into play for this installment without giving too much away in spoilers. I look forward to the final installment.
**I recieved this book in exchange of a honest review by the Shut Up & Read group**
A.R. takes us through another jurney with Aldrick. This time he is with Gilmoure as they try to retreve a stolen artafact. I love how the author keeps his books action packed, and full of drama. This is the second book I have read by A.R., and they both were amazing books. We learn more and more about Aldrick in each book. Aldrick is a great character who loves his family and friends. He is honest, he hates turning his back on anyone. Gilmooure, (also to be known as someone else) is a character that I have gron to respect. The author keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time wiht a dangerous journey that leaves us hanging. This is a well written book that will have you wanting more. Five stars to this great book! I can't wait for the next one!
DISCLAIMER: I received a free copy of this book (from the Shut Up & Read / Read It & Reap group) in exchange for an honest review.
Since I hadn't read the first one, I wasn't quite sure if I would enjoy this book. It was a little confusing for me at first, as the first chapter was about Dothan and Aelianna, and the second switched to Aldrick, Brodan and Guilmoure and stuck with them for quite awhile until their paths crossed much later. Still, the authors gave enough information that I was able to figure out the gist of the story line, but they didn't go overboard with recapping to the point it would be annoying to those who did read the first book.
The story itself is entertaining and makes for a fun read, and it does a wonderful job setting up the third book in the series. There were some editing problems, but otherwise I enjoyed this book.
*I received a free Kindle copy of this book from the author through the Read It & Reap program in exchange for an honest review.*
First of all, let me say that I really loved this book! It was a great sequel to Rise of the Destroyer. I particularly like the addition of the character . I can't help but wonder what will happen to Brodan...
Anyway, the plot was very nicely constructed.
Overall, my highest complements to the author: I can't wait to read the third book! :)
Journey to Khodara is the second book in The Key of Creation series. I received this book from the authors as a compilation of the first three books for an honest review.
My thoughts about this book is less than the first. Let me start by saying that the first book had a good amount of action and the characters were getting interesting. I was thinking they would center the series on Aldrick and so far, that is true. However, I had some reservations about the sequel.
The book starts off where the first one ended. We see the events of book one unfold slightly, but not enough to give the reader a clear picture of everything. Which is a pro to this series. I like that it's an intricate unfolding. It adds suspense and gives the world some kind of leverage.
There are some new characters added into the series as well. We see more of Dathan, the soldier who is sent by King Zalaban to find Prince Garrick, as well as a wandering warrior woman named Aelianna. I believe she's on a type of soul searching journey that entails finding a "lost prince". Sure rings a bell.
What I didn't care for in this book is the writing style, which is a shame since the first book was well done. This book felt more like a person sitting by the campfire telling the story than the reader living the experience with the characters. However, this doesn't happen all the time. I've noticed that we are "told" what is going on when there is a group of people moving from point A to point B. When there is a moment going on in the cities or just with one individual, the "telling" isn't often.
My guess this is because it's harder to show a group doing something versus telling. Though this does make some sense, it loses it's effect on the reader. I became bored and tired of the moments of "telling", then dialogue, only to go back to "telling". I found the chapters concerning Brodan or the mysterious evil to be more enjoyable because of this.
All in all, it wasn't as good as the first one, but you may want to read it if you are planning on reading the rest of the series.
Read the second part on my trip back home from holidays. Just as the first one it was again a very gripping story. I like how the intrigues are spun, also the introduction of a strong female character was awesome. She has quickly become my favourite character with her determination and passion. The story is told in a very nice pace and I like that things are moving! There are too many fantasy books that are dragging along. What really annoyed me where the "bloody"s. Does anyone really talk like that? Anyway, I'll read the last part in a while, too, I'm curious how this will end! - Received this book from the author for an honest review -
I received the e-book from the author for an honest review.
The second book is interesting. I enjoyed several parts of it, but still I didn't find the plot wholly engrossing. I think it lacked in further details on the reason why the quest/journey took place.