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The Songreaver's Tale #1

The Necromancer's Nephew

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When the Dragon Lord’s army destroys the city of Brenhaven, ten year old Garrett is badly burned and left for dead in the ashes. Rescued by a mysterious sorcerer, Garrett finds a new life, and learns a grisly trade in Wythr, the tomb-city of necromancers. Now, with the help of a ghoul, a zombie, and a girl who drinks blood, Garrett must discover the secrets buried beneath the ancient city and find a way to end the Dragon Lord’s fiery reign.

221 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 28, 2012

45 people are currently reading
1013 people want to read

About the author

A.L. Hunter

5 books2 followers

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5 stars
208 (24%)
4 stars
291 (34%)
3 stars
252 (29%)
2 stars
75 (8%)
1 star
27 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Mark.
476 reviews77 followers
November 26, 2016
Mildly interesting but just not for me. I just hate YA books and every few months I like to remind myself by attempting to read one. If Brandon Sanderson can't make me like YA then this book never had a chance.
4 reviews1 follower
September 16, 2016
An OK read albeit a little darker than average for a YA book.
a little slow moving in places and a very abrupt "cliffhanger" ending give this only 3 stars.
Profile Image for Cosmin.
5 reviews3 followers
September 23, 2018
I was searching for books to read and stumbled upon this, it had an interesting title and the synopsis also piqued my interest. I didn't start reading it with the hope of finding my next fantasy favorite, which it didn't become, but still it is an ok story.

The characters are ok. The main character is the most fleshed out in this one but at the same time the others aren't plain but have a veil of mystery thrown over them. I read through it quite fast and it maintained my interest throughout the story. The world building is also good, meaning that I'd like to know more. Overall though it has quite a simple feel to it, to me it was a refreshing read.
6 reviews
October 19, 2019
Never thought a necromancer story could be so boring why the hell write a necromancer story about a whiny little kid who is scared of his own shadow ?
Profile Image for Emmy Bayliss.
2 reviews1 follower
October 20, 2019
Why this has 4 stars not 5!

Stopped just as it seemed to be getting started but an intoxicating tale. Love it! Now I just have to read the rest of the saga. 😀
10 reviews1 follower
February 27, 2017
I liked it at first, but it was really simple. Almost didn't finish it. Maybe it'd be good to someone in elementary or middle school. Too young for me.
Profile Image for Jim Pike.
204 reviews7 followers
September 19, 2019
When I first started reading this, I wasn't so sure I would like it, or even finish it. But after a few chapters, I was drawn in, and really started enjoying the characters, and their interactions with each other. Very good story, and character building. I really liked this book, and eagerly started the next one in the series.
Profile Image for Oneeyed.
22 reviews22 followers
July 29, 2016
I was pleasantly surprised by this young adult title.

It is rare to discover a fantasy series by an indie author that I can really appreciate. I read all four published novels in a row, and I'm anxiously waiting for the next one.

The world created by Mr Hunter is very interesting. While most of the creatures and setting aren't unique separately, the story gives us an original perspective. It was definitely an enjoyable take on dark fantasy.

The protagonist is a necromancer and his friends and allies would probably be the bad guys in traditional fantasy : ghouls, zombies, vampires. At some point, the mood of the story feels very much like an episode of The Addams Family, but with a more serious tone.

All the characters are well developed and enjoyable. I also appreciated the fact that the hero still acted very much like a kid without being whiny. He's scared and not very confident at the start but still tries his best. His various friends are also very interesting and grew up on me. While there are a few villains clearly evil, most characters are morally gray which is a breath of fresh air in what I assume is a young adult read.

My only gripe is how short each novel was. But maybe I'm biased after reading so many huge fantasy books.

My rating : 4. I can definitely recommend this one if you like dark fantasy and coming-of-age stories.
124 reviews10 followers
August 14, 2015
Interesting world, or more like city. I'm enjoying the whole concept, it feels like there is a lot potential. Though I'm unsure where the story wants to go yet. Still, I like the thought of your own zombie, a ghoul best friend and a vampire love interest. (It had to be a vampire, right? Oh well... at least these vampires seem to be a lot more complicated and while civilised still horrifying... not that by light anything in that city isn't horrifying.)
Profile Image for Anthony Kizer.
116 reviews1 follower
May 24, 2016
I have to say I read this book pretty quick, but in my journey through the pages I began to fall in love with the theme and the setting within the pages. I also did enjoy the characters quit a bit as well, cant wait to pick up the next book in the series and see what happens to our dynamic trio of friends.

I received this book from the author for this review.
Profile Image for Ethan Salzman.
17 reviews
January 4, 2016
Good read

Overall the book was an interesting read. I like the world building and foreshadowing but it had some things to be desired in description of events and the story seemed a touch fast paced, but overall a good read.
Profile Image for amber.
34 reviews14 followers
January 30, 2021
The blurb interested me, but when I actually started reading it, I found it rather bland. Maybe some people will enjoy this read, but it's just not for me.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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