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Asserting Rights #1
Rights of Inheritance
When Junior Scribe Gareth is given the unenviable task of tracking down Keiran to inform him that he and his street performers are not to make themselves known during an important trade visit, he expects the task to be unpleasant. He does not expect to be intrigued by the mysterious, elusive man that is rumored to be a bastard prince, and whom many say would make a better king.
Neither does he expect that one frustrating meeting in the city slums would send him and Keiran stumbling into the path of a murder—and a conspiracy to kill the king.
Neither does he expect that one frustrating meeting in the city slums would send him and Keiran stumbling into the path of a murder—and a conspiracy to kill the king.
294 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 11, 2014
3 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
Sandra Bard
15 books18 followersSandra Bard started writing when she was quite young because there was always a story inside her head, but never thought of writing for an audience until recently. She only decided to try her hand at writing for the sake of being published after a series of events left her with some free time and in between jobs.
She grew up travelling the world from Africa to Asia and, though she now lectures full time at a university, dreams of having a job that wouldn't tie her down to one place. She enjoys reading books, watching anime and, occasionally, visiting a fan-fiction site. She also dabbles in tai chi and yoga in the hope they would keep her flexible and help lose weight. She lives with her pets (fish, cats, and dogs) and has been a volunteer for an organization that takes care of stray dogs (there are many, where she lives) for over ten years. She would love to hear from her readers and can be found at her Tumblr (http://sandrabard.tumblr.com) or e-mailed at sandrabard123@gmail.com.
She grew up travelling the world from Africa to Asia and, though she now lectures full time at a university, dreams of having a job that wouldn't tie her down to one place. She enjoys reading books, watching anime and, occasionally, visiting a fan-fiction site. She also dabbles in tai chi and yoga in the hope they would keep her flexible and help lose weight. She lives with her pets (fish, cats, and dogs) and has been a volunteer for an organization that takes care of stray dogs (there are many, where she lives) for over ten years. She would love to hear from her readers and can be found at her Tumblr (http://sandrabard.tumblr.com) or e-mailed at sandrabard123@gmail.com.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 24, 2014
It wasn't bad, but the writing was clunky in places and it went on a loooooong time, especially since this is only the first in the series and (without going into spoilers) there wasn't much resolution by the end. The world-building was decent without being innovative; the villain was pretty obvious early on; and the flashbacks, while interesting in theory, further complicated a book already made somewhat confusing by the multiple switching POVs. I was actually most interested in Princess Ilma and her storyline, though I'm not sure how much focus that will get in subsequent installments of this series.
March 20, 2014
I hope there is a sequel because, at the end, there is a lot left unanswered
March 23, 2014
This review can be found at The Blogger Girls review site.
Junior Scribe Gareth has his hands full when he’s tasked with finding Keiran, the King of the Street Performers, at the request of the King. Little did he know that being in the Lower District would lead to an attempt on his life and the realization that some very dangerous individuals are within the city with one goal in mind: killing the King and all those who have the potential to rule. With the help of Keiran, Gareth might just uncover more than who these assassins are… he might just find a little love, too.
This story was so captivating. From the start you’re thrust into a city where something dangerous lurks that will kill anyone in their way. It’s a brutal story in some places and has some deception, betrayal and manipulation. On top of that, some characters die, some get injured… some even come close to dying. It’s suspenseful at times and sweet at others. I must warn readers, though, that this isn’t a story revolving around a romance. In fact, while the connection between Keiran and Gareth is there from the beginning, when they finally take that step to a more intimate level, it’s… well, rough and not very romantic. There’s some guilt and there’s passion but, in the end, the story is purely fantasy and actually has multiple POVs outside of just Keiran and Gareth.
As for the characters, I loved the differences between Gareth and Keiran. Where Gareth is just a scribe, he’s still appalled at how Keiran lives and the people he surrounds himself with. Whereas Keiran finds amusement and frustration in pretty much everything Gareth does. But the two can’t seem to stop what they’re feeling, even with their vast differences, even though they don’t want to feel any attraction towards one another. It’s sweet in a way, although I know some won’t think so but I loved that about them. A majority of the story is about them arguing over opposing opinions… until about the end.
As I said, the story has multiple POVs and with a few side stories to tell. Such as Caluth and Tajeel, the King and his loneliness, Princess Ilma and her magic, and even Keiran’s sister, Tissca, and her discovering of unmonitored thefts. With all these characters, there’s a lot of depth to the story but also a lot of shocking moments. It’s a gripping tale that had me fascinated from beginning to end.
While I loved the story, I had a few issues with it. Mostly, I felt like there were some scenes that were unnecessary to the overall story, as well as, some lengthy passages that didn’t add to the plot. Also, I found the transition between present time and flashbacks to be confusing. For most of them, there was no indication that led the reader to believe they were flashbacks. Instead, it was regular narratives explaining how Keiran met a character then all of a sudden it would turn into a flashback. It was a little disorienting. Beyond that, this one did have a lot of typos, missing commas, grammar errors, etc.
In the end, I really did love the story to the point that it kept me up late each night reading. Although, I did wish there were more scenes featuring Gareth and Keiran and their tentative relationship but I liked the progression of the story. There was a lot of speculation at the end of who the mastermind behind it all was and what might happen next but as this is the first of a series, I’m not surprised we are left hanging but I can’t wait to see it all unfold!
Junior Scribe Gareth has his hands full when he’s tasked with finding Keiran, the King of the Street Performers, at the request of the King. Little did he know that being in the Lower District would lead to an attempt on his life and the realization that some very dangerous individuals are within the city with one goal in mind: killing the King and all those who have the potential to rule. With the help of Keiran, Gareth might just uncover more than who these assassins are… he might just find a little love, too.
This story was so captivating. From the start you’re thrust into a city where something dangerous lurks that will kill anyone in their way. It’s a brutal story in some places and has some deception, betrayal and manipulation. On top of that, some characters die, some get injured… some even come close to dying. It’s suspenseful at times and sweet at others. I must warn readers, though, that this isn’t a story revolving around a romance. In fact, while the connection between Keiran and Gareth is there from the beginning, when they finally take that step to a more intimate level, it’s… well, rough and not very romantic. There’s some guilt and there’s passion but, in the end, the story is purely fantasy and actually has multiple POVs outside of just Keiran and Gareth.
As for the characters, I loved the differences between Gareth and Keiran. Where Gareth is just a scribe, he’s still appalled at how Keiran lives and the people he surrounds himself with. Whereas Keiran finds amusement and frustration in pretty much everything Gareth does. But the two can’t seem to stop what they’re feeling, even with their vast differences, even though they don’t want to feel any attraction towards one another. It’s sweet in a way, although I know some won’t think so but I loved that about them. A majority of the story is about them arguing over opposing opinions… until about the end.
As I said, the story has multiple POVs and with a few side stories to tell. Such as Caluth and Tajeel, the King and his loneliness, Princess Ilma and her magic, and even Keiran’s sister, Tissca, and her discovering of unmonitored thefts. With all these characters, there’s a lot of depth to the story but also a lot of shocking moments. It’s a gripping tale that had me fascinated from beginning to end.
While I loved the story, I had a few issues with it. Mostly, I felt like there were some scenes that were unnecessary to the overall story, as well as, some lengthy passages that didn’t add to the plot. Also, I found the transition between present time and flashbacks to be confusing. For most of them, there was no indication that led the reader to believe they were flashbacks. Instead, it was regular narratives explaining how Keiran met a character then all of a sudden it would turn into a flashback. It was a little disorienting. Beyond that, this one did have a lot of typos, missing commas, grammar errors, etc.
In the end, I really did love the story to the point that it kept me up late each night reading. Although, I did wish there were more scenes featuring Gareth and Keiran and their tentative relationship but I liked the progression of the story. There was a lot of speculation at the end of who the mastermind behind it all was and what might happen next but as this is the first of a series, I’m not surprised we are left hanging but I can’t wait to see it all unfold!
April 9, 2014
I really wanted to love this book. It was a great story and world and the author led us there well.
BUT...
Did anyone edit this book before it was published? The errors in grammar and spelling, sentences that had extra words thrown in, places where the wrong word entirely had been used (you could see what word the author wanted but I hope they weren't the ones used!) just totally ruined the book for me. I was so busy working out and spotting them because there was so many it was annoying me that I started to ignore the story.
I also agree with other reviews in that there seemed to be a lot of unnecessary words that added nothing to the story. The flips between present and past were also very confusing and again I was so busy thinking about the mechanics of the story writing that I missed the story itself.
I will read the next one but please, please please can we have it with better editing?
BUT...
Did anyone edit this book before it was published? The errors in grammar and spelling, sentences that had extra words thrown in, places where the wrong word entirely had been used (you could see what word the author wanted but I hope they weren't the ones used!) just totally ruined the book for me. I was so busy working out and spotting them because there was so many it was annoying me that I started to ignore the story.
I also agree with other reviews in that there seemed to be a lot of unnecessary words that added nothing to the story. The flips between present and past were also very confusing and again I was so busy thinking about the mechanics of the story writing that I missed the story itself.
I will read the next one but please, please please can we have it with better editing?
May 18, 2014
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.25 stars
Okay, I know, I know. That’s a vague and rather choppy summary, but there’s SO much to this book and I don’t know how to summarize everything without giving it away. And you don’t want me to give it all away. I promise. This story was more intense than I expected. Well, then ending was. Most of the story is a weave of mystery and wonder. Honestly, I had no idea where it was going. There were times that I was sure I had it figured it out, but then the author would slip something in there that had me doubting not only myself, but the characters. I was unsure who was good and who was bad. And, ohmigod, this book. The mystery and intrigue are reason enough to read it. Add in the two romances and… holy cow.
Read Crissy's review in its entirety here.
4.25 stars
Okay, I know, I know. That’s a vague and rather choppy summary, but there’s SO much to this book and I don’t know how to summarize everything without giving it away. And you don’t want me to give it all away. I promise. This story was more intense than I expected. Well, then ending was. Most of the story is a weave of mystery and wonder. Honestly, I had no idea where it was going. There were times that I was sure I had it figured it out, but then the author would slip something in there that had me doubting not only myself, but the characters. I was unsure who was good and who was bad. And, ohmigod, this book. The mystery and intrigue are reason enough to read it. Add in the two romances and… holy cow.
Read Crissy's review in its entirety here.
August 12, 2014
3.5 stars
Very nice fantasy, with some light MM romance. I liked the world building - there were some pretty interesting concepts (like the magic skills and especially the Soran? fur thing) and there was quite a lot of action and court intrigue (though I suspected who the last assassin was from the very start).
Several things were left unresolved so there is plenty of room for a sequel.
Very nice fantasy, with some light MM romance. I liked the world building - there were some pretty interesting concepts (like the magic skills and especially the Soran? fur thing) and there was quite a lot of action and court intrigue (though I suspected who the last assassin was from the very start).
Several things were left unresolved so there is plenty of room for a sequel.
July 31, 2015
I really enjoyed the story, but I wasn't expecting it to be from so many viewpoints. There were a lot of loose ends and a few things that I thought we clique but overall a nice read. I would read it again for sure and I can't wait for the next book.
June 27, 2016
I was pleasantly surprised by this book and am hoping to read it's sequel soon.
June 16, 2014
3.5 Stars
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews