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The Endarian Prophecy #3

Curse of the Chosen

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The fight against primordial evil continues, and the stakes have never been higher…

Kragan, wielder of dark magic, has failed to vanquish the light in Lorness Carol Rafel, the woman prophesied to destroy him. Now Kragan has leveled a new threat against her: an unholy order of foul priests enlisted to storm her stronghold and destroy her and her companions once and for all.

Lorness Carol is waiting.

In the valley of Misty Hollow, she’s finally conquered her fear of her magic. She has awakened a new power within her: the ability to manipulate minds. But even Carol is unprepared for where this new battle will take her.

For her brother, Lord Alan, is unwittingly fulfilling a prophecy as well. As the Chosen of the Dread Lord, he is amassing an army of feared soldiers—a battalion that could save the world, or pitch his sister’s legacy into everlasting darkness.

239 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 2018

400 people are currently reading
591 people want to read

About the author

Richard Phillips

15 books574 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Richard Phillips is the million copy bestselling author of the Rho Agenda scifi series, the Jack 'The Ripper' Gregory series, and the epic fantasy series, The Endarian Prophecy. He is a retired Army Officer, West Point graduate, and has a Master of Science degree in Physics from the Naval Post Graduate School. He was a researcher at Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos National Laboratories for the U.S. military, a software project leader at General Electric, Lockheed Martin Space Operations, and General Dynamics before becoming a full-time writer.

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5 stars
736 (51%)
4 stars
498 (34%)
3 stars
173 (12%)
2 stars
27 (1%)
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6 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
Profile Image for Jennifer.
2,914 reviews6 followers
February 26, 2018
I'm glad I finished this book and found out what happened to most everyone. There were quite a few povs going on simultaneously, so not all of the story lines are wrapped up, but I don't think I will be continuing on with this series. The writing style just isn't for me. There isn't much to discover as the author basically tells you everything through either dialogue or narration. The action sequences/battle scenes were also too dense, with too much action condensed into a few pages.

I did like the devotion that the MCs had toward one another. It was so sweet. Some more page time with the two of them enjoying life together would have been nice. The fact that the author named many of the characters after his friends was also too cute. But alas, this is where Mr. Phillips and I part ways.

Profile Image for OjoAusana.
2,266 reviews
March 23, 2020
well that was certainly an eventful book :o like the whole book was constant battles lmao but also ah they kill so many good people?! Unsure how this series is going to end tho, like there was already so much war???
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
236 reviews3 followers
January 22, 2018
I received an advanced copy from Netgally. Many different stories on several fronts merge together in this exciting continuation of The Endarian Prophecy series. While Carol struggles with her magic to hold Areanas Vale other battles are happening in Endars pass and Val Dep. Kragans many fronted war will keep you turning the pages to see what will happen. Exciting end will leave you anxious for what will come next.
Profile Image for Mike Nemeth.
680 reviews13 followers
March 12, 2018
My recommendation? Anything Richard Phillips writes is a must-read. The Endarian Prophecy is a departure for Phillips, one in which he's created everything and married fantasy, magic and science fiction. "Curse of the Chosen" is the third in the series that pits Carol, a young woman with promising magical abilities, against a demon-possessed antagonist determined to take over the world and kill anybody and everybody who stands in his way. Carol learned in the previous novel how to control her abilities and now she understands that the voices really are in her head, she just had to pay attention and tune out what she didn't want to hear. Her husband, an assassin known as Blade, remains a deadly ally. But the armies of Kragan are nearly upon the quickly built fortress her father and his small army have fashioned as a last stand. Her brother, the well-meaning but somewhat bloodthirsty Alan, has been relegated to what he thinks is a supporting role at the mountain village of their father's key allies. But they will all need every bit of luck and every sword and sorcerer if they are to survive. The book builds to a magnificent climax and battle, and that's where Phillips really shines. His descriptions are epic and worthy of the Song of Roland with a little Two Towers mixed in. I had trouble not reading this constantly after starting.
1 review
March 17, 2018
One long battle scene

This third installment of this previously-entertaining series is a significant letdown from the first two entrees. This book is little more than a drawn-out description three separate battles occuring simultaneously, all part of a single war engaged on three fronts. It is tedious and predictable. Further, there is almost no plot. The main character of the first two books is nearly forgotten, with little (possibly no) dialogue. The entire book feels rushed to publish. It is a shame - the first two entrees in this series showed promise, and I was hoping to see the writing quality improve as the series did. Sadly, it declined.
9 reviews
March 3, 2018
Too much of this book was devoted to battle scenes and not enough to actually developing the story line or characters. The physical feats were rather difficult to believe and mass slaughter gets a little tedious after a while. However, I have enjoyed the series and am hoping that now that most (I hope!) of the battles have been fought we can go back to concentrating on the story. I also found that the book ended rather abruptly with no details on what happened to poor Alan during/after the battle, apart from the fact that he survived as he was at Tys funeral.
Profile Image for Tony Parsons.
4,156 reviews103 followers
March 21, 2018
414 YOR, Lord Kragan (Kaleal) & CO Charna’s Army would march from Tar-Endar Pass.
High Priest Jorthain (protectors) Army would follow close behind.
They might have to deal with Queen Elan’s army.
Legend has it the Scroll of Landrel foretells the destruction of the kingdom of Tal.
Lorness Carol Rafel (witch) the High Lord Rafel’s (warlord) daughter who had escaped captivity would also 1-day rule.

The Endarian elite time-mist warriors await their arrival.
414 YOR, Misty Hollow, Glacier Mountains. Arn was the only wielder of the Slaken (knife, elementals: Vatra fire, Voda water, Zemlja earth, Zrak air).
King Rodan (Tal) had died & King Gilbert (son) now ruled.
Blade (assassin) & Lorness Carol Rafel had become quite fond of each other but nothing prevailed.
Blalock (magic wielder) became King Gilbert’s primary advisor instead of Blade.
Lorness Carol Rafel studied magic under Hawthorne (mentor/BMF) & Blalock was sent to kill her.
414 YOR, Areana Vale (beautiful cliff-lined valley). Princess Kimber “Kim” (Endarian life-shifter) was having a very bad dream.
John (husband) did his best to comfort her.
High Lord Rafel (human father), Battle Master Gaar, & Captain Hanibal were discussing their next battle plans.
414 YOR, Endless Valley. George Dalton (killed) led a Ranger scout patrol that consisted of: Harry Budka (killed), Jim Clemens (wounded, killed), Sam Jacobson (outrider, killed), Bill Harrison (outrider, wounded), & Lord Alan (20, son/Carol’s brother).

It was nightfall & they had followed the enemy’s encampment.
Lord Alan attending to the horses had spotted the vorgs.
Arrow’s flew & axes & swords were wielded.
Those that attacked were killed. But there were 100’s more at their campsite.
415 YOR, High Lord Jared Rafel, & Earl Coldain gazed out at the Areana’s Vale.
Vorg carcasses omitted thick greasy plumes that stunk to high heaven.
The army of Tal had done well in this battle.
Queen Elan welcomed home 1,000’s of Endarian warriors.
R&R was much deserved/needed.
Kingdom of Endar. Queen Elan had assigned Galad his next mission.

Very impressive resume. Hooah to you & thank you for serving your country.

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written fantasy book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great fantasy movie, an animated cartoon, or better yet a mini TV series. Not my normal read but I will still rate it at 5 stars.

Thank you for the free author; Goodreads; MakingConnections; Making Connections discussion group talk; 7North publisher; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
450 reviews4 followers
August 10, 2019
The second book ended with Arn successfully delaying Kragan’s forces buying High Lord Rafel time to prepare for the upcoming battle. When I finished it I feared that the third book would be one incessant battle - like the third Hobbit movie where Peter Jackson didn't have enough plot left and used the battle as filler. Be aware that I was correct.

There are a few scenes leading up to it but then it becomes one huge battle. Technically two as Kragan’s forces also attack the Endarians. My rating reflects my dislike for such books.

There are some good things in here too. Carol and Arn take a step back as the main characters to make room for Alan. And his journey out of his father's shadow to become his own man is quite good. I especially enjoyed his interaction with the matrons of the horse warriors.

While there are some slight follow-up errors, such as Rafel constantly stating how Blade never let him down in all these years, when Arn didn't become Blade until after he left Rafel’s household, it was nice to see the threads coming together. The spy, Jaradin’s captivity, even Coldane, and his son are addressed. We also learn about Kragan’s motivation. It isn't a particularly good one, but at least it is an explanation.

I think that the next installment will be the final one, showing the conflict between Endar and Kragan’s main forces. At least I hope it is the last one. While the books are short, just short of 300 pages, making the entire series about 1200 pages, I've read series whose first two books are longer than that. However, as the story is straightforward consisting only of a flight and last stand with barely any sidestories, it is starting to feel stretched. He could have told all this in three books of the same length. Thus I'm uncertain whether I would read a fifth.

Profile Image for Lisa Scarpati.
47 reviews
May 1, 2018
The Endarian Prophecy series continues to captivate me! Here in book #3, less prominent characters emerge as leading figures. Varied storylines blend as new relationships are forged and old ones renew. The undying presence of strong, sagacious women, in tantamount roles is well purveyed. Central to the story is the evolution of Alan, son of Lord Rafel, who is rendered the prophetic "Chosen" by the dogma of the Khan's people. Phillips also delves further into the Endarian realm as we follow Queen Elan's son, Galad, into battle at the head of an intricate legion of time-shifters and mist-warriors. The reader's imagination is seized as a voyeur, entrenched in macabre conflict with these beloved characters, fighting lupine armies, wielders and unearthly beasts, in sweeping valleys clinging to mountain fortress cities. As with all well balanced stories, there is sacrifice, tragedy and triumph. So as GOT nears conclusion, with TV fantasy series in high demand, I can easily envision viewers enthralled by a mini-series interpretation of the Endarian Prophecy books. My favorite in this epic sequence so far, I give this book a high-five star rating.
Profile Image for Marnie.
32 reviews
December 7, 2019
Best of the series so far

I didn’t expect to enjoy this series so much and even almost didn’t continued after the first book. Not because it wasn’t good, I just have a huge reading list and while the first was pretty good I got caught up in a couple of other series before coming across the second book. The first and second books created some interesting characters and a rather unique story. Sometimes I feel like events have been passed over a bit too quickly and some information gets just a glancing mention. The character of Alan was one of those items that didn’t seem to getting much attention and I wondered why he was really even around. I was very pleasantly surprised to see him fleshed out and front and center in this book. I really enjoyed the story and how many things were tied together. I have some trouble really picturing the details of the battles but they are exciting nonetheless. And now, while I’m excited to start the fourth book I’m afraid it may be final in the series and I’m not ready to say good-bye to the Vale.
Profile Image for Maria.
2,394 reviews50 followers
July 25, 2018
The third in this series, I was expecting it to be the last, but not so. Things are not going well for the Endarians and I was really upset to lose one of the main characters. Another was saved which I was very happy about since I've been worrying about him since book two, but that did not make up for the loss of the other. I thoroughly enjoyed Alan dealing with the women who ran the horsemen camp. The Blade got only a small part of this book which was a shame. I believe he's my favorite character in spite of his propensity for extreme violence. They will all need to do better in the next book if they want to survive.

Profile Image for Darin Brown.
Author 4 books163 followers
April 7, 2019
This is the third book of the Endarian prophecy, and you really have to read all of first three books in the series as a single entity.

As with all Richard Phillips novels, the world build, character development, plot and story line are all excellent. The universe in this series consists of magic, sword and knife fighting, several different races including humans, and some societal commentary about gender equality. We follow multiple different story lines throughout the books to a satisfying conclusion in the Curse of the Chosen, and I recommend this set of books highly!

The final installment of the series will be coming out later in 2019, and will be highly anticipated!
12 reviews
June 6, 2018
Roll on book 4!

I have enjoyed reading all three of these books and am looking forward to more in the series! There are some neat plot twists in the latest book, for instance when Arn goes off on his own and even he doesn’t know why he’s chosen to do what he does and I spent ages wondering where that would lead. Fantastic immersive descriptions of battles including all the senses, well described characters both in looks and attitude, really draws you in. Looking forward to more!
3 reviews
May 11, 2018
Prepare to be entertained.

While this trilogy probably won't win any major awards, it gave me exactly what I look for. I want entertainment and an escape. The characters are fun and interesting and maybe a little flawed. Not as flawed as is typical with the current wave of anti heroes, but definitely not perfect either. I'll likely continue reading to see where the author takes us next.
149 reviews
March 5, 2019
Not the end.......

As always, Richard Phillips does not disappoint. I like his writing, it's always fast moving but not enough that he does not pay attention to detail. SPOILER ALERT!! Losing Ty was hard and made me teary, but Carol's honor ceremony was epic. Now Mr. Phillips, I want Kragan to feel the wrath; I'm looking forward to seeing Slaken become something more to both Arn and Carol.
Profile Image for BruceSB.
38 reviews1 follower
March 31, 2023
The Story Is Coming Along Well

Just finished this one.
The story is coming along well.
I am half way through the series.
I am enjoying the characters and the story.
As I write my impressions it is a little strange.
Yes, the book was great.
Yes, I am highly recommending it.
But is someone going to start reading half way through a series?
I don’t think so!
So what is the value of this review?
I think it is just to say that it keeps getting better.
Bruce
Profile Image for Jasmyn.
1,604 reviews19 followers
December 2, 2024
Curse of the Chosen was a book about character growth. Yes, the storyline progressed and a lot of things happened, but it all just pushed the growth of our main characters, especially Carol and Alan. A little too much detail was used at times, which made the story feel dragged out a bit. The story is set up for everyone to come together, which may help it move along a little faster in the next book. I'm still totally invested in these characters.
Profile Image for Andrew Ritchie.
16 reviews1 follower
February 25, 2018
I really enjoyed this next chapter in the series. I can't wait to see how the story continues. I feel that the author handle the difficult task of handling large battles in written form well and did not get too bogged down in details of blood and gore but moved the story forward well. Quick read, real page turner.
Profile Image for Claire Reed.
10 reviews3 followers
May 1, 2018
Too much description of battle. I got a little bored. First two books were more interesting. I will still read his future books. I believe he is a very talented writer.

Too much description of battle. I got a little bored.First two novels were exciting and very different..I will continue following Phillips because of his basic excellent wrriting.
10 reviews
May 20, 2018
A Great Read!

As with the previous two books in this series, "Curse of the Chosen" reading it did not last very long. Not because it was a short book but because I could hardly put it down until it was suddenly finished. I have completely enjoyed the three book that I have read of "The Edarian Prophecy". I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Profile Image for Amber Hale.
100 reviews2 followers
March 27, 2022
A Page-Turner of an Adventure

Each installment gets better as I work my way through this series. The plot and characters are getting richer, the action is constant, and the surprises are many. There are plenty of complex characters and storylines. This is shaping up to be an epic series with a stellar conclusion. I'm looking forward into diving into the next one.
Profile Image for Mackie.
28 reviews
February 24, 2018
Of the three books out so far in this series, this was probably my least favorite, but it did not diminish my love of the series or characters. The author did a great job tying all of the story-lines together in an exciting way, but, in essence, the book was just one giant battle: an important, necessary, tone-setting battle, but one long battle nonetheless. Still, I enjoyed it and I can't wait for the next book.
313 reviews
March 10, 2018
Who needs video games and heros

Mr. Phillips has met the challenge of matching the destruction of traditional Samurai movies. However, there is good characters and love interests to balance the story.
16 reviews2 followers
March 14, 2018
When you get to the end of a book in a series, and you can't wait for the next one to be launched, then you know you've had an enjoyable read. Richard Phillips has done it again and I can't wait for #4 in the Endarian Prophecy.
Profile Image for Adelle D. John.
5 reviews
March 15, 2018
Intense

Excellent writing the descriptive narrative of war both melee and magical made the reading of this volume come alive in my head. Who needs movies when there are books like this. I want to finish the story.
70 reviews2 followers
March 17, 2018
Brilliant fantasy read

Great continuation of the story, characters that you engage with to feel their joy and sorrow, battle scenes well told.
Looking forward to the next instalment.
118 reviews1 follower
March 18, 2018
Great Fantasy Series!

I love this fantasy series. Relentless action with great characters both good and evil. Tons of magic flying about with epic battles by soldiers and creatures of the darkness. I look forward to reading the next book in this series!
85 reviews2 followers
March 21, 2018
Satisfying

"Curse of the Chosen" has proved a satisfying sequel even though the story is not over, many of the loose strings from the first book in "The Endarian Prophecy" come to a most satisfying conclusion. I heartily enjoyed it.
1 review
March 31, 2018
An ok read

It isn't a classic with the captivating language of Kvothe, nor the depth of Westeros. That said it is a well written and easy to read book.

A cold lager on a summer's day if you will.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews

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