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The Element Odysseys #2
The Breedling and the Trickster
“He was the lad who did it twice, tricked the Devil by a roll of the dice. . . . He goes by the name of Stingy Jack, with a turnip lantern in hand to light his way through the black.”
For immortal soulcatcher Buck, acclimating to newfound freedom in 1934 Chicago would have been impossible if not for the selfless actions of Charlie Reese. Now separated from his mortal friend, Buck accepts a new mission: to save the Shepherdess, whose unclaimed soul will soon stand trial in his old world, Euxinus.
Buck must find the Shepherdess’ beloved, the infamous Trickster Stingy Jack, and convince him to testify on behalf of her soul. Furthermore, Buck must ensure Stingy Jack is worthy to stand as her witness. It’s no easy feat; Hades, sworn enemy of Stingy Jack, threatens to thwart Buck’s mission at every twist and turn in hopes of seizing the Shepherdess’ soul—and the secret she holds—for himself.
Set on a whirlwind path that leads him on an odyssey across the American Midwest, Buck must rely on untested skills while being ever-mindful of his dangerous surroundings as he prepares himself for his return to the dark, desolate realm of Euxinus.
For immortal soulcatcher Buck, acclimating to newfound freedom in 1934 Chicago would have been impossible if not for the selfless actions of Charlie Reese. Now separated from his mortal friend, Buck accepts a new mission: to save the Shepherdess, whose unclaimed soul will soon stand trial in his old world, Euxinus.
Buck must find the Shepherdess’ beloved, the infamous Trickster Stingy Jack, and convince him to testify on behalf of her soul. Furthermore, Buck must ensure Stingy Jack is worthy to stand as her witness. It’s no easy feat; Hades, sworn enemy of Stingy Jack, threatens to thwart Buck’s mission at every twist and turn in hopes of seizing the Shepherdess’ soul—and the secret she holds—for himself.
Set on a whirlwind path that leads him on an odyssey across the American Midwest, Buck must rely on untested skills while being ever-mindful of his dangerous surroundings as he prepares himself for his return to the dark, desolate realm of Euxinus.
- GenresFantasy
246 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 19, 2017
25 people want to read
About the author
Kimberlee Ann Bastian
5 books38 followersKimberlee Ann Bastian has a unique love affair with American nostalgia, mythology, and endless possibilities. This melting pot of elements is what prompted the creation of her epic ELEMENT ODYSSEYS series, starting with the reboot of her debut novel THE BREEDLING AND THE CITY IN THE GARDEN.
When she is not in her writer's room or consuming other literary worlds, she enjoys hiking and cycling around the bluffs of your Southeastern MN home and catching up on her favorite pop culture.
When she is not in her writer's room or consuming other literary worlds, she enjoys hiking and cycling around the bluffs of your Southeastern MN home and catching up on her favorite pop culture.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 2, 2018
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Part two or the Element Odysseys, The Breedling and the Trickster brings us right back to the moment the first book ended. Buck is still reeling from losing his new and only friend, Charlie, however, now securely tethered to Eden's reality, Buck can assume his role in the game that is taking part – namely, finding Jack, the Trickster, and ensuring the fact that Iona, the innocent Shepherdess, will not be convicted to an eternity of hell without cause.
The Breedling Still Carries On In The Manner Of Book One
Book two, The Breedling and the Trickster, is a very similar book to the first one, in terms of the dynamics. Events change fast, some of the core characters reappear, but there is a constant changing cast of supporting characters that make up the backbone of the setting. However, the relationships that Buck and Jack form in this book are much more temporary and fleeting, although not necessarily unimportant. We will get introduced to some new secondaries who I feel might return in the third book, but we don't get to know them deeply.
Enjoyable Side Stories And Secondaries
One of these quite interesting characters is Maddie, supposedly of the lineage of Cain’s children, bearing the curse of the first murder on earth (Eden, in this case) - which comes with certain powers, but also certain burdens. Despite her nature that is supposed to be dark, Maddie turns out to be a wonderful, caring and selfless human beings. I really enjoyed Maddie's side story and I feel like she might still come back in book three. Maddie also helps uncover some more of Buck's nature, and so allows us to get to know the Breedling better, so allowing us to also witness some character growth.
We Peek More Into Jack And Iona's Backstory
The book also goes deeper into the backstory of Jack and how he tricked the devil (Hades), and Jack's sad, but beautiful love story with Iona, the Shepherdess. These stories are quite interesting because they're based in folklore, that is sadly not the kind I am knowledgeable in, so I can't comment much more, apart from saying that it was an interesting way to tell their story and give it color for sure. I also liked how much symbolism their story has, for example, the fact that Iona is an actual Shepherdess, although she's more of a figurative shepherdess, the way she turns Jack's life around.
Sadly, Almost No Charlie
Personally, I had quite an attachment to Charlie, the boy who helped Buck through the entire first book, and suffered quite a lot for it himself. However, I believe Charlie is intentionally kept away from us in book two and will resurface in the last part of the series. I am very curious to see what new perils he will be in, because there’s definitely enough foreshadowing for that.
Overall…
I must admit that book two suffered a little bit of The Sequel Syndrome. That happens quite a lot in the middle of series though, so I am not worried - one must set the scene for the big showdown, after all. Book three should bring everything together - and I will be interested to see where it all goes.
I thank Kimberlee Ann Bastian for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange to my honest opinion. Receiving the book for free does not affect my opinion.
Read Post On My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
Part two or the Element Odysseys, The Breedling and the Trickster brings us right back to the moment the first book ended. Buck is still reeling from losing his new and only friend, Charlie, however, now securely tethered to Eden's reality, Buck can assume his role in the game that is taking part – namely, finding Jack, the Trickster, and ensuring the fact that Iona, the innocent Shepherdess, will not be convicted to an eternity of hell without cause.
The Breedling Still Carries On In The Manner Of Book One
Book two, The Breedling and the Trickster, is a very similar book to the first one, in terms of the dynamics. Events change fast, some of the core characters reappear, but there is a constant changing cast of supporting characters that make up the backbone of the setting. However, the relationships that Buck and Jack form in this book are much more temporary and fleeting, although not necessarily unimportant. We will get introduced to some new secondaries who I feel might return in the third book, but we don't get to know them deeply.
Enjoyable Side Stories And Secondaries
One of these quite interesting characters is Maddie, supposedly of the lineage of Cain’s children, bearing the curse of the first murder on earth (Eden, in this case) - which comes with certain powers, but also certain burdens. Despite her nature that is supposed to be dark, Maddie turns out to be a wonderful, caring and selfless human beings. I really enjoyed Maddie's side story and I feel like she might still come back in book three. Maddie also helps uncover some more of Buck's nature, and so allows us to get to know the Breedling better, so allowing us to also witness some character growth.
We Peek More Into Jack And Iona's Backstory
The book also goes deeper into the backstory of Jack and how he tricked the devil (Hades), and Jack's sad, but beautiful love story with Iona, the Shepherdess. These stories are quite interesting because they're based in folklore, that is sadly not the kind I am knowledgeable in, so I can't comment much more, apart from saying that it was an interesting way to tell their story and give it color for sure. I also liked how much symbolism their story has, for example, the fact that Iona is an actual Shepherdess, although she's more of a figurative shepherdess, the way she turns Jack's life around.
Sadly, Almost No Charlie
Personally, I had quite an attachment to Charlie, the boy who helped Buck through the entire first book, and suffered quite a lot for it himself. However, I believe Charlie is intentionally kept away from us in book two and will resurface in the last part of the series. I am very curious to see what new perils he will be in, because there’s definitely enough foreshadowing for that.
Overall…
I must admit that book two suffered a little bit of The Sequel Syndrome. That happens quite a lot in the middle of series though, so I am not worried - one must set the scene for the big showdown, after all. Book three should bring everything together - and I will be interested to see where it all goes.
I thank Kimberlee Ann Bastian for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange to my honest opinion. Receiving the book for free does not affect my opinion.
Read Post On My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
May 1, 2018
Title: The Breedling And The Trickster
Author: Kimberlee Ann Bastian
Genre: Adult, Historical, Supernatural
Format: Ebook
Pages: 246
Rating: 5
Heat: 1
Thoughts: Damn, that was so much fun to read! Buck is a breedling that has escaped to earth but he is still sent on missions. It’s an interesting twist, one that seems planned but no one ever really comes out and says it. Anyway, even though this seems to be his story and we do get a bit more insight as to what is going on, this story focuses more on Stingy Jack. We do hear about Charlie from book one, for he still has seems to have a role to play. This story is about the trickster, it reminds me of the song The Devil Went Down To Georgia, Hades being the devil in this story. Granted I would think that Hades would be a bit smarter, but the fact that Stingy Jack keeps besting him is just awesome. Plus this historical realness of it made it hard to believe it wasn’t real. The world building is just amazing, you can almost smell it. With many different, interesting characters (one is a talking cat!!) it was hard to put down for even a moment. I can’t wait to read the next one.
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work and chose to write a review.
Author: Kimberlee Ann Bastian
Genre: Adult, Historical, Supernatural
Format: Ebook
Pages: 246
Rating: 5
Heat: 1
Thoughts: Damn, that was so much fun to read! Buck is a breedling that has escaped to earth but he is still sent on missions. It’s an interesting twist, one that seems planned but no one ever really comes out and says it. Anyway, even though this seems to be his story and we do get a bit more insight as to what is going on, this story focuses more on Stingy Jack. We do hear about Charlie from book one, for he still has seems to have a role to play. This story is about the trickster, it reminds me of the song The Devil Went Down To Georgia, Hades being the devil in this story. Granted I would think that Hades would be a bit smarter, but the fact that Stingy Jack keeps besting him is just awesome. Plus this historical realness of it made it hard to believe it wasn’t real. The world building is just amazing, you can almost smell it. With many different, interesting characters (one is a talking cat!!) it was hard to put down for even a moment. I can’t wait to read the next one.
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work and chose to write a review.
August 17, 2019
The wild ride continues in The Breedling and the Trickster (The Element Odysseys Book 2), Kimberly Ann Bastian’s follow up to her debut novel. High stakes and richly detailed historical fantasy, supernatural settings push the story forward. Such an imagination; Bastian’s characters are vibrant, and move through worlds that fans of J.K. Rowling would appreciate. It’s rewarding to witness the main character Buck (a.k.a. The Breedling, an immortal soulcatcher) grow further into adult territory as he battles so many demons from his past. I’m invested in seeing what’s up next in the series.
August 6, 2019
A quality sequel... I can't wait to read the third book!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews