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Sword of Dalkor
“We librarians usually see things most others will never be privileged to see.”
The actual existence of the legendary forest library is the best-kept secret throughout the world and history. Its caregivers go through vigorous training by their predecessors to make sure it’s left in good and capable hands for the next generation. Alexa is the latest apprentice in a long line of librarians.
When boredom comes as the routines of her new life set in, Alexa does what she can in order to elevate it. As a result, she comes in contact with things she should never have meddled with and now, together with her fairy companion, she must set out on a journey to rectify her mistakes before thousands of years of secrecy come undone.
This kicks off a journey that will take them across the lands of Thykall, meeting friends and foes and people in-between. An endeavour during which they will encounter magic, warriors, and forgotten stories.
The actual existence of the legendary forest library is the best-kept secret throughout the world and history. Its caregivers go through vigorous training by their predecessors to make sure it’s left in good and capable hands for the next generation. Alexa is the latest apprentice in a long line of librarians.
When boredom comes as the routines of her new life set in, Alexa does what she can in order to elevate it. As a result, she comes in contact with things she should never have meddled with and now, together with her fairy companion, she must set out on a journey to rectify her mistakes before thousands of years of secrecy come undone.
This kicks off a journey that will take them across the lands of Thykall, meeting friends and foes and people in-between. An endeavour during which they will encounter magic, warriors, and forgotten stories.
165 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2018
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 2, 2018
"All is well, for the throne is empty."
Every now and then, there comes a book that I just cannot resist. The kind of novel which is awesome from book cover to the slightest detail in content, all the way through. For me, it usually happens with Neil Gaiman's books, but it has happened again. Sword of Dalkor is written by the self-published author, Veronica Di Dato, and is the sort of fantasy that is suitable for various ages. It is the kind of adventure that modern fantasy needs, but somehow nowadays rarely gets. Instead of being all about the love story and the sexual intercourses that seem to be so popular in the genre today, it focuses on character development and world exploration; on mysteries and adventures; on putting each piece of the puzzle together. Seems like your kind of a story already? Well, wait until you hear more about it, or even better, read it yourself!
Alexa is an apprentice in the Forest Library and she comes from a long line of librarians. However, she is not the kind of person who deals well with unnecessary and frequent episodes of boredom. Her enthusiasm for adventures is going to become in a sense the very reason for all the trouble to follow. Even her loyal fairy companion, Spy, will not be able to keep her out of trouble. Once Alexa's actions appear to have greater consequences than she possibly had expected, she and Spy head on their quest to fix the situation they have created - before Thykall as they know it is beyond repair. If you think their task is easy, then you're a long way from being correct. Whether they're going to succed though and what awaits them on their journey, are questions whose answers you can find out only by yourselves.
What I loved most about Sword of Dalkor is its magical quality to capture you in the magic of its pages and to keep you enchanted until the very last one. To me, characters are the main ingredients that drive a story forward and that shape the outcomes and surprises, engaging the reader. I enjoyed getting to know each character of this novel as they are all unique in their own ways. They are so realistic in the sense that they might be similar to some extent, but in the end of the day, they all've got different agendas and ideals. They all chase after different things and most importantly, they all have their own views that guide them down the road.
"Shouldn't all wars be over by now? Surely an enlightened world such as ours should be spared from the indulgence of fools. Yet somehow that unoriginal story finds its way to be retold once more."
My personal favourite is definitely Anish. He is the kind of mysterious personage who will ignite your interest and who will be a sort of a question mark until the very end. In addition, the relationship between Alexa and Spy is hilarious to follow and again very realistic. You know how best friends would tease each other on occasions, or how they would disagree with each other, sometimes even fight, but every time they would have the other's back? Well, the librarian and the fairy have the sort of unique chemistry that is certainly a lot of people's friendship goal.
Eh, surely I can ramble on about characters all day. If you know me, then you're aware that this is what I cannot resist, especially in a well-written book. Even though it might seem a bit short to you at first glance, it is because it doesn't have all the unnecessary information that you run into in so many fantasy novels. It's not about being wordy. It's about quality. Sword of Dalkor demonstrates exactly that.
To conclude, Veronica Di Dato's debute novel is the beginning of a series that I would love to have on my bookshelf. It is compelling, intriguing and captivating. It's the kind of read destined for those readers who are always on the look out for new adventures and who are willing to join the quest and follow the protagonist's mission. Sounds like you? Then you know what you have to do next.
Every now and then, there comes a book that I just cannot resist. The kind of novel which is awesome from book cover to the slightest detail in content, all the way through. For me, it usually happens with Neil Gaiman's books, but it has happened again. Sword of Dalkor is written by the self-published author, Veronica Di Dato, and is the sort of fantasy that is suitable for various ages. It is the kind of adventure that modern fantasy needs, but somehow nowadays rarely gets. Instead of being all about the love story and the sexual intercourses that seem to be so popular in the genre today, it focuses on character development and world exploration; on mysteries and adventures; on putting each piece of the puzzle together. Seems like your kind of a story already? Well, wait until you hear more about it, or even better, read it yourself!
Alexa is an apprentice in the Forest Library and she comes from a long line of librarians. However, she is not the kind of person who deals well with unnecessary and frequent episodes of boredom. Her enthusiasm for adventures is going to become in a sense the very reason for all the trouble to follow. Even her loyal fairy companion, Spy, will not be able to keep her out of trouble. Once Alexa's actions appear to have greater consequences than she possibly had expected, she and Spy head on their quest to fix the situation they have created - before Thykall as they know it is beyond repair. If you think their task is easy, then you're a long way from being correct. Whether they're going to succed though and what awaits them on their journey, are questions whose answers you can find out only by yourselves.
What I loved most about Sword of Dalkor is its magical quality to capture you in the magic of its pages and to keep you enchanted until the very last one. To me, characters are the main ingredients that drive a story forward and that shape the outcomes and surprises, engaging the reader. I enjoyed getting to know each character of this novel as they are all unique in their own ways. They are so realistic in the sense that they might be similar to some extent, but in the end of the day, they all've got different agendas and ideals. They all chase after different things and most importantly, they all have their own views that guide them down the road.
"Shouldn't all wars be over by now? Surely an enlightened world such as ours should be spared from the indulgence of fools. Yet somehow that unoriginal story finds its way to be retold once more."
My personal favourite is definitely Anish. He is the kind of mysterious personage who will ignite your interest and who will be a sort of a question mark until the very end. In addition, the relationship between Alexa and Spy is hilarious to follow and again very realistic. You know how best friends would tease each other on occasions, or how they would disagree with each other, sometimes even fight, but every time they would have the other's back? Well, the librarian and the fairy have the sort of unique chemistry that is certainly a lot of people's friendship goal.
Eh, surely I can ramble on about characters all day. If you know me, then you're aware that this is what I cannot resist, especially in a well-written book. Even though it might seem a bit short to you at first glance, it is because it doesn't have all the unnecessary information that you run into in so many fantasy novels. It's not about being wordy. It's about quality. Sword of Dalkor demonstrates exactly that.
To conclude, Veronica Di Dato's debute novel is the beginning of a series that I would love to have on my bookshelf. It is compelling, intriguing and captivating. It's the kind of read destined for those readers who are always on the look out for new adventures and who are willing to join the quest and follow the protagonist's mission. Sounds like you? Then you know what you have to do next.
September 30, 2018
This is my first review so I hope I wrote it spoiler free.
As someone who almost exclusively reads YA fantasy or epic fantasy (big fan of Hobb) I have long missed a YA book where the focus of the story is the task the main character has at hand, and one that does not lose that focus because of flings and love-at-first-sights. This losing of focus because feelings, hormones and angst EVERYWHERE is something I find many YA in particular suffer from to varying extents and I’ve been dying to find just ONE book without that.
FINALLY, the Sword of Dalkor gave me just that!
Additionally, there are a nummer of things that make me instantly want to put aside a fantasy book with female lead, two of the main being obsessive mentions of the main character’s beauty (and her lack of confidence, always putting herself down) or the oh so mysterious boy/man who may or may not lead her astray. Oh will she choose her duty or her feelings?
This book THANKFULLY has neither (but for those thirsty for ships, fret not). And it is one of the jewels where the focus is actually on the mission. Alexa, the librarian apprentice, screws things up and sets her mind on fixing it. She isn’t perfect, doesn’t smell like spring flowers, she isn’t skilled in all forms of combat or flirting or murdering without damaging her sparkling manicure. No, she is realistic, she struggles and she is human. And I love it.
This is a fast paced book and it is well structured. The author’s understanding of linguistics and languages shows throughout the book. It’s not very long and it’s very easy to read. At times, I was confused by locations with similar names, but hey, that’s fantasy for ya.
Alexa’s relationship with her companion, Spy, is so endearing. The conversations are witty and the humour is ever-present, yet the story takes a serious turn. A problem that at first seems relatively small soon evolves into layers of intrigue and the ending is brilliantly pulled of with a promise of a continuation that goes even deeper than what first appeared to be the truth.
Lastly, I should emphasise that it is a short book, and as such there aren’t a lot of details where details aren’t essential to the story or world building. But with the limited amount of pages the author has still introduced a new world, insights into the organised layers of the under world as well as the political struggles in a court. However brief, the Sword of Dalkor is an entertaining story. I am genuinely excited to find out how the story evolves.
For me, it got to function as a lighter in-between before getting back to heavier stuff.
Five stars because there were close to none of the elements that when combined annoy the shit out of me, the strategic disposition and because it just so very much happened to be what I wanted (partly without realising it until I was already engulfed by it).
As someone who almost exclusively reads YA fantasy or epic fantasy (big fan of Hobb) I have long missed a YA book where the focus of the story is the task the main character has at hand, and one that does not lose that focus because of flings and love-at-first-sights. This losing of focus because feelings, hormones and angst EVERYWHERE is something I find many YA in particular suffer from to varying extents and I’ve been dying to find just ONE book without that.
FINALLY, the Sword of Dalkor gave me just that!
Additionally, there are a nummer of things that make me instantly want to put aside a fantasy book with female lead, two of the main being obsessive mentions of the main character’s beauty (and her lack of confidence, always putting herself down) or the oh so mysterious boy/man who may or may not lead her astray. Oh will she choose her duty or her feelings?
This book THANKFULLY has neither (but for those thirsty for ships, fret not). And it is one of the jewels where the focus is actually on the mission. Alexa, the librarian apprentice, screws things up and sets her mind on fixing it. She isn’t perfect, doesn’t smell like spring flowers, she isn’t skilled in all forms of combat or flirting or murdering without damaging her sparkling manicure. No, she is realistic, she struggles and she is human. And I love it.
This is a fast paced book and it is well structured. The author’s understanding of linguistics and languages shows throughout the book. It’s not very long and it’s very easy to read. At times, I was confused by locations with similar names, but hey, that’s fantasy for ya.
Alexa’s relationship with her companion, Spy, is so endearing. The conversations are witty and the humour is ever-present, yet the story takes a serious turn. A problem that at first seems relatively small soon evolves into layers of intrigue and the ending is brilliantly pulled of with a promise of a continuation that goes even deeper than what first appeared to be the truth.
Lastly, I should emphasise that it is a short book, and as such there aren’t a lot of details where details aren’t essential to the story or world building. But with the limited amount of pages the author has still introduced a new world, insights into the organised layers of the under world as well as the political struggles in a court. However brief, the Sword of Dalkor is an entertaining story. I am genuinely excited to find out how the story evolves.
For me, it got to function as a lighter in-between before getting back to heavier stuff.
Five stars because there were close to none of the elements that when combined annoy the shit out of me, the strategic disposition and because it just so very much happened to be what I wanted (partly without realising it until I was already engulfed by it).
September 19, 2018
"All is well, for the throne is empty."
Every now and then, there comes a book that I just cannot resist. The kind of novel which is awesome from book cover to the slightest detail in content, all the way through. For me, it usually happens with Neil Gaiman's books, but it has happened again. Sword of Dalkor is written by the self-published author, Veronica Di Dato, and is the sort of fantasy that is suitable for various ages. It is the kind of adventure that modern fantasy needs, but somehow nowadays rarely gets. Instead of being all about the love story and the sexual intercourses that seem to be so popular in the genre today, it focuses on character development and world exploration; on mysteries and adventures; on putting each piece of the puzzle together. Seems like your kind of a story already? Well, wait until you hear more about it, or even better, read it yourself!
Alexa is an apprentice in the Forest Library and she comes from a long line of librarians. However, she is not the kind of person who deals well with unnecessary and frequent episodes of boredom. Her enthusiasm for adventures is going to become in a sense the very reason for all the trouble to follow. Even her loyal fairy companion, Spy, will not be able to keep her out of trouble. Once Alexa's actions appear to have greater consequences than she possibly had expected, she and Spy head on their quest to fix the situation they have created - before Thykall as they know it is beyond repair. If you think their task is easy, then you're a long way from being correct. Whether they're going to succed though and what awaits them on their journey, are questions whose answers you can find out only by yourselves.
What I loved most about Sword of Dalkor is its magical quality to capture you in the magic of its pages and to keep you enchanted until the very last one. To me, characters are the main ingredients that drive a story forward and that shape the outcomes and surprises, engaging the reader. I enjoyed getting to know each character of this novel as they are all unique in their own ways. They are so realistic in the sense that they might be similar to some extent, but in the end of the day, they all've got different agendas and ideals. They all chase after different things and most importantly, they all have their own views that guide them down the road.
"Shouldn't all wars be over by now? Surely an enlightened world such as ours should be spared from the indulgence of fools. Yet somehow that unoriginal story finds its way to be retold once more."
My personal favourite is definitely Anish. He is the kind of mysterious personage who will ignite your interest and who will be a sort of a question mark until the very end. In addition, the relationship between Alexa and Spy is hilarious to follow and again very realistic. You know how best friends would tease each other on occasions, or how they would disagree with each other, sometimes even fight, but every time they would have the other's back? Well, the librarian and the fairy have the sort of unique chemistry that is certainly a lot of people's friendship goal.
Eh, surely I can ramble on about characters all day. If you know me, then you're aware that this is what I cannot resist, especially in a well-written book. Even though it might seem a bit short to you at first glance, it is because it doesn't have all the unnecessary information that you run into in so many fantasy novels. It's not about being wordy. It's about quality. Sword of Dalkor demonstrates exactly that.
To conclude, Veronica Di Dato's debute novel is the beginning of a series that I would love to have on my bookshelf. It is compelling, intriguing and captivating. It's the kind of read destined for those readers who are always on the look out for new adventures and who are willing to join the quest and follow the protagonist's mission. Sounds like you? Then you know what you have to do next.
Every now and then, there comes a book that I just cannot resist. The kind of novel which is awesome from book cover to the slightest detail in content, all the way through. For me, it usually happens with Neil Gaiman's books, but it has happened again. Sword of Dalkor is written by the self-published author, Veronica Di Dato, and is the sort of fantasy that is suitable for various ages. It is the kind of adventure that modern fantasy needs, but somehow nowadays rarely gets. Instead of being all about the love story and the sexual intercourses that seem to be so popular in the genre today, it focuses on character development and world exploration; on mysteries and adventures; on putting each piece of the puzzle together. Seems like your kind of a story already? Well, wait until you hear more about it, or even better, read it yourself!
Alexa is an apprentice in the Forest Library and she comes from a long line of librarians. However, she is not the kind of person who deals well with unnecessary and frequent episodes of boredom. Her enthusiasm for adventures is going to become in a sense the very reason for all the trouble to follow. Even her loyal fairy companion, Spy, will not be able to keep her out of trouble. Once Alexa's actions appear to have greater consequences than she possibly had expected, she and Spy head on their quest to fix the situation they have created - before Thykall as they know it is beyond repair. If you think their task is easy, then you're a long way from being correct. Whether they're going to succed though and what awaits them on their journey, are questions whose answers you can find out only by yourselves.
What I loved most about Sword of Dalkor is its magical quality to capture you in the magic of its pages and to keep you enchanted until the very last one. To me, characters are the main ingredients that drive a story forward and that shape the outcomes and surprises, engaging the reader. I enjoyed getting to know each character of this novel as they are all unique in their own ways. They are so realistic in the sense that they might be similar to some extent, but in the end of the day, they all've got different agendas and ideals. They all chase after different things and most importantly, they all have their own views that guide them down the road.
"Shouldn't all wars be over by now? Surely an enlightened world such as ours should be spared from the indulgence of fools. Yet somehow that unoriginal story finds its way to be retold once more."
My personal favourite is definitely Anish. He is the kind of mysterious personage who will ignite your interest and who will be a sort of a question mark until the very end. In addition, the relationship between Alexa and Spy is hilarious to follow and again very realistic. You know how best friends would tease each other on occasions, or how they would disagree with each other, sometimes even fight, but every time they would have the other's back? Well, the librarian and the fairy have the sort of unique chemistry that is certainly a lot of people's friendship goal.
Eh, surely I can ramble on about characters all day. If you know me, then you're aware that this is what I cannot resist, especially in a well-written book. Even though it might seem a bit short to you at first glance, it is because it doesn't have all the unnecessary information that you run into in so many fantasy novels. It's not about being wordy. It's about quality. Sword of Dalkor demonstrates exactly that.
To conclude, Veronica Di Dato's debute novel is the beginning of a series that I would love to have on my bookshelf. It is compelling, intriguing and captivating. It's the kind of read destined for those readers who are always on the look out for new adventures and who are willing to join the quest and follow the protagonist's mission. Sounds like you? Then you know what you have to do next.
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