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Venators #2
Venators: Promises Forged
It has been mere days in the world of Eon, where Rune Jenkins, her twin brother Ryker, and their friend Grey have been trapped, fighting for their lives. After discovering the truth of their ancestry, the three are far from home, and far from anything resembling their mundane lives of the past.
While Ryker is still held captive by the eerily beautiful Zio and her goblins, Grey falls into the clutches of Feena, the Fae queen. She begins to drain his soul bit by bit to feed her dark underground garden, and Grey has no hope of escaping on his own.
It is now up to Rune to save Grey, as his precious time slips away inexorably. But the Council has denied her permission to embark on a rescue mission, until she can harness her Venator gifts and prove herself capable of venturing into the Fae queen’s territory. As Rune discovers that promises in Eon are forged with life-or-death consequences, she realizes that she must act quickly, or else be swallowed – and Grey along with her – by the dangers of Eon.
While Ryker is still held captive by the eerily beautiful Zio and her goblins, Grey falls into the clutches of Feena, the Fae queen. She begins to drain his soul bit by bit to feed her dark underground garden, and Grey has no hope of escaping on his own.
It is now up to Rune to save Grey, as his precious time slips away inexorably. But the Council has denied her permission to embark on a rescue mission, until she can harness her Venator gifts and prove herself capable of venturing into the Fae queen’s territory. As Rune discovers that promises in Eon are forged with life-or-death consequences, she realizes that she must act quickly, or else be swallowed – and Grey along with her – by the dangers of Eon.
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
Kindle Edition
Published April 30, 2019
3 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Devri Walls
13 books279 followersDevri Walls lives in Kuna Idaho with her husband and two kids. She has worked as a music teacher and currently, a preschool teacher. She majored in theater and her love of a story still drives her today. Thankfully, she has finally found an outlet for all the voices in her head.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
June 7, 2020
SO grateful and excited to be part of the blog tour for this book, it’s a pleasure, but as you always know, my thoughts are 100% my own. Thank you, Dave!
This was a very fun, entertaining, and addictive journey, I feel that maybe I enjoy the first book a little more, but even so, this is a very good sequel that gives us a lot of information and the best aspect: great general growth of all the characters. As always, I adore the world, I think that the author's strength is descriptions, which make you feel almost as if you were there, as well as plot twists, which is also a factor that I enjoyed a lot.
3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
You can find more of my reviews & fun content on my blog A Book. A Thought.
This book takes shape just a few days after the events of the first one, where our characters are still trapped in the world of Eon, struggling to survive after learning the full truth about their ancestors. Ryker is captive by Zio and her goblins & Grey has fallen under the clutches of Queen Fairy who's feeding on him. It's now up to Rune to save Grey's life, but the council denies her the possibility of embarking on a rescue mission until she can wield her Venator powers. With time running and threats around the corner, Rune must make a quick decision to save her life and Gray's from the dangers of Eon.
The plot is an element that was very strong and solid for me in the first book, and although I enjoy several aspects in this one too, I don't think it's its central point to highlight. I do can see that a lot of things are happening and it has given us a lot of information, but at the same time, I could feel that the paced became somewhat slow and despite how easy it's to read the author's style, it became a little boring, with some filler chapters. So, not the best-paced, but I can still say that it's a solid sequel for many other aspects that did stand out.
As I mentioned, I love the author's writing style, for me, it's quite simple, but at the same time it doesn't fail to surprise and it's easy to read. In addition, I must highlight above all, and one of my favorite things about this story in general: the world-building and its descriptions, which once again conquered me. I was expecting maybe a little less info about the world itself, but I'm glad we still have a little bit of that, the author knew how to give a suspense and even creepy atmosphere that works very well for this type of book so focused on paranormal aspects. Eon's world is very solid and I really enjoyed continuing to explore it even more in this sequel.
The characters as such have all grown a lot and the development of them in this book is great, which makes me very happy since I think this was a super weak factor in the first one.
Rune has grown a lot and managed to connect a little more with her, I still don't get some aspects of her personality, not because it's really unbearable or anything, but I think it just doesn't resonate with me, although I like how determined she's becoming. I think she had to really believe in her abilities this time and that was very good to follow. I liked Gray, I don't think her character really stands out this time, but he still has a lot of potentials and I'm excited to know his destiny after this book. His character takes a super interesting twist. Tate and Verida, even as secondary characters, wcontribute a lot to the plot with their personalities and give something interesting to follo. I'm not very interested in Ryke, to be honest, it was never my favorite and it's not in this book, I think that while Rune has grown in personality, Ryke hasn't done it and you can tell, even so, I'm interested in his plotline due to other paranormal components that I enjoyed & last but not least, I love Beltran, I liked him in the first book, but .I liked him even more here, he's one of those morally gray characters that I usually enjoy
I'm not very interested in the romance (what a surprise, right?! lol) so I don't have a very passionate opinion about it, and the fact that nothing is very clear in this regard isn't something that bothers me. But I do think that if you like the romance of this book, it could be a super enjoyable fact for you.
The ending was good, the author always surprises with her twists and leaves you wanting more, so even though it was somewhat difficult to go through this time, I'm still interested in reading the next book because it has left us with more questions than answers, and I'm interested to find out what will happen!
I recommend this story? YES!! especially if you enjoy the paranormal and fantasy plots, but I think you'll especially enjoy it if you like the paranormal urban type of genre, because even though in this sequel we focus on a much more fantastic plot, it reads like those urban paranormal stories, I hope that makes sense. It's addictive and mostly engaging. The author has a great ability to surprise with unexpected twists and a wonderful, super atmospheric, world construction. I also recommend it if you like "creatures of the night" of any kind, because there's really everything in this story from vampires to shapeshifters. I'm glad to see that in this sequel the characters show such growth, I think it was a factor that was needed to continue the story, so I'm super interested in the next book!
First Thoughts 06/06/20
Another very entertaining journey throughout this world full of surprises, I enjoyed it a lot, I think it's a bit long for what the story intends to deliver, but it was still fun, and I'm interested in continuing with the series!! The political intrigue is great and I'm pleased to see that there's much more character development in this sequel than in the first one.
May 8, 2019
Check out more reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...
The Buzz
I read the first book in this indie series last year and quite enjoyed it! When Promises Forged PR team asked me to endorse the book jacket I was really excited to get such an early look at this sequel. Here us what I said after finishing the book...
YES! The Venators series is back. Maneuver through a minefield of politics... battle one of the darkest fae villains around! It’s getting epic up in here... Dive through the arch with Rune and Grey... you won’t regret it!!
-Dani from perspectiveofawriter.com
The Premise
Rune, her brother Ryker, and Grey, her friend are pulled through a portal into an alternate dimension where creatures of myth and legend exist. They have abilities you see that are needed by a political council that governs the world of Eon. In Magic Unleashed, Ryker is separated from Rune and Grey then forced to deal with their first challenge as venators for this powerful council. Exciting, right?! It has a Dungeons and Dragons feel while also being its own unique self... a mix of familiar with creative ideas. Needless to say I loved the world and returning to it was just as fun.
In Promises Forged Grey's soft heart embroils him with a fae queen who so far has been able to hold onto her power despite the council's wish to crush her. He puts his partner Rune in a very poor position that forces her to learn some persuasive skills if she expects to rescue him. I'm not normally a fan of stories where the protagonist is the reason everything they're in a sticky situation, but with Grey it hit him where he's weakest. So I totally believed that he would have done just what he did. And the fae queen he goes up against will NOT be easy to take down... and that was why his situation was so fun and compelling.
What I found most fascinating though was Rune's side of the story. She grows closer to Beltran, a morally grey side character, that you'll fall in love with too if you read the Venators series. I really love the twisted relationships we find... there are no clear couples, tons of back history between everyone that Rune and Grey don't know about, and different motivations that conflict and harmonize. It creates this great environment for complicated politics and romance. And Rune is NOT made for politics... but can she learn?!
The only thing that gave me pause in Promises Forged is the bits concerning the long running villain, Zio and Ryker, Rune's brother who was taken by her. I wasn't really interested in what was happening to Ryker at this point (he is a mean guy who I didn't care for in Magic Unleashed either) and we weren't really given enough about him to capture my interest either. I wish we had seen glimpses of his situation through the book, or not at all. It felt rather disjointed with the rest of the story.
What really made the book for me though was when Rune and Grey reunite in the last third of Promises Forged. While they had compelling and intriguing stories apart, they make better partners working together. Grey, while he does had a soft heart that gets him into trouble, is a smart guy. He has been studying creatures, mythology and been putting together the truth for a long time back on earth so being in the clutches of evil just gives him a learning ground to gather needed information. And Rune's skill set lies in action so she really gets to shine here.
My Experience
I was looking forward to Promises Forged because while its a series each book has the feel of a standalone that is loosely linked with a larger story in the background. The missions begin and end in that book and Rune and Grey's situation grows and changes through each book. It's a neat concept that so far has been executed well.
I was happy to plunge back into the world of the Venators and catch up with Rune and Grey. The politics are quite intriguing this time around and yet it wasn't heavy or boring like I typically find with adult books. We also get bits and pieces about Verida and Tate, Rune and Grey's allies. They are strong secondary characters that I am as interested in as Beltran if a touch less fun than our morally grey bat.
There are a lot of characters to remember with Run and Grey's allies, the council members and the morally grey side characters that can at times be friend or foe... Yet I didn't struggle to remember them or pick back up who they are. A very necessary thing in a series like this.
The end is really striking and we get A LOT of world building that is just plain fun. This is a world populated with characters to get lost in because you're in such great company while on an adventure. Promises Forged is a really great sequel to the Venators series!
Why should you pick up The Venators series?
-Verida!
A vampire with a glamorous pedigree, she has her own agenda for bringing in the Venators, so much so she's invested in their survival.
-Beltran!
A mysterious shapeshifter thief who sides on the one who has the most to offer... why is he caught up with the Venators?
-Tate!
A half-breed called a Venshii, once of the gladiator pit, dressed in a black trench full of weapons on the hunt for his family... and willing to betray the Venators to find them...
-Danchee!
A gray-skinned bat eared groveler who preys on the soft-hearted with his whimpering and cowering... master of imitating voices and not so innocent as the Venators assume.
-Elyria!
A mysterious agent of the sorceress Zio, a rare shifter who despises her master yet is unable to break free... Will she join forces with the Venators to win her freedom and revenge?
Cover & Title grade -> B-
The cover of Promises Forged is dark and colorful just like the cover of Magic Unleashed. I love that the designs match and gives you this urban fantasy vibe which is true to the book. It's still a little generic but you know I think I know who are on the covers now having read the second book!! Hahaha, so that is neat even if the doors in the background make zero sense.
I'm still not a fan of the title though. Actually I hate this one... Promises Forged?! GAHHH it says nothing unless you've read the book and then the connection is still a reach. If the first book were renamed The Venators Arch then I'd title the sequel, Venators Clash with a Fae Queen or some such. It does the job of giving us an idea what the book is about and leaves you with the feeling this is wrapped up to a point within the book, which is one of its most stellar qualities.
Promises Forged is an intriguing sequel to Magic Unleashed in the Venators series. Grey and Rune go up against a fae queen with immense power and reach, as well as clash with the supernatural council they work for and rely on in the world of Eon. It's political, action packed fun that uses cultural differences to max effect... you'll want to pick up this series!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Writing Style
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot & Pacing
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ World Building
Thanks to the publisher, Brown Books Publishing Group, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. Read my special perspective under the typewriter on my reviews...
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June 4, 2020
Magic Unleashed, book 1 of the Venators series was good, but Promises Forged is even better. The plot itself is stronger. This time, every element of the plot seems to matter for the whole. Don’t get me wrong, I love everything that happened in book 1, but there were things that are just for Rune and Grey’s development as characters. But in Promises Forged, the development of the characters and plot were equally moving. And because of that, when the plot offers more tension, I am more invested with the characters. I care for them more.
The world-building is also amazing. Promises Forged showed more parts of Eon and there is a focus on Faes. I especially enjoyed the magic of Faes. It’s terrifying and kind of gross but I love it. Queen Feena of the Fae is also also a very well-written antagonist.
That said, for me, the characters are the strength of this book/series. The development of Rune and Grey’s characters is incredible. Grey whose big heart is everything is now slowly learning that in Eon, his heart isn’t enough. But I love it that he doesn’t lose it. Rune‘s character also underwent a major change. From the start, it was Rune who found it hard to accept Eon and who they are – Venators. But she adapted and became a badass.
Most importantly, as a team, Rune and Grey are perfect. Individually, they are good but they’re at their best when they’re working as a team. Also, I don’t usually enjoy it when a plot includes training of newly-discovered magical people but Rune and Grey makes everything entertaining. And their discovery of their new abilities makes them more interesting.
As for the other characters, though I forgot most of the characters’ names from book 1, it was easy to reacquainted to them. I like that their roles are bigger, especially the council. They’re more involved. And I liked that I get to know more about Tate and Verida. Also, Beltran. I loved seeing Beltran shows more genuine emotions. What’s more interesting about him though is throughout the book, I kept expecting him to turn to the other side. That it’s only a matter of time that he betrays the others. Another thing, I’m still not sure if I like the budding romance that involves him.
Speaking of the romance. There’s no clear couples and usually I’m okay with that. In this though, I don’t like the romance aspect. I don’t really hate it, but I think the complication of the romances is not necessary. I want the plot to focus more on the other elements of the plot. Like for example, Zio and Ryker. I wanted to see more of them in book 2 but there’s too little I know about them. Because of that, Zio and Ryker seemed like one-sided characters. I’m still hopeful for book 3 though, and I just hope Ryker doesn’t cause Rune too much heartbreak. Rune really loves her twin.Magic Unleashed, book 1 of the Venators series was good, but Promises Forged is even better. The plot itself is stronger. This time, every element of the plot seems to matter for the whole. Don’t get me wrong, I love everything that happened in book 1, but there were things that are just for Rune and Grey’s development as characters. But in Promises Forged, the development of the characters and plot were equally moving. And because of that, when the plot offers more tension, I am more invested with the characters. I care for them more.
The world-building is also amazing. Promises Forged showed more parts of Eon and there is a focus on Faes. I especially enjoyed the magic of Faes. It’s terrifying and kind of gross but I love it. Queen Feena of the Fae is also also a very well-written antagonist.
That said, for me, the characters are the strength of this book/series. The development of Rune and Grey’s characters is incredible. Grey whose big heart is everything is now slowly learning that in Eon, his heart isn’t enough. But I love it that he doesn’t lose it. Rune‘s character also underwent a major change. From the start, it was Rune who found it hard to accept Eon and who they are – Venators. But she adapted and became a badass.
Most importantly, as a team, Rune and Grey are perfect. Individually, they are good but they’re at their best when they’re working as a team. Also, I don’t usually enjoy it when a plot includes training of newly-discovered magical people but Rune and Grey makes everything entertaining. And their discovery of their new abilities makes them more interesting.
As for the other characters, though I forgot most of the characters’ names from book 1, it was easy to reacquainted to them. I like that their roles are bigger, especially the council. They’re more involved. And I liked that I get to know more about Tate and Verida. Also, Beltran. I loved seeing Beltran shows more genuine emotions. What’s more interesting about him though is throughout the book, I kept expecting him to turn to the other side. That it’s only a matter of time that he betrays the others. Another thing, I’m still not sure if I like the budding romance that involves him.
Speaking of the romance. There’s no clear couples and usually I’m okay with that. In this though, I don’t like the romance aspect. I don’t really hate it, but I think the complication of the romances is not necessary. I want the plot to focus more on the other elements of the plot. Like for example, Zio and Ryker. I wanted to see more of them in book 2 but there’s too little I know about them. Because of that, Zio and Ryker seemed like one-sided characters. I’m still hopeful for book 3 though, and I just hope Ryker doesn’t cause Rune too much heartbreak. Rune really loves her twin.
I highly recommend this book/series. If you happened to read book 1 and didn’t like it, book 2 will make up for it.
The world-building is also amazing. Promises Forged showed more parts of Eon and there is a focus on Faes. I especially enjoyed the magic of Faes. It’s terrifying and kind of gross but I love it. Queen Feena of the Fae is also also a very well-written antagonist.
That said, for me, the characters are the strength of this book/series. The development of Rune and Grey’s characters is incredible. Grey whose big heart is everything is now slowly learning that in Eon, his heart isn’t enough. But I love it that he doesn’t lose it. Rune‘s character also underwent a major change. From the start, it was Rune who found it hard to accept Eon and who they are – Venators. But she adapted and became a badass.
Most importantly, as a team, Rune and Grey are perfect. Individually, they are good but they’re at their best when they’re working as a team. Also, I don’t usually enjoy it when a plot includes training of newly-discovered magical people but Rune and Grey makes everything entertaining. And their discovery of their new abilities makes them more interesting.
As for the other characters, though I forgot most of the characters’ names from book 1, it was easy to reacquainted to them. I like that their roles are bigger, especially the council. They’re more involved. And I liked that I get to know more about Tate and Verida. Also, Beltran. I loved seeing Beltran shows more genuine emotions. What’s more interesting about him though is throughout the book, I kept expecting him to turn to the other side. That it’s only a matter of time that he betrays the others. Another thing, I’m still not sure if I like the budding romance that involves him.
Speaking of the romance. There’s no clear couples and usually I’m okay with that. In this though, I don’t like the romance aspect. I don’t really hate it, but I think the complication of the romances is not necessary. I want the plot to focus more on the other elements of the plot. Like for example, Zio and Ryker. I wanted to see more of them in book 2 but there’s too little I know about them. Because of that, Zio and Ryker seemed like one-sided characters. I’m still hopeful for book 3 though, and I just hope Ryker doesn’t cause Rune too much heartbreak. Rune really loves her twin.Magic Unleashed, book 1 of the Venators series was good, but Promises Forged is even better. The plot itself is stronger. This time, every element of the plot seems to matter for the whole. Don’t get me wrong, I love everything that happened in book 1, but there were things that are just for Rune and Grey’s development as characters. But in Promises Forged, the development of the characters and plot were equally moving. And because of that, when the plot offers more tension, I am more invested with the characters. I care for them more.
The world-building is also amazing. Promises Forged showed more parts of Eon and there is a focus on Faes. I especially enjoyed the magic of Faes. It’s terrifying and kind of gross but I love it. Queen Feena of the Fae is also also a very well-written antagonist.
That said, for me, the characters are the strength of this book/series. The development of Rune and Grey’s characters is incredible. Grey whose big heart is everything is now slowly learning that in Eon, his heart isn’t enough. But I love it that he doesn’t lose it. Rune‘s character also underwent a major change. From the start, it was Rune who found it hard to accept Eon and who they are – Venators. But she adapted and became a badass.
Most importantly, as a team, Rune and Grey are perfect. Individually, they are good but they’re at their best when they’re working as a team. Also, I don’t usually enjoy it when a plot includes training of newly-discovered magical people but Rune and Grey makes everything entertaining. And their discovery of their new abilities makes them more interesting.
As for the other characters, though I forgot most of the characters’ names from book 1, it was easy to reacquainted to them. I like that their roles are bigger, especially the council. They’re more involved. And I liked that I get to know more about Tate and Verida. Also, Beltran. I loved seeing Beltran shows more genuine emotions. What’s more interesting about him though is throughout the book, I kept expecting him to turn to the other side. That it’s only a matter of time that he betrays the others. Another thing, I’m still not sure if I like the budding romance that involves him.
Speaking of the romance. There’s no clear couples and usually I’m okay with that. In this though, I don’t like the romance aspect. I don’t really hate it, but I think the complication of the romances is not necessary. I want the plot to focus more on the other elements of the plot. Like for example, Zio and Ryker. I wanted to see more of them in book 2 but there’s too little I know about them. Because of that, Zio and Ryker seemed like one-sided characters. I’m still hopeful for book 3 though, and I just hope Ryker doesn’t cause Rune too much heartbreak. Rune really loves her twin.
I highly recommend this book/series. If you happened to read book 1 and didn’t like it, book 2 will make up for it.
May 31, 2020
I read this book for a blog tour, so thank you to the blog tour organiser and the author for inviting me to take part in this tour and for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
When I read Magic Unleashed, the first book in the Venators series, I knew I needed to pick up the second book as soon as possible. It's going to be hard to explain this book, give my thoughts and make you want to read it without spoiling anyone, but here goes.
This second instalment in the Venators series starts again a few days after the first book left off. Grey gets himself into trouble and ends up in Feena's dangerous Fae Court, and Rune, Tate, Verida and Tashara have to try their best to get in, save Grey and all get out alive. I instantly loved this second book in the series as soon as I started it.
Beltran and Tashara are much bigger characters in this book, as is Verida and I loved every minute of it. Grey and Tate step back a little, but Rune comes to the forefront and I have to say that this was so well done that I loved it. I learned so much more about each character, but what I loved the most about this book was how Beltran, Tate and Verida taught Rune how to live in Eon, the traditions, customs, history, cultures, different species, dances, rules, etc. I found this bit so great and so well-written.
The world-building in this series is awesome and the characters are just so realistic and believable, with the addition of actual feelings and fears and this made this book just so much more special for me. I loved the first book, and I loved the second book too, this series is quickly becoming one of my favourites and I can't wait to be able to pick up book 3 because I know I'm going to love it too. So much happened in this book, and it would be impossible to give you all my thoughts and feelings on everything without giving anything away, but I loved it and definitely recommend to everyone, hence my 5-star rating! You absolutely need to go read this book, you will love it!
When I read Magic Unleashed, the first book in the Venators series, I knew I needed to pick up the second book as soon as possible. It's going to be hard to explain this book, give my thoughts and make you want to read it without spoiling anyone, but here goes.
This second instalment in the Venators series starts again a few days after the first book left off. Grey gets himself into trouble and ends up in Feena's dangerous Fae Court, and Rune, Tate, Verida and Tashara have to try their best to get in, save Grey and all get out alive. I instantly loved this second book in the series as soon as I started it.
Beltran and Tashara are much bigger characters in this book, as is Verida and I loved every minute of it. Grey and Tate step back a little, but Rune comes to the forefront and I have to say that this was so well done that I loved it. I learned so much more about each character, but what I loved the most about this book was how Beltran, Tate and Verida taught Rune how to live in Eon, the traditions, customs, history, cultures, different species, dances, rules, etc. I found this bit so great and so well-written.
The world-building in this series is awesome and the characters are just so realistic and believable, with the addition of actual feelings and fears and this made this book just so much more special for me. I loved the first book, and I loved the second book too, this series is quickly becoming one of my favourites and I can't wait to be able to pick up book 3 because I know I'm going to love it too. So much happened in this book, and it would be impossible to give you all my thoughts and feelings on everything without giving anything away, but I loved it and definitely recommend to everyone, hence my 5-star rating! You absolutely need to go read this book, you will love it!
June 5, 2020
4.5 stars
Holy granola, what a ride! When Dave from @TheWriteReads asked me to be part of the blog tour for the second Venators book I didn't hesitate to say yes. Although it wasn't perfect, I really enjoyed book one in the series and I was obviously hoping to feel the same about book two -- what I didn't expect was to love it so much more! I needed book three yesterday, thankuverymuch! I can't believe we're going to have to wait months for the next instalment after everything that happened in this book! Oof... Where do I even start?!
Walls continues to do a fantastic job in bringing Eon to life in this book. Although there are a lot of details and the world is complex, with many characters, a whole lot of politics, cultures and customs, Walls' ability to present it all in such a simple and easy to digest way made this quite the speedy read; especially in the latter half of the book because once we hit that (roughly) 50% mark, the story just zoomed through to the end! There was so much action in this book and I loved it 😍 A good portion of the book is spent in a faerie forest and if there's one thing I've learned through my fantasies is that you really don't fork with the fae. This is where I have to say the story became much darker than I anticipated and while this place terrified me and gave me all the toe-curling goosebumps in the worst way, I was also so captivated by the imagery Walls presented. Talk about vivid! It was disgusting but fascinating. I felt completely grossed out but I also couldn't look away (Yeah, I really can't with myself sometimes 😂)! It was horrifyingly delightful. The dry, sarcastic humour continues to be one of my favourite things about the book as well and I found myself randomly chuckling at quite a few passages throughout the read.
What also impressed me was the character growth in this book. We get to learn more about the council, the areas they come from and their culture/customs, which I found fascinating. We also get some more insight into the duplicitous natures of the members, in particular Ambrose and Omri. I'm very curious to see how things unfold between these two races in the coming book(s) but without doubt, it won't be good! We also see more of Tashara who I really like In book one, I loved Grey, my little cinnamon roll marshmallow man-boi, but had some issues with Rune, so I'm surprised to admit that she stole the show in book two. Don't get me wrong -- I still loved Grey although I did find him a bit frustrating at the start, and oh my goodness what happens to him in this book was just so hard to read at times... My heart broke for him! He still has a long way to go in accepting himself and dealing with his demons but learn a bit more about his traumatic past (CW: allusions to sexual abuse) and I'm hoping that we continue to learn more in the coming book.
That said, Rune definitely experienced the most growth in this book. While she started off much like in book one, she acknowledges and accepts her flaws and the attributes that make her so different from Grey. Their personalities are very Yin and Yang and that's obviously why they work so well together and she comes to realise that what she thought were her shortcomings can actually be wielded as strengths. I think a lot of her growth also had to do with a certain shapeshifter who (UGH) gave me life! I am so glad he played a much bigger role in this book and he quickly became my favourite because I'm a total sucker for characters like his. The cheeky humour, smart banter, the soft deeply caring side he hides behind the fun, flirty, carefree persona. Is he a little cookie cutter? Sure, but give me more, please! 😂
This does lead me to the one aspect of the story that has me waffling a bit and that's the romance. Is this me, the sucker for all the love things, saying that? Sadly, yes because I got mad strong love triangle vibes in this book and I... Well, we all know how I feel about love triangles, right? 😂 That said, all the budding romances really had me rooting for them in some way and this has me feeling even more conflicted because how do I even make ships now?! I will just say that the dance scene with Rune and Beltran... Holy forking shirtballs, friends. *fans self* ...Holy forking shirtballs! I'm obviously hoping that the ships start to simplify in the next book but I have a feeling we won't be that lucky and I'm a little meh about it lol
Overall, I don't know what to say other than I absolutely loved this book! So many more intriguing elements introduced -- including Ryker, who I didn't mention in my review because we don't see a lot of him but what we do see of him and Zio is definitely not good. Everything that unfolds in book two spells a whole world of trouble for our fine young Venators and their gang. Oh, I just really want book three now. Please? Also, if you like fantastical worlds, all the magical creatures, fast paced and action packed stories, dry sarcastic humour and characters who worm their way into your heart, then what are you waiting for? Pick this book up already!
Special thanks to Dave for organising this blog tour and to the author, Devri Walls, for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Holy granola, what a ride! When Dave from @TheWriteReads asked me to be part of the blog tour for the second Venators book I didn't hesitate to say yes. Although it wasn't perfect, I really enjoyed book one in the series and I was obviously hoping to feel the same about book two -- what I didn't expect was to love it so much more! I needed book three yesterday, thankuverymuch! I can't believe we're going to have to wait months for the next instalment after everything that happened in this book! Oof... Where do I even start?!
Walls continues to do a fantastic job in bringing Eon to life in this book. Although there are a lot of details and the world is complex, with many characters, a whole lot of politics, cultures and customs, Walls' ability to present it all in such a simple and easy to digest way made this quite the speedy read; especially in the latter half of the book because once we hit that (roughly) 50% mark, the story just zoomed through to the end! There was so much action in this book and I loved it 😍 A good portion of the book is spent in a faerie forest and if there's one thing I've learned through my fantasies is that you really don't fork with the fae. This is where I have to say the story became much darker than I anticipated and while this place terrified me and gave me all the toe-curling goosebumps in the worst way, I was also so captivated by the imagery Walls presented. Talk about vivid! It was disgusting but fascinating. I felt completely grossed out but I also couldn't look away (Yeah, I really can't with myself sometimes 😂)! It was horrifyingly delightful. The dry, sarcastic humour continues to be one of my favourite things about the book as well and I found myself randomly chuckling at quite a few passages throughout the read.
What also impressed me was the character growth in this book. We get to learn more about the council, the areas they come from and their culture/customs, which I found fascinating. We also get some more insight into the duplicitous natures of the members, in particular Ambrose and Omri. I'm very curious to see how things unfold between these two races in the coming book(s) but without doubt, it won't be good! We also see more of Tashara who I really like In book one, I loved Grey, my little cinnamon roll marshmallow man-boi, but had some issues with Rune, so I'm surprised to admit that she stole the show in book two. Don't get me wrong -- I still loved Grey although I did find him a bit frustrating at the start, and oh my goodness what happens to him in this book was just so hard to read at times... My heart broke for him! He still has a long way to go in accepting himself and dealing with his demons but learn a bit more about his traumatic past (CW: allusions to sexual abuse) and I'm hoping that we continue to learn more in the coming book.
That said, Rune definitely experienced the most growth in this book. While she started off much like in book one, she acknowledges and accepts her flaws and the attributes that make her so different from Grey. Their personalities are very Yin and Yang and that's obviously why they work so well together and she comes to realise that what she thought were her shortcomings can actually be wielded as strengths. I think a lot of her growth also had to do with a certain shapeshifter who (UGH) gave me life! I am so glad he played a much bigger role in this book and he quickly became my favourite because I'm a total sucker for characters like his. The cheeky humour, smart banter, the soft deeply caring side he hides behind the fun, flirty, carefree persona. Is he a little cookie cutter? Sure, but give me more, please! 😂
This does lead me to the one aspect of the story that has me waffling a bit and that's the romance. Is this me, the sucker for all the love things, saying that? Sadly, yes because I got mad strong love triangle vibes in this book and I... Well, we all know how I feel about love triangles, right? 😂 That said, all the budding romances really had me rooting for them in some way and this has me feeling even more conflicted because how do I even make ships now?! I will just say that the dance scene with Rune and Beltran... Holy forking shirtballs, friends. *fans self* ...Holy forking shirtballs! I'm obviously hoping that the ships start to simplify in the next book but I have a feeling we won't be that lucky and I'm a little meh about it lol
Overall, I don't know what to say other than I absolutely loved this book! So many more intriguing elements introduced -- including Ryker, who I didn't mention in my review because we don't see a lot of him but what we do see of him and Zio is definitely not good. Everything that unfolds in book two spells a whole world of trouble for our fine young Venators and their gang. Oh, I just really want book three now. Please? Also, if you like fantastical worlds, all the magical creatures, fast paced and action packed stories, dry sarcastic humour and characters who worm their way into your heart, then what are you waiting for? Pick this book up already!
Special thanks to Dave for organising this blog tour and to the author, Devri Walls, for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
October 8, 2020
You can find my full review on my blog, The Bookwyrm's Den, here.
Many thanks to TheWriteReads and Devri Walls for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review and for inclusion on this blog tour.
I participated in the blog tour by TheWriteReads for the first book in this series, Magic Unleashed, and I enjoyed that, so of course I jumped on the chance to read the second book.
Promises Forged does a fantastic job of summing up the first one and then dialing those stakes up to 10,000 and doubling down on the action. Once I started, I read all 480 pages in less than 12 hours, and then I shook my Kindle furiously, hoping more words would fall out.
Spoiler alert: they did not. Imagine my disappointment. While I enjoyed the first book, I loved this book, and I absolutely cannot wait for the third one.
My Thoughts:
- Right off the bat, I just want to remind everyone that I totally called dibs on Beltran. Fight me. Except don’t, because I like y’all, but I also like stabby things, and I would feel bad for poking you with them, even if you totally had it coming for challenging my claim. Beltran was definitely a fan favorite of the first book, so I’m not naive to my competition, and it’s really no mystery why. Beltran feels like a mystery to be solved in these books, and slowly, we find out more and more about him and his past, and he plays a much bigger role in this book. He seems confused about his own actions, which is interesting, but I really just enjoyed the little glimpses of his past. Also the banter. Beltran is the best at the banter.
- Once the action gets going, it doesn’t stop, and it was really easy to get caught up in it. Since the world and characters are already established, Walls was able to dive right into the meat of it, and boy does she. There’s a lot more delving into the world here, the culture, and all the dangers those entail, and it was fun getting a better perspective of the world here. Part of that is definitely through the action and learning just what some characters are able to do and their powers. Some of that is through the research Rune and Gray do. All of it was absolutely fascinating, though. In a mildly terrifying way.
- Rune and Gray are really struggling to grow into their new roles, and I loved the discussion about how this world was changing them … and not always for the better. Being Venators isn’t exactly the honor one might think it is, and Rune and Gray find themselves forced into uncomfortable situations that often butt up against their moral compass. What do you do when the thing that’s required for you to survive challenges everything that’s fundamental to who you are? It’s a real conundrum, morally and emotionally. I love how the characters have grown, but I especially love their realization of how it’s affecting them personally and coming to terms with what they’ll likely have to do in the future.
- We get a deeper perspective of the antagonist, Zio, and while I can’t say I like her, I do find her extremely interesting. Actually, there’s two antagonists in this, and both are interesting. Zio is the big one carried over from book one, but there’s also Feena, the Fae queen. The look into their perspectives and motives is fascinating. I do so love compelling villains, and I’m really curious to learn more about them. All the characters in this book, in fact, get much more depth and backstory added, which I loved. I mean, they were great in the first book, so peeling back the layers a little bit more? Fabulous.
Many thanks to TheWriteReads and Devri Walls for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review and for inclusion on this blog tour.
I participated in the blog tour by TheWriteReads for the first book in this series, Magic Unleashed, and I enjoyed that, so of course I jumped on the chance to read the second book.
Promises Forged does a fantastic job of summing up the first one and then dialing those stakes up to 10,000 and doubling down on the action. Once I started, I read all 480 pages in less than 12 hours, and then I shook my Kindle furiously, hoping more words would fall out.
Spoiler alert: they did not. Imagine my disappointment. While I enjoyed the first book, I loved this book, and I absolutely cannot wait for the third one.
My Thoughts:
- Right off the bat, I just want to remind everyone that I totally called dibs on Beltran. Fight me. Except don’t, because I like y’all, but I also like stabby things, and I would feel bad for poking you with them, even if you totally had it coming for challenging my claim. Beltran was definitely a fan favorite of the first book, so I’m not naive to my competition, and it’s really no mystery why. Beltran feels like a mystery to be solved in these books, and slowly, we find out more and more about him and his past, and he plays a much bigger role in this book. He seems confused about his own actions, which is interesting, but I really just enjoyed the little glimpses of his past. Also the banter. Beltran is the best at the banter.
- Once the action gets going, it doesn’t stop, and it was really easy to get caught up in it. Since the world and characters are already established, Walls was able to dive right into the meat of it, and boy does she. There’s a lot more delving into the world here, the culture, and all the dangers those entail, and it was fun getting a better perspective of the world here. Part of that is definitely through the action and learning just what some characters are able to do and their powers. Some of that is through the research Rune and Gray do. All of it was absolutely fascinating, though. In a mildly terrifying way.
- Rune and Gray are really struggling to grow into their new roles, and I loved the discussion about how this world was changing them … and not always for the better. Being Venators isn’t exactly the honor one might think it is, and Rune and Gray find themselves forced into uncomfortable situations that often butt up against their moral compass. What do you do when the thing that’s required for you to survive challenges everything that’s fundamental to who you are? It’s a real conundrum, morally and emotionally. I love how the characters have grown, but I especially love their realization of how it’s affecting them personally and coming to terms with what they’ll likely have to do in the future.
- We get a deeper perspective of the antagonist, Zio, and while I can’t say I like her, I do find her extremely interesting. Actually, there’s two antagonists in this, and both are interesting. Zio is the big one carried over from book one, but there’s also Feena, the Fae queen. The look into their perspectives and motives is fascinating. I do so love compelling villains, and I’m really curious to learn more about them. All the characters in this book, in fact, get much more depth and backstory added, which I loved. I mean, they were great in the first book, so peeling back the layers a little bit more? Fabulous.
June 8, 2020
4.5
Book source ~ Tour
Rune Jenkins and Grey Malteer have crossed over into Eon, a parallel world where all the things fantasy are actually real. They’ve been recruited by the Council because they are Venators, and Tate, a Venshii, is the one who retrieved them. Rune’s twin Ryker has also crossed over, but he’s in the hands of Zio. The Council hates Zio and that hate is mutual. But is one side really good and the other bad? Or is this world just totally fucked up? I’m forming an opinion, but won’t share yet.
Rune and Grey are knee-deep in secrets and politics of a world they have no idea how to navigate. It is nothing, I mean, nothing like Earth. Well, ok, the sneaky politics are the same, but think about if you could add magic and powers and otherworldly beings to our world and then you have an inkling of what Eon is like. Rune and Grey keep thinking they are back in Kansas (metaphorically) and this leads to serious trouble for them.
Ryker is another story. Man, I don’t know that this guy is going to be salvageable after staying with and believing everything Zio says.
When Grey’s dumb ass goes running into enemy territory and becomes the captive of Feena the Fae Queen, well, I can’t say I felt sorry for him. Rune also has me wanting to slap her around because seriously? How stupid do you have to be?
This book is at times frustrating and at others intriguing. I get that the characters are YA and in over their heads AND not by their own choice. But they are supposed to be smart. Not to say smart people don’t do dumb things, but after nearly dying in book 1, you’d think book 2 would see some epiphany billboards being lit up. However, the frustration is rewarded by character growth during the course of this book, so I’ll allow it. Every other character is fabulous. Every single one has an agenda and I don’t know what they are yet. I’m fully invested in finding out how all these pieces are going to fit together. Also? Beltran is perhaps my favorite character so far.
I will end this review with one thing that bugged the shit out of me. There is a moment, when Grey is off doing his stupid thing, that he leaves his boots by a river. Verida and Rune see those boots later. That’s how they know he did the stupid thing. But for the rest of the book, Grey suddenly has his boots on. This is the kind of thing I notice and it drives me nuts. Other than that, I recommend this book. It has danger, action, sexual attraction, magic, and intrigue. Layer upon layer of intrigue. Bring on the next book!
Book source ~ Tour
Rune Jenkins and Grey Malteer have crossed over into Eon, a parallel world where all the things fantasy are actually real. They’ve been recruited by the Council because they are Venators, and Tate, a Venshii, is the one who retrieved them. Rune’s twin Ryker has also crossed over, but he’s in the hands of Zio. The Council hates Zio and that hate is mutual. But is one side really good and the other bad? Or is this world just totally fucked up? I’m forming an opinion, but won’t share yet.
Rune and Grey are knee-deep in secrets and politics of a world they have no idea how to navigate. It is nothing, I mean, nothing like Earth. Well, ok, the sneaky politics are the same, but think about if you could add magic and powers and otherworldly beings to our world and then you have an inkling of what Eon is like. Rune and Grey keep thinking they are back in Kansas (metaphorically) and this leads to serious trouble for them.
Ryker is another story. Man, I don’t know that this guy is going to be salvageable after staying with and believing everything Zio says.
When Grey’s dumb ass goes running into enemy territory and becomes the captive of Feena the Fae Queen, well, I can’t say I felt sorry for him. Rune also has me wanting to slap her around because seriously? How stupid do you have to be?
This book is at times frustrating and at others intriguing. I get that the characters are YA and in over their heads AND not by their own choice. But they are supposed to be smart. Not to say smart people don’t do dumb things, but after nearly dying in book 1, you’d think book 2 would see some epiphany billboards being lit up. However, the frustration is rewarded by character growth during the course of this book, so I’ll allow it. Every other character is fabulous. Every single one has an agenda and I don’t know what they are yet. I’m fully invested in finding out how all these pieces are going to fit together. Also? Beltran is perhaps my favorite character so far.
I will end this review with one thing that bugged the shit out of me. There is a moment, when Grey is off doing his stupid thing, that he leaves his boots by a river. Verida and Rune see those boots later. That’s how they know he did the stupid thing. But for the rest of the book, Grey suddenly has his boots on. This is the kind of thing I notice and it drives me nuts. Other than that, I recommend this book. It has danger, action, sexual attraction, magic, and intrigue. Layer upon layer of intrigue. Bring on the next book!
June 10, 2020
Can we just take a second to appreciate how beautiful these covers are… ok moving on. I did not realise how much I missed having these characters in my life Rune, grey, Verida, Tate and last but certainly not least BELTRAN! Who is (and always will be) one of my favourite characters of all time.
Being back in this world is so great! Not only am I being reintroduced to an amazing world and it’s politics but am learning so much more about it. This world is so big and well done that i feel like Devri could write book after book and we still wouldn’t know every detail of this world. You might think that such a world would be highly confusing but it is so well written and so well explained that you grasp it straight away.
With that said the characters definitely make the book at least for me and no I am not just talking about Beltran… maybe. Rune, grew so much as a character throughout the first book but seeing her become an even more amazing her in this book just shows how far her character has grown and Devri’s excellent character development.
After saying all of that, my favourite thing about this book would have to be Beltran, Beltran and oh did I mention Beltran! Yes I am repeating myself and no I don’t regret it. Oh and whatever is happening between Rune and Beltran better happen soon because it’s killing me and I will launch this book at the wall if it doesn’t, I don’t care how pretty this book is!
If you love action, romance, friendships, politics, vast worlds and expertly written characters then this is the book for you! Each book in this series just keeps getting better and better and I can’t wait to get to book 3 because stuff is about to go down! And that ending…. I NEED IT! READ THIS BOOK and if you haven’t read book one yet… WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!!
Being back in this world is so great! Not only am I being reintroduced to an amazing world and it’s politics but am learning so much more about it. This world is so big and well done that i feel like Devri could write book after book and we still wouldn’t know every detail of this world. You might think that such a world would be highly confusing but it is so well written and so well explained that you grasp it straight away.
With that said the characters definitely make the book at least for me and no I am not just talking about Beltran… maybe. Rune, grew so much as a character throughout the first book but seeing her become an even more amazing her in this book just shows how far her character has grown and Devri’s excellent character development.
After saying all of that, my favourite thing about this book would have to be Beltran, Beltran and oh did I mention Beltran! Yes I am repeating myself and no I don’t regret it. Oh and whatever is happening between Rune and Beltran better happen soon because it’s killing me and I will launch this book at the wall if it doesn’t, I don’t care how pretty this book is!
If you love action, romance, friendships, politics, vast worlds and expertly written characters then this is the book for you! Each book in this series just keeps getting better and better and I can’t wait to get to book 3 because stuff is about to go down! And that ending…. I NEED IT! READ THIS BOOK and if you haven’t read book one yet… WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!!
June 16, 2020
Okay, I will address the fact that I am late on writing this post and this stems from the fact that I have been so busy and I feel I am about to break. Anyways, after quickly refreshing my memory by reading the last few chapters of the first book, I jumped straight into this book and best decision ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And if you thought that Rune couldn't do anything more uncautious than making a deal with Dimitri then you would be wrong because, with this book, shit hit the roof (I am trying to not to spoil it)
Here we pick up a few days after what happened in book 1, still, in the world of Eon, Rune, Ryker, and Grey are trapped there, trying to escape from this new reality that is very distant from the one they have back home. (Before I continue, you know how Rune was the annoying one in book one, well Grey seems to have taken the spot for book two and Beltran is still mine)
Here we pick up a few days after what happened in book 1, still, in the world of Eon, Rune, Ryker, and Grey are trapped there, trying to escape from this new reality that is very distant from the one they have back home. (Before I continue, you know how Rune was the annoying one in book one, well Grey seems to have taken the spot for book two and Beltran is still mine)
June 2, 2020
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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Like the Ultimate Blog Tour for the first Venators novel, Venators: Magic Unleashed , back in March, I'm going to take what I posted last year when the novel was initially released and then add on some new thoughts, with a focus on the recently published audiobook.
So the ending of the previous book ( Venators: Magic Unleashed ) focused on a dragon being unleashed by the series' (apparent) Big Bad, the sorceress Zio. Not surprisingly, the series central characters survived the encounter. This book starts with a quick recap of that survival from the point of view of Zio—which is a great way to get the reader back into the moment and build on their understanding of what happened and Zio.
We quickly return to our Earthlings, Grey and Rune and the aftermath of their unauthorized excursion to rescue humans from a werewolf pack, which culminated in the aforementioned dragon attack. Rune's proving to be a quick study of Council politics and was able to turn things to their advantage and buy them some leniency from the Council. The ways the two humans respond to and interact with Council members is pretty interesting and I suspect will be one of the more interesting developments from this point forward in the series. I suspect the Venator abilities that make these two the warriors they are in this world are in play with Rune's politicking—no one mentions mental acuity when talking about Venator abilities, but maybe they should. Watching Rune play the games (both successfully and less-so) that the various Council members throw her way is probably my favorite part of the character.
And she has to do a lot of politicking and game playing here because her co-Venator and friend Grey has found himself in quite the pickle. After their ordeal with the werewolves, the two Earthlings' need for training was even more apparent. They get just a little of it (a good, promising start) before getting momentarily side-tracked. Before they get a chance to build on that, Grey is lured into the one place the two have been told they absolutely cannot go. Because forbidding people from going somewhere always works out (how many Hogwarts students stayed out of the forest? How long did Belle stay out of the West Wing? Even the Federation had to know that forbidding landing on Talos IV wouldn't work for long).
Grey has found himself in the clutches of a powerful Fae, Feena. Feena will spend days/weeks/years sucking the life out of her prisoners to feed her own magics. Given that Grey is more powerful than your typical Eonian, you know she'll drag it out as long as possible. It's a torturous experience for Grey, but he does what he can to resist and fight back. On the one hand, watching him stupidly and blindly put himself in this situation was maddening. But after that, watching Grey endure what he has to and struggle in response is pretty cool. As much as I appreciate Rune's playing politics, I enjoy watching Grey in action.
So the book boils down to this—can Rune get permission to run a rescue mission—or at the very least, find a window in which she can pull off another unauthorized mission? Can Grey survive long enough for the cavalry to arrive? Assuming they do, how can Grey be rescued and the Venators get back to their training without causing a diplomatic incident that will shake up everything?
The actions of the Venators' guides, teachers, allies confuse me. They've got these two kids in a world they clearly don't understand, with abilities they don't understand and then expect them to react appropriately in new situations. Even worse, all of them are keeping things from Grey and Rune—telling them half-truths, deflecting legitimate questions, and delaying explanations. It's maddening. It's bad enough that the Council, who are clearly only using these two for their own ends do that, but the people who supposedly are looking to them to change the world? A little honesty, being a little forthcoming, helping them to avoid the minefields they keep running into rather than saying "oh, you shouldn't have done that"—it would make it a lot easier for this reader to stomach them.
The Council? I need to see more of them. I have little patience for them as individuals or as an entity at the moment, but as individuals and as an entity there's great potential for something interesting to happen. Feena's a good villain—she's not worth several books, but for one novel? She's a good opponent. The Fae? It's simple—any universe, any world, any author—when it comes to Fae politics, Fae dealings with other Fae, Fae dealings with non-Fae? It's complicated, tricky, and messy. It's good to know you can count on something.
So much is happening in a very short period of time, it's hard to know what kind of impact the events are having on anyone—it's been less than two weeks since these two jumped into this world, leaving St. Louis behind. It's hard for them—or a reader—to really take it all in. We do know that already both Venators are changing because of their abilities (as well as the experiences in this new world)—both are self-aware enough to see how it's happening (at least in part) and are both resisting and embracing the changes. Both are, naturally, deluded about how easy it will be to resist this kind of thing—denial's not just a river on Earth.
I'm enjoying these books—I do hope that under the new publisher, they're able to come out pretty regularly, it'll help sustain my interest (and, I'm guessing, the reading public's). I know that Walls has several more books planned, so it makes it okay that I'm still on the fence about the series as a whole—there's a lot of potential to the series and these characters and she has time to help them reach their potential. There are aspects of the books (the prospective—and lingering—romantic entanglements, for example) that I'm withholding an opinion on until more happens. And I'm not sure if I should appreciate how little we're getting with Zio and Rune's brother, or if it should annoy me. Is Walls building suspense, or is she simply being obfuscatory? I'm hoping that after Book 3, I'll be more settled with my expectations about these books—I know I'm enjoying them, I'm just not sure if I should wait on them getting better.
May's narration is as strong as it was last time. He captures the emotion and characters and tone with both skill and art. He's doing the narration for another series due to be released in a couple of weeks and I'm looking forward to seeing how he handles that.
This time through, two characters really stood out to me: Ryker and Tashara (a succubus who sits on the Council). I'm not sure if Walls is setting Ryker up for a major redemptive arc or if she's going to cause an irreparable rift between the twins (or both). I guess this ties into what I said above about him and Zio. As far as Tashara, she's a complex character—May does a great job of depicting that—and I'm intrigued by both her and her relationship to Grey (her incubus counterpart, on the other hand, just annoys me).
One last thing. This is just a personal hangup, I'm sure, but I hate Arwin's name. Last year, when I got to ask Walls some questions, I talked about how much it reminded me of a certain Lady of Rivendell. This year, when I listened to the books, it kept making me think of Lloyd Alexander's Arawn Death-Lord. He's hands-down my favorite Council member (I'm waiting for Walls to pull the rug out from under me and reveal he's a turncoat or more Machiavellian than the rest), but his name trips me up in print or audio.
Again, I find myself rating this a tad higher in audio than in print. I'm not sure where that comes from, also not sure if it matters. Walls and May are a great combination. An interesting world, great characters (even if they frustrate me), good action—and a fast-moving plot. This YA fantasy is a crowd-pleaser, I'm sure of that—you should join the crowd.
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Like the Ultimate Blog Tour for the first Venators novel, Venators: Magic Unleashed , back in March, I'm going to take what I posted last year when the novel was initially released and then add on some new thoughts, with a focus on the recently published audiobook.
So the ending of the previous book ( Venators: Magic Unleashed ) focused on a dragon being unleashed by the series' (apparent) Big Bad, the sorceress Zio. Not surprisingly, the series central characters survived the encounter. This book starts with a quick recap of that survival from the point of view of Zio—which is a great way to get the reader back into the moment and build on their understanding of what happened and Zio.
We quickly return to our Earthlings, Grey and Rune and the aftermath of their unauthorized excursion to rescue humans from a werewolf pack, which culminated in the aforementioned dragon attack. Rune's proving to be a quick study of Council politics and was able to turn things to their advantage and buy them some leniency from the Council. The ways the two humans respond to and interact with Council members is pretty interesting and I suspect will be one of the more interesting developments from this point forward in the series. I suspect the Venator abilities that make these two the warriors they are in this world are in play with Rune's politicking—no one mentions mental acuity when talking about Venator abilities, but maybe they should. Watching Rune play the games (both successfully and less-so) that the various Council members throw her way is probably my favorite part of the character.
And she has to do a lot of politicking and game playing here because her co-Venator and friend Grey has found himself in quite the pickle. After their ordeal with the werewolves, the two Earthlings' need for training was even more apparent. They get just a little of it (a good, promising start) before getting momentarily side-tracked. Before they get a chance to build on that, Grey is lured into the one place the two have been told they absolutely cannot go. Because forbidding people from going somewhere always works out (how many Hogwarts students stayed out of the forest? How long did Belle stay out of the West Wing? Even the Federation had to know that forbidding landing on Talos IV wouldn't work for long).
Grey has found himself in the clutches of a powerful Fae, Feena. Feena will spend days/weeks/years sucking the life out of her prisoners to feed her own magics. Given that Grey is more powerful than your typical Eonian, you know she'll drag it out as long as possible. It's a torturous experience for Grey, but he does what he can to resist and fight back. On the one hand, watching him stupidly and blindly put himself in this situation was maddening. But after that, watching Grey endure what he has to and struggle in response is pretty cool. As much as I appreciate Rune's playing politics, I enjoy watching Grey in action.
So the book boils down to this—can Rune get permission to run a rescue mission—or at the very least, find a window in which she can pull off another unauthorized mission? Can Grey survive long enough for the cavalry to arrive? Assuming they do, how can Grey be rescued and the Venators get back to their training without causing a diplomatic incident that will shake up everything?
The actions of the Venators' guides, teachers, allies confuse me. They've got these two kids in a world they clearly don't understand, with abilities they don't understand and then expect them to react appropriately in new situations. Even worse, all of them are keeping things from Grey and Rune—telling them half-truths, deflecting legitimate questions, and delaying explanations. It's maddening. It's bad enough that the Council, who are clearly only using these two for their own ends do that, but the people who supposedly are looking to them to change the world? A little honesty, being a little forthcoming, helping them to avoid the minefields they keep running into rather than saying "oh, you shouldn't have done that"—it would make it a lot easier for this reader to stomach them.
The Council? I need to see more of them. I have little patience for them as individuals or as an entity at the moment, but as individuals and as an entity there's great potential for something interesting to happen. Feena's a good villain—she's not worth several books, but for one novel? She's a good opponent. The Fae? It's simple—any universe, any world, any author—when it comes to Fae politics, Fae dealings with other Fae, Fae dealings with non-Fae? It's complicated, tricky, and messy. It's good to know you can count on something.
So much is happening in a very short period of time, it's hard to know what kind of impact the events are having on anyone—it's been less than two weeks since these two jumped into this world, leaving St. Louis behind. It's hard for them—or a reader—to really take it all in. We do know that already both Venators are changing because of their abilities (as well as the experiences in this new world)—both are self-aware enough to see how it's happening (at least in part) and are both resisting and embracing the changes. Both are, naturally, deluded about how easy it will be to resist this kind of thing—denial's not just a river on Earth.
I'm enjoying these books—I do hope that under the new publisher, they're able to come out pretty regularly, it'll help sustain my interest (and, I'm guessing, the reading public's). I know that Walls has several more books planned, so it makes it okay that I'm still on the fence about the series as a whole—there's a lot of potential to the series and these characters and she has time to help them reach their potential. There are aspects of the books (the prospective—and lingering—romantic entanglements, for example) that I'm withholding an opinion on until more happens. And I'm not sure if I should appreciate how little we're getting with Zio and Rune's brother, or if it should annoy me. Is Walls building suspense, or is she simply being obfuscatory? I'm hoping that after Book 3, I'll be more settled with my expectations about these books—I know I'm enjoying them, I'm just not sure if I should wait on them getting better.
May's narration is as strong as it was last time. He captures the emotion and characters and tone with both skill and art. He's doing the narration for another series due to be released in a couple of weeks and I'm looking forward to seeing how he handles that.
This time through, two characters really stood out to me: Ryker and Tashara (a succubus who sits on the Council). I'm not sure if Walls is setting Ryker up for a major redemptive arc or if she's going to cause an irreparable rift between the twins (or both). I guess this ties into what I said above about him and Zio. As far as Tashara, she's a complex character—May does a great job of depicting that—and I'm intrigued by both her and her relationship to Grey (her incubus counterpart, on the other hand, just annoys me).
One last thing. This is just a personal hangup, I'm sure, but I hate Arwin's name. Last year, when I got to ask Walls some questions, I talked about how much it reminded me of a certain Lady of Rivendell. This year, when I listened to the books, it kept making me think of Lloyd Alexander's Arawn Death-Lord. He's hands-down my favorite Council member (I'm waiting for Walls to pull the rug out from under me and reveal he's a turncoat or more Machiavellian than the rest), but his name trips me up in print or audio.
Again, I find myself rating this a tad higher in audio than in print. I'm not sure where that comes from, also not sure if it matters. Walls and May are a great combination. An interesting world, great characters (even if they frustrate me), good action—and a fast-moving plot. This YA fantasy is a crowd-pleaser, I'm sure of that—you should join the crowd.
June 9, 2020
While I really enjoyed Magic Unleashed, Promises Forged was the story I was waiting for.
We are immediately thrown back into the chaos of Eon. Now that the our favorites Grey and Rune survived the dragon attack that was orchestrated by the sorceress Zio, everything should be smooth sailing, right? Ha. Wrong. Grey has managed to find himself in trouble that lands him in the Fae Queen Feena’s dangerous court. The politics and rules here are unlike anything he’s ever dealt with, and the magic the fae wields is horrifying (the soul sucking kind). Now, Rune, Tate, Verida, and Tashara are on a mission to save Grey from the court all while keeping their heads.
Now, y’all are probably wondering what happened to Ryker, Rune’s twin. Well, he managed to get captured by Zio and is now prisoner. I’ll be honest, neither Zio or Ryker are characters that I am particularly interested in this story since neither one really has any redeeming qualities. We know Zio is an evil sorceress. And Ryker is a bully. Sure, we learn the reasons for why he treated Grey the way he did, but he’s still a bully, so….yeah.
The character development in this one was amazing. I loved that we got to see Rune develop from a whiny, I don’t have any feelings character to accepting her flaws and stepping up to the plate. Additionally, we learn why there’s so much animosity between Ryker and Grey, and it will make you love Grey even more. He’s always been the stand up lovable guy, and that just never changes. I also commend the author for always hinting at a possible romance but not committing to it. There’s so much going on in this story which forces both characters to deviate the attention, and the last thing I am looking for in unncessary swooning.
Now, y’all knew Beltran was going to be just as morally grey and shifty as he was before. I swear, this shapeshifter instantly lights up a scene and forces you to reassess everything that you just read because there is undoubtedly hidden meanings in everything that he says. His snark and sass is still top notch, and I will continue to go at bat for Beltran.
I felt that this time the plot was much more propulsive and constant. The scenario just also felt more dire as we knew that time was running out for Grey.
Overall, don’t sleep on this series. This series is jam packed with action, magic, adventure, and characters that you can’t help but love and hate.
Thank you to Dave from The Write Reads for the blog tour invite as well as providing a review copy.
We are immediately thrown back into the chaos of Eon. Now that the our favorites Grey and Rune survived the dragon attack that was orchestrated by the sorceress Zio, everything should be smooth sailing, right? Ha. Wrong. Grey has managed to find himself in trouble that lands him in the Fae Queen Feena’s dangerous court. The politics and rules here are unlike anything he’s ever dealt with, and the magic the fae wields is horrifying (the soul sucking kind). Now, Rune, Tate, Verida, and Tashara are on a mission to save Grey from the court all while keeping their heads.
Now, y’all are probably wondering what happened to Ryker, Rune’s twin. Well, he managed to get captured by Zio and is now prisoner. I’ll be honest, neither Zio or Ryker are characters that I am particularly interested in this story since neither one really has any redeeming qualities. We know Zio is an evil sorceress. And Ryker is a bully. Sure, we learn the reasons for why he treated Grey the way he did, but he’s still a bully, so….yeah.
The character development in this one was amazing. I loved that we got to see Rune develop from a whiny, I don’t have any feelings character to accepting her flaws and stepping up to the plate. Additionally, we learn why there’s so much animosity between Ryker and Grey, and it will make you love Grey even more. He’s always been the stand up lovable guy, and that just never changes. I also commend the author for always hinting at a possible romance but not committing to it. There’s so much going on in this story which forces both characters to deviate the attention, and the last thing I am looking for in unncessary swooning.
Now, y’all knew Beltran was going to be just as morally grey and shifty as he was before. I swear, this shapeshifter instantly lights up a scene and forces you to reassess everything that you just read because there is undoubtedly hidden meanings in everything that he says. His snark and sass is still top notch, and I will continue to go at bat for Beltran.
I felt that this time the plot was much more propulsive and constant. The scenario just also felt more dire as we knew that time was running out for Grey.
Overall, don’t sleep on this series. This series is jam packed with action, magic, adventure, and characters that you can’t help but love and hate.
Thank you to Dave from The Write Reads for the blog tour invite as well as providing a review copy.
June 10, 2020
I read the first book in the Venators series awhile back and I fell in love with the characters so I was looking forward to seeing what happens on Eon so I jumped at the opportunity to read and review Promises Forged.
The story picks up right where Magic Unleashed left off and we follow Rune and Gray’s adventures while they are struggling with their Venator legacy. Everything happens in a web of politics, secrets, and dangerous half-truths.
Promises Forged takes place entirely on Eon, an alternative dimension where all the mythological creatures imagined on Earth are real. Gray ends up in the one place he shouldn’t have. The Fae capture and imprison him at the queen’s court. Gray soon learns that this is no ordinary prison! Feena’s throne room is gruesome as is impressive.
Feena is a powerful queen whose strange feeding habits increase her magic. I won’t elaborate to avoid spoilers. So far, the Fae’s territory and the things happening there are the most fascinating part of the book. Devri Walls is particularly talented when it comes to descriptions making everything vivid. The story gets darker.
Council politics are as expected messy and surrounded by mystery. When Rune asks the council for assistance to save Gray she is denied. Fortunately, Beltran, Tate, and Verida come to the rescue. They teach her more about politics, customs, and how to play the game. All the dos and don’ts to at least get permission to leave on a rescue mission.
For that, she must learn their rules and their habits. She also must learn to dance and participate in a ball thrown in the venators’ honor.
What I loved about Promises Forged
The world-building is unique and immersive and I was immediately enthralled by Feena’s land and its magic. Apart from that, I’m happy to see more of Beltran, a character that won me since Magic Unleashed.
Gray’s journey took an unexpected twist and I loved to see Rune grow as a character. She struggles to balance her Venator role, her desire to find and rescue her brother, Ryker from Zio’s claws, and Gray from Feena’s. It’s a lot to shoulder for Rune which makes for great supporting characters.
Read the full review here: https://www.summonfantasy.com/book-re...
The story picks up right where Magic Unleashed left off and we follow Rune and Gray’s adventures while they are struggling with their Venator legacy. Everything happens in a web of politics, secrets, and dangerous half-truths.
Promises Forged takes place entirely on Eon, an alternative dimension where all the mythological creatures imagined on Earth are real. Gray ends up in the one place he shouldn’t have. The Fae capture and imprison him at the queen’s court. Gray soon learns that this is no ordinary prison! Feena’s throne room is gruesome as is impressive.
Feena is a powerful queen whose strange feeding habits increase her magic. I won’t elaborate to avoid spoilers. So far, the Fae’s territory and the things happening there are the most fascinating part of the book. Devri Walls is particularly talented when it comes to descriptions making everything vivid. The story gets darker.
Council politics are as expected messy and surrounded by mystery. When Rune asks the council for assistance to save Gray she is denied. Fortunately, Beltran, Tate, and Verida come to the rescue. They teach her more about politics, customs, and how to play the game. All the dos and don’ts to at least get permission to leave on a rescue mission.
For that, she must learn their rules and their habits. She also must learn to dance and participate in a ball thrown in the venators’ honor.
What I loved about Promises Forged
The world-building is unique and immersive and I was immediately enthralled by Feena’s land and its magic. Apart from that, I’m happy to see more of Beltran, a character that won me since Magic Unleashed.
Gray’s journey took an unexpected twist and I loved to see Rune grow as a character. She struggles to balance her Venator role, her desire to find and rescue her brother, Ryker from Zio’s claws, and Gray from Feena’s. It’s a lot to shoulder for Rune which makes for great supporting characters.
Read the full review here: https://www.summonfantasy.com/book-re...
July 31, 2020
I very much enjoyed this book! The first book in the series was good although it did take a bit of time to get truly absorbed into it but this one had me at the get go. In Promises Forged we continue to follow Rune and Grey's journey as new Venators, navigating their way through Eon. Rune, who I'll be honest, was a tiny bit irritating in the first book, really comes into her own in this one and you really see her character grow as you go through the pages. With Grey, he's such a complicated character and we still haven't find out the whole of his back story yet so I think there is a lot more to come from him.
The plot line takes us in a different direction than you would have first anticipated, was Rune finally going to save her brother from Zio? No, first we have to meet another strong, female character in the form of Feena the fae queen. And it's with this character that the authors imagination and story telling really comes to life. I was so impressed with the world and descriptions she had created in Ventators Unleashed but she upped it a notch for this one.
We also learn a bit more about the secondary characters, Tate's story and that of his family, Verida's background and also a few snippets on Beltran, slowly becoming my favourite character.
I don't want to give too much of the plot away, as I hate to spoil things for other readers but this is a must read for anyone that enjoyed the first, I am totally invested now and have already pre-ordered the next one to see where we end up. There are a few unanswered questions that need wrapping up so I can't wait.
The plot line takes us in a different direction than you would have first anticipated, was Rune finally going to save her brother from Zio? No, first we have to meet another strong, female character in the form of Feena the fae queen. And it's with this character that the authors imagination and story telling really comes to life. I was so impressed with the world and descriptions she had created in Ventators Unleashed but she upped it a notch for this one.
We also learn a bit more about the secondary characters, Tate's story and that of his family, Verida's background and also a few snippets on Beltran, slowly becoming my favourite character.
I don't want to give too much of the plot away, as I hate to spoil things for other readers but this is a must read for anyone that enjoyed the first, I am totally invested now and have already pre-ordered the next one to see where we end up. There are a few unanswered questions that need wrapping up so I can't wait.
June 3, 2020
Promises Forged is #2 in the Venators series. After reading Magic Unleashed I was looking forward to catching up with Rune and the marvellous mix of characters again, I wasn’t disappointed.
In Promises Forged, Grey has ended up in Feena’s court, So Rune and the others plan to get in and rescue him…..so the adventure begins.
Full of fantasy new creatures, incredible world building and a twisty, dark and immersive plot all make this a completely engrossing read. Pure escapism.
Thank you to The Write Read for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour, for the promotional material and an ecopy of the book. This is my honest and unbiased review.
In Promises Forged, Grey has ended up in Feena’s court, So Rune and the others plan to get in and rescue him…..so the adventure begins.
Full of fantasy new creatures, incredible world building and a twisty, dark and immersive plot all make this a completely engrossing read. Pure escapism.
Thank you to The Write Read for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour, for the promotional material and an ecopy of the book. This is my honest and unbiased review.
June 4, 2019
★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
I'm about a month late with this one -- every time I sat down to write it, I decided I wanted to chew on things a bit more (and then I arranged to do a Q&A with the author in conjunction with the post and so I bought myself some time to let things stew while she found time to get the answers done). Now that I have her answers in my inbox, I have no excuse to put this off. So, despite some of my thoughts still being half-baked, here we go...
And yes, that was one very convoluted series of food metaphors. That really doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in this post, does it?
So the ending of the previous book ( Venators: Magic Unleashed ) focused on a dragon being unleashed by the series' (apparent) Big Bad, the sorceress Zio. Not surprisingly, the series central characters survived the encounter. This book starts with a quick recap of that survival from the point of view of Zio -- which is a great way to get the reader back into the moment and build on their understanding of what happened and Zio.
We quickly return to our Earthlings, Grey and Rune and the aftermath of their unauthorized excursion to rescue humans from a werewolf pack, which culminated in the aforementioned dragon attack. Rune's proving to be a quick study of Council politics and was able to turn things to their advantage and buy them some leniency from the Council. The ways the two humans respond to and interact with Council members is pretty interesting and I suspect will be one of the more interesting developments from this point forward in the series. I suspect the Venator abilities that make these two the warriors they are in this world are in play with Rune's politicking -- no one mentions mental acuity when talking about Venator abilities, but maybe they should. Watching Rune play the games (both successfully and less-so) that the various Council members throw her way is probably my favorite part of the character.
And she has to do a lot of politicking and game playing here, because her co-Venator and friend Grey has found himself in quite the pickle. After their ordeal with the werewolves, the two Earthlings' need for training was even more apparent. They get just a little of it (a good, promising start) before getting momentarily side-tracked. Before they get a chance to build on that, Grey is lured into the one place the two have been told they absolutely cannot go. Because forbidding people from going somewhere always works out (how many Hogwarts students stayed out of the forest? How long did Belle stay out of the West Wing? Even the Federation had to know that forbidding landing on Talos IV wouldn't work for long).
Grey has found himself in the clutches of a powerful Fae, Feena. Feena will spend days/weeks/years sucking the life out of her prisoners to feed her own magics. Given that Grey is more powerful than your typical Eonian, you know she'll drag it out as long as possible. It's a torturous experience for Grey, but he does what he can to resist and fight back. On the one hand, watching him stupidly and blindly put himself in this situation was maddening. But after that, watching Grey endure what he has to and struggle in response is pretty cool. As much as I appreciate Rune's playing politics, I enjoy watching Grey in action.
So the book boils down to this -- can Rune get permission to run a rescue mission -- or at the very least, find a window in which she can pull off another unauthorized mission? Can Grey survive long enough for the cavalry to arrive? Assuming they do, how can Grey be rescued and the Venators get back to their training without causing a diplomatic incident that will shake up everything?
The actions of the Venators' guides, teachers, allies confuse me. They've got these two kids in a world they clearly don't understand, with abilities they don't understand and then expect them to react appropriately in new situations. Even worse, all of them are keeping things from Grey and Rune -- telling them half-truths, deflecting legitimate questions and delaying explanations. It's maddening. It's bad enough that the Council, who are clearly only using these two for their own ends do that, but the people who supposedly are looking to them to change the world? A little honesty, being a little forthcoming, helping them to avoid the minefields they keep running into rather than saying "oh, you shouldn't have done that" -- it would make it a lot easier for this reader to stomach them.
The Council? I need to see more of them. I have little patience for them as individuals or as an entity at the moment, but as individuals and as an entity there's great potential for something interesting to happen. Feena's a good villain -- she's not worth several books, but for one novel? She's a good opponent. The Fae? It's simple -- any universe, any world, any author -- when it comes to Fae politics, Fae dealings with other Fae, Fae dealings with non-Fae? It's complicated, tricky and messy. It's good to know you can count on something.
So much is happening in a very short period of time, it's hard to know what kind of impact the events are having on anyone -- it's been less than two weeks since these two jumped into this world, leaving St. Louis behind. It's hard for them -- or a reader -- to really take it all in. We do know that already both Venators are changing because of their abilities (as well as the experiences in this new world) -- both are self-aware enough to see how it's happening (at least in part) and are both resisting and embracing the changes. Both are, naturally, deluded about how easy it will be to resist this kind of thing -- denial's not just a river on Earth.
I'm enjoying these books -- I do hope that under the new publisher, they're able to come out pretty regularly, it'll help sustain my interest (and, I'm guessing, the reading public's). I know that Walls has several more books planned, so it makes it okay that I'm still on the fence about the series as a whole -- there's a lot of potential to the series and these characters and she has time to help them reach their potential. There are aspects of the books (the prospective -- and lingering -- romantic entanglements, for example) that I'm withholding an opinion on until more happens. And I'm not sure if I should appreciate how little we're getting with Zio and Rune's brother, or if it should annoy me. Is Walls building suspense, or is she simply being obfuscatory? I'm hoping that after Book 3, I'll be more settled with my expectations about these books -- I know I'm enjoying them, I'm just not sure if I should wait on them getting better.
An interesting world, great characters (even if they frustrate me), good action -- and a fast moving plot. This YA fantasy is a crowd pleaser, I'm sure of that -- you should join the crowd.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
I'm about a month late with this one -- every time I sat down to write it, I decided I wanted to chew on things a bit more (and then I arranged to do a Q&A with the author in conjunction with the post and so I bought myself some time to let things stew while she found time to get the answers done). Now that I have her answers in my inbox, I have no excuse to put this off. So, despite some of my thoughts still being half-baked, here we go...
And yes, that was one very convoluted series of food metaphors. That really doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in this post, does it?
So the ending of the previous book ( Venators: Magic Unleashed ) focused on a dragon being unleashed by the series' (apparent) Big Bad, the sorceress Zio. Not surprisingly, the series central characters survived the encounter. This book starts with a quick recap of that survival from the point of view of Zio -- which is a great way to get the reader back into the moment and build on their understanding of what happened and Zio.
We quickly return to our Earthlings, Grey and Rune and the aftermath of their unauthorized excursion to rescue humans from a werewolf pack, which culminated in the aforementioned dragon attack. Rune's proving to be a quick study of Council politics and was able to turn things to their advantage and buy them some leniency from the Council. The ways the two humans respond to and interact with Council members is pretty interesting and I suspect will be one of the more interesting developments from this point forward in the series. I suspect the Venator abilities that make these two the warriors they are in this world are in play with Rune's politicking -- no one mentions mental acuity when talking about Venator abilities, but maybe they should. Watching Rune play the games (both successfully and less-so) that the various Council members throw her way is probably my favorite part of the character.
And she has to do a lot of politicking and game playing here, because her co-Venator and friend Grey has found himself in quite the pickle. After their ordeal with the werewolves, the two Earthlings' need for training was even more apparent. They get just a little of it (a good, promising start) before getting momentarily side-tracked. Before they get a chance to build on that, Grey is lured into the one place the two have been told they absolutely cannot go. Because forbidding people from going somewhere always works out (how many Hogwarts students stayed out of the forest? How long did Belle stay out of the West Wing? Even the Federation had to know that forbidding landing on Talos IV wouldn't work for long).
Grey has found himself in the clutches of a powerful Fae, Feena. Feena will spend days/weeks/years sucking the life out of her prisoners to feed her own magics. Given that Grey is more powerful than your typical Eonian, you know she'll drag it out as long as possible. It's a torturous experience for Grey, but he does what he can to resist and fight back. On the one hand, watching him stupidly and blindly put himself in this situation was maddening. But after that, watching Grey endure what he has to and struggle in response is pretty cool. As much as I appreciate Rune's playing politics, I enjoy watching Grey in action.
So the book boils down to this -- can Rune get permission to run a rescue mission -- or at the very least, find a window in which she can pull off another unauthorized mission? Can Grey survive long enough for the cavalry to arrive? Assuming they do, how can Grey be rescued and the Venators get back to their training without causing a diplomatic incident that will shake up everything?
The actions of the Venators' guides, teachers, allies confuse me. They've got these two kids in a world they clearly don't understand, with abilities they don't understand and then expect them to react appropriately in new situations. Even worse, all of them are keeping things from Grey and Rune -- telling them half-truths, deflecting legitimate questions and delaying explanations. It's maddening. It's bad enough that the Council, who are clearly only using these two for their own ends do that, but the people who supposedly are looking to them to change the world? A little honesty, being a little forthcoming, helping them to avoid the minefields they keep running into rather than saying "oh, you shouldn't have done that" -- it would make it a lot easier for this reader to stomach them.
The Council? I need to see more of them. I have little patience for them as individuals or as an entity at the moment, but as individuals and as an entity there's great potential for something interesting to happen. Feena's a good villain -- she's not worth several books, but for one novel? She's a good opponent. The Fae? It's simple -- any universe, any world, any author -- when it comes to Fae politics, Fae dealings with other Fae, Fae dealings with non-Fae? It's complicated, tricky and messy. It's good to know you can count on something.
So much is happening in a very short period of time, it's hard to know what kind of impact the events are having on anyone -- it's been less than two weeks since these two jumped into this world, leaving St. Louis behind. It's hard for them -- or a reader -- to really take it all in. We do know that already both Venators are changing because of their abilities (as well as the experiences in this new world) -- both are self-aware enough to see how it's happening (at least in part) and are both resisting and embracing the changes. Both are, naturally, deluded about how easy it will be to resist this kind of thing -- denial's not just a river on Earth.
I'm enjoying these books -- I do hope that under the new publisher, they're able to come out pretty regularly, it'll help sustain my interest (and, I'm guessing, the reading public's). I know that Walls has several more books planned, so it makes it okay that I'm still on the fence about the series as a whole -- there's a lot of potential to the series and these characters and she has time to help them reach their potential. There are aspects of the books (the prospective -- and lingering -- romantic entanglements, for example) that I'm withholding an opinion on until more happens. And I'm not sure if I should appreciate how little we're getting with Zio and Rune's brother, or if it should annoy me. Is Walls building suspense, or is she simply being obfuscatory? I'm hoping that after Book 3, I'll be more settled with my expectations about these books -- I know I'm enjoying them, I'm just not sure if I should wait on them getting better.
An interesting world, great characters (even if they frustrate me), good action -- and a fast moving plot. This YA fantasy is a crowd pleaser, I'm sure of that -- you should join the crowd.
June 5, 2020
If any of you read my review for the first Venators book then you will know, while i enjoyed it, there were a few things I found problematic. However, this book blew the first one away! Rune and Grey are still reeling from their initial dealings with the council and barely escaping with their lives after being attacked by a Dragon. Grey is starting to think of his moral compass as a weakness, something that will more likely get him killed in Eon than help him. Rune is still trying to think of a way to rescue Ryker, whilst also embracing her role as a Venator. But when a creature arrives and gives Tate a message that only he can decode, one that hints at his family being in peril, Rune and Grey will have to work together again and realise that they are stronger together than apart if they are to help Tate and make it through their time in Eon alive.
The character growth in this book was truly astonishing. Rune and Grey grated on me a little in the first one, but they easily wormed their way into my heart in the second book. Although Grey see’s his compassion as a weakness, and in the first book we see him asking Tashara for help. She makes him realise that his selflessness, though annoying to some, is actually a strength and he doesn’t need to change himself so much as hide those parts of himself others would view as weak, especially from the council. We also get a few more hints into his past, something which I hope the author delves into a little more in the next book. On the other hand Rune finds the role of ‘monster slaying’ Venator relatively easy to flit into, however she gets tested throughout the book on the political side of the job, a role she did not envision having to fill, and we see her coming to the realisation that the differences between her and Grey aren’t a bad thing, they balance each other out, she just needs to convince the council of it. Rune is also the character I found I bonded with the most, maybe because like me she also has a tendency to get hangry (angry when you are hungry) but also because of the lengths she will go to to protect her friends and those she loves.
I thoroughly enjoyed being able to read from a host of differing perspectives in this book. We get insights from Ryker, Tate, Vashira and Beltra ( I love this shapeshifter so much) and think they added a whole different depth to this book that was missing in the first. We also get to spend some more time with different members of the council, and I especially enjoyed seeing Rune play them at their own game. Though only in it for a small part Omri was a character that I found intriguing and am interested to see if he will play a bigger roll in the next. We also get more Beltran *yey*. The shapeshifter only had a small, if not vital, part in the first book but his insights were some of my favourite to read. He isn’t as indifferent as he allows people to believe and I am very much looking forward to learning more about his past. Ryker’s perspective was certainly intriguing, if not slightly worrying. He fits into the roll of Venator a little too easily, without any of Greys remorse.
We get to learn a lot more about the world of Eon and the authors descriptive writing effortlessly bring her world to life. She gives us a real depth to all the differing species that live in Eon, even if some of them are creepy as hell, and I enjoyed seeing how she tied them into myths from our world. This was something I found really intriguing about book 1 and was glad that we were able to delve into it more.
I like that, although romance plays a fairly big part in this book, you have little idea who will end up with who. In fact I wasn’t even sure who I want to end up with who! What I will say though is I love Beltran with all my heart and that dance scene with him and Rune was delicious. I’m not a huge fan of love triangles, or squares, so I hope the series isn’t heading in that direction.
If Devri Walls was crowned she would be dubbed the ‘Queen of Cliffhangers’! Seriously I get palpitations every time I finish one of her books and what really grates me is the next one isn’t even released yet. There are soooo many unanswered questions and I am really excited to see where the story goes.
The character growth in this book was truly astonishing. Rune and Grey grated on me a little in the first one, but they easily wormed their way into my heart in the second book. Although Grey see’s his compassion as a weakness, and in the first book we see him asking Tashara for help. She makes him realise that his selflessness, though annoying to some, is actually a strength and he doesn’t need to change himself so much as hide those parts of himself others would view as weak, especially from the council. We also get a few more hints into his past, something which I hope the author delves into a little more in the next book. On the other hand Rune finds the role of ‘monster slaying’ Venator relatively easy to flit into, however she gets tested throughout the book on the political side of the job, a role she did not envision having to fill, and we see her coming to the realisation that the differences between her and Grey aren’t a bad thing, they balance each other out, she just needs to convince the council of it. Rune is also the character I found I bonded with the most, maybe because like me she also has a tendency to get hangry (angry when you are hungry) but also because of the lengths she will go to to protect her friends and those she loves.
I thoroughly enjoyed being able to read from a host of differing perspectives in this book. We get insights from Ryker, Tate, Vashira and Beltra ( I love this shapeshifter so much) and think they added a whole different depth to this book that was missing in the first. We also get to spend some more time with different members of the council, and I especially enjoyed seeing Rune play them at their own game. Though only in it for a small part Omri was a character that I found intriguing and am interested to see if he will play a bigger roll in the next. We also get more Beltran *yey*. The shapeshifter only had a small, if not vital, part in the first book but his insights were some of my favourite to read. He isn’t as indifferent as he allows people to believe and I am very much looking forward to learning more about his past. Ryker’s perspective was certainly intriguing, if not slightly worrying. He fits into the roll of Venator a little too easily, without any of Greys remorse.
We get to learn a lot more about the world of Eon and the authors descriptive writing effortlessly bring her world to life. She gives us a real depth to all the differing species that live in Eon, even if some of them are creepy as hell, and I enjoyed seeing how she tied them into myths from our world. This was something I found really intriguing about book 1 and was glad that we were able to delve into it more.
I like that, although romance plays a fairly big part in this book, you have little idea who will end up with who. In fact I wasn’t even sure who I want to end up with who! What I will say though is I love Beltran with all my heart and that dance scene with him and Rune was delicious. I’m not a huge fan of love triangles, or squares, so I hope the series isn’t heading in that direction.
If Devri Walls was crowned she would be dubbed the ‘Queen of Cliffhangers’! Seriously I get palpitations every time I finish one of her books and what really grates me is the next one isn’t even released yet. There are soooo many unanswered questions and I am really excited to see where the story goes.
June 22, 2020
Things have changed since the last novel. Rune and Grey disobeyed Dimitri in going to try and save a man’s family who had been kidnapped by werewolves. The council seem to want Rune and Grey to stay out of politics in the world, but Rune and Grey are too in touch with their emotions to stay out of these seemingly black and white issues.
Emotions have actually taken a large part of the series in this novel. Grey spends hours with a succubus learning how to control his emotions so that the council will allow him to remain a Venator. Rune doesn’t seem to go through the same emotional training, which I don’t quite understand as it seems in many scenes that she needs the training as well. The world seems to disagree on what the Venators should be, but it is known in the world that the Venators need to have control over their emotions so that they do not become fueled by hate and turn that hate against the people of their world. I have a love/hate relationship with this storyline, but that is mostly because I couldn’t understand who Rune and Grey should listen to for the majority of the novel. If the “villains” want them to mask their emotions, it would make sense for them to do so, but if the “good guys” also want them to mask their emotions then how powerful are a Venator’s emotions truly?
Ryker is introduced in the beginning of the novel, but he is not included in the majority of the story. Some chapters from the book are told from the perspective of side characters, but I was definitely shocked to hear from Ryker in this novel. He is definitely in this new world, but he is going through his own adventure. I could also kind of make sense of why everyone is so afraid of a Venator’s emotions from his point of view, as his blind rage towards the goblins terrified those around him.
The romance kicked up a notch in this story. I always assumed Grey and Rune were going to be together, but now, I am not so sure. And to be honest, I am happy about this! I would love for them to end up with characters that are from this world so that I get the chance to learn even more about how this world works from a more intimate perspective. I would even be able to learn about the side characters’ families in this way! But I’m not sure who Rune and Grey are going to end up with, so I am just going to wait patiently and see.
Overall this book was slightly less engaging than the first novel in the series in my mind, but I was still drawn into the world and the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a new YA fantasy series!
I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.
Emotions have actually taken a large part of the series in this novel. Grey spends hours with a succubus learning how to control his emotions so that the council will allow him to remain a Venator. Rune doesn’t seem to go through the same emotional training, which I don’t quite understand as it seems in many scenes that she needs the training as well. The world seems to disagree on what the Venators should be, but it is known in the world that the Venators need to have control over their emotions so that they do not become fueled by hate and turn that hate against the people of their world. I have a love/hate relationship with this storyline, but that is mostly because I couldn’t understand who Rune and Grey should listen to for the majority of the novel. If the “villains” want them to mask their emotions, it would make sense for them to do so, but if the “good guys” also want them to mask their emotions then how powerful are a Venator’s emotions truly?
Ryker is introduced in the beginning of the novel, but he is not included in the majority of the story. Some chapters from the book are told from the perspective of side characters, but I was definitely shocked to hear from Ryker in this novel. He is definitely in this new world, but he is going through his own adventure. I could also kind of make sense of why everyone is so afraid of a Venator’s emotions from his point of view, as his blind rage towards the goblins terrified those around him.
The romance kicked up a notch in this story. I always assumed Grey and Rune were going to be together, but now, I am not so sure. And to be honest, I am happy about this! I would love for them to end up with characters that are from this world so that I get the chance to learn even more about how this world works from a more intimate perspective. I would even be able to learn about the side characters’ families in this way! But I’m not sure who Rune and Grey are going to end up with, so I am just going to wait patiently and see.
Overall this book was slightly less engaging than the first novel in the series in my mind, but I was still drawn into the world and the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a new YA fantasy series!
I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.
June 27, 2020
I read the first book in this series a few months ago and I’ve just found out the third book is coming out soon. After reading this review, I’m sure you’ll understand why I can’t wait for that one!
I wasn’t sure where this one would pick up, or how fast paced it would be. The first book spanned barely 2 days, this one ended up covering almost a week. A little bit longer, but in a way just as fast paced as the first.
I learnt more about Beltran. Although I now have more theories and questions about him, his past, his motives and so many other things about him. The same goes for Tate.
What surprised me was how focussed the book was on Feena, while still having time to show us about Ryker and the general politics of the Council. Some of Susan’s comments (or repeated, exclamations) about how you “don’t mess with the fae!” make total sense. Like I already knew that, but this puts it to a whole new level!
Secrets, dark magic, illegal nefarious activities, plotting, missing families, stretching/twisting of the truth and yet romance still finds its way into the story in a way that just felt right. What all of our characters go through in this book is a prime example of a great emotional roller coaster.
I mean, even some characters that I thought might be just “side” characters are slowly having their own development. Which could even put them in line to be a main character as the series continues. I BELIEVE we might be having the tour for the third book in September, so make sure you come back then to find out what I think of the next one!
I wasn’t sure where this one would pick up, or how fast paced it would be. The first book spanned barely 2 days, this one ended up covering almost a week. A little bit longer, but in a way just as fast paced as the first.
I learnt more about Beltran. Although I now have more theories and questions about him, his past, his motives and so many other things about him. The same goes for Tate.
What surprised me was how focussed the book was on Feena, while still having time to show us about Ryker and the general politics of the Council. Some of Susan’s comments (or repeated, exclamations) about how you “don’t mess with the fae!” make total sense. Like I already knew that, but this puts it to a whole new level!
Secrets, dark magic, illegal nefarious activities, plotting, missing families, stretching/twisting of the truth and yet romance still finds its way into the story in a way that just felt right. What all of our characters go through in this book is a prime example of a great emotional roller coaster.
I mean, even some characters that I thought might be just “side” characters are slowly having their own development. Which could even put them in line to be a main character as the series continues. I BELIEVE we might be having the tour for the third book in September, so make sure you come back then to find out what I think of the next one!
June 11, 2020
Despite only reviewing early chapters for the tour of books one – Venators; Magic Unleashed, I finished book one just before I read this and my review will follow shortly. Finishing book one left me with a thirst to continue the story of Rune and Grey and I couldn’t wait to dive back into the world.
Where book one spent time building a fascinating world (where everything we have ever read about exists) and developing kick-ass characters and their back stories, book two gets deeper into the action and picks up right where Magic Unleashed left off.
I simply adore Devri’s writing style and as an occasional reader of fantasy I find that it flows so well and is easy to follow. Her description is vivid and creative and completely transports the reader into such a magical world that is so unique and full of wonder but still feels so familiar and relatable.
I love that the lead character is tough, strong but realistic in emotions and responses the events. She is , in many ways, a typical young lady of her age and I found her to be a totally believable character. I’m also a huge fan of the fiesty Verida too. I love a series where the characters do change and evolve and this certainly happens in this series.
With a great, intense plot, stunning world building and ever growing characters, The Venators series is an excellent fantasy series and I cannot wait for the third installment.
Where book one spent time building a fascinating world (where everything we have ever read about exists) and developing kick-ass characters and their back stories, book two gets deeper into the action and picks up right where Magic Unleashed left off.
I simply adore Devri’s writing style and as an occasional reader of fantasy I find that it flows so well and is easy to follow. Her description is vivid and creative and completely transports the reader into such a magical world that is so unique and full of wonder but still feels so familiar and relatable.
I love that the lead character is tough, strong but realistic in emotions and responses the events. She is , in many ways, a typical young lady of her age and I found her to be a totally believable character. I’m also a huge fan of the fiesty Verida too. I love a series where the characters do change and evolve and this certainly happens in this series.
With a great, intense plot, stunning world building and ever growing characters, The Venators series is an excellent fantasy series and I cannot wait for the third installment.
June 3, 2020
Promises Forged is book 2 in the Venators series by Devri Walls. I absolutely love the writing style. There often isn't time to re-read the previous book in a series before I tackle the next installment. The author has a subtle way of working in snippets during the opening chapters to help me recall more of the earlier book. This is so helpful, especially if it's been a while since the earlier edition.
Book 2 continues where Magic Unleashed left off, so there is no large gap to wrestle with. The main characters, Rune, Grey, Ryker, and Tate are all present, along with Verida, the council, Zio and Feena. The battle for trust, supremacy, and victory rages on.
The world-building skills of Devri Walls are incredibly strong. She crafts characters and scenarios that draw you in and let you live the scenes.
I particularly enjoyed the humor sprinkled throughout the story. Humor and sarcasm are highly under-rated in the fantasy genres.
Without getting into any spoilers, which is so difficult in an action-packed book, suffice it to say I can not wait to read the next book in this series.
A special thank you to Devri Walls and The Write Reads Tours for the opportunity to read Promises Forged and participate in the Book Blogger Tour.
Book 2 continues where Magic Unleashed left off, so there is no large gap to wrestle with. The main characters, Rune, Grey, Ryker, and Tate are all present, along with Verida, the council, Zio and Feena. The battle for trust, supremacy, and victory rages on.
The world-building skills of Devri Walls are incredibly strong. She crafts characters and scenarios that draw you in and let you live the scenes.
I particularly enjoyed the humor sprinkled throughout the story. Humor and sarcasm are highly under-rated in the fantasy genres.
Without getting into any spoilers, which is so difficult in an action-packed book, suffice it to say I can not wait to read the next book in this series.
A special thank you to Devri Walls and The Write Reads Tours for the opportunity to read Promises Forged and participate in the Book Blogger Tour.
June 21, 2020
This book starts only after a few days after book one. Book one was all about setting up the venators world. So in my opinion I kind of liked promises forged better as they are was more knowledge about the ENO and all the different species, and the rivalry there is.
When it comes to characters, I do think they are developed and their getting and arc of their know. Grey was doing his own stuff in the book and Rune was still trying to get it together in the 1st half of the book. So in the 1st half of the book I was like Grey, No. And in the 2nd half I was like Rune, No. So they made some very bad choices according to me but well it had the story going.
My favourites are the secondary characters Tate, Verdia and Beltran. Also can we get more of Beltran's story arc, he seems like a very interesting character. And also there are parts of Zio and Ryker's story in the book. I don't know how Ryker is going to turn out as a character but more of Zio arc would have been good in this book.
Overall the book was more focused on Rune as she didn't go on her own in the fae land like certain someone we know.*Looks at Grey*
My Rating- 5/5 🍪
*received an e-arc in exchange of an honest review.
When it comes to characters, I do think they are developed and their getting and arc of their know. Grey was doing his own stuff in the book and Rune was still trying to get it together in the 1st half of the book. So in the 1st half of the book I was like Grey, No. And in the 2nd half I was like Rune, No. So they made some very bad choices according to me but well it had the story going.
My favourites are the secondary characters Tate, Verdia and Beltran. Also can we get more of Beltran's story arc, he seems like a very interesting character. And also there are parts of Zio and Ryker's story in the book. I don't know how Ryker is going to turn out as a character but more of Zio arc would have been good in this book.
Overall the book was more focused on Rune as she didn't go on her own in the fae land like certain someone we know.*Looks at Grey*
My Rating- 5/5 🍪
*received an e-arc in exchange of an honest review.
June 9, 2020
Even though I struggled initially with the pace, once caught up, this was another adventure trip into the magical land of faes, vampires,succubus and venchees. Venators Promises Forged is yet another thrilling addition to the series that makes you want to know more.
Read the complete non-spoiler review of the book in my blog : https://bookbugworld.com/review/venat...
Read the complete non-spoiler review of the book in my blog : https://bookbugworld.com/review/venat...
June 5, 2020
I actually enjoyed this one more than the first one. There's a lot more action and world building to the story. I can't wait to read the next in the series!
June 12, 2019
If you walked into another world through a portal and was tasked to be the warriors in the council's stead, would you willingly accept that? Yeah, I mean it is pretty cool, but doesn't that like come with a bunch of responsibility too? You would be putting your life on the line for total STRANGERS! Eon is a really interesting place, filled with creatures from nightmares, but many make it known that this is no place for humans. Readers will find that the second installment of the Venators Series, Promises Forged, has some intriguing plot twists, mysterious new characters, and provides a deeper connection with the major players in the series.
Rune, Grey, Tate, Verida and Beltran are back again in this installment, but so too are the council members. We really didn't get too in depth with them in the first installment other than finding out that they are some pretty powerful and dangerous, no fuss, hot stuff...you got the picture. No one messes with these big dogs, but what happens when Rune and Grey are forced to pick a side?! They traveled to this world to find Rune's kidnapped brother, Ryker, but the Council seems to be interfering with their mission. They have their own agenda, which is made very clear once Grey goes missing! He's gone and Rune is forced to enlist the help of the council, much to their dismay, in order to find him. And this is where the reader is introduced to Feena, the big bad new player in this series. She is wicked, she is clever, she is calculating...and she is Fae. This is a very dangerous combination...and Grey has just become the prize. Even though she is after something far more bigger and badder, taking the life of a Venator would be a win-win right?! Realizing that it is more or less a suicide mission, Rune needs a miracle to get Grey out from Feena's territory alive. Is there such a thing?
Walls has a compelling dark fantasy, filled with creativity, light humor and credibility. The characters are mysteries, filled with emotional turmoil and interesting to read about. The author ensures to create flawed characters that must face their own demons and the ones that are after them in this new world. There are no heroes, only warriors, and these Venators are fighting for survival. If you are a reader of dark fantasy with light romance, you may be interested in picking this book up. This is the second installment within the Venators Series and it is recommended that the first book is read prior to diving into this one.
This paperback was purchased by Turning Another Page. We provide a five-star rating to Promises Forged by Devri Walls.
Rune, Grey, Tate, Verida and Beltran are back again in this installment, but so too are the council members. We really didn't get too in depth with them in the first installment other than finding out that they are some pretty powerful and dangerous, no fuss, hot stuff...you got the picture. No one messes with these big dogs, but what happens when Rune and Grey are forced to pick a side?! They traveled to this world to find Rune's kidnapped brother, Ryker, but the Council seems to be interfering with their mission. They have their own agenda, which is made very clear once Grey goes missing! He's gone and Rune is forced to enlist the help of the council, much to their dismay, in order to find him. And this is where the reader is introduced to Feena, the big bad new player in this series. She is wicked, she is clever, she is calculating...and she is Fae. This is a very dangerous combination...and Grey has just become the prize. Even though she is after something far more bigger and badder, taking the life of a Venator would be a win-win right?! Realizing that it is more or less a suicide mission, Rune needs a miracle to get Grey out from Feena's territory alive. Is there such a thing?
Walls has a compelling dark fantasy, filled with creativity, light humor and credibility. The characters are mysteries, filled with emotional turmoil and interesting to read about. The author ensures to create flawed characters that must face their own demons and the ones that are after them in this new world. There are no heroes, only warriors, and these Venators are fighting for survival. If you are a reader of dark fantasy with light romance, you may be interested in picking this book up. This is the second installment within the Venators Series and it is recommended that the first book is read prior to diving into this one.
This paperback was purchased by Turning Another Page. We provide a five-star rating to Promises Forged by Devri Walls.
June 17, 2019
Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book Series: Venators Book 2
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: not that I can remember but I read this a bit ago.
Publication Date: April 30, 2019
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 15+ (love, violence, slight gore, death, and romance)
Publisher: Brown Books Publishing Group
Pages: 428
Amazon Link
Synopsis: It has been mere days in the world of Eon, where Rune Jenkins, her twin brother Ryker, and their friend Grey have been trapped, fighting for their lives. After discovering the truth of their ancestry, the three are far from home, and far from anything resembling their mundane lives of the past.
While Ryker is still held captive by the eerily beautiful Zio and her goblins, Grey falls into the clutches of Feena, the Fae queen. She begins to drain his soul bit by bit to feed her dark underground garden, and Grey has no hope of escaping on his own.
It is now up to Rune to save Grey, as his precious time slips away inexorably. But the Council has denied her permission to embark on a rescue mission, until she can harness her Venator gifts and prove herself capable of venturing into the Fae queen's territory. As Rune discovers that promises in Eon are forged with life-or-death consequences, she realizes that she must act quickly, or else be swallowed and Grey along with her by the dangers of Eon.
Review: I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this book. On one hand I felt that the writing was very well done. The characters were very well flushed out and the pacing is spectacular. The book does well at drawing the reader in.
However, there are key elements to the backstory that I feel like I am missing out on. I don’t feel like I’m getting enough backstory for this plot point and any future ones. I really liked the book, but there were a lot of times in the book that frustrated me with the plot and such.
Verdict: An amazing second book!
Book Series: Venators Book 2
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: not that I can remember but I read this a bit ago.
Publication Date: April 30, 2019
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 15+ (love, violence, slight gore, death, and romance)
Publisher: Brown Books Publishing Group
Pages: 428
Amazon Link
Synopsis: It has been mere days in the world of Eon, where Rune Jenkins, her twin brother Ryker, and their friend Grey have been trapped, fighting for their lives. After discovering the truth of their ancestry, the three are far from home, and far from anything resembling their mundane lives of the past.
While Ryker is still held captive by the eerily beautiful Zio and her goblins, Grey falls into the clutches of Feena, the Fae queen. She begins to drain his soul bit by bit to feed her dark underground garden, and Grey has no hope of escaping on his own.
It is now up to Rune to save Grey, as his precious time slips away inexorably. But the Council has denied her permission to embark on a rescue mission, until she can harness her Venator gifts and prove herself capable of venturing into the Fae queen's territory. As Rune discovers that promises in Eon are forged with life-or-death consequences, she realizes that she must act quickly, or else be swallowed and Grey along with her by the dangers of Eon.
Review: I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this book. On one hand I felt that the writing was very well done. The characters were very well flushed out and the pacing is spectacular. The book does well at drawing the reader in.
However, there are key elements to the backstory that I feel like I am missing out on. I don’t feel like I’m getting enough backstory for this plot point and any future ones. I really liked the book, but there were a lot of times in the book that frustrated me with the plot and such.
Verdict: An amazing second book!
July 18, 2019
Finally after close to three years, the sequel in the Venators series has finally been released. I had read the first as an ARC and had fallen in love with the world and characters Walls had created. I couldn't wait to get back into the world of Eon.
The second installment picks up right where the first left off and once again you follow Grey and Rune as they come to terms with their new Ventator identity. Since it has been a few years, my memory was a bit cloudy regarding all the previous details, but I found that there were enough little reminders that I was able to pick most of the story-line back up. I feel it is important that writers give readers memory hints, so I appreciated her effort.
I was entertained and appreciated eighty-five percent of the story. I feel like I don't know Rune as well as I'd like to, and I'm not sure how much I root for her. I find her kind of annoying at times and I am growing tired of her temper tantrums. Additionally, at a certain point the climax and action of the story became drawn out and a bit boring. It felt more like the writer was writing for word count instead of story progression. I feel bad saying this because the rest of the book was completely engaging and enjoyable.
Regardless, I love Beltrane! I was thrilled he played a more dominant role this time. Walls has an imaginative mind and I loved the new characters and landscapes we were introduced to. It was a colorful addition to the series that had a creative edge.
I look forward to continuing the series, and I hope the next installment comes out sooner than the last. This series has potential to be something much bigger and I could see it going on for many more books to come.
If you like portal driven fantasies where you're in danger of your boss sucking your blood dry, and where heroes come in all shapes and sizes, then I recommend this series.
The second installment picks up right where the first left off and once again you follow Grey and Rune as they come to terms with their new Ventator identity. Since it has been a few years, my memory was a bit cloudy regarding all the previous details, but I found that there were enough little reminders that I was able to pick most of the story-line back up. I feel it is important that writers give readers memory hints, so I appreciated her effort.
I was entertained and appreciated eighty-five percent of the story. I feel like I don't know Rune as well as I'd like to, and I'm not sure how much I root for her. I find her kind of annoying at times and I am growing tired of her temper tantrums. Additionally, at a certain point the climax and action of the story became drawn out and a bit boring. It felt more like the writer was writing for word count instead of story progression. I feel bad saying this because the rest of the book was completely engaging and enjoyable.
Regardless, I love Beltrane! I was thrilled he played a more dominant role this time. Walls has an imaginative mind and I loved the new characters and landscapes we were introduced to. It was a colorful addition to the series that had a creative edge.
I look forward to continuing the series, and I hope the next installment comes out sooner than the last. This series has potential to be something much bigger and I could see it going on for many more books to come.
If you like portal driven fantasies where you're in danger of your boss sucking your blood dry, and where heroes come in all shapes and sizes, then I recommend this series.
May 6, 2020
This book is as amazing as it was the first time. I will never get tired of Devri's stories or characters .They give me life. And Beltran gives me love. XD
*no spoilers were harmed in the making of this review*
"We can either embrace who we are, or we can die"
Hey guys, so I finished the second installment of the Venators series, Promises Forged (Venators #2) by Devri Walls. It was everything I could ever imagine and more. Everything was beyond brilliant. I just...it was a work of art. Although words are not enough to describe this phenomena, they are just to have to be. This stellar novel contained anything and everything you could ever want in a book. Drama, despair, danger, SO MUCH DRAMA< I SWEAR. gods I love drama. And deception, more like sutble deception, this book was just oozing with learning the subtleties of this new fantasy world. I would have to say one of my favorite things about this book was how it made me feel. THERE WERE SO MANY EMOTIONS. SO MANY. Sometimes I would jump and shout for joy. At other times I would dissolve in a mess of giggles. And most importantly of all, I collapsed in a puddle of my own tears. I cried, I seriously sobbed during the end of this book. Why do bad things have to happen to amazing characters, gods. I almost thought it was going to be the end, and gods. My soul, it's a wreck, really. I am still not over it. These tragic event still cause me pain to this day. Gods, the end, so much happens in so little time. Yet it was still executed flawlessly, even if sentence after sentence drove knives through my heart. Though to be honest, half of this book decimated my soul. Right after the book spent so much time exciting and building it up, BOOM. SOmething happens. There was so much action in this book. So many storylines and plots all intertwining and intersecting, it was hard to keep track. Regardless, I loved all the povs, i loved them ALL. I wanted more, I wanted more of everyone's pov. I especially enjoyed one new pov that I was not expecting, and that just blew my mind away. I would tell who it was, but that would be spoiler. SO my lips are sealed. But yes, all the povs just added to the richness and adventure of this story. And the writing, do not even get me started on the writing. It was amazing, the descriptions were so easy to picture and they were so smooth. They were not to cluttered, but contained just enough information to get the point of across. I love it, made for a fast read. I almost wondered if I had actually taken in everything on the pages because I had been reading so fast. The writing and characters just made it so easy to fall into this book and never surface. It was so easy to get lost in these pages, in these characters, in this world. Speaking of characters, that is where the heart of the story lies, with the characters, with their actions and reactions and inactions, everything. All the plots may be happening around them, but the way they interact with it is key. Their thoughts, feelings, emotions, motives, intentions, that is the sweet spot. That is what I live for. Although, I never truly got my fill for half the time I didn't know what someone intentions were or anything, when I was DYING for it. Seriously, I just want to know everything of anything about these characters. I really enjoyed getting some insight into a few of their backstories. It was interesting to see how things came to be, all the planning and preparation. Yet, it still wasnt enough. I wanted more. more more more. So many questions, so little answers. Though don't get me wrong, the story itself is to die for, but the characters I would literally take a knife for. Rune and Grey are still figuring out how to act and behave in this new world. They each do their own thing to try and fit in here. A lot...a lot happens to these characters as they attempt to navigate the ins and outs of Eon. Especially Grey. Gods, my pure hearted baby. Even after everything he endured, the dude just can't catch a break I swear. Grey is so strong and he needs to be protected at all costs. This book really does a number him. It pushes his very soul to the limits of his being. He endures, He survives. He fights. I hope he will never stop fighting. For himself, and for others. He can't let this world change him, he can't. If he does..then all will be doomed. Rune,,,is coping with how this world is changing her. Her venator abilities are quite something, but she doesnt want to turn her back on her humanity just yet. But...yeah. I actually enjoyed how the venator abilities were explored more in this book. I thought that was explained in the first book, but these really shine in this book. And Grey's abilities...I am very interested in finding out more about that. Anyway, Rune has her own struggles and challenges in this book and she has to face her demons, while creating more demons. And this book is not called promises forged for nothing. I really admire how Rune was able to control herself and do what needed to be done. For their survival. I also love Verida and Tate. Gods, so much goes on with them too! AH, this book is just jam packed with tons of things it is hard to give attention to it all. Both have their own things going on and have to resolve it the manners they think is best. Verida has her own plans, and Tate,,,poor Tate. Now he has to deal with the belly of the beast. Goodness. I also wanna give a shout out to Tashara. Love her. Need more of her. Need more of her background and just..I want more. But, the character I want the most of, here it comes, IS BELTRAN. MY BABY. OH MY SWEET BABY. Without Beltran, this book would be so intense and dark, more than it already is. But Beltran, he always shows up when exactly needed. He is so brillant, clever, his mind, his abilities, everything about him is stellar. One of his best qualities is his humor. He brightens the day, no matter the circumstances. He always finds a way to make someone (mainly me) laugh during the story. He is the necessary buffer this book and this entire series desperately needs. Beltran is needed. Beltran is wanted. Beltran is bae. He is so helpful, as if you didn't already know. I just love Beltran. And the dynamics between all the characters, DAMN. SO intricate and delicate and the tension is killer. THe character relations in this book go through twists and turns and it's a roller coaster. All one really can do is hold on for dear life during this epic journey. Alright, I think I prattled on way too long about this book,so yeah. Remember, this is all my opinion, if you want your own read the book. Till next time. Bye.
*no spoilers were harmed in the making of this review*
"We can either embrace who we are, or we can die"
Hey guys, so I finished the second installment of the Venators series, Promises Forged (Venators #2) by Devri Walls. It was everything I could ever imagine and more. Everything was beyond brilliant. I just...it was a work of art. Although words are not enough to describe this phenomena, they are just to have to be. This stellar novel contained anything and everything you could ever want in a book. Drama, despair, danger, SO MUCH DRAMA< I SWEAR. gods I love drama. And deception, more like sutble deception, this book was just oozing with learning the subtleties of this new fantasy world. I would have to say one of my favorite things about this book was how it made me feel. THERE WERE SO MANY EMOTIONS. SO MANY. Sometimes I would jump and shout for joy. At other times I would dissolve in a mess of giggles. And most importantly of all, I collapsed in a puddle of my own tears. I cried, I seriously sobbed during the end of this book. Why do bad things have to happen to amazing characters, gods. I almost thought it was going to be the end, and gods. My soul, it's a wreck, really. I am still not over it. These tragic event still cause me pain to this day. Gods, the end, so much happens in so little time. Yet it was still executed flawlessly, even if sentence after sentence drove knives through my heart. Though to be honest, half of this book decimated my soul. Right after the book spent so much time exciting and building it up, BOOM. SOmething happens. There was so much action in this book. So many storylines and plots all intertwining and intersecting, it was hard to keep track. Regardless, I loved all the povs, i loved them ALL. I wanted more, I wanted more of everyone's pov. I especially enjoyed one new pov that I was not expecting, and that just blew my mind away. I would tell who it was, but that would be spoiler. SO my lips are sealed. But yes, all the povs just added to the richness and adventure of this story. And the writing, do not even get me started on the writing. It was amazing, the descriptions were so easy to picture and they were so smooth. They were not to cluttered, but contained just enough information to get the point of across. I love it, made for a fast read. I almost wondered if I had actually taken in everything on the pages because I had been reading so fast. The writing and characters just made it so easy to fall into this book and never surface. It was so easy to get lost in these pages, in these characters, in this world. Speaking of characters, that is where the heart of the story lies, with the characters, with their actions and reactions and inactions, everything. All the plots may be happening around them, but the way they interact with it is key. Their thoughts, feelings, emotions, motives, intentions, that is the sweet spot. That is what I live for. Although, I never truly got my fill for half the time I didn't know what someone intentions were or anything, when I was DYING for it. Seriously, I just want to know everything of anything about these characters. I really enjoyed getting some insight into a few of their backstories. It was interesting to see how things came to be, all the planning and preparation. Yet, it still wasnt enough. I wanted more. more more more. So many questions, so little answers. Though don't get me wrong, the story itself is to die for, but the characters I would literally take a knife for. Rune and Grey are still figuring out how to act and behave in this new world. They each do their own thing to try and fit in here. A lot...a lot happens to these characters as they attempt to navigate the ins and outs of Eon. Especially Grey. Gods, my pure hearted baby. Even after everything he endured, the dude just can't catch a break I swear. Grey is so strong and he needs to be protected at all costs. This book really does a number him. It pushes his very soul to the limits of his being. He endures, He survives. He fights. I hope he will never stop fighting. For himself, and for others. He can't let this world change him, he can't. If he does..then all will be doomed. Rune,,,is coping with how this world is changing her. Her venator abilities are quite something, but she doesnt want to turn her back on her humanity just yet. But...yeah. I actually enjoyed how the venator abilities were explored more in this book. I thought that was explained in the first book, but these really shine in this book. And Grey's abilities...I am very interested in finding out more about that. Anyway, Rune has her own struggles and challenges in this book and she has to face her demons, while creating more demons. And this book is not called promises forged for nothing. I really admire how Rune was able to control herself and do what needed to be done. For their survival. I also love Verida and Tate. Gods, so much goes on with them too! AH, this book is just jam packed with tons of things it is hard to give attention to it all. Both have their own things going on and have to resolve it the manners they think is best. Verida has her own plans, and Tate,,,poor Tate. Now he has to deal with the belly of the beast. Goodness. I also wanna give a shout out to Tashara. Love her. Need more of her. Need more of her background and just..I want more. But, the character I want the most of, here it comes, IS BELTRAN. MY BABY. OH MY SWEET BABY. Without Beltran, this book would be so intense and dark, more than it already is. But Beltran, he always shows up when exactly needed. He is so brillant, clever, his mind, his abilities, everything about him is stellar. One of his best qualities is his humor. He brightens the day, no matter the circumstances. He always finds a way to make someone (mainly me) laugh during the story. He is the necessary buffer this book and this entire series desperately needs. Beltran is needed. Beltran is wanted. Beltran is bae. He is so helpful, as if you didn't already know. I just love Beltran. And the dynamics between all the characters, DAMN. SO intricate and delicate and the tension is killer. THe character relations in this book go through twists and turns and it's a roller coaster. All one really can do is hold on for dear life during this epic journey. Alright, I think I prattled on way too long about this book,so yeah. Remember, this is all my opinion, if you want your own read the book. Till next time. Bye.
June 5, 2020
Full review here
After thoroughly enjoying Magic Unleashed, there was no way I was passing up the opportunity to read the second. A strong addition to the Venators series, Promises Forged takes us deeper into this magical world.
If I enjoyed the first book, then I adored the second. It’s been some time since I’ve been utterly engrossed, unable to put it down. To the point I burnt the top of my foot sitting in the sun because I refused to move – if that’s not a recommendation, I don’t know what else is.
Already knowing both the world and the characters meant you are engrossed in the magic far quicker than the necessary exposition in the first book. Straight away, you can see how the characters have grown and developed in that short space of time.
I liked Rune a lot more this time. She’s not the mixture of helplessness and rage, but cold and calculating versus her desire to succeed and be the strong warrior everyone sees in her. She acknowledges her flaws and walks the delicate line between pride and humility. Rune knows there’s something dark inside her, but she’s prepared to listen, learn and grovel if it helps her save those she cares about.
Grey is still my favourite. But he’s not so righteous this time: ending up in a situation way beyond he can handle, Grey spends the majority of the book as a prisoner. There, he begins to accept that the dark memories, the fear and the pain are part of him, not something he can just shut away. When freedom beckons, Grey gets the chance to show a cunning mind, a strategist and someone who will never give up.
Despite moments of attraction between the two, I like this hasn’t developed into full-on romance, but I’m also excited about the way the relationship is growing: the slower development is more engaging than some young adult approaches.
We learn more about Tate and his family, and his history with Verida. In turn, the vampire becomes more of an approachable character as Rune gets to know her. Beltran is still a mysterious but entertaining character and the conflicting personalities of the Council ensures tension remains high throughout.
The narration splits between Rune and Grey and their different learning curves complement each other, drawing the two closer together as they embrace different abilities. There’s a few chapters from other perspectives that offer a commentary on the main characters rather than adding to the plot.
Rather than the exposition learning the characters (and reader) was forced to do in the first book, there’s more subtle ways of exploring this fantastical land in the second, with lessons slipped in here and there.
Even with a couple of inserts exploring what’s happening with Ryker – Rune’s missing-potential-evil twin brother – the pacing is swifter than before. The tension comes from multiple directions and builds into a satisfying climax that really pulls on your emotions.
I can’t recommend this book enough: young adult fantasy done properly.
After thoroughly enjoying Magic Unleashed, there was no way I was passing up the opportunity to read the second. A strong addition to the Venators series, Promises Forged takes us deeper into this magical world.
If I enjoyed the first book, then I adored the second. It’s been some time since I’ve been utterly engrossed, unable to put it down. To the point I burnt the top of my foot sitting in the sun because I refused to move – if that’s not a recommendation, I don’t know what else is.
Already knowing both the world and the characters meant you are engrossed in the magic far quicker than the necessary exposition in the first book. Straight away, you can see how the characters have grown and developed in that short space of time.
I liked Rune a lot more this time. She’s not the mixture of helplessness and rage, but cold and calculating versus her desire to succeed and be the strong warrior everyone sees in her. She acknowledges her flaws and walks the delicate line between pride and humility. Rune knows there’s something dark inside her, but she’s prepared to listen, learn and grovel if it helps her save those she cares about.
Grey is still my favourite. But he’s not so righteous this time: ending up in a situation way beyond he can handle, Grey spends the majority of the book as a prisoner. There, he begins to accept that the dark memories, the fear and the pain are part of him, not something he can just shut away. When freedom beckons, Grey gets the chance to show a cunning mind, a strategist and someone who will never give up.
Despite moments of attraction between the two, I like this hasn’t developed into full-on romance, but I’m also excited about the way the relationship is growing: the slower development is more engaging than some young adult approaches.
We learn more about Tate and his family, and his history with Verida. In turn, the vampire becomes more of an approachable character as Rune gets to know her. Beltran is still a mysterious but entertaining character and the conflicting personalities of the Council ensures tension remains high throughout.
The narration splits between Rune and Grey and their different learning curves complement each other, drawing the two closer together as they embrace different abilities. There’s a few chapters from other perspectives that offer a commentary on the main characters rather than adding to the plot.
Rather than the exposition learning the characters (and reader) was forced to do in the first book, there’s more subtle ways of exploring this fantastical land in the second, with lessons slipped in here and there.
Even with a couple of inserts exploring what’s happening with Ryker – Rune’s missing-potential-evil twin brother – the pacing is swifter than before. The tension comes from multiple directions and builds into a satisfying climax that really pulls on your emotions.
I can’t recommend this book enough: young adult fantasy done properly.
June 12, 2020
Promises Forged definitely lives up to expectations, in fact now that the bulk of the world building has been dealt with and we know our characters the story is able to move at a much smoother and faster pace.
We get to learn more about our characters this time out, particularly Rune who is a lot of our focus for a chunk of this book. It was good to get to know her better as she’d been in Grey’s shadow in book 1. The more time we spent with her the more I liked her. She was strong, able to learn and grew in confidence.
Beltran also made a welcome return with a bigger role in this book. There’s obviously a lot more for us to learn about the Shapeshifter in future books, which is fine with me as he’s one of my favourites.
The proper introduction of the Fae with Feena’s court was interesting and dark. It added yet another element to the series alongside what we learned of Werewolves last time.
We get to learn more about our characters this time out, particularly Rune who is a lot of our focus for a chunk of this book. It was good to get to know her better as she’d been in Grey’s shadow in book 1. The more time we spent with her the more I liked her. She was strong, able to learn and grew in confidence.
Beltran also made a welcome return with a bigger role in this book. There’s obviously a lot more for us to learn about the Shapeshifter in future books, which is fine with me as he’s one of my favourites.
The proper introduction of the Fae with Feena’s court was interesting and dark. It added yet another element to the series alongside what we learned of Werewolves last time.
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