The Days of Guns and Roses

by Nathaniel Webb

Gifted Emily Sledge has just graduated at the top of her class from the secretive and dangerous Harkness Academy.There’s just one she doesn’t have a job lined up.

Never one to give up, Emily ditches a promising interview to chase a mysterious message in a bottle. But instead of landing her the perfect job, the clue leads her to a forgotten castle where a band of young romantics prepare to make their final stand against an unknown enemy from beyond the Veil.

Isolated and in danger, Emily must choose between her career and the strangers who need her help. But all is not as it seems in the Castle Forlorn, and Emily has to grow up fast if she wants to survive threats that she can’t just hit with a hammer… all while the clock ticks down to the final invasion.

Genres: Fiction

278 pages, Paperback

Published June 29, 2022

About the author

Nathaniel "Nat20" Webb is an author and musician from Maine. His writing includes the novels Bard City Blues and A Conventional Murder and the bestselling music biography Marillion in the 1980s. He is the editor of Wyngraf, the magazine of cozy fantasy.

As a lead guitarist, he toured and recorded with numerous acts including Grammy-nominated singers Beth Hart and Jana Mashonee and Colombian pop star Marre.

Nathaniel lives with his family under a massive pile of cats. He can be found on Twitter at @nat20w and Bluesky at @nat20.bsky.social, where he mostly talks about games, writing, and obscure 80s rock bands.

Reviews

[DeAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

If you're looking for a first book in a series that features a rag tag group of adventurers against what seem like impossible odds, you should definitely check this book out. It follows our main character, Emily, who is a gifted fighter graduating from school with no real direction. The one job she wants doesn't seem to be available, until she received a strange request from a representative of the organization she wishes to work for.

While the world building in this book was really good, I found myself wanting even more. The author does a really good job of explaining the core concepts and constructs of the world, but when he delved into background and history I just wanted it to be expanded even more. Hopefully the future books will have even more expansion of the world.

I really enjoyed Emily's adventures and her blunders in creating meaningful relationships. She a little unpolished and quick to rush to judgements, but the book shows her growth as she learns to interact and work with others.

All in all a fun adventure that is definitely looking to shape up into an epic series.

[Kasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The story started off really well and I quickly became immersed in it. The main character is a talented fighter with a bright future ahead of her. Things didn't really go her way but with a chance of proving herself to a possible new employer, she ventured on a mission. There was a mystery and adventure and I really wanted to see what the main character will discover and how things will play up for her.
Unfortunately half way through the book, I lost interest in it and started becoming quite disappointed with where the story headed. The main character started to annoy me, things felt a bit rushed and some events were a bit too convenient.

While the story showed a lot of promise, I did not feel it has fully delivered.

[Missi · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no slow build-up in this story, it starts you off with activity and keeps going from there. I felt like I was riding along in Emily's pocket as she went from determinedly seeking her dream career to chasing a mystery that ultimately surpassed her dream.

Tough the world they live in seems to be an amalgam of modern, historical fantasy and futuristic sci-fi, it was easy enough to follow and the blending felt natural to me. The primary Characters (especially Emily, Captain Queen, and Jack) were completely relatable.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, and am eager to ride along on Emily's next mission!

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book free from the publisher.
Although I didn't see it anywhere in the description, this felt like YA to me. Emily, a gifted fighter, has just graduated and is looking for a job to use her gifts. Through an odd set of circumstances, she ends up in another world and turns out to be just the person needed to help resolve a dire situation.
While the story and characters were good, I was not impressed enough to continue reading the series as more books become available.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book from the start. It was just immediately action packed. I couldn't put it down.

[Jean Bengtson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters are believable and the descriptions felt as if I were actually in the thick of things. I would truly recommend this book for YA SCI FI lovers.