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The Hummingbird's Tear
In the high towers of Castle Kraner the King has chosen to hide away, leaving his kingdom undefended, open to attack from men, monsters and magic users.His loyal son Prince Orren, despairing of his father's wilful ignorance, is doing all he can to gather the men and women he believes can help him avert the war before it starts, to save his land before it needs saving. Brennan and his young brother Calem find themselves drawn to Kraner; as their innate powers begin to manifest and they are woven into the mad schemes of rulers and invaders they must decide what to believe, who to trust, and how far they're willing to go to fight an enemy they can't see.
- GenresFantasy
355 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 20, 2020
11 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 21, 2022
Thanks to Caroline for sending me a copy of her book to review.
Caroline has created such a believable world, background, history, and characters. The details of the world she has created is fabulous. You can tell she’s walked through this world in her mind to ensure everything perfectly matches up, and it does. I would love to see her create a map of her world with all the details in; I think it would be beautiful and fascinating.
The characters are all so brilliantly rounded. They’re all individuals with their own flaws and aims and abilities and reasons for getting involved in this epic adventure.
Underneath the fantasy elements, there is a real human heart. There’s philosophical and moral questions, and real friendships and relationships. It’s clear that no matter what you’re going through - real or fantasy - friendships are vital. It also poses questions about family; what would you do for your family, and whether blood really is thicker than water.
In my opinion, this deserves to be up there with the other fantasy greats like Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia. I can’t see anything they have that this doesn’t have. More people need to be reading and talking about this.
It is clearly a fantasy, magical, mythical book - but it’s steeped in so much reality that it feels genuine. I would say this is one of the best developed and written fantasy books I’ve read in a long time and I cannot wait to read the next chapter in the series.
Caroline has created such a believable world, background, history, and characters. The details of the world she has created is fabulous. You can tell she’s walked through this world in her mind to ensure everything perfectly matches up, and it does. I would love to see her create a map of her world with all the details in; I think it would be beautiful and fascinating.
The characters are all so brilliantly rounded. They’re all individuals with their own flaws and aims and abilities and reasons for getting involved in this epic adventure.
Underneath the fantasy elements, there is a real human heart. There’s philosophical and moral questions, and real friendships and relationships. It’s clear that no matter what you’re going through - real or fantasy - friendships are vital. It also poses questions about family; what would you do for your family, and whether blood really is thicker than water.
In my opinion, this deserves to be up there with the other fantasy greats like Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia. I can’t see anything they have that this doesn’t have. More people need to be reading and talking about this.
It is clearly a fantasy, magical, mythical book - but it’s steeped in so much reality that it feels genuine. I would say this is one of the best developed and written fantasy books I’ve read in a long time and I cannot wait to read the next chapter in the series.
March 12, 2017
Without doubt the Hummingbird’s tear is on my list as one of the greatest – and most pleasant- reading surprises I have had lately. It is richly woven, deeply evocative, with enormous depth. It weaves a new mythology with ancient hand, it fluidly travels time, asks deep philosophical questions of who we are and why we exist, what motivates us, what is good, what is evil, and the genesis of all of these.
Beyond the philosophical is an excellent fantasy that feels real, satisfying all our desires as a reader - an underlying task, a medieval setting that works well for this genre, a friendship with royalty and the inner circle, an abiding sense of needing to be more than a mere individual – needing to be part of something greater and contribute power and recognise talents in others for the greater good. Of course, as in many great fantasies and mythologies, there is the opposing force of evil and individualism, selfishness and self absorption that leads, I hope, to ultimate destruction.
I say I hope, because the book actually ends at the beginning of the quest, and I will say no more, other than go Orren, go Calem, Brennan and the whole excellent bunch of excellent people. A lovely, lovely read, beautifully and lyrically written. Awaiting the next instalment with interest….
Beyond the philosophical is an excellent fantasy that feels real, satisfying all our desires as a reader - an underlying task, a medieval setting that works well for this genre, a friendship with royalty and the inner circle, an abiding sense of needing to be more than a mere individual – needing to be part of something greater and contribute power and recognise talents in others for the greater good. Of course, as in many great fantasies and mythologies, there is the opposing force of evil and individualism, selfishness and self absorption that leads, I hope, to ultimate destruction.
I say I hope, because the book actually ends at the beginning of the quest, and I will say no more, other than go Orren, go Calem, Brennan and the whole excellent bunch of excellent people. A lovely, lovely read, beautifully and lyrically written. Awaiting the next instalment with interest….
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February 18, 2022Author's guest post at my blog:
https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2022/02...
https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2022/02...
October 29, 2019
Full honestly, I struggled to get through the first 50 pages. After that though, the whole story opened up. It was great fun.
Calem’s story took off, and I loved the whole concept of it. Pages 297 and 298 truly delivered. I hope that Brennan gets similar attention in book two.
This book is well-written. The dialogue flows. Well done.
Calem’s story took off, and I loved the whole concept of it. Pages 297 and 298 truly delivered. I hope that Brennan gets similar attention in book two.
This book is well-written. The dialogue flows. Well done.
September 21, 2018
The world was created from a quarrel between the Four Gods of All. As the Gods left their creation, all that remained were four gems containing immense power and a prophecy foretelling a tragic future. Hundreds of years later, the world must face arising hardships as the prophecy slowly begins to become a reality. Trading routes have been disrupted, people are struggling to get by on dwindling rations, villages are being attacked by trolls, and a powerful sorcerer holds three of the four stones from the Gods. With a magical war looming on the horizon, the race is on to see if the forces of good can find the fourth and final gem before an unimaginable evil is unleashed.
If fantasy readers are looking for a new book to read, they need look no further than the first in The Barclan Series and author CM Kerley’s debut novel, The Hummingbird’s Tear. What a wonderful new addition to the fantasy genre. Granted, there are many familiar sounding elements that can be found in nearly all fantasy stories: prophecies foretelling the end times, items that hold unimaginable power, a rare few who have magical abilities, and so on. However, Kerley has shaped these elements into something new and brings it to life through her beautifully detailed writing style.
Kerley’s mythology of how the world came into being is to be commended. This tale is told in a similar fashion as can be found in Greek or Norse mythology, thus promising a unique and gripping creation story of the fantasy world found in The Hummingbird’s Tear. The mythical world itself is unique for it is a fantasy world not overrun with magic, but rather a world that has lived without the use of magic until the prophecy begins to unfold. It is a world not already suffering from an ongoing magical war, but rather witnessing the beginning stages of one after many years of peace. The kingdoms and villages of the world are not rapidly declining into poverty and there is even the possibility that the war can be avoided altogether, which would make for an interesting twist on a commonly used element in fantasy stories.
Magic is reintroduced to the world through the introduction of the story’s characters. Kerley introduced quite a few characters within her series’ first entry, but by giving each character a unique personality and name, it is easy for readers to follow along. The characters do develop rather slowly as the story progresses and while they are likeable, it would be nice to see even more development of them in future books. Also with the reintroduction of magic into the world, readers may wish to see more magical creatures incorporated into future books. Trolls were mentioned attacking villages, but are there other creatures that could also attack? Dragons? Griffins? Demons? Creatures that have never been seen before?
The Hummingbird’s Tear is an excellent start to a new fantasy series with many possibilities as to where it could go in future books. Using her beautiful writing style and excellent attention to detail, Kerley will most certainly captivate readers with her fantasy world and the mythology behind it. While more development could be given to the characters and readers may wish to see more magical creatures make an appearance, this is just the start to The Barclan Series. From the story’s first line of “The world did not exist” to the final page, this story offers an enticing new read that will make readers want to read more. Hopefully the second book will be available for enjoyment in the near future.
**Originally published on my blog Roll Out Reviews on February 26, 2017**
If fantasy readers are looking for a new book to read, they need look no further than the first in The Barclan Series and author CM Kerley’s debut novel, The Hummingbird’s Tear. What a wonderful new addition to the fantasy genre. Granted, there are many familiar sounding elements that can be found in nearly all fantasy stories: prophecies foretelling the end times, items that hold unimaginable power, a rare few who have magical abilities, and so on. However, Kerley has shaped these elements into something new and brings it to life through her beautifully detailed writing style.
Kerley’s mythology of how the world came into being is to be commended. This tale is told in a similar fashion as can be found in Greek or Norse mythology, thus promising a unique and gripping creation story of the fantasy world found in The Hummingbird’s Tear. The mythical world itself is unique for it is a fantasy world not overrun with magic, but rather a world that has lived without the use of magic until the prophecy begins to unfold. It is a world not already suffering from an ongoing magical war, but rather witnessing the beginning stages of one after many years of peace. The kingdoms and villages of the world are not rapidly declining into poverty and there is even the possibility that the war can be avoided altogether, which would make for an interesting twist on a commonly used element in fantasy stories.
Magic is reintroduced to the world through the introduction of the story’s characters. Kerley introduced quite a few characters within her series’ first entry, but by giving each character a unique personality and name, it is easy for readers to follow along. The characters do develop rather slowly as the story progresses and while they are likeable, it would be nice to see even more development of them in future books. Also with the reintroduction of magic into the world, readers may wish to see more magical creatures incorporated into future books. Trolls were mentioned attacking villages, but are there other creatures that could also attack? Dragons? Griffins? Demons? Creatures that have never been seen before?
The Hummingbird’s Tear is an excellent start to a new fantasy series with many possibilities as to where it could go in future books. Using her beautiful writing style and excellent attention to detail, Kerley will most certainly captivate readers with her fantasy world and the mythology behind it. While more development could be given to the characters and readers may wish to see more magical creatures make an appearance, this is just the start to The Barclan Series. From the story’s first line of “The world did not exist” to the final page, this story offers an enticing new read that will make readers want to read more. Hopefully the second book will be available for enjoyment in the near future.
**Originally published on my blog Roll Out Reviews on February 26, 2017**
May 2, 2025
I Loved this book!
I got recommended it by a friend and it was just perfect! I cannot wait to carry on the series
I got recommended it by a friend and it was just perfect! I cannot wait to carry on the series
May 20, 2022
*I was sent a copy of this by the author in exchange for an honest review. In all honestly, thank god I found this series!*
Where do I even begin with this review!
This book was INCREDIBLE! The PROLOGUE had me fidgeting with excitement and reading lines out to my long suffering spouse. The easiest way for me to get through this one is a checklist of all the things this story had that I loved:
1 The mythology.... holy heck the mythology in this was incredible. It felt like a myth that you might hear around a campfire, like it's real though you've never heard it before, you know it's been told for centuries. Yet it was entirely original! It's not based on, or ripping off, or retelling... nope... it's 100% it's own thing!! This in turn contributes massively to the worldbuilding and lore of the realm!
2 The characters. I loved them sooooo much. They all felt real and nuanced and flawed and I now know them as people! The relationship between the brothers was top tier!
3 The plot was sooooo intriguing. It takes a while for you to figure out what the plot even is! Yet it doesn't feel like it's meandering, I didn't feel like it was pointless or boring, I was compelled the whole time. To the point of being rather infuriated with having to do things like work my job or go to sleep and therefore put the book down.
4 The writing style. The writing itself matched the story itself immaculately. It was masterfully woven and I loved how I would forget I was reading and it would simply all unravel in my head! The prose was excellent as it was sophisticatedly matter of fact. There was no fat at all.
Overall.... please.... just please read this? Thank you.
I will, for the sake of non bias point out that if you are looking for fast pacing or plot driven fantasy I don't think this would be for you.
Where do I even begin with this review!
This book was INCREDIBLE! The PROLOGUE had me fidgeting with excitement and reading lines out to my long suffering spouse. The easiest way for me to get through this one is a checklist of all the things this story had that I loved:
1 The mythology.... holy heck the mythology in this was incredible. It felt like a myth that you might hear around a campfire, like it's real though you've never heard it before, you know it's been told for centuries. Yet it was entirely original! It's not based on, or ripping off, or retelling... nope... it's 100% it's own thing!! This in turn contributes massively to the worldbuilding and lore of the realm!
2 The characters. I loved them sooooo much. They all felt real and nuanced and flawed and I now know them as people! The relationship between the brothers was top tier!
3 The plot was sooooo intriguing. It takes a while for you to figure out what the plot even is! Yet it doesn't feel like it's meandering, I didn't feel like it was pointless or boring, I was compelled the whole time. To the point of being rather infuriated with having to do things like work my job or go to sleep and therefore put the book down.
4 The writing style. The writing itself matched the story itself immaculately. It was masterfully woven and I loved how I would forget I was reading and it would simply all unravel in my head! The prose was excellent as it was sophisticatedly matter of fact. There was no fat at all.
Overall.... please.... just please read this? Thank you.
I will, for the sake of non bias point out that if you are looking for fast pacing or plot driven fantasy I don't think this would be for you.
August 22, 2016
A nice start to a fantasy series, that shows potential. Could be 'tightened up' in places, but still very readable.
July 15, 2017
A good classic epic fantasy with an enjoyable story and a interesting cast of characters. The world is very well detailed and the politics and economy is particularly well done. There is magic, gods, wizards, and trolls, and an ancient evil trying to cripple the world. A band of unlikely heroes consisting of a intelligent Prince, a clever economist, and a powerful wizard with a split personality tries to match the odds and save the world. There is nothing new in this. But, Kerley spins a wonderfuly simple story out of these tropes. The mythos is well done, and the writing is lucid. In almost 300 pages, the story is paced quite fast and the characters viewpoints easy to follow. It was an enjoyable read. I will definitely read the next book of the Barclan series.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews