I received a complimentary copy of this book from I am a Reader, Not a Writer and was under no obligation to post a review. No compensation was received for sharing this review and all opinions are my own.
Series: The Staff and the Sword #2
Published by Baker Books on July 1, 2013
Source: I am a Reader, Not a Writer
Genres: Christian, Epic, Fantasy, Fiction, General
Pages: 444
Riveting Sequel from Christian Fantasy's Most Talented New Voice
When Sarin Valon, the corrupt secondus of the conclave, flees Erinon and the kingdom, Errol Stone believes his troubles have at last ended. But other forces bent on the destruction of the kingdom remain and conspire to accuse Errol and his friends of a conspiracy to usurp the throne.
In a bid to keep the three of them from the axe, Archbenefice Canon sends Martin and Luis to Errol's home village, Callowford, to discover what makes him so important to the kingdom. But Errol is also accused of consorting with spirits. Convicted, his punishment is a journey to the enemy kingdom of Merakh, where he must find Sarin Valon, and kill him. To enforce their sentence, Errol is placed under a compulsion, and he is driven to accomplish his task or die resisting.
This is book #2 in the Staff and the Sword series by Patrick Carr.
I really enjoyed A Cast of Stones and I had such high hopes for this book but I just wasn’t feeling it.
I hate saying that because the author is such a friendly and cool guy—participating on Facebook and interacting with fans. I still admire that and I will still be picking up book three when it comes out!
I have to be honest though and say that I just didn’t connect with this book. I felt it hit a lull in parts and the story didn’t pick up until the last six chapters or so. Once the story picked up I felt that it was a bit rushed. I just felt a little bored and I have to be honest no matter how much I appreciate and enjoy the author. Truth is, you’re not going to like every single book by any author. So please don’t let my review scare you off from this fantastic writer.
About the Story
Errol is under a compulsion and is off on his next adventure. At this point in time, he’s gone from a sorry drunk to the hero in the grand scheme of things—that doesn’t mean that people like him or trust him.
I have to admit, I skimmed a good bit because I felt bored but there’s a love interest for Errol and I thought she was a bit—dull. I’m not sure why I found the love interest to be so boring but I literally had to yawn whenever he fawned and drooled over her so I won’t spend much time hitting on that aspect of the story.
Martin is off having an adventure of his own—I have to admit that jumping between the storylines was another bit of contention for me. I wanted to read about one or the other and just as I started to be interested it would change views. I don’t remember multiple views in the first book but it just annoyed me in this one.
Overall—it’s a solid three star. I would like to have seen a rich development in Errol and a bit of the intensity and drama that was apparent in the last chapters of the book.
View all my reviews|Read an Excerpt
About Patrick W. Carr
Author Patrick W. Carr was born on an Air Force base in West Germany at the height of the cold war. He has been told this was not his fault. As an Air Force brat, he experienced a change in locale every three years until his father retired to Tennessee. Patrick saw more of the world on his own through a varied and somewhat eclectic education and work history. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1984 and has worked as a draftsman at a nuclear plant, did design work for the Air Force, worked for a printing company, and consulted as an engineer. Patrick’s day gig for the last five years has been teaching high school math in Nashville, TN. He currently makes his home in Nashville with his wonderfully patient wife, Mary, and four sons he thinks are amazing: Patrick, Connor, Daniel, and Ethan. Sometime in the future he would like to be a jazz pianist. Patrick thinks writing about himself in the third person is kind of weird.
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