“Leon’s engrossing prose and skilled storytelling give an extra kick to this enthralling tale.” – The Prairies Book Review.
“Take him and run.” The last words of Jake’s mother urged him to save his brother Louie. Jake and Louie get thrown into the outside world, where Jake learns his skill with a sword can save their lives, and Louie, gifted with elemental magic, soon learns his magic is part of … is part of something much bigger: a world of spirits that wage a war of their own.
The necrom are after Louie. They only way the necrom can increase their numbers is to capture and possess more adepts. After centuries of the necrom pillaging, adepts are scarce. The necrom want Louie and won’t stop until they capture him.
To protect him and Jake, Louie must evoke the fifth element: the element of spirits. With three seraphs on his side, Louie wields magic more powerful than ever before. Even so, his and Jake’s journey to Maldra is perilous. They keep to the shadows, away from watchful eyes as they overcome challenges and face creatures they never knew existed.
Along their way, they meet Cassie; a fiery brunette with more secrets than Jake and Louie signed on for. The boys’ unlikely friendship with her turns their run-and-hide strategy on its heels.
Now, instead of fleeing, Jake and Louie charge headlong down a path to challenge the core of the necrom itself. Their new target is Dretlon Valley; the necroms’ settlement in the crook of the Dusk Mountains. But they won’t be alone.
In Maldra, they meet the audacious Troy; a commoner who has risen to the prestige of a knight. Alongside Troy comes his best friend, Shane; a dark noble with catlike grace and steadfast loyalty.
Recently wounded from the loss of their heir, the people of Maldra see Louie as an opportunity to fight back. After years of necrom pilfering Elabrium’s adepts, not many are as powerful as Louie has become. With Jake at his side, he’s nigh unbeatable.
That is, so long as his friend’s lives aren’t hanging in the balance. There’s one thing Jake, Louie, and their newfound friends have in common; they would do anything to protect each other. What they don’t know is that, through self-sacrifice, one in their number just might return Maldra’s greatest weapon. A weapon that could give them the edge to annihilate the necrom settlement.
Their journey is fraught with unexpected creatures, friends, and new allies. Aside from tournaments and drakons, Jake and Louie are tested as they’ve never been before. Can they defeat the force that threatens not just Louie, but every adept in Elabrium? Will their allies stand with them against the horde of necrom, whose mere presence threatens not just themselves, but their newfound friends as well?
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The necroms are hunting adepts (people gifted with elemental magic) and will stop at nothing to capture Louie, a powerful adept. Brothers Jake and Louie manage to escape before the necroms slaughter their entire family. Jake vows to protect his brother and finds his strength with brandishing a sword keeps their enemies at bay. On the run, they meet Cassie. She opens their eyes to what’s really going on and why it’s so important to save as many adepts as possible. Jake and Louie learn what is at stake and how to stay one step ahead of the hoarde of necroms hunting them. Can they defeat the hoarde and protect their newfound friends and allies or will the necroms declare victory?
Elemental Links blends fantasy and medieval fiction to perfection. The battle between good and evil is well presented in a descriptive narration so engrossing, it transports the reader into a world they have never known. The characters are fully developed, and the reader will connect with them right away. The action is intense with twists and turns I didn’t see coming. There are times when Leon’s writing style reminds me of Tolkien. If you’re a fan of medieval fantasy with a full cast of characters, you have to read Elemental Links. Highly recommend!
Disclaimer: I received a copy from the author in the hopes I’d review it.
My Rating: 5 stars
So I am going, to be honest, I have this book in every format. I purchased the ebook before I won the paperback and then I entered to be a reviewer of the audiobook. I really wanted to get to it and I knew that my best bet was to listen to the audio. So it’s a good thing that I really liked it.
This is a YA Young Adult Medieval Fantasy and it has a good vs. evil theme. I am a fan of YA Young Adult Medieval Fantasy books. I am not sure why these appeal to me the way they do but there have been a few series that I have loved. (If you are interested just ask in the comments).
The relationship between Jake and Louie felt real they are brothers so they are not going to always see eye to eye but they would do anything to save one another. Louie is an adept, a person born with magical ability, and Jake is a gifted swordsman. To together they are a force to be reckoned with. Dark forces called necroms are hunting adepts to turn them into more necroms (they are building an army). Louie is one of the strongest and they are after him.
There is a lot of learning going on in this story. Not just with the brothers but with the whole cast. Especially when it comes to keeping secrets. Some need kept and keeping others can put everyone in danger.
This was a story that I did not want to put down and I enjoyed all of it. I really can’t think of anything to say that isn’t glowing.
If any of this sounds appealing to you please pick up a copy.
This book has a stunning cover that fits perfectly this intriguing story. Elemental Links is a gripping fantasy in a medieval setting that follows the coming of age story of two Brothers: Jake and Louie. It starts amid a tragedy when dark forces slaughter the entire family to get to one of the boys.
We learn that Louie is an adept, meaning he can perform elemental magic.
“Changing elements from one natural form into another was one thing. Dirt to stone and water to ice, those were easy transformations that Louie had mastered years ago.”
The villains of this story are Necroms, beings that started as adepts but were corrupted by evil spirits called wraiths.
“Necrom have existed nearly as long as adepts. They were once regular adepts, but were corrupted through hardships or natural ailments. They are the criminals of the magical world. An essential criminal will resort to thievery, lies, deceit, and even murder, whereas the adepts have the power to become much more. […] These adepts, corrupted as they were, evoked the most vile, nefarious spirits. Such spirits are known as wraiths. They induced fear, hate, and every other painful emotion you can imagine.”
For years these Necroms have been hunting gifted humans, adepts in an effort to increase their numbers, leaving a bloodbath in their wake. For this reason, most parents, when they realized they had a gifted child, would give up the kid for the rest of the family to survive.
“Our parents knew? They knew that I could cause this?”
“You didn’t cause anything Louie,” Witherton said gently. “Many parents leave their adept baby in the woods, or worse when they discover his or her gift. Your parents didn’t even hesitate in their decision to keep you. They loved you both with all of their hearts.”
Louie and Jake’s parents knew and took the risk anyway, but they moved to a secluded area in the woods and asked Mr. Witherton to train the boys. As an afterthought, I imagined Mr. Witherton as a medieval version of Mr. Miyagi .
Read the full review here: https://www.summonfantasy.com/book-reviews/elemental-links-by-m-a-leon-book-review