A demonic Overlord is determined to enslave humanity. The Council of Light is destined to stop him.Darian, a scout in the Imperial Austrian Army, witnesses the people of his hometown being led to their deaths by enormous horned creatures. The war raging across Europe, thanks to Napoleon, is suddenly dwarfed by this humanity-devouring threat. A man named Raphael provides Darian with two choices: … two choices: stay and fight against the French, or join the Council of Light in the struggle to save Europe from a demonic Overlord intent on destroying humanity.
Darian’s choice leads him to an epic battle, where humans are sacrificed and his only hope is a band of warriors with supernatural abilities. Will Zar’Asur, the demon overlord, succeed in his plans or will Darian find a way to stop him before it’s too late?
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I made the mistake of reading the first book in the follow up series, thinking it was the first by this author. As a result, this book was more like a prequel for me. And what a prequel! This contains the history of Darian and how he joined the Council. It is well thought out and has enough action to keep you reading without being over the top. The settings, people and storyline are well described and realistic.
Though a wonderful book, this one is not as well written as the later book, which is a good thing. It shows the author has gone from being very good to great. She is truly talented both in her imagination and her ability to put what she imagines into words so others can share it. I have already purchased book 2 and I can’t wait to start reading it.
I challenge you to read this and not fall in love with the characters.
When history meets fantasy
A very interesting fantasy read, and unexpected. And I dare say, quite creative, as it is set in the Napoleonic war. Discover how magic, and characters with amazing abilities are thrown into this piece of history. The characters are one of the most interesting parts of this story. Quite a good read.
Who doesn’t love a classic good v. evil tale? Especially when the take has an intriguing twist, set in the Napoleonic wars. While the magical healer and other high-powered objects made things a bit too easy for the good guys, in my opinion, the story still moved fairly quickly. I loved Adalina’s character! Strong women are a fantastic role model. I would have loved to learn more about Aneera and her backstory, as well as her motivations. It’s a great read for YA audiences, with clean language and not a great amount of gore or violence.
A marvelous fantasy set in war ravaged Europe, during Napoleon’s rise to power. As his war is being waged, another war is being fought behind the scenes. A war that has been waged for centuries between good and evil. Darian, a scout for the Hungarian army and aristocrat, gets dragging into this unseen war by others that have supernatural abilities and witnesses demons and a fanatical cult drag the people of his village away to be sacrificed. Unbeknownst to Darian, he also has his own supernatural abilities and can’t tell if this is truly happening or if he’s going mad. It’s a terrible game of chess between Council of light and the will of a demonic overlord to see if the balance between good and evil will be skewed and the fate of humanity depends on the victor. There’s plenty of action, suspense and mystery that will keep you turning the pages just to see what happens next! I highly recommend this one!
I read this a few days ago and only now have had chance to review it. It’s a fantasy set in the history of the 1800s Napoleonic wars. It’s about good versus evil but rather than historical events, it focuses on supernatural beings with all manner of powers and the ability to teleport – useful in any time throughout history.
Darian was a rather passive character, but gradually eased into the story. The battles were well done, although, none of the ‘heroes’ were in doubt and all miraculously came through…all with amazing abilities, perfect for war.
It’s a fast-paced well-written story that keeps interest and I really enjoyed the magical elements.
Overall, an enjoyable fantasy read for all ages.
This was a fun book to read. There are so many quirky, humorous characters to entertain you. My favorite is the Amazon and her snarky comments. Gotta love her. Plenty of action, suspense, and some twists to keep you guessing how it might end. A definite one to add to your to-read list if you love paranormal that’s not quite the normal fare.
So, wow!
I loved just about every aspect of this book. Whenever there’s a good versus evil clash, I’m on the edge of my seat, but this one had me especially interested. When Darian is sent out onto the battlefield as a scout, he isn’t prepared for what he sees—creatures with horns tearing about his hometown.
Unsure of what he’s seen, Darian meets a man named Raphael who turns his life around forever. Serving on the Council of Light puts him in the middle of a new war: one involving magic, angels, and demons.
The growth of all the characters was strong throughout this piece, but it’s seen the most in Darian because we get to see him not only grow as a soldier, but as a person, and a magic wielder as well.
While this story has a historical background, it merges into fantasy/suspense genres with plenty of chaos and things happening on every page. This is a must read for people who love a good epic fantasy/angel story.
After Darian, a scout in the Imperial Austrian Army, learns the people of his village have been abducted and are missing, he suddenly finds himself exhibiting supernatural powers and is conscripted to a celestial council leading the charge against humanity’s greatest threat… Demons.
Non-stop action and adventure defines Author Yvette Bostic’s “Light’s Rise”—a dark fantasy thriller that introduces its story against the backdrop of Imperial Austria during Europe’s devastating Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815). Bostic’s work, drawn upon angelic lore, is filled with darkness and despair as a scourge of demons leads entire villages to their doom, posing a much greater threat to humanity than any worldly army could provoke. And yet, amidst all this suffering, Bostic focuses on the anguish of one man, Darian, bringing home the message that it is up to individuals to take up their yoke and fight for right.
In Darian, “Light’s Rise” presents a character who is, almost to a fault, strong-willed and loyal. Darian summons the best abilities in himself to overcome tremendous odds, and although he seldom disappoints his commanders, there are times when he suffers tremendous personal losses that seem nearly too much to bear. In this way, Bostic creates—in essence—a tragic hero.
The author continues to allow her main character to grow at a pace that readers can appreciate, and Darian is graced with powers beyond imagination. Yet, he remains level-headed and fixed on his true purpose—to save humanity from evil. Readers will appreciate his introspective dialogue as he tries to reconcile what is happening to himself—and humankind—against the backdrop of a war that may be impossible to win and the threat of global annihilation. As Bostic sweeps her lead character across the world, from one harrowing battle to the next, she instills in him—and perhaps her readers, too—a sense of patriotism, loyalty, and a call to duty that is seldom achieved in standard Fantasy novels.
Bostic’s tale is certainly populated by a host of colorful and endearing heavenly heroes bound together with her protagonist in a well-constructed plotline with a highly-tenuous and seemingly impossible goal. Although there are inexplicable shifts on behalf of the author in her writing, in that it unexpectedly jumps from a third-person read to first-person, and there are a few grammatical errors, the overall enjoyment of the read remains unaffected.
“Light’s Rise” is a highly-entertaining page-turner that’s hard to put down and makes for an exciting weekend or vacation reading. Since this story does contain graphic violence and adult situations, I highly recommend this epic tale for fantasy lovers, action fans, and adventurists ages 17 and up.
This book drew me in with the beautifully dark cover and it’s a true reflection of the story within. The story follows a group of excellent characters, each with something unique to add to the fight against evil. Whilst they do seem rather invincible (but what good hero isn’t?) they also have a certain personal vulnerability about them that makes their enhanced skills believable and helps you root for their success. I liked the pace and the overall flow – it is not what I’d call a nailbiter, however, it does have plenty of action and it does not deviate into horror and gore, which was a huge plus for me. On the flip side, I cannot help but mention the unfortunate scattering of minor editing errors. I am very forgiving of these things, however, since the narrative takes place in 3rd person, I was pulled from the story several times when the odd 1st person snook in where it didn’t appear to belong. Still, regardless of this, the book is a solid story that can be read by any age group, and I would certainly recommend it because it’s entertaining, well thought-out, and has a fresh approach to a very well-visited topic. I am curious where the story will go next and book 2 is definitely on my reading list.