A missing princess. A city under siege. A compendium of the blackest sorcery.The Grand Mage of Caragol is the most dangerous man in the realm, so when Kerstin steals his spellbook right out of his tower, she lights up a firestorm of trouble.An army sweeps through the city of Klomm, but countless lives are a petty sum for such great power. With the spellbook, Kerstin can deal with the villainous … can deal with the villainous Count Olgris, and the unspeakable horrors conjured by the Grand Mage.
But she is dancing on a spider’s thread.
Meanwhile on the other side of the kingdom, fifteen-year-old Hinkle walks a tightrope of her own, spinning a web of dangerous lies around her new master, Sir Gilkrist of Lothellae.
When Sir Gilkrist’s quest brings them to Klomm, she discovers the secrets she’s been hiding are darker than she ever imagined. A diabolical scheme threatens to engulf the world in shadow and blood – and it has everything to do with her Aunt Kerstin.
But can Sir Gilkrist help her… or will he devise a dark purpose of his own?
Praise from readers:
★★★★★ – “A fresh take on witches, knights and magic. While the novel stays true to its genre, the author brings a fresh look at magic, the dark arts, and everything in between. Characters are relatable and I really enjoyed the horror elements as well. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.”
★★★★★ – “Great fantasy novel. Action and excitement on the surface with deeper and heavier undertones. Rains builds a complex and immersive world of nations at war, old grudges, magic and intrigue.”
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The Cracked Altar, a fantasy novel by Timothy J. R. Rains, first interested me because of its intriguing title. Would it have a religious theme? What dastardly action would happen, as when something says cracked, it usually has a clever twist. As soon as I dove in, Hinkle’s near-capture captivated me. I’m not typically a reader in this genre, but the more I sample some works, I find myself becoming a fan.
Hinkle’s family tree is complex. We immediately learn that her mother is gone. She’s been living with a grandmother in a world where her family has suffered. There’s an uncle who’s a mystery and aunt who’s either a pious nun or a nefarious witch. Which will it be? Hinkle is rescued by her own special brand of knight, and her grandmother engineers a solution that will benefit them all in the future. It’s a powerful scene and sets a fantastic tone for the book. We follow Hinkle’s path with her new protector only to learn nothing we’ve thought true is indeed accurate. In this world, what’s gray is more important than what’s black and white.
Rains builds a fascinating and well-developed world where the rich are rich, and the poor are poor. Part-fairy tale and part mystical quest, the novel will engage your visual senses as each scene and action are vividly described. The battle scenes were strong but not over-the-top. The secrets were revealed at timely moments. And the clues were in abundance. The story is gripping, and I’m hopeful there will be a sequel. Kudos to the author for gaining a new fan in the fantasy genre.
4/5 stars! Entertaining read with lots of intrigue and mystical aspects.
The beginning of this book grabbed me right off. It reminded me a little of a cross between Brave heart and Kingdom of dreams – world-wise, I mean.
I liked that I could visualize the scenes with no trouble. I liked Hinkle and her character. But if I’m honest, I wasn’t sure if the main characters were supposed to be portrayed as villainous – because that’s how I saw Sir Gilkrist – arrogant, self-serving and infuriating. And then we have Kerstin, a witch everyone feared and disliked and who actually acted the part of the bad guy – save for when she was asked to save parts of the village. But the author cast enough shadow around Kerstin’s character to make one wonder about her ulterior motives, and that twist at the end just made me more curious.
The battle scenes were vivid and packed with action – which I enjoyed very much. And although I didn’t like the way Sir Gilkrist treated Hinkle, I know that’s how men from a past era treated their servants.
The plot was a little confusing at first, I couldn’t figure it out – Sir Gilkrist stated his goal was to find the missing princess, but he didn’t seem to be giving much thought about her. And Kerstin, also one of the main characters, only showed up later in the story.
The spellbook was only mentioned later in the story – I wouldn’t have known it was a major point if the blurb hadn’t mentioned it. Those were my only– niggles, as a fellow friend likes to call them, otherwise, the book had my attention all the way.
The writing was simple and easy to understand, and save for a few creepy scenes, there wasn’t any trigger points in the story. It’s suited for readers age 12+, but I think it’d appeal to an older target, maybe 16+.
I liked this fantasy story with its mystery, intrigue, and secrets. The characters were interesting with some very easy to hate and I had to see what they were hiding and how others would react once the secrets and hidden stuff was revealed. I liked the mix of the middle ages, hint of religion but not preachy, and the magic. While not a light story it was still fun to read and the darker feel fit well. The scenes were good and the battles easy to picture. Overall a good story.