Lady Shona, the newly crowned queen of the realm, is a leader without a throne. Pursued relentlessly by a dark force, her small contingent of loyal followers must make a difficult choice–flee or fight. Determined to save her land from nefarious threats, Lady Shona decides that she must seek out the enemy and attack them head on–a strategy that leads back to the region of the Three Valleys where … where Hyam was born.
Alas, Hyam has been struck by a mysterious illness that is silently sweeping through the realm. Known as the wasting disease, the sickness has no cure. But there is one shred of hope for Lady Shona and the realm–and it comes in the most unlikely of forms. A young orphan, untested and untrained, could well mean the difference between victory and total defeat.
Thomas Locke concludes his epic trilogy with a gripping tale of courage that will inspire readers to persevere even when all seems lost.
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This is the third in a series. The first two are Emissary and Merchant of Alyss, both of which I enjoyed very much. The Golden Vial doesn’t quite reach their level. If you’ve read the first two, it’s worth reading this one to follow the progress of the characters, but it lacks the depth and complexity of the first two books. We’re left with the feeling that there will be more books in this series, so I hope they are more in keeping with the first two, and I will keep reading to find out.
Legends of the Realm is a series I have enjoyed immensely and even purchased as gifts for others. When this, the third installment was published earlier this year, I was counting down the days until I could get my own copy. And all I can say is I want more, more!
I love Locke’s writing style. His depth of scene pulls the reader headlong into the book, allowing them to experience the story right next to the characters. His pacing when it comes to dialogue is also very well done, allowing for more natural-feeling conversation than I usually find in other works.
Mysteries and riddles that were introduced in the first two books are explored more in “The Golden Vial”, but there are still answers to be had, and a final victory to be won. I look forward to the next installment, whenever and however it comes!
I received a review copy of this work from the publisher through NetGalley
Legends of the Realm by Thomas Locke
My rating is 4.5 Stars
This was my favorite book of the trilogy and had my favorite characters, Dally and Connell.
Dally has a way of communicating with the wolfhounds that her master, the Mayor raises. She also has giftings of magery and “seeing” that have been hidden to those around her. The villagers have always shunned and feared her. Never having seen herself in a mirror and only judging her appearance by the reactions of those around her, she assumes she is homely. Her humility and yet willingness to do whatever she needs to is endearing.
I was captivated by Connell in his cameo in The Merchant of Alyss and had high hopes that he would return. He is a master mage and a favorite instructor among the apprentices. In The Golden Vial, he is a pillar of strength despite the queen passing him over for a great role in the Realm.
“The chief wizard of Emporis was tall and handsome, with the clear blue eyes of a midsummer dawn. He wore his blond hair standing straight up, like a yellow brush. His blond goatee ended in a woven strand as long as his thumb. He did his best to provoke—outrage, humor, attraction—any response would do, Hyam suspected, so long as it was robust. Connell was everything Hyam was not and never would be. Hyam already liked the young man immensely.”
From The Merchant of Alyss
While I normally don’t like to read stories that contain witches (shudder!), the ones in this story are more sirens than typical Halloween witches, and though they are by no means nice, it didn’t bother me that they made an appearance.
There were a myriad of creatures I’ve never heard of before, and each one was creatively described in such a way that I could picture it well. Despite the fact that there was a full cast of important characters to keep track of, they were introduced in such a way that when they appeared later, I was not too overwhelmed to be able to know who each one was.
Though the description of this book declares it to be the last of the trilogy, there is unfinished business and hints of more to come. According to author Thomas Locke’s blog, there is a possibility of this series becoming a major motion picture, and if so, there could be more to the stories. I can only hope that is the case.
This review was originally posted on AmongTheReads.net.
Get a Preview of Legends of the Realm at AmongTheReads.net
I would like to thank Netgalley, Revell for giving me this copy of the book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
The Golden Vial Is a wild child. It is a great book if you couldn’t tell. It was about freedom, gifts and abilities and now they were going to use them. There was bravery and the want of healing. There is fight or flight for you and your Kingdom or them and theirs. The imagery is unreal. The story telling is off the charts – though this is the 3rd book in a series and I wish I had read the 1st two but I don’t think totally needed, but maybe it might help a lot. I received a copy of this book from the Publisher and Netgalley; all of the opinions expressed in this review are all my own.
if you would like to read more of my Christian book reviews go to christianlybookreviewers.blogspot.com