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loganmendivil's review
5.0
This is an absolutely wonderful collection of books from various little known authors across the genre. Being able to have the taste of different people's work and worlds have opened new doors and opportunities to enjoy other books or continue the different series thanks to this collection of wonderful creators.
ms_m's review
4.0
A pretty good collection of novels. I will be looking into books by some of these authors in the future.
sarah42783's review
3.0
Overall rating (8 out of 15 stories): 3.1875 stars.
This anthology? 15 full-length stories. For free. Yep, that's right: FOR FREE. 14 of the stories are first instalments in series, too. Fantasy series. With magic and sorcerers and dragons and swords and stuff. Lots of stuff.So what are you waiting for?! Get it now!! ← apparently this anthology is no longer available. Life sucks so much. At least for those who didn't download the book before it went poof. Muahahahaha. How sad and stuff.
July 2018 update:permanently momentarily throwing the towel on this one I am. I’m about halfway through this anthology right now, and it took me two bloody shrimping years to get this far. Don’t know why but I kinda sorta have the feeling that this might perhaps maybe have something to do with the fact that most of the stories in this collection either are disgusting YA, or feature revolting juvenile characters 
and even more miraculously managed to enjoy some of them (but don’t tell anyone I said so, or else and stuff) , but I still think it’s time for me this anthology to get some rest. It does indeed deserve it after painfully sitting on my currently-reading shelf for so long. I mean, imagine how those abominably youthful characters must feel after spending years in the near vicinity of my luscious Black Company babes, my scrumptious Sandman Slim, my yummy Daniel Faust, and the rest of my moderately amoral, ruthless (and a teensy little bit homicidal) ancient grown-up boyfriends and girlfriends! They must be slightly traumatized and stuff! Ergo, time to go into early retirement it is, you Repulsively Underage Bunch (RUB ™)!
Is the bath water too hot for you, little dears? Oops. So terribly sorry about that.
➽ Recap of Doom:
✔ Concealed Power by [a:K.J. Colt|7103731|K.J. Colt|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1369983257p2/7103731.jpg]: nothing short of awesome.
✔ The Blacksmith's Son by [a:Michael G. Manning|5021072|Michael G. Manning|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1459815979p2/5021072.jpg]: pretty cool, too.Even though it's kind of YA and kind of features youngish characters ← I never said any of this. You are completely delusional.
• Balanced on the Blade's Edge by [a:Lindsay Buroker|4512224|Lindsay Buroker|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1292869920p2/4512224.jpg]: read it a few years ago. Not bad, but the PG-13 is strong in that one *shudders*
✘ Ren of Atikala by David Adams: DNF. Go me and stuff.
✘ Magic of Thieves [a:C. Greenwood|5099194|C. Greenwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1401162173p2/5099194.jpg]: not too suicide-inducing despite the Disgusting YA Factor (DYAF™). It wasn't good, though. I DNFed it, though. Surprise, surprise.
✘ Requiem's Song [a:Daniel Arenson|790143|Daniel Arenson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1460334881p2/790143.jpg]: not all dragons are worth reading about, my Little Barnacles. QED and stuff.
✔ Witch Hunt by [a:Annie Bellet|4606262|Annie Bellet|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1296071565p2/4606262.jpg]: cool curse + mute elf + pixie-goblin + mini-unicorn + Annie Bellet = YUM.
✔ Forged in Blood by [a:K.F. Breene|7010202|K.F. Breene|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1403108800p2/7010202.jpg]: a Shanti prequel. Need I say more? Didn’t think so. Ha.
① Concealed Power by K.J. Colt: 4.5 stars
➼ Series: The Healers of Meligna
Trigger warning: sexual abuse.
This is the end. I just gave a Freaking YA story a freaking 4.5-star rating. And it's YA, too. You know, as in YOUNG ADULT. As in NOT Adult. I am SO doomed. And you know what makes it worse? The story broke the little heart I don't have over and over and over again. And you know what makes it worse, worse? I want to read the rest of this Freaking YA series. But I have an excuse: this might be YA as in NOT Adult as in the mc is 13 as in I must be out of my freaking mind, but it's gloriously dark. This is only YA in the sense that the NOT Adult TEENAGE mc is a freaking YOUNG Adult. A YOUNG Adult that keeps being treated like shit by everyone "for her own good" (or not). A YOUNG Adult who has tons of potential and has all it takes to become an awesome character.
[An interruption from Goodreads support: no, this account hasn't been hacked. Sarah might not be very sane, but it is really her little self semi-fangirling about a Freaking YA Not Adult story with a Freaking YA Not Adult heroine here.]
The themes developed in this story do not involve fluffy bunnies, cute kitties and pastel-colored rainbows. They do involve abuse (verbal, physical and sexual), and cruelty, and betrayal, and trauma, and tragedy. Lots of it. Things can get deliciously bleak in this unique world on the brink of war. Hidden agendas and half-truths abound. No one can be trusted. It's beautiful. Well it's beautiful to me, anyway. Because I'm twisted andalmost have no heart. I am pretty sure this story will prove disturbing to lovers of cute fluffy bunnies. And I am pretty sure they are going to hate how the Healing process that is as the base of this story works. Especially since it involves young girls. And that's all I am going to say about it because reasons. And spoilers. Yeah, that too. You can thank me later for not ruining this awesome *whispers* YA story for you. You're welcome.
➽ And the moral of this mini non-review is: this story is YA. I freaking LOVED it. What does that tell you? That there is a good chance everyone else will think it is pure, undiluted crap. But that's only because everyone else has despicable book taste. Ha.
② The Blacksmith's Son by Michael G. Manning: 4 stars
➼ Series: Mageborn
Oh dear. This was another trap. Oh dear. This was another YA story. Oh dear. I didn't DNF it. Oh dear. I slightly enjoyed it. Oh dear. I want to read the rest of the series. Oh dear. Something seems to be seriously wrong with me. Oh dear. I think I'm broken or something. HALP!
Okay, okay, so this story wasn't mind-blowingly original. Okay, okay, so this story is pretty light despite being sprinkled with a few slightly horrid scenes. But it was fun. And entertaining. And fast-paced. And not stupidly stupid. Most importantly, it didn't awaken the homicidal maniac in me, which is quite a feat these days.
Just in case you were wondering, this story is about a blacksmith's son. Hahaha, I'm SO funny sometimes. But anyway. This blacksmith's son is sixteen (nobody's perfect). This blacksmith's son discovers he is a mage with rare built-in magical powers (cool shit happens sometimes). Chaos and mayhem ensue. More or less. And barely there sex, too. Well done, Mr Manning. Because even though the sex is not graphically there, it still is. There, I mean. Which is, you know, good. And stuff. Especially since this is, you know, *whispers* YA. And stuff.
I didn't write any of this ↑↑ This story isn't *whispers* YA, I didn't read it and I certainly didn't enjoy it.
③ Balanced on the Blade's Edge by Lindsay Buroker: 3 stars
➼ Series: Dragon Blood
Read in 2014. Crappy review here.
④ Ren of Atikala by David Adams: 2.5 stars
➼ Series: Kobolds
☠ DNFed somewhere along the way. Boring Kobolds on a boring hero's journey is boring. The End.
⑤ Magic of Thieves by C. Greenwood: 2 stars
➼ Series: Legends of Dimmingwood
☠ DNFed somewhere along the way. Not sure where or when. Go me.
Okay, so I didn't die while reading this one, which is nothing short of a miracle since it belongs to that terrifying genre known as Young Adult
quite entertaining not entirely not enjoyable. But it went downhill fast. Really really fast. Because:
➽ After a gloriously dark beginning, the story becomes dull dull dull, boring boring boring and lackluster lackluster lackluster. Our disgustingly juvenile, recently orphaned heroine goes to live with the not-so-Robin-Hoodish outlaws in theSherwood Dimmingwood forest. It could have been pretty awesome, had there been a little devious wickedness here and there. And a tiny little bit of blood and gore. But there wasn't, so it wasn't. It was all "heigh ho, heigh ho, it's off to do boring camp stuff I go." Which was highly fascinating.
➽ The unpleasantly immature heroine gets her whine-o-matic on. Full throttle. And becomes increasingly bitchy. And turns into a total asshole. And a selfish one at that. You nasty, hateful little brat need to be chopped into tiny little pieces and then be fed to the murderous crustaceans. No, that would be too cruel, my poor babies would never be able to digest such a shameless, spiteful harpy. I hear piranhas have quite a strong digestive track, though. There you go boys! Bon appétit!
I love anti-heroes. I love cunning, devious bitches. But childish, egotistical, bad-tempered, obnoxious, worthless little punks? I think not.
Bye now.
⑥ Requiem's Song by Daniel Arenson: 2 stars
➼ Series: Dawn of Dragons
Yes, there was glorious violence in this book. Lots of it. And that's about it. The premise is intriguing but the execution bloody shrimping lacking. Nothing happens outside of the fight/battle scenes. A big, fat nothing. Just tons of blah blah blah, whining galore and drama aplenty. It's really amazing that the characters didn't commit mass suicide before the book was over, come to think of it. I mean, things are always hopelessly hopeless and bleakly bleak and woe is us and oh we love being victimized 24/7 and oh we're constantly being abused and this is the end and we are all going to die and stuff. In cases like this one, it is highly advisable to put an end tothe reader's one's pathetic misery and go all seppuku on one's little exoskeleton and all that crap. Had the uplifting characters in this story had a quarter of half a third of depth, or had they shown the tiniest of teensiest hint of insignificant development, I might have advised them to keep fighting to the bitter fishing end instead of taking their own miserable, silly lives. But they didn't, so I didn't.
The end.
P.S. Don't read this thing.
P.P.S You're welcome.
⑦ Witch Hunt by Annie Bellet: 3.5 stars
➼ Series: Gryphonpike Chronicles
Thelong short and short of it:
Now if really you want to know why this story is slightly cool and why some clueless barnacles read it slightly wrong, click here.
⑧ Forged in Blood by K.F. Breene: 4 stars
➼ Series: The Warrior Chronicles
Warrior. Chronicles. Prequel. FOR FREE.
*starts hyperventilating*
Bloody shrimping Warrior Chronicles Prequel FOR FREE!!!!!!
*faints*
*vaguely regains consciousness*
» Shantiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii's baaaaaaaccccckkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!
*stops breathing*
*resumes breathing after Sanders performs mouth to mouth*
*faints again because Sanders*
To be continued...
June 2016 update: if you want to read the review I never wrote for this story, please feel free to click here. You are most welcome and stuff.
Shantiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii's baaaaaaaccccckkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!! 
⑨ Rise of the Dragons by Morgan Rice: to be read.
➼ Series: Kings and Sorcerers
⑩ A Gift of Shadow by Nick Webb: to be read.
➼ Standalone
⑪ Hidden by Megg Jensen: to be read.
➼ Series: Dragonlands
⑫ The Book of Deacon by Joseph R. Lallo: to be read.
➼ Series: The Book of Deacon
⑬ Talon by Michael J. Ploof: to be read.
➼ Series: The Windwalker Archive
⑭ Dawning by M.S. Verish: to be read.
➼ Series: Black Earth Series
⑮ The Sorcery Code by Dima Zales and Anna Zaires: to be read.
➼ Series: The Sorcery Code
This anthology? 15 full-length stories. For free. Yep, that's right: FOR FREE. 14 of the stories are first instalments in series, too. Fantasy series. With magic and sorcerers and dragons and swords and stuff. Lots of stuff.
July 2018 update:
Is the bath water too hot for you, little dears? Oops. So terribly sorry about that.
➽ Recap of Doom:
✔ Concealed Power by [a:K.J. Colt|7103731|K.J. Colt|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1369983257p2/7103731.jpg]: nothing short of awesome.
✔ The Blacksmith's Son by [a:Michael G. Manning|5021072|Michael G. Manning|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1459815979p2/5021072.jpg]: pretty cool, too.
• Balanced on the Blade's Edge by [a:Lindsay Buroker|4512224|Lindsay Buroker|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1292869920p2/4512224.jpg]: read it a few years ago. Not bad, but the PG-13 is strong in that one *shudders*
✘ Ren of Atikala by David Adams: DNF. Go me and stuff.
✘ Magic of Thieves [a:C. Greenwood|5099194|C. Greenwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1401162173p2/5099194.jpg]: not too suicide-inducing despite the Disgusting YA Factor (DYAF™). It wasn't good, though. I DNFed it, though. Surprise, surprise.
✘ Requiem's Song [a:Daniel Arenson|790143|Daniel Arenson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1460334881p2/790143.jpg]: not all dragons are worth reading about, my Little Barnacles. QED and stuff.
✔ Witch Hunt by [a:Annie Bellet|4606262|Annie Bellet|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1296071565p2/4606262.jpg]: cool curse + mute elf + pixie-goblin + mini-unicorn + Annie Bellet = YUM.
✔ Forged in Blood by [a:K.F. Breene|7010202|K.F. Breene|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1403108800p2/7010202.jpg]: a Shanti prequel. Need I say more? Didn’t think so. Ha.
① Concealed Power by K.J. Colt: 4.5 stars
➼ Series: The Healers of Meligna
Trigger warning: sexual abuse.
This is the end. I just gave a Freaking YA story a freaking 4.5-star rating. And it's YA, too. You know, as in YOUNG ADULT. As in NOT Adult. I am SO doomed. And you know what makes it worse? The story broke the little heart I don't have over and over and over again. And you know what makes it worse, worse? I want to read the rest of this Freaking YA series. But I have an excuse: this might be YA as in NOT Adult as in the mc is 13 as in I must be out of my freaking mind, but it's gloriously dark. This is only YA in the sense that the NOT Adult TEENAGE mc is a freaking YOUNG Adult. A YOUNG Adult that keeps being treated like shit by everyone "for her own good" (or not). A YOUNG Adult who has tons of potential and has all it takes to become an awesome character.
[An interruption from Goodreads support: no, this account hasn't been hacked. Sarah might not be very sane, but it is really her little self semi-fangirling about a Freaking YA Not Adult story with a Freaking YA Not Adult heroine here.]
The themes developed in this story do not involve fluffy bunnies, cute kitties and pastel-colored rainbows. They do involve abuse (verbal, physical and sexual), and cruelty, and betrayal, and trauma, and tragedy. Lots of it. Things can get deliciously bleak in this unique world on the brink of war. Hidden agendas and half-truths abound. No one can be trusted. It's beautiful. Well it's beautiful to me, anyway. Because I'm twisted and
➽ And the moral of this mini non-review is: this story is YA. I freaking LOVED it. What does that tell you? That there is a good chance everyone else will think it is pure, undiluted crap. But that's only because everyone else has despicable book taste. Ha.
② The Blacksmith's Son by Michael G. Manning: 4 stars
➼ Series: Mageborn
Oh dear. This was another trap. Oh dear. This was another YA story. Oh dear. I didn't DNF it. Oh dear. I slightly enjoyed it. Oh dear. I want to read the rest of the series. Oh dear. Something seems to be seriously wrong with me. Oh dear. I think I'm broken or something. HALP!
Okay, okay, so this story wasn't mind-blowingly original. Okay, okay, so this story is pretty light despite being sprinkled with a few slightly horrid scenes. But it was fun. And entertaining. And fast-paced. And not stupidly stupid. Most importantly, it didn't awaken the homicidal maniac in me, which is quite a feat these days.
Just in case you were wondering, this story is about a blacksmith's son. Hahaha, I'm SO funny sometimes. But anyway. This blacksmith's son is sixteen (nobody's perfect). This blacksmith's son discovers he is a mage with rare built-in magical powers (cool shit happens sometimes). Chaos and mayhem ensue. More or less. And barely there sex, too. Well done, Mr Manning. Because even though the sex is not graphically there, it still is. There, I mean. Which is, you know, good. And stuff. Especially since this is, you know, *whispers* YA. And stuff.
I didn't write any of this ↑↑ This story isn't *whispers* YA, I didn't read it and I certainly didn't enjoy it.
③ Balanced on the Blade's Edge by Lindsay Buroker: 3 stars
➼ Series: Dragon Blood
Read in 2014. Crappy review here.
④ Ren of Atikala by David Adams: 2.5 stars
➼ Series: Kobolds
☠ DNFed somewhere along the way. Boring Kobolds on a boring hero's journey is boring. The End.
⑤ Magic of Thieves by C. Greenwood: 2 stars
➼ Series: Legends of Dimmingwood
☠ DNFed somewhere along the way. Not sure where or when. Go me.
Okay, so I didn't die while reading this one, which is nothing short of a miracle since it belongs to that terrifying genre known as Young Adult
➽ After a gloriously dark beginning, the story becomes dull dull dull, boring boring boring and lackluster lackluster lackluster. Our disgustingly juvenile, recently orphaned heroine goes to live with the not-so-Robin-Hoodish outlaws in the
➽ The unpleasantly immature heroine gets her whine-o-matic on. Full throttle. And becomes increasingly bitchy. And turns into a total asshole. And a selfish one at that. You nasty, hateful little brat need to be chopped into tiny little pieces and then be fed to the murderous crustaceans. No, that would be too cruel, my poor babies would never be able to digest such a shameless, spiteful harpy. I hear piranhas have quite a strong digestive track, though. There you go boys! Bon appétit!
I love anti-heroes. I love cunning, devious bitches. But childish, egotistical, bad-tempered, obnoxious, worthless little punks? I think not.
Bye now.
⑥ Requiem's Song by Daniel Arenson: 2 stars
➼ Series: Dawn of Dragons
Yes, there was glorious violence in this book. Lots of it. And that's about it. The premise is intriguing but the execution bloody shrimping lacking. Nothing happens outside of the fight/battle scenes. A big, fat nothing. Just tons of blah blah blah, whining galore and drama aplenty. It's really amazing that the characters didn't commit mass suicide before the book was over, come to think of it. I mean, things are always hopelessly hopeless and bleakly bleak and woe is us and oh we love being victimized 24/7 and oh we're constantly being abused and this is the end and we are all going to die and stuff. In cases like this one, it is highly advisable to put an end to
The end.
P.S. Don't read this thing.
P.P.S You're welcome.
⑦ Witch Hunt by Annie Bellet: 3.5 stars
➼ Series: Gryphonpike Chronicles
The
Now if really you want to know why this story is slightly cool and why some clueless barnacles read it slightly wrong, click here.
⑧ Forged in Blood by K.F. Breene: 4 stars
➼ Series: The Warrior Chronicles
Warrior. Chronicles. Prequel. FOR FREE.
*starts hyperventilating*
Bloody shrimping Warrior Chronicles Prequel FOR FREE!!!!!!
*faints*
*vaguely regains consciousness*
» Shantiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii's baaaaaaaccccckkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!
*stops breathing*
*resumes breathing after Sanders performs mouth to mouth*
*faints again because Sanders*
To be continued...
June 2016 update: if you want to read the review I never wrote for this story, please feel free to click here. You are most welcome and stuff.
⑨ Rise of the Dragons by Morgan Rice: to be read.
➼ Series: Kings and Sorcerers
⑩ A Gift of Shadow by Nick Webb: to be read.
➼ Standalone
⑪ Hidden by Megg Jensen: to be read.
➼ Series: Dragonlands
⑫ The Book of Deacon by Joseph R. Lallo: to be read.
➼ Series: The Book of Deacon
⑬ Talon by Michael J. Ploof: to be read.
➼ Series: The Windwalker Archive
⑭ Dawning by M.S. Verish: to be read.
➼ Series: Black Earth Series
⑮ The Sorcery Code by Dima Zales and Anna Zaires: to be read.
➼ Series: The Sorcery Code
More...