Circle of Reign

I first came across Jacob Cooper back in August of 2015. I had a job that I could listen to books most of the day, so I went through audio books fast.  For that reason I was searching Audible one morning before I went to work for something new, I only had 2 requirements. First that it was read by someone I liked already. And second that it was long. When I  search for a new book I usually do a search of my favorite narrators first. I searched Luke Daniels  and didn’t see anything new. Then Michael Kramer and what do you know, I saw Circle of Reign a bit over 20 hours long. I was in a hurry so i didn’t even read the description, I just started downloading it to my phone and left for work.

I know what you’re saying right now. You are saying “How the hell can he remember doing a search for a book over a year ago?” Well I have a pretty good memory when it comes to what happens in books. But not names, if I ever meet you in person save us both some awkwardness and tell me your name at least 10 times over the next hour or two. I am almost as bad with book titles and even worse with Song titles.  But if we had met at a book store and we walked down the aisles I can point to every book I have read and give a synopses of what it’s about.  That is a lot of books, but let’s get back to the one I am reviewing, whatever it’s called.

I usually start my reviews with the Physical aspects of a book. But we need to go about this one differently.  See  this book Is not  the same one I downloaded over a year ago. Well that’s not actually true. Since I first listened to it till now it has undergone a lot of changes. No I don’t mean like puberty. Jacob was approached by a guy you might have heard of named  David Farland and if you don’t recognize him from his Runelords Series, you might know some of the people he taught while a English professor  like Brandon Sanderson, Brandon Mull, James Dashner, and Stephanie Meyer. (You shouldn’t hold that last one against him.) David had read CoR and enjoyed it but thought this self published first time author could make it even better with some coaching. So together they cut about 35,000 words and then added  around 70,000. The result is not really a new book but I will admit a better one.

Now let’s get to the Physical part. The cover is pretty cool and shows a part out of the book well. But it is not very eye catching. I listened to the audio book again excellently narrated by Kramer.  And while the first version was a nice long AB this version is even longer at  24 hours 37 min. But you don’t have to take my word for it. You can pick the eBook up free on Kindle Unlimited and one of my lucky readers will get a free audible download code. More about this at the end.

Now a bit about the book itself.  The story takes place in a rather Grimdark world,  where the land seems to be dying. The country is called Senthara, and it is one of the last bastions of humanity. But on occasion people looking for farmable land  come with their whole civilizations but that is the plot for the prequel  Altar of Influence: The Orsarian War.   Also free as of now on Kindle Unlimited.

One of the things I love the most about this book is the action POVs. Like in the graphic below there are 3 people 2 fighting and one watching.  Well you as the reader are not bound to one POV you are bound to the action. During this fight you will see out of each one’s eyes and here their thoughts. It is so cinematic you can’t help but picture a movie in your head as you read. If you click the preview button at the bottom then click part one you can read this scene.

The blade on the right was actually made from a description in the books by Fallen Oak Forge. Here is a better picture.

I wouldn’t actually classify this series as Grimdark, but it is a near thing. The only reason  holding it back is no one really knows how screwed they are. The main character is Reign A Wood dweller of the Western Provence known as Arlethia.

What is a Wood dweller?  Well they are not long lived like elves but they do have the ability to sense vibrations of anything moving close to them through the tree roots and are blessed with an almost super hero level speed . We see that right from the start in the battle I pictured above.

Do yourself a favor and read the preview Here

 

 Final Thoughts

A few things didn’t really fit smoothly for me but they will probably be resolved in book two. There is quite a bit of in world language used that did get a bit confusing at times but not enough I didn’t know what they were talking about. I loved the original and rated it 4.5 stars. This one was even better and it gets a full 5 stars out of 5. Keep reading to find out more about the giveaway.

 

Win a free Audiobook version of Circle of Reign!

Jacob is a sucker for poetry. But only likes the kind that begin with Roses are red . So the best Roses are red poem of at least 30 words but no more than 100,000 wins. I am joking of course many of you know about my aversion to poetry. But I bet you didn’t know I am a published poet. Yes, sadly that is true but I don’t even remember the name of the book. ( I mentioned I am bad with names) And while the first 2  results of a Google search of Trevor Sherman poetry  will be links to something I wrote thankfully it’s not actual poetry.  No for a chance to win a free Audiobook just comment below. While you are at it you should comment on my other giveaway here. But don’t forget to comment below first! Good luck And if you lose you can always buy the book at the links below. One winner will be chosen Randomly from the comments below on this post. The drawing will take place on January 27 around 4 pm eastern. Any questions feel free to contact me 

Audible

Barnes and Noble

ISBN-13:

9780692246733

Publisher:

Jacob Cooper

Publication date:

12/27/2016

Series:

Dying Lands Chronicle , #1

Pages:

798