Brian McNatt – The Reading Bud

Book Review: Warborn (Legends Of Heraldale #3) by Brian McNatt

20/01/202121/01/2021Brian McNatt, Fantasy, new adult, New Adult FantasyLeave a Comment

Author: Brian McNatt
Release Date: 22 October 2020
Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Series: Legends Of Heraldale (Book #3)
Format: E-book
Pages: 435 pages
Publisher:
Blurb:
Beneath the sins of the past, some souls are broken, some rise stronger, but all are changed. Princess Galaxy is lost. The cruel machinations of Lord Mordred have robbed the hippogryph of faith in the past and all those she most trusted. With appeals to the grand leader of gryphonkind, Lady Quetzal, falling on deaf ears, Galaxy must journey to the eastern city-state of Gateway, the last of the great nations standing against the might of the Unicorn Empire.

There she contends with a bloodthirsty general grown wary of hope, a lone king grown weary of war, and a blind prophet knowing ever more than she’s telling. Meanwhile, Brynjar and Owain find themselves the prized captives of Empress Nova herself. Lost deep in the heart of Avalon and threatened on all sides by the mad Lord Mordred, the conniving Lord Thoth, and the eldritch Lord Beauty, they will need the most unlikely of allies if they want any hope of escape . . . or survival.

Review

Warborn by Brian McNatt is the third book in the fantasy series Legends Of Heraldale.

You can read my review for the other books in this series here:
Legends of Heraldale by Brian McNatt
Past Sins (Legends of Heraldale #2) by Brian Natt

Having read this series from the start, I was really curious to read the 3rd book as I really liked the story so far. Needless to say, I had a lot of expectations from this book and thankfully, the book delivered everything it promised and I expected it. I really enjoyed reading about some familiar characters from the earlier two books as well as some new ones. The world-building was very intricate and the book helped me refresh my memory of some of the bits that I had forgotten.

The story was every bit as full of adrenaline as the last two books, and some more. There were some really good new concepts and creatures that kept me glued to the book. I really liked this book because it took steered the story into yet another, albeit perilous, new direction and I love where it is headed.

This book has a lot to offer to fantasy readers and therefore I highly recommend (not only this book but the entire series so far.)

You can also read my review on Amazon

Book Review: A Life Out There by Brian McNatt

20/05/201920/05/2019Brian McNatt, New Adult FantasyLeave a Comment

Author: Brian McNatt
Release Date: 31st March 2019
Genre: New Adult Fantasy
~~Series~~:
Edition: E-book
Pages:
Publisher: –
Blurb:
It is the mark of every true Wolf-Lord to heal from the worst of wounds in a matter of minutes, to shapeshift into any fantastical form imagined, and to burn away at deadly silver’s touch.
Princess Candida, third child of Queen Celeste of Romulus, can’t. Hers is a quiet life of shame, secluded from the wider world and treated more as servant than family. All she has to get by are the twin sibling who embodies everything she could have been, the stories of her world she fills her heart with, and the dream of a life beyond cold castle walls.
The kitsune thief changes everything. Forced to flee before Celeste’s wrath, Candida finds her way to the beautiful yet dangerous port city of Brillant. There, amidst performers, alchemists, and refugees, Candida discovers the world is everything she hoped for, everything she feared, and so much more.

REVIEW

★★★★

A Life Out There by Brian McNatt is a quick and enjoyable read with some very interesting beings (which appears to be one of the author’s strengths) and a fresh concept.

I enjoyed reading this book even more than I did the first two books by the author which only goes on to prove that the writing of the author is constantly improving and growing on me as a reader. The concept was very different from that of his earlier books and the progression of the plot was really good. The pacing was even and tension fell and rose at the right places.

This book had well-developed characterization. Candida was a good character and, thankfully, I was able to connect with her. I was able to relate to her inner conflicts and felt empathetic towards her.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all fantasy readers.

You can also read this review on Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review: Past Sins (Legends of Heraldale #2) by Brian Natt

17/05/2019Brian McNatt, new adult, New Adult Fantasy1 Comment

Author: Brian McNatt
Release Date: 30th June 2018
Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Series: Legends Of Heraldale (Book #2)
Edition: E-book
Pages: 316
Publisher: –
Blurb:
War rages across Heraldale. The Unicorn Empire sends its armies across the land, a blitzkrieg that every day brings the struggling gryphon nations closer to the final dreaded defeat.
In the Empire’s way stands Princess Galaxy, hippogryph.
Together with her adoptive gryphon brother Brynjar and the unicorn Owain, she has defied the iron will of Lord Mordred, evaded the might of the Imperial Army, and saved the city of Port Oil from the ravages of the rogue magical monster Spell Virus.
Now Galaxy continues her quest to bring the war to a final end, flying east to the Elderphine Forest and the secrets of her hippogryph heritage. A hidden kingdom will test her wisdom. A lonesome dragon will test her compassion. A travelling warrior will test her resolve. And a former enemy will test her ideas…to the breaking point.

REVIEW

★★★★

Past Sins by Brian McNatt is the second book in the Legends Of Heraldale series and a sequel to Legends Of Heraldale book. This book was definitely a step up from the last one, which was also an enjoyable read. The issue I had with characterization was pretty much-resolved in this book as the main and recurring characters slowly grew on me and the plot started to make more and more sense in the larger picture.

There were some very interesting new characters who made this book even more interesting. The writing, in this part, felt smoother too. Overall, it proved to be an easy book to read than the previous part and hence, I liked it better than the last world.

I’d recommend it to anyone looking to explore a fresh series by a new author.

You can also read this review on Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review: Legends of Heraldale by Brian McNatt

10/05/201910/05/2019Brian McNatt, New Adult Fantasy1 Comment

Author: Brian McNatt
Release Date: 9th January 2017
Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Series: Legends Of Heraldale (Book #1)
Edition: E-book
Pages: 252
Publisher: –
Blurb:
Here is the story of Galaxy the hippogryph, of Featheren Valley, who after great tragedy must go on a journey to reunite with her family and rekindle the fight against the Unicorn Empire and the dreaded Lord Mordred.

REVIEW

★★★+1/2

Legends Of Heraldale by Brian McNatt is a unique book about creatures long forgotten. The biggest selling point for me was that this book featured fantasy creatures that are very uncommon and it delivered exactly what it promised – a very uncommon plot and a fresh concept in the fantasy genre.

Though it took some time to get into the story, the plot was interesting and even gripping at many places. The settings very very unique and new and therefore pretty exciting, the characters were of a wide variety and pretty interesting in their own way. The plot progression was good and therefore the book made for a good quick read.

The writing was good, not overly impressive, but good enough as the book proved to be an easy read, especially given the hard names of some of the characters and beings which were difficult to remember at times. I think overall the book would have been much better with better editing.

My main problem in this book is with the characterization, it was okay in the sense that I was able to read the entire book, but not good enough that I was able to feel a connection to any of the main characters. The characters weren’t bad, but they just didn’t grow on me in this part. As this is a series, I am considerate of the fact that in some stories characters take time to grow on the readers. I desperately hope that I am right as I have just begun reading the second part in this series.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to hardcore fantasy readers.

You can also read this review on Goodreads and Amazon