Source: I purchased the first book and was sent the second and third in the series for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
About the Author:
Schism
From Goodreads:
On the planet Darracia, an
ever-widening social gap between its inhabitants is causing turmoil that is
fracturing a once peaceful world. Struggling with his identity, nineteen year
old Prince V'sair must harness the power of the elusive Fireblade, the secret
to a warrior's heart, in order to overcome his uncle Staf Nuen's lust for
supremacy. Will the energy of the Elements guide the young prince to his true
destiny or will Staf Nuen conquer Darracia? After the success of his first
three books (Brood X, Stillwell, and The Hanging Tree) Michael is fulfilling a
dream and creating his own epic fantasy world. Schism: The Battle for Darracia
is the first book in a planned series.
My Thoughts:
I loved the idea of this world that
faces the same problems we face when it comes to placing people into
classes. We know that not everyone feels
this way, but it does still happen. When
the King of Darracia marries a woman of another race a split occurs. His own
brother leads it. With Prince V’sair
having traits from both sides he is not seen as the warrior he wants to be, but
is looked down on. He wants to find the
fireblade that can only be used by someone with a true warrior’s heart. He knows
he can’t just leave the kingdom to do this. Yet, when his uncle tries to
overthrow the throne, this may be the only thing that will keep his kingdom
together. I have to say that I purchased
the first book, as I was gifted copies of the next two in the series. The thing that makes this author’s books
different for me is that as science fiction goes, they were not too long. I
love long books. For me I was able to get into this world quickly and progress
through the book at a pace that made it possible for me to finish it to start
the next.
Collision
From Goodreads:
The Darracia saga continues with
all the key players spread out and searching for answers throughout the solar
system. Prince V'sair struggles to hold his fractured kingdom together without
help from his family. His stepbrother Zayden is on a vengeful hunt for his evil
uncle Staf Nuen. Tulani navigates her two worlds trying to bring them together.
Staf Nuen, the orchestrator of the original coup, is making unholy alliances
with nefarious new allies. Like the comet zipping across the horizon, all the
different factions are heading for a collision course that will test both their
faith and power.
My Thoughts:
This one was full of emotions. For me, any book that can bring out the
emotions in me is excellent. I really
wanted to hate Staf Nuen for what he had put Prince V’sair through as well as
Zayden. I felt the anger and hatred
Zayden felt. He and Prince V’sair carried the same emotions, but handled them
differently. I felt sorry for V’sair as he was stuck, unable to
do the things he really wanted due to his position. Tulani is facing some of the same things
Prince V’sair faces. She is not
Darracian, yet she has lived there and is now trying to learn all about her own
culture. Some of the people do not want
to trust her. The author has done an
excellent job of taking the suspense and questions we have and bringing it up a
notch. Just when you think you know what
is going to happen the author throws in a twist that brings hope. The tension
is left taught enough that you can’t wait for the next book, which I didn’t. I read them all back to back.
Risen
From Goodreads:
Imprisoned on the dead moon of
Bina, trapped at the bottom of the cold Hixom Sea, locked in a cell in the
flooded Desa and blinded & defeated in the Eastern Provinces, the ruling
class of Darracia is defeated without hope.
In the stunning conclusion of the
Darracia saga, V’sair, Tulani, Zayden and Reminda must dig deep and find both
strength and faith to rise from the depths of the impossible and restore order
to their home planet from Lothen, Staf Nuen and the evil armies of Geva.
My Thoughts
The author has done an excellent
job of bringing everything to fruition the way it should be. Each of the
characters are forced to face themselves and the adversity they face. They must
find a way to overcome that adversity if they are to save themselves, their
people, and the issues they fought so hard for. We see things come full
circle. The author made sure we saw how
flawed each of the characters were. This is what made them so realistic to
us. I’m not sure many of my middle
school students would enjoy this series. It is maybe a little too mature for
them. However, I have a friend who teaches at the high school level. I am sure
she and her friends would definitely enjoy this series and so it will be sent
her way. I can think of nothing better to do than to share a series when you
find one you really think is top notch.
I definitely feel that way about this book.
Born and raised on Long Island, Michael has always had a fascination with ghosts, horror and fantasy writing. Earning a degree in English and an MBA, he has worked various jobs before settling into being a full-time author. He currently resides on Long Island with his wife and children.
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