Tag: Fantasy adventure fiction

New book release: ‘Child of Dawn’ by Leslie Ann Lee

‘Child of Dawn’ is the exciting new fantasy adventure novel by Leslie Ann Lee. Photo: Amazon

The beauty of fantasy novels is that they transport us to other world, some with elves, others with vampires, but they are always filled with wonder and magic. Now that the days are getting shorter, why not curl up with a good book and if you love fantasy novels, today’s new release might just cast a spell on you. “Child of Dawn” by Leslie Ann Lee is the story of Dagsbrún and Anda who are completely different but when they meet, they begin an adventure that will change their lives in ways they never imagined. So if you enjoy books filled with magic, adventure, elves, vampires, and romance, pick up a copy today and find out what happens in a story that begins when an elf and a vampire fall in love. “Child of Dawn” is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle version.

Leslie Ann Lee is an author whose love affair with the written word began at the age of six. She graduated with a BA in English and an MA in Literary Humanities and the love affair with writing continues to this day. She sees stories like films played in her head. As of today, she has self-published three other novels, a children’s book, and a non-fiction retrospect of religious life growing up in a conservative church. Early on in her adult writing career, she was recognized for her poetry with several awards and had the honor of having one of her poems published in a state-wide poem anthology. She has also won recognition for a few of her short stories. Her new book “Child Of Dawn” is set in the world of the Vale, which is ruled by elves and vampires and is destined for destruction unless a prophecy can be fulfilled and two individuals who are completely opposite can find something in common.

“Child of Dawn” – The Vale is a place ruled by magic and governed by elves and vampires. They have warred with one another for millennia, forbidden to associate, much less fall in love, until one elf and one vampire do.

Thus begins the tale of their son, Dagsbrún, forced to be carried to another world beyond their barrier of magic, also called the Vale. Here, he is raised by an elven relative. Half-elf, half-vampire, he is hunted because of his need for blood but cannot be killed. He grows embittered and torments himself because he is called a “monster” and a “murderer.”

And then, one day, his gypsy servant brings a girl to his remote castle. A girl, who much like him, is thought to be a curse simply because she is different. Anda is the daughter of a human father and elven mother who crossed over into the human world by accident during a storm. Anda possesses her mother’s magic but does not know how to control it. She is forced to flee for her life, thus arriving at Dagsbrún’s home.

Here, his grandfather, Gammel, the elf who fled with him when he was an infant, reveals to them that they are part of a prophecy that must be fulfilled to save the Vale from destruction. Anda must learn to control and use her magic, and Dagsbrún must learn to face his fear of losing the one individual who sees beyond his darkness.

Together, they cross over into the realm of elf and vampire and embark on an adventure that will take them through both the ethereal land of the elves and the dark wasteland of the vampire. Anda must fulfill her role in the prophecy or die trying. And Dagsbrún must come to terms with a heart that is slowly learning to beat with an undying love.

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Book review: ‘Freeborn: Genesis’ by Steven Calkum

‘Freeborn: Genesis’ by Steven Calkum. Photo: Amazon

Steven Calkum was born in 1967 and grew up on a small ranch in East Central Colorado. He earned BS and MS degrees and worked in natural resources for 13 years before becoming disabled in 2011. A voracious reader, he created his own style by rewriting drafts until he would want to read his own work. He remarried in 2016 and plans to be a househusband and work toward a career as a writer/storyteller in addition to raising more children. He currently lives in Wyoming with the youngest of his children from his first marriage. His book “Freeborn: Genesis” is book one of the Freeborn saga. It is the story of Freeborn, a half human and half elven who learned from birth that though he can live among humans and elven peoples, he belongs to neither. (Amazon, 2023)

“Freeborn” – “Half of one world, half of another and anathema to both.” That is what Freeborn has heard all his life. Tishamon, the elven woodsman also known as The Long Walker, took him in when he was born and is the only person who accepts and respects Freeborn as he is. The story begins with Prologue: The Blizzard Birth as a pregnant young slave girl, a Copper Elf, ends up at Tishamon’s doorstep asking for help. She manages to deliver a healthy boy but she does not survive and pleas Tishamon to take care of her son and name him Freeborn. As Freeborn grows up, he and Tishamon travel the Shattered Empire. Tishamon helps Freeborn learn the rules and customs of the Empire’s many peoples, as well as the dangers of the world. An epic saga fantasy novel, it is divided into 58 chapters and follows Freeborn’s many adventures, battles, disappointments, and lessons learned along the way. Join Freeborn as he grows from boyhood to manhood and explores his expansive world.

When the real world gets to be too much, there is nothing better than getting lost in a fantasy novel filled with imaginary worlds, epic battles, and the different inhabitants of these worlds: elves, dwarves, giants, and more. “Freeborn” is definitely one of these novels. It combines a coming of age novel and a fantasy epic and brings readers along as Freeborn grows into the man he is meant to be. Tishamon, his guardian, is centuries old and teaches him survival skills but rarely gives rewards or compliments because “If you lived, that was your reward. If you didn’t, that was your penalty.” The author’s imagination is extensive, as evidenced in the detailed world building and the different societies in those worlds. The map at the beginning is a good idea, but in a Kindle, it is hard to see the details. Even though the language is simple, it is descriptive: “Freeborn swallowed the scream clawing up his throat and drew his sword with a trembling hand” and makes the action come alive throughout the pages. The battles scenes are written in such vivid detail that it is hard not to get immersed in them: “the goblinoid was so heavily muscled and had such thick bones that the arrows were stopped before they could hit anything vital.” Since this is Freeborn’s story, the character development is focused on his life as he grows through the years. Overall, “Freeborn” is a thrilling fantasy adventure. Despite the target demographic being young readers, it should appeal to anyone who appreciates epic sagas similar to the Lord of the Rings.

“We choose, consciously or unconsciously, to react to events in a certain way, for good or ill. The course of a person’s life is charted by those decisions.”

*The author was contacted for an honest review of this book. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Rating: 4 out of 5.