At the beginning of 2021 I applied to get review copies of Zack Argyle’s book directly on the author’s website. And on the 16th of February I received a very nice email of Zack that I was approved to get review copies for his books, attaching the first one Voice of War (review to that one can be found on this blog too). And in March I received the copy for Stones of Light. Lucky for me as I could read the second book, which is even better than the first one, straight after I finished Voice of War.
Thank you very much Zack for giving me the chance to continue along the journey.
Book information:
- Author: Zack Argyle
- Date of publication: 4th April 2021
- Genre: Fantasy
- Pages: 333
Book Blurb:
The coreseal is shattered and a new darkness is coming.
Chrys swore to never again let the Apogee take control but, in a moment of desperation, he gave in. Now, he will learn what the Apogee truly wants.
In Alchea, Laurel will do anything to get her threadlight back, even if it means working for the leader of the Bloodthieves. But she has no choice…a life without threadlight is no life at all.
To the west, Alverax travels with the Zeda people to the large port city of Felia, where they seek refuge after the fires in the Fairenwild. But he shattered the coreseal, and no one quite knows what the consequences will be. They only know it won’t be good.
Together, they doomed the world…now, they must save it.
from goodreads
Review and Recommendation:
What a fantastic read it has been. This book is even better than the first installment in the series. It gripped me straight from the start and kept me incarcerated till the end. It picks up speed and is faced paced, leaving its readers captivated and entranced. So even I, a very slow reader, finished the book in just a few days.
In this review I especially want to talk about the characters. Most characters appearing in the books are already well known to the reader from book one.
One of them is Alvarax, the only obsidian threadweaver. He experiences a huge character development from kind of like from zero to hero. There were already hints about him being a really good guy in Voice of War but here he manages to find his own way and purpose. Also he takes upon much more room in Stones of Light which is an excellent thing as I grew very fond of him.
We also meet Chrys(anthemum)and his family again. And he is still the lovable character he was in the first book. If it is possible he gets even better and he is still willing to scarifies everything for his family: „His heart and Soul. His purpose. His uncut diamond.“ Chrys The good thing is that it that his family always supports him as well. I especially liked Willow, Chrys mother. She is portrayed like a lioness defending her cubs. She is highly clever and a tough and excellent fighter. Being a mum myself I can relate to her and I really enjoyed reading her part in the book. Especially as cool (older) mums are very rare in books. She is definitely one of my favorite characters in this book.
The biggest character development in the book can be found in Laurel. I do not want to give away too much as it might ruin the story. So I just want to give a quote which excellently shows Laurel’s character: „She was already strong. She was already enough.“
There are also some new characters, with Roshaw leading the way. He falls in with Chrys and his mother and becomes an important part of the story. I especially liked the way his belief goes:„When my father explained it to me, he said that when peopled their spirits drift up into the heavens. When you choose a star for them, you can look into the sky and know they’re looking down on you from that very place.“ He is not the most straight forward or „cleanest“ character there is but nonetheless likable.
As I mentioned in my review of A Voice of War the Apogee was a big enigma for me. But it all gets solved in Stones of Light.
There are also moments in the book which are a reminiscence of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings: „What say you?“, reminded me a lot about Aragorn getting the ghosts to fight for them. It is also used in a very fitting situation in Stones of Light.
Next to excellent battle scenes and a thrilling story the book also offers monsters and animal companions. What more can you wish for in a book?
Information on the author can be found on:
