Ever The Brave by Erin Summerill – a Review

Ever The Brave by Erin Summerill – a Review

 

Ever the BraveAmazon / B&N /Kobo / BAM / Book Depository

Description:
Ever the Divided. Ever the Feared. Ever the Brave.
After saving King Aodren with her newfound Channeler powers, Britta only wants to live a peaceful life in her childhood home. Unfortunately, saving the King has created a tether between them she cannot sever, no matter how much she’d like to, and now he’s insisting on making her a noble lady. And there are those who want to use Britta’s power for evil designs. If Britta cannot find a way to harness her new magical ability, her life—as well as her country—may be lost.

The stakes are higher than ever in the sequel to Ever the Hunted, as Britta struggles to protect her kingdom and her heart.
 

 

Review:

Ever the Brave by Erin Summerill is the 2nd book in her Clash of Kingdoms series.  I enjoyed the first book in this series, but Ever the Brave was even better.   This is a fantasy novel in a world with two factions (Malem & Shaerdan ) that are at war with each other.  Malem, which is now fully ruled by King Aodren, who in the last book, was saved by Britta, our heroine and a Channeler .  A powerful Channeler & Spiriter is magically controlling other Channelers to help overtake Aodren.

Britta, our wonderful heroine, has a connection to Aodren, since she used her Channeler magic to save his life in the last book.  Cohen, is the man Britta loves since childhood, and who is now the Bounty Hunter for King Aodren.  Britta keeps the secret that her connection to Cohen has been replaced.   Before she saved Aodren, she did not like him, and with the connection, Britta will discover more about the man who is King.  The villians (Jamison and Pheia) are still around, and determined to kill the King.  With Cohen on assignment, Britta helps prevent another attack, and together with Aodren, they escape to find help, as the traitors have overtaken the castle.  They will develop a strong friendship that will test the bonds between Cohen and Britta.  Who will she eventually pick? 

Cohen and his team that are trying to find the dangerous powerful Channeler, who has kidnapped the girls, is also attacked, killing some of his men.  He will get help from a friend. Lirra is also a Channlier, and she needed Cohen’s help to find the missing girls.  When Cohen is injured, she will be the one to bring him to a safe place, and work with him to help the King and Britta. 

What follows is a very exciting adventure that will find them all on the run, badly injured and even some dead. Britta is a tough smart and great heroine. She will begin to learn from others how to use her abilities and try to stop the powerful enemies, at a cost that could take her own life.

There was so much going on; you had to keep reading to not miss a thing, and to say too much more would be spoilers.   Will Aodren survive the revolution by an evil enemy, and remain King?  Will Britta survive?  Who will Britta choose ….Cohen or Aodren?

I have said this before; the key to a successful series is to have good characters that you care about.   In Ever the Brave, we have some really good characters;  Britta, a wonderful heroine; Aodren, who I became crazy about as we got deeper and deeper into the story; Leif, Finn, Gillian & Lirra; I also liked Cohen a bit more closer to the end.  Summerill also gives us some evil villains that added to the story line.

Ever the Brave was a very exciting, tense, fast paced story line; well written by Summerrill, with great characters and many surprises along the way.  The ending did feel like the finale, however I understand there will be another book, which I will be reading.  So should you.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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Ever The Hunted by Erin Summerill – a Review

Ever The Hunted by Erin Summerill – a Review

 

Ever the HuntedAmazon / B&N / Kobo / BAM / Book Depository

Description:
Seventeen year-old Britta Flannery is at ease only in the woods with her dagger and bow. She spends her days tracking criminals alongside her father, the legendary bounty hunter for the King of Malam—that is, until her father is murdered. Now outcast and alone and having no rights to her father’s land or inheritance, she seeks refuge where she feels most safe: the Ever Woods. When Britta is caught poaching by the royal guard, instead of facing the noose she is offered a deal: her freedom in exchange for her father’s killer.

However, it’s not so simple.

The alleged killer is none other than Cohen McKay, her father’s former apprentice. The only friend she’s ever known. The boy she once loved who broke her heart. She must go on a dangerous quest in a world of warring kingdoms, mad kings, and dark magic to find the real killer. But Britta wields more power than she knows. And soon she will learn what has always made her different will make her a daunting and dangerous force.

 

Review:

Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill is the first book in her new Clash of Kingdoms series.  This is a fantasy novel with wonderful world-building by Summerill.  In this world there are two factions that are at war with each other.  The story revolves around our heroine, Britta, whom we meet at the start.  She lives alone after the death of her father, who was murdered.  He was an elite bounty hunter for the King of Malam. Britta knows that soon her home will be confiscated, and she will have nowhere to go.  Desperate for food, she enters the Ever Woods to hunt prey, and after she succeeds, she is captured by the Kings guards.  To save her own life, she makes a deal with the King’s Regent to help three guards track down the murderer of her father.  The problem…..the man they say who killed her father was his former apprentice and her childhood crushe…Cohen McKay.

In any new fantasy world, things do start off slow, as the author will show us the world we are now in.  The two factions are Malem, which is governed by the King and the Channelers,  who have magic and powers, but are prosecuted by those from Malem. Summerill does a good job creating a nice flow, as we learn about the two kingdoms, but the storyline is still very much centered on Britta.  

As one of the best trackers, Britta and the three guards (Captain Omar, Leif and Tomas) follow the trail that she finds to bring them closer to Cohen.  In a short period, Britta will come face to face with Cohen, and realize that he is innocent of the murder charges.  Together they escape the guards and try to find the real murderer.  What follows is an exciting, action filled and intense story that will bring both heroes to the brink of death.  Along the way, there are many twists and turns, as well as betrayals that put them further in danger.  Britta will learn more about her life that her father hid from her, and meet someone who will tell her the truth of her past, and how to use her ability.  Most of all, this is a sweet romance between Britta and Cohen, that was wonderfully written by Summerill.  What starts out as a childhood friendship, family dynamics and hidden feelings becomes a love that was so nice to watch grow.

As I have noted in previous fantasy first books, the key to a successful start of a series is to have good characters that you care about.   In Ever the Hunted, we not only have Britta, a wonderful heroine, who has just begun to harness her powers; Cohen, a great hero, who loves Britta with all his heart; and some other truly great characters; Leif, one of the good guards; Enat, a Channeler, who is more than a teacher to Britta; and even Captain Omar, who was cold and unforgiving early on.  

This turned out to be a very nice fast paced story line, well written by Summerrill, with great characters and  many surprises along the way.  Ever the Hunted is wonderful start to a new series, which I recommend that you read. I look forward to the next book in the Clash of the Kingdoms series. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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