The Amber Crown by Jacey Bedford – a Review

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play / Apple / BAM / Book Depository

Description:
The king is dead, his queen is missing. On the amber coast, the usurper king is driving Zavonia to the brink of war. A dangerous magical power is rising up in Biela Miasto, and the only people who can set things right are a failed bodyguard, a Landstrider witch, and the assassin who set off the whole sorry chain of events.

Valdas, Captain of the High Guard, has not only failed in his duty to protect the king, but he’s been accused of the murder, and he’s on the run. He’s sworn to seek justice, but his king sets him another task from beyond the grave. Valdas doesn’t believe in magic, which is unfortunate as it turns out.

Mirza is the healer-witch of a Landstrider band, valued and feared in equal measure for her witchmark, her scolding tongue, and her ability to walk the spirit world. When she’s given a task by Valdas’ dead king, she believes that the journey she must take is one she can never return from.

Lind is the clever assassin. Yes, someone paid him to kill the king, but who is to blame, the weapon or the power behind it? Lind must face his traumatic past if he’s to have a future.

Review:

The Amber Crown by Jacey Bedford is a stand-alone fantasy novel.  The story starts out when we meet our hero, Valdas, who is the Captain of the High Guard, protecting the King.  Valdas learns after his liaison with his girlfriend, that while he was away, the King was murdered; and he is being accused of killing the King; all of his soldiers have been killed, by those protecting the new King, and the Queen is now missing.  Valdas has to run and hide from the usurpers who are controlling the new King, and pushing for an all-out war.

We meet Mirza, our heroine, who is a healer-witch, and has the ability to enter the spirit world, which she will come face to face with the dead King, who sends her on assignment to help Valdas, and save the Queen (who is pregnant).

We also meet Lind, who is the assassin who killed the King, having been paid to do so; but Lind discovers the Queen in hiding, and is determined to help protect her and the baby, which in time will bring all three together to defeat the evil villain, who is determined to take and use magic, as he plans to take over the crown.

With three narratives, the story becomes a bit complex, trying to keep up with everyone, but by the last third of the book, everything begins to tie together.  This is a complicated storyline to review, as there are so many details, surprises, attacks and events along the way. Though this is fantasy, it is a historical vibe of magic during the Prussian time frame.  I will say that I did like the main characters, with the third (Lind) being better later in the book. It is a unique story line, with the two amazing leads (Mirza and Valdas), who fought their way through danger at every step.

The Amber Crown was a complex, but very good fantasy, which was a bit slow early on, but got more exciting in the second half of the book.  The three of them joined together to try and save the queen, defeat the evil villain, and bring the country back to its rightful heir.  The Amber Crown was well written by Jacey Bedford.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher