Tag: K. C. May

The Kinshield Legacy by K. C. May

The Kinshield Legacy by KC May

The Kinshield Legacy by KC May, Book #1 of The Kinshield Saga

Introduction

The Kinshield Legacy by KC May begins the story of Gavin Kinshield. The fantasy kingdom of Thendylath has been without a king for many years. The previous king has decreed that whoever solves the runes of the five magical gemstones on a tablet in a cave will become the next rightful king. Kinshield is a descendant of the previous king’s second in command, who may or may not have caused the previous king’s downfall.

Kinshield has had visions of solving the runes and has obtained two of the five gems. He does this anonymously so that no one knows he is the riddle solver. The solver of the last rune will become king. The sorcerer Brodas Ravenkind wants to find out who has been solving the runes and wants to take over the kingdom. Only one man will become king. Kinshield does not want the responsibility and Ravenkind will do anything to become the next king including murder.

The Kinshield Legacy by KC May

Summary

Gavin Kinshield is a warrant knight. Warrant knights are part sheriffs and part bounty hunters. He goes around the kingdom dispensing justice. Without a king, the petty lords need warrant knights to keep the peace. The blacksmith Risen Stronghammer is beholden to Kinshield because he had heroically saved his wife from drowning in the river. The Stonghammer’s are from a small of stature race from Farthan. Risen fashions a magical sword for Kinshield using the gems Kinshield had obtained and some magic from a Farthan enchantress. Kinshield encounters Daia Saberheart of the Viragon Sisterhood. The Sisterhood is a warrior and monk mercenary company. Kinshield charms her with his selfless personality despite his uncouth manners. Kinshield enlists her aid in his mission to find a man worthy to be king. Risen and Daia helps Gavin in his efforts to defeat Ravenkind and find a king for the kingdom.

Recommendation

Gavin Kinshield is a likable character. Maybe he is too much the charming rogue with the bulging biceps. The kingdom is a somewhat generic medieval fantasy world with a sort of dwarves in the Farthans. Risen is a fun character in short bursts. Daia and the Sisterhood were good for the story. I wanted Gavin and Daia to become more romantically involved, maybe in the sequel. Ravenkind should have been more than the mustache-twirling villain. Despite my reservations, I enjoyed this novel very much and would like to continue to read the rest of the saga.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Kinshield Legacy by KC May.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8732732-the-kinshield-legacy

My review of Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook. It is a novel like The Kinshield Legacy. The Black Company is a medieval fantasy mercenary group and Croaker tells their tales.

Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook

Song of the Sea Spirit by K. C. May

Song of the Sea Spirit by KC May

Song of the Sea Spirit by KC May, Book #1 of The Mindstream Chronicles

Introduction

Jora and Boden live in the fishing village of Kaild. They have grown up together like brother and sister. They both face momentous changes in their lives. Boden must take a wife before he joins the Legion and fights to protect the Tree of the Fallen God. Jora is expected to become a wife and produce sons to send to the Legion, but she has the talent of Mindstreaming. Her talent lets her follow the timeline of anyone see meets and then observe the past as they saw it, so no one in her village wants to marry her and risk her seeing everything about their lives. Boden must decide who to marry and Jora must decide what she wants to do with her life.

22042084

Summary

Boden decides to marry someone other than Jora and Jora remains a maiden. Boden gives Jora a flute as a present before he leaves for the Legion. She does not know how to play, so she decides to practice by the sea where no one can hear her play. She tries to play her favorite song called song of the sea spirit, but is visited by a friendly dolphin who whistles the song back to her. These are the best moments in the novel. They are Jora’s discovery of the dolphin’s language and her communications with the dolphin called Sundancer. Boden’s travels to the Legion and his experiences there comprise the other half of the novel’s story. The weaker half. He joins the Legion, bonds with his comrades, and discovers a secret that jeopardizes his safety.

Someone is stealing the godfruit that is dropped by the Tree of the Fallen God. If the men of the Legion eat one godfruit in the morning and die that day, then they will live again. This can only happen once per person. Who is stealing the godfruit and why they steal it are the questions Boden must answer. Meanwhile, Jora has been discovered by other Mindstreamers. Mindstreamers are recruited and trained by the Order of Justice Officials. The order supports the Legion and novices are trained in Serocia’s capitol of Jolver. Jora is drafted into the order, she is taken to Jolver, her training begins, and she bonds with the other novices. She views Boden through the Mindstream and discovers the mystery of the godfruit. This forbidden knowledge leads to many complications and ultimately the novel’s climax.

Recommendation

My struggles with this book are one of matching expectations. I thought that this book was going to be a sweet playful jaunt about dolphins and flutes. That changed about halfway through the novel starting with the fate of Gilon. This book had a much darker message about the nature of death and what Jora would do when her power became unlimited. Did she becomes that which she fought so hard against? The answer may be in book #2: The Call of the Colossus. This wasn’t the story that I expected, but the story that the author told still intrigues me enough to read the next novel in the series.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Song of the Sea Spirit by KC May

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22042084-song-of-the-sea-spirit

My review of The Kinshield Legacy by KC May. In this fantasy, Gavin Kinshield is a warrant knight. He must solve a riddle of runes to save the kingdom.

The Kinshield Legacy by K. C. May