The Squire

Blood of Kings, Book 1

By: Duncan M. Hamilton

Narrated by: John Lee

When creatures that lurk in the dark dare to venture out into the world, lives are changed forever.

Conrad lives a quiet rural life with his parents in the Northlands. During one fated night, his world is turned on its head, as nightmares become reality. While his Northlands blood cries out for revenge, Conrad’s head tells him surviving is the best he can do.

Rescued by a motley band of mercenaries, Conrad embarks on a life he could barely have imagined. As new challenges, friends, and enemies present themselves, Conrad knows that one day he will have to face the evil that so altered his life, and when that day comes, he must be ready.

©2021 Duncan M. Hamilton (P)2021 Audible, Inc.

Clean Language

It is refreshing to find a great listen that does not require perverse language to make a point or enhance a story.

The characters' morales on display inspire me to be a better man. To simply do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.

Overall engaging, though nothing brilliant

This story will not be for everyone, as should be obvious from the negative reviews. I decided to give it a try anyway, despite being less than impressed by the Society of the Sword trilogy. It's not something I was gushing over when I finished, but I do want to know what happens next strongly enough to get the next book.

A couple of things:
1. I didn't realize the magic would be so creepy. It was a bit disturbing to listen to at a couple of points.
2. The main character is a 12 year old boy. There are several reviews complaining about how useless he is - always being rescued, peeing his pants - but I think they have gotten used to the typical story book protagonists who are described as 12 but written as if they were 16 or 18. I just found it very realistic and honestly was impressed by how smart he was most of the time to accept that by trying to help would only make things worse. He for the most part *thinks* before rushing into terrible decisions, as most protagonists do.
3. Conrad's initial confrontation with Manfred made me roll my eyes. The book is a bit tropey, but overall I thought it was executed better than Society of the Sword.

A bit slow and only part 1

This story takes its time, unfolding very slowly. It is more of a coming of age story of a young man, and to me it would appeal as a YA series.

Once I attuned to the pace I enjoyed the story and the characters. Unfortunately for me the ending of this first book was not satisfactory - you need to commit to the trilogy. Book one just ends abruptly. While I now have 13 hrs invested in the story, it is not worth 2 credits to immediately get the other two books. Maybe if they go on sale I’ll pick them up.

Narration was good for the most part, but It seemed to me that the voices and accents occasionally slipped between characters, making it confusing to track who was speaking.

First time new author

I was very happy with the story lines and the basic outline of the series

John Lee was great!

Great world introduction - I can see it going in multiple directions. Kudos for snagging John Lee to read!