Tag Archives: C.L. Schneider

Book Review

Review: The Crown of Stones: Magic-Bourne

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The Crown of Stones: Magic-Bourne

by C.L. Schneider

Reviewed by JMD Reid

Ian Troy has is the only one who can stop his father from creating a magical empire. DdD Reth plans on enslaving all to his will. He will free his people, the Shinree, from one set of chains into another while dominating the entire lands of Mirra’kelan

To stop his father, Troy will have to destroy the Crown of Stones. But to do that, he needs to understand its origins and that of his people. Delving into the past of the Shinree, Troy shall uncover truths lost over the centuries of slavery and catastrophe. But will it be enough to let him defeat his father?

Or will Jem Reth dominate all the lands of Mirra’kelan and usher in his grand ambition to be Emperor.

Everything the trilogy has been building for reaches its peak in this book. Schneider reveals all the secrets of the Shinree past, pulling back the mysteries and giving Troy a choice. The book is packed with action, danger, and suspense. The first person narrative once again propels the book with a sense of immediacy, placing you in the action.

With a bittersweet ending, Magic-Bourne is a satisfactory closing to the trilogy, building towards its climax with a breathtaking intensity. The plot twists and turns but Schneider doesn’t lose her way and guides you to its ending.

This is an amazing series. If you’re a fan of Fantasy, then you should read this book. Plenty of action, plot, drama, and more to satisfy your craving. One last time, we plunge into the world of Mirra’kelan!

You can buy Crown of Stone-Magic Bourne from Amazon!

Book Review

Review: The Crown of Stones: Magic-Scars

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The Crown of Stones: Magic-Scars

by C.L. Schneider

Reviewed by JMD Reid

b00s05q722-01-lzzzzzzzIt’s been two years from the events of the last novel. And for those two years Ian Troy, a magic-using Shinree, has been a slave to the magic-suppressing drug kanyl. In a haze, he has worked in the mines, performing back-breaking labor for the man defeated him—Drakon.

Now Drakon and his Shinree ally are threatening to control the known world. Only the Crown of Stones can stop him. And only Ian Troy knows where it is. The resistance has no choice but to risk exposure to save him.

Ian Troy awakens to a world he may want to forget as he struggles to piece together the fragments of his life and deal with the acts he has committed. Again, it all falls in his shoulders. And he may be too scarred to carry them.

Magic-Scar is a great follow-up to Magic-Price. More nail-biting action, whirling plots, and characters whose true motivations are hidden. Schneider delivers another fast-paced fantasy novel, expanding her world building and revealing new secrets and mysteries to the Reth family and the truth about the ancient Shinree empire.

Again, Schnieder writes the book in first person from Ian Troy’s perspective. It keeps her protagonist in the heart of the action because anything he doesn’t witness has to be told instead of shown, and no one wants that. Again, it works great in this book, helping to drive the intensity of the plot.

Fans of exciting, fast-paced fantasy will enjoy the world Schneider has created with her Crown of Stones Trilogy. If you haven’t read the first novel, pick it up. And if you’ve had, why haven’t you dived into book three?

You can buy Crown of Stone-Magic Scars from Amazon!

Book Review

Review of The Crown of Stones: Magic-Price

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The Crown of Stones: Magic-Price

by C.L. Schneider

Reviewed by JMD Reid

b00hew3szq-01-lzzzzzzzIan Troy is haunted by his past and his abilities. He is a Shinree, a race who can use magic. But magic always comes with a price. To cast a spell, something living has to die. When Ian Troy decides to end the war between his nation, Rella, and the Langorians using the fabled artifact the Crown of Stone, magic’s price goes two far killing both armies and his lover, Queen Aylagar.

Ten years later, Troy has vowed to never use magic again. Fear and reviled as the man who killed so many people, he exists as a bounty hunter, staying on the fringes of society trying to forget his guilt. But events are moving again and Troy finds himself embroiled in a plan that will affect all the nations of the world.

Once again, Troy will be forced to use magic to protect Rella and his friends as he faces against a Shinree who wants to restore the glory of their enslaved people. A people addicted to magic fed off living creatures’ deaths.

Schneider’s writes a fast-paced plot, zooming from one catastrophe to the other as Troy has to react to the machinations of his enemy while trying to protect those around him. He fights against the call of magic, battling it like an alcoholic battling his demons. The only problem—the alcoholic doesn’t need to drink to have the power to protect Rella and those he cares for.

Troy does.

Schneider explores the moral question of what to do with a race of beings that has to kill living creatures to fuel their addictive magic. Especially when said magic is so useful from oracles, to healers, to soldiers capable of fighting with more skill, and even teleportation. Should they be enslaved by drugs? Set free? Or exterminated? With magic’s price so high, there are no easy answers as she explores this dilemma through the unfolding plot.

The use of first person for a fantasy novel was interesting. It is not often done, but it works great here. She keeps the book entirely from Troy’s perspective and since he is at the fulcrum of the enemy’s plans, it keeps his character right in the heart of the action. If you’re a fan of fast paced writhing, exciting action, and romantic encounters then you’ll enjoy the first in the Crown of Stone trilogy.

You can buy Crown of Stone-Magic Price from Amazon!