Monday 1 October 2018

The Golden Vial by Thomas Locke

Back Cover: When a hidden evil threatens to destroy the realm, a young orphan, untested and untrained, could mean the difference between victory and total defeat.

Vulnerable and weakened by grief after a terrible loss, Hyam has been struck by a mysterious illness that threatens to claim his life. Seeking to help Hyam and restore the realm, Queen Shona travels to Hyam's remote hometown to find answers and offer aid.
Dally has always had abilities far beyond those of a normal human--far-seeing and magic come naturally to her. Before the arrival of Shona and her army, Dally had always kept her abilities secret. But with an ancient evil bearing down on her village and the fate of the realm hanging in the balance, the orphaned servant girl steps forward to do what no one else can. Will the battle claim more than Dally is willing to give?
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Review:  I couldn't put this book down. "The Golden Vial" is the third book in this series, and follows the equally riveting "Emissary" and "Merchant of Alyss". I am loving this imaginative world created by Thomas Locke, and I hope this series has many more books left in it. 

There really wasn't anything I disliked about "The Golden Vial" (other than it left me hanging and I can't wait to find out what happens next). However, there were a lot of things I really did like. First, I am a continual fan of the creative brand of magic/power that Locke has invented for his fantastical world. In this series, there are 'rivers' of power the flow deep beneath the earth and are climaxed by mysterious and hard to find 'orbs'. These orbs are so powerful that they are fueling the incredible abilities of our two main heroes (first Hyam and now Dally) as well as the war with the dark Fiends of the encroaching forest. So far, there hasn't been a lot reveled about the evil force that the heroes of the Realm are fighting. I am hopeful that we will get a better understanding of that in the next book. 

As far as the characters go, they are simplistic but wonderfully satisfying. Dally is your typical sad orphan ... until we learn that she has special abilities to communicate with wolf hounds. From that point forward, her abilities explode and suddenly she is capable of ... well.... pretty much anything. Hers is a fun origin story and it's great how every chapter she learns more about her abilities and just gets stronger and stronger.  The supporting characters are just that - supporting. The elves and humans alike band together to help Dally in her mysterious quest that may (hopefully) help save the realm from certain ruin. 

The story line moves very quickly and every page is full of adventure. This series would be a great gift for a teenage reader who is fond of fantasy or adults who enjoy YA fiction.

Thank-you to Graf Martin Communications and to Baker Publishing House for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my opinion.

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