ABOUT THE BOOK
MOTHER AND WARRIOR
Tallynd is a soldier who has already survived her toughest battle: losing her husband. But now she finds herself on the front lines of an invasion of giants, intent on wiping out the entire kingdom, including Tallynd’s two sons—all that she has left. The stakes have never been higher. If Tallynd fails, her boys may never become men.
SCHOLAR AND SPY
Dervan is an historian who longs for a simple, quiet life. But he’s drawn into intrigue when he’s hired to record the tales of a mysterious bard who may be a spy or even an assassin for a rival kingdom. As the bard shares his fantastical stories, Dervan makes a shocking discovery: He may have a connection to the tales, one that will bring his own secrets to light.
REBEL AND HERO
Abhi’s family have always been hunters, but Abhi wants to choose a different life for himself. Embarking on a journey of self-discovery, Abhi soon learns that his destiny is far greater than he imagined: a powerful new magic thrust upon him may hold the key to defeating the giants once and for all—if it doesn’t destroy him first.
Set in a magical world of terror and wonder, this novel is a deeply felt epic of courage and war, in which the fates of these characters intertwine—and where ordinary people become heroes, and their lives become legend.
MY REVIEW
This great war of our time has indeed been terrible, and I am still struck with its horrors, waking up in the night sweating.
Kevin Hearne, author of The Iron Druid Chronicles gives us a tale told by Fintan, Bard of the Poet Goddess Kaelin. A fleet of Bone Giants, tall, thin people with bone armor on their torsos and arms, is on its way to kill anyone in their path to find the unknown Seventh Kenning, a form of magic given to a blessed few. People blessed with kennings are charged with defending their homes at any means against the giants who are invading their land. Kennings include moving the earth, building and destroying walls, moving water, talking to animals, communicating by roots and stems, and taking on the voices and likenesses of others to inform the masses of what is to come.
This is a 640-page, epic story of terror and wonder with an assortment of interesting characters. At times the story was confusing with all of the characters and plot lines, which is what took me so long to finish it. I would have appreciated an Appendix of all of the characters and their kennings more than the tables that were provided. In all it was a very fascinating, unique story and I love the cover of the book. However, it was too long for me and I do not plan to read the next book in the series.
You can read more about the author, Kevin Hearne at http://kevinhearne.com, http://facebook.com/authorkevin and Twitter: @KevinHearne.
Thank you to Mr. Hearne, Random House Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
Seven Kennings Series
1. A Plague of Giants (2017)
2. A Blight of Blackwings (2019)
3. A Curse of Krakens (2023)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin Hearne is a native of Arizona and really appreciates whoever invented air-conditioning. He graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and now teaches high school English. When he’s not grading essays or writing novels, he tends to his basil plants and paints landscapes with his daughter. He has been known to obsess over fonts, frolic unreservedly with dogs, and stop whatever he’s doing in the rare event of rain to commune with the precipitation. He enjoys hiking, the guilty pleasure of comic books, and living with his wife and daughter in a wee, snug cottage.
