Monday, August 18, 2014

Roots Entwine by Victoria Bastedo




RATED 5 STARS



Joaquin Briec doesn’t have a secret, he is the secret.  He has an ability called Phoshat that allows him to open his senses and see, feel and hear things in a whole new way.  He is hidden away by his family and no one in town knows of him except as a legend or rumor.
All that changes when a stranger comes to town in search of a Phoshat who can do service for the king.
Joaquin decides, after an attack on his village, to go with the man Kallum and learn more about his gift and the world.
Others are added to their team and they go on a mission into a little know land called Shenandya to find out if the enemy of all the surrounding countries is truly in hiding there.
Joaquin soon learns that his abilities are often a curse and leave him devastated both physically and mentally.  His colleague, Hesir, isn’t sure that Joaquin should be there at all.  Kallum insists that Joaquin’s ability is invaluable to them and Joaquin proves it by leading them to a town in Shenandya after capturing their border guards.
An alliance with the Shenandyans and the use of all the skills of the team will be needed to bring down Scarvus and his assistant Phoshat.  Can the team pull together and get the job done?  Or is Scarvus going to ruin the lives of the Shenandyans like he did the Cortri?

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First, I have to say I am a huge fan of fantasy fiction.  I tried not to give away too much of the plot in the above passage so that you can enjoy this adventure as much as I did.
Joaquin was a good, little hero.  At fifteen and with not much experience with people, he faced a huge challenge in spite of the danger that threatened him in so many ways.  He learned to care for people and let them in so they could care for him.  He was honest and open.  I loved everything about him.
Kallum was a good team leader and a good teacher for Joaquin.  His friends that he added to the team were his good and true friends who had been in battle with him before so he knew he had a team that could be trusted.
Hesir was my favorite though.  He was big and gruff and hated Phoshats for good reason.  He seemed distant and unobtainable as a friend but Joaquin wore him down with his honesty and guilelessness.  Hesir also had a softer side that was revealed when I learned of his special talent.
Milte, the silent warrior and Pearce, the comic, were a team to be reckoned with.  It was revealed that they had special talents too.  I liked the way the author wrote these characters.  They seemed real to me and very likeable in their own ways.
The evil Scarvus and his Phoshat were horribly evil and made for viable adversaries for the team.  They did horrible things and I was afraid for Joaquin when he was in their clutches.
All in all, this was an engaging and exciting story which I enjoyed very much.  It is suitable for the YA crowd but anyone who enjoys fantasy and adventure would enjoy it too.
You can buy this book at Amazon


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