Legacy of Bones by Kirk Dougal

This was recommended to me by some fellow reviewers so, having signed up for a Kindle Unlimited trial, I jumped at the chance to check it out. I even went so far as to leapfrog my epic review backlog to put the word out there…

So, what’s it all about?

Gera, now qualified as a blacksmith, decides to leave his adoptive family (and being heir to the blacksmith business) to return home and find his own family. On returning, he finds only his brother Dax is left, and his sister Keely has been taken by the Red Cloaks as she has been suspected of being able to control saca (let’s just call it witchcraft for now). When Gera finds this out, he and Dax set out to rescue Keely, but it appears Dax has his own motivations (and some other issues) that leave Gera suspicious. Why are they going in different directions to track her down? Why is Dax leaving his big cat companion (think Battle Cat) to look after Gera? Is it because Dax knows his brother also can control saca? This is, like, the first 10 pages (not really). This has a lot going on for 368 (Mobi) pages.

Is it any good?

Yeah, I liked it a lot. The story was great, rattling along at a terrific pace, while not showing all its cards early on. In fact, I’d be so bold as to say we’re only scratching the surface of this story. We mostly hear the story through Gera, Keely and Dax. Gera’s the reluctant hero, not wanting to have to fight or take on the tasks laid before him. Keely initially seems like your average teenager, but the fear she strikes into Red Cloaks when they test her ability to wield saca suggests that her days of being one of the gang are swiftly becoming over. Dax is possibly the most interesting character. He seems to be tortured by whatever happened around the death of his father, and his motivations for rescuing Keely are questionable. In addition, we get some insight into the Red Cloaks, another bunch of soldiers who seem to be endeavouring to start a war and we also hear mention of the d-word. That’s right – dragons! 

There were some things that bugged me though. While the writing was mostly great, especially when Gera was the main character, there were occasions, especially around Keely, where it was a bit stodgy. It seemed like the author was trying to sound grandiose, but it seemed disjointed and sluggish to me. This is a minor quibble though, as only a few chapters were stricken so. For the most, the writing was spot on and I don’t remember a single editing booboo.

One other question – how did the author get Derek Zoolander to pose for the cover?

Verdict

Looking for a new indie fantasy? Look no further – make Legacy of Bones your next stop.

• Format: E-book
• Obtained from: Kindle Unlimited
• Print length: 366 pages (pb)
• Publisher: Diamond Seven
• ISBN: 9780999002384