Rating: 5/5

Quick Take

Fantasy lovers seeking strong heroines and excellent world-building – rejoice! Your new favorite novel has arrived.

Tell Me More

                As an avid fantasy reader and author, I find that I am more critical of the selections I read due to my storied experience with the genre.  I am a seeker of strong female heroines and excellent world building, and oftentimes I am left disappointed by the stories I choose due to my critical nature; but Trials of Throk’tar by Jamie Samland had the opposite effect.  I was blown away by the vividity and arc of the characters and their development throughout the book – particularly that of Princess Alishia – and Samland’s world building transported me into his world without giving me a choice. 

As the second book in The Chronicler’s Awakening, Samland did well to appeal to me as a reader by catching me up with the storyline and linking back to the first book in several ways.  I did not feel lost at any point when reading Trials of Throk’tar, and I found myself becoming so engrossed in the story that it took quite the effort for me to return to reality once I finished reading.  I haven’t read a novel in so long that captivates like this novel has, and I plan on becoming an avid reader of Samland’s. 

The most enthralling aspect of Trials of Throk’tar was Samland’s use of descriptive language, which brought the world and story to life.  While the story was complex and covered a plethora of characters facing different journeys and circumstances, Samland connected them all as threads being woven into the same fabric.  Reading Trials of Throk’tar felt like putting a puzzle together, and each piece felt so satisfying once it was put together. 

Trials of Throk’tar is an epic fantasy perfect for fantasy lovers who enjoy strong characters, storylines, and world building while also being okay with some explicit content.  Even though this is the second book in The Chronicler’s Awakening series, I found it easy to catch up with the story and characters, because Samland did such a respectable job of referring back to the first novel.  I haven’t read a fantasy novel that I have enjoyed this much in so long, and coming out of this gorgeous story, I fear that I may enter a reading block.  However, I am grateful to Samland for sharing his story with me, and I look forward to his future works.