The Shattered Crown by J.W. Webb

4 Stars

So this book is part of a blog tour that J.W. Webb is currently doing and the 10th January is where we come by for my review of this book! Before I go into a quick synopsis, I don't usually comment on book covers much but this one was particularly surreal for me and a really great one for this book - a fantasy cover that you don't see very well done sometimes! 

Also, please note that the information for this book was done in a blog post earlier last month if you want to read that. 

So we follow Corin an Fol who is a mercenary for hire and currently travelling home. I should also mention that this is the second book in a series, to which I have not read the first one and I would say you don't need to read the first one to read this. After a run in with a robbery on his travels after his horse has decided to go lame, Corin finally gets on his but is soon met with an acquaintance and the offer of work. The queen, Ariane has been plagued with dreams about High King's crown being shattered and left without it's magic and so goes on a journey to the Goddess's oracle to fix the magic. Corin ends up joining the journey, but has numerous doubts.. 

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. It wasn't overly original but definitely worth a read if you like the fantasy genre and certainly well written. There was definitely enough going on in the story to keep you entertained too and kind of a little bit for everyone in a way; there was mystery, fantasy and action. The characters also worked very well together. I do like a bit of fantasy in my reading mix now and again, it isn't my favourite genre but I like it. I prefer fantasy books that have more than just the generics in it to keep me hooked. This book was a nice take away from reading crime/horror/thriller and was worth a read for me. It kept me hooked throughout and though a reasonably lengthy read, it was quite fast paced and didn't keep me waiting. 

I really enjoyed that this was the darker side of fantasy for me and the world building was also enjoyable. The way Corin was presented throughout was very well done and all the characters in fact had their own well done personality. Definitely worth a read if fantasy is your thing! 

Overall, a very solid read and enjoyable. As I said, this can be read as a stand alone to the previous book and I will probably wager that the readers who enjoyed the second book without reading the first will go back and read it! An author to put on your TBR list. 

Happy reading :)