Author : Tom Dumbrell
Book : The Look of a King
/Fantasy/
Publication date : March 7th 2021
Blurb:
Two young men.
One with a dark past, the other with a bright future.
Cyrus is a storyteller frustrated by the mundane trappings of village life, while Prince Augustus struggles to meet high expectations after an upbringing of royal privilege in the bustling capital. As both try to forge their own paths, a royal assassination unexpectedly closes the gap between them. The nation of Easthaven is thrown into war with their oppressive neighbours, and so begins a conflict from which neither can walk away.
Will a young prince finally measure up to his destiny? Will a storyteller create a legend of his own?
Cyrus and Augustus's lives may seem worlds apart, but perhaps they aren't so different after all...
My thoughts:
Wonderfully paced story with intriguing plot twist that keeps you guessing and makes you turn the pages with curiosity.
We follow the story of two young men living entirely different lives.
On one side we have the arrogant, self-assured future king Augustus.
On the other we have the humble and even shy at times small village storyteller Cyrus, struggling to find his place in the world.
After a series of events that are threatening the fragile peace in the empire, the lives of Augustus and Cyrus are changed forever.
And this quote is one of my favorite and perfect to describe the story :
“This room has played host to many great kings, but it is the man who brings power to the throne, not the other way around.”
What I loved about the writing style is that it was tight and easy flowing, but at the same time managed to bring to life the world of the book while creating a strong and compelling atmosphere.
To be honest, for the most of the book I wasn't a big fan of Cyrus as a character, but little by little I found myself warming up to him because of his development though the story.
Hand on heart, I can say my favorite thing was the deep friendship between Garret and Thaddeus.
Both are side characters, but you just can feel the brothers in arms type of friendship between them and all the stories and memories that hang in the air waiting to be told by the fire with a fine drink in hand.
I can't wait to start the second book, No Place For Peace, and read what is coming next in the story.
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