The Whiteland King by Adrian G. Hilder

The battle for Valendo against Pragius and his undead army continues in The General’s Legacy, Part 2: The Whiteland King (The General of Valendo Book 2), written by Adrian G. Hilder.

Leaving his two mages to help defend Dendra Castle, the Archmage of Valendo takes his daughter Petra on a mission to Nearhon. With only thirty four men including the Silver Warrior , the Archmage and his daughter, and other members of the original Valendo unit, the young general, Prince Corylus, the grandson and protégé of the legendary general of Valendo, rode to Nearhon to face King Klonag, the Whiteland King. Unbeknownst to Prince Cory, his beloved Julia is King Klonag's visitor in Bytper Castle.

This is a fast-paced and action-filled fantasy book with a touch of humor and romance. It combines the wisdom and experience of the old and the tenacity and strength of the young as Prince Cory fights side by side with his grandfather’s old warriors and friends.

The writing is quite engaging with realistic descriptions of the beautiful, snow-covered Whiteland and amusing dialogues particularly between the veteran warriors. The story has a subtle touch of mystery as the author successfully hides a cunning spy in the midst of the assemblage.

In addition to a set of memorable characters, the plot is neatly tied up after a climactic and intense battle. It is followed by a satisfying ending but one that leaves the readers excited in anticipation for the next book in the series.

I just noticed, however, that Petra’s role was very minimal compared to her character description and backstories. I was expecting to see more from her than was actually in the book. Still, I enjoyed this book a lot and I recommend it to fans of fantasy novels. However, though I believe that this book can be read as a standalone, I strongly suggest to read book 1 first to fully enjoy book 2. 

Congratulations to Adrian G. Hilder (@AdrianGHilder) on an amazing second book in a series. You may click HERE for more of the author’s books.

The General's Legacy by Adrian G. Hilder

TheGeneral’s Legacy, Part 1: Inheritance (The General of Valendo Book 1) is the first installment of The General’s Legacy written by Adrian G. Hilder. The concluding part, Part 2: Whiteland King, will be available in February 2017.

Prince Cory has always looked up to his grandfather, the legendary general and king-consort of the kingdom of Valendo, Garon Allus Artifex-Dendra who, not only regales him with stories of war but also trains him in the art of warfare to be the next general of the Army of Valendo

Shortly after the revered general died, the kingdom was attacked. Despite his rigorous training under his grandfather, Prince Cory was unprepared for and felt inadequate against a dead battle mage and his skeleton army. With his grandfather’s last letter and the old general’s sword in his hand, Prince Cory has to do everything he can and use everything he has to face what was out there and end the war.

This is an exciting story of war and magic with a little bit of romance. The book started with action-packed scenes complete with brave warriors, powerful mages and hideous monsters. Settings were vividly described and dialogues were casually worded making the book easy to read. The romance part was sweet and a good addition to the already charming story.

The author created endearing characters. General Garon was an admirable man, a brilliant leader and a good friend; the Archmage was brave and powerful; while the Silver Warrior was a great and dashing soldier. Prince Pragius was trying to be the responsible heir to the throne by turning his back on what he really was, Prince Sebastian just wanted to pursue his passion while Prince Cory was the young soldier who wanted to follow his heart’s desire but was faced with an adversity much sooner than he expected.

However, the pacing of the story was, somehow, inconsistent. The book began in a fast pace, then slowed down and even dragged at the first few chapters then picked up again. Moreover, there was a character that was simply dropped. Given his ample back story, I expected him to play an important role in the book.

Needless to say I enjoyed reading this book despite the pacing and I recommend it to readers who appreciate stories about war and magic.

Congratulations to Adrian G. Hilder (@AdrianGHilder) on such a great book. you may visit Adrian G Hilder for updates on the author’s works.