Genre: Epic Fantasy
Publisher: LYONIC LLC
Publication Date: August 3, 2021
Pages: 323
Format: ePub
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All his life, Almon knew, the Plum-Kilmer family had been haunted by spirits of the dead. For over 250 years, the ghost had cursed his family, but not Almon. Thinking the curse had finally run its course and may have skipped him. when the ghost finally does come, it strains his sanity. Unprepared, in growing madness, he is driven to the mountains. There, the ghost waits for him, either trying to save him or lead him to his doom.

This is the story of the Provenance, the Origin of Gods, Ghosts, and Demons who created an imperfect world. The story of forbidden knowledge, of unseen forces designed to stay hidden from mortals. If you continue, be warned, they know when they are being observed, and powerful enough to curse those foolhardy enough to be the observers.

So, open the pages carefully, dear reader, and prepare yourself, for the Provenance. ​

This book is definitely what it said it was going to be: the build up of the history of the Gods, Demons, Ghosts, all designed into the Provenance. Therefore, it is a bit of a slow burn, which is not a bad thing, personally. I don't mind a slow burn because the history was fascinating. I was a little bored by the Twin Gods, but Ehlona made up for it. She was the most human of all three of the Gods. Her sorrow as the Witch was incredibly relatable. 

This is a book filled with exceptional world building and it touches on all of the ideas of a birth of a religion, the balance of Good versus Evil. An awesome beginning to an epic fantasy if I do say so myself. 

 ​Joe Lyon was born in Springfield, Ohio, on May 13, 1965. He grew up creating monsters and characters for his stories and home-grown comic books. In this his first fictional epic fantasy series, Astar’s Blade, Joe creates a world some have called “wonderfully epic with great texturing and grand scope worldbuilding.” Joe has a master’s degree in business administration, is a former Military Intelligence School graduate, and is a US Army veteran. As a musician and prolific songwriter, he has written over 100 songs, a book of Poetry entitled Poetry is Cool, and the first book of the Astar’s Blade series: The Provenance. Joe currently lives in Aiken, SC, with his family.

Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Retelling
Publisher: Fire & Ice YA
Publication Date: March 20, 2018
Pages: 264
Format: ePub
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Buy on: Amazon, Indigo, Kobo​

I know I have said this before but I honestly love fairy tale retellings. Even if some of them can be hits or misses. This book, in my opinion, is a definite hit. 

Now, don't mistake this for the syrupy sweet Disney version of Cinderella. This is a darker, Gothic tale where the main character Nora is incredibly realistic; she let curiosity break her of the mould that would have truly held her back. Even at the cost of following in her mother's footsteps. 
I really enjoyed that the love of her adoptive parents and her friendship with Jack was an anchor, and kept her from diving too deeply and learned what she needed to know of the outside world. 

This was one of those stories that I wished didn't end, it was just that good. I will definitely revisit this story for years to come.