Botulf's Stone Blog

Reposting from Amazon with minor edits Abstract:  A great ending to the series. While there were some instances where the exposition or the author breaking the fourth wall that pulled me out of the story and some aspects regarding characters and the ending were unsatisfactory, overall I really enjoyed this book and love how Kotar ended his series. Definitely worth the journey. Content Warning (highlight to view):   frightening scenes, violence ————— I wish I could give a more accurate score. 4/5 just doesn’t look as good as an 8 or 9 out of 10. When I read book 1 of this series, I seriously considered stopping there. Despite some interesting ideas and world building, there were a lot of issues with execution and clunky prose so that I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue. However, there were some parts, scenes or character choices, that spoke of potential yet unrealized, and I decided to give the next book a chance. Boy am I glad I did! Kotar has truly grown as an author over the ...

Abstract:  My least favorite of the series so far, but still enjoyable.  The narrative is tense and fast paced, with interesting twists, though I can’t say all the plot mechanics were executed as well as they could have been.  I did like getting a story focused on Lebia, and I like how this story connects with the previous book.  The ending is especially engaging as Kotar preps his readers for book 5.  I’m looking forward to where things will go. Content warning (highlight to view):   frightening images, violence ——— We are back with another Kotar novella review, this time for his recently released series book 4,  The Forge of the Covenant .  I actually wrote this about a month ago for an Amazon review, and I was planning to put it off a bit longer, since I’ve had so many Kotar posts so close together.  However, this post is done (with minor edits since posting it on Amazon), and the others I have in the works are not, so here we are.  B...

Abstract:  This is another short but interesting novella from this series.  In this prequel to  The Song of the Sirin , some questions are answered, others are not.  Otchigen makes for a good focal point, with virtues that are also the origin of vices, and his story gives him a level of humanity that had been lacking. Content Warning (highlight to view):  some violent and frightening imagery, disturbing imagery, an instance of gross-out humor, demonic possession ——— I forgot that this was a blog weekend until a few hours ago, so here’s just a quick review for a quick read.  It’s also the last entry in the Kotar series for a bit (not that I have a choice, since the next book hasn’t come out yet).   The Rusted Blade  is a prequel novella to Kotar’s  Raven Son  series detailing the circumstances leading to the disgraceful absence of Voran’s parents, in particular his father, in  The Song of the Sirin .  As such, there are a c...

Abstract:  A book displaying Kotar’s growth as an author, but which doesn’t quite measure up as a whole to the potential of its parts.  Prose and character writing have improved, and certain ideas introduced in the world building grabbed me imaginatively and intellectually while also allowing the conflict to develop naturally.  Some subplots fall flat, though, as do some character revelations, but overall the multiple plots and characters work well together, and there is no wasted space to be found.  The ending might also be frustrating to some, but there is good payoff for the set up. Content Warning (highlight to view):  violent imagery, non-explicit sexual content, some frightening/grotesque imagery, some mild cursing, demonic possession ——— I don’t know when I grew so attached to Kotar’s world and characters, but I quite enjoyed  The Heart of the World , the third book in his  Raven Son  series.  Before I go on, THIS IS A BOOK IN A SERIES...

Abstract:   A decent sequel.  This is a short, but packed, story, engaging in its angle and developments if leaning on the generic side.  I didn’t much like one character, but the main character is interesting.  Definitely kept me invested in the series going forward. Content Warning (highlight to view):   violent and disturbing events and images, demonic possession ——— This time, we’ve got a short review for a short novella.  Before I get into the review, though, WARNING: AS THIS IS A SEQUEL BOOK IN A SERIES, THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ANY PRIOR WORKS IN THE SERIES.  Now, onward. The Curse of the Raven  picks up some years after the events of  The Song of the Sirin .  Vasyllia was betrayed fell to the Raven and its invading army.  The country is now surrounded by a wall, and the city has fallen into destitution.  While there are hints of insurgence groups, the story itself follows Llun, a blacksmith and one of the last ...

Abstract:  A work that displays its author’s inexperience while still remaining interesting.  Characters are a bit flat, but the various conflicts are interesting.  Best of all is Kotar’s ability to capture a hint of the numinous in scenes featuring the titular Sirin.  Despite its rough areas, this book promises potential from the author. Content Warning (highlight to view):   some frightening images, sexual content, cursing, demonic possession ——— So eventually the plan is to move this review onto Amazon, but since I’m having some problems with that, I’m just posting it here for now.  In the final version, I won’t have a summary of the novel, since Amazon does that just fine, but till then, here’s my brief synopsis: Voran, the son of a disgraced noble family, is tasked to seek out the legendary “living water” in order to help restore his home, Vasyllia, to its former glory and to reunite the people with the mystical Sirin, creatures whose enchanted songs f...