Stones of Power: The Exile by Eric Buffington

Stones of Power: The Exile by Eric Buffington
Series: Stones of Power, #1
Publisher: Center One Publishing
Format: Paperback
Pages: 288
Source: Author for review.

In a world where each person is born with a magic ability, the island of Denall is on the verge of an attack from a power hungry sorcerer, Mordyar, as he scours the world in search of the Stones of Power. While the stones are gathering and their power begins to be revealed, four boys leave their village on a rite of passage into adulthood and are swept into an adventure that will make men and heroes of them, if they can survive.

 

I'm generally not a huge fan of fantasy but I really want to try to read more of the genre. I was definitely surprised by the amount of enjoyment I had reading this book. I ended up getting absorbed in the story and rooting for the characters to pull through. And there was enough action to keep me turning the pages quickly to find out what would happen next.

 

The whole idea of these boys having to leave their village at 18 for a whole year to become men was interesting. The trouble they continually found themselves in was nerve wracking because I became so invested in these boys' story that I did not want anything horrible to happen to them, which of course everything that could go wrong did and although I didn't want that to happen I'm glad it did. Throughout the book Kaz really develops from a boy to a strong willed man.

 

The characters were a huge part of why I liked the story. Kaz was optimistic and no matter what happened he would do anything to help his friends. Farin was snarky and hard headed but he ended up being one of my favorite characters in the end. I was not as fond of Bendar as the others. He seemed off to me, throughout the book I kept wondering just what he was up to but I will say that he eventually grew on me.

 

If you're a fan of epic fantasy I think you would really enjoy this. It has adventure and action plus it focuses heavily on friendship and growing up. Even if you're like me and don't find yourself loving fantasy I really recommend giving this a try. You might just end up really loving it. I will definitely be reading the sequel when it's released since I need to know what happens to the characters.

 

 

**Copy provided via the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.**