The Black Cat Awards 2019 Reviews

Fantasy 3rd Place - The Gathering: Bloodmoure Chronicles by @JRShepherd

🥉 Fantasy 3rd Place Winner 🥉

The Gathering: Bloodmoure Chronicles by JRShepherd

Reviewed by AmyMarieZ

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Title: The title of The Gathering: Bloodmoure Chronicles fits the high fantasy genre like a glove. It's not the most unique or attention grabbing title, but I think it is perfect to attract the story's intended audience. It gives the reader a great idea of what type of story to expect, making it a solid and well thought out choice.

Cover: The cover of this story is absolutely stunning! All of the elements of it from the shine on the text to the ornate detailing around the corners of the frame are beautifully done. The gem at the center is the highlight of the whole piece, and I love how this image is immediately tied to the plot of the story right from the prologue. All of the feedback I've seen on this cover from other readers has been that they adore it, so I'd say it's just about perfect.

Summary/Blurb: There is something off about the punctuation of the summary to this story. There is a weird break after "Alone and trapped by circumstances beyond his control-" Then, the segment that follows is an incomplete sentence, even if it were combined with the opening line: "Aticus struggles to find purpose among a group of nomadic people, but when he befriends a particular dwarf and a band of unlikely companions." The sentence is incomplete. It would be okay to combine this with the sentence that follows. However, the whole thing together would make a very long sentence to open a blurb with. My suggestion would be to consider reworking this sentence for an easier flow reading.

It's unfortunate that the blurb opens with some odd punctuation and grammar, because the rest of the blurb and the story itself are extremely well written and polished. The closing paragraph of this blurb is an immediate hook and worded perfectly. It has that great ominous feel that makes anyone want to pick up the book and figure out what's going to happen!

Descriptions: The descriptions and tone of the narration in this story set a strong ominous atmosphere right from the start. The descriptions of the scene in the prologue allow the reader to feel like they are right there along with the characters waiting in the chamber. The attention to detail and precision of the descriptions gives the story and scenes a rich, full feeling that works really well with a story in the high/epic fantasy genre.

At some times during the story, I felt like the descriptions dragged just a bit. One example I might suggest looking into is the use of descriptions during dialog. A lot of character actions are included which is great to some extent, but at times it slowed the pace of conversations a bit too much in my opinion. There are other locations throughout the five parts I read where the descriptions were a bit heavy for me, however, I get the overall impression that this isn't meant to be the type of story a reader can rush through. It takes time to develop the depth I'm certain this story will deliver, so I wouldn't want to recommend trimming out too many of the descriptions here. They are all beautifully worded and gradually build up a magical and full world.

Plot Development: The prologue starts out with a great build up of suspense as the reader wonders what the purpose of Samuel's meeting with this council is. The unveiling of the Bloodstone is memorable and striking. The reaction of the characters to seeing it immediately shows how powerful and important it is. For me, however, it seemed like a lot of the reason for its importance was kept hidden. There was so much that was secret, and I thought having just a bit more information could build the mystery/intrigue around the item more. Then again, as is, the prologue is without doubt a solid and memorable opening to the story.

I like how the chapters that follow the prologue focus on a few different sets of characters, and already in just four parts I can see how the stories are going to weave together. I think it's a great way to give the reader a broader prospective of the world and a greater understanding of the conflicts.

Character Development: All of the characters in this story are well developed, even the characters that are seemingly minor and only present in the prologue (at least so far) such as Don and his father Samuel. Something about this story that I found remarkably impressive was how memorable all of the characters are. In just five parts, the reader is introduced to a very high quantity of characters. Yet, it never becomes difficult to keep track of them. I think this is because there has been so much thought into each of them, so they all feel real and have details that make them unique and stand out among the others.

Aticus makes a great character so far. He is relatable and easy to like, and his situation/position makes him a great option for a protagonist because he doesn't know much about what is going on in the story. I feel like this will work well as a way to show the reader more about the world and storyline as Aticus discovers it. I thoroughly enjoyed the dialog between Aticus and Terra in chapter 1. I thought it was cute, sweet, and very believable. The dwarf Bryce almost stole the show for me! I found him a hilarious character and his dialog is captivating. Every time he was in a scene, I was grinning the whole time I was reading it.

I didn't feel as strong of a connection to the characters Gilanthos and Mongole in the five parts of the story I read as I did to Aticus, Terra, and Bryce. Perhaps it is because the chapters focusing on these characters are more tense and focused on business, whereas the chapter with Aticus seemed to contain more of a focus on personal relationships among the characters. It certainly isn't an issue, and I have a feeling that as the story progresses the reader will learn more about Gilanthos and Mongole and they will become just as compelling characters!

Overall Impression: The Gathering: Bloodmoure Chronicles is a well crafted and engrossing high fantasy read. It's the type of story you want to sit down for a day and allow yourself to get lost in the world. The scope of the plot, attention to detail of setting, diversity of characters, and precise descriptions make this story a fantastic read!