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thewulverslibrary's review
4.0
Thanks to R.E Palmer for providing me with the opportunity to read his book Song of Echoes, the first in an epic fantasy series that is sure to grip you right from the very start.
This is a story of the Five Realms, protected by the Archon who live in peace. In the icy lands to the North, the Ruuk plan an attack lead by an evil long thought sone from the world. Elodi and Toryn, a Lady and a farmworker, are driven into a fight that they are sure they cannot win.
Palmer has delivered an easily accessible world that is wrought with pain, mystery and tragedy that was written so fast-paced but straightforward. It was difficult to not try and find out more of the mysteries of the world and I am eager to see more in the sequel. The characters were a familiar blend of coming-of-age, mysterious and thrust into danger but their stories were so determined and real. Palmer has many varied characters that always have a place in the story and this helped the novel feel less cluttered and more real.
The world-building is extensive and I always appreciate a good map at the start of a series. One gripe I will give to Palmer is that I felt the world should be more fleshed out. I was so intrigued by the landscape and the mythical areas. I’m sure this will be covered in future additions however so will look forward to this.
This book was a journey that was rocky in stages but the destination mattered. The story really excelled when it got going and the writing was descriptive and enthralling enough to draw me right in from the start.
Another great start to a fantasy series that I will be keeping an eye on in the future.
This is a story of the Five Realms, protected by the Archon who live in peace. In the icy lands to the North, the Ruuk plan an attack lead by an evil long thought sone from the world. Elodi and Toryn, a Lady and a farmworker, are driven into a fight that they are sure they cannot win.
Palmer has delivered an easily accessible world that is wrought with pain, mystery and tragedy that was written so fast-paced but straightforward. It was difficult to not try and find out more of the mysteries of the world and I am eager to see more in the sequel. The characters were a familiar blend of coming-of-age, mysterious and thrust into danger but their stories were so determined and real. Palmer has many varied characters that always have a place in the story and this helped the novel feel less cluttered and more real.
The world-building is extensive and I always appreciate a good map at the start of a series. One gripe I will give to Palmer is that I felt the world should be more fleshed out. I was so intrigued by the landscape and the mythical areas. I’m sure this will be covered in future additions however so will look forward to this.
This book was a journey that was rocky in stages but the destination mattered. The story really excelled when it got going and the writing was descriptive and enthralling enough to draw me right in from the start.
Another great start to a fantasy series that I will be keeping an eye on in the future.
karen_the_baroness's review
4.0
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Song of Echoes by RE Palmer is the start of a battle that started long ago.
Toryn is a farmworker on his family's farm. He feels like an outsider in his own village. When it is time to be chosen to go join Archonian Guard Toryn and Hamar, another farmhand, had to leave so that Toryn's history doesn't come to light. Let's just say that Toryn learned a lot about his family history within a short time in the beginning. Toryn sees firsthand what the Ruuk and the other evil forces look like along with how they fight.
Elodi is the Lady of Harlyn and is under a lot of stress since taking over for her father at such a young age of only sixteen. She has had to take over the control of her section of the Five Realms by being their leader and having to deal with being summoned by the Archon whenever he feels like it. Elodi is trying her best to deal with the forces that are threatening her homeland while trying to appease the Archon. The Archon happens to be the leader of the Five Realms and he might not be able to help them once again.
Song of Echoes by RE Palmer is the first in this new series by Mr. Palmer. As I was reading the first book it reminded me a bit of the Lord of the Rings series. I think that Mr. Palmer did a great job on creating the species within this world and how they function. My rating for Song of Echoes by RE Palmer is four stars and I'm recommending it to all the epic fantasy readers out there.
Will Elodi and Toryn figure out a way to defeat the enemy that mostly destroyed their ancestors?
Toryn
Toryn is a farmworker on his family's farm. He feels like an outsider in his own village. When it is time to be chosen to go join Archonian Guard Toryn and Hamar, another farmhand, had to leave so that Toryn's history doesn't come to light. Let's just say that Toryn learned a lot about his family history within a short time in the beginning. Toryn sees firsthand what the Ruuk and the other evil forces look like along with how they fight.
Elodi, Lady Harlyn
Elodi is the Lady of Harlyn and is under a lot of stress since taking over for her father at such a young age of only sixteen. She has had to take over the control of her section of the Five Realms by being their leader and having to deal with being summoned by the Archon whenever he feels like it. Elodi is trying her best to deal with the forces that are threatening her homeland while trying to appease the Archon. The Archon happens to be the leader of the Five Realms and he might not be able to help them once again.
Four Star
Song of Echoes by RE Palmer is the first in this new series by Mr. Palmer. As I was reading the first book it reminded me a bit of the Lord of the Rings series. I think that Mr. Palmer did a great job on creating the species within this world and how they function. My rating for Song of Echoes by RE Palmer is four stars and I'm recommending it to all the epic fantasy readers out there.
The Song of Echoes Series
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Song of Echoes by RE Palmer.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
booknotes_athina's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this fantasy book. I liked everything about it: the writing style, the storyline, the world and the characters.
The pacing of the book is fast and there are also action scenes that I really enjoyed.
Character-wise, I really like one of our main characters, Elodi. She is strong, smart and determined. I also liked Toryn our other main character as well as many of the side characters. There are also great friendship dynamics among the characters. I also really liked the two POVs of the story, Elodi and Toryn.
The world building is also really good. We learn many things about this world but there are a lot more to be discovered. I hope the sequel sees to that.
The pacing of the book is fast and there are also action scenes that I really enjoyed.
Character-wise, I really like one of our main characters, Elodi. She is strong, smart and determined. I also liked Toryn our other main character as well as many of the side characters. There are also great friendship dynamics among the characters. I also really liked the two POVs of the story, Elodi and Toryn.
The world building is also really good. We learn many things about this world but there are a lot more to be discovered. I hope the sequel sees to that.
cbramblings's review
4.0
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review..
If you are a fan of stories involving Magic, epic battles, ominous evil, and "must fight against the odds" type of plot this is the book for you. We follow two main storylines Elodie and Toryn's ... one is unsure of her new role as a leader and the other must embark on a journey to figure out who he truly is.. all under the threat of imminents attacks and old evil lurking about.
I really like the setting of the story, we don't get huge info dumps but gradually get to know what's going on along with our characters... Also the concept of creation through song was unique... we just need to listen... that phrase is very important in this story.. I loved that.
I was particularly invested on Toryn's story ... perhaps because he was the "sorcerer" and I'm partial to magic users in general... At times he came across a bit whinny but he gets over it quickly.. I adored his banter with Hope ... But I'm not going to expand on that too much because spoilers.
It's a journey, a very well crafted one that will leave you eager to continue because It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so be warned.
Looking forward to continue this epic journey on the next book.
If you are a fan of stories involving Magic, epic battles, ominous evil, and "must fight against the odds" type of plot this is the book for you. We follow two main storylines Elodie and Toryn's ... one is unsure of her new role as a leader and the other must embark on a journey to figure out who he truly is.. all under the threat of imminents attacks and old evil lurking about.
I really like the setting of the story, we don't get huge info dumps but gradually get to know what's going on along with our characters... Also the concept of creation through song was unique... we just need to listen... that phrase is very important in this story.. I loved that.
I was particularly invested on Toryn's story ... perhaps because he was the "sorcerer" and I'm partial to magic users in general... At times he came across a bit whinny but he gets over it quickly.. I adored his banter with Hope ... But I'm not going to expand on that too much because spoilers.
It's a journey, a very well crafted one that will leave you eager to continue because It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so be warned.
Looking forward to continue this epic journey on the next book.
geelizreads's review
3.0
Songs of Echoes is the first epic fantasy novel written by R.E.Palmer. It follows a teenage boy called Toryn who became an orphan when he was a baby. He does not know who his real parents are and has only heard stories of them, mainly his father. This concept is not original to me. I feel like this is a common back story for the main protagonist and the fact that Toryn is a young, naive, weak farmer boy from a small, run down village, who is longing for adventure cements this.
For the most part, the chapters switch between Toryn and the main female protagonist, Elodi. After her fathers demise, Elodi takes his place as ruler of one of the five realms, She has been trained from a young age in order to be able to carry out this duty. From reading this, I felt that this was not the case. She constantly seems unsure, needs advice or telling what to do in simple ceremonies and meetings. For around 60% of this book, she does not seem to be a strong leader or female lead in this story which made it difficult to connect with the character. However, Elodi then grows and becomes a very interesting and more confident leader and fighter which in turn makes her more likeable – something that is important to me.
At around a quarter of the way through the book, I felt like nothing of real importance had happened. The chapters with Toryn were filled with unimportant dialogue that didn’t really add to the story. Not only that, the dialogue just seemed to be a different way of world building but with so much thrown in that the world was actually more difficult to imagine. This continued throughout the book but some of the world building became more relevant. I suspect that the author has gone so in-depth with the world building to set the stage for the next novel.
Yes, I said next novel. It seems that after a very impressive last quarter of the book, that there is a cliff hanger with the words ‘TO BE CONTINUED’ written on the page. There are a LOT of unanswered questions here and I want to know the answers to all of them. Therefore, I do want to read the next book. I really hope that the writing in the next novel continues to be as good as the latter part of this book as I feel like I may have added this story to the Did Not Finish pile had I not been reviewing it. Saying that, I am glad I continued as this does really have the potential to be a fantastic series, I just think that perhaps world building in a less dragged out way may be helpful so that the reader can focus more on the story at hand.
As a side note, I feel this review comes across as a little harsh and this is never my intention. I always want to give my own, honest opinion which not everybody will agree with and I am okay with that and I respect the opinion of others.
For the most part, the chapters switch between Toryn and the main female protagonist, Elodi. After her fathers demise, Elodi takes his place as ruler of one of the five realms, She has been trained from a young age in order to be able to carry out this duty. From reading this, I felt that this was not the case. She constantly seems unsure, needs advice or telling what to do in simple ceremonies and meetings. For around 60% of this book, she does not seem to be a strong leader or female lead in this story which made it difficult to connect with the character. However, Elodi then grows and becomes a very interesting and more confident leader and fighter which in turn makes her more likeable – something that is important to me.
At around a quarter of the way through the book, I felt like nothing of real importance had happened. The chapters with Toryn were filled with unimportant dialogue that didn’t really add to the story. Not only that, the dialogue just seemed to be a different way of world building but with so much thrown in that the world was actually more difficult to imagine. This continued throughout the book but some of the world building became more relevant. I suspect that the author has gone so in-depth with the world building to set the stage for the next novel.
Yes, I said next novel. It seems that after a very impressive last quarter of the book, that there is a cliff hanger with the words ‘TO BE CONTINUED’ written on the page. There are a LOT of unanswered questions here and I want to know the answers to all of them. Therefore, I do want to read the next book. I really hope that the writing in the next novel continues to be as good as the latter part of this book as I feel like I may have added this story to the Did Not Finish pile had I not been reviewing it. Saying that, I am glad I continued as this does really have the potential to be a fantastic series, I just think that perhaps world building in a less dragged out way may be helpful so that the reader can focus more on the story at hand.
As a side note, I feel this review comes across as a little harsh and this is never my intention. I always want to give my own, honest opinion which not everybody will agree with and I am okay with that and I respect the opinion of others.
jeremyfee's review
5.0
The author sent me a free e-book copy of this novel to read, but this review is my honest opinion.
I love reading epic fantasy and this book certainly delivered. The cover speaks so much to that quality, with the huge mountains and grand scope presented there. The mountains actually played heavily into the plot. My favorite aspect of this story was the atmosphere of intrigue. As a reader, that's what really hooks me and keeps me excited about reading a story. There was a lingering mystery about events of the past, the magic, the enemy, and even from the leader of the side represented in the novel.
I enjoyed how the point of view focused on two main characters: Toryn and Elodi. Toryn started out as a young man who was a wannabe soldier, only to have him find out he had a mysterious origin. He ended up on an unexpected journey filled with lessons about the harshness of war. With the wise retired soldier Hamar at his side, it was especially fascinating. Elodi was a young lady gaining experience in politics as a community leader. She had to learn the difficulties involved with the court, spies, loyalties, etc.
Readers of fantasy and coming of age stories, especially epic fantasy and war stories should love this novel. I'm glad I read it and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it comes out.
I love reading epic fantasy and this book certainly delivered. The cover speaks so much to that quality, with the huge mountains and grand scope presented there. The mountains actually played heavily into the plot. My favorite aspect of this story was the atmosphere of intrigue. As a reader, that's what really hooks me and keeps me excited about reading a story. There was a lingering mystery about events of the past, the magic, the enemy, and even from the leader of the side represented in the novel.
I enjoyed how the point of view focused on two main characters: Toryn and Elodi. Toryn started out as a young man who was a wannabe soldier, only to have him find out he had a mysterious origin. He ended up on an unexpected journey filled with lessons about the harshness of war. With the wise retired soldier Hamar at his side, it was especially fascinating. Elodi was a young lady gaining experience in politics as a community leader. She had to learn the difficulties involved with the court, spies, loyalties, etc.
Readers of fantasy and coming of age stories, especially epic fantasy and war stories should love this novel. I'm glad I read it and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it comes out.
kaelareeds's review
4.0
I received a copy of this book directly from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I remember when I started reading this book, I thought that it reminded me so much of Tolkien's writing style. The detailed descriptions, the journey, the heavy world-building and lore... it definitely feels like a classic fantasy. I checked and sure enough, the author lists Tolkien as his number one influence.
It took me a long time to fully immerse myself in the story and connect with the character. The first third of the book contains really detailed world building in the form of stories. I often found myself lost and I couldn't distinguish between different creatures until the very end. I would prefer if the character actually met these creatures and were in real danger, so I could fear for their lives.
After the first third, the story picks up a pace and I finished the book in the matter of days. The book has some very well written battle scenes that drew me in. Overall I enjoyed the book a lot. It felt like a set-up for a great story and I would like to read more books in the series.
I remember when I started reading this book, I thought that it reminded me so much of Tolkien's writing style. The detailed descriptions, the journey, the heavy world-building and lore... it definitely feels like a classic fantasy. I checked and sure enough, the author lists Tolkien as his number one influence.
It took me a long time to fully immerse myself in the story and connect with the character. The first third of the book contains really detailed world building in the form of stories. I often found myself lost and I couldn't distinguish between different creatures until the very end. I would prefer if the character actually met these creatures and were in real danger, so I could fear for their lives.
After the first third, the story picks up a pace and I finished the book in the matter of days. The book has some very well written battle scenes that drew me in. Overall I enjoyed the book a lot. It felt like a set-up for a great story and I would like to read more books in the series.
annikareads_'s review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
4.0
Thank you to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest review.
Epic fantasy novels often take me a while to get through because they‘re so complex and you need to understand the world building. However, giving the plot in a fantasy novel time to unfold is usually worth it 😁 I liked that Song of Echoes is told from both a male and a female perspective with Elodi and Toryn. I especially enjoyed Elodi‘s chapters, which isn’t surprising as I love fantasy heroines. Elodi reminded me of Eowyn from Lord of the Rings and the author told me that there‘s definitely a bit of Eowyn in Elodi. 😍 I also think that the Archon is such a fascinating character.
I loved the detailed world building and how it all comes together over the course of the novel. 😍 The book comes with an incredible map as well. I‘m a fan of fantasy novels with a war on the horizon - not that I like wars but it just adds that extra drama to any fantasy novel. I watched LOTR for the first time when I was 11, so yes I‘ve always loved battle scenes and female warriors 🤩🤩 And the magical elements were incorporated well too!
I would honestly love to watch a film adaptation of The Song of Echoes, that would be epic. I pictured it in my head while I was reading 🎥
I have to say that this book is not necessarily for a fantasy novice due to its complexity with evil forces in the north and the south. You also need to remember lots of names and places in the beginning. But I personally enjoyed it and I recommend it to fans of epic fantasy novels 😊 The second book is supposed to come out in December, so keep an eye out for that 🙌🏻
Epic fantasy novels often take me a while to get through because they‘re so complex and you need to understand the world building. However, giving the plot in a fantasy novel time to unfold is usually worth it 😁 I liked that Song of Echoes is told from both a male and a female perspective with Elodi and Toryn. I especially enjoyed Elodi‘s chapters, which isn’t surprising as I love fantasy heroines. Elodi reminded me of Eowyn from Lord of the Rings and the author told me that there‘s definitely a bit of Eowyn in Elodi. 😍 I also think that the Archon is such a fascinating character.
I loved the detailed world building and how it all comes together over the course of the novel. 😍 The book comes with an incredible map as well. I‘m a fan of fantasy novels with a war on the horizon - not that I like wars but it just adds that extra drama to any fantasy novel. I watched LOTR for the first time when I was 11, so yes I‘ve always loved battle scenes and female warriors 🤩🤩 And the magical elements were incorporated well too!
I would honestly love to watch a film adaptation of The Song of Echoes, that would be epic. I pictured it in my head while I was reading 🎥
I have to say that this book is not necessarily for a fantasy novice due to its complexity with evil forces in the north and the south. You also need to remember lots of names and places in the beginning. But I personally enjoyed it and I recommend it to fans of epic fantasy novels 😊 The second book is supposed to come out in December, so keep an eye out for that 🙌🏻
elenaysuslibros's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
4.0
REVIEW IN ENGLISH
First of all, I would like to thank R. E. Palmer for giving me a copy of his book to read and review, I really appreciate it!
This was a really great fantasy book with lots of action in it, which was great because these both elements were perfectly balanced. Since it's the first book of a saga, it is quite introductory. There was lots of information given and sometimes it felt a little confused, but other than that it was very interesting.
I was confused too with the story in itself, sometimes I felt that there was too much going on, but then it all came to place. The writing of the author is great; the description and the action did not feel like it dragged for too long. Though I must say that the story in itself felt at times too long, I had the feeling I was in the same part for too long, but other than that it was great. Since I do not speak english as my first language I struggled with some parts to catch up, but I can still see that it was greatly written, I specially enjoyed the battles and action scenes!
I really liked the characters. Toryn and Elodi (which by the way I loved that name) were great as protagonists, but I must say I liked Elodi more. I think I got to know her better (even though there are still mysteries about her past), and she was strong and powerful. Both points of view were interesting and I was invested in both stories, which is great! I also liked the character of Hamar, and I'm also interested on Dorlan and what will happen with other characters.
For the second book I would love to know more of the story, specially know more about the Archon. There are characters that appear in the second half on the book that I would also want to know about. It would be great t0 see more about the magic in this story, and of course see what will happen with Elodi and Toryn!!
First of all, I would like to thank R. E. Palmer for giving me a copy of his book to read and review, I really appreciate it!
This was a really great fantasy book with lots of action in it, which was great because these both elements were perfectly balanced. Since it's the first book of a saga, it is quite introductory. There was lots of information given and sometimes it felt a little confused, but other than that it was very interesting.
I was confused too with the story in itself, sometimes I felt that there was too much going on, but then it all came to place. The writing of the author is great; the description and the action did not feel like it dragged for too long. Though I must say that the story in itself felt at times too long, I had the feeling I was in the same part for too long, but other than that it was great. Since I do not speak english as my first language I struggled with some parts to catch up, but I can still see that it was greatly written, I specially enjoyed the battles and action scenes!
I really liked the characters. Toryn and Elodi (which by the way I loved that name) were great as protagonists, but I must say I liked Elodi more. I think I got to know her better (even though there are still mysteries about her past), and she was strong and powerful. Both points of view were interesting and I was invested in both stories, which is great! I also liked the character of Hamar, and I'm also interested on Dorlan and what will happen with other characters.
For the second book I would love to know more of the story, specially know more about the Archon. There are characters that appear in the second half on the book that I would also want to know about. It would be great t0 see more about the magic in this story, and of course see what will happen with Elodi and Toryn!!
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