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A review by briarrose1021
The Black Star of Kingston by S.D. Smith
5.0
"My place beside you, my blood for yours. Til the Green Ember rises or the end of the world!"
After reading The Green Ember, I added every other book written in the same world to my TBR list. This was the first one I have read since The Green Ember, and it is just as good.
Set a century before the events of The Greem Ember, we are introduced to new characters who belong to a community that has been displaced, and are struggling to find their place to thrive. With resources running low, King Winston authorizes Fleck to head up a crew and sail across the lake to find coal to mine and perhaps protect them from whatever might be in the mountains.
Though a shorter story, Smith did a wonderful job with the writing. I was immediately drawn into the story and cheering for every rabbit. From a somewhat benign storyline - go and find a mine - Smith has built a legend, and this is definitely a story that I will return to. While part of me wishes the story had been longer, if only to stay with the characters and the world for longer, at no point did the story feel rushed - well, okay, maybe during the action sequences, but they're supposed to be rushed - or as if parts were being skipped.
I definitely look forward to reading or listening to more of Smith's books in The Green Ember world, whether it's in that series or this one. As with The Green Ember, I listened to the audiobook. This one was narrated by Eric Fritzius, who did a wonderful job. His soft voice had the tenor of both a father reading a story to his kids at bedtime and a bard who has gathered the young townsfolk around to recite the tale of the town hero, and I definitely enjoyed it. When I return to this book, I will definitely listen to it, and I hope I have the opportunity to listen to the other Tales of Old Natalia as I continue to explore the world created by Smith.
After reading The Green Ember, I added every other book written in the same world to my TBR list. This was the first one I have read since The Green Ember, and it is just as good.
Set a century before the events of The Greem Ember, we are introduced to new characters who belong to a community that has been displaced, and are struggling to find their place to thrive. With resources running low, King Winston authorizes Fleck to head up a crew and sail across the lake to find coal to mine and perhaps protect them from whatever might be in the mountains.
Though a shorter story, Smith did a wonderful job with the writing. I was immediately drawn into the story and cheering for every rabbit. From a somewhat benign storyline - go and find a mine - Smith has built a legend, and this is definitely a story that I will return to. While part of me wishes the story had been longer, if only to stay with the characters and the world for longer, at no point did the story feel rushed - well, okay, maybe during the action sequences, but they're supposed to be rushed - or as if parts were being skipped.
I definitely look forward to reading or listening to more of Smith's books in The Green Ember world, whether it's in that series or this one. As with The Green Ember, I listened to the audiobook. This one was narrated by Eric Fritzius, who did a wonderful job. His soft voice had the tenor of both a father reading a story to his kids at bedtime and a bard who has gathered the young townsfolk around to recite the tale of the town hero, and I definitely enjoyed it. When I return to this book, I will definitely listen to it, and I hope I have the opportunity to listen to the other Tales of Old Natalia as I continue to explore the world created by Smith.