5 Stars
Publisher: Self Published
Date of publication: January 15th, 2018
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Mud, Rocks, and Trees
Refugees – Book 1 (review here)
Seekers – Book 2 (review here)
Captives – Book 3 (review here)
Warriors – Book 4 (review here)
Visionaries – Book 5
Where you can find Visionaries: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Book synopsis (from Goodreads):
“The only thing keeping that seal around his neck is his head. Heads are easily removed.”
Time is running out. Tzoladia is under siege. Heads will roll.
As the prophecy unfolds, young people dream and old men see visions. Emperor Zoltov’s forces move to exterminate the “Subhumans.” Risky alliances are formed as Metlan’s ambition propels him into places of mystery and murder. Brina and Amanki sail through a sea filled with enchantment and betrayal. Moshoi is dazzled by treasure as he faces the horrors of an evil empire. All forces converge on Tzoladia. Time for a showdown. Will mud, rocks, and trees come together at last?
Who will lose their heads?
My review:
The plot of Visionaries was excellent. Tzoladia is under siege. Brina and Amanki are sailing on a sea of myth. What they find while sailing will change everything. Moshoi has been pushed aside by his father so that Tuka can take credit for everything. Jealousy is consuming him. Will he let it get the better of him? Metlan is on shaky ground with several people that he wants alliances with. But, can he rise to the occasion when called upon? What will happen when Brina, Amanki, and Moshoi meet? Will they be able to recover the missing seals and fulfill the prophecy?
I don’t know where to begin with this review. So much happened in this book. I don’t want to get into too much because there are some serious spoilers. So, I will gloss over everything.
Brina came into her own in this book. If she had any doubt, she did a great job of not showing it. I do like how she was willing to follow Amanki anywhere and when his ship got taken, she did. Speaking of that, her budding romance with Amanki was adorable. But it is going to turn into a triangle because she still has feelings for Metlan.
Amanki got crapped on in this book. I felt bad for him. He ended up in situations that had me shaking my head and wondering if he would come out of them alive. Somehow he did. It was through those trials that I got a good feeling about why Baskrod chose him as the leader. I am looking forward to seeing how he fits into that role in the next book. I am also looking forward to seeing where his romance with Brina goes.
I felt awful for Moshoi. He was thrust into the background by his abusive father and forced to watch as Tuka becomes the figurehead of a revolution. His relationship with Tuka suffered because of that. On the other hand, he did become involved in a plot that changes the entire book. I was shocked when I realized what was happening. Then I did a fist pump because he was involved in ends up helping people.
I was a bit iffy with Metlan. While I understood why he was doing what he was doing, I felt that he was underhanded about things. I did admire when he took charge of the refugees from the Mesmeringa Forest. But, I was sickened at him not doing anything. He knew that Amanki was his twin and he sat there. I understand that a rescue was going to happen but still. I also couldn’t tell what he felt for Brina or if he had any feelings for her.
The Christian angle of the book was wonderfully written. It wasn’t heavy-handed. Unlike some Christian books. You knew that it was there but it wasn’t shoved in your face every other sentence. Which made it a very pleasurable read for me.
I enjoyed how the plotline unrolled. The intensity from the other books did not slow down in this one. Instead, this book kept up and added to the fast pace. I am certain that book 6 will be explosive. There are twists in the plotline that definitely took me by surprise. The Island of the Dolls and who Amanki and Brina rescued from there is a huge one. That person is going to be a big part of the next book.
The fantasy angle of the book was superbly written too. I couldn’t get enough of the different races that appeared in the book. The world building that the author did was superb. This world was like an onion. When one layer was peeled back, another appeared. Loved it!!!
I very rarely don’t find anything that I do not like when I am reading books. This is one such case. I could not find anything that bothered or annoyed me. So, that makes this book a keeper in my eyes.
The end of the book was a cliffhanger. Normally, I don’t like cliffhangers. I think that they ruin the book. But, in this case, it didn’t. It only pumped me up to read book 6.
What I liked about Visionaries:
A) The storylines.
B) Brina coming into her own in the book
C) The entire book
What I disliked about Visionaries:
A) Nothing!!!
I would give Visionaries an Older Teen rating. There is no sex or sexual situations. There is violence. There is also no language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.
There are no trigger warnings in Visionaries.
I would reread Visionaries. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.
I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review Visionaries.
All opinions stated in this review of Visionaries are mine.
**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**
