Thursday, June 13, 2024

Review and Giveaway: The Chronicles of Arax Series by Benjamin Sanford








Book Details:

Book Title: Of War and Heroes (The Chronicles of Arax, Book One) by Benjamin Sanford
Category: Adult Fiction 18 yrs +, 392 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Publisher: Stenox Publishing
Release date: August, 2023
Format available for review: print-softback / USA and Canada), ebook (EPUB, PDF).
Tour dates: June 10 to July 2, 2024
Content Rating: PG-13: There are some battle scenes between humans and gargoyles utilizing mostly swords. Very light romantic scenes just kissing) with little description. Minimal swearing. I am mostly giving it a PG 13 rating due to the battle scenes.


Book Description:

​What defines a hero? Are heroes born, or created?

For Terin Caleph, living on his family’s farm in the Torry realm, the complexities of wars and heroes have never crossed his radar. He spends his days tending to the lush fields, and his evenings with his loving parents. But all that changes when, nearing his 18th birthday, he has been hand-chosen to work as a scribe for a Torry ambassador, and an old friend of his father’s.

Before leaving for this new life, his father gifts Terin with an ancient, luminous sword and instructs him to keep it close at all times. Terin can’t possibly fathom why he would need such a magnificent weapon, and yet he soon discovers that life outside his family’s farm is nothing like he could have imagined, and the sword will soon come in handy.

Gargoyles are threatening the kingdoms of Arax, emboldened by their alliance with Tyro and his army of humans. Together, they intend to overthrow the rest of the humans. The future of Arax looks grim as gargoyle attacks become more fierce and frequent, pulling resources from the central cities and separating the human armies.

Terin must band together with a motley crew of renegades that include an esteemed Torry warrior and a thuggish group of “Earthers” who shipwrecked on his planet. Together they find themselves in the midst of the fight against Tyro and his gargoyle empire. With his father’s mysterious sword at his side guiding him, and the fate of the human world resting on the outcome of this war, Terin begins to question the real reason he was called to be a royal scribe.

Will Terin’s heroic attempts to thwart the gargoyles prevail, or will the kingdoms of Arax fall to their vicious attacks?

BUY THE BOOK:
​add to goodreads


Book Details:

Book Title: The Siege of Corell (The Chronicles of Arax, Book Two) by Benjamin Sanford
Category: Adult Fiction 18 yrs +, 610 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
Publisher: Stenox Publishing
Release date: August, 2023
Format available for review: print-softback / USA and Canada), ebook (EPUB, PDF).
Tour dates: June 10 to July 2, 2024
Content Rating: PG-13: There are some battle scenes between humans and gargoyles utilizing mostly swords. Very light romantic scenes just kissing) with little description. Minimal swearing. I am mostly giving it a PG 13 rating due to the battle scenes.


Book Description:

​“The enemy is at the gates, and we must unite against them.”

Tyro’s forces are growing stronger by the day, as is his wrath against Terin and his friends. Now in possession of Terin’s mysterious necklace, Tyro sets his sights on the Torry realm leaving nothing but destruction in his wake.

Separated from the rest of his friends, Terin desperately attempts to get back to his native land, stopping only to assist the raging battles in the Yatin Empire and Corell. With each passing fight he is learning to follow the direction of his father’s ancient sword–its full powers yet to be revealed to him.

Meanwhile, Cronus has escaped the lairs of Fera with some help from his friends and now they must navigate the treacherous lands of the Benotrist realm to return to the Stenox in hopes of reuniting with the rest of their crew and stopping Tyro once and for all.

But with Tyro’s fury spreading all across Arax like wildfire, will the kingdoms of Arax ban together to fight this common enemy, or be destroyed by their own hatred toward one another?

​Will Terin finally unlock the secrets of the ancient weapon that is guiding his journey and discover his true origin, or will his destiny be too heavy a burden to bear?


BUY THE BOOK:
​add to goodreads


Meet the Author:


Benjamin Sanford grew up in Western New York. He spent almost twenty years as an air marshal, traveling across the United States and many parts of the world, meeting people from a broad range of cultures and backgrounds. It was from these thousands of interactions that he drew inspiration for the characters in The Chronicles of Arax series.

He currently resides in Maryland with his family.

​Connect with the author: website ~ goodreads


Giveaway: 

Enter to win author-signed copies of Of War and Heroes and The Siege of Corell (Chronicles of Arax Books One and Book Two) (ends July 3)




My Reviews:

Of War and Heroes is the first book from new to me author, Benjamin Sanford's series, The Chronicles of Arax. I am not a huge fan of fantasy or magical novels but do like to go outside my comfort zone and try something new. The cover of this one had me intrigued and wanted to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised and thought it was a good read. It was nice to leave this stressful world and be taken into a new one of Arax. The plot was interesting and the characters were unforgettable. The bonds and friendships formed all throughout made me feel as though I was part of their story. There was a lot going on within the pages of this tale with lots of adventures, action, battles, and danger. I liked there were a few lessons to learn. Even though the novel is over four hundred pages long, I did not want to let the characters go.

I am giving Of War and Heroes four and a half stars. I have no doubt fans of fantasy fiction will greatly enjoy reading it. I am curious to see what the next installment involves and what Benjamin Sanford has in store for his characters from his The Chronicles of Arax series, The Siege of Corell.

I received a paperback copy of Benjamin Sanford's Of War and Heroes from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.



The Siege of Corell is the second installment the talented author, Benjamin Sanford's series, The Chronicles of Arax. After reading the first book, Of War and Heroes, I could not wait to get my eyes and hands on the follow up and seeing how it would continue. I was far from being disappointed. I thought this continuation was even more exciting than the first. It was great to take a journey back to Arax to see where the characters will go now. I was once again sucked into this tale of action, danger, adventure, and magic. There was no way of predicting of what would occur from scene to scene. The book size is intimidating with over seven hundred pages but I had no problem finding time to have it fully read with in a week. I was entertained with these characters and spending time in their world.

I am giving The Siege of Corell a very well deserved five plus stars. I highly recommend it for readers who love to read books that are fantastical and of magic. I feel fully invested in this series and have to see where the imagination of Benjamin Sanford has in store for his fans from his The Chronicles of Arax series with the third installment, The Battle of Yatin.

I received a paperback copy of Benjamin Sanford's The Siege of Corell from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

No comments:

Post a Comment