Blog Tour (Book Review): Ten Years of Darkness (Vaal’bara Historical Society #0) – Kristen M. Chambers and Viktor H. Strangewaves

Hello!

A belated post as apparently I can’t read dates to save my life and had this down for tomorrow, but today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘Ten Years of Darkness’ by Kristen M. Chambers and Viktor H. Strangewaves organised by Storytellers on Tour. I hope that you will check out the book and the author, and enjoy the rest of the tour with the schedule in the banner below or (HERE ). There is also a chance to win a copy for yourself at the bottom of the post!

*Disclaimer: ‘I was given a copy this book in exchange for an honest review, all views are my own.’*

Book Summary:

Kristen Chambers was just an average girl.

Kristen tossed her pencil down. “Great, now they’ll think this is another angsty teenage vampire novel.” She rose and left the room, returning shortly thereafter with a blackened, crooked quill pen. Silently she cradled it in her hands for a moment before sitting down. In truth, she hated to use it. Its nib was distorted, and it left splotches of oily black on whatever it touched. But her hesitation went beyond the physical, bringing forth a sense of regret and guilt. Yet she knew the quill remained a part of her, even after its power had long been expended.

Pressing the instrument to the page, she started again.

Laurence, by his own admission, was a failure. An aspiring magician by trade, he had spent his days attempting to recreate something he knew in his heart must exist, but for some reason did not. His life was miserable, and he knew he would never amount to anything. In that regard, Kristen and Laurence had something in common, even though they had never met – or so they thought. Together, they both stood on the face of a coin, forever tumbling through time, unable to gain their bearings, always ignorant of what existed on the other side.

However, after the appearance of a dangerous stranger, their lives began to change, and many things that once seemed impossible, quite suddenly became all too real. Before long, powerful artifacts were being hunted down, demons had clashed with plague-bearing bats, and the remnants of races long since buried had crawled up to the surface. Their lives had taken a turn in a direction neither could have predicted, and one they were certainly not prepared for.

With potential horrors looming on the horizon, and access to Magical resources having been intentionally obstructed, many questions still remain: Have they chosen to support the right factions? Are their goals worth more than those they are fighting against? And worst of all, have they gone through this entire process before?

From the group who founded the Vaal’bara Historical Society, Ten Years of Darkness takes place in an unsettling time before many events transpired, yet is simultaneously affected by their outcome. It follows characters both new and familiar, bringing as yet untold details to light while also exploring others from a unique perspective. Those seeking to learn the true mission of the Society may very well choose to start here, while other heroes who have already traveled the timeways at their side will find many clues to further their journey as they look toward the future.

The Review:

I went into this one only vaguely aware that there were already books out in the series (turns out there are five, and my poor TBR is weeping as it grows again). This one was written as a prequel and read very well on its own, although it will be interesting to look back as I work my way through the series to see what elements or nuances change.

Ten Years of Darkness has a really interesting premise, although I was a little worried that the premise of a plague delivered by time-travelling bats would be a little on the nose with the present climate (time-travelling aside…although maybe that explains why time makes no sense any more?), but there is so much fun stuff packed into the pages of this book, that anything real-worldish was soon forgotten, especially as it hit the ground running and never really let up. There isn’t a dull moment in the entire book, between the action, and the characters and their interactions had me laughing and glued to the pages in equal measure.

I was glad for the guide to the different symbols at the beginning, although I did have to keep checking back for the first half of the book (I think that’s more a comment on my memory than anything else though), and I enjoyed the time travel/portal aspect and the multiple realities, and it made for a fascinating narrative that you were never entirely sure where it was going to go next, and it was certainly a page-turner!

This was quite a dialogue heavy book, and while the dialogue was well-written from start to finish, I do feel that there were at least a few parts of the book where description would have served the narrative better. But the humour and the banter were fantastic, and it was very much the characters and their interactions that sold this book for me. All the characters were well-written and entertaining in their own way and it was a wonderfully varied cast, but I think that Aurie was probably my favourite with her love for tinkering and cheeseburgers. While I really enjoyed the interactions between Laurence and Varek. There were a lot of character moments, and they ranged from action to the quieter, sweeter moments and I just really enjoyed spending time with each of them.

Overall, this was a highly entertaining read with some much-needed humour, and it has left me wanting to dive into the rest of the series. I’m also really curious to see how this book will appear after I’ve read the rest of the series, especially with the note at the beginning saying it can either be read first or at the very end. I would recommend for anyone looking for a fun, page-turning read with excellent characters.

About the Author:

Kristen Chambers was born in Omaha, NE in 1990, and lived a fairly ordinary life as far as she was concerned. An avid reader from a young age, she dreamed of diving into the pages of her favorite books and escaping into a world of adventure far more exciting than her own boring existence. Little did she know, such a fate had already been decided for her…

Her life guided by an unusual series of events, she eventually found herself thrust into the adventure she had always wished for, though she quickly realized it was nothing like she had imagined as a child. The veil was lifted, and she soon discovered a world of Magic, demons and dark forces beyond her comprehension. She was led to Chicago in 2011, where she would eventually meet, among others, Viktor Strangewayes. Though she didn’t know it at the time, he would become her greatest ally in the years to come.

In the year 2020, with Viktor at her side, she helped to found the Vaal’bara Historical Society, an organization dedicated to unearthing the long-forgotten truth of humanity’s Magical past. By telling her own story, and experiencing countless others through the use of the Temploscope, she hopes to guide humanity toward a better future, and prevent the terrible fate that awaits them.

Social Media:

Website | Instagram | Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop.org | Waterstones

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