Scorched Shadows – Steve McHugh
In the final chapter of the Hellequin Chronicles, secrets will be revealed, friendships tested, and destinies fulfilled.
Avalon is under siege. A shadowy cabal, headed by a mysterious figure known only as “My Liege,” has launched a series of deadly attacks across the globe, catching innocent human bystanders in the crossfire.
Emerging from the debris of battle, Nate Garrett, the sixteen-hundred-year-old sorcerer also called Hellequin, and his friends must stop My Liege once and for all. But powerful forces stand in their way. To save Avalon, they will need to enlist the help of Mordred, once Nate’s greatest nemesis, now his most formidable ally. But Mordred is grappling with a dark prophecy that could spell Nate’s doom…
The fate of the world hangs in the balance. Even if Nate can halt the war, will there be anything left worth saving?
My thanks to Anne Cater for the opportunity to join the blog tour
Initially it seemed odd picking up a new series at the last book, but I have heard great things about Steve McHugh’s books from some of my blogger pals so I really wanted to try Scorched Shadows.
Now I can see why they have been so keen I try Steve’s books – Scorched Shadows was a treat to read.
Take a modern day setting then bring in King Arthur, Mordred and other characters of lore and legend – the mix of fantasy and thrilling adventure made for great reading. A full-on battle to save the world which features sorcerers, magic, battles and plenty of lighthearted moments to break up the action and nicely pace it out.
I enjoyed the dialogue between the characters. The events of six previous books are clearly very relevant but at no stage did I feel disadvantaged by not having read them. Sounds like this should not be possible yet the author brings through all the salient points (without leaving this reader feeling the backstory had been crushed in). Past alliances, conflicts and liaisons all neatly get dropped into the plot and new events zip along.
I was engaged from the first chapter – an explosive opening if you will – and once caught up in the story I just could not stop reading.
Now I know how the story ends I want to go back and see how it begins! I don’t read as much Fantasy as I once did and Steve McHugh has made me want to read more – I shall start with his books…seems a great place to start.
