Review: Mark of the Mage by R.K. Ryals
Books never die, but they can be forbidden.
Medeisia is a country in turmoil ruled by a blood thirsty king who has outlawed the use of magic and anything pertaining to knowledge. Magery and scribery are forbidden. All who practice are marked with a tattoo branded onto their wrists, their futures precarious.
Sixteen year-old Drastona Consta-Mayria lives secluded, spending her spare time in the Archives of her father’s manor surrounded by scribes. She wants nothing more than to become one of them, but when the scribes are royally disbanded, she is thrust into a harsh world where the marked must survive or die.
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Jessica’s Review:
5 STARS!!
A scribe ignores a fierce battle between 3 dragons, trying to finish The Book of Truth, a prophecy about the kingdom. Unfortunately, he is unable to finish. The last line… “The girl, the phoenix of peace, will bring…”
Stone is the illegitimate daughter of nobility, mostly ignored and allowed to learn with the scribes. Her nurse, Aigneis, carries a brand given to all mages. One day, Stone is told she is no longer allowed to visit the scribes in the archive. She is 16, it is time to go to court and marriage. The first of many tragedies happen on the path to court. They are stopped by rebels and Stone is forced to watch the violent death of the most beloved member of her family. She is branded with an inkwell, cracked to symbolized how broken the scribes are. It is Kye, a king’s guard who helps her escape. But nothing is what is seems and all too soon everything Stone knew has been turned upside down and backwards. Kye has his own secrets he is trying to keep hidden.
I loved the balance between Stone and Kye! They still have so much hope, even with the sadness, hurt and pain. I can’t wait to read book 2! I went & downloaded it immediately after finishing Mark of the Mage, because I can’t leave this story where it stopped!
About the Author
R.K. Ryals is the author of emotional and gripping young adult and new adult paranormal romance, contemporary romance, and fantasy. With a strong passion for charity and literacy, she works as a full time writer encouraging people to “share the love of reading one book at a time.” An avid animal lover and self-proclaimed coffee-holic, R.K. Ryals was born in Jackson, Mississippi and makes her home in the Southern U.S. with her husband, her three daughters, a rescue dog named Oscar the Grouch, A Shitzsu named Tinkerbell, an OCD cat, and a coffee pot she honestly couldn’t live without. Should she ever become the owner of a fire-breathing dragon (tame of course), her life would be complete.
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