Curses of Scale

by S.D. Reeves

Sixteen-year-old Niena wants nothing more than to attend an elite bardic college, but when the dragon that shattered the empire awakens again she finds herself on the run, through the fey realm of Fairhome, to the city where she was born. On her trail are her army veteran grandfather, thrown into a commander's role he doesn't want, the lord of the fairies, trying to steer her to his own ends, and the husband she won't meet for fifteen years. If she kills the dragon, she'll save everyone she holds dear. But if she kills the dragon, she's cursed instead to become it.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction

295 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2017

About the author

Stephen Reeves was born in 1980 in Huntsville, Alabama. He currently resides in Switzerland with an undetermined number of cats greater than zero, and a propensity for nonsense. On those cold nights where the wind steams off snowbanks, he is known to write award-winning fantasy novels. And curse his wife's cold feet.

Reviews

[Ivana - Diary of Difference · Rating 3 out of 5]

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”Dreams starve and die if not fed by imagination.”

A uniquely designed plot, intriguing and different. I was so excited to read this book. The cover was mesmerising and the synopsis was promising. It made me eager to start the book and I couldn’t wait to dive into this fantasy world.

The first couple of chapters were very slow for me. I had to re-read chapters twice, and I didn’t quite understand what is happening. After a while, things became clearer, and I started to enjoy the story a bit more.

I loved Niena’s character. She was a typical being, where one part gasps with bravery, and the rest gasps with fear. I loved how realistic she was at moments, knowing to be scared when supposed to, and fierce when needed of her.

The story gasps with a lot of intense scenes, full of adventures, that I am sure you will all love and appreciate. From trying to fight a dragon, to running away, to the amazing plot twist right at the very end, this book made me restless, after I started enjoying it.

The only reason I am taking two stars away is because I had to read the first 60-ish pages two-three times, until I finally dived in and started enjoying the story.

”A fairy bargain can live no deeper than your lips, it always dies before reaching the heart.”

A beautiful tale, full of magic, adventure and time travel. And a cover that suits it so well.

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[Nila (digitalcreativepages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book this is of fantasy and curses, where reality is far and fairly askew.

A tale set in the magical land of the druid (Calem), dragon slayer (Niena), and the General grandfather (Marny), modified and manipulated by the fae (Oberon).

The story goes thus, hear me well and hear me loud.

It is convoluted and winded when read, but oh so easy, when said aloud…

Calem wants to protect his wife from the curse, so strikes a bargain with Oberon, but it crumbles and he finds himself in the strange land. Niena who wants to be a bard, is held in Fairhome by Oberon to protect her from the dragon, but running away, she finds herself in the land of the sleeping-now-awake dragon, and the grandfather Marny who wants to protect everyone from the dragon and kill it, is leading his band of warriors to the same land.

And a secret unfolds and a battle ensues, those who reach the end have their fates unfurled.

Lonely is the path the last of their kind is on, but the first is hidden in the air unseen.

The lattice on which the story is built is extremely wondrous, the vines which curl around it as the chords of the characters grow into the saga that is part lyrical, part illusion, and part redemption.

A fabric of time is cleaved in an attempt to make things right, the future and the past both merge to defeat a common foe and lift the curse.

The future is fluid so the past undulating, Oberon as the Controller sees both the paths. He chooses the one which helps the blood of his own, but the magic has tears which leads to faults in the crevices.

All cannot be controlled, all cannot be changed.

Some have to follow the path destined.

A book where the words do not flow but the wisps of the tale emanate from the pages, like the mists, twirling and swirling, joining together, dancing to tell the tale which Reeves has written. The fog which envelopes the book together is dense at times, but allows the lore to seep through. The writing though difficult and different at time, allows the parable to jump across.

A piped piper never was seen, as Reeves who plays the flute unseen

Deep into the forest, deep in the land, the sleeping dragon soon arisen

The music of the mists were like tiny creatures that hopped and jumped, asking me to follow them deep into the hidden, and I couldn’t help but join the folklore.

An easier a language, this book would have been fabulous for the teenagers too… But patience is needed to understand the prose and tread between them to visualise the world created by the author Stephen Reeves. The path is rocky, the winds are choppy, the lines have to be navigated slowly, solving the puzzle as one goes…

A different a book never has been, nary a fairy tale ever been seen,

The story which ends is the beginning too, the girl with family ends being lonely too

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prepare to enter a world of fantasy, conflict, and a desperate attempt to thwart a curse, long in the making. All Niena wanted was to become a bard, but her journey to the renowned college is about to become a race against time for the teen to save herself, her world and those she loves when finds she must fight a dragon, but to kill it will change her forever.

Like the notes in a scale, this high-octane fantasy forges across time and across realms as one girl must choose to leave behind her dreams or risk all she holds dear. Is Niena prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice? Must she?

S.D. Reeves’ CURSES OF SCALE is an enchanting fantasy that absorbs readers into the story through vivid world-building, a collage of characters from the fairy world, the future and the present, and yes, even a dragon! Told so multiple views are intertwined, this tale may not be rapid-fire, but it is rich in the magical details that make reading a joy as one girl comes of age and holds the fate of her world in her hands.

I received a complimentary copy from S.D. Reeves!

Publisher: Riversong Books; 1 edition (November 15, 2017)
Publication Date: November 15, 2017
Genre: Fantasy
Print Length: 297 pages
Available from: Amazon |  Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Stjepan Cobets · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating 3.9

The book "Curses of Scale" by S.D. Reeves is a solid fantasy novel with an interesting story. But I must admit that in the first couple of chapters I was completely confused with the story and events in the book. At times the story was so confusing and I didn’t know who the character of Calem, Tries, and Galen was. As the chapters went on, it became easier for me to follow the story. The fantasy world in which the plot is located is solid and the story of how it is read further draws you into that world. The characters are solidly crafted and you can easily identify with them.

The story follows fifteen-year-old girl Nien who wants to go to elite bardic college because it’s her dream. But the course of events as she drives towards the city will change everything she dreamed of. As she went to the spring next to an inn she would meet the strange dwarf Oberon. From that moment on, a terrible sequence of events will set in motion in which she will be drawn without her will. Her whole life will turn upside down. And the truth about her origins will slowly surface, but it will trigger an avalanche of events that she will have to face. Whether she succeeds in this will not depend only on her.

I would recommend the book to fans of the fantasy genre.

[Leland Lydecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Curses of Scale is an unusually somber tale of love, fey magic, and cursed dragons. It follows Calem, a druid who made a bargain with the fey Oberon in an attempt to break the curse on his wife; Niena, an aspiring bard with a head full of dreams; and Marny, an old soldier and grandfather to Niena.

The author has a knack for colorful descriptions that pull the reader into the story, and there were many scenes that I could see, smell, and feel as if I was there. Amid a sea of authors who skip setting in favor of rushing straight into the action, S.D. Reeves’ immersive style stands out.

The writing is so full of detail that it sometimes takes on an almost stream-of-consciousness feel. At first it was a little confusing, but I soon realized that it conveyed the world the way the characters were experiencing it. Niena wanders through a reality where fey magic and her own wild imagination are often indistinguishable from real life, and both Calem and Marny at times find themselves lost in recollections of past experiences and conversations.

S.D. Reeves is also an author who understands human emotion. All too many tragedies that befall fantasy characters never really hit home with the audience or even the characters themselves.

Reeves’ protagonists, however, are human and believable in the best way. They experience losses and yearnings that will resonate with anyone who has ever lost a dear loved one (and, for that matter, with anyone who has ever been a teenager yearning to journey out into the world, despite its immense hostility, and find greatness.)

As you may have surmised, Curses of Scale is not your average fantasy. For one thing, these three heroes each have their own separate, fully developed plot arcs. While Calem and his desperate quest to save his wife were an early favorite for me, I found myself cheering for Marny and Niena too before the book was over. Each take a different path, but their stories remain intimately connected throughout the tale.

With Oberon acting to lead the heroes in seemingly opposite directions, the protagonists often seem at odds with each other. Without giving away spoilers, little in this story is what it seems. Elements which appear to be stereotypical fantasy fare turn out to be anything but, and the way the separate narratives come together and are resolved at the end is a work of art. Combined with everything else, this final twist elevates Curses of Scale from the ranks of decent storytelling into truly 5-star material.

[Tree District · Rating 5 out of 5]

Curses of Scale is an enchanting read. The author uses old lore in a fresh way, incorporating references from our modern world into his fantasy. The story follows three characters whose individual journeys keep the novel moving forward at an enjoyable pace. Reeves does a wonderful job depicting landscapes throughout the tale. His characters are explored through their consciousness, which allows the reader to become immersed in them and emotionally attached. If you are looking for an escape, I highly recommend this book.

[Pamela Canepa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by saying, I usually read more than one book at a time, and that isn't a good idea with this book. There is a lot going on here, multiple points of view, strange time slips, magical creatures, a curse. It is very entertaining, but you have to keep up. The main character is admirable and easy to sympathize with and I wanted to see her succeed. The tale is overall intriguing and magical, and the writing is very descriptive, though at times perhaps a little too much for my taste; it is not graphic at all, it just goes on with a dreamlike quality of description as the main character is on her quest. There are some words in the book that sound Medieval, so the reader is placed into another world, but it was easy for me to figure out their meaning and follow that language. I'd definitely say the author is very imaginative and succeeds at writing fantasy.

[June Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written fantasy with plenty to entertain and intrigue the reader. I had already read and enjoyed "The Melody of Three," to which this serves as a prequel. Both books however work on a standalone basis. The book shifts between three points of view: Calem, a druid who is on a quest to save his wife from a curse, Marny, a veteran soldier, and Squirrel, aka Niena, who is Marny's granddaughter and (spoilers) at some future date, Calem's wife. The plot is complicated and clever - at times I have to admit I was a little bit confused - but I did enjoy the 'twist' at the end. The other intriguing element in the book is the role played by Oberon, one of the few remaining faeries, who plagues/assists both Calem and Niena.

All the main characters are well drawn (perhaps Calem less than the other two) and there is always a welcome note of humour throughout. The world building is convincing and I particularly liked the presentation of the wyrm (dragon) - this was certainly no twee Disney portrait and was truly frightening. All in all a fantasy read which does not rely too heavily on tropes and gives the reader plenty to think about.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The author has created a unique setting with its own history and politics. The author creates interesting characters with goals and passions that you want to learn about and see succeed. The story itself was unique and unpredictable but the style was difficult to read. The first person present tense makes parts of the story hard to follow and when the author provides information the first person narrator shouldn’t know it pulls readers out of the story. I see potential in this author and hope to read more in the future as this author continues to grow. You can learn style a lot easier than you can learn ideas and world building; and the author is excellent ant the one that’s hard to learn. Even with the style issues this is a worthwhile read because the characters and world are so well developed.

[Mary Woldering · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea of a Young Adult Rite of passage fantasy in which the heroine moves through her world. The author worked hard to tell the story. The descriptions and world-building were well handled. The major issue I had with the story is my own inability to read and comprehend stories written in present tense. I was unfortunately unable to understand who the characters were and what they were doing in the story. I found myself reading other reviews and the blurb to help me with the struggle, because it seemed like such a nice story and rousing adventure - one I would have loved to read if I had been able to do so. I brought the subject up with several other writers and 90% of them stated similar issues.
If you are a reader who enjoys First person writing, please read this book
The work is a good one S. D. Keep at it.

[Billy Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Curses of Scale
Author: S D Reeves
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 17
Stats
Editing: 7/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 7/10
Of the 17 readers:
14 would read another book by this author.
14 thought the cover was good or excellent.
7 felt it was easy to follow.
14 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
11 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
8 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
12 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
‘This author is so good at describing setting. I had a few problems following the story. There’s so much jumping around. But I still liked it.’ Girl, aged 15
‘The characters develop well during the story, and the plot is intricate and well-plotted. I liked this a lot.’ Boy, aged 14
‘Solid storytelling. The POV switching is a little off-putting but, other than that, very enjoyable. I liked the cover too.’ High School Teacher, aged 42
‘The writing style is superb and very descriptive. However, as a consequence, the pace suffers here and there. A good editor might cut the odd paragraph; get things moving. There’s potential here.’ Independent Publisher

To Sum It Up:
‘A character-driven, fantasy adventure. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Loralee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a wonderfully imaginative tale. And I must say, the author knows how to craft a plot.
I did find the tale confusing to follow at times. The narrative had a dreamlike and rather fuzzy, unfocused quality to it, which I found distracting, though there were exciting moments of clarity throughout as well. The time slips were also a bit confusing and distracting, and I found myself more than once going back to reread something to better understand it. This threw me out of the story more than once, and pushing readers out of the story is never a good thing. Telling a story in present tense is not a style I personally care for, especially in fantasy, but that is just a personal opinion, which many other readers would not find an issue.
I did like and care about the characters, and I found the ending satisfactory. I would give the story 3.5, but as the story is so imaginative and well-written, I will round up.

[Nikki S · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the first page with its crisp, colourful descriptions I was immediately drawn into this tale. The visual setup was immediate and without any effort I wanted to know more, the pages almost turned themselves. 

Coming of age book for young adults and fantasy lovers alike. Niena, a sixteen year old girl yearns to follow her bardic dreams but her path is far from that direction. 

A confusion of sorts ensues, those wishing for one thing get another and lines and lives are crossed in a colourful, sometimes slightly baffling tapestry. Magic and curses are very real in this tale - they are often misread and the consequences are very real. A druid, a girl, and her grandfather find themselves tossed into a maelstrom of adventure and consequences, good intentions, twisted paths and decisions with massive repercussions.

Not often have I found a book that has been able to harness the reader into a complete swirl of created reality, but Reeves did an excellent job of this. 

At times the method of storytelling can be a bit choppy and confusing - often feeling almost a presentation of the exact moment than flowing as a story. But as I am a glutton for descriptive writing, I lapped up the fantasy reality and intriguing tale.

[E.M. Swift-Hook · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Fantastically Confusing Fantasy

‘When is just like where. Another reality that you can explore, if you know the way there, or then.’

Calem has more than a few problems, but the worst is probably the fact that a mad fey lives in his head and Calem needs to perform a ritual to get rid of him so the fey can lift a curse on Calem's wife. Squirrel is fifteen and an apprentice bard. She wants to get to bardic college, but she is too young and her grandfather does not want her to go. Marny is a captain of troops, with memories of fighting a dragon and he is seeking his missing granddaughter. Oberon is the master of ceremonies and the puppeteer, pulling the strings to make them all dance.

This is a very odd book. It is like reading a dream sequence. The setting is hard to pin down, it has magic and feels like a fantasy setting but, jarringly, speaks of the French language and references ‘Rule Britannia’. The characters move through dreamscape after dreamscape and the line between reality, past and present become blurred. The skeleton of the story is revealed in odd glimpses - like walking through a fog that lifts now and then to show the landscape around.

The greatest strength of this book is in the pace at which it proceeds. It charges along without respite, whipping the reader along page to page. The main characters, though explored, all seem to have a very similar way of viewing the world - all seem lost in the same confusion and so don't ever really seem to stand out as individuals. But perhaps that is part of what the author intends, with this book it is very hard to say.

'His wounds are not healing. The raid on the Duke’s castle was botched. And the fairy is singing.'

This book had two major issues for me: Firstly, it was written in the present tense which repeatedly broke me out of reading flow with the awkward work-arounds and strange constructions the author was forced into. That, however, is something other readers may not mind at all.

Secondly, the writing style is kind of, but not quite, stream of consciousness. There are strings of partial sentences being made to stand alone or stuttering, short sentences which jerk the writing along in a way that makes it very choppy rather than flowing. I often had to go back and re-read paragraphs having got to the end and not really grasped what it was trying to say. The sense of disconnection between chapters and people, times and locations made the book at times very hard to follow. I was never able to just 'go with the flow' because there was no 'flow' to 'go with' which made it a rather uncomfortable reading experience for me.

Allowing for the fact that, although very much against my personal taste, the present tense issue is one many would not find one at all, I would give this book three stars.

I suspect this is a ‘Marmite’ book - one that is going to be loved or loathed by those who read it. If you enjoy fantasy and love present tense experimental writing, it should be top of your 'must buy' list.

[Infinity Sisters Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curses of Scale by S.D. Reeves is a journey of magic and self-discovery. Teenager Niena has one dream: to attend an elite college to become a bard. Just as a dragon awakens and terrorizes the land, Niena takes advantage of an opportunity and runs away, but this decision takes her on a course of action she isn't expecting. She finds herself on a journey through a fey realm, where she discovers magic and a startling secret about her destiny. She's to slay the dragon and save those she loves, but when she kills the dragon she's cursed to become it. As she flees through the land, she's trailed by her grandfather, Oberon of the fairies, and the future husband she won't meet for years. Unsure who she can trust, Niena relies on her strength and her dreams to save her future.

Niena's grandfather refuses to let her go to college or to become a bard, so the second she sees an opportunity she takes off and embarks on a personal quest. She ends up in a magical world that's beyond what she's imagined but she also discovers a darkness in her destiny. She's not like the usual heroine and doesn't set out to make a big change; instead she just wants to follow her dreams and becoming a hero just falls into place. Oberon is a big personality with motives that are left as a mystery until the end. He's got a playful quality in the way he talks with taunts and riddles, a certain amount of madness about him, and is a little bit mischievous and dangerous. But he helps connect the threads together, playing a key role in how events unfold. He also provides a lot of humor, especially seen when he tries to bargain with Calem and suggests the payment option of pickles. S.D. Reeves twists several threads together, but slowly all the threads of the story come together. Curses of Scale is a coming of age tale with a lot to say about life and taking charge of one's destiny in the search for independence.

[Brian Wilkerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Reeves asked me to read his novel "Curses of Scale". It is a fantasy novel and the basic gist of it is this druid trying to save his wife from a dragon but it is more complicated than that....a lot more complicated, and I'm not simply talking about the plot. I will examine Plot, Character, and Polish, and then assign a grade.

PLOT

As the story begins In Media Res (sort of), Calem, a druid, has just acquired the final ingredient he needs to complete the spell that will save his wife, Nina.

It is an exciting opening. He is being pursued by the henchmen of the guy he stole from, dodging them and killing them with a mixture of magic and metal weapons. It is this opening that convinced me to accept the review request. It is after this point, where Calem casts the spell that will save Nina, that things get confusing.

You see, the narrative is split between three view points, Calem, Nina, and Nina's grandfather, Marny. They alternate chapters but not every chapter switches perspective. The reader has to figure it out each time. This is the first of the confusing points.

The second point is the abstract nature of the narration. It suggests what is happening more than directly stating it. The out-of-universe reasons for this are in POLISH. Right here are the in-universe reasons.

1. Calem has occasional magical hallucinations, and/or extremely vivid flashbacks that overwrite parts of his narration. He also spends time looking through the eyes of his cat familiar, which obviously has a different viewpoint than a human mind.

2. Nina spends some time in the Eldritch Location known as the Fairhome (that is, home of the Fair Folk) which is influenced by imaginations, and hers is very strong so it is very weird when she is there. She is also constantly narrating backstories for the places she sees or the story she's writing, and the distinction between what is going on around her and what is in her head is not always clear.

3. Marny is apparently going senile, and spends as much time on Memory Lane as he does on solid roads. His wife dies off-screen and neither he nor anyone he interacts with recognizes this. I didn't realize it for dozens of pages because he keeps seeing her. Like many things about the narration, I had to infer it long before it was stated.

The third point of confusion is the style of the narration, which is also in POLISH. The fourth point is a minor point. Nina's grandfather calls her "Squirrel" but this is not immediately apparent. It is left to the reader to realize that Squirrel is actually Nina. The fifth point is that this Nina is not the same Nina that married Calem but a younger version that hasn't even met him yet. Even Calem has to figure this out on his own, because the only person who is aware of everything that is going on is Oberon, a fairy who spends 85% or so of his dialogue on non-sequiturs.

In the background of this story, there is trouble with the local empire. Apparently, it is disintegrating, or being conquered, or something. I couldn't figure it out because only Marny talks about it, and he doesn't seem to care.

Personally, I felt it was a slough to read this book. It is confusing. It is slow-paced. The triple-part narration breaks up everyone's progress and makes the book feel longer than it is. Making all of this worse is that none of these events are relevant to the initial plot. Oberon is basically waiting for the crucial moment where Nina was cursed so he can make sure it doesn't happen while Nina and Marny are working on something entirely different from Calem.

The ending is both closed and open-ended. Like the rest of the story, it is weird that way. I like it. I consider it a good ending.
　
CHARACTERS

Calem is an interesting guy because he is a flip of an archetype. At the start, he appears to be the classical action hero risking his life on a mystic quest for the sake of his beloved wife. Then he becomes more unhinged and possessive and ruthless with the implication that he may have always been that way. Declaration of Protection and Yandere merge with this guy.

Nina is an aspiring bard. She wants to travel to a college and become a professional. She is a Plucky Girl and a Guile Heroine, but she is also really naïve. Her romantic ideal of the bard's life is a subject of frustration and scorn to her world weary grandfather. Not helping her case is that she is also spacey, drifting off into her own fictional worlds so thoroughly that it is not immediately apparent that she has drifted into a literal alternate world. At that point, she is torn between using it as an opportunity to run-away to bard college or run just as fast back to her grandfather.

Marny, Nina's grandfather, is the ranking officer of a military post that may or may not still be active for an empire that may or may not still exist. I recall him calling his garrison a collection of scarecrows. He is old, grouchy and cynical. I get a general feeling of "burned out" and him waiting to die. Looking after Nina/Squirrel is all he lives for these days.

The cause of all this trouble, the dragon, receives no characterization beyond "maybe it is looking for a new lair". As far as I can tell, it exists solely to start everyone's subplots and then appear at the end of the story for the climax.

POLISH

The narration is written in present tense, rather than past tense. This is a little jarring but not bad. It is easy to get used to it. What I dislike is the deliberate refusal to use conventional grammar.

There are sentences fragments everywhere. Seriously, they are on every single page. It has the effect of isolating phrases and emphasizing certain words. I feel this is meant to evoke a sense of flowing, and add an ethereal feel to the narration in support of the three viewpoint characters. In other words, Painting the Fourth Wall.

It is a creative technique, and not one that I have seen before (at least, not since reading experimental modernism in college) but I can certainly see how it can be confusing. Personally, I felt it was better to skim it for the "feel" of the section rather than to learn exactly what was happening, which felt increasingly like bailing water with a sieve.

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Curses of Scale" a B

This has been a free review request. The author asked for an honest review, so I provided one.

[Happy Booker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curses of scale is a young adult fantasy novel written about sixteen-year-old Niena. This brave girl just wants to go to the Bardi college but instead finds herself fighting a dragon in order to save her grandfather and everyone else she loves. She isn’t alone on this journey, and if she does accomplish the goal, she turns into the dragon herself. The decision comes with a price, and that is what makes this book very intriguing to read.

The adventure is filled with fairies, shapeshifters, dragons, and druids, making it a thought-provoking read for any fantasy reader. I found the story to be compelling, well written and enjoyable to read. The content appeared to be divided into sections that took its own narrative and chapters. This could confuse some, but for me, it was not a problem.

The world setting blended all the elements together, and the description was just enough to enable the reader to envision the scenes. I enjoyed the overlap between the built world and the home of the fairy well.

Every kid that is interested in reading a book would enjoy this story as it contained everything relevant to its genre. I believe the author has potential in creating good work and recommend this book to parents looking for good stories.

[K.S. Agustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curses of Scale is an exciting fantasy novel written by S.D. Reeves.

The book starts with a druid on the run to finish a ritual to save his wife from a terrible curse. It, then, flashes back to his fifteen-year old wife, Niena, who wants so badly to be a bard, which is against her grandfather’s wishes.

Attacks of a dreadful fire-breathing dragon throw the Empire into chaos and propel Niena through the fey realm. Guided by the lord of the fairies, Niena discovers things about herself she never knew before, first of which is the secret of the lyre she has in her possession.

Meanwhile, Niena’s grandfather, an army veteran, is on her trail with a few hunters leading a group of refugees. More than the safety of the people he is leading, he wants to be reunited with her granddaughter.

This is an exciting and action-filled fantasy novel with a very promising premise. Told in the third person and in alternating perspective between the druid Calem, Niena and Niena’s grandfather Marny, the book boasts of vividly described settings and moving and exciting action scenes. Unexpected revelations await the readers and the book culminates in a satisfactory ending.

[Darrell Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

While still being fantasy, the characters are very down to Earth and relate-able. This made it a breeze to read and fun. Keeping all the classic elements of good fantasy, vivid imagery, magic, personal growth through a quest, ect, Curses of Scale makes for a good fantasy tale. Having characters with pronounceable names, with motivations that are easily understandable, and straight-forward style of writing made it great.
One slightly odd thing is it has American Grammar with British spelling of words. This is more odd than distracting, as the British spelling is well known to anyone whose read a British book, ever. Much better to my eyes than the reverse.
It also moves very quickly, I read it in one sitting and had to check afterwards to see that it was in fact a full length novel.
Overall if you are looking for a fun enjoyable read, (fantasy or otherwise) you should like Curses of Scale.
My gut is telling me that this is a four star book, but I really can't think of a reason not to give it five stars, either way it's worth checking out.

[S.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curses of Scale

Curses of Scale weaves three seemingly separate stories into one fantasy adventure of fairies, druids and a cursed dragon all wrapped in fey magic. At first, the stories feel like three novellas. Each tale is told from point of view of the different protagonist—a girl, a man and an old man. In all three stories, Oberon manipulates the characters. Sixteen-year-old Niena's life is turned upside down's when a dragon reawakens. Forced to make a difficult choice, she flees. Calem is a young druid, and wanting to free his wife from a curse, makes a deal with Oberon and is magically transported into a strange land. Marny is an old man, a former soldier and reluctantly is convinced leads an attack to kill the dragon.

I love the cover but it misled me into thinking the book was targeted to a younger reading audience. (Didn't read the book jacket description) This impression was further reinforced with a sixteen-year-old protagonist who lives in a wonderfully magical realm. She's forced to run away to complete a task to save those she loves. When the story switched to an older protagonist, it felt disjointed and pulled me out of the story. And I was a little disappointed because I'd fully invested in Niena's story. But I kept reading because the author's voice is so compelling.

The writing is laced with evocative descriptions. The writing is full of wonderful details. In a few places, fewer dense descriptions might be less distracting. The same is true when Calem and Marny go into memory-mode, dredging up the past. It pulls the reader out of the story. While some of the men's reminisces are integral to the storyline, others felt like beautifully written diversions.

Loved how the author pulled the three stories together to a satisfying conclusion. Look forward to reading more from this talented author.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Review

A fantastic prequel to the author’s novel “The Melody of Three”, the author does an amazing job of building up this magical, fantasy world. From ancient curses and alternate timelines to the fae, dragons, and a young woman fighting destiny in an attempt to make her own path in life, this book hits every mark for a great epic fantasy novel.

The mythology and character arcs were the highlights of this read. The main character Niena was someone the reader could really stand behind and root for and did a great job of showcasing a well-rounded story arc that felt authentic to who she was as a character. The action was intense and the final chapters of the book proved emotional and rewarding all at once.

The Verdict

A well rounded, in-depth and evenly paced read, author S.D. Reeves does an amazing job of capturing the reader’s attention early on and creating complex characters, some of which you eagerly wait to see if they prove trustworthy or not. An epic quest that challenges the notion of expectations and destiny, this was a fantasy whirlwind adventure that fully realized the fantasy genre and showcased the ever-growing mythology the author has created. Be sure to grab your copy today!

[Erik McManus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never know what I am going to get when I take a pick out of the TBR jar but when I picked this one, I was intrigued. It deals with a girl who is trying to stop a dragon from terrorizing her village. But the dragon passes on a curse that when you kill it, you become it.

The characters were very well developed and I feel like they were differentiated enough to have a good cast. However, the plot was a little all over the place and hard to follow. It also became too descriptive at times where I was drawn out because of the number of adjectives I was reading.

That being said, it is a good standalone book with a not too complicated magic system and some fun ties to fey folklore. I am giving it a right in the middle rating because that is how I felt about it. I believe that the author can create more work like this and I would be excited to see where he goes with his imagination in his future books.

[Stephanie Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Atmospheric. Tense. Dramatic. Adventure-filled.

A dragon awakes. Young Niena wants nothing to do with it — she simply wants to move on with her life. But Niena is the answer. Now, she’s on the run, trying to avoid getting involved.

Curse of Scale is a complex fantasy that weaves together a fascinating, multi-generational cast of characters with loads of twists and turns, time-slips and an action-packed plot. The intriguing characters include feys, fairies, druids, war veterans (who have fought dragons before and fear doing so again), and a lone teenaged girl struggling to find her place. Together, in a beautifully described mystical setting with a steadily building sense of danger, Curse of Scale is a truly unique fantasy YA novel.

[James Maxstadt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of potential…

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. There is a lot to like here, including Oberon’s madness and his manner of speech. The story involving Niena is a good one, and I found the revelations at the end to be pretty surprising. The characters, and not just the three main ones, are well developed and you do care what happens to them.
My problems come in some of the other elements. The point of view switches between characters broken into different chapters. While this is fine, the number of chapters spent on one character in a row, sometimes made it a bit difficult to remember what was happening with the others when we got back to them. Then, there are two chapters at the end where the point of view suddenly changes mid-chapter, no break. That threw me off for a moment too.
Some of the phrasing in the book I found to be distracting with imagery that I actually had to puzzle out a bit at times. There were moments in the book that I had to go back to figure out what was happening, due to some of the phrasing. Reeves also uses thoughts, indicated by italics, interspersed with action. When I got the flow down, it actually works quite nicely, but until then, it threw me.
Overall, I like the book, but feel that I don’t like it as much as it deserves to be. It’s a good book, well-written, with a compelling story and characters you grow to like and care about. It didn’t resonate with me as much as some others, but I would recommend it.

[Tanya Biondi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review Curses of Scale

This is one of the most peculiar books I have happened to read. The first thing about it, is that it is written in present simple, which took some adjusting on my part, as it makes you feel forever on the run. Secondly, you cannot escape noticing how strange the narration is. Not so much for the fact that it is structured in very short periods, style by now adopted by many writers. The specific mark of this book is the capability of the author to indulge in minute details, while imposing a very tight pace. The overall atmosphere of the story is so anxiogenic, that sometimes you feel trapped in a dreamlike situation, where you would like to rush with the action you feel unfolding, yet you are kept running on the spot by lingering details that tie you down. I found this rather fascinating, because at the end of the day, it is in some way what happens to the characters, and you feel as if you were tossed inside of that messed up world yourself.
As for the story. It starts with Calem, an escaping Druid, who has put himself into great trouble and has performed powerful magic in order to save his wife from a horrible curse. Of course, in the magical bargain he has made, he is not the most powerful actor; so, once he has closed his part of the deal, things start to go in a completely different direction to what he was expecting. In the unknown present he is thrown into, he is desperately searching for his wife, while the reader is introduced to the vicissitudes of Marny and Deliah, two old grandparents trying to keep an adolescent niece out of trouble, and trouble has an ominous shape. All may end where it all began, but it isn't as easy as that.
This is not such an easy book to read as many entertainment books are. It is written in a very good and rich language, and it is structured in such a way that demands attention, also because it shifts regularly between verbal speech and thought, dream and reality. I have appreciated this very much. What I would have liked to understand better is the relationship between Calem the Druid and his wife; this would have made some of the following behaviours clearer. My favourite chapter is N.15, where the pace slows down, leaving space for reflection, poetry and melancholy, before entering chaos again and finding each their own fate. There are two characters I have loved the most in the book: one is Deliah, so mysterious, full of poetry and wisdom, the other is Oberon. I think he is the true masterpiece of the story, everything about him is just perfect: the cunning, the teasing, the foolishness, wonder and tenderness, he has it all. And the way the author uses his words to make him speak and act, he being the one that designs the web shaping all the other characters’ destiny, is plainly marvelous. I would also like to mention the lovely part of the small orange cat that accompanies Calem first and then Niena. I love cats, and their presence, their elegance and way of moving, always carries something mysterious and magical, it is a beautiful cameo in this story. If I were to assign a background music to this book, the first song I would think of is Hollow Hills by Bauhaus .Lovers of magical fantasy cannot miss a fairy tale like this.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

S. D. Reeves debut fantasy novel, Curses of Scale, plunges right in with vivid imagery and heart-stopping action. It is a coming of age story, a time paradox, a riddle and three-stranded tale told from the perspective of a shape-shifting druid, a young girl, and an old soldier (the girl's grandfather).

The druid, Calem, has made a deal with the half-mad-fey, Oberon, to lift the curse from his wife - the curse of scale, a curse to become a fire-belching, killer dragon for having killed one. Calem will do anything to achieve his aim, but isn't sure if Oberon helping or obstructing him.

Young sixteen-year-old Squirrel (Niena)'s greatest desire is to become a bard like her dead father, but her grandfather is set against her leaving. She runs away, and finds herself adrift in fairyland and heading for a fate her future-husband desperately want her to avoid.

Marny, Squirrel's grandfather, wishes to protect those he loves and find his missing granddaughter, but finds himself in charge of a rag-tale bunch of refugees fleeing the fire and destruction of the dragon.

And winding through it all is Oberon, an old fading fairy with his own aims and unpredictable actions.

Reeves weaves these story threads together towards a dramatic suspenseful conclusion. He draws on mythology and lore about fey and fairies, dragons and druids, in his own unique way. I loved the use of music - the chords - as a basis for magic and spells, and he portrays the overlap between the material world and the home of fairy (fairholm) well. Marny, Squirrel, Oberon and Calem are great characters - and there are twists and turns in this tale. All is not as it seems.

In some ways, I found Reeves' strength was also what made it harder for me to be immersed in his world and enjoy the ride. His prose is poetic, rich in immediate and sensual detail, literary, and novel, which resulted in some brilliant descriptions yet often slowed the pace or made it harder to understand exactly what was happening.

For instance "Starlight wanders down through the leaves and the moon that leers over the camp is yellow-toothed and angry." Vivid and poetic and atmospheric with a clear image.

But "Morning fell behind the wind earlier and aged to noon before catching. Now sunlight too has found her, where a ruined wall anchors the shadow of leaves to its blank slate." I found a lot more obscure - great as poetry, but frustrating as prose - with just too many different metaphors packed in and jostling against the meaning.

I thought the twist in character and motivations clever, yet somewhat abrupt and would have liked to seen more of the climatic scene, especially the realisation of who Squirrel was, in Calem's point of view, perhaps because I engaged with him as a character so strongly at the beginning.

Overall, a clever and thought-provoking story, but a touch too literary for me to enjoy fully.

[Jimmy Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The verdict: A well-paced, mystical epic packed full of surprises—something different in all the right ways.

Just from the author’s quirky sense of humor on the acknowledgments page, I had a feeling I’d like this book. Curses of Scale will by no means be every reader’s cup of tea. It’s mysterious and odd, full of surreal sequences and shifting points of view. Yet it’s also original and well written, featuring clever dialogue and immersive imagery without breaking the pace. From the action-packed opening to the gradual unfolding of the narrative, Reeves achieves what he sets out to accomplish. I tip my hat whenever an ambitious fantasy writer actually pulls it off, and Reeves delivers a mystical tale about finding purpose, forging one’s path, and time’s relentless pursuit of us all.

The story opens with the druid Calem racing to uphold a bargain with the wisecracking fairy Oberon. Calem’s wife, Niena, is cursed to become a dragon, and only the fairy’s ritual can reverse her fate. Meanwhile, the aspiring musician known as Squirrel wants nothing more than to attend bardic college but must contend with her militant, overprotective grandfather, Marny. Squirrel plots to run away until a surreal experience in a tavern one night transports her off course. When a fire-breathing dragon threatens Marny’s post, he barely escapes with his life. Across the wide path of destruction that follows, Marny seeks his granddaughter just as she discovers her true identity. With fairy magic at hand and a terrifying dragon on the move, Niena must race against time to escape her destiny and break the cycle of the curse.

The first few pages feel a bit like an out-of-body experience, but the story untangles as it goes. Calem’s internal conflict pairs well with the fairy’s cynical quips, although Calem’s magical abilities remain somewhat undefined. He has healing spells, can transform into animals, and sometimes his magic fails due to his own dwindling energy. Niena’s own musical spellcasting feels similarly opaque, which might bother some fantasy aficionados in it mostly for the world building. At points I felt disoriented with the timelines, wondering if a subsequent chapter happened before or after the one before it, but Reeves eventually pieces it all together once all his cards are on the table. In fact, there’s a certain elegance to the disorder, like a song with strikingly different verses that come back to the same refrain. Reeves brings twists and duplicity; he unfolds the story in discrete moments instead of blurring his characters across the years. One must read this novel with eyes open and brain turned on. Curses of Scale works for me, but I can see others not fitting this niche. Recommended as an intelligent, engaging read for those looking for something fresh in fantasy.

[Katie Blythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review*

I loved this story, it was very action packed. It literally starts in the middle of an action scene and slowly starts to build up to what is going on, instead of dumping exposition, then moving on to the action. It’s told in three perspectives, Calem, who is a fey trying to figure out a way to keep a curse from happening to his wife, Niena, who is 15 is raised by her grandparents, and just wants to go on adventures and attend college, and Marny, Niena’s grandfather who is an ex-army veteran who just wants to spend time with his family. Niena is sent one day with one of her grandfather’s soldiers to a village where she sneaks off and finds a portal leading to the fairy realm. After going through, she meets a fairy named Oberon who acts as her guide. Meanwhile, in the human world, a dragon attacks and Marny reluctantly gets as many soldiers together as he can to try to stop and kill it, while also trying to find Niena. Calem through it all, is on the run trying to get back to his wife to help break her curse. I really enjoyed that it was told in multiple perspectives. It didn’t linger on a certain character for too long before going back to a different character. There are also some pretty big twists that happen towards the end of the book that completely shocked me. It made me question if some characters where being truthful about stuff, or lying to just get their own way. I will say though that because it’s told with action first then explanation later, I was confused through some parts of it and wasn’t sure exactly what was going on in some parts, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this.

***Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng***

[Sarah G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creative fantasy world where many peoples’ paths are thrust together for one main journey’s end, who will make it out is anyone’s guess.

Starts as it means to go on with Calem right in the thick of a skirmish with many more to follow. Dropped right into the middle of action, though I felt like I was playing catch up trying to figure things out. Seems Calem has some magic but not enough to stop a curse from taking hold of his wife. He seeks a deal with Oberon to help but will the trickster hold up his end after being sent to where he needs to be? With Calem slowly going mad from his task is he soon to be a danger to others as well as himself?

Niena wants to be taken seriously by others, mostly her grandfather Captain Marny, and show that she can take care of herself out in the world. Something her grandfather doesn't want her to endure. She wants to explore, fearing she'll waste away if she doesn't, and soon gets her wish. Things don't go to plan on an ale run and she finds herself alone in a world in chaos with a dragon and battles falling at her feet. Perhaps it’s her imagination she needs to worry over with where it seems to take her and a stranger she meets along the way.

Marny sees the destruction and knows he needs to get his people to safety but mainly he wants to find his granddaughter. The journey is perilous but he needs to keep his head to keep people alive with the route they have taken. Seems these three journeys are soon to collide in a dragon’s destructive path. Who will make it out in this fantasy ride?

Bit of a strange book for me that took a while to get going and even longer to make sense with what was happening. It picks up at near the end when things start to click into place. I think what put me off in places was not the story itself but how the narrative parts were written in first person. It took me a while to get used to the style of writing and it’s not one I would go back to. Also didn't help that there were different POVs but not always clear at first who you are with. Interesting story all the same.

2.5/3 out of 5 stars
I received a copy of this book from the author for my honest review.

[Rob Cummings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had it's moments

Beware, this is fantasy. In the pages that follow, you will see the regular cast of characters. Fairy? Check. Dragon? Check. Army hoards? Check. A fair maiden? Check. Et cetera and et cetera. This isn’t bad per say. It is what we as readers have come to expect. The evil dragon and the demonic wizard are mainstays of this genre. A story without them would be unfulfilling. That’s not to say that a story with these characters included will make the tale. It’s up to the writer of the tale to use them to tell a great story.

“Curses of Scale” has moments when you want to see good triumph over evil. The battle rages and blood is shed. For me those moments were much too short in the execution of the tale. I wanted the paragraphs of those encounters to be pages and pages of struggle, and the fact that they were over so quickly left me empty.

On the positive side of things, much of the description of this world was awe-inspiring. The smell of spring and the flowers is just one example. Those precious images were the heart of this story. I would have liked to experience more of them for they did make me smile. The story idea was good and when I reached the end of the tale it was nice. Some parts of the journey. Were difficult. Difficult. Difficult to press through.