REVIEW: TOOLS OF PROPHECY by Michael A. Rothman

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The TOOLS OF PROPHECY is the second volume in an epic saga which describes a prophecy that has placed the Riverton brothers in the lead roles of a struggle to save their world from being overrun by unspeakable horrors. This destiny requires that they face off with the demons that nearly destroyed their world over five centuries ago.

In the first book, the population of wizards had been practically eradicated by the former tyrant. The Rivertons are now charged with creating an Academy of Magic, recruiting qualified students, and furthering their own training with secrets that have long been held by the reclusive elves.

Despite their youth, a mysterious spirit has engaged them in an epic struggle to gain mastery of their new-found skills, help raise and train two armies, and stay alive long enough for their final showdown with destiny.

The only things that stand in their way are the assassins hired to destroy them and the Demon Lord’s minion who holds a personal grudge and intends to witness the young boys’ deaths.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series --and I liked the storyline of the second one. The plot itself is good...the suspense, the pacing is top line. There was, however, some minor things that took me out of the story and made this book not quite as enjoyable: the first--I found the preface confusing and, I think, unnecessary. The author did a good enough job in the body of the story tying things up from the first book. Second, the author has certain words he tends to like and overuse--the most notable being "smirked." Smirked means: to smile in an affected, smug, or offensively familiar way. (Dictionary.com). Since it's normally one of the main characters--this is not a particularly good thing.

These are minor though in the overall scheme of things--I still look forward to seeing the next book in the series and finding out what happens in the world of Trimoria. Everyone is older--the challenges they face darker and more difficult--the rewards are greater.

About the Author: I am an Army brat and the first person in my family to be born in the United States. This heavily influenced my youth by instilling a love of reading and a burning curiosity about the world and all of the things within it. As an adult, my love of travel allowed me to explore many unimaginable locations. I participated in many adventures and documented them in what will be a series of books, the first of which you have just read.

Some might put these books in the Fantasy genre, and I never had issues with this label. After all, the adventures were, without any doubt in my mind, fantastic. I simply quibble with the label of “Fiction” that some might put on these tales. These tales should be viewed as historical records, more along the lines of a documentary.

I’ve learned one thing over the years. Magic is real. Keep exploring, and you too will find your magic.

Michael’s Website: http://michaelarothman.com/
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