The Lost Sentinel by Suzanne Rogerson

I’m so excited to be discussing this book today, I love a good fantasy read and this one did not disappoint! Big thanks to Suzanne Rogerson and Rachel from Rachels Random Resources for providing me with a copy of the book and inviting me to be a part of this blog tour.

Blurb

The magical island of Kalaya is dying, along with its Sentinel.

The Assembly controls Kalaya. Originally set up to govern, they now persecute those with magic and exile them to the Turrak Mountains.

Tei, a tailor’s daughter, has always hidden her magic but when her father’s old friend visits and warns them to flee to the mountains she must leave her old life behind.
On the journey, an attack leaves her father mortally wounded. He entrusts her into the care of the exiles and on his deathbed makes a shocking confession.
Struggling with self doubt, Tei joins the exiles search for the new Sentinel who is the only person capable of restoring the fading magic. But mysterious Masked Riders are hunting the Sentinel too, and time, as well as hope, is running out.

Against mounting odds it will take friendship, heartache and sacrifice for the exiles to succeed in their quest, but is Tei willing to risk everything to save the island magic?

THE LOST SENTINEL COVER

Review

I don’t even know where to begin with this book, I loved it so much. Time flew by as I was reading it, I bypassed my bedtime on more than one occasion whilst I was lost in the pages! There has been some incredible world building within this story; it is set mainly on the magical island of Kalaya, though we do take several trips out to sea and over to the barren lands of Stone Haven, too, but all the location and character jumps are done so smoothly, it was easy to keep track of where you were and what was going on. The magic system used in the book designed with the same skill as the world building was. Characters with magical abilities each had their own strengths and weaknesses, their various skills ranging from Astral Projection to healing abilities.

Speaking of characters, there is a huge cast of them in this book, which makes me so glad it is only the beginning of a trilogy because I’m desperate to see how some of them end up! I found all of the characters to be extremely well written, they all seemed to have been given their fair share of back story and were well fleshed out, no easy feat when you’re juggling so many of them! The larger the character pool, the bigger the risk is that some of them will come across as flat, but that just doesn’t happen here, which made me so happy. I hate to read a book and see characters that had so much potential that just weren’t given the chance to shine!

Even with so many characters to choose from, I definitely had my favourites, with Garrick easily slotting in at the top of that list. A Protector for the Mystics of Kalaya, we meet Garrick very early on in the book and he very swiftly falls for our leading lady, Tei. Garrick is a total sweetheart, though his role as protector means his head and his heart are often in conflict over some of his choices.

With all the intricate world building, interesting characters and epic journey they all partake in, this book had me glued to it from the first page. As soon as I finished it, I was making a grab for book two to see what happened next! Suzanne Rogerson has written a fantastic start to this series – I love her writing style, and that she doesn’t shy away from putting her characters through some tough challenges as the story progresses.

Don’t forget to come back to my blog on the 28th and check out my review for book two, The Sentinel’s Reign!

Purchase Links

The Lost Sentinel
The Sentinel’s Reign (Book 2)

Breaking News…. The Sentinel’s Alliance, book 3 of Silent Sea Chronicles is now available on pre-order.

Can new alliances save the islands of the Silent Sea from the murderers stalking their shores?

As the island of Kalaya and its people recover from civil war, a new threat surfaces. Invaders from the island of Elkena hunt the seas, butchering those who possess magic. Their scar-faced captain seeks the Fire Mage who it has been foretold will kill him and Tei and her people are in his warpath.

Tei and a band of Kalayans travel to Stone Haven, the home of their new allies, planning to restore magic to the dead island. But the Stone Haven Council have abhorred magic since their people were massacred by Elkenan invaders twenty years before. Commander Farrell must persuade his people to accept magic again, but his plans expose them to their biggest fear and he risks leading Tei and her people into danger, and jeopardising the safety of both their islands.

Under Farrell’s guidance treaties are forged, but is the newly formed Silent Sea Alliance enough to defeat the invaders and stop their bloodthirsty quest to destroy magic forever?

The Sentinel’s Alliance is the final book in the Silent Sea Chronicles trilogy.

Preorder link:
The Sentinel’s Alliance

About The Author

author photo 2018 (2) Suzanne lives in Middlesex, England with her hugely encouraging husband and two children.
She wrote her first novel at the age of twelve. She discovered the fantasy genre in her late teens and has never looked back. Giving up work to raise a family gave her the impetus to take her attempts at novel writing beyond the first draft, and she is lucky enough to have a husband who supports her dream – even if he does occasionally hint that she might think about getting a proper job one day.
Suzanne loves gardening and has a Hebe (shrub) fetish. She enjoys cooking with ingredients from the garden, and regularly feeds unsuspecting guests vegetable-based cakes.
She collects books, loves going for walks and picnics with the children and sharing with them her love of nature and photography.
Suzanne is interested in history and enjoys wandering around castles. But most of all she likes to escape with a great film, or soak in a hot bubble bath with an ice cream and a book.