Today marks the official kickoff of the A King’s Bargain Book Tour presented by Storytellers On Tour, and we’ve got a great lineup helping us spotlight this incredible Epic Fantasy/Coming-of-age tale! A King’s Bargain is the first installment in J.D.L. Rosell’s Legend of Tal series – A captivating and inspiring tale of legends of epic proportions, this is a beautifully told story that left me craving more.
We’ve enlisted the help of a group of wonderful and talented bloggers and Bookstagrammers to help us celebrate the release of the A King’s Bargain. This is what we have going on, so make sure to check out each and every one throughout the week for some brilliant content, including reviews, spotlights, and more.
The Tour
JUNE 7TH–THE WELCOMING
Whispers & Wonder
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JUNE 8TH
The Swordsmith
Annej Reads
Jorie Loves A Story
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JUNE 9TH
Dragons and Pages
@alasbooks_
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JUNE 10TH
Book Bustle
The Coycaterpillar Reads
Parsecs & Parchment
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JUNE 11TH
Out of This World SFF Reviews
I Can Has Books?
Marginally Magical
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JUNE 12TH
The Paperback Voyager
FanFiAddict
Grimdark Dad
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JUNE 13TH–THE ENCORE
RockStarlit BookAsylum
For more about this tour visit Storytellers On Tour.
The Book
SERIES: Legend of Tal (#1)
PUBLISHED: June 1, 2020 (Self-published)
PAGES: 306
GENRE: Epic Fantasy, Coming-of-age
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The Blurb
The legend of Tal Harrenfel is sung across the Westreach — and with each telling, the tales grow taller. But though he’s declared a hero by his King, Tal has never claimed to be more than a man…
After three decades of fighting warlocks, killing mythical beasts, and hunting enchanted treasure, Tal has had enough. Running from the deeds of his past, he retreats to his home village under a different name and meets an unlikely companion: Garin, a village boy who dreams of making a name for himself and seeing the world beyond their sleepy town.
When Tal receives a mysterious visitor, both he and Garin find themselves thrown into a sojourn across the kingdom. Soon, they become embroiled in the plots of monarchs, on the frontlines of an ancient war, and at the mercy of a fabled sorcerer.
Now Tal must live up to his legend, and Garin discover his own power, to survive the forces pitted against them…
Name of the Wind meets Witcher in A King’s Bargain, an intertwining sword and sorcery adventure and coming of age tale. If you like The Wheel of Time, The Dragonbone Chair, or The Stormlight Archive, you’ll love the captivating world of Legend of Tal!
The Review
ALSO REVIEWED AT: Goodreads
“I’ve never claimed to be more than a man.”
A King’s Bargain by J.D.L. Rosell is a captivating and inspiring epic coming-of-age, feel-good fantasy tale of legends and forging one’s own path. Within its pages, readers are immersed in a story illustrating the fragile balance of good and evil, an everlasting battle for sovereignty, and the importance of choice. Beautifully conveyed and steeped in myth and magic, the promise of adventure and discovery sinks its claws in, refusing to let go even after the final page is turned. Brilliant characterization, a gripping mystery, and a setting with a deeply rooted history, this is a must-read for all fans of classic and modern fantasy alike.
Rosell crafts a wonderfully developed cast of likable characters, each playing a critical role in the advancement of the story presented. Tal Harrenfel, a living legend bearing the weight of ballads sung behind bright smiles. Garin, apprentice with a burning need to seek the secrets of the world. Wren, a determined girl with her sights set on creating a name for herself. Falcon, a bard with a proclivity for bending the truth. Aelyn, a rancorous mage who’s incapable of refusing aid for those in need. Although so very different and distinct, the dynamics between these characters–frenemies, budding love, tried and true friendship, found family–are nothing short of wonderful.
“I’ll earn my own name,” he whispered to the night sky, hidden beyond the thatched roof. “I’ll earn my stars.”
As we flip through the pages, we’re submerged in a riveting world rich with history and legends of epic proportions. The adventure we’re swept along takes us from the quaint farming village of Hunt’s Hollow to the fog-laden, haunted ruins of Erlodan’s Castle to the sprawling city of Halenhol, dominated by the sky-soaring Coral Castle. An over-arching mystery delivers us to each of these unique locations, which house their own veiled mysteries waiting to be unearthed. Rosell injects just enough details to set the stage, allowing imagination to run rampant. And while this story involves a great deal of travel, he smartly emits most of the “let’s stop to make camp” bits, benefitting the fluidity of the narrative.
The writing itself is absolutely superb. Told with flowing, polished prose, the engaging plot is portrayed with near perfect pacing. Informational morsels are intelligently revealed to readers as the characters experience specific situations–there’s very little fluff in this concise epic. Rosell employs the use of spoken tales within the tale to educate on the histories of the world, as well as shed some light on the dangers that lurk beyond the horizon. While I appreciated these enriching my reading experience and building some delicious tension, at times I felt they slightly pulled me from the present. There’s also a shallow learning curve (which I always appreciate) allowing the audience to easily and comfortably settle into the story being weaved.
“You’ve a fire in you, Garin. You need to feed it with all the World has to offer. If not, if you stay here without venturing away…” She shrugged. “I’d be afraid of that fire burning you up inside.”
A King’s Bargain is an engrossing foundation of Rosell’s Legend of Tal series, illustrated by dangerous secrets entangled throughout. While this story ties up nicely, the beginnings of another grand adventure are sowed, which left me in dire need for more. The blurb’s description of “The Name of the Wind meets Witcher” aptly describes what lies within these pages, and it makes for one excellent read that’s almost impossible to put down. If you’re on the hunt for a sweeping epic, yet intimate tale with excellently drawn characters, then look no further – A King’s Bargain is exactly what you’re looking for. I thoroughly recommend.
Note: A huge thank you to J.D.L. Rosell for providing me a complementary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Author
J.D.L. Rosell is the author of more than seven books, including the dark epic fantasy series The Famine Cycle, the fast-paced LitRPG/Gamelit series The Everlands, and the sword-and-sorcery series Legend of Tal. He also writes some serialized books, including the Nordic epic fantasy The Frozen Throne, which has over 100k views on Wattpad.
Previously, J.D.L. Rosell earned an MA in creative writing and has written as a ghostwriter. Always drawn to the outdoors, he gets out into nature whenever he can and indulges in his hobbies of hiking and photography. But most of the time, he can be found curled up with a good book at home with his fiancée and two cats, Zelda and Abenthy.
WEBSITE: https://www.jdlrosell.com/
The Giveaway
Masive giveaway, everyone! Grand prize is one physical copy of A King’s Bargain, runners-up get one of five ebook copies! Enter to throw your hat into the ring!
(International)
That’s all I got for ya! Be sure to keep an eye on the official A King’s Bargain tour page over at Storytellers On Tour (https://storytellersontour.online/2020/05/11/tour-schedule-a-kings-bargain-by-j-d-l-rosell/) to see what the other bloggers and Bookstagrammers have to say!
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Happy Reading!
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