Today marks the official kickoff of the The End of Dreams Book Tour presented by Storytellers On Tour, and we’re thrilled to welcome back Marcus Lee as we celebrate the epic conclusion of The Gifted and The Cursed by featuring the third and final book in his debut series! We’ve got a great lineup helping us feature his Dark Fantasy tale, The End of Dreams, and I can’t wait to hear what our hosts have to say in the coming days. So, stay tuned for some incredible content!
We’ve got something a bit special today – the tables have turned, and it’s time for the author to showcase the bloggers! Marcus stops by to show off some of his favorite snippets from both the Kings & Daemons and Tristan’s Folly tours, and I’m not gonna lie…I love this so much. Keep scrolling to learn more about the book, the author, and his fantastic feature.
Also, beginning this Wednesday, March 3rd, the Kings & Daemons ebook will be available for FREE on Amazon, so if you haven’t yet begun this journey, this is the perfect time to start!
The Tour
We’ve enlisted a group of wonderful and talented bloggers and Bookstagrammers to help us feature The End of Dreams. 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 and more.
FEBRUARY 28TH – THE WELCOMING
Whispers & Wonder
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MARCH 1ST
The Sword Smith
Kats Reading Room
Westveil Publishing (IG: @thewestveilarchives)
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MARCH 2ND
Beneath A Thousand Skies
Out of This World SFF Reviews
Fantasy Book Nerd
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MARCH 3RD
Jorie Loves A Story
FanFiAddict (IG: @Cassidee.Omnilegent)
Lili’s Blissful Pages
Susan Hancock
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MARCH 4TH
The Book in Hand (IG: @thebookinhand_)
Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub
Lecari’s Livejournal v2.0
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MARCH 5TH
Gnoflet Reads
Gwendalyn’s Books (IG: @gwendalyn_books_)
Bookends & Bagends
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MARCH 6TH – THE ENCORE
Queen’s Book Asylum
For more about this tour visit Storytellers On Tour.
The End of Dreams by Marcus Lee
SERIES: The Gifted and the Cursed (#3)
PUBLISHED: January 22, 2021
PAGES: 404
GENRE: Dark Fantasy, Low Fantasy, Epic Romance
CHECK IT OUT ON
AVAILABLE AT
The Blurb
As Daleth the Witch-King and his horde ready themselves for the final battle, a small alliance prepares for a desperate last stand.
However, the alliance is weak and fractured, led by a king interested only in retaining his wealth and a lord commander consumed by his thirst for revenge. With a seemingly unbeatable army before them, invisible foes amongst them, and broken hearts between them, the alliance appears destined to fall.
Yet in these dark times, her light almost extinguished, a peasant huntress is soon to be queen. But if she can find what was lost, she might prove to be more powerful than two kings combined.
This war will bring about the end of dreams, but for whom, the gods have yet to decide.
Meet the Author
Writing hasn’t always been a serious hobby for me … but it has always been there, lurking in the shadows, serving me well when called upon.
As I look back over the years, I realise I was guilty of writing many short stories, as well as poetry, and I’d like to think, that even if they were never intended to be published, they were nonetheless warmly received by the intended recipients.
Then in 2019, I was inspired to write not just a short story, or poetry, but a book. Then, suddenly, one book turned into a trilogy and a labour of love, and it was a love I wanted to share with the world.
So, here we are. The pandemic that put my career in sport on hold also gave me the opportunity to lavish time on my alternative hobby, or if demand dictates my new career.
However, only you, the reader, will decide whether this trilogy, which is still a work in progress, will be the first of many. I genuinely hope so.
Who knows, now these creatives juices are flowing, I might just keep on writing anyway.
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Epic fantasy has been my favourite genre since I first read The Odyssey and The Illiad as a seven-year-old. Now it’s my turn to see if I can bring another world to life in the imagination of others.
WEBSITE: www.marcusleebooks.com
NEWSLETTER: www.marcusleebooks.com/contact
The Gifted and the Cursed Final Tour Summary
by Marcus Lee
Peter The Swordsmith
Talking about Maya.
Her journey of self discovery is important, both for the plot and for her as a character as it is through her gift which lends her compassion that she is able to perform the acts that she does, this character is truly wonderful and something I tip my hat to Marcus for.
Jorie Loves a Story
Notation on Cover Art.
I love the art of book covers which give you an honest impression or gateway into the world you’re about to enter and ‘Kings and Daemons’ is doing exactly that with this lushly vibrant cover art which truly gives you a keen sense about Maya and how she would appear if you were to meet her yourself. I loved everything about the design – from the choice in colours to the layout – original artwork like this one on Fantasy novels was something I have always cherished! Especially if you look closely at what is being highlighted in this portrait of Maya – specifically look at her feet and then compare that to what is behind her and you’ll see how much she effects the world.
Paul – Bookends and Bagends
My first reference to the mighty David G.
In many ways, I was reminded a lot of David Gemmell’s Legend. From the narrative style to the focus on camaraderie and heroism, also coupled with some brutally visceral violence.
Plus read it and tell me that Tristan’s Folly doesn’t give you Dros Delnoch vibes. God, I can’t wait for the next book!
Mind of Luxe
A lovely synopsis
Overall, I am at awe with this one! A high fantasy complete with complex characters, a well-written plot and fantastic world building, Kings and Daemons is a book you wouldn’t want to miss! If you are into dark fantasy stories, then I definitely recommend you try this one.
Lili’s Blissful pages
A wonderful into
The problem with this book is that I don’t have any problem with it, not even a tiny issue. That is a problem because now, I’m finding it hard to make this review long. But I have to…
Beneath a Thousand Skies
A grabbing first line
Deliciously dark fantasy, and a spectacular debut!
Gwendalyn’s Books
On my writing style (as a female?)
What immediately grabbed my attention in this story was the complexity of the characters. As the characters were raw, honest, and flawed. The authors talent definitely shines when it comes to how interesting and fleshed out her characters are. Atmospheric imagery and vibrant imagery along with the right amount romance.
Jorie Loves a Story
Seeing things that others don’t.
When I originally was reading Kings and Daemons – I noted that Tristan was both a name of a character and the name of a setting in the series. At first, I thought the sequel was named after the setting, but as I read the first thirteen pages of ‘Tristan’s Folly’, I felt my first instinct might have been the better insight out of the two I conjured in my previous readings of the series – that this instalment was rooted in and out of Tristan’s (the character) actions and choices as a pawn in the larger scale of the war against Daleth.
Peter the Swordsmith
Flattery gets you everywhere
Something I love about books is the potential sequel, this book is worthy of one of the best sequels ever done. Not only does Marcus develop the story and depict one incredible siege, but he develops some great characters that I loved in the first book into some of the more memorable and well depicted characters I have read this year.
Lecari’s Livejournal v2.0
On the issue of kings
I loved that the previous book showed some humanity to Daleth, and this continues in Tristan’s Folly. While he is clearly the villain, we see his vulnerability. He confesses to himself that he cares for Alano, his second-in-command and his only friend of 50 years. “If his only friend was a daemon, what did that say of him?” Daleth is loved by his men — for example, he eats with his soldiers to earn their loyalty (if only because it means they will fight harder for him).
This made for the perfect contrast against King Tristan. We expect him to be a kind, benevolent ruler, as he has given Maya, Taran, Rakan and Kalas safety and citizenship. Instead, Tristan is selfish and will do anything to get what he wants: “He’d lean upon any expertise he could lay his hands on, and that was his strength; using those around him to the best of their ability for his own personal gain.
Paul – Bookends and Bagends
Referencing the mighty G again
- A siege comparable to Gemmell’s Legend
- A duel before the gates to rival that of Achilles and Hector
- Rousing battle-speeches that would make Aragorn and Theoden King nod their heads in appreciation.
Omnilegent: A Need to Read
A favourite daemon
Lastly, I just wanna say: I think the storyline Lee gave Kalas is GENIUS. It is so unique and I can’t say much without spoiling it for those that haven’t read the books yet, but he’s such an intriguing character. Whenever he’s in a scene, I always perk up a bit more than before.
Kats Reading Room
Sums it up nicely
What can I say about this other than I loved it?
Out of This World SFF Reviews
Twists and turns
Almost every character takes a turn that was not expected and the amount of backstabbing and double-dealing kept me on my toes throughout this superbly fun sequel.
Westveil Publishing
Alas, dear Daleth, a bit of Shakespeare
My favourite character was Daleth. Yes, I know, he’s the antagonist! Lee has done such a good job of making this villain empathetic with relatable motives, and I loved his POV sections. It reminds me of how Iago is the best part of Shakespeare’s Othello (and no, you can’t change my mind!)
Sam – The Book in Hand
I’ve got a plot so cunning, you could put a tail on it & call it a weasel
I found myself during this read constantly thinking ’oh you clever, clever man’. Again, Lee shows us he is a talented writer. At some points I was like ’mmmm well what happened then?’ because a POV would change and so would the tide of the battle. I swore I had just missed something at first only to soon see Lee reveal it in a far more spectacular way, one in particular point I was so smug and satisfied because of the way Lee wrote the sequence of events was just brilliant! As much as I would love to tell you in detail what and how Lee did this, I won’t because…SPOILERS! And you need to experience the joy of unravelling the events of this book yourself!
Beneath a Thousand Skies
To love or not to love, that is the question
Sieges can be hard to get right, I’ve read good and bad attempts, and Tristan’s Folly is up there with the best, and I particularly loved how this one was approached, and that we got to see both sides of the conflict.
Gwendalyn’s Books
There’s two sides to every coin
Marcus Lee characterization is phenomenal, The reader is not only given insightful perspective of the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist. He has expanded the playing field to give us the main antagonist, Daleth the Witch-King thoughts and feelings. The novel is fantasy, but theme is definitely character development.
Gnoflet Reads
You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs, or a siege without breaking heads
Ever since my first time reading Redwall, I’ve loved the atmosphere created by siege combat in books, and I have to say this book pulls far less punches than Redwall when it comes to showcasing the true brutality of the fighting
That’s all I got for ya! Be sure to keep an eye on the official The End of Dreams tour page over at Storytellers On Tour (https://www.storytellersontour.online/2021/01/26/tour-schedule-the-end-of-dreams-by-marcus-lee/) to see what the other bloggers and Bookstagrammers have to say!
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Happy Reading!
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