Timmy's Review of John Goode's Lords of Arcadia Series: Distant Rumblings, Eye of the Storm, & Unseen Tempest

The Lords of Arcadia series is a different genre from what I’m used to reading from Mr. Goode. I wasn’t sure at first if it was for me because it was a fantasy series, but I was so shown otherwise. I think that was because the series wasn’t what I had expected and it threw me off. That goes to show me I should never start a new series with preconceived ideas of what I would find. So let me just say… this series is not Foster High and is not even remotely similar to the Foster High series, but it was just as good. The characters are strong and well written. The stories are great. I am not big on fantasy, but once again Mr. Goode has me hooked on a series. Don’t forget to read the stuff in the back that comes after the story. I love when an author takes the time to talk to his readers. We get to love their characters, so it’s nice to meet the creative mind behind them.

The Lords of Arcadia series is available 

in eBook and Print at Harmony Ink Press and Amazon,

Barnes & Noble and ARe/OmniLit

Find John Goode on Goodreads, his Goodreads blog, 

on Facebook, on Twitter @FosterHigh, and on Tumblr

Warning… I am posting the reviews for the first three books in the series and, if you haven’t read all of them, the second two reviews contain spoilers. If you don’t want to ruin the element of surprise, please feel free to stop reading after the first review and come back to the others when you have read the books.
                                                                                                            Timmy

Review: Distant Rumblings 

(Lords of Arcadia Book 1)

In the first book, we meet Kane. He and his best friend seem to be the only normal people in their small town. Then Kane meets Hawk in a much unexpected way, and Kane starts to wonder how normal he, himself, really is. 

I really, REALLY love Kane. He has an awesome sense of hummer and he had me giggling with his inner monologue. He felt like such a normal person to me that, when all the weird that started to happen, it seemed unusual at first, I still stuck with the story. OMG, am I glad I did! Hawk comes from a different world. Literally. And he is as confused with how Kane lives and thinks as Kane is with how Hawk lives and thinks. They were drawn to each other and followed it. I love the romance in this book. I love how it is there but doesn’t chock out the plot. 

There are a few secondary characters who need a mention as well. Ruber is probably my fave character in this book. He has a dry hummer and it shows at the most opportune times. The way he phrases things makes the other person feel stupid for asking. It’s as if they should already have known the answer to a question just because Ruber does. I just loved him. He brought a depth to the story without taking anything away from the main characters. 

Spike is Hawk’s shapeshifting bodyguard. Hmm, well I don’t really want to tell you much about him because I worry it will ruin the story, but he is a well-written character and he plays an important part in how this first story is shaped. 

Jewel is a little self-centered, and I was disappointed in her. I think of all the characters, she was the one I would have liked to have seen more of in the story because I just didn’t understand her as well as I wish I had. At first, I felt bad for her but I soon didn’t care about her at all. She just faded away. 

Once I decided to lose my preconceived ideas of how I thought the story should go and just let the story lead me (which is the best way to read anyway—don’t know what I was thinking) I fell into the story and didn’t come up for air until the end. 

Well, what Mr. Goode says is the end? We disagree. A lot! :P I have never read a comic, so the idea of an ongoing story without a clear ending was hard for me to grasp. Luckily for me, the next two books were available. I recommend buying all the books in the series that are out at the time you purchase because this runs a bit like an episodic show: one battle is over, but clearly there are more to come and much more to the story. I give this book 4 marbles and say everyone should come enjoy John Goode’s world.~Timmy

About Distant Rumblings

Kane Vess may be gay, but he is also extraordinarily ordinary—a crushing weight in Athens, Iowa, where a person’s worth is measured by his uniqueness. But when he meets the school’s newest student, Kane’s ordinariness seems to evaporate. He is desperate to get to know the mysterious stranger… and that leads him into danger. 

Hawk is an exile from his homeland, an otherworldly traveler with impossible abilities and a changeling bodyguard. He’s generally disappointed in Earth, which seems common except for Kane. But while Hawk and Kane explore their mutual interest, the forces that made Hawk an exile are busy tracking him down. Kane’s newfound feelings pull him into Hawk’s shadowy fantasy world, where he learns he needs to grow up fast. Kane’s life may now be extraordinary, but if he isn’t careful it could cost him everyone he holds dear—including Hawk.

Review: Eye of the Storm 

(Lords of Arcadia Book 2)

After the ending of the first book, I was eager to go straight into this story. I was not disappointed. This book is nonstop action and I was enthralled with it. Kane travels to a new world in search of his injured boyfriend, and things start happening that don’t seem possible. When he finds Hawk, on the brink of death, something happens. Whatever it is it saves Hawk’s life, but also has the added benefit of bonding the boys. Well, I find it a benefit but we’ll have to wait to see if it really is. 

In Eye of the Storm, we become better acquainted with Hawk, Kane, and Ruber. We also get a few new characters and get to know some of the ones from the first book better. 

Ferra, the ice barbarian, is strong and proud. As she didn’t fit in well with her people, she was all too happy to help Kane and Ruber off her peoples’ lands. I like strong female characters in m/m books. I sometimes notice that the girls in the books are lame, or just hanging on the guys. This is not Ferra. Heck, she is not particularly a nice person, but she isn’t mean. She is complex and I love that about her. 

Ater and Pullus start out as bad guys, they were hard for me to like. Well, wait, maybe BAD is a strong word. I think they were just more…um... self-centered. They did what they were ordered or paid to do. I’ma leave it there for now because I like how they are used in this story and I don’t want to ruin that for anyone.

We travel to Ruber’s world and meet a ton of new characters in the Crystal Court. Most are family of Ruber, but one is a really cool creation. She is a clockwork girl. From what I can gather, Molly is an enhanced robot. She has feelings but, well, she is hard to explain. You just have to read to understand her. LOL Anyway, I love her as an addition to the cast of characters. 

Puck… He’s an Ass. Enough said. 

The romance between the boys grows in this book. They become something more than just boyfriends. I really love how this series has romance without it overrunning the story. 

Again, it ends before I’m ready for it to but, lucky me, I have book three waiting. I give this book 4 marbles, and tell you to read along with me! Can’t wait to see what can possibly happen next!~Timmy

About Eye of the Storm 

Kane Vess thought his life in rural Iowa was mind-numbingly boring. Then Hawk, a prince from another world, appeared and turned Kane’s life upside-down. At first Kane welcomed the adventure and the chance to be with Hawk—but then a shapeshifter named Puck kidnapped Hawk and dragged him back home. 

Now Kane is caught up in another planet’s magical civil war, searching for the boy he loves in a place he knows nothing about. With the help of a gem elemental, an ice barbarian, and a clockwork woman, Kane has to find Hawk and stop Puck before he can destroy the nine realms. 

Review: The Unseen Tempest 

(Lords of Arcadia Book 3)

Last book I have! *pouts* What a ride this series is! We travel to different worlds, but oddly not so different from popular fantasy books we have, if not read, at least heard about. If you have read the first and second book, you will understand what I’m saying. If you haven’t, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??!! Go get them, silly people! LOL

So, for most of this book our friends split into groups to look for people to build an army that will fight Puck, and save Hawk’s family. So we flash between the three groups a lot. There is much action in this book. We are flung from one drama to the next at breakneck speed. I actually like that in a book. Because we switch to so many perspectives it is hard to get an emotional lock on any one character, but the story goes so fast to each new obstacle that you don’t miss that.

In this story we again meet new characters and get a better read on some that we met in the last two books. Caerus is Ruber’s sister. Though she was in the last book, she becomes more prominent in this story. She goes with Ferra and Molly to try to find more clockwork people, in hopes of adding to their very small army.

Ater, is not doing so well in this book. He goes in search of death, but instead finds that the person he knows will want to kill him turns into an ally who ends up helping our group of misfits. Kor is Pullus’ brother, and was not pleased when Ater “stole” Pullus from his home and turned him from a Light Elf to a Dark Elf. Though this is not how it happened, it takes Kor’s emotions a while to catch up with his mind. I get that. Sometimes what you have in your head, what you feel to be the truth, is hard to let go of when you are proven wrong.

Milo… All I’m going to say is White Rabbit and I let you stew on that for a while. :D

Queen Demain is the leader of one of the realms and is one of three very powerful sisters. She is never really an ally, but maybe a necessary evil. She will get our guys where they need to go.

Queen Olim, I’m not positive I trust her yet, but as one of the powerful sisters, she could be handy to have around. She actually DOES help the guys in battle, but she’s not alone. They get tons of unexpected help. She also has some VERY important information for Kane. This information helps us understand all the “impossible” things Kane is able to do and why they can be both a blessing and a curse to him.

I think this was my fave of the three books, but I felt that after reading the second book as well. I’m almost positive I will feel the same way about the next and next and next… I give this book 5 Marbles and am waiting impatiently for the next book. Write faster, Mr. Goode! ~Timmy

About The Unseen Tempest 

Kane used to be a normal boy with normal worries. Now he fights alongside his boyfriend, Hawk, and an unlikely group of allies as they attempt to reclaim Hawk's throne and save the Nine Realms. With time running out, Hawk decides to raise an army against the evil shapeshifter, Puck, and his army of The Dark. The adventurers split up in search of a force that will join their cause and help restore order to the Nine Realms. 

New allies aren't as easy to find as they hoped. Kane, Hawk, and their friends face unforeseen danger as centuries-old grudges threaten their quest. Nothing is what they thought it was, and Kane and Hawk must find the truth in time to defend against Puck's encroaching army. But the truth about who their true foe is will change everything. 

The Lords of Arcadia series is available 

in eBook and Print at Harmony Ink Press and Amazon,

Barnes & Noble and ARe/OmniLit

Find John Goode on Goodreads, his Goodreads blog, 

on Facebook, on Twitter @FosterHigh, and on Tumblr