Review: The Wolf and the Sorceress by Brian Pemberton

In in the last of my two day look back at old reviews is ‘The Wolf and the Sorceress’ by Brian Pemberton, a book I only wrote a semi blog post for but this review is extra special for me as I made a very good friend by posting this up.  This is the first book of a series which I’m unsure will ever happen now as the original first book came out some years ago with this being a reprint and the additional name ‘The King’s Magician’ being added to this first book.  This is a fantasy book that I really, really enjoyed reading.  I was kindly sent a free paperback copy by the publisher Austin Macauley for a review.  Tomorrow I’ll be back to sharing normal recent reviews, but for now, here’s this one in full:

This book is the best fantasy adventure I have read so far! Set on earth in the fifteenth century, during a time when magic, dragons and trolls existed, the story starts with a baby being found in the woods by a wolf. This baby is Nemeila and we soon learn she is no ordinary child but has special powers and faces a battle with a mortal enemy who has vowed to destroy her.

The story starts off a little slower than some people may like. The first two chapters focus on the adventures Nemeila has as she is growing up and although the story certainly kept my attention, some readers may not think that this story is really going anywhere as it is all set around the same area. Other readers may still be put off by the slightly different style of writing used in this novel compared with some modern books. There is more description in the text than some modern novels BUT, don’t let this put you off. This is a truly amazing adventure to read and I urge everyone to keep reading it, at least until you reach chapter three and read through it. This is where the story really hooked me and I really couldn’t put this book down after that.

It really is an epic fantasy adventure, and for me is right up there with the likes of Harry Potter; I could really see this story being made on the big screen. The story jumps between the different characters, first focusing on Nemeila, then her real mother, then Tobyn, very much in the way you would see in on film and while some writers who adopt this god’s eye view of writing make a mess of it, Brian Pemberton has really succeeded. The action jumps from character to character, always keeping us in enough suspense, without us readers ever losing the plot – literally.

I cannot get across just how much I love this novel! Perhaps it is the fantasy fan in me, I do love the ages of dragons, sword fighting and magic, but I love how the story just keeps me so engaged right to the end and how creepy some of the descriptions are. You’ll know what I mean when you read exactly what Tobyn looks like and what that pouch he carries around is made of. The story held my attention right until the last page and was not only gripping but also heart warming, and even had me laughing aloud due to the things happening between two characters in the last chapter.

There is one use of the female b word in this book. Although this might disappoint some, it really made for a powerful moment in the book. The story is really great for any age to read, as long as kids can handle the creepy descriptions of certain characters and creatures.

There is a glossary section at the back of the book which gives you a brief description of the important characters, who they are, and in some cases how to pronounce character names, just in case you need a recap or wanted to make sure you are pronouncing the names correctly🙂 -Nemeila is pronounced Nem-Eye-La.

The cover design really doesn’t do the book justice to just what an amazing and epic fantasy adventure this is (no offense to the illustrator). It really is a page turner for me and I cannot wait for the next instalment ‘The Wolf and the Sorceress – Time Phantoms’ to be published!
I really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading a good adventure and fantasy. This really is a great read.

Rating: 5/5

Review published on Goodreads, click here

Book Blurb:

Nemeila’s fate is decided before she is born when her parents’ spaceship crash-lands on Earth on the day of her birth. A mortal enemy, Tobyn, murders her father and vows to use his sorcerer’s powers to destroy Nemeila. Rescued by a wolf and raised by foster parents, she makes her way across the ocean to a distant country where her enemy has taken control and caused the rightful King Parlan to flee into exile. Can Nemi use her own inherited magical powers to defeat Tobyn and restore Parlan to his kingdom? With the support of the exiled king and his stable-hand Tyler she journeys across snowy wastes and mountains in her mission to foil the evil sorcerer’s plans and restore Parlan to his kingdom. Wolves, an eagle, giant spiders and dragons add to the excitement and danger they encounter.