Hello!
Today I am part of the book tour for The Echoed Realm by A.J Vrana provided by Storytellers On Tour. This is the second and final book in the series The Chaos Cycle Duology and it certainly lived up to its expectations and blew me away. Check out my review for the first book here. Please also take a look at everyone's posts for this book tour by clicking the link above!
Book Information
The Echoed Realm by A. J. Vrana
Published: August 10, 2021
Genre: Contemporary Dark Fantasy-Horror
Pages: 444
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CW: The book deals with themes of domestic violence, but there are no depictions of domestic violence
Blurb:
Miya’s world ended in Black Hollow.
It’s been three years since the Dreamwalker upended her life and left her with a heavy burden. A fledgling to the ethereal realm, Miya stumbles into the nightmares of those haunted by spectres. Little does she know, one of them is coming for her, clutching a dark secret abreast.
Kai has found a new purpose with his companion, but the price is his freedom. Bound and beholden to Miya, he struggles to adjust to his new role as her vanguard.
Meanwhile, Mason discovers he may be a pawn trapped in a web of schemes. Was his time in Black Hollow an accident, or was it only the beginning of some greater machination?
As Black Hollow’s bloody stain spreads beyond its wooded borders, Miya fights to evade a past she barely understands. The Dreamwalker’s legacy is a vise grip, and it isn’t letting go. Primordial horrors draw near, fables come alive, and long-buried histories rise from the grave, ready to hunt.
Sharpen your claws and bloody your teeth. There’s fear to be sown.
My rating: 4*
My review:
The second and final book in the series, The Echoed Realm was an intriguing read that follows on from the first book 3 years later and we see Miya has completely taken on the role of Dreamwalker and is slaying demons in the dreamscape with Kai. I enjoyed coming back to this world to be reunited with all the characters I loved from the first with the addition of a couple new faces, especially Crowbar who immediately caught my attention.
Miya has been travelling in and out of the Dreamscape for 3 years now and you can really tell how much she has grown as a character using her powers as they are supposed to be used as she understands her purpose in life. Her developed relationship with Kai over the years has also only gotten stronger and I loved the portrayal of their dynamic even though they do have some problems to get through.
It was also great to get some chapters in more characters POV's who we hadn't heard from before which helped reveal the history of the bond between the main characters and the origin story. We still had the POV's from Miya, Kai and Mason but there were some surprise appearances which really added depth to the story.
The characters begin to understand the truth behind the story and what this means for them and their lives. Can they rewrite what is meant to be and change the path they are on? The folklore tale goes even deeper to allow readers to discover the true nature of the main characters.
Of course there is a big ending to finish the story and the series with a bang and all the loose ends are tied up nicely to make for an excellent pair of books that are must reads for anyone who enjoys dark, mythical stories that go way deeper than the surface.
Full of dark tales, intense fight scenes and a bit of humour dotted throughout, this is a book that kept me intrigued from beginning to end and I never wanted to put the book down until the very last page!
Book Links:
Goodreads / Signed Paperback / Amazon / Barnes & Noble /
Kobo / Google Play / Apple Books
About the Author:
A. J. Vrana is a Serbian-Canadian academic and writer from Toronto, Canada. She lives with her two rescue cats, Moonstone and Peanut Butter, who nest in her window-side bookshelf and cast judgmen-tal stares at nearby pigeons. Her doctoral research examines the supernatural in modern Japanese and former-Yugoslavian literature and its relationship to violence. When not toiling away at caffeine-fueled, scholarly pursuits, she enjoys jewelry-making, cupcakes, and concocting dark tales to unleash upon the world.
Author links:
Website / Twitter / Instagram / Facebook
Publisher: The Parliament House Press
Website / Twitter / Instagram / Facebook
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