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Tales of Darkwell
Snake Charm of the Oracle
A tale spanning over a thousand years, three stories divided by time, intertwined in ways our heroes could never imagine.
DUSTIN wants nothing more than to unlock the lost secrets of magic, preferring to spend his days in the hidden corners of the castle library. But when an ancient statue comes to life, declaring DUSTIN the only one who can retrieve the NECROMANCER’S Resurrection spell, he finds that saying no to destiny is easier than saying no to a king.
To retrieve the spell, he must travel deep into Serapen, home to the scaled and venomous Viperae. Thankfully, the King has provided an escort. EOSTRA, a warrior with eyes the color of death, another of the NECROMANCER’S creations.
Before even reaching Serapen, they discover that things are not as they appear. A simple quest turns into a mission to save not only their own home, but the continent of Darkwell from impending evil, and complete destruction.
Introducing the Tales of Darkwell anthology series is the Snake Charm of the Oracle, a young adult fantasy about loyalty, revenge and redemption.
DUSTIN wants nothing more than to unlock the lost secrets of magic, preferring to spend his days in the hidden corners of the castle library. But when an ancient statue comes to life, declaring DUSTIN the only one who can retrieve the NECROMANCER’S Resurrection spell, he finds that saying no to destiny is easier than saying no to a king.
To retrieve the spell, he must travel deep into Serapen, home to the scaled and venomous Viperae. Thankfully, the King has provided an escort. EOSTRA, a warrior with eyes the color of death, another of the NECROMANCER’S creations.
Before even reaching Serapen, they discover that things are not as they appear. A simple quest turns into a mission to save not only their own home, but the continent of Darkwell from impending evil, and complete destruction.
Introducing the Tales of Darkwell anthology series is the Snake Charm of the Oracle, a young adult fantasy about loyalty, revenge and redemption.
338 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2021
2 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Kal Locksley
7 books28 followersMy love of storytelling stems from a time I would entertain my younger brothers with tales of adventure, based on whatever it was they could imagine.
My love of the written word comes from my mother, an English teacher, who taught me to appreciate the art of storytelling, as much as the storytelling itself.
If you do read something of mine, please leave a review! Always love to hear...The good, the bad, and even the nasty! How else can we learn and write more books YOU want to read?
My love of the written word comes from my mother, an English teacher, who taught me to appreciate the art of storytelling, as much as the storytelling itself.
If you do read something of mine, please leave a review! Always love to hear...The good, the bad, and even the nasty! How else can we learn and write more books YOU want to read?
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 1, 2021
This book literally kept me up at night. Too many twists and turns to mention, I really enjoyed the blend of fantasy and magic. Very relatable characters and craft creatures blend seamlessly in this tale.
I genuinely recommend this book to all ages for a brief glimpse into the world of Darkwell.
I genuinely recommend this book to all ages for a brief glimpse into the world of Darkwell.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2021
Recently finished snake charm of the oracle, it was so good definitely worth the read! Well written, well developed characters, amazing story line! Recommend if you love a good fantasy book !
September 2, 2021
Incredibly fun read, filled with lots of twists and turns.
I loved it!
I loved it!
Read
September 7, 2021This was a compelling read. The author genuinely has the gift for writing excellent stories!
A read which would appeal to any age group, this is one of my favorite reads thus far. Well done!
A read which would appeal to any age group, this is one of my favorite reads thus far. Well done!
September 22, 2021
A story about an army of the undead is always a great read! Loved the heroin, Eostra, who is undead herself, but not rotting and is clear of mind. Her and Dustin are assigned to work together to find the Resurrection spell, and they find even more interesting characters along the way. This was a really fun adventure, and it draws you in as the story feeds you some of the characters’ backstories.
May 27, 2022
Okay let me start out with something positive. It's a quick read, and I was able to get through it in a day or so. When the writing is good, it's great. There were a couple great chapters where I slipped seemlessly into the world Locksley was trying to create.
But therein lies the issue. "Trying to create."
This book is in need of an edit, and possibly even an overhaul. I don't mean just for grammatical issues (of which there are plenty) but just an overall rewrite. I honestly think this title would benefit being written from scratch.
**Spoilers**
"The small white clouds that dotted the sky where nudged by a persistent wind." (Page 305) This is ALMOST a great sentence.
"Your right, perhaps I should..." (Page 287)
"The sound of laughter scented the air..." (Page 244) I honestly have no idea what this is supposed to mean.
"Not only were their own numbers were dwindling, the humans were beginning to tire." (Page 227)
For me, the most egregious infraction was this sentence, on page 41: "It homed no animal or bird." Not only was this an awkward sentence, what is a bird in this world if not an animal, a brand of tires? Obviously I'm being sarcastic, but it's this level of writing that needs to be elevated.
This read like it had been written by someone who knew the overall factors in a fantasy novel, but had never actually read one. The overall narrative seriously lacked detail, and because it lacked detail, I found myself getting confused. Items appeared from out of nowhere, characters appeared with no introduction or mention of who they are and thus are easy to confuse, the dialogue was often stiled and the author does not know how to properly use dialogue tags.
Fantasy is a detail-rich genre. A lot of the things that made me scratch my head could have been eased if there had just been more detail.
We get very little sensory details, but an awful lot of filtering. There's a section where the main characters are talking about a cloak. We are told through dialogue it's made of rare furs but there are NO details given about it. The Viperae, the settings, the animals, all of these could have been fleshed out to make them more real and vibrant. I don't know what any of the buildings look like, I have a vague sense of what the enemy looks like, and it seems like everything happens so fast I don't have time to really take it all in. Though I admit, this could just be my brain.
The climax between the villain and the main characters was disappointing BECAUSE it happened SO FAST. There was no real emotional moment for us as the readers because it came and went. We didn't get to bask in the moment because there was no basking to be had.
The Necromancer was the most fleshed out character. For me he was the best of them. Even though I didn't exactly follow everything with 100% clarity, his chapters were a fun read and his personality made him rise high over the other characters. He unwittingly became a villain and his story has lasted for a milennia. Overall, while not perfect, it was well done.
Dustin was kind of fleshed out, but Eostra, who could have been the most interesting character, was flat. Not necessarily Mary Sue, but close. There was nothing unique about her personality. 1000 years old and she doesn't have any quirks or habits or anything that makes her stand out. She's kind of robotic, and that's disappointing because there's a LOT one can do with a character like that. In the context of the story, her agelessness makes sense, but I don't feel like her lack of humanity does, especially since there's an itty-bitty romance idea.
OverallI don't mean to be overly critical because I know writing is hard work. I know it from experience. However, I don't understand how these other readers gave it such high praise, unless these readers are friends of the author. In that case, they're doing them an injustice. Don't tell your friends their book is great if it's not. It doesn't feel like this book was beta read. I'm not sorry I paid for it, but I do wish more issues had been brought to the author's attention. With an overhaul, this mediocre story can truly shine.
But therein lies the issue. "Trying to create."
This book is in need of an edit, and possibly even an overhaul. I don't mean just for grammatical issues (of which there are plenty) but just an overall rewrite. I honestly think this title would benefit being written from scratch.
**Spoilers**
"The small white clouds that dotted the sky where nudged by a persistent wind." (Page 305) This is ALMOST a great sentence.
"Your right, perhaps I should..." (Page 287)
"The sound of laughter scented the air..." (Page 244) I honestly have no idea what this is supposed to mean.
"Not only were their own numbers were dwindling, the humans were beginning to tire." (Page 227)
For me, the most egregious infraction was this sentence, on page 41: "It homed no animal or bird." Not only was this an awkward sentence, what is a bird in this world if not an animal, a brand of tires? Obviously I'm being sarcastic, but it's this level of writing that needs to be elevated.
This read like it had been written by someone who knew the overall factors in a fantasy novel, but had never actually read one. The overall narrative seriously lacked detail, and because it lacked detail, I found myself getting confused. Items appeared from out of nowhere, characters appeared with no introduction or mention of who they are and thus are easy to confuse, the dialogue was often stiled and the author does not know how to properly use dialogue tags.
Fantasy is a detail-rich genre. A lot of the things that made me scratch my head could have been eased if there had just been more detail.
We get very little sensory details, but an awful lot of filtering. There's a section where the main characters are talking about a cloak. We are told through dialogue it's made of rare furs but there are NO details given about it. The Viperae, the settings, the animals, all of these could have been fleshed out to make them more real and vibrant. I don't know what any of the buildings look like, I have a vague sense of what the enemy looks like, and it seems like everything happens so fast I don't have time to really take it all in. Though I admit, this could just be my brain.
The climax between the villain and the main characters was disappointing BECAUSE it happened SO FAST. There was no real emotional moment for us as the readers because it came and went. We didn't get to bask in the moment because there was no basking to be had.
The Necromancer was the most fleshed out character. For me he was the best of them. Even though I didn't exactly follow everything with 100% clarity, his chapters were a fun read and his personality made him rise high over the other characters. He unwittingly became a villain and his story has lasted for a milennia. Overall, while not perfect, it was well done.
Dustin was kind of fleshed out, but Eostra, who could have been the most interesting character, was flat. Not necessarily Mary Sue, but close. There was nothing unique about her personality. 1000 years old and she doesn't have any quirks or habits or anything that makes her stand out. She's kind of robotic, and that's disappointing because there's a LOT one can do with a character like that. In the context of the story, her agelessness makes sense, but I don't feel like her lack of humanity does, especially since there's an itty-bitty romance idea.
OverallI don't mean to be overly critical because I know writing is hard work. I know it from experience. However, I don't understand how these other readers gave it such high praise, unless these readers are friends of the author. In that case, they're doing them an injustice. Don't tell your friends their book is great if it's not. It doesn't feel like this book was beta read. I'm not sorry I paid for it, but I do wish more issues had been brought to the author's attention. With an overhaul, this mediocre story can truly shine.
July 15, 2022
3.5 stars
The world has changed a lot over a thousand years but it always ends up that times come back around to the same issue, greed. When Dustin is sent to obtain a resurrection spell before it falls into the wrong hands he is joined by just one who shall travel alongside him to ensure that he can fulfil the mission, Eostra, an undead being who will need to put her warrior like status and skills to use.
This is the story of their epic travel across lands that others shy away from and where many species are a threat to their very existence. The story is a fantastic one that works beautifully but for me there were just too many editing errors which made the actual book itself fall down, if this were to be re-edited then I genuinely think this is a 5 star read as the ideas and writing are brilliant and I know many would say that this level of mark down is extreme but I judge all books fairly and had the story not been so strong then I would ordinarily have been tempted to abandon the book due to the number of editing issues. If you are able to look past the editing issues (spelling or grammar) then this story is very much one I would recommend and say is not a risk at the price (this book is exceptionally well priced).
Overall this is proof of an author with a real talent and I do look forward to more of their work as their other book I gave a 4.5 but I think a little bit of a tightening up on the editing and we are looking at an author who is getting 4.5 or 5 star reads out there.
The world has changed a lot over a thousand years but it always ends up that times come back around to the same issue, greed. When Dustin is sent to obtain a resurrection spell before it falls into the wrong hands he is joined by just one who shall travel alongside him to ensure that he can fulfil the mission, Eostra, an undead being who will need to put her warrior like status and skills to use.
This is the story of their epic travel across lands that others shy away from and where many species are a threat to their very existence. The story is a fantastic one that works beautifully but for me there were just too many editing errors which made the actual book itself fall down, if this were to be re-edited then I genuinely think this is a 5 star read as the ideas and writing are brilliant and I know many would say that this level of mark down is extreme but I judge all books fairly and had the story not been so strong then I would ordinarily have been tempted to abandon the book due to the number of editing issues. If you are able to look past the editing issues (spelling or grammar) then this story is very much one I would recommend and say is not a risk at the price (this book is exceptionally well priced).
Overall this is proof of an author with a real talent and I do look forward to more of their work as their other book I gave a 4.5 but I think a little bit of a tightening up on the editing and we are looking at an author who is getting 4.5 or 5 star reads out there.
August 8, 2023
A wonderful story set in a unique and growing world.
As a fellow indie novelist, I'm always slightly bummed when I have to give lower ratings. That said, I do quite a bit of table reading for other authors and I've been called 'not your average reader' by some. Reason? I sincerely appreciate any story and I'm always impressed by my fellow creatives' wonderful imaginations.
Snake Charm of the Oracle is a great story. It has a couple of interesting and well developed characters. The world and setting has heaps of potential. If you read it there's much good to be found inside.
So why the lower rating? It just needs some work, that's all. There are some developmental issues, there are technical (spelling and grammar) problems, certain parts needs to be trimmed away and others filled up. I don't know the author or her journey, or where this book fits into it, maybe it's an early book? I've read her other books and they're much more polished and well rounded. As a fellow writer, I'm very aware of the fact that my first novels needed much work even after I released them, but I did the best I could for that phase of my journey.
Am I happy I read Snake Charm—even with only a three star rating? MOST DEFINITELY. Even more, I'm very excited for this author and I sincerely hope that she continues to master her craft.
As a fellow indie novelist, I'm always slightly bummed when I have to give lower ratings. That said, I do quite a bit of table reading for other authors and I've been called 'not your average reader' by some. Reason? I sincerely appreciate any story and I'm always impressed by my fellow creatives' wonderful imaginations.
Snake Charm of the Oracle is a great story. It has a couple of interesting and well developed characters. The world and setting has heaps of potential. If you read it there's much good to be found inside.
So why the lower rating? It just needs some work, that's all. There are some developmental issues, there are technical (spelling and grammar) problems, certain parts needs to be trimmed away and others filled up. I don't know the author or her journey, or where this book fits into it, maybe it's an early book? I've read her other books and they're much more polished and well rounded. As a fellow writer, I'm very aware of the fact that my first novels needed much work even after I released them, but I did the best I could for that phase of my journey.
Am I happy I read Snake Charm—even with only a three star rating? MOST DEFINITELY. Even more, I'm very excited for this author and I sincerely hope that she continues to master her craft.
February 8, 2023
What a fun read! I don't read a lot of fantasy but this makes me consider exploring the genre because I really enjoyed this so much. Loved all the characters and it was such an adventure.
November 26, 2021
Very Entertaining,
This book was so good, it was so entertaining sol suspenseful had me on the edge of my seat, it is a page turner...the only reason it got 4 stars instead of 5 is because i have to listen to the books and ' was used for when someone was speaking instead of " which is the correct punctuation..and the book would constantly say..dot talking about the period on the end, that got annoying..other than that...A+++++++++
This book was so good, it was so entertaining sol suspenseful had me on the edge of my seat, it is a page turner...the only reason it got 4 stars instead of 5 is because i have to listen to the books and ' was used for when someone was speaking instead of " which is the correct punctuation..and the book would constantly say..dot talking about the period on the end, that got annoying..other than that...A+++++++++
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews