The Amber Crown by Jacey Bedford | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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In this new epic fantasy, three societal outcasts must work together to fulfill the orders of a dead king's ghost or risk their nation falling to a tyrant

The king is dead, his queen is missing. On the amber coast, the usurper king is driving Zavonia to the brink of war. A dangerous magical power is rising up in Biela Miasto, and the only people who can set things right are a failed bodyguard, a Landstrider witch, and the assassin who set off the whole sorry chain of events.

Valdas, Captain of the High Guard, has not only failed in his duty to protect the king, but he's been accused of the murder, and he's on the run. He's sworn to seek justice, but his king sets him another task from beyond the grave. Valdas doesn't believe in magic, which is unfortunate as it turns out.

Mirza is the healer-witch of a Landstrider band, valued and feared in equal measure for her witchmark, her scolding tongue, and her ability to walk the spirit world. When she's given a task by Valdas' dead king, she believes that the journey she must take is one she can never return from.

Lind is the clever assassin. Yes, someone paid him to kill the king, but who is to blame, the weapon or the power behind it? Lind must face his traumatic past if he's to have a future.

Can these three discover the real villain, find the queen, and set the rightful king on the throne before the country is overcome?

Reading epic fantasy always makes me feel like I am going back to my roots. You can imagine just how excited I was to dive into The Amber Crown by Jacey Bedford. It is a chonk of a book AND a standalone AND aimed at adults. Sign me up right this very second. Over a chilly winter weekend, I fell right into this story of three misfits coming together to discover what happened to an assassinated king and save a kingdom at risk. I enjoyed The Amber Crown for the most part with one thing that bothered me.

The Amber Crown follows three point of view main characters. The book opens with Valdas who is Captain of the High Guard. Valdas is waking up and shaking off a hangover in a whorehouse when it comes to light that King Konstantyn has been murdered. Oh, and Valdas is wanted for that murder. So, rather than turn himself in — he clearly isn’t responsible — Valdas is on the run and gives himself the task of unearthing who the true assassin is. 

Mirza is the shulum of a traveling band of people who have no land to call their own — similar to the Romani. She is a cross between a witch and a healer. Mirza has an affinity for natural magic. She also has this birthmark on the side of her face which precludes anyone from wanting to marry her. She spirit walks and comes across King Konstantyn’s ghost who urges her to help Valdas find out what happened and set things to rights.

Lind is a master of disguise among many other skills. Oh, and he is the person who actually assassinated the King. Only, Lind is just the tool. He doesn’t know who paid him either. While escaping town, he is asked to help a young pregnant woman escape as well. FYI, she plays an important role. So, I was quickly able to guess who she was.

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As said, these three characters eventually come together and the intrigue and adventure begin in earnest. I found myself quickly turning the pages to find out who was behind the king’s death. I also was very invested in our three main characters. The world building brings elements from our world and cultures. However, a few things just rubbed me the wrong way. There is one character who is very clearly identified as a Black woman and she dies. Like, come on. That is a cliche at this point and not cool. Then there’s a part where there’s some exchanging of gold pieces and a character is advised to find a Jew to do it. Like, what? Again,with the stereotypes. I think that without those bits, this could have been a five star read for me. I love epic fantasy, truly I do, but those parts were not for me.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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