Castle Town 5

By: Anya Merchant

Narrated by: Giancarlo Herrera, Hannah Schooner

Prince Makoa and Underqueen Avina reunite in Harvestglade, with war looming on the horizon.

©2023 Anya Merchant (P)2023 Anya Merchant

Not as good as book for, but better than book 3

Even though I had said, before that I was quitting the series, I had to go for one more. I’m glad I did. The story was adventure, some intriguing and brought together. A lot of characters that had been far-flung. The main character is still kind of bratty and immature, but he’s getting better, I am looking forward to the next volume

5 stars

👍👍👍👍👍I hope there are more books to come in this series! The MC is great along with a really good supporting cast! The story is captivating! The narrators also do a good job of bringing the story to life! Great job Anya Merchant!

Epic Fantasy Series

Review is for the series as a whole.
Anya Merchant is known for her pseudo-incest stories with fantastical elements, although it isn't as prevalent in this series as some.

The prince (adopted) is on a quest to become more powerful and become king, so his mother won't have to service whatever slob is in charge. He also has relationships with women he's known since he was a child and an aunt (by marriage), but frankly the adopted mother is the only relationship that feels incestual.

I had low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. The sex isn't as huge a part of the story as you might think. Instead, this is an epic tale of a naive (but privileged) young man who gains supernatural powers and allies and goes through incredible trials and tribulations in his quest to become king. There are huge, continent-spanning plot developments, and the author isn't shy about killing off characters at times. There is some humor to lighten the mood here and there.

One of the magic systems used in the series is interesting and a little different - it consists almost entirely of opening portals to other realms. You don't cast a fireball, you open a portal to a realm of fire, and the same goes for other magical effects.

I will say that I found the protagonist hard to like. Yes, he's the hero, and there are reasons to feel sympathy for him, and he does in some ways mature emotionally a little, but still... he's kind of a jerk and is overall selfish, impulsive and immature. On the plus side, props to the author for not having an overly perfect and flawless hero. Still, maybe he has a few too many flaws.

Overall, the series was pretty good, although I still prefer the "Domestic Decay" series.

Note: the 8-book series is complete.

Twist and turns

This book is a good installment in the series tons of twist and turns and political intrigue. The MC continues to grow and develop.

This was all right

This book in the series has been all right, book 5 started to focus on the plot a bit more but it is still moving sort of slowly