by
Darynn, Fyra, and Kaylaa have solved the mysteries of the gods. But how can they unveil the secrets to save the starving Olan-Har without unleashing chaos upon Vastire?
Even if they knew what to do, war with long-time adversary Erodia forces them to wait. Unfortunately, the Erodians are winning: they’ve taken Vastire’s capital and bombard the west coast nightly. With few options left, Commander Aseus turns to Darynn to attempt a daring mission to infiltrate Erodia, just like his grandfather did 80 years ago.
With Fyra, Kaylaa, and a small team at his side, Darynn agrees to the treacherous mission across the dangerous, wild continent filled with powerful enemies. But he’s conflicted. Not only does magical power rampage within, but he starts to wonder who he’s fighting for: royalty and the clergy, or the people? That question will drive him to make impossible choices.
If he chooses correctly, he can end the war and save the Olan-Har, but at a great cost. If he doesn’t, the Erodians will rule Vastire and the secrets of the gods will be lost.
Editors:
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Tropes: Aliens as God, Born Hero, Clones, Conspiracy, Dystopian Governments, Evolving Powers, Galactic Civilization
Word Count: 110000
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters
Tropes: Aliens as God, Born Hero, Clones, Conspiracy, Dystopian Governments, Evolving Powers, Galactic Civilization
Word Count: 110000
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters
“But then what?” Kaylaa asked, ever the strategist. “Erodia is massive. What do you expect us to be able to do there?”
“Assassinate their leadership,” Aseus said, nonchalantly. “You have the requisite skills to take on even the most powerful Erodians. You have a psychic to see trouble coming.”
A General, dressed in Lord Gaza’s mahogany and emerald green, said, “You’re putting an awful lot of trust in this little group. I’ll have to check with Lord Gaza.”
Commander Aseus growled. “General Beeren, the King Regent has delegated all military tactics to me. That means even you take orders from me, not Lord Gaza. We will include a soldier of your choosing, and General Gilga’s, on the task force. Now don’t interrupt again.”
General Beeren’s pockmarked face turned red, but he bit his tongue.
“That’s a tall order, even for me,” I said. “How will we even find their leaders?”
READ MOREAdmiral Losaz cut back in. “Our intelligence indicates they’re operating much like the last Erodian Conflict, with most of the orders coming from the Diamond Fortress.” He panned the holo map from the landing point almost all the way to the southwestern part of the continent, where a massive, glittering fortress lorded over a bay. “That’s literally half the world away,” I said. “It would take months to cover that much ground.”
Aseus nodded. “Likely the case. But if you haven’t noticed, we’re losing, and it’s getting worse. We need to thrust a spear-tip between the plates of their armor. My father and your grandfather infiltrated the Diamond Fortress, and thus even traveling through hostile territory without comms, we expect you to make it too.”
COLLAPSEJim on https://jimsscifi.blogspot.com/2023/06/betrayal-of-hope-star-marked-series.html wrote:Betrayal of Hope by Justin Doyle is a young adult science fiction/fantasy lover’s dream come true. Vastire is losing ground in the long-standing, bitterly fought war with enemies from Erodia, with the overarching Planetary Alliance keeping a close eye on the proceedings. Young Darynn’s entire world hangs in the balance. With the help of mission mates Fyra and Kaylaa and a diverse team of colleagues, Darynn is tasked with infiltrating Erodia and ending the war. Along the way, Darynn, Frya, and Kaylaa will face magic, treachery, extreme danger, doomsday weapons, clones, evil warlords, impossible odds, reversals of fortune, divided loyalties, internal conflict, and even romantic tension, all on an epic scale. Everything about Justin Doyle’s superbly realized Betrayal of Hope is larger than life and supremely engaging.
To imagine and fully codify another world is an impressive feat in itself, but to bring that world and its characters to life so vividly that the reader can see, smell, hear, taste, and touch the action in the story as Justin Doyle has done is the hallmark of a master storyteller. Betrayal of Hope’s succinct and easy-to-follow chapters alternate with relevant artifacts from the history of the warring factions, the effect being that the two societies seem organic and authentic. Modern society, with all its ills, is metaphorically represented in the saga of Vastire and Erodia, opening a gateway for meaningful reflection and real-time learning. Betrayal of Hope is a brilliantly conceived and magnificently crafted science fiction/fantasy adventure perfect for young adult readers to immerse themselves in and discuss with their peers and the adults in their lives.
I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
Note: This book will be released on July 21, 2023.
Choices. We all have to make them on a daily basis. Some are pretty easy, and some are more difficult. But to make choices to actually go in the complete opposite direction from what one believes in are the most difficult of all.
In this, the third book of Justin Doyle's Star Marked series, choices are a major theme.
Justin is growing as an author and his first books show this with incredible world building and character growth. With those two elements, he has penned a Sci-Fi/Fantasy mashup that is not to be missed. I enjoy the fast pace and how he shows his story that unfolds as a movie might with each page turn. His books can be read as standalone volumes, but at the same time, there are threads that tie all three books together to create some great reading.
Here is the blurb from the back of the book...Darynn, Fyra, and Kaylaa have solved the gods' mysteries. But how can they unveil the secrets to save the starving Olan-Har without unleashing chaos upon Vastire?
A war they are handily losing with long-time adversary Erodia delays their decision. With few options left, Commander Aseus turns to Darynn to attempt a daring mission to infiltrate Erodia, just like his grandfather did 80 years ago.
The trio and a small team agrees to the treacherous mission across the dangerous, wild continent filled with powerful enemies. But he’s conflicted. Not only does magical power rampage within, but he starts to wonder who he’s fighting for: royalty and the clergy, or the people? That question will drive him to make impossible choices.
If he chooses correctly, he can end the war and save the Olan-Har, but at a great cost. If he doesn’t, the Erodians will rule Vastire and the secrets of the gods will be lost.
SECRETS SPARK WARS
Darynn, Fyra, and Kaylaa have been through a lot together. Their teamwork has solved various issues as time has passed, and they have grown as characters.Darynn, the consummate hot head, has learned to think things through before he acts. He possesses a devastating power that will cause utter destruction if he unleashes it. It has happened before with mixed results. While he still gets angry, and his weapon gets very near the surface, he has learned to back away and reign in his impulses. This is thanks mostly to Fyra.
Fyra is the logical thinker of the trio. But she is learning that not everything can be approached from a logical point of view. Sometimes passion must guide one when making decisions.
Then there's Kaylaa, a great warrior who has also learned to govern her passions and pick her battles wisely.
While the entire story, as well as the three-book saga, has been adventure upon adventure, the real adventure for me, as a reader, has been to watch how these three have developed as people as they mature.
Along with character development, my favorite point of plot is Justin's world building. Right from the start, in the first book, we find an oppressed people, and Darynn takes it upon himself to help his people, the Olan-Har, to achieve a status to allow them to grow and prosper. In this world, there are constant obsticles to achieving the goal. There is always some despotic foe, or an ambitious indiviual, or even the lay of the land itself trying to foil our heroes. Darynn is winning battles, but it is uncertain he will win the war.
As time marches on, Darynn finds himself having to make an extremely difficult choice. Is he willing to betray his core beliefs and join the enemy to win the final battle? His mission is clear, but his path to victory is not. The story winds through obstacles at a breakneck pace, with brief places to allow the reader to step back before the next conflict.
It is an old cliché, but my takeaway from Betrayal of Hope is, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."
If I elaborate too much, this would be a major spoiler of a turning point in the tale. In my first year of teaching, I received a piece of sage advice from my principal. He said "fight the battles you can win." The decision Darynn makes is my favorite section of this story and you're just going to have to read the book to see the complex process the character goes through in this plot-twist. It is brilliantly written and emotionally charged!
Betrayal of Hope is a fun read with an amazing mixture of Science Fiction and Fantasy that is seamless. The mixture of the two genres is so smooth that fans of either will appreciate what the author has done.
The ending is very satisfying and the journey to get there is engaging.
Highest recommendations for Betrayal of Hope, as well as Embargo of Hope, and Assassination of Hope!
