Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Heartstone: The Drowned Tower by Nicholas Rinth | Smorgasbord

Todays’ author Nicholas Rinth and released the debut novel, a science fiction fantasy Heartstone – The Drowned Tower on April 18th.

About the book

“If the future was bared before you, would it still be yours? If the past could chase you, would you run from it? If the world crumbled tonight, would you carve your own?”

Freedom is out of the question for practitioners of the Institute, and any supporters otherwise are dealt with violently. A system Sylvie Sirx neither refutes, nor endorses—born from an enviable family, talented in her skills, and entirely too content with her position, her path has always been a straight one… until now.

Her qualifications backfire when an elder from the north descends upon her home for a Choosing. He calls upon the Drowned Tower’s most sought after practitioners for a simple job that ends in blood, and then Sylvie’s blissful world erupts. She finds herself in the company of the Elementalist, Jacques Dace, an insufferable but deadly enthusiast of personal reform. Together, they’re swept into a spiral of powerful magic and ancient grudges. Where truth bends, stones whisper secrets of the past, and their home lies at the heart of what could very well be Ferus Terria’s next recorded war.

And for once, she is forced to choose a side, learning for herself what it means to master fate.

An early review from Goodreads Apr 18, 2017 Stu Richard

Without a doubt, this is a book for fantasy lovers. There’s proper lore, a brand new world, deities, classes, religion, and of course, magic… everything you need for fantasy tbh. But with that said, there’s also nothing crazy new about it that hasn’t already been done by the thousands of fantasy novels that have come before it. Old and true. It was a good read, regardless.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the romance in this book to be just a sub-genre. Usually when its listed, there’s so much focus on it that it ruins the rest of the story by giving the characters less time to shine. But here the author gives subtle hints that show you which direction the relationship is going, yet doesn’t focus on romantic relationship building during the story. While reading the first book, I found it to be more about personal growth for the characters, either showing their dreams and aspirations or giving them some. The author also sheds light on the characters’s backgrounds and the overall plot of the story—as well as what’s to come. I hope the relationships get expounded on in the future though. If done right, they could be perfect.

If you’re looking to read this, be sure to be a good fantasy reader and read every bit of world-building because you need to pay attention to certain names or else you won’t get the VERY subtle twist near the end. There are some plot points touched upon in this book like the Mentalists and the First Zenith that I would like to know more of. From the ending, I can tell that the author will (hopefully) explore them in the future.

I eagerly await the sequel

The book is available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Drowned-Tower-Heartstone-Nicholas-Rinth/dp/099882160

Universal book link for all bookstores: https://www.books2read.com/DrownedTower-ebook

About Nicholas Rinth

Now, where to begin? If it wasn’t obvious by my picture to the left, then Nicholas Rinth is actually just a pseudonym—defeats the purpose when I say it, huh?—but this is more for my sake since I’m not a fan of constant reiteration. I prefer writing under a nom de plume, there is comfort in anonymity, however little that may be with the internet nowadays.

I’m the author of a fantasy series called, Heartstone, which you can find more information on in my Books page on my blog. I’m also a huge fan of everything and anything Noel Gallagher. I like the manga, Berserk, and I have a terrible weakness for sweets and coffee. It’s my diet and all I run on. Wont to trance, the only thing that’s really held my attention throughout the years is writing.

I tend to binge write when the mood strikes and procrastinate when it doesn’t. I read books when I can and I like to think I’ve read a lot, but life gets in the way most days, so writing has been my only past time as of late. Though I will make time for the authors that I love. (Erin Morgenstern, David Gaider, JRR Tolkien, Leo Tolstoy, Rainer Maria Rilke, a dozen others.)

Connect to Nicholas Rinth.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34644227-the-drowned-tower
Blog: https://nrinth.wordpress.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicholasrinth/
Tumblr: http://idlelitany.tumblr.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicholasrinth
Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B071CPG7WM