Smorgasbord Bookshelf – New Book on the Shelves – #Fantasy #Comingofage – Realms of the Mist by Jude Itakali

Very happy to share the news of the recent release by Jude Itakali – a fantasy adventure Realms of the Mist.

About the book

The Gifted have the blood of the first gods. Their realms are hidden within nature, away from modern towns and technology. Kamau is born to the Hadiza, ‘a people of death,’ who repress all emotions They must do this to guard the gateways between the physical, and the spiritual worlds.

The mysterious death of Kamau’s sister shakes the foundations of all his beliefs. It thrusts him on a journey for answers. A journey that exposes him to other Gifted realms, customs and traditions, including those of the non-magical world.
He meets companions along the way, each with an unknown role to play.

Kamau soon discovers that his sister’s death is tied to the rise of an ancient and ageless evil. And the stakes could not be higher!

For him, his companions, and the world at large.

One of the early reviews of the book

D.L. Finn –5.0 out of 5 stars A fast-paced fantasy with beautiful poetic descriptions that I couldn’t put down!  – Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2022

“Realms of the Mist” takes place in the mountains of Africa within the hidden areas where the gifted live. Kamau is a part of the Hadiza, who are guardians of the veil between the living and the afterlife. They not only repress their emotions but are separated from family. There was a mistake, and Kamau and his sister, Kimya, ended up together. When his sister suddenly dies, he questions everything before becoming a full member of this community. He starts a quest to find answers about his sister but finds more than he could have ever imagined.

I love the people he meets along the way that join him. His best friend, Irina, is the first to help, and their relationship is a favorite. When Ninwe from another realm becomes a part of this quest, the exchanges and undercurrent between her and Irina are a lot of fun and, at times, painful. The settings and poetic descriptions were amazing as they weaved a special depth to this story. As Kamau learns more about himself and his quest, it only gives him more questions. Each stop in his journey added to his knowledge, and there were some twists I didn’t expect.

Although the ending answered some questions, it left many unanswered, making me eager for the next book. This unique fantasy offers gods, love, danger, hidden agendas, duty, and a young man trying to do the right thing as he must figure out what, and who, he can trust. I can easily recommend this fast-paced story I found hard to put down. 

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – More reviews: Goodreads

Also by Jude Itakali

 

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK –  Blog: Jude Itakali WordPress – Twitter: @jItakali

About Jude Itakali

In an age not different from yours, Jude Itakali was born, sprawling in the suburbs of Kampala, Uganda.

A dramatic introduction, yes. But that is the beauty of writing as Jude puts it. It does life justice; be it subtle or exaggerating, real or imagined, writing does it best.

Jude is a growing author who published his first poetic works (CROSSROADS Winds of Love) in May 2021, to humble but unanimous acclaim. He has quickly followed this up with his first novel trilogy, the first book (Realms of the Mist) published by TSL publications in Spring 2022, with the 2nd book scheduled for Summer 2023.

When not being an athlete on the rugby field, or crunching down numbers for work, he delicately pens the epiphanies from life, its different relationships, hopes and fears, beauty and ugliness. And still he always has room for plunges into fantasy and magic. Afterall, as Jude likes to say, “reality is all around us, but fantasy is part of us”.

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will be leaving with some books… Sally