A WITCH’S BREW
Conquest of the Veil Book III
By Michael Scott Clifton
Publisher: Book Liftoff
Publication Date: April 14th, 2021
Pages: 318 Pages
Categories:
Sword & Sorcery / Magical Realism / Fantasy / Paranormal
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Intent on defeating the Dark Queen and destroying the Veil, Prince Tal and Alexandria arrive at Markingham to discover a city on the verge of collapse, its people starving, and children vanishing without a trace. Hopes of launching attacks from the city against the Dark Queen evaporate. To make matters worse, the tiny breach in the Veil allows only a trickle of soldiers and supplies to pass through.
Before the city’s defenses can be restored, the Baleful, a vast army composed of melded humans and animals led by a giant centaur, sweeps across the land like locusts, leaving nothing behind.
In the midst of turmoil and conflict, the love between Tal and Alex reaches white-hot intensity. But the leader of a ragtag militia group wants Tal for herself and will do anything to get him…even strike a bargain with a child-killing witch for a potion to make her irresistible.
But every witch’s brew comes with a price.
This is the second book I’ve read by author Michael Scott Clifton and I’ve got to say, he has easily become one of my all-time favorite authors. The first was the amazing Middle Grade book “Edison Jones and the Anti-Grav Elevator” which recently won a well-deserved Feathered Quill Book Award.
The book I just finished is Book 3 of his Conquest Of The Veil Book series, “A Witch’s Brew”. While Edison Jones was based on the possibilities of extreme science, A Witch’s Brew is a purely magical fantasy that consists of everything a fantasy should be. There’s even a flying carriage guided by winged horses…something Cinderella would have loved to have, I imagine. The story is loaded with amazing creatures, magical talents and items, with lots of action and adventure throughout.
While I missed reading Books 1 and 2 of the Conquest of the Veil, (and I plan to soon remedy that) this minor inconvenience in no way marred my experience of reading book 3. It is a story that absolutely stands on its own. This fairy tale love story made me think of how fairy tales of old could have been had they been expanded into full length novels. Richly detailed black and white illustrations throughout the novel, by Nancy E. Durham, reminded me of old wood-cut prints from Hans Christian Andersen tales.
The characters in the story are crafted in splendid detail, making you feel as if they are real life historical figures. The main players are the princess (Alexandria), the prince (Tal) and a very bad girl (Maggie). Supporting players that you can’t forget include the troll (Boorba), an evil witch (Drusulla) and a white monk (Pulpit).
A vicious enemy contingent of hideously deformed “melds”, known as the Baleful, led by the monstrous centaur, Varg, wage an attack on Markingham. The run-down city is where Alexandria and Tal are hiding as they build an army to fight the Veil Queen’s dark forces. The battle with the melds reminded me of impossible scenes from Lord of the Rings where good eventually wins out over evil.
Clifton’s way with words is stunning. Here’s one of my favorite paragraphs: The triple moons, crescent slivers of light, cast a weak glow. The stars at this high altitude and thin air were brilliant. Scattered in their innumerable millions and billions, it looked like a giant had taken a fistful of fairie dust and hurled it in all directions. Below the night sky, the mountainous ridges and slopes were gray shadows, the trees tall silhouettes. Beautiful. It was all so beautiful.
This story has many beautiful moments and some terrifying ones, too. There is still much more to be revealed. I look forward to reading books 1 and 2 and book 4 when it becomes available.
Multi Award-Winning Author Michael Scott Clifton, a longtime public educator, currently lives in Mount Pleasant, Texas with his wife, Melanie. An avid gardener, reader, and movie junkie, his books contain facets of all the genres he enjoys—action, adventure, magic, fantasy, and romance. His fantasy novels, The Janus Witch, The Open Portal (Book I in the Conquest of the Veil series), and Escape from Wheel (Book II), all received 5-Star reviews from the prestigious Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews. The Open Portal has also been honored with a Feathered Quill Book Finalist Award. In addition, Edison Jones and the Anti-Grav Elevator earned a 2021 Feathered Quill Book Award Bronze Medal in the Teen Readers category. Two of his short stories have won Gold Medals, with Edges of Gray winning the Texas Authors Contest, and The End Game, winning the Northeast Texas Writer’s Organization Contest. Professional credits include articles published in the Texas Study of Secondary Education Magazine.
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
THREE WINNERS!
Grand Prize:
Signed copies of all three books in the Conquest of the Veil series
+ $15 Amazon Gift Card
2nd & 3rd Winners: eBooks of A Witch’s Brew.
Ends midnight, CDT, May 28, 2021.
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