Kindle Edition Download to your Nook (eBook) Amazon AuthorDoraGonzalez Amazon Brarnes&Nobles Category:  Fantasy Publisher: Big World Network ISBN-10:  0692393331 Type: Fiction Pages: 372 Copyright: April 7, 2015 ISBN-13: 9780692393338 Price: $4.99 (eBook) A new battle of good versus evil lies in the horizon; destinies must be accepted and sacrifices must be made. In a time of peace and treaties, the five kingdoms of Severi lay unguarded and open to the dark hearts of man. Terdune, a neighboring land that had been at constant war with Severi, was defeated over twenty years ago. All threats were eradicated and its lands left without a ruler. Now a new evil reigns in Terdune and slowly makes its way to its adjacent sister. When Edwin’s village is attacked, he is forced to travel halfway across the second kingdom to the King’s Hold. Along the way he must learn the true power of the gifts that were bestowed upon him and discover the meaning of the dreaded fate attached to them.        Excerpt Hooves faded behind him and disappeared as screams started to branch out towards him from ahead. Edwin forced his legs to move faster, the sword on his side swaying and doing little to provide comfort. Tree branches lashed out at him, cutting his cheek and tugging at his clothes as he stumbled out of the woods. His legs almost gave way as his eyes fell on the flames blazing on the roofs of several cabins located at the edge of their village. He rushed past several homes, towards the direction of his house and his parents. A scream to his left cut through the thumping in his ears, and Edwin unsheathed his sword. He swung it, blocking the sword about to slice a woman through. He braced himself against the impact and punched the attacker across the face. The man stumbled for a brief moment, and Edwin used it to snatch the attacker’s sword from his grasp. The man regained his footing and purpose, but not quickly enough, as Edwin ran him through with the newly acquired sword. The man fell to the ground in a heap of blood and black. More screams had Edwin moving past slain villagers and a few dead men in black. He fought back the shock surging through his body at the realization of killing someone for the first time. He stumbled to his knees and hurled his breakfast, his mother’s eggs coming out as a yellow muck. He wiped his lips with the back of his sleeve and ran towards home, hoping his parents were still alive. Unseen to Edwin, a swirl of blackness moved from under the dead man and followed him, dashing from one shadow to the next. It grew in size, a part of it splitting and heading towards the edge of the village in the direction where the attack had first started. “Dad, Mom!” Edwin called out, pushing open the door to the cabin, his voice straining even more as his eyes fell on an empty room. A shuffle behind him had him crashing to the right, pans and plates falling to the floor. Another man in black swung at him, his sword slashing at Edwin’s side, a thin trail of blood soaking into his torn shirt. He barely dodged the next attack and lunged to the opposite side, landing against his father’s old chest. The sword inside crossed his mind and he frantically swung the lid open. The man advanced again, swinging with greater force. Edwin dashed away causing the man’s sword to smack against the chest. Edwin kicked at the man as he tried to pull his sword loose from the chest’s lid, causing the man to fall on his back. Edwin rushed towards the chest again and the sword hidden inside. His hand wrapped around a pouch and he tossed it at the man’s face before reaching for the hilt of his father’s sword. A surge of energy shot up his arm and down his side, numbing everything and filling his ears with a humming sound. He unsheathed the sword as the man tugged at him from behind. A light shot out, filling the room and blinding his attacker. Edwin turned around and ran the man through before he could rise. He stared at the blue light in awe, entranced by the white rays swirling around its core. The light started to move towards him, stinging his skin, forming a thin ray of light around him that shot straight up past the roof of the cabin and yet left it untouched.

5 Star Review by Amanda Meuwissen
I am already eager for Book 2 after reading this first installment by Gonzalez, completely immersed in her tale of heroics and destiny, and inspiring magic and villains. So many twists and turns as new things are revealed, I found myself caring for Edwin and Alden only too easily as they discovered their connection to each other and how it might very well save the kingdom (and maybe all of the other kingdoms as well). A must read for serious fantasy fans, for those who enjoy YA and adult novels alike, especially if you're a sucker for dragons.

5 Star Review by Irena Pusnik
Spirit of winning is present in Dora's story structure. I was amazed with richness of narration and deep sense for morality and strength of characters. The Five Kingdoms of Severe is one of those books you need to read more than once to come back to this land of imaginative but yet so familiar surroundings of human and heroes where we all need to fight for our goals and stay strong in our path to better tomorrow.