The Crown of Stones: Magic-Price by C.L. Schneider – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.

Magic-Price by C.L. Schneider
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ian Troy is a Shinree, a race of magic addicts whom have been taken into slavery, drugged and made to forget their history, identities and their addictions, but Ian was brought up differently, he was brought up to be a soldier for Rella, a kingdom in a perpetual war, but underneath is an innate talent for wielding magic which he wishes he could use more, but the Queen forbids it, until one day, in the midst of the latest battle, there is an earthly upheaval and during the throes of it, Ian starts to feel the vibrations of magic nearby. As he searches for the item, Ian is unaware of the power he is about to unleash, so when he finds the Crown of Stones, all he can feel is the magic within it, the pleasure and the pain combine and block out all sense and all he wants to find is peace, so he casts using the magic he has found, however, it isn’t until afterwards that he realises the price that he has just paid to achieve that wish.

As the years pass, Ian is devoted to another addiction, regret, his regret for what happened and the losses he still feels, so he tries to drown the pain and the need to cast with wine, women and bounty hunting, but as he is chasing his latest target, he is confronted with something entirely different. He has been chasing this particular woman for what seems an age, however, when she finally confronts him, nothing is as it seems and he is thrown back into that seamless addiction he had ten years before, but this time, Ian is not sure that he can control, or curb it again, but that is not the only thing that has him worried, this encounter has made Ian sure that the Crown of Stones is being sought by another.

As he makes his way back across the realms to Rella, he encounters more than he bargains for in both the people and the places he travels through, but deception surrounds him, as does magic and that is the one thing that he does not want. Will Ian be able to get to the Crown of Stones before anyone else has the chance to use it with nefarious intent, or will the danger and his addiction prevail? This is a race against time through a fantasy land filled with adventure, bravery, truths, lies and most of all magic as one man has to face his demons head on in order to find the peace he truly desires.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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