Review of the Week!

Two wizards, 350 years apart.

Together they must save the realm of Paltria from Zarua’s dark past.

An ancient darkness haunts the realm of Paltria.

Apprentice wizard Paddren is plagued by visions of a city on the brink of annihilation. When his master Kalesh dies in mysterious circumstances, the Royal Order of Wizards refuses to investigate.

Helped by his childhood friend, the skilled tracker Varnia, and her lover Leyoch, Paddren vows to find the killer.

The investigation leads Paddren down a sinister path of assassins, secret sects and creatures conjured by blood magic. But he is guided by a connection with a wizard from centuries ago – a wizard whose history holds the key to the horror at the heart of the abandoned city of Zarua. Can Paddren decipher his visions in time to save the Paltrian people from the dark menace of Zarua’s past?

Our Review

Visions of Zarua, a magical story of wizards and sorcery set in two ancient worlds. Zarua, 350 years in the past, and Paltria, the land the heroes in this book inhabit. A land that grows ever darker as the despair of war takes hold.

Paddren, a young apprentice wizard, is not yet powerful enough to save his people from the peril he knows will come from the disturbing visions that plague him.

When unseen forces kill his master, Paddren searches desperately for anything that could help, and his visions seem to connect him to a wizard from centuries past. A past remarkably similar to Paddren’s own, where a similar fate is unfolding. Can this other wizard help him to save his world?

Suzanne sets the atmosphere right from the beginning, infusing the story with magical visions and beautiful description, and although the pace is sometimes slow, it only serves to increase the tension.

I couldn’t decide which of the characters I liked best, for they quickly became like family to me. I loved the relationship between Paddren and Leyoch, and Varnia, the female lead, with her wonderful sense of humour and magical powers. Paddren’s visions are beautifully woven into the storyline of this fantasy detective story, with all the mystery, sorcery and romance you could wish for in a fantasy.

Fantasy is one of the hardest genres to get right, but Visions of Zarua has a well-crafted and believable plot and I enjoyed reading it. The explosive and dramatic conclusion literally blew my socks off!

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Suzanne Rogerson

Author Profile

Suzanne lives in Middlesex, England with her hugely encouraging husband and two children.

She wrote her first novel at the age of twelve. She discovered the fantasy genre in her late teens and has never looked back. Giving up work to raise a family gave her the impetus to take her attempts at novel writing beyond the first draft, and she is lucky enough to have a husband who supports her dream – even if he does occasionally hint that she might think about getting a proper job one day.

Suzanne loves gardening and has a Hebe (shrub) fetish. She enjoys cooking with ingredients from the garden, and regularly feeds unsuspecting guests vegetable-based cakes.

She collects books, loves going for walks and picnics with the children and sharing with them her love of nature and photography.

Suzanne is interested in history and enjoys wandering around castles. But most of she likes to escape with a great film, or soak in a hot bubble bath with an ice cream and a book.

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