Magic-Price The Crown of Stones Book 1 by C.L. Schneider Genre: Epic Fantasy
Ian Troy is one of the Shinree, a fallen people with an inherent addiction to magic. Scorned and reviled for the deadly side of their spells, the Shinree are bred as slaves. Their magic is suppressed by drugs and used only as it serves the purposes of the other races. Descended from a long line of soldiers, Ian is conscripted into the Rellan army and made to fight in their longstanding conflict against the ruthless Langorian invaders. The downfall of Rella imminent, Ian goes against orders and turns to the Crown of Stones, an ancient Shinree relic of untold power. Ignorant of its true purpose, Ian uses the crown to end the war, and pays a terrible price. A decade later, still tortured by the aftermath of that day, Ian lives as a bounty hunter in self-imposed exile. Having renounced his magical heritage, he curbs his obsession with a steady stream of wine and regret. He struggles to put it all behind him, until a fateful encounter with a pretty assassin brings Ian’s past crashing into the present. Targeted by a rogue Shinree, and a ruthless old enemy, Ian is forced to use magic again. His deadly addiction is rekindled and his life of isolation is brought to a swift end. With the land he gave up everything to protect once more in jeopardy, and his people’s future at stake, Ian becomes embroiled in a violent race for control of the Crown of Stones. To save the realms and those he cares for, Ian must embrace the thing he fears most: his own power. Goodreads * Amazon
Magic-Scars The Crown of Stones Book 2
Magic doesn’t wound the same as a sword. The story of Ian Troy continues in Magic-Scars, the second installment in C. L. Schneider’s riveting epic fantasy trilogy, The Crown of Stones. Captured by his old enemy, King Draken of Langor, Shinree magic user Ian Troy was sentenced to prison. Tortured and drugged, robbed of his will, his memories, and his magic, Ian was made to do unspeakable things. Rescued, as his body slowly rids itself of the drug, Ian realizes he has returned to an unfamiliar world gripped with fear. In the wake of his fall, those he cared for were left to their own grim fates. Draken has seized control of the realms and named himself High King. His brutal rein has sparked a desperate rebellion that Ian now finds himself a part of. His one task: recover and repair the Crown of Stones, in hopes it will tip the balance in the revolution that is brewing. In pursuit of the reason behind the artifact’s strange loss of magic, Ian is driven to release an explosion of retribution and power that leaves him irrevocably scarred. Struggling to reconcile the man he has become with the man he once was, Ian strives to understand the growing number of magic-scars adorning his body. He searches for the truth behind his link to the Crown of Stones and uncovers shocking secrets buried for generations beneath the sand. To become the weapon the resistance needs, he must assume responsibility for his magical inheritance. But can he curb the destructive appetite that comes with it? The price of Ian’s magic and his addiction have never been higher. Goodreads * Amazon
Magic-Borne The Crown of Stones Book 3
No other Shinree has borne as much of magic’s weight, its pleasure, or its guilt. The fate of Ian Troy is revealed in the final installment of C. L. Schneider’s epic fantasy trilogy, The Crown of Stones. In one fell swoop, the resistance was shattered. Lives were taken. Hope was lost. Peace slipped like grains of sand through his fingers. So did the Crown of Stones. Now, forced into hiding, Ian Troy grapples for a way to save the realm—and free its people—from the sadistic clutches of Jem Reth; Mirra’kelan’s new self-appointed emperor. Plagued with the knowledge of a tragic future, he strives to influence events and save those he cares for. But his magic has betrayed him, and Fate has other plans. Marked by the crown, hindered by the transformation spell contained within, each cast brings Ian one step closer to becoming more beast than man. Each move brings the death and destruction foretold in his vision inexplicably nearer. With Langor on the brink of war, and King Malaq’s plan for peace hanging in the balance, Ian returns to the ancient past; seeking an end to the eldring spell and a means to thwart Jem’s growing domination. What he finds there sets off a chain of revelations that leads Ian places he never thought to go. Entrusted with the future of his race, Ian becomes the linchpin for lasting change. But how much weight can one man carry? And how much is he willing to sacrifice in the name of peace? Goodreads * Amazon
Born in a small Kansas town on the Missouri river, C.L. Schneider grew up in a house of avid readers and overflowing bookshelves. Her first full-length novel took shape while she was still in high school, on a typewriter in her parent’s living room. While her main focus is adult epic and urban fantasy, she also pens the occasional science fiction or post-apocalyptic story. Though she has been writing all of her life, Magic-Price (the first installment in The Crown of Stones Trilogy) was Schneider’s first published novel. With the trilogy complete, she is excited to be embarking on a new path with her urban fantasy series, Nite Fire. Learn more about C.L. Schneider and her work at clschneiderauthor.com, where you can read reviews, excerpts, sneak peeks and teasers, subscribe to her newsletter, and join her Street Team. Look for book reviews and guest posts, and follow her journey as an indie author, on her blog, “Heading Down The Yellow Brick Road”. An active part of the online indie author community, you can connect with C.L. Schneider on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Google+, where she chats about books, zombies, coffee, and the wonderful roller coaster of a writer’s life. Website * Newsletter * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
Turning to the stones at my wrist and gathering the obsidian inside me, in one breath I wished for
strength in my blade, the stamina to wield it, and the speed to avoid my enemy’s attacks. In the
next, I cast.
Magic flew swiftly out of me. Pleasure swept in just as fast. As men started dying in a wide
circle around me, power rippled across the sword in my hand. It sped down through the muscles
in my arms and legs, and my sight came back in time to see the soldiers at the outer reach of my
spell go down. Mounted, as their life drained away, their massive warhorses succumbed as well.
The foam of exhaustion already bubbling from their mouths, the frantic animals let out terrible,
desolate wails as their tall, muscular bodies went limp and slammed hard to the ground.
One after the other—five, ten, fifteen of the great beasts fell, trapping the dead and the living
beneath them and sending a heavy spray of dust into the already murky air.
It was a dramatic sight that brought an instant hush over the battle. Soldiers on both sides
disengaged and turned to stare through the haze at the staggeringly wide circle of Langorian
bodies surrounding me. Silent but for their heavy breaths, what was left of the enemy held
position, but they didn’t advance. They knew me. They had just watched the hunger of my spell
drastically reduce their numbers in mere moments, and they were afraid of what might come
next.
The Rellans knew me, too. I watched their faces carefully, waiting for them to cower. And it
moved me greatly to see that they were far from afraid. To the contrary, it was clear; in me they
saw a chance for something other than defeat. They saw hope.
A rousing cheer rang through the Rellan ranks and they rushed forward.
The Langorians met their charge. The two sides ran straight into each other and once more,
screams and the sounds of metal filled the night.
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