Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Petra and the Sewer Rats Book Review & Book Tour Giveaway

I love finding a new fantasy series! This week,  I continue to share books from the Acre series by G.J. Kemp!  Today, I am sharing my review of Petra and the Sewer Rats, the second novella prequel to Juno and the Lady!  Check out the novella, learn about the series and author, read my thoughts on the story and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.


Book Series Title: THE ACRE SERIES by G.J. Kemp
CategoryAdult Fiction (18 +)
Genre:  Epic Fantasy
Publisher:  TB5 Publishing
Release date:   January 2022,  May 2022, June 2022, August 2022
Content Rating:  PG for a few fight scenes.   
 

Many of our posts contain affiliate links.
Should you purchase an item via our links--we may receive slight compensation from an affiliate partner.  


About the Series

From their windows, balconies, and gardens, the residents of the land of Acre stare north at the ominous black clouds that crawl across their beloved skies, overshadowing their homes. Under the clouds, a darkness has befallen the majestic City of Lynn.

Within the city, a cornered Queen, once true and just, now plays a game of cat and mouse with the races of Acre. Each season, as the Queen fights for control, the ‘Unknowns’ from the North approach. With them comes the stench of evil, fear, and death.

But… there is hope. A lost legend now awakened.

A set of dormant orbs lay in the gnarled hands of an old man. One by one, the dull orbs spark and swirl to life. Somewhere within the City of Lynn, the scroll of equals remains hidden. It’s text, supplied by the gods, awaits the chosen who may one day save the land of Acre.

Or so the legend says. 
 
 
 
Buy the Series
 


 
About the Books in the Series
 

Book Series Title: JUNO AND THE LADY (An Acre Story, Book 1) by G.J. Kemp
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +), 400 pages
Genre:  Epic Fantasy
Publisher:  TB5 Publishing
Release date:   January 2022
Content Rating:  PG for a few fight scenes.
 
  
About the Book

 
Juno’s beloved Petra is dead.

Petra’s replacement, the mysterious Lady, has put Juno’s best friend Tilly under a dark spell that has left Juno with nobody she can trust.

With only Chax, her kitten, for company, Juno escapes from her school to a town at the bottom of the cliffs.

A town ruled by men.

Alone, scared, and without friends, Juno feels an unknown power growing inside her. A power she knows she will one day have to harness. With all lost, a dark figure from within the shadows cups her mouth and whispers in her ear to keep quiet.

Juno joins her new friends but just as she starts to learn how the world really works, the ill-tempered Dr Viktor demands an audience.

Juno and the Lady is a young woman’s journey into a land of the old ways, where men rule, and women are property.

​With unlikely friendships, forbidden love and burning magic, can Juno change the conventions of old? Can she save the town? And will she figure out who the Lady truly is?
 
 
My Review

 
You can read my review of  Juno and the Lady here.

 

 
Buy the Book
 

Book Series Title: VALEN AND THE BEASTS (A Juno and the Lady Novella, An Acre Story, Book 1.1) by G.J. Kemp
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +), 126 pages
Genre:  Epic Fantasy
Publisher:  TB5 Publishing
Release date:   May 16, 2022
Content Rating:  PG for a few fight scenes. 
 
 
About the Book

 
Valen plucked the glass box off the shelf and gently placed it on his desk. Inside, a set of handcrafted metal circles linked to form the body of his new beast. He closed his eyes and dreamed of the Fairacre residents buying his latest creations.

A commotion outside Valen’s shop brings him back to the present. The Captain has caught the leader of the sewer rats and is parading her in front of Fairacre residents. Her fate will be determined by the townsfolk’s demands.

Valen steps in to defend the leader.

​A story of discovery, hope and courage, Valen and the Beasts is a journey of an outsider risking everything to stand up for the people he loves. Will Valen save the leader of the sewer rats? Will he show everyone his secret? Or will he buckle under the pressures of the old conventions?
 
 
My Review
 
 
Buy the Book
 
 

Book Series Title: PETRA AND THE SEWER RATS (A Juno and the Lady Novella, An Acre Story, Book 1.2) by G.J. Kemp
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +), 120 pages
Genre:  Epic Fantasy
Publisher:  TB5 Publishing
Release date:   August, 2022
Content Rating:  PG for a few fight scenes.  
 
 
About the Book

 
‘You saved one girl, papa,’ Petra said. ‘Just one girl. The rest are living in the alleys. Starving, freezing, with no hope.’

‘I still don’t understand why this is bothering you so much?’ Ernest said.

Petra turned her head and stared out of the window.

A young privileged woman who knows nothing about the real world is thrown deep into the underbelly of Fairacre.

Petra and the Sewer Rats take us on a tale of how Petra forms the Sewer Rats then has to make an impossible decision. Does she save her baby? Or does she save the children of the alleys?
 
 
My Review
 
 

Petra and the Sewer Rats Sheds Light into Early Pieces of the Series. This novella gives readers of Juno and the Lady a few earlier insights into the Fairacre world and the actions preceding Juno's story. This story is given as the second prequel, 1.2--but should probably be read first if you want to keep the character growth and scenes in chronological order. Readers will see characters from Juno and the Lady and Valen and the Beasts during their younger years as the fantasy world develops. It is still okay to read Petra and the Sewer Rats in any order as it is an excellent look at the characters' pasts.

 

Petra and the Sewer Rats Brings Character's Voices to Life. This novella is built mainly through character dialogue and action scenes. There are mentions of future characters, introductions of some characters as children, and details sharing the early struggles and challenges of the abandoned girls of Fairacre. "Listening" to the characters growing and learning--and seeking change--brought the characters' stories and motivations to life.

 

Would I Recommend Petra and the Sewer Rats? This novella deals with more adult themes like pre-marital sex, unwed motherhood, abortion, and general in the face of the sexism of the fantasy world in Fairacre--so it does have more of an adult novel feel. If you enjoy short fantasy stories that lay the groundwork and allow readers to learn early backstories of characters in a more extensive series--this one definitely piques readers' interest in the Acre series in general. I would still read Juno and the Lady first--then backtrack into the prequel novellas. I think I would read Petra and the Sewer Rats before Valen and the Beasts--but it worked in the order the author suggests as well.

 

 
 
Buy the Book
 

Book Series Title: MILES AND THE SOLDIER (An Acre Story, Book 2) by G.J. Kemp
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +), 474 pages
Genre:  Epic Fantasy
Publisher:  TB5 Publishing
Release date:   June 2022
Content Rating:  PG for a few fight scenes. 
 
 
About the Book

 
The front door swung open. The icy blast of air hit Miles full in the face. For the first time in months, a smile played across his lips. Freedom.

Miles knows his life changed when the Lady’s sword cut deep into his back. He knows he’ll never achieve his lifelong dream.

Then a stab of joyous pain slices down his leg. With renewed hope, Miles leaves behind the shackles of Dr Viktor’s house and travels east, to the training grounds of the Queen’s Guard.

Will Miles get the chance to compete for a place? And will they accept him in the warrior’s holy ground of Battleacre?

​The Acre Story follows Miles’s journey through the eastern lands as our epic fantasy continues.

 
Buy the Book
 
 
Meet the Author

A nomad at heart, GJ has lived in nine countries across Africa, Europe and the Middle East. His career has included working as a Divemaster in The Red Sea, a zookeeper in Israel, and a proofreader in Sweden.

Born with cerebral palsy, GJ has spent a lifetime trying to tie his shoelaces while standing up in the hope of not falling over. It is a constant challenge, but sometimes he occasionally succeeds.

​Finding the love for writing later in life, GJ spends most of his free time going for walks and dreaming of story ideas. He hopes to one day have a small place on the oceanfront where he can walk his dogs on the beach.

connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ twitter ~ tiktok ~ goodreads ~ bookbub
 

Enter the Giveaway
 

THE ACRE SERIES Book Tour Giveaway


 

No comments:

Post a Comment