The Druid (The Dawning of Muirwood Book 1)

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At every step, Eilean, Celyn and Stright are hunted by Captain Hoel Evnissyen, and others, seeking to thwart Eilean and snatch the ancient tome she carries. On the other hand, one thing I enjoyed were the between-chapter inserts of Aldermaston Gilifil's redemption arc I felt was done in a correct manner and were an enjoyable read which I were looking forward to after each chapter.

After going home and realizing that all his previous writing output came to just over one million words, he made the decision to take this practice and put all his thoughts and efforts into a completely new trilogy of novels. July 9, 2022: Started reading The Druid – Wheeler’s 2022 publication – a part of his Muirwood series – OK, good world building, good character development, nothing special but I like his writing, a good solid 3 star book. Then there is Captain Hoel. The feelings between the two of them, the fact that even though they understand that they SHOULD not trust each other - but yet they do - THAT becomes the biggest issue in this second book of this new trilogy. As someone who is not religious, it's a testament to the story that my heart still feels happy that the Aldermaston reconnected with the Medium. Watching that mini character arc through the interludes was one of the best parts of the story. Despite betrayals, deceptions, and the deadly motivations of others, a girl from the flax fields is about to rise above her station. By exploring the potential of the power of an ancient spoken magic, Eilean is coming into her own.Always interested in fantasy novels, it was The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks that first got Jeff hooked on reading. Saying that by the end of the book he wanted to cry, Jeff was inspired to make people feel real emotions when reading his books. The way this author handled young love and infatuation... How he represented different types of men... It shows a certain level of self awareness. Not just in himself, but in the more general, male population as well. Eilean is rising. A foundling raised in an abbey, she was entrusted by its imprisoned druid, Mordaunt, with an ancient tome. Its magical words can change the world. Eilean’s first mission: translate it. Her second: rescue a benevolent Aldermaston sentenced to death as a heretic by the high seer. But wielding power, knowledge, and ambition has now made Eilean the hunted.

Captain Hoel is so annoying — I do not understand Eilean’s admiration for this man. He was a narcissistic jerk for almost two books, harming her friends and allies along the way, and yet she still gave him a pass every single time. Then towards the end he does a 180, and suddenly he’s loved her all along and his weird premonitions are what confused him (even though he witnessed first hand the corruption and the High Seer’s wrath and yet still did nothing about it lol). Technology once again became a huge part of Jeff’s life as after two years spent on a church mission he returned to the Bay Area to work as a temp at computer giant Intel. Despite his day job Jeff continued his writing and wrote and rewrote Landmoor, a book he would later go on to publish, six times during these early years. Landmoor is a fantasy journey novel about Shae from Avisahn who needs to protect his homeland. The story was inspired by the tales he told during those early games of Dungeons and Dragons. It was during the writing of this novel that he really began to develop his skills as a writer. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own* I don’t sleep heavily, but I had to re-listen to more than ¼ of the chapters, either because my mind wandered off and I completely stopped actively listening to a chapter, or because I couldn’t tie the new chapter’s subject matter to the one preceding it. Other than that, it had and interesting magic system that felt religious but wasn't at the first glance. There's still a lot we don't know that will likely be covered in the next books. Also the Captain! Keeping my eye on him.I also really liked how platonic relationships were depicted! The main character (literally don't know how to spell her name since I listen to the audiobook) and her best friend had a great bond. Neither gave up or neglected each other in pursuit of crushes, as one might see in some fantasy books with a seventeen year old protagonist. This book could have been a 4-star affair for me, or even better if there had been a blow-me-away kind of ending. Instead, I can't give this book more than 3 stars. I recommend it, but do so conditionally because I can't possibly tell you if this book is worth your time until/unless I read on. It's impossible to have a complete opinion on this book because it's an incomplete book. I strongly suspect I'm going to read on in the series but I do so knowing that there's a level of uncertainty and unreliability going on here. And while I'll start the next one, I can't tell you for certain I'll finish it because until the final book in the series, I know there won't be any closure. It'll be minor climaxes with limited falling action and no resolution so if it takes a turn I don't like, I'm bailing. One thing Wheeler tends to do in all his books is use epigraphs at the start of his chapters to open a second window of action. In “The Hunted,” readers learn about the journey another character at Muirwood Abbey, even though our main trio never sets foot there. I always enjoy reading Mr. Wheeler’s works, because these are easy reads with good characters, good story-telling and steeped with history. Wheeler’s stories are a great palate cleanser and an excellent light read that always draw me in further and further into the story.