★★★★★
This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of launching this blog. I’m celebrating with a review of the latest book by one of my favorite indie authors, L. Krauch.
Krauch is the author of The 13th Zodiac, an anime-inspired high fantasy series with a touch of romance. Her newly released book, Leo, is a prequel to the 13th Zodiac and Dreamtaker.
While Leo has many of the characters from the other books, it is primarily Jase Raion’s origin story. Jase is one of the main protagonists in the series and a not-so-secret favorite of the authors.
In Leo, readers learn many things about the gunblade-wielding Jase, including where his name and his fondness for apples come from. We also find out about horrific and violent events during his formative years that shaped who he is in the remainder of the series.
I’m always surprised when an author can make a prequel as interesting as the first book in a series, and Krauch achieves this goal. Reading Leo makes me want to re-visit the other books in the series to see how I would experience it differently. This is very telling because, generally, once I’ve read a book, I am not usually interested in re-reading it, no matter how much I loved it the first time.
With series, especially those with prequels, there’s always a debate about the ideal reading order. I am partial to the order I read the series in, which was 13th Z, Dreamtaker, and then Leo. I think it would also work to read Leo first and then the 13th Z.
However, whatever order you decide to read the series in, the important thing is that you read it!!!! You will not regret one minute you spend indulging in the high fantasy, character-driven world Krauch has created. I know I haven’t!
Thank you to L. Krauch for providing a free e-review copy. This review reflects my honest, unbiased opinion.
My review of Dreamtaker is available here and my review of The 13th Zodiac can be found via this link.
