I received a free copy of this book, thanks to Encoded Press and NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinions on the book.
Book Blurb:
Cade Elegy’s mind is tearing itself apart, crowded with the phantoms of the dead, and he must carry the burdens they could not.
This bond lends him their experience and allows him to bend the laws of the physical world — a power he desperately needs if he is to discover the truth of what happened to his missing family.
The trail has gone cold, but he is given one last chance when he is recruited by a princess to solve a murder. They soon uncover proof that their war with the Wraiths, a hostile alien race dominating their planet, never really ended.
Together with the princess, an overzealous archaeologist, and an ancient computer intelligence, Cade must stop the Wraiths before they annihilate the last remaining cities of Chalice and before the phantoms he bears destroy what’s left of his mind.
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Tags: Adult Fiction, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Dystopian, Friendship, Romance
Publication date: May 8th 2018
My Thoughts:
Phew!
Now that was one heck of a ride.
The Bearer’s Burden, a debut novel by Chad Queen, is an explosive Sci-Fi adventure about one guy’s road to avenging his love ones while struggling to rein in his own demons.
Cade Elegy is a reckless, but compassionate, guy hell-bent on making the Wraiths pay for taking away his beloved wife and children. Burdened with grief, the multiple phantoms vying for space in his head and feeling like a fraud, Cade is spiralling out of control.
Enter the princess, headstrong and soft-hearted but lacking experience in the harsh world outside of the castle walls. She gives Cade no choice but to help her in her own quest to get to the bottom of her Uncle’s death.
I liked that the characters were flawed and the author took his time in allowing them to grow. The story ebbed and flowed throughout with action and short spates of passive activity. Towards the end of the book the fights increased with great feverishness that you get sucked in turning page after page you almost forget to come up for air. This is a risky thing for an author, in my opinion, as readers may feel fatigue from all the action. I also enjoyed the encoding aspect of the story, it’s basically like a superpower. Queen made it all the more fun by setting limits to what you can do with it, too.
However, one thing I did not like was the author’s proclivity for using ‘Hells’ and ‘rubbed his/her chin’ for a bunch of characters. It’s quite likely that the author’s own mannerisms bled into his characters.
(Here’s a song that I think fits perfectly with the book!)
Aside from these minor issues, The Bearer’s Burden keeps you on the edge of your seat because, despite its overall formulaic storyline and bits of cheesiness, it keeps you wavering with uncertainty as to whether any of the characters you love will make it out alive. And even though you expect something bad to happen after the short respite of peace, it still manages to surprise you. Packed with intense action scenes straight out of a blockbuster movie and poignant scenes involving the phantoms, I find it hard to believe this is Chad Queen’s first novel!
Parental Guidance: 12+
Violence – Medium
Sex – None
Religion – Some. No preaching
Profanity – Some, but mild
Should You Get This Book?:
Get it if:
- You live for stories teeming with action
- You enjoy books with world-building(this one is on a medium level)
- You love adventurous stories
- You like villains who are not entirely black-and-white
Don’t get it if:
- You want a good amount of romance
- You’re looking for a simple story
Grab this now on: Amazon | Goodreads
[Giveaway has ended] Click on the giveaway banner to enter! Or you can click here as well.
Very informative review. The link for the giveaway doesn’t seem to working.
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Freakin thank you for noticing that! WordPress wouldn’t load for me so I couldn’t check but I’ve fixed it now 😉
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Thank you so much for including those lists at the end! Great review.
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I’m chuffed that you like it! Thank you so much💝
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This one has a lot going on and sounds intense – glad you liked it
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Me too, I underestimated it! Merci, DJ😊
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I generally love teeming with action books but action should never overwhelm the story. I am going to think on trying this book out..Adding it to my TBR for now..
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I agree! But oh, he managed to work in the storyline while playing out the action scenes. So happy that you like the sound of this!!
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Great review. The lists at the end are particularly helpful.
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Much thanks, Jo!! Really appreciate the feedback💋
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I love the way this review is broken down. Sounds like a book I could see myself enjoying.
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Twenty thanks and some more, bro!
Random thought, has anyone ever called you BenBen? 😂
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Haha, Ben Ben would definitely be a new nickname for me!
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😂I honestly don’t know why that popped into my head. But you’ve got a super classy name😜
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Me likes! I’m already participating on the giveaway ^^
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Yippee! Thanks so much, Alan😄
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This seems like it would take you on one wild ride!
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Spot on, Nikki! It was quite exhilarating😄
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Great review. Sounds like a book I would definitely enjoy.
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Really! I’m so glad it’s up your alley😄 Thanks, Veronica!
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Sounds like an interesting plot. Great review!
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Many thanks, Heidi!
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I’m not really into sci fi, but it looks quite interesting. Lovely review.
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That’s alright, Stacey 😀 I love that you’re honest about it, thank you!
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Great review. I really enjoyed reading it. This book sounds awesome. I love stories like this. I will have to add it to my TBR.
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Wow, your comment makes me HAPPY!!! ♪Thank you! ♪
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I do like how you set out your reviews. Excellent review, book sounds great.
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😄 Oodles of thanks!!
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Great review, I totally agree with the others saying how you break down your reviews I really love how you do your reviews, I absolutely love action pack sci-fi adventure books. And this one looks and sounds fantastic and right my alley too boot. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post and for putting this book on my radar.
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Wow, Katiria, a massive thank you for your lovely compliments!! *Happy happy dance*😄
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Loved the review! I’m on mobile, but neither the Amazon link nor the giveaway banner are working for me.
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Thanks a bunch, Dave!! Oh man, I thought everything was fixed. Thank you soooo much for pointing it out to me!! It should be working now 😁
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