By S. Lynn Helton
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Pages: 391 ASIN: B07JQGM9YN Date Reviewed: September 9, 2020 Release Date: October 25, 2018
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The first in the Wild Heritance series, Duplicity of Power by S. Lynn Helton will not disappoint the fantasy author's fans. New readers will also fall in love with the story. Duplicity of Power has everything needed to create a great fantasy series with enough surprises to keep the story fresh in a genre that can be predictable.
There is a quest and an unlikely partnership between a rogue and a nobleman. Like any good fantasy series the fate of the land, in this case, the Six Realms is at stake. The gods are involved, there are plenty of power struggles, and an ancient artifact that could decide the fate of all that live in the realms.
Even though this seems to be the standard formula for a fantasy series, author S. Lynn Helton expands on it with her fresh and intriguing characters. Readers will be drawn into Namid's story by the end of the first chapter.
Namid is a Shadower and one of the group's leaders. While she is a rogue, she also has a past that she will eventually have to confront as the story unfolds. Living in the old city of Rhadanthus, where everyone but the nobles struggles for a living.
It is in this city that belongs primarily to outcasts that she has found a home, safe Namid believes from her past.
This changes when she rescues an injured nobleman and suddenly finds herself being thrust into a quest. She loses her safe haven for her good deed and finds her life in danger again. The quest Namid undertakes will send her throughout the Six Realms and into the unknown. Along her journey, she meets others that are soon entangled in her quest and the various power struggles among humans and gods.
An interesting aspect of the first installment in the series is Namid's disbelief in the artifact's existence. It's not often that the story's protagonist undertakes a quest that they don't believe is real. Namid also does not believe in fate, which helps make her more relatable to readers. It's refreshing to find a strong female lead that doesn't automatically believe everything she's told.
S. Lynn Helton has written a fascinating story in the Duplicity of Power that highlights the strength of female characters. While she does follow the usual format for fantasy series, she has made it fresh and exciting again for lovers of the genre. Whether you're new to fantasy fiction or a long-time fan, you'll quickly find yourself engrossed in the fate of Namid and the Six Realms in Duplicity of Power.
"…Rhadanthus – once a prosperous trading center…now belonged less to farmers and traders and more to the dregs and outcasts of Paronia, middlemost of the Six Realms of the Monarch."
About the Author - S. Lynn Helton
S. Lynn Helton is a writer of fantasy and children's books. She lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, U.S.A., with her family and a water-loving Manx-mix cat.
Before delving into fiction writing, Lynn was an amusement park rides operator, cloud simulation lab assistant, cartographer, technical writer, instructional designer, homeschooling mom and a writer for a local newspaper. When she's not writing, she enjoys camping and hiking, playing games, crafting, and reading.
Visit Lynn on her website, Facebook, Goodreads and AllAuthor.
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