Blog Tour: Wizard Ring by Clare Blanchard

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I knew nothing about the alchemist John Dee until one winter's night in Prague when I met the ghost of a barber.
My name is Sylvia. I was just a burnt-out teacher with a subversive sense of humour. Then my mother gave me a magic ring made in the Prague workshop of John Dee.
I've never been the same since.

Wizard Ring is a tale of a magical ring.  It is steeped in mystery and intrigue.  It was made in Prague and it has the ability to influence events and people around it.  Unfortunately, these events aren’t always positive.  What would you do if you were given the opportunity to harness a rings power to change events or people’s actions?  Would you grab it with both hands or would you turn it down, knowing that  it’s power would likely lead to some pretty dire consequences.  Navigating the waters of this decision shouldn’t be taken lightly.  This is the plight that Sylvia, our main character is faced with.  What will the sacrifice be? 

Sylvia has had a lifetime of knockbacks.  A religious studies teacher, with a struggle to have any credence in her field of teaching.  A bit of a battle-axe for a mother that appears to have been more than a little cold towards her daughter.  She believes she has finally landed on her feet with her position in prestigious boarding school.  Unfortunately, it all appears to have fallen flat.  The headmistress isn’t interested in addressing concerns that she believes are below her station.  Her position seems untenable.  She has major concerns but with an unapproachable situation. Will the Wizard Ring solve her problems?

Life is about to take a turn when she finds out she is the inheritor of a seriously powerful ring.  It was created by a legendary British alchemist.  The story takes us on a journey of historical proportions, a woman trying to find her way in the world.  Will this ring provide a necessary sense of stability that she has been craving in her career for many years.  This seems like a great instrument to basically getting what you want, but, at what cost?  Could it have implications in other areas of Sylvia’s world? 

The story is a heart-warming tale of family and the dominion of bullies.  It was a quick and entertaining read with the added elements of good vs evil.  The familial relationships with Sylvia’s son and her mother added a necessary human element to the story and developed connections with the readers.  It was highly entertaining.  The author’s writing style was engaging and had moments of knife edge drama. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Originally from the North Yorkshire coast in England, Clare Blanchard spent half her lifetime in Czechia in Central Europe, where her books are mainly set. Inspired by noir fiction, her settings are often like another character in the plot. She writes crime mysteries and dark urban fantasy with a historical twist.

Clare loves beautiful landscapes and architecture, cross-country skiing, the wine of South Moravia, and of course Czech beer. When she’s not being literary she knits funky socks.

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