I read books and think of music. Some stories are told as if by a single storyteller with a guitar, some are told as if the storyteller is part of a band and some storytellers relate their story as if they are part of a grand orchestra. Each of these forms bring stories to life that a reader can thoroughly enjoy.

Omen Of Stones

                                                  by Casey L. Bond

Reviewed by Katy Grant

When Fate steps in twists and turns abound … in Omen Of  Stones by Casey L. Bond.

River is the son of King Tauren and Queen Sable, but as the years have passed many Puritans in Nautilus are unwilling to tolerate the witches in their midst, they foster hatred towards all.  Trying to keep the peace after threats were made, Sable has urged their son River to keep close to the castle. Now, on his seventeenth birthday he has come of age. It is time to visit with the witches in Thirteen and learn more about his heritage. You see, River speaks with the dead as well as walks among them.

There are boundaries that protect Nautilus from the Wilds however, on this night River leaves the safe boundary as he follows a spirit that calls to him. Set upon, knocked out and bound by magic he is dragged to the river to be drowned.

Omen is a witch who lives in the Wilds. On this night she is drawn to the river where she sees the men trying to drown a young man. When they fail to heed her warning to stop and free the young man, without regret she uses her command of the stones to bury the would be murders. She guides River to her home, where she lives with her foster mother, so she may unbind the magic that ties his hands. They return to the river the next morning only to find it swollen so far out of its banks that River may not return yet to Nautilus. Stranded on this side of the river the Spirit returns for River with a fierce need for him to see her death. There is trouble a’brewing both inside and out of Nautilus. The hatred some have for the Witches has festered, grown and is ready to boil over to destroy all in its path. 

The thought to destroy Nautilus was sparked with the death of the Spirit; just as the leaders enfolded her daughters into their plan for revenge. Fate too will have a part in this tale as it unfolds, for this war has been a long time coming, more then seventeen years. Evil has laid in wait, biding time. The time is now.

Return to the Kingdom of Nautilus, with Tauren, Sable, and others of the Kingdom. Step beyond the boundaries into the Wilds where we see life outside Nautilus. Beginning with the questions, why does someone want River dead? Omen is a founding, but who were her parents? Why has the founder of the village provided her with a caregiver and home all these years?  What are her powers? Why has Fate brought them together? You see, Fate has always had a hand in River’s life; he guides him but, even Fate may not be able to stop what will happen.

 “Omen Of Stones” will continue the tale begun in “When Wishes Bleed” bringing back favorite characters and introducing others that share the Kingdom of Nautilus and the lands beyond. Tauren and Sable have ruled Nautilus striving for peace but there are those who would rather bring war to the borders and beyond endangering all they hold dear. This tale will pull you in, push you to the edge of your chair, leave you with a warm feeling and wanting just a little bit more.