Title: Outside the Walls
Author: Diana L. Wicker, A. L. Butcher
Genre: Fantasy, Short Story
Book Blurb:
When the tide of war flows many are caught in its wake. Who will gain entry to the city and who will be forced to remain outside the walls?
A short fantasy tale of love, loyalty and courage in war.
My Review:
Can one woman change her kingdom just by being kind to those deemed useless?
War has come to Havenforth and while her husband is off fighting, Duchess Eleanor is home, safe and sound behind the town walls. But this war has created such destruction that refugees are flocking to be let inside the walls and the Council has taken over the government. The Council will only allow in those refugees who serve a purpose for them and can work for food, clothing and shelter. The rest of the refugees, namely women, children and elderly, are deemed useless and must not be let in.
After hearing about their plight, Eleanor takes matters into her own hands and brings food, clothing and medicine out to the poor refugees not allowed in. She takes a wagon plus her cousin and a captain to help. Her kindness to these war-torn people is felt and the more people she tries to help, the more she sees the cost of war.
What a beautiful story that moved me to tears more than once. We’ve all heard the term war but I don’t think we really know what effects it has on the defenceless. Both authors do a magnificent job plunging the reader into the heart of both Eleanor and the refugees. My heart broke for the refugees and Eleanor’s kindness moved me to tears.
A short story that’s reflecting what’s going on in the world today. I highly recommend!
Favorite Character: Eleanor. I loved how brave and fearless she is. To disobey the Council and go help those less fortunate outside the walls is something that women (especially duchesses) just don’t do but that doesn’t stop Eleanor. With every person she meets, her heart goes out to them and in my books, that is the heart of a ruler.
My Rating: 5 stars
Buy it now:
Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/outside-the-walls-alexandra-butcher/1122908003?ean=2940152444599
Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/589416
Author Biography:
Diana L. Wicker is an indie author living in the balmy climate of the US south with her family and fur babies (a dog, a cat, and a cantankerous rabbit). She enjoys reading, sewing, cosplay, being a studio mom for dance school, and RPG games. (She grew up with the old school paper/pencil style of gaming, but has transitioned happily to the highly interactive world of video games.) And, as if she had more time to spare, she has invested in Asian ball jointed dolls to customize into characters from Feyron. The idea for Feyron started with a map, a place for her daughter to tell stories and live out storytelling role-playing adventures with her friends. The lore grew around the map, for every world needs lore if you are going to “live” there. The idea for a series, Tales from Feyron, grew out of the lore, for if you’re going to invent a world, you may as well play there too. The stories are continuing to grow through the various historical ages of Feyron and have just started to ripple outwards to the Worlds Beyond touched by magic. Legacy of Mist and Shadow is the first tale to venture to one of those worlds and has been awarded the BRAG Medallion by Indie BRAG. http://www.bragmedallion.com/about
A.L. (Alexandra) Butcher is the British author of the Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles fantasy series, and several short stories in the fantasy and fantasy romance and horror genres. She is an avid reader and creator of worlds, a poet and a dreamer. When she is grounded in the real world she likes science, natural history, history, mythology and monkeys. She has a background in history and politics which are sometimes reflected in her work. Her books have been described as 'dark and gritty' and her poetry as evocative. A Splendid Salmagundi was awarded the best anthology for Indie Book Bargains 2012. Blog www.libraryoferana.wordpress.com Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/DarkFantasyBeyondTheStorm Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6430414.A_L_Butcher
Social Media Links:
Website http://www.talesfromfeyron.com/
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Reviewed by: Mrs. N