Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: The Witchstone Amulet
AUTHOR: Mason Thomas
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 317 Pages
RELEASE DATE: August 27, 2019
BLURB:
Protect it at all costs.
That’s what rugby player Hunter Best’s mother told him before she died. But when Hunter surprises an intruder in his Chicago apartment, he discovers her amulet stolen. Hunter pursues the thief—all the way through a strange vortex. He wakes in a bizarre and violent world, a benighted realm on the threshold of civil war.
The queen has become a ruthless tyrant, punishing any who oppose her, weakening the kingdom’s defenses against the brutal Henerans. To survive, Hunter must depend on the man who robbed him, a handsome former spy named Dax, now a leader of the resistance that believes the queen is an imposter—a Heneran disguised by magic… who also looks identical to Hunter’s mother.
There’s no love lost between Hunter and Dax, and even if Hunter grudgingly agrees with the resistance, he just wants to reclaim his property and go home. But he might be the only one who can oppose the queen and end her reign of terror.
REVIEW:
I’m a fan of this author’s works. I thoroughly enjoyed his previous books and when I saw this one hit the list for review, I signed up immediately. Somehow it fell through the cracks and I just got the book for review, so I’m a little late to the party. Regardless, I’m very happy I got it and got a chance to read it.
I love stories about rugby players, and I love stories about alternate worlds, so this one seemed tailor made for me. And it was. When the story opens, we meet Hunter Best at a bar with his rugby team and the opposing team. It turns out that events in the day’s game have finally gotten Hunter recognized by his teammates as something other than that gay guy on their team. While he is gay, he has longed for true acceptance and now he has it. In the bar he is approached by a member of the other team and one thing leads to another with the two of them back at Hunter’s apartment later in the evening. But things don’t go as planned. Someone has been there before them and Hunter’s apartment is trashed. The only thing missing that Hunter can figure out is his mother’s amulet. But why would someone break in to steal that?
Before he can figure it out, someone jumps out of the closet and a chase is on. Before the chase ends, Hunter will throw himself through a hole in space into another world. One far darker and more dangerous than Chicago.
I loved the author’s worldbuilding, and I enjoyed getting to know both the world and the characters. I’ll admit that I kind of figured out the big reveal before the end of the book, but it didn’t make it any less enjoyable. And who knew… I might have been guessing incorrectly.
I really enjoyed this standalone book. I don’t foresee any continuation, and the story probably doesn’t need one? Although I’d, of course, read it if there was one. On the flip side, it is totally refreshing to read a standalone book for a change instead of XYZ, Book 35 and the like. Great job.
I highly recommend this one.
RATING: 
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