Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse
Author: Kaleb Nation
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Jabberwocky
3 out of 5 stars
Being pushed around your entire life, being told that you’re useless, and having to do everything... I would be pretty fed up if this were me. I don’t think that I would be able to handle it, especially for my entire life. But then again I’m not Bran Hambric, am I? See, Bran Hambric is a fourteen-year-old boy who knows practically nothing of his past. At the age of six, Bran was found by Sewey Wilomas in the bank vault, which had been locked for the night. No one knows how he got there, or why. There’s nothing to explain this boy’s past, except for the note. This note, which was clutched in the young boy’s hand, only said his name and the date that he was born. But the strange part is that it also said, “To: Clarence.” Who’s Clarence? No one knew.
Since that strange incident, Bran has spent his life living with the Wilomases. They are a spoiled, and quite crazy, family. All of them always get what they want, and don’t know what is good for them. Imagine living with that for eight years! In this household, Bran is forced to do everything. He never complains though, because this is all he has ever known. But there is much more to him than he, or anyone else, has ever thought.
Bran realizes this when Sewey and him are on the roof of the house trying to catch a burglar. However, this “burglar” turns out to be a creature who both Bran and Sewey have never seen before. Sewey claims it’s a gnome, but that would have been illegal. I guess that I forgot to mention one little detail about the city that Bran lives in. He lives in the city of Dunce, which is the only city that forbids magic. There are no gnomes, no mages, and no “etcetera” allowed. All of the other cities welcome magic, but not Dunce. This is why the strange being that confronts Bran on the roof shouldn’t be here. Suddenly, Bran is sucked into a whole new world where he discovers more about himself than he has ever known before. It turns out that people have vowed to find and capture him. Will Bran escape their clutches, or fall right into their trap? And who is Bran Hambric really? All is revealed in Kaleb Nation’s far-fetched adventure, Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse!
I thought that the idea for the story was very creative and unique. I also thought that it could be a great start for a series and really evolve into something special. The thing is, when it came to the Farfield Curse, I thought that it was a little too vague. I had no clue what the Farfield Curse really was, until the end of the story. But even then, it was still pretty confusing and hard to grasp. This did add a sense of mystery to the story, but just a little too much.
This was a fantastic thriller that left me on the edge of my seat, and even made me jump a few times. I really liked the storyline and the whole concept of the story, which I can’t wait to see continued in the sequel, Bran Hambric: The Specter Key. I’m glad to hear that there is a second book coming out, because I felt that Bran Hambric’s story wasn’t finished just yet.
The characters of the story were all quite funny, and many times they made me laugh out loud with their silly humor. On the other hand, some of the characters were very sinister, and knew just how to make shivers creep across my spine. It was also nice that even though there were cities with magic and mages, there were still all of our modern-day things that we use. Such as cell phones, computers, TV’s, newspapers, and much more. It was quite interesting to see how the magic took on a new form in the story, such as the different magical missivs, the various spells and enchantments, and even the unique wands. However, some areas of the story did need more explaining, and were left unanswered. Also, I would have liked to see some more magic per se, but then again, what do you expect in a city that forbids all kinds of magic?
Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse was an enjoyable, yet suspenseful read, but there were some aspects of it that I didn’t like as much. Namely, how the Farfield Curse was very confusing and took some time to understand. This really did make the story, and my mind, more muddled. Besides that, I thought that this was a book with a great concept, which Kaleb Nation formed into a wonderful tale. Also, make sure to check out Bran Hambric: The Specter Key to find out what will happen next. Join Bran Hambric as he finds out about his past and learns not only about the magical world out there, but also about the mother he never had in Kaleb Nation’s tale, Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse!
Since that strange incident, Bran has spent his life living with the Wilomases. They are a spoiled, and quite crazy, family. All of them always get what they want, and don’t know what is good for them. Imagine living with that for eight years! In this household, Bran is forced to do everything. He never complains though, because this is all he has ever known. But there is much more to him than he, or anyone else, has ever thought.
Bran realizes this when Sewey and him are on the roof of the house trying to catch a burglar. However, this “burglar” turns out to be a creature who both Bran and Sewey have never seen before. Sewey claims it’s a gnome, but that would have been illegal. I guess that I forgot to mention one little detail about the city that Bran lives in. He lives in the city of Dunce, which is the only city that forbids magic. There are no gnomes, no mages, and no “etcetera” allowed. All of the other cities welcome magic, but not Dunce. This is why the strange being that confronts Bran on the roof shouldn’t be here. Suddenly, Bran is sucked into a whole new world where he discovers more about himself than he has ever known before. It turns out that people have vowed to find and capture him. Will Bran escape their clutches, or fall right into their trap? And who is Bran Hambric really? All is revealed in Kaleb Nation’s far-fetched adventure, Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse!
I thought that the idea for the story was very creative and unique. I also thought that it could be a great start for a series and really evolve into something special. The thing is, when it came to the Farfield Curse, I thought that it was a little too vague. I had no clue what the Farfield Curse really was, until the end of the story. But even then, it was still pretty confusing and hard to grasp. This did add a sense of mystery to the story, but just a little too much.
This was a fantastic thriller that left me on the edge of my seat, and even made me jump a few times. I really liked the storyline and the whole concept of the story, which I can’t wait to see continued in the sequel, Bran Hambric: The Specter Key. I’m glad to hear that there is a second book coming out, because I felt that Bran Hambric’s story wasn’t finished just yet.
The characters of the story were all quite funny, and many times they made me laugh out loud with their silly humor. On the other hand, some of the characters were very sinister, and knew just how to make shivers creep across my spine. It was also nice that even though there were cities with magic and mages, there were still all of our modern-day things that we use. Such as cell phones, computers, TV’s, newspapers, and much more. It was quite interesting to see how the magic took on a new form in the story, such as the different magical missivs, the various spells and enchantments, and even the unique wands. However, some areas of the story did need more explaining, and were left unanswered. Also, I would have liked to see some more magic per se, but then again, what do you expect in a city that forbids all kinds of magic?
Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse was an enjoyable, yet suspenseful read, but there were some aspects of it that I didn’t like as much. Namely, how the Farfield Curse was very confusing and took some time to understand. This really did make the story, and my mind, more muddled. Besides that, I thought that this was a book with a great concept, which Kaleb Nation formed into a wonderful tale. Also, make sure to check out Bran Hambric: The Specter Key to find out what will happen next. Join Bran Hambric as he finds out about his past and learns not only about the magical world out there, but also about the mother he never had in Kaleb Nation’s tale, Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse!
-This is T.B. with Another Book Back on the Shelf…
Until Next Time, Keep Reading!
Check out the Bran Hambric website at http://www.branhambric.com/.
Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse is available from Amazon here
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.Check out the Bran Hambric website to find out what type of magic you are!
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