Reviews of Sev's Vision

Here are some reviews of Sev's Vision, Book 9 in The Animal Guild Series, that have been posted on Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThing, PC, or elsewhere.

"It's the eleventh hour for the Animal Guild stories: a multitude of plot lines and an even bigger multitude of characters have come together for an amazing showdown. But what's even more amazing to me is that the showdown comes with not only two brand new main characters, but a brand new species of animal! In this installment, Corto is large and in charge once again, but he has changed from his early arrogant years: he's willing to receive help, even willing to *ask* for help. Which is certainly a good thing, as he needs it to survive this rollicking adventure! Unknown to guilders, humans or beetles, a hidden enclave of legendary animals have existed in secrecy for centuries, and one troubled young female has come into an unwanted inheritance. Venturing unwillingly out into the world, she meets a guilder, a young beagle who is angry and alone, embittered by his life. These two new characters form an unexpected attachment, a delicate and fragile love opposed by seemingly insurmountable odds: they are separated by their backgrounds, their families, their very species. How can their love possibly bring together and solve all the scattered threads of animal, beetle and human conflict? Mysticism and spirituality abound in this story as the beloved Sev from the very first book of the series oversees (and maybe engineers?) the conclusion. And as always when it comes to the animal guilders and their allies, love and loyalty rule (and perhaps even save) the day! All-out war threatens, lives are in the balance, but the author delivers on every promise and the main story arcs of the series are neatly tied off with seamlessly interlocking events. And, best of all possible worlds, there's ample room for the further adventures of our favorite characters! What a rewarding experience this series has turned out to be!" May 19, 2018

"As a culmination of one of the overarching storylines of Sowle’s Animal Guild series, Sev’s Vision shows the author in complete control of her complex, multi-layered plot from the opening pages to the very end. Full of the emotion and humor we expect from Sowle’s writing, this book takes her themes of friendship and redemption even deeper. The story brings together beloved returning characters and intriguing new ones to take the reader on an exciting ride toward a thunderous conclusion." May 16, 2018

"Another five-star effort! First of all, I have to say, this is decidedly NOT a stand-alone volume. If you haven’t read the rest of The Animal Guild Series, you’ll experience a distinct disadvantage reading this one. If you have read the rest of the books, then, trust me, this is the one you’ve been waiting for. It is a culmination for the series, although hopefully not THE culmination. Aside to author: Don’t you dare stop writing these! The cast of characters seems dauntingly large at first, but in the end proves manageable. The plot is propulsive, of course, as all readers of these books have come to expect by now. The main characters (and there are quite a few!) are extremely well-drawn and invariably interesting. The author’s decision to shift points-of-view between multiple characters works really, really well—advancing the plot relentlessly with just the right amount of character development chapter-by-chapter. I was very impressed with the book’s flow. The pacing is superb, and the varying viewpoints spice up each chapter with personal detail while pushing things forward in captivating ways. Sowle’s success in blending together the personalities and idiosyncrasies of so many different species into a coherent whole is probably the crowning achievement of this particular volume. In her Animal Guild novels and stories over the years, Sowle has created a multi-dimensional world that is both believable and enchanting to the nth degree. Her success in this world-building is nowhere more apparent than in Sev’s Vision, a truly worthy culmination of a truly remarkable series." May 16, 2018