Premonition by Lisa M. James shows her flair for strong female characters when Kiatra, the Chieftess of the Fortress, sentences Isaac to slavery for the sins of his village. The young man had seen his fate in a vision, but his father refused to heed his warning. The visions Isaac saw were almost more than he could bear. Kiatra viewed herself as a compassionate ruler, but any favor she showed Isaac would be viewed as an insult to her people, mainly the many men she had turned away. Will there come a point when Isaac can trust Kiatra with his visions? Can she trust him to stay loyal to her while others are preparing to dethrone her?

Lisa M. James is that rare author who offers you a story, and, in exchange, you walk through the portal to a new world. Premonition is a novel that will appeal to readers of folklore, historic fantasy, and characters with a forceful personality. When Isaac is enslaved to Chieftess Kiatra, the pace quickens as he tries to survive his sentence and comes to terms with his mistress. The narrative flips between slave and mistress and the reader sees the turmoil each is experiencing with their decisions. James has the distinct skill of breathing life into her novel. It mesmerizes you until the end, making you look forward to the next book in this series; Awakening.

Isaac was a soothsayer. When he started having dreams, visions of the future, his father warned him to hide them. He wasn’t always successful and the people of his village thought he was crazy. So, when he was offered as a slave to the Fortress, no one in the village thought further of him. As far as they were concerned, Isaac was dead. But, his life at the Fortress continued as the Chieftess, Kiatra, took him on as her personal slave. She saw something in him. She knew he was a soothsayer, just as her mother had been. She tried to be patient, waiting for Isaac to reveal his abilities. Isaac worked hard as Kiatra’s slave; he made few friends, but those he did make were loyal. It wasn’t an easy life but when he saved Kiatra’s life, things seem to take a turn for the better.

Lisa M. James's novel, Premonition (The Fortress Book 1), is the first book in a series that introduces the lives of a slave, Isaac, and his owner, the Chieftess, Kiatra. These are difficult times and many believe in dreams and visions, while many others fear them. The plot develops like a story from the Bible: the visions that forecasted a drought, the lengthy drought, the struggle for survival, the battles between good and evil, the black arts, and so much more. The characters are well developed and believable, the descriptive narrative eloquently establishes a sense of place, and the reader instantly feels part of the story. This is a powerful story, a real page-turner. I can’t wait for Book 2.

Premonition is a work of fiction in the fantasy, interpersonal drama, action and adventure sub-genres, and was penned by author Lisa M. James. The opening novel of The Fortress series, this work is suitable for teen and adult readers alike and is set in a fantasy world where some characters have supernatural gifts. Isaac is one such figure, plagued by visions of the future, so when he is sentenced to slavery and sent to serve Chieftess Kiatra, he wonders whether he can trust her enough to show her his skills. And as Kiatra gets to know this mysterious new figure in her life, she too feels the tension building all around them.

Author Lisa M. James really knows how to craft a story that perfectly balances the emotional journey of the characters against the wider tensions of the plot and storyline. One of the things I particularly loved about this story was the way that Isaac’s supernatural powers play directly into the plot and cause tensions between him and Kiatra as the central mystery unfolds. The emotional development between the pair of protagonists was also really well-paced and played out with expressive dialogue and well-considered speech and thought presentation. The longer I read on, the deeper I was embroiled in the drama and the fate of both characters in their complex dynamics. Overall, I would highly recommend Premonition to all fantasy readers seeking excellent writing and the opening to a very promising new series.

All his life, Isaac has had to hide a part of himself. Isaac is a seer. Although he has never heard the word, he has dreams that show the future, sometimes of people he knows, other times of people and places he can't even imagine, but they are always true. He only knows that it is something to hide, to be ashamed of, or at least that is what his father told him. Even though his father is a governor, and it should fall to Isaac to take his father's place, his father has kept Isaac woefully ignorant of the duties and the world around him. Kiatra is a Chieftess of the Kingdom, and although she knows seers exist, she has to be ever vigilant as there are always people wanting to take her title from her. She has seen the dark side of betrayal and she fears trusting anyone, even those she loves. Premonition is the first book in The Fortress series by author Lisa M James. It is the story of Isaac and Kiatra, their lives and struggles, and the betrayals that color their worlds.

Premonition by Lisa M James is a well-written story of a time and place much simpler than now, but it is more a story of trust and betrayal. Isaac has been misguided by his father; he has learned to hide and not to trust the rulers of the land, but Isaac has no idea why that is. Kiatra has seen what betrayal can do to a person, how it can make them a shadow of themselves and she is not about to let that happen to her, so she holds herself closely guarded. This story will pull you in and have you reading to the end. For me, personally, I had a strong dislike of Isaac's father from page one and I continued to carry it throughout. I felt Isaac gave his father way too much loyalty, none of which was deserved, and had he just let go and forgotten what his father told him, he would have saved himself so much pain and suffering. Even my dislike of Isaac's father could not diminish the pull of this book. There are always characters you love and those you hate, and that is what makes this book so real.