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Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and was always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.
An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture.
Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes that home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.
She is the author of a four part fantasy/romance series entitled "The Dragon and the Scholar," the Award Winning (2016 Realm Award for Young Adult Fiction) Nyssa Glass Steampunk series, and MG/Fantasy "Cora and the Nurse Dragon," among others .
Sign up for her monthly newsletter at www.hlburkeauthor.com
Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers' Favorite
Spellsmith and Carver: Magicians' Rivalry by H.L. Burke is the first book in the Spellsmith and Carver series. It's been five years since Auric Spellsmith has been home. His return isn't the welcome he hoped for. Finding his father is still set in the old ways, their constant arguing picks up where they left off. He discovers that everything has changed, including his father's new apprentice, Jericho Carver. Every time Auric tries to help, something seems to go wrong. His mistakes are just what Jericho wants as Auric's arrival threatens everything he's worked for and could ruin his chance to court the talented Rill Spellsmith. When Auric's father goes missing, Auric and Jericho are forced to work together against the wilds of the Fey Lands to find him.
H.L. Burke delivers an enchanting adventure of friendship and family, as the tension between rivals becomes an unforgettable friendship. Family tension is explored through the relationship between Auric and his father as they fail to see eye to eye on everything from his mother's disappearance to his sister practicing magic. This tension is spurred on by the rivalry between Jericho and Auric, who both have sympathetic reasons behind their resentment of each other. They both have a fear of being replaced and each is trying to find how they fit into this family. Auric and Jericho have to work through their jealousy of each other while learning how to rely on and trust each other in a world of chaos and danger. Their relationship slowly progresses into a sincere friendship as they battle against different fairy monsters. The primary plot revolves around the mystery of what happened to Auric's mother, and he discovers his father has been hiding secrets throughout his entire life. This changes everything Auric has believed about his mother, about his father, and even about himself.
The romance between Rill and Jericho factors into the plot as most of what Jericho is building towards is finding a way to get her father's blessing to court her. They have a sweet and genuine love story that also directly impacts Rill's personal journey, but it's only a mere part of it. She's always loved magic and her father has kept her from it so Jericho has bonded with her by being the one who teaches her how to use it. She has an empowering journey where she finds herself and the extent of her power, while really coming into her own and discovering how to get her voice heard among the different opinions of the three men in her life. Spellsmith and Carver is a magical read with likable characters full of charm, a family dynamic that is realistic and heartwarming, and a dangerous world of fey that makes for a spellbinding adventure.
