Inkslinger
Written on Feb 18, 2020
ARC provided by Xpresso Book Tours and Christina Bauer. All opinions are mine and freely given.
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02-18: 'Duty Bound' is a short prequel novel in the Angelbound series by Christina Bauer. Lincoln, the High Prince of Thrax is a demon hunter. Their world consists of Heaven, Hell, Earth, Purgatory, and a place called the Dark Lands, and in addition to his kind, there are humans, ghouls, and a what seems to be a number of other races.
There's a neighboring kingdom called Acca that he and his royal family struggle to manage.. run by an ambitious man who costs many warriors their lives to serve his personal agenda. Which of course, incites the prince. He wants to put an end to all the senseless death this story is mostly about the pursuit of that, as well as the structure he works within.
As it's brief, it's tough to say much about where the story is going, without spoilering it.. and I don't wish to ruin it for anyone who might want to read it. I'll say that Lincoln and his mother, the Queen, have an interesting relationship. It sometimes seems hostile, but I don't think it really is. She's suspicious by nature and he's often up to something. They spar verbally, but in a really amusing tone. Honestly, he plays word games like a 10 year old with her, and it's kind of hilarious.
He's kind though, he's good to others, he's supportive of young thrax coming up in training, and he wants what's best for everyone. Of course, then there's a girl. We don't find out much about her, only that she is.. well.. everything he's not supposed to like.
The real struggle is between him and the Earl of Acca. The Earl has his sights set very high and in his unscrupulous ways, is attempting to reach them.. while Lincoln is trying to stay a step ahead without losing his.
It's a fun little novel and I'm eager to move on in the series and see if it develops. The story is well-written, the special weaponry Lincoln uses is very creative, and the races seem pretty well fleshed out. In fact.. the demons have some pretty cool fighting abilities I haven't seen before too.
