The Heart of the World
About this ebook
All 16-year-old Khaidu ever wanted was her own hunting eagle. Her ten brothers laugh at her. After all, the rule-bound world of the Gumiren nomads has no place for a girl hunter, much less a crippled one. But Khaidu has a secret. Mastering the ancient magic of eagle-binding, she captures the largest eagle her tribe has ever seen.
Except her eagle isn’t an eagle at all. She’s a dying queen under an enchantment. Khaidu’s binding unlocks an ancient curse of blood and loss. As the curse turns Khaidu’s people against each other, the bond between eagle and hunter shatters. Desperate to find her lost eagle, Khaidu will brave monstrous beasts, face an army of shape-shifting giants, and cross the known world…only to be faced with a terrible truth.
If Khaidu cannot save the queen in time, the world itself may die with her.
Inspired by the Russian fairy tale “Finist the Bright Falcon,” The Heart of the World features complex characters, gorgeous magical landscapes, and unexpected plot twists. If you like creative twists on myths and legends and classic fantasy, then you’ll love Nicholas Kotar’s sweeping tale.
Buy The Heart of the World to continue the journey today!
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About the author
Vasyllia, the setting for my fantasy novels, is inspired by medieval Russia and the rich, wild, and sometimes crazy world of Slavic epic poetry and fairy tales. All of my stories include elements of popular fairy tales, but retold in an epic fantasy style. It makes for a pretty original world, filled with creatures at once familiar and strange, such as:
- Sirins (which are not Sirens)
- shape-shifting dragons
- a disembodied giant head that likes to tell riddles
- storytelling cats
- portals into different worlds
And that's just scratching the surface! What really makes the Slavic fairy tales great fodder for novels is their complexity and their danger. No hero is completely good or completely bad. Everyone's heart is up for grabs. And not everyone will survive.
To find out more about Vasyllia, its mythical creatures, and the inspiration for my novels, I invite you visit my blog, where I talk about all the cool stuff I find while researching my books. Stuff like:
- Volcanoes that belch black fire (for real!)
- The monk who was also a powerful warrior
- Things you've never heard about Russian weddings
- Why there are seven specific obstacles that every hero must overcome in Russian fairy tales
I'll love to see you at nicholaskotar.com/blog
Thanks!
