The first book in a new series must set the tone and back story for all of those that come behind. It must introduce readers to a core of characters meant to take the first steps in a new community and expose the strengths and weaknesses of each character. Tom Bast has done an excellent job of fulfilling these first steps in Slaver's Bane. Confusion as the story is built is meant to feed the quest to "see" where the author is taking us. Here we see a ruling class that has abused citizens of The Lands of Duroo. Then we meet our heroes, although they will not recognize themselves as heroes in this first book. Their story is just beginning and it's a reader's gift to be able to start this trip with them.

I couldn’t decide on if this was YA or middle grade. The characters are young, 14 and 12. But the content isn’t exactly for middle grade. I like the fantasy world, just hate how it’s ran. The magic “milk” was an interesting touch. The fairies revenge.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher's for the ARC copy of this novel. I give this honest review voluntarily.

I have absolutely nothing but good things to say about this novel. The writing is so well expressed. The world building is so imaginative from the very first pages you get immersed in this world. The characters are unique and fascinating. We first meet our two main characters-Robin, who is 14 and Tove who is 12, they are in an orphanage. Robin has spent his whole life there and Tove lost her family, we don't know how at this time, but she lives in the orphanage and they become best friends who hope to live free together when they are older. Robin is on the verge of manhood and will be sold sometime soon. Right before he is sold, both he and Tove are gifted with magic ( I'm not going to say how) but this influences the rest of the book. This book is primarily about Robin, and we follow him through is journey of the lands of Duroo.
This book is part of a series and I am so looking forward to reading all the books in the series. If you are a fan of the fantasy genre, actually I haven't read a lot of fantasy, if you like reading then you can't go wrong with reading this book. I give it 5 stars and definitely recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book for an honest opinion.

Slaver’s Bane is one of those books that once you get into it, you cannot put it down. It’s a well thought out novel, looks to be the first of a series, that has the plot, the set up and even though it’s extremely long winded at times (a lot of times actually) it has the execution as well.

I enjoyed it and was throughly invested in the characters. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

3 stars

Compelling storyline with fantastic characters. I’m not wild about cliffhanger endings, but I’ll take it. I’m looking forward to the next book. #NetGalley #netgalleyreviews #netgalleyreviewer.

Overall a good read. It's a character driven fantasy novel about a boy looking for his purpose in life. He is an orphan trying to gain freedom and find his way. As with many books like this, he is a reluctant hero, but he rises to the challenge. A basic good vs evil type of book. It does end on a cliff hanger which makes me a bit crazy. Hopefully we will find out more about his adventures and character growth in the next book

I received an ARC from NetGalley.

The story in Slaver's Bane held promise. Robin, an orphan of unknown parentage is being groomed to be a soldier until he drinks a mysterious potion. Separated from Tove, his love, he seeks to find his way back to her and possibly bring down a regime along the way.

While the ideas are good, the execution is flawed. The dialog is stilted and the descriptions are too wordy. This detracts from the story and led to my struggling to finish it.

Slaver’s Bane by Tom Bast is a magnificent tale of a world filled with royals, slaves, slave potions, creatures of all races, and magic. It is an unforgiving world. Harsh to those that are not wealthy.

Most villagers live a life of squalor, selling their children into slavery to pay for rent on ramshackled homes or to purchase food. A warrior may be rewarded by electing to become a mindless slave of the Masters or a Soosee. Or a villager may sell information to a royal and be given a title.

This does not happen often.

Slaver’s Bane is told in first person by two children that are living in an orphanage waiting to be sold to their respective masters,or sent to the battlefields to fight orcs.

Tove, a half-breed girl, and Robin, a half-breed boy, find comfort in each other’s company. This friendship with Tove carries Robin through the many trials that lie ahead of him. After a chance encounter, Robin and Tove’s lives will never be the same.

I absolutely loved this book. It captured my heart almost immediately. There were both joyous and heart wrenching moments, which completely invested me in the characters. The story lines entwined beautifully for a seamless reading. I didn’t have to go back and check who did what. Everything flowed together nicely.

Slaver’s Bane had every element of fantasy I could hope for in a powerfully moving story. It was a grand tale that moved quickly making it hard to put down. I needed to know what happened on the next page.

Because of being captivated with the narrative, I can blame Mr. Bast for several very late night/early morning reading sessions. I kept thinking, “one more page, just one more page,” and suddenly it was 3 a.m.

This book is the first in a series and I can’t wait to start book two. If you are looking for a good stand-alone book or the start to a new series, Slaver’s Bane is an excellent choice.

This book is the first in what will likely be a series. It’s an epic fantasy that follows Robin. Robin is an orphan who grew up in an orphanage with other half breeds (giants, elves, trolls mixed with humans). One day Robin steals milk that turns out to be magic. This follows Robins journey of trying to find freedom.

This book has a moderate pace as it is world building and Robin is on a journey to find those that can help him. The author is able to describe each of the landscapes in detail without it dragging too much. There is fighting, danger, and adventure laced throughout Robins journey.

There is a bit of a love story that weaves its way throughout the book, but not an actual romance. There are a lot of fun characters that you are introduced to that I hope appear in the next book. Robin has a lot of growth and challenges as the book goes on.

The ending sets up the next book nicely and leaves the reader curious but closes out the first part of Robins story well.

Before the Royals found magic, the world lived in peace. Now there is nothing but slavery and fear. Rex Zlo, royal mage, uses potions created from the souls of fairies to steal the will of people to make them do whatever they are commanded until they eventually go mad. But when Robin, a young orphan accidentally consumes a potion that had gone wrong, suddenly everything changes. He offers a chance to defeat the Royals but first, he must undertake a perilous quest pursued across the kingdom by Rex Zlo who is determined to stop him.

When I started Slaver’s Bane: The Rebels of Duroo, the first in a new epic fantasy series by Tom Best, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I got was a compelling tale with some great world building, interesting characters, and a fascinating story that grabbed me from the first sentence and never let go. It ends on a cliffhanger but with hints of what’s coming and I can hardly wait to read the rest of the series.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and The book Whisperers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

Thankyou NetGalley and Book Whisper for introducing me to Tom Bast, and this epic tale captured in Book 1 Slaver’s Bane: The Rebels of Duroo. Tom Bast world building is wonderous, flowing, and transported me right into the tale. Tom Bast’s characters are strong, passionate for their cause, likeable depending upon the character and while others are loathed with emotion. When the Royals decide to use magic to make and keep slaves enslaved, they had no idea of what was to come of the spell, let alone people who would stand up, and fight them with the very thing that was only for them to control.
Tom Bast, thank you so much for creating Slaver’s Bane series, and I cannot wait to read the rest of this fantastical series

Great first book of a new series. I don't know what I was expecting based on the title but it wasn't what I got. This is a truly magical story; and this installment begins with the heros quest. So be prepared for a lot of meeting a cast of characters (trolls, elves, giants, fairies, orcs), and new beings in this realm (SooSee and weirlynx). Robin is a lovely narrator with major trust issues (understandably but made some of his inner monologue a bit annoying). Anyone fans of other realms headed by evil Mages and a Cause to undermine them will enjoy this. Can't wait to get more Tove.

I found this book quite intriguing and enjoyable. This fantasy story had a very epic feel to it but also had an underlying grain of bitter truth to it that I felt made it easy to become invested in. I thought the author did an amazing job with the character and world building but I can't say that I was a huge fan of the changing viewpoints in the narrative. Overall, though an extremely fun read that left me eager to continue the series.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. This book is filled with a magical world of fairies and elves and giants and demons. The action is non-stop and the descriptions are colorful and imaginative. The story unfolds with one perilous adventure after another. This is fantasy at its best - relentless and heart-stopping. I totally recommend this book to readers who enjoy becoming immersed in a story and becoming part of the action.

in a world where magic is used by only certain people and everyone seems to get along, what happens when things change and new magic is invented? Will the world survive, or will they destroy themselves?

It took me a bit to warm up to this one because the author has a bad tendency to get wordy when describing things, but the story really pulled me in and I was excited to see where Robin's story took him.
It's a basic fantasy premise of a world full of magical beings where there is great evil supporting the few in power and suppressing the masses when a one-of-a-kind character appears that finds himself in possession of something that the evil wants and is afraid of, something that will inspire the masses to hope there might be an end to the evil regime.
Yes, it sounds incredibly similar to thousands of other stories, but give it a chance and you'll find yourself pulled into Robin's story and unable to walk away. As much as I think Bast has a bad tendency to get wordy, I also found that he can build a character that readers can feel invested in and put him in a world that lets him shine.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and The Book Whisperer for the early read!

Thanks, Netgalley and Publisher for the opportunity to read and review! It took me some time this time, but it was worth it! Awesome read!
Really vivid setting full of all sorts of favorite fantasy creatures! The main character is a boy that takes on an adventure to self-discovery, full of danger, true friendship, and wonder. Other characters were also flashed out and well developed. There's no way not to like every page of this book. Definitely recommend it!

Such an inter And new concept in this book.

I loved the characters, the plot was easy to follow, and the details for the settings made the story engaging and fun!

This tale of a half-breed boy looking for freedom and purpose was enthralling and seeing how his journey of self discovery was great.

Can’t wait to see where this leads.

The characters, plot, setting and writing were so amazing. This writer knows how to paint a vivid picture with the pen. I can see this book featured as book of the month on multiple book club and book box sites! It is going to be a number one best seller for sure. A fantastic read for fans of YA fantacy. Get your copy now and enjoy!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting me the privilege of reading and reviewing this book. Highly recommend.

Review of eBook

A long time ago, in a land far away . . .

Peace reigned.
Everyone . . . humans, giants, elves, trolls, orcs, goblins, and the fairies . . . lived together in peace.

Until . . .

Slave magic was invented by the royals.
Peace dissolved into hatred, creating chaos and destruction.

In this new world of animosity, a half-breed teenager named Robin and a giant named Tove live in the dormitories of the orphanage. They have no expectations for their lives beyond the orphanage; they will be sold into a life of servitude. Freedom is a far and distant wish, relegated to the land of dreams and wishes. But Robin and Tove, who watch out for each other, know how to elude the overlords; Robin sneaks out and steals a bottle of milk from a peasant. He shares the unexpected treat with Tove.

A year later, Robin must leave Tove behind as he is sold and taken away from the orphanage. But she remains in his thoughts, even four years later, even as he is training to fight.

Rescued by falconers during an unexpected attack by the Orcs, Robin learns the truth about the milk . . . not milk, but a potion that gave him the power of fairy magic.

Robin sets off to find the fairies. But the evil Mage Rex Zlo trails him, determined to capture him for his own nefarious agenda.

Will Robin succeed? Will he and his new friends find a way to return peace and freedom to the land?

=========

“Slaver’s Bane,” the first book in the Rebels of Duroo series, sets the stage for what is to come. Strong characters, fascinating world-building, and a clever plot combine to lay the groundwork for what will follow. Good is very good; evil is very evil. The unfolding narrative keeps readers involved in the telling of the tale as they cheer for the defeat of evil.

A strong fantasy component teases the imagination; stunning creatures, a magical land, a fight for freedom. Be prepared for a cliffhanger . . . there are definitely more adventures for Robin before this tale reaches its conclusion.

A map of Duroo gives substance to places readers encounter in the telling of the tale.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from The Book Whisperer and NetGalley
#SlaversBane #NetGalley