A Cast of Stones by Patrick W. Carr

Book Description:

The Fate of the Kingdom Awaits the Cast of Stones

In the backwater village of Callowford, roustabout Errol Stone is enlisted by a church messenger arriving with urgent missives for the hermit priest in the hills. Eager for coin, Errol agrees to what he thinks will be an easy task, but soon finds himself hunted by deadly assassins. Forced to flee with the priest and a small band of travelers, Errol soon learns he's joined a quest that could change the fate of his kingdom.

Protected for millennia by the heirs of the first king, the kingdom's dynasty nears its end and the selection of the new king begins--but in secret and shadow. As danger mounts, Errol must leave behind the stains and griefs of the past, learn to fight, and discover who is hunting him and his companions and how far they will go to stop the reading of the stones.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book.  Errol Stone is the town drunk.  He can't go a day without ale.  He isn't an impressive figure but his life is about to change.  He is hired by a church messenger to take a message to a priest that lives beyond the village and in a place that only Errol knows well.  He runs into trouble along the way and when he finally gets to his destination, he isn't in good shape.  He learns secrets about the kingdom and his destiny that will forever change everything.Initially I had issues getting into this book.  It was kind of a slow start but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it.  I loved watching the changes Errol had to go through.  The things he was certain of, weren't so certain.  What he thought he would spend his life doing and who he would be, were to DRASTICALLY change.  He was to be so much more than anyone ever expected him to be.  I loved the cast of characters and am anxious to see what happens next between some of them.  I want to know how the past is going to come back and how the future will work out! I rate this one a 4/5.  Only because it took me a while to get into the book, once I did, it was a solid 5/5.
Thank you to the author/publisher for the review copy of this book (via netgalley).  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.