Young Franko and his father lived a simple life as travelling merchants, chasing the horizon and sleeping under the stars. Just the way the boy liked it.
Then, the Garelians came. In one swift moment he lost everything.
Now, he seeks revenge at any cost, even if it means allying with the same dark figure who once haunted him: The Forest Demon.
As he rises through the ranks of the elite Wyverly guard, he rekindles an old flame with the girl who once held his heart.
As love and revenge clash, only one way can survive.
Franko must choose his path. Even as the Forest Demon holds a secret that could shatter everything.
Young Franko and his father lived a simple life as travelling merchants, chasing the horizon and sleeping under the stars. Just the way the boy liked it.
Then, the Garelians came. In one swift moment he lost everything.
Now, he seeks revenge at any cost, even if it means allying with the same dark figure who once haunted him: The Forest Demon.
As he rises through the ranks of the elite Wyverly guard, he rekindles an old flame with the girl who once held his heart.
As love and revenge clash, only one way can survive.
Franko must choose his path. Even as the Forest Demon holds a secret that could shatter everything.
He's Out Here
"We've been searching for three days, soldier," Captain Aldo said with a tinge of irritation in his voice. "Are you sure he's out here, Gwendolyn?" "I'm positive, and it's just Gwen now, Captain," she replied, still looking off into the distance, clutching her cloak to keep it wrapped over her body. "And I'm not a soldier anymore." It was a cold and rainy afternoon in the northern forest. Gwen had been working with Captain Aldo and the others to track Franko down. She wouldn't tell anybody why it was exactly that she felt the need to do so, but either way, Franko was a highly respected and valuable member of the Wyverly Guard, and they wanted him back. "It just seems like we would have found something by now, at least some trace of him somewhere out here," Aldo replied, shaking his head in frustration. Gwen finally turned towards him, her jaw tightened. "He's—out here," she said adamantly. "What makes you so sure of this?" he asked, sternly. "He could have run off with that woman to stars' know where. You said so yourself, remember? We're on the border of Vodavi; we've got to be careful. Relations with the Northern Kingdom are better than they were, but still not—" "I told you, he's out here!" she cut him off sharply. Captain Aldo sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Okay, I guess we'll just keep looking," he replied in resignation as he turned to walk back toward camp to join the others. Gwen closed her eyes and exhaled sharply. She was beginning to lose her patience; they all were. Franko, she thought to herself, where in stars' light are you? I know you're here. It's time to come home. You… are coming with me. Unbeknownst to them, a hooded figure stood watching from the treetops.
The Closest Thing to Home
"The stars are smiling upon us today, Franko!" Ringo hollered excitedly as he approached his young son, a sack full of goodies in hand. "Father!" the boy exclaimed, his face beaming. "What happened? What did you get?" "Well, son, all those lead sticks you helped me get have just turned quite the profit," Ringo remarked, wiggling his eyebrows with a coy smirk on his face as he set the sack down in front of his son. "All the way out here in Greencourt, they don't have easy access to lead like they do at the Wyverly Capital. So they pay, and they pay good!" "That's great, Father!" the boy giggled with excitement. "So, what's in the bag?" "I think you'll need to open up and find that out for yourself, Franko," Ringo replied, trying but failing to hold back a smile. Franko peeked in the sack to find a bag of hard candy and a wooden play sword as long as his arm. "Father!" he yelled, unable to contain his excitement. "Berry candy and a sword!" the boy said with his eyes wide open, his jaw practically hitting the ground. "I haven't had sweets like this in so long! Not since my eighth birthday. And this sword, it looks brand new!" "It is brand new, Franko," Ringo chuckled. "Think of this as a little reward for helping your dear old dad out so much." The boy quickly popped a berry candy in his mouth, the sweetness overpowering his taste buds. He took the sword and tucked it in his belt before looking through the rest of the sack. It was amazing; they hadn't had a payday like this in ages: a couple of new changes of clothes for both him and his father, some cured meat, a couple of canteens, and what appeared to be an old, tarnished, broken sword. Franko held the sword up and looked at it, a puzzled expression on his face.
"What's this doing here? Is this for me too?" Ringo's countenance dropped at the sight, his smile fading into a frown. "Uhh… no, son… that's… that's for me," he said somberly as he reached for the broken sword and looked at it, a melancholy expression upon his face. "Is everything okay, Father?" the boy asked, concerned. Ringo let out a weary sigh and stroked his short beard thoughtfully. "Yes, son. I'm fine," he replied softly as he set the sword down gently in the front seat of the wagon. "Why do you have that sword, Father? What good is a broken blade?" Ringo lifted his ten-year-old son and set him down on the wagon's tailgate. "Franko," his father said gently, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders. "I think it may be time to tell you about our family. About our past and what happened to your mother." The boy looked intently at his father, "Mother? You said she got sick and died when I was a baby." "Yes, son. I know that's what I told you. But it's not exactly the truth." "Wha… what's the truth, then?" the boy asked, dread welling up in his eyes. "Do you remember me telling you about the Garelian rebels, Franko?" "Yes," the boy nodded. "They were bad people who worshipped a demon, right?" "That's right, Franko," his father nodded. "There's an old fairytale in the land that says a Demon King named Garel once terrorized the kingdom of Wyverly. The legend says he was defeated several thousand years ago." "Yes, I've heard all this. The Star Sage sealed him away, but there's people out there now that worship him," the boy added. "There are, son. They call themselves the Garelians , they think he was really a god, and the kingdom lied and said he was evil," Ringo sighed as he shook his head. "They believe that he'll come back someday, and they want to be there to greet him when he does. They think he'll honor them as loyal followers and rule the land with him." "But that's just a fairytale, right Father?" the boy asked, his eyebrows furrowed. "It's not real, right?" "No, son. But they still believe in it. They're dangerous, that's why the kingdom banned Garelians ages ago. We're only allowed to worship the stars. But some Garelians still exist." "Oh," Franko responded, taken aback by his father's words. "So… what does this have to do with Mother?" "Franko," his father said, looking intently into the boy's eyes. "I told you that your mother got sick. But that's not exactly the truth." Ringo paused and clenched his eyes shut, fighting back tears. "When you were still a baby, she left to visit some family, and she was found dead shortly thereafter. I believe the Garelians were behind it."
Franko's heart sank into his gut. "The Garelians? Why?" he asked desperately. Ringo bit his lip, bitterness twisting his face. "It's hard to explain, son. It's just me and you now." This revelation paralyzed Franko. He had always thought his mother died of a sickness, but it turns out she had been murdered. Tears streamed down the boy's face. "I don't understand, Father." Ringo began to sob the words out softly. "It's just best not to think of it, Franko. It's a very painful thing for me to say. I just felt you should know." The boy's lip began to quiver. Ringo pulled the boy into his embrace. "I'm sorry, son. Please know that you will always have me. I will love you always, Franko," he said through his tears, offering what comfort he could to his heartbroken young son. The boy rubbed the tears from his face, his heart lifting slightly as he found some relief in his father's comforting words. "Does what you just told me have something to do with that broken sword, Father?" asked the boy as he sniffled. "It does, Franko," his father answered in a low voice, wishing his son had never seen the sword. "That sword was broken in a battle we fought with the man who I believe killed your mother. He and some other Garelians had attacked us once when we went out traveling, not long before you were born. During the battle, the sword was broken by a man who fought with a large axe, his name is Lace. He considers himself the high priest of the Garelians and is an extremely dangerous man." The name pierced Franko's ears when he heard it, Lace . "Is that man the one who killed mother?" "Yes, Franko. I’m almost certain of it,” he replied softly, pulling a piece of parchment out of his satchel. “I stayed in Greencourt for a time after you were born with the hope that she would soon come back. But after a short while, I was given this letter by a courier for the kingdom. I think you’re old enough to read this yourself.” The young boy’s heart began to race as he opened the letter. It was from the Wyverly Guard, addressed to his father.
To Ringo the merchant. Last known location, Greencourt. It is with the Royal Guard’s deepest regret that we inform you that a Wyverly patrol had located a mortally wounded woman along the northern path of the kingdom. We did all we could to treat her injuries and take her to the nearest town. But sadly, she succumbed to her injuries and passed away during transport. She had stated before she passed that she was the wife of a traveling merchant known as Ringo, who was last known to be staying in Greencourt. She requested that a message be sent to you to make you aware of her passing. Sadly, we were unable to get any information or description of her attacker. You have our sincerest condolences. May the stars grant you peace during this trying time.
Office of the Wyverly Guard
Franko began to sob, and his father embraced him. “I’m sorry that you had to find out like this, Franko. I know she loved you dearly,” he assured the boy. "I sold that sword for a few coppers shortly after. It wasn't worth much, but I figured a metal worker might have some use for it. You see, son, your mother and I lived here in Greencourt for a little while. You were born in this town, Franko." The boy's eyes widened, and he wiped the tears from his cheeks with his sleeve. “Really?" he asked. "You mean, this is kind of like our home?" Being traveling merchants, Ringo and his son were on the road constantly. They never had a real home and spent most nights sleeping under the stars. Though Franko wasn't one to complain, he couldn't help but long for a place to call home. "You could say that, Franko," his father replied, life returning to his eyes as the conversation returned to a more pleasant topic. "This is the closest thing we've ever had to a home, anyway." “I tell you what, son. Would it cheer you up if we walked around town for a bit? Maybe I can get you a few more pieces of berry candy,” Ringo said as he tilted his head with raised eyebrows. "Can we, Father?" he asked, his eyes now beaming with excitement and longing. "Of course, son," Ringo said as he tousled the boy's hair and set him back on the ground. "Some of the folks here still remember me. It's not every day a baby is delivered at the town bed-and-breakfast, ya know." Ringo put his arm around his son's shoulders, and they walked into Greencourt, the closest thing Franko could call home.
When people think about the young adult genre, most think of books like The Fault in Our Stars, the Divergent series, or The Hunger Games. Many books since then have attempted to replicate similar storylines simply because of how revolutionary and iconic they were. Very few have stuck to their own ideas and created something great and original at the same time. This book is one of them.
Franko Blade of the Shattered Star is a delightful adventure of a young boy named Franko that comes of age throughout this novel and is commissioned to a destiny he could have never imagined. Delightful might not be the first word some might use to describe this novel, but it is used here because of how original and unique this story line is, as well as how exciting it is to follow the main character, Franko. Matthew Linton specializes in clean and adventurous YA tales with noble heroes, and he executed that exactly in Franko. From the beginning of the story, we are introduced to this sweet yet trying father-son relationship, and see young Franko attempting to find his place in the world. He meets his first crush, and though there is much yet to be discovered in their lives, destinies, and stories, the beginning of their love bodes well for what is to come.
Overall, this is exactly what young adults can read contentedly and comfortably. There are personal topics explored that add to the overall emotional depth of the story, fantastical tales that are woven into the backstory of this fictional world, and adventures that test the bravery and character of our protagonists. It is a breath of fresh air to have an all new story that is different from the rest but still equally as enthralling, that young adults everywhere can find and become engrossed in a story they may relate to.
To add on, the prose is simple, easy to read, but still adequately detailed. The chapters are short enough to maintain the readers attention and keep them wanting for more, and the pacing is consistent and exciting throughout.
This is a fantastic young adult read, and easily could be recommended to young adults everywhere. This bodes well for the future of Matthew Linton books, and readers everywhere can wait expectantly to see what else he comes up with, as well as future installments of the Tales of Wyverly Universe.