The Heartstone Saga Book 1 Empath Rising edition by Archibald Bradford Literature Fiction eBooks
Download As PDF : The Heartstone Saga Book 1 Empath Rising edition by Archibald Bradford Literature Fiction eBooks 
Empath Rising is the first book in a series that tells the tale of a lonely orphan who rescues a Minotaur girl only to have her fall madly in love with him.
WARNING This is a work of erotic fantasy, there is nudity, swearing, a bit of violence, and plenty of naughty sex between man (and woman) and monster girl/girls.
If that isn’t your cup of tea please give this book a pass!
Otherwise please enjoy!
The Heartstone Saga Book 1 Empath Rising edition by Archibald Bradford Literature Fiction eBooks
I very much enjoyed this book! In the past few weeks I have read the Good Intentions series, the Daniel Black series, and Wild Wastes; all of which have similar themes to Empath Rising and all of which I enjoyed. If you enjoyed any or all of those then I can almost guarantee you will like this book. For those mamono fans out there this book is also for you!General Impressions:
Let’s be honest; a lot of people would consider this a guilty pleasure. The author acknowledges that it is smut, but I only agree with that to a certain extent. If you took all the smut out I would still have enjoyed this book. The smut just enhanced the experience for me. Unlike some of the other books I mentioned, there is not much action in this one. This is closer to a slice of life harem fantasy with a few short, but well written action scenes. In place of the action though there is quite a bit of wit that on more than one occasion took me by surprise and had me laughing out loud.
Characters:
I am probably not a great judge of whether characters have depth or not, but I can say that a big determination of my enjoyment of a story is if I can empathize (not being cheeky) with the characters. If I can put myself in their shoes and see where they are coming from then I really start to care about them. I cared about all of the characters in this book. While several of the monster girls do fall partly into common stereotypes/tropes they often do act in ways I wasn’t expecting and I do think the author made them his own. I loved the little touches like pack/herd animals engaging in social grooming, wolfen thumping a leg when happy, or minotaurs making various cow type sounds to convey emotion. I was also happy to see that even though there is some of the typical “harem head can do no wrong” theme his girls also don’t see him as perfect. They do at times get upset, disagree with him, or call him on things.
Plot:
So yes, this is an erotic harem story and contains a lot of what you might expect such a story to contain. In a blurb at the end of the book the cat…er…author even says he likes his smut, but likes to have a decent plot as well! Well he succeeded (maybe too well) and I found myself starting to read through the smutty parts faster to get back to the plot. There are hints at an overarching plot, secrets to be learned, and much more to come (heh). This gives the book more depth and combined with the lovable characters I just couldn’t put it down. I am a slow reader, but I finished it in two nights.
Another reviewer mentioned that the love scenes were well integrated into the story and didn’t seem forced. I completely agree. I would also like to add that compared to other similarly themed books I have read that include “sexy time”, this author doesn’t pull any punches in the detail of the love scenes. I respect him for that. Other authors try to make the love scenes into some type of beautiful flowery poem of an experience. Not this author! It is real, it is often dirty/messy, and even though some of the acts aren’t always to my preference it is all still quite hot! That is not to say that it is vulgar and there is also some humor to be had in the love scenes which adds to the realism and enjoyment.
Thoughts/Suggestions:
The author/cat said he would be reading all of these reviews and would appreciate thoughts. This next section is supposed to be just that, my thoughts. Let me reiterate that I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to more! Nothing that follows is meant to be taken as being overly critical, but instead my own musings.
I thought there were perhaps a few to many love scenes or perhaps they were a little too long. It felt at times like there was a lot of sex, a small bit of plot, and then a lot of sex again. I would liken it to the Daniel Black series if you replaced his crafting scenes with love scenes instead. I suppose this comes down to what you are primarily looking for from this book/series though. I personally want plot first and then some steamy sex scenes here and there to enhance the relationships. On the other hand I was a little disappointed with the Daniel Black series in this regard. There were some decent sex scenes in the first book, but it seemed to mostly peter (heh, can’t help myself) out. So I suppose my preference falls somewhere in between the two series. If it just ends up taking more books to finish the plot due to so much hanky panky going on then I won’t really mind in the end (provided the plot does get finished).
***MINOR SPOILERS*** Next two paragraphs.
Another reviewer mentioned he was worried about too many girls being added to the harem. That in such a case there wouldn’t be enough time spent with each girl anymore. I think this is a valid concern though I got the impression at the end of the book that no more girls were likely to be added. I am worried that the opposite might be true as well. For me at least it seems like part of the enjoyment is always wondering which monster girl might be added to the harem next? Virtually any non-bonded girl seems like she would be fair game. I am worried that we went from one girl for half the book or more to having several added in the last half or even the last third of the book. Now it seems the harem is full and we may have lost one of the major plot devices going forward. If I had to choose I would rather still see a girl or two added down the line, but make it far enough apart in the plot to try to prevent the over-population of the harem. Then we, the readers, will still be left anticipating if every new girl that is introduced might be added.
This next bit may just be me being picky so take it with a grain of salt. I also have this issue with several of the books I mentioned at the beginning so maybe it is just a common and accepted practice. I thought that the “love” between Nameless and his girls took hold a bit fast. I have no qualms with the girls falling unconditionally in love with him once bonded. I mean that is the point of the bond to begin with right and this is meant to have a smutty side which that facilitates. At least Nameless and Milly had a few days together before he started saying he loved her. I have been quite smitten with a girl or two in the past after just a few days with them, but I just can’t see throwing around a word like “love” carelessly. He seemed to be in love with Erika and Nina right from the start. Now maybe this is part of him being an Empath? He did pretty much see into the core of their beings. Or maybe the feelings he gets through the bond also become his own in return? I guess my suggestion would have been to either have some more time pass after each girl joins the harem before Nameless starts saying he loves them or to explain by what device his sudden (almost instant love) developed. The author of Wild Wastes often just mentions that some weeks or months have passed and gives a quick summary of the events that passed. That seems a reasonable enough device that doesn’t take a lot of text to intimate at a growing relationship. Again, personal opinion.
***END SPOILERS***
I don’t want to end on criticism so let me say that I will buy the next book without hesitation. If as the author says he starts to “crank 2 or 3 of these bitches out a year” I can see that I am going to be losing some sleep as I couldn’t put this one down. It was always just “30 minutes more” and then all of the sudden it is 2 AM. I wish him a long and prolific career (and a speedy release of the next book). Would it help if I threw in a can of tuna or three?
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The Heartstone Saga Book 1 Empath Rising edition by Archibald Bradford Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
A good read. There is less character development in favor of sex scenes, but this was not supposed to be a work on par with Leon Tosltoy in the first place.
That said, the individual characters were entertaining to read about. The supporting roles were well filled with an engaging cast, particularly the former Adventurer/farmer.
(Spoiler)
That brings up a point, however. The main character (called Nameless) wears an *unbreakable* necklace/choker with the heart of his girlfriend/partner on it. While this is an interesting manner in which to depict how fragile a girl's heard can be, the farmer apparently no longer has a minotauresque character/partner. What happens to the necklace of Nameless when what happened to the farmer happens to him?
Also, what happened to the heartstones of the other four characters in the story? There was a fairly big deal made from the condition/placement of the butterfly and the minotaur, but of all the characters, only Milly's heartstone is actually given a specific resting place. Something that important -- important enough to be the title of the entire series, likely should have a better explanation, not something deferred to the next book.
On the plus side, most of the book reads well; both entertaining and engaging for the guest to Mr. Bradford's world. The minor logic loopholes are negligible, compared to the whimsical tale. It even dips into the potential ramifications of this kind of world, without being overly grotesque; which I appreciate.
Looking forward to the next book. Alert added, if possible.
Let me be clear about how I rate books my scores are based upon a book's genre potential. So this book, earning 5 stars, IMO sits above the vast majority of its peers in quality. Those that are reading this are likely familiar with a long running series of similar "monster girl/harem" novels by author Alexander Gordon - the Chronicles of Eden. I discovered those book fairly early on, and being a fan of the anime genre of the same type, rather enjoyed the reads. If I had to briefly sum up the experience that is "Empath Rising", I would simply say that it is (very very) similar in tone and content to the Chronicles of Eden books, but better in every conceivable way.
In Empath Rising, characters have real depth - they aren't just caricatures that spout off the same idealistic dogma to any and every creature they meet. Interactions between characters in Bradford's book are believable, and though the MC is desired by many women, it's for somewhat understandable reasons, NOT because he's a Marty Stu. He has faults, but works to overcome them. He has a lot of emotional baggage, but is written realistically in that he can reflect on his own issues and rise above them with the help of the women that love him.
The pacing in the book is very solid, weaving "sexy times" in with plot advancement in very satisfactory proportion. This, at it's heart, is a story about a young man that has an ability to empathically connect with monster girls. There is a decently solid plot laid out in the early novel that does see some tending and advancement throughout the book, and we're left with teasers for something bigger to come in future installments. The sexual encounters are relatively frequent, but never felt like they were forced into the story.
I'm greatly looking forward to future installments in the Heartstone Saga series. If I had one concern I'd like to communicate to the author, it regards the rate at which the MC gains bonds. The personalities he's surrounded himself with to date are nicely varied - and all very lovable - but adding too many into the mix may detract from the ability to develop individual characters along the way. By the end of the book, I already felt like Milly was seeing less "screen time" as she's being rotated out (she's probably one of my favorites, if I'm honest, so I'm biased). Also, another pitfall I've seen harem fantasy stumble into is taking the focus away from the MC when lots of ladies are added to the mix. I get that, logistically, it probably gets difficult for all these women to get along (especially when so many of the interactions are of a sexual nature) very well if they don't build a strong bond with one another, but the MC's relationships should always be the primary focus. I felt like this is where E. William Brown's Daniel Black series lost me by the third novel. The women in that series were so concerned with each other's issues and feelings that the main character was basically a giant third wheel that sort of just tended house and bought or created things for them. Really hoping the author doesn't go down that path.
Interesting side note this book actually passes the Bechdel test. Who would have thought a male harem fantasy novel could claim that?
I very much enjoyed this book! In the past few weeks I have read the Good Intentions series, the Daniel Black series, and Wild Wastes; all of which have similar themes to Empath Rising and all of which I enjoyed. If you enjoyed any or all of those then I can almost guarantee you will like this book. For those mamono fans out there this book is also for you!
General Impressions
Let’s be honest; a lot of people would consider this a guilty pleasure. The author acknowledges that it is smut, but I only agree with that to a certain extent. If you took all the smut out I would still have enjoyed this book. The smut just enhanced the experience for me. Unlike some of the other books I mentioned, there is not much action in this one. This is closer to a slice of life harem fantasy with a few short, but well written action scenes. In place of the action though there is quite a bit of wit that on more than one occasion took me by surprise and had me laughing out loud.
Characters
I am probably not a great judge of whether characters have depth or not, but I can say that a big determination of my enjoyment of a story is if I can empathize (not being cheeky) with the characters. If I can put myself in their shoes and see where they are coming from then I really start to care about them. I cared about all of the characters in this book. While several of the monster girls do fall partly into common stereotypes/tropes they often do act in ways I wasn’t expecting and I do think the author made them his own. I loved the little touches like pack/herd animals engaging in social grooming, wolfen thumping a leg when happy, or minotaurs making various cow type sounds to convey emotion. I was also happy to see that even though there is some of the typical “harem head can do no wrong” theme his girls also don’t see him as perfect. They do at times get upset, disagree with him, or call him on things.
Plot
So yes, this is an erotic harem story and contains a lot of what you might expect such a story to contain. In a blurb at the end of the book the cat…er…author even says he likes his smut, but likes to have a decent plot as well! Well he succeeded (maybe too well) and I found myself starting to read through the smutty parts faster to get back to the plot. There are hints at an overarching plot, secrets to be learned, and much more to come (heh). This gives the book more depth and combined with the lovable characters I just couldn’t put it down. I am a slow reader, but I finished it in two nights.
Another reviewer mentioned that the love scenes were well integrated into the story and didn’t seem forced. I completely agree. I would also like to add that compared to other similarly themed books I have read that include “sexy time”, this author doesn’t pull any punches in the detail of the love scenes. I respect him for that. Other authors try to make the love scenes into some type of beautiful flowery poem of an experience. Not this author! It is real, it is often dirty/messy, and even though some of the acts aren’t always to my preference it is all still quite hot! That is not to say that it is vulgar and there is also some humor to be had in the love scenes which adds to the realism and enjoyment.
Thoughts/Suggestions
The author/cat said he would be reading all of these reviews and would appreciate thoughts. This next section is supposed to be just that, my thoughts. Let me reiterate that I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to more! Nothing that follows is meant to be taken as being overly critical, but instead my own musings.
I thought there were perhaps a few to many love scenes or perhaps they were a little too long. It felt at times like there was a lot of sex, a small bit of plot, and then a lot of sex again. I would liken it to the Daniel Black series if you replaced his crafting scenes with love scenes instead. I suppose this comes down to what you are primarily looking for from this book/series though. I personally want plot first and then some steamy sex scenes here and there to enhance the relationships. On the other hand I was a little disappointed with the Daniel Black series in this regard. There were some decent sex scenes in the first book, but it seemed to mostly peter (heh, can’t help myself) out. So I suppose my preference falls somewhere in between the two series. If it just ends up taking more books to finish the plot due to so much hanky panky going on then I won’t really mind in the end (provided the plot does get finished).
***MINOR SPOILERS*** Next two paragraphs.
Another reviewer mentioned he was worried about too many girls being added to the harem. That in such a case there wouldn’t be enough time spent with each girl anymore. I think this is a valid concern though I got the impression at the end of the book that no more girls were likely to be added. I am worried that the opposite might be true as well. For me at least it seems like part of the enjoyment is always wondering which monster girl might be added to the harem next? Virtually any non-bonded girl seems like she would be fair game. I am worried that we went from one girl for half the book or more to having several added in the last half or even the last third of the book. Now it seems the harem is full and we may have lost one of the major plot devices going forward. If I had to choose I would rather still see a girl or two added down the line, but make it far enough apart in the plot to try to prevent the over-population of the harem. Then we, the readers, will still be left anticipating if every new girl that is introduced might be added.
This next bit may just be me being picky so take it with a grain of salt. I also have this issue with several of the books I mentioned at the beginning so maybe it is just a common and accepted practice. I thought that the “love” between Nameless and his girls took hold a bit fast. I have no qualms with the girls falling unconditionally in love with him once bonded. I mean that is the point of the bond to begin with right and this is meant to have a smutty side which that facilitates. At least Nameless and Milly had a few days together before he started saying he loved her. I have been quite smitten with a girl or two in the past after just a few days with them, but I just can’t see throwing around a word like “love” carelessly. He seemed to be in love with Erika and Nina right from the start. Now maybe this is part of him being an Empath? He did pretty much see into the core of their beings. Or maybe the feelings he gets through the bond also become his own in return? I guess my suggestion would have been to either have some more time pass after each girl joins the harem before Nameless starts saying he loves them or to explain by what device his sudden (almost instant love) developed. The author of Wild Wastes often just mentions that some weeks or months have passed and gives a quick summary of the events that passed. That seems a reasonable enough device that doesn’t take a lot of text to intimate at a growing relationship. Again, personal opinion.
***END SPOILERS***
I don’t want to end on criticism so let me say that I will buy the next book without hesitation. If as the author says he starts to “crank 2 or 3 of these bitches out a year” I can see that I am going to be losing some sleep as I couldn’t put this one down. It was always just “30 minutes more” and then all of the sudden it is 2 AM. I wish him a long and prolific career (and a speedy release of the next book). Would it help if I threw in a can of tuna or three?
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