Wonder swirls beneath murky water.
Welcome to one of the December 3rd stops on the blog tour for The Living Waters by Dan Fitzgerald with Storytellers on Tour. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, other exclusive content, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.
About the Book
The Living Waters
Weirdwater Confluence Book One
by Dan Fitzgerald
Publishing 15 October 2021
Shadow Spark Publishing
Book Cover Illustration: Karkki AKA Kittensartbooks | Twitter | Instagram
Book Cover Design: Jessica Moon of Shadow Spark Pub | Twitter
Genre: Sword-free Fantasy
Page Count: 300
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
When two painted-faced nobles take a guided raft trip on a muddy river, they expect to rough it for a few weeks before returning to their life of sheltered ease. But when mysterious swirls start appearing in the water, even their seasoned guides get rattled.
The mystery of the swirls lures them on to seek the mythical wetlands known as the Living Waters. They discover a world beyond their imagining, but stranger still are the worlds they find inside their own minds as they are drawn deep into the troubles of this hidden place.
The Living Waters is a sword-free fantasy novel featuring an ethereal love story, meditation magic, and an ancient book with cryptic marginalia.
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK
My Review
My Rating: 5 Stars
Consider liking my review on Goodreads
I was granted complimentary access to The Living Waters as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with Storytellers on Tour. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
I’ve been hosting spotlights, cover reveals, and even a guest post or two (if I’m not mistaken) for Dan for about as long as I’ve been in the book blog tour game (you write fast, man!) and I’ve wanted to support in the ultimate way with a review for quite a while but I never had the time to catch up on his other series. Well, The Living Waters is the start of a new series. This was my chance! I’m so glad I took it.
Dan Fitzgerald is one of those authors who writes characters who truly feel like the real people you know in your life. The interactions, the emotions, the relationships, they’re all so spot on! Another thing he does really well is writing about the natural world, describing outdoor environments, and conveying the connections his characters feel with the great outdoors. (If you follow him on social media, that shouldn’t be surprising! If nothing else, follow him for the great nature & wildlife photography.)
A small group of unlikely allies, both nobleborn and not, find themselves on a journey to find The Living Waters. What they find is far more interesting than just some swirling water. They find new people and cultures, they learn about the world’s magic, and they find new worlds within themselves. This book is full of whimsy and wonder, but in a serious way that teaches lessons and asks important questions between the lines.
Something that really stuck out to me that I haven’t really seen mentioned in the reviews that came before mine is neurodivergence. This world doesn’t appear to label or understand neurodivergence in the same way we do, so I can’t say for sure what any particular character would be diagnosed as, but I do think many neurdivergent readers are going to see positive representation in this book. Some of these characters read that way to me and I was pleased to see that other characters treated them well, accepted differences as a matter of fact, and never made it an issue. It’s just positive, subtle inclusion in a world that doesn’t seem to think twice about such differences.
You’ll hear a lot of people describing The Living Waters as “sword-free fantasy,” and it is, but don’t think that means boring. This book is rich, intricate, fresh, and imaginative. I can’t wait to read further instalments in this series (and one of these days get around to reading his other books!)
About the Author
Dan Fitzgerald is the fantasy author of the Maer Cycle trilogy (character-driven low-magic fantasy) and the upcoming Weirdwater Confluence duology (sword-free fantasy with unusual love stories). The Living Waters comes out October 15, 2021 and The Isle of a Thousand Worlds arrives January 15, 2022, bothfrom Shadow Spark Publishing.
He lives in Washington, DC with his wife, twin boys, and two cats. When not writing he might be found doing yoga, gardening, cooking, or listening to French music.
Giveaway Alert!
Prize: A signed hardcover copy of The Living Waters by Dan Fitzgerald + Swag – US Only
Starts: November 28th, 2021 at 12:00am EST
Ends: December 5th, 2021 at 11:59pm EST
| Nov 28 | Whispers & Wonder | Nov 29 | Paul’s Picks |
| Nov 29 | Neil the Book Guy | Nov 30 | @apocketfuloftomes |
| Dec 1 | Jorie Loves A Story | Dec 1 | @ofproseandspells |
| Dec 1 | @curlytopreads | Dec 2 | Book and Nature Professor |
| Dec 2 | Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub | Dec 3 | In My Opinion: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, and the Weird |
| Dec 3 | Westveil Publishing | Dec 3 | C.K. Sorens |
| Dec 4 | Queen’s Book Asylum |
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Great review!