Tides of the Sovereign
Book One of the Lost Wells Trilogy
- 2022 INDIES Finalist
- Finalist, Fantasy (Adult Fiction)
In the exciting fantasy novel Tides of the Sovereign, a prophesied woman with ancestral magic contends with an ancient Roman sorcerer.
In Kate Gateley’s fantasy novel Tides of the Sovereign, a woman reckons with an ancient prophecy, her magical awakening, and destined love.
Julia is finishing her delayed senior year of college after her grandmother’s death. She’s a woman with a magical heritage, but her powers are dormant. Then she feels a sudden attraction to her new linguistics professor, Domhnall, who reveals himself to be her lover from centuries ago. And even as Julia struggles to accept that she has been cursed to reincarnate along with Domhnall, they are forced to flee from an ancient evil that’s stalking them.
With action spanning Vancouver, Ireland, and England, the story follows Julia, Domhnall, and their Druid allies as they try to revive Julia’s past life memories. Julia’s reincarnation seems incomplete this time, given that her memories and magic are both limited. The team is on borrowed time as well: a series of murders indicates that their enemy is drawing closer. Cassius, a sorcerer who has prolonged his life with dark magic, plans to entrap Julia and enact a prophecy in his favor.
Julia and Domhnall’s backgrounds in linguistics lead to frequent word play in their snappy conversations. Much is made of Domhnall’s Irish brogue and raw masculinity: he and Julia share many intimate moments. The emotions of their reconnection are fraught, though, with misplaced memories, mistrust, and doubt complicating their reunion. Julia also has trouble accepting and processing her identity as the crucial part of a prophecy.
Point-of-view shifts away from Julia’s perspective are used to track Domhnall’s activities and Cassius’s nefarious plans. The related sections are grim, though entire months pass without much action while Julia tries and fails to get a handle on her powers. Meanwhile, Cassius remains one step ahead of Julia and her allies, and Julia plays into his hands more than once. Her helplessness against her more knowledgeable enemy is wearying.
The book’s final battle, with its significant sacrifices accruing on both sides, is involving. It includes the high-stakes threat of Cassius prevailing and remaining free inflict harm on others in his pursuit of endless power.
The first book in a trilogy, the fantasy novel Tides of the Sovereign follows a prophesied woman as she struggles to access her ancestral magic (and her past-life memories) to assist in an epic battle against an ancient Roman sorcerer.
Reviewed by
Jeana Jorgensen
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
