Indie-Credible Author Devri Walls; Review, Excerpt #IndieCredible2013

Devri Walls; Author of Solus series. 

Devri Walls lives in Kuna Idaho with her husband and two kids. She has worked as a music teacher and currently, a preschool teacher. She majored in theater and her love of a story still drives her today. Thankfully, she has finally found an outlet for all the voices in her head. Her first novel, Wings of Arian, is available on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and Apple. The second book in the Solus trilogy, Wings of Tavea is scheduled for release Nov 2012.

Reach out to Devri:

Author Website /  Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Why we HEART Devri Walls! 

Melanie's thoughts: So, you want to know why I love Devri Walls the author? Well, if you read her Solus series – you will know…..
The Solus series is one of the best YA fantasy series I have ever read, all you have to do is look up my reviews of those books to see how much I love them. She is one of those authors that can pull you into the worlds they create and hold you captivated from beginning to end. Her writing, the world building, the descriptions of realms, creatures, magic…. Not only pulled me in but actually make me visualise what’s happening, I remember an in air battle scene from Wings of Arian (book 1) and they were using Dragons & Pegasus as mounts and all I could think was, ‘Wow, this is amazing! It would look visually stunning as an illustration or even better, as part of a movie’, and believe me, that is rare for an author to make me think that. Not only that though, the characters are great, the storylines are epic & she blends together all of the elements I love in fantasy , which includes good versus evil, prophecy and soul mates and has brought her readers this awesome adventure which always leaves me wanting more. I’d recommend her books to anyone & I’m also curious to see what she’ll come up with next, when the Solus series is done…. I’m hoping for an adult book ;)

Posted by Melanie 
Release Date: June 24th, 2013
Finished Date: August 30th, 2013

Publishers: Self - Published
Source: For Review

Format: Kindle 
Pages: 249

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

Kiora needs answers. Who is the Shadow? Who is Jasmine? Are they connected? And even more pressing—how can she stop the Shadow from using her dreams as a map to find them? They have escaped three times, but are living on borrowed time—and everybody knows it. 

Kiora’s search will push her closer to Alcander, send her to the dragon mountain of Toopai, and lead straight back to Meros—where magic will finally return to the land of no magic. Answers will be uncovered and plans unearthed that have been waiting for thousands of years. 

But with the Shadow’s forces gathering, the rebels are hurtling toward one outcome: war. Armed with knowledge and hope, Kiora is determined to change that path, but will fate allow it? Or will it teach her a hard lesson about following her own destiny?

The Review: Wings of Nestor is both breathtaking & heartbreaking as we join Kiora, Emane & Alcander for the penultimate book of the Solus series.

As the synopsis tells us ‘Kiora needs answers’ and now, more so than ever with her every move being discovered by ‘the Shadow’ who constantly finds Kiora through her dreams and knows just where & when to strike, so when Kiora discovers how she is being tracked, she is forced to take drastic action to keep them safe which will have far reaching consequences for more than one of our characters. Kiora’s perils do not end there as she is forced to put herself in more danger in the effort to gain information about the shadow & it’s connection to Jasmine and none more dangerous than a trip to Toopai to see the dragon queen, the oldest known creature in the world who may be able to help Kiora put the pieces together…. That’s if she survives the journey out there for as we all know, Dragons are not the most tolerable creatures and have been known to burn first, no need to ask questions later. On her travels she will make many discoveries, see first-hand just what the enemy is up to and come to understand just how far reaching the prophecy had been & that the seeds of her arrival were planted long before anyone knew…. But will it be enough to save them all and avert the coming war?

I adored this instalment of the ‘Solus’ series, it was always a given that I was going to love this book, just the same as I have loved the 2 that came before it because I am invested in this world, it’s characters and their fates and Devri Walls creates a beautiful fantasy world that will suck you in and take you on the most awesome, epic adventure. This book could definitely be classed as the reconnaissance book of the series so be prepared to gain a huge insight into what’s going on. Kiora’s character has again progressed into a more mature person, making decisions & taking risks more freely, you can definitely see the leader in her emerging and totally feel her character preparing for what’s to come in every move & every decision she makes and I’ll be looking forward to seeing her reach her full potential in the final book. In the last book I was torn between Kiora’s love interests, I still am… I do like what happened here but I’m saddened just the same (you’ll understand when you read it) both Emane & Alcander are great in their own way so I was really feeling Kiora’s dilemma and I have to say that it made me connect to the characters on another level too, I already stated that I’m not a fan of love triangles but something about how this is put across just adds to Kiora’s trials & growth as a young woman.

The storyline is as always, full of information, action, battles, adventure & excitement! it’s putting pieces into place, it’s drawing the line between friend & foe, it’s realising people’s intentions & potential, it’s understanding just what’s at stake, understanding the lengths & depths some will go to in the name of power and not just putting your life on the line… but your heart too. I thought this book was both breathtaking & heartbreaking, definitely the saddest of the series, especially towards the end and when some realisations are made. Breathtaking because there is always something new to be seen and discovered, awe inspiring scenery from buried underground temples & magically hidden houses to volcanic caves, covered in crystals & housing dragons, from those beautiful, colourful dragons, winged horses, shape shifting beings to tiny magical bugs holding huge secrets… truly amazing! & Heartbreaking….. well, I’ll let you discover why but you will be left in no doubt as to what is at stake and why Kiora fights against all that is evil. I personally cannot wait for the last book – Wings of Lomay – and what promises to be the EPIC final instalment of the Solus series. 

Excerpt of Wings of Nestor.

EMANE PACED BACK AND forth in the camp. “Why would she need him and not me?”


Drustan grunted, his head on the ground, eyes closed, tail snaking very close to the fire.

“Emane, go to sleep. I beg of you.”


“Would you like to tell me what is going on?” Emane demanded.

One yellow eye flicked open. “What are you talking about?”

“Ever since you rescued me, Kiora has been acting strangely.” Emane’s fingers itched to grab a sword, or a dagger, or something.

Drustan rolled his head in Emane’s direction. “To be fair,” he said dryly, “since we rescued you, we have been chased, and almost killed, by the most deadly thing in the land. Twice. There has not been much time for chitchat.”

“I know that!” Emane snapped. “But she has barely looked at me, talked to me, or touched me. Something’s different.”

Alcander stumbled into the barrier, clutching Kiora in his arms. His head was down, his white hair obscuring his face.

Emane ran to him. “What did you do to her?”
Alcander just grunted, taking a few more steps before falling to his knees. “Alcander! Here, give her to me.” Emane knelt down to take Kiora out of his arms.


“No!” Alcander growled, pulling Kiora tighter.


Emane jerked back his hand before being seized with anger. “What is wrong with her?”


Kiora’s head lolled back. Her eyes were closed, her face relaxed and peaceful. Alcander’s face was deathly white, beads of sweat dotted his nose, and his pupils were constricted.

“I said no.” His voice was tight and thin. “She is dumping a lot of magic—she will hurt you.”

Drustan lumbered to his feet. “It looks like she is hurting you. Set her down.”

Alcander forced himself back up. He stumbled over to Kiora’s sleeping pad. Nearly falling again, he deposited her as gently as he could before pulling a blanket over her.

“It’s all right,” Alcander breathed. “We fixed it. The Shadow can’t find us.” He wobbled before collapsing next to her.