The Black Star of Kingston

Whitson Mariner is the king of the displaced rabbits of the Golden Coast. They are now living near Ayman Lake in the lands called Natalia and time has moved on. Whitson, married to Lillie, has a son called Prince Lander.Lord Grimble is causing trouble, wanting to clear-cut one of the glades for winter fuel against Whitson's orders. Why the discord? Jealousy! Lord Grimble wanted to be king. It is time to share a secret with Lander and give him a gift. Fleck, son of a coal miner, is now out of a job and feeling uneasy not only wondering what is in the mountains across the lake but also realizing that the rabbits need coal for heat. Fleck's father, Blackstar, had given his life to allow the younger rabbits to escape after the invasion. Now with his father's coat, Fleck, after an audience with the king, is given permission to search for coal and secure the top of the mountain from possible attack. He is now known as Captain Blackstar and is the founder of the Blackstar Star CompanyThe vow to king and each other: "My place beside you! My blood for yours!"What happens when one of the crew accidentally shoots an arrow towards an approaching "stranger" (Whitson) and Fleck protects him by taking the arrow himself? The rabbits feelings are very intense with genuine concern for their lost comrade at one point. Fleck is depicted as a very caring captain. Nice to read."Terrors and flames, ruin and rage, hatred from on high!" "Coming, coming, coming........." Massive monsters? Hideous shrieking?Sweet illustrations are sprinkled throughout this very well-written book. On the Kindle there is a linked index so easy to get to whichever of the 19 chapters you want. Excellent examples of true loyalty in the face of great adversity. A good amount of suspense also. This story, at 160 pages, is a good length for youngsters and the story-line keeps your attention at all times. IMPORTANT to note that this is a stand alone book. It is not part of a series so you do not have to read the next book to read what happened! The epilogue does mention a different book about King Whitson but as far as I can discover this book has not yet been written at time of this review. (Oct 2016) I purchased this book at the full prevailing price. I was not required to write a review but chose to do so. HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book. Great for older independent readers or as a read aloud for the entire family. Thanks, Liz

So after I read The Green Ember and loved it to pieces, I began to try to stretch my Amazon money to buy a paperback copy of its prequel. The author, S.D. Smith, had done such an amazing job with his other story that I wanted more, more, more. ; ) And why not buy paperback while I was at it? While I was still in the stretching process, The Blackstar of Kingston became free on Kindle. Oh the temptation to pick it up! Then I found out Mom had picked it up. Oh the temptation to read it! Don’t ever look at the cover, table of contents, prologue, and first chapter of a book if you intend to wait on reading it. Confession: I read it in a day and a half.The Setting:Again set in the fantasy world of Natalia, this book has a lot of the same feel as its sequel but a whole new dimension of its own. Instead of a broken kingdom with a lost king, this time it is the beginning of a kingdom being carved out in a new land. And again, it’s so awesome that the characters are rabbits because it makes action and danger so different. This time it’s not just rabbits with swords—some of them have bows too which is good because they are being attacked from above! (And the rabbits look really cute with them in the pictures, but that’s beside the point.)The Story:This book was a lot shorter than The Green Ember which naturally made it more fast-paced. While it lacked the fabulous mystery of its sequel, it made up for that in brilliant action and inspiring moments. (I underlined so much in some places because I seriously couldn’t read a page without finding some gem!) ; ) The main lessons of the book were probably loyalty and hoping for the future. I loved reading about Heather and Picket’s heroes of old, finding out the significance of the green ember, and having something more to read about Natalia. ; )The Characters:I loved Fleck Blackstar. He was loyal, passionate, cautious, and heroic. Definitely one of the best rabbits ever. (He invented that really cool pledge!) Humble King Whitson Mariner, Massie, Burnley, and Gavin were also huge favorites of mine. And little Prince Lander is pretty cute. ; )The Concerns:Parents should have caution in considering this book for younger readers because of some intense un-graphic action. (Seriously, birds of prey with blades strapped to their feet and torches to set your ships on fire is really scary when you are a rabbit!) Other concerns include a young child/rabbit in danger, a destroyed town, and a rabbit who is so scared he is going crazy.So, that’s the prequel I was longing to read. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to decide which book is better because this one is an action-packed story of their inspiring history and the sequel is a complicated, surprising mystery full of hope for the future. To make this decision even worse, the author is coming out with another book this spring. (I seriously cannot wait to see what happens to my most favorite rabbits ever!) Sigh.

Highly recommendGreat read for inspiring courage in all ages!SD Smith is gifted!!Read this book in one day to my children!

I've read all of the books set in the mythical world of Natalia and I can safely say they're all great. I understand these stories have proven very popular with families from all parts of the world and it's easy to see why. There's everything a child could ask for including daring heroes and action packed scenes. Beneath that there is a great story teller sharing a great story about good over coming evil. We have the good guys taking on the bad. The plots are never too complicated that the kids will get left behind but on the other hand they never feel what you'd call 'too young' either. It's a difficult line walked with ease it seems by the author.As a father of three I can't recommend these stories highly enough for a bit of family reading. This story is set in the past from the Green Ember series and gives us a bit more history of our favourite rabbit heroes. I won't spoil the story but it felt like a much longer tale that it actually is as so much happens. Great stuff for kids and grown ups alike.

Our whole family have thoroughly enjoyed this series. The Black Star of Kingston is a fantastic beginning to the world of Old Natalia and gives great background to the wonderful Green Ember series.My children are now 11 and 13 and still enjoy this series- as audio, paper and kindle books! S D Smith is not afraid to tackle real issues in a way that does not shy away from the harsh world facing kids. Yet, permeating all his books is the hope for the mended wood, this hope gives the characters strength and courage to face adversity. Highly recommend this whole series.

I’m a slow reader, and this is just one in a series.

Here's a series we stumbled across. Glad to make their acquaintance. Choked full of adventure.