--- product_id: 16105221 title: "The Black Star of Kingston (Tales of Old Natalia: Book 1)" price: "VT8962" currency: VUV in_stock: false reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/16105221-the-black-star-of-kingston-tales-of-old-natalia-book store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # The Black Star of Kingston (Tales of Old Natalia: Book 1) **Price:** VT8962 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Black Star of Kingston (Tales of Old Natalia: Book 1) - **How much does it cost?** VT8962 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/16105221-the-black-star-of-kingston-tales-of-old-natalia-book) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The Black Star of Kingston (Tales of Old Natalia: Book 1) [S. D. Smith, Zach Franzen, Zach Franzen] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Black Star of Kingston (Tales of Old Natalia: Book 1) Review: ~~ Fantastic, well-written CLEAN, suspenseful fantasy for youngsters! ~~ - 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 Company The 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 Review: Perfect Prequel - So after I read The Green Ember and loved it to pieces, I began to try to stretch my desertcart 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. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,913,973 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,549 in Children's Rabbit Books (Books) #4,147 in Children's Action & Adventure Books (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 2,823 Reviews | ## Images ![The Black Star of Kingston (Tales of Old Natalia: Book 1) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81IUlk0obJL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ~~ Fantastic, well-written CLEAN, suspenseful fantasy for youngsters! ~~ *by R***Z on October 7, 2016* 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 Company The 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 ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Perfect Prequel *by B***Y on January 8, 2016* 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. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Loved it! *by J***. on January 15, 2023* "My place beside you, my blood for yours. Til the Green Ember rises or the end of the world!" After reading The Green Ember, I added every other book written in the same world to my TBR list. This was the first one I have read since The Green Ember, and it is just as good. Set a century before the events of The Greem Ember, we are introduced to new characters who belong to a community that has been displaced, and are struggling to find their place to thrive. With resources running low, King Winston authorizes Fleck to head up a crew and sail across the lake to find coal to mine and perhaps protect them from whatever might be in the mountains. Though a shorter story, Smith did a wonderful job with the writing. I was immediately drawn into the story and cheering for every rabbit. From a somewhat benign storyline - go and find a mine - Smith has built a legend, and this is definitely a story that I will return to. While part of me wishes the story had been longer, if only to stay with the characters and the world for longer, at no point did the story feel rushed - well, okay, maybe during the action sequences, but they're supposed to be rushed - or as if parts were being skipped. I definitely look forward to reading or listening to more of Smith's books in The Green Ember world, whether it's in that series or this one. As with The Green Ember, I listened to the audiobook. This one was narrated by Eric Fritzius, who did a wonderful job. His soft voice had the tenor of both a father reading a story to his kids at bedtime and a bard who has gathered the young townsfolk around to recite the tale of the town hero, and I definitely enjoyed it. When I return to this book, I will definitely listen to it, and I hope I have the opportunity to listen to the other Tales of Old Natalia as I continue to explore the world created by Smith. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/16105221-the-black-star-of-kingston-tales-of-old-natalia-book](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/16105221-the-black-star-of-kingston-tales-of-old-natalia-book) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-11*