Book Reviews by Ehlen Administration

Deathsworn Arc: The Last Dragon Slayer by Martyn Stanley My rating: 4 of 5 stars Saul has recruited (somewhat by accident) a formidable little band. Charged by Empress Jade to track and eliminate a Noble Dragon, he finds himself with two elves, a dwarf, and 3 men - one of whom was the only survivor of the last dragon slain. Can they make the dangerous journey to the dragon, much less kill such a magnificent beast? I really enjoyed this story, both because I love fantasy and because this fantasy is somewhat different. For one thing, it throws you into the journey without loads of back story; you are just suddenly with Saul seeking out the man who was the last dragon slayer. In some ways it reminds me of an RPG, where you start on the quest and get bits of pertinent information as you go along. Unlike an RPG, the side quests are to a minimum; rather the character development deepens on the journey. In any case, it is a solid start to the series, as I am both intrigued by the plot ...

Halith by Kirsten Kelly My rating: 3 of 5 stars Halith has always had a love/hate relationship with her destiny. On the one hand, she has always known she was meant to be a warrior, despite the obvious gender stereotype issue. On the other hand, people in her life keep pointing her toward her true destiny, and she doesn’t like following directions. In keeping with her defiance of the norm, she gathers her friends and makes plans to thwart the war of the inevitable. At the heart of it though, is her desire to meet her famous father and find out if he is the missing piece she always assumed he was. Fans of RPGs will see a lot of familiar elements, the fantasy world, the races, the series of increasingly more difficult quests, random objects picked up that play a part in the story later, a team of differently abled people that form a cohesive unit because each has a skill necessary for the group. This one is chock full of girl power, although honestly that isn’t as rare in the fant...

The Quest of Narrigh by S.K. Holder My rating: 4 of 5 stars Connor wakes up in an frighteningly familiar place, a world he thought only existed in the computer game he was playing, Quest of Narrigh. How did he get there, and can he figure out how to get home to London before game over? Every boy who plays video games has dreamed of really being the hero of the game, but that reality is far more frightening than assumed. The Quest of Narrigh is the first book in The Other Worlds series, and does a good job of setting the stage while leaving the reader wanting more. Author S.K. Holder artfully sets up characters and plot points, and I really appreciated the map of the world in the game, as well as the explanation of races and factions. I am one of those gamers who loves to take the time to actually read the back story rather than just scroll through it, and I think anyone reading this book will appreciate how critical that step is. If you are a fan of fantasy and/or role playing g...