Review: Great epic adventure!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 14, 2013
The Cloudstone Key by Darren T. Patrick is an amazing epic fantasy, and a really good debut novel. It tells the story of Karsen Morgate, a young man who is entrusted with the mission to take this carving called the Ennae of which he knows little about, to a person he has never met, and is soon to discover that he is getting into deeper trouble than he expected. So we get to accompany him in his first adventure ever, and discover this astonishing world which raises more questions that just suck you into the story. This is the first book in a series, so of course we don't get this questions answered, but I definitely am waiting to learn more about this story.I really appreciate a book that can transport and submerge you into a whole new and different world; but that is also very tricky because there's always the risk that this world doesn't fit together in a consistent and logical manner. However, this is not the case, because Darren did in fact take care of every single detail in order to make the world of Tholann plausible and believable. I really enjoyed the detail in Darren's description of this magical place. You could almost see it and I could feel I was there alongside with the characters. Tholann appeared to be like this ancient world, full of history and tradition; they had their own expressions, currency and culture, and it was filled with different races and species. Although, at first, it was a little bit hard to absorb all the new information in order to understand this new world. I especially liked the fact that Tholann's people depended or functioned around nine agates which where themed, meaning that each of them had their own purpose. Of course, since the book is the first of a series, we only get to learn about four of them, but I'm looking forward to uncovering the mystery behind the others.The plot is well structured and well paced, although I have to admit that for me it started a little bit slow, but past chapter one the story gets more interesting and engaging as it develops. It has a good amount of mystery and suspense, mixed with a touch of epic adventure.What I liked the most about the characters is that they were so different from each other. First we have Karsen, a young man with a secret passion for adventure, adventures which he hadn't got the chance to have, until his father dies, his half-brother kills a young woman, and he is forced to leave the only home he has ever known to complete a mission he has been entrusted with, and of which he knows little about. He is very cautious, curious, respectful, and has a thirst for knowledge. Then, we have the Jhikquae, which I loved. They are a race of giant women who are in charge of maintaining the equilibrium in Silanokitt forest. They had this elfish vibe, but I thought they were a really original species. Finally, we have Bestah, a Sky-Touched boy, who I thought was really annoying at first; was it really that hard to give straightforward answers? But in the end he turned out to be ok, a really sweet boy.To sum it up. I totally recommend this book to anyone who loves to get a peek into new worlds and have a taste for adventures. Good job Darren!*Note: I recieved a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review, but my opinion was not biased in any way by this fact.