Review: Really Excellent
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 11, 2013
I didn't write a review for book one because the moment I finished it, I downloaded and started book two. Honestly, I didn't feel there was any sort of conclusion to book one...had it not been either free or $.99, I would not have been happy with the way what is essentially a single book being divided into two.That said, I enjoyed the books greatly. It was not at all what I was expecting...I tend to make purchases off the Bookbub list without reading details too closely, especially when they are free/$.99. I was expecting fantasy, magic, etc, and instead got what felt like historical fiction. Which is a good thing, as I probably wouldn't have picked this up had it been labeled as such.The only fantasy aspect in these books was the Druidic characters, and even that was low key enough that it's borderline...as in, would a biblical story be fantasy because miracles happen?I felt the characters were well developed and interesting...once I realized that the prologue was really a glimpse at a "recruiting drive" for the Children's Crusades, I started paying closer attention, and was more willing to plow through a very name/title/geography heavy beginning. I was reminded of when I first read A Song of Ice and Fire...none of the names, places or political divisions made any sense in the beginning, but soon they became second nature as the story developed. But I really would have liked a few good maps included in the Kindle edition to help give me an easier perspective.At the end of the book, there were what appeared to be historical epilogue type stuff...like so-and-so went on to reign for x years, etc. It made me curious how much (if any) of the events in the book had a trace of reality in them. I mean, Braveheart wasn't exactly true history, but it was cool to know that the characters were more or less real, and the events did have some historical basis. I would have appreciated some comments by the author in the epilogue that showed how (or if) his story fits with historical events.But anyway, I really liked this book and will be seeing what else the author has to offer...