Review: 4.5 stars for Evil Children of Naor
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 24, 2013
I was kindly asked by the author to read "Evil Children of Naor" and provide an honest review.  There are many good reviews the author has already received that accurately (and in great detail) describe what each of the three stories is about. Without repeating these themes, I'll focus on the author's strong points (which are many) and a few minor distractions.  I thought the author wrote three very well written and entertaining books (short stories) that were very engaging. The author's writing style is very descriptive, especially when characterizing  landscapes, customs/traditions, people, etc. You can tell that she put a lot of thought (and most likely research) into creating these civilizations. I could definitely envision in my mind where I was in each of the stories and really enjoyed that aspect of it. At the same time, I think a little more detail about some of the main characters (even some of the demons) would have been helpful to include. My impression of each book is included below:In Book One (Darkness of Soul) the author kept my interest peaked trying to figure out who exactly is Namaris. I did feel that the short story format took a little bit away from fully developing her and the supporting characters.  I agree with many of the reviewers that probably all of her short stories could have been written as full novels if she had chosen to done so. Book One for me is an example of that because of the quality of characters and story lines introduced.  For example, unless I am completely blind, I don't remember seeing any physical description of the main character (Namaris). I thought that was a bit distracting in light of the effort the author took in describing everything else. Even though I am male, and the main protagonist is female, when I read a book, I try to identify with the characters. Being able to envision what they look like to me (i.e. hair color, eye color, height, etc.), is important. Also, Eldreden plays a main role in the story and I instinctively wanted to know much more about him including his training and experiences as a Kemeid. Also I was interested in the instruments of magic mentioned, including the silver locket and the blades of Yenew. It would have been great to have more information about the race that made them and how humans acquired them. Regardless, despite the brevity of the story, the author excelled at keeping my interest, especially the fight scene with the Sirvion.In Book Two (The Blade of Hate), the story revolves around a knight named Tarion who is trying to figure out who killed a young girl in the woods and later is tasked with delivering a message from his Master to Ranidor Castle. I enjoyed reading the inner thoughts of Tarion trying to figure out who killed the girl as well as the interactions between Tarion and some of the supporting characters including Nandria, the Rat, and the Striga. I thought the author glanced over details about the Kemedi Order (as in the first book) and the tears of the goddess Mirge which contained great divine power. This was another story that I did not see any physical description of the protagonist.  This may be intentional, but again, I found it a bit distracting not being able to envision what Tarion looked liked. Despite this, I thought the story was well thought out and did not turn out as one might expect. The author did a good job in this story in making the reader feel uncomfortable at times with the subject matter. For instance, when we learn about Manrus's feelings for a young woman, I found it quite disturbing and visceral. This is what I like about dark fantasy.In Book Three (The Silence of Kurgans), the story revolves around Jansemi who lives on the endless steppes of Elmor and her encounters with some disturbing things during her journey.  The author again, leaves it totally to the reader to figure out what the protagonist looks like, which seems so contrary to everything else she describes in detail. As with all her stories, the author did a really good job describing the customs and way of life of the people (in this case, the Elmorians). I enjoyed reading about life at the winter camp (especially the importance of horses to the people) and the main hunt the camp undertook. There was a great cast of supporting characters (including Sahiat, Kalaha, and Tensarev), all of which I wanted to know more about. Of all the stories, this was my favorite because it was so dynamic, especially with all that took place in Sarmediria, including the battle that ensued with the demon and other powers. It was a classic good versus evil fight.Lastly, in my honest opinion, the cover design does not really serve the author's best interest from a marketing perspective. For me, because the woman on the cover is so voluptuous and scantily clad, yet ready for battle, I found it a little hard to take seriously.  I wasn't offended by it in anyway; it just didn't evoke any realism to me. The artwork itself is very good. Nothing wrong with the artist. But the cover art to me caters strictly to a younger male audience, whereas the quality of the stories as a whole caters to everyone including young and old, and male and female (because the writing is very good). When I am shopping for a book to read on Amazon, I can't help but look at the cover art. I think that some older readers and maybe some women, might initially pass on what is otherwise a great collection of short stories, simply because of the cover. I probably would have passed reading it, if the author hadn't contacted me. Also, there are editorial issues that pop up sporadically throughout all three books, but I didn't find that it took away overall from enjoying the stories.Overall, I really enjoyed reading each of these stories and was impressed with the level of detail the author put into them. All three stories were very entertaining, well written, and too short in my opinion. But reading these made me want to read her first book, Dark Children of Naor, which is also a collection of three short stories. I would definitely recommend.JeffIndieproofreader@gmail.com