Review: A Fantastic Dark Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 13, 2014
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author for an honest review.This is a fantastic fantasy! I loved it!I normally do a character breakdown in the reviews I write, but there are quite a few characters in this book to do one for all of them, so I will focus on the two main characters.Devin is a young boy when we first meet him. He is only 10 years old, but he has a good head on his shoulders. He is bright and inquisitive. I liked him very much.Klöss is 14 years old when we first meet him, and he is training to be an Oarsman (a kind of soldier). He is a determined young man. I liked this character very much.I love fantasy novels, so when I was offered the chance to read this book, I grabbed it! I wasn't sure what to expect when I started to read this book, as I had only previously read a children's book written by this author. However, I was pleasantly surprised and delighted with the story. This book is mainly told from Devin's and Klöss's points of view, but as I said previously, there are also a lot of characters that have their say too. The story felt like two separate stories at first, and I was a bit unsure as to how it would all mesh together.  However, as I got further into the story, the threads began to knit together and converge into one. I actually found myself completely hooked by the story and, as I was reading about one character, I was wondering what the other ones were up to. The book covers several years, so we get to see the characters grow up into wonderful men; Devin helping out on the farm and Klöss is an Oarsman and warrior. The story has a Viking vibe going on; there are sword fights, battles and raids. The fight scenes were quite gruesome in places, and the action was intense and exciting. I could picture them very easily, and I felt like I was actually there in the midst of them. Meanwhile, there is trouble brewing and the Fae, who have been kept at bay by a magical ward called the Wyrde, are starting to break through. These Fae are not exactly the nice and fluffy kind! They are vicious killers, who love to hunt humans.The story ends on one heck of a cliffhanger and, although I normally get frustrated by these kinds of endings, I am looking forward to find out what happens next!Graham Austin-King has written an exciting fantasy novel that kept me turning the pages! I really enjoyed the story, but felt some of the scenes ended a bit too abruptly for my liking. However, the story flowed wonderfully and was fast paced when it needed to be.  The characters came alive on the page, and I could imagine the scenes in my mind like a movie.Warning: This is NOT a children's fairy tale! I do not recommend this book to young children or those of a nervous disposition, as there are scenes of violence and abuse that could be very disturbing to some readers. However, I highly recommend this book to older teens and adults alike if you love dark fantasy novels. - Lynn Worton