Review: Thoroughly good read. Recommended
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 25, 2013
Book Review: Inborn (The Sagas of Di'Ghon - Book 1) by J. LawrenceReviewed by J Bryden LloydWriting Style - 4.0/5.0 (Very Good)I have made an assumption that this book is aimed at the YA and Adult reader audiences. Certainly the writing structure lends itself to both very nicely, with a decent flow and a good blend of the `good and evil' markers that make Fantasy a generally enjoyable genre to read.I didn't feel engrossed in the dialogue as I would have liked, and sometimes I felt the author was working too hard to keep my attention with good, but occasionally unnecessary descriptive.Character Development - 3.5/5.0 (Good)I found all the characters very likeable, though the way the queen developed from put-upon, bored figure-head into the domineering, conquest-thirsty ruler seemed a little too easy. In a way, the main characters develop throughout the book, and although this works reasonably well, I was disappointed not to have any realistic emotional attachment to any of them, other than the `leading man'.For the contenders in the `Best Bad Guy' contest, the two characters are equally good, and both develop nicely into the plot. It remains to be seen whether future parts will continue the trend with them, but it certainly looks promising.Descriptive - 4.5/5.0 (Excellent)It is unusual for me to comment on there being too much descriptive, but from time-to-time I found myself having to resist the urge to jump a few sentences. There wasn't really repetition in the work, but now and then I felt like saying "Alright! I get it!"For the most part I can't fault the effort in the location work and the nicely subtle way the characters have to adapt to conditions previously unknown to them.On occasion, I did feel the atmosphere fell a little short, almost as if we were going through the motions, rather than watching the scene unfold, but these were rare and did not really spoil the enjoyment of the read.Language & Grammar - 4.0/5.0 (Very Good)The grammar and punctuation was of a high standard, and the word selection was good throughout the book.There was a lot to the plot and sub-plots, which would have possibly benefitted from a little more support from the dialogue, and I think this was the main reason I didn't connect with some of the characters, as they tended not to converse.Plot - 4.5/5.0 (Excellent) - MINOR SPOILERSThis is a good story, cleverly devised and nicely underpinned with a couple of excellent sub-plots.I found it refreshing that we weren't expected to sit through every minor skirmish once the `first' were released into the world, but equally I felt the aftermath was dealt with very well indeed.The side-plot involving the `Dra' is excellent, and opens up the possibility of future betrayal for the queen, though it remains to be seen whether this occurs as I think it will.There are some superb twists and turns in the story. A few predictable, but some nicely concealed and between them, they pull the reader along nicely.General - 4.0/5.0 (Very Good)Although this did not have the impact I expected, it was a very good book, with realistic characters and even a nicely considered fantasy basis to build upon.None of the characters particularly dominate the work, which at times can be a little frustrating, but that is not always a negative in this work.I applaud the author on an exquisite ending to this part, which far outweighed a jerky, but necessary opening.A definite 4 Stars, a definite recommendation.