Our first review is in...
Story Overview:
Set in a fictional fantasy world, this story tells the
story of a King deposed by his brother and his attempt to regain his crown with
the help of his loyal General; Morgan and his Marshalls and the mysterious and
beautiful Queen of the Fairies. As can be expected from such a book, there is
battle scenes, lives lost, magic, mythical creatures and romance.
Cover Page: 19/20
A striking and bold statement on the front cover that
when I look at it draws me in. The character on the front of the book surely is
someone that I wouldn't expect to be a fairy and that adds to the appeal of the
book - there is a new twist to a well known mythical creature. My only nitpicking
(and it is nitpicking) is that with the wings and the arrow holder visible, it
is evident that they aren't connected, but that is really being nitpicking.
Character (and their development): 18/20
The depth and the development of the characters have been
excellent shown within the writing and as you read the story you do feel that
they are changing with the events which are unfolding. My original concern with
the book was that there were too many characters introduced too quickly and at
the beginning I was checking on who was who. However by chapter three or four I
had gotten use to all the characters and felt that I knew them well. The
emotion felt by all the characters is especially done well and is not easily
resolved by any of them. For instance; you can really feel the emotional pain
that King suffers as he loses his wife and his journey to cope the sadness.
There are also no two dimensional characters, even the most minor of character
has his or her own distinct character.
Storyline: 18/20
The start of the story is strikingly good. As the attack
of the castle commences there is the sense of the confusion and panic which is
often associated with battle, adding to an excellent atmosphere. As the battle
continues there are many questions asked but very answers at the time, left for
the reader to get the information in little pieces as the book progresses, just
as if you were a defender in the castle from the surprise attack. I loved
reading about the fairies, having only really touched upon fairies from Peter
Pan, I can honestly say I didn't know what to expect and I was pleasantly happy
with the way the author has taken a mythical creature and made it her own. She
has also done the same with another mythical creature, but I'll leave that for
you to discover in the book. The fact that the back story to the universe has
been well established in the book makes you feel as if this isn't just a made
up story but a tale of a real work.
The only disappointments in the storyline was the fact
that it was a brother who overthrew the King, which I tend to think is too
obvious (however an Uncle would certainly have been worse) and the fact that
the passage of time sometimes seems too quick. I wonder if there was a chance for several
books here or a longer novel exploring what happened in the weeks between
chapters.
Style: 18/20
By delving straight into the action you immediately get
hooked onto the story and immediate loss of a character that seems so promising
is an excellent way for the ready to keep on guessing who is safe and who is
not. The actual writing is very descriptive to the point where I could almost
draw images of what was around the main characters or try for a good picture of
the characters themselves. Yet the author doesn't describe too much in the
battle, instead keeps the action moving and speed fast, forcing the reader to
read at the pace of the battle, adding to the sense of chaos and blurriness
that battle can bring. However I found the change in perspective every couple
of paragraphs at time a little confusing and sometimes frustrating as I had
little indication as when the change was made and who it was changed to.
Spelling and Grammar: 17/20
If search for other books by Valerie Douglas and her
works, you will find reviews commenting on her poor spelling and grammar.
You'll also find those who say it is great and there is nothing to worry about.
To be honest, there are a few mistakes, but if you look at some of the great
works out there, there is a lot of mistakes too. I tend to look at mistakes as
if I am driving down a road and a mistake is a pot hole. If my car goes over
the pot hole and I don't notice anything but a little bump then what is the
problem, after all we are all human. However if it can break my car, then I am
worried. In the case of this novel there is nothing here that would destroy the
car. The mistakes, which are all word misplacement (rather than spelling), are
few and far between, and often it is obvious what was supposed to be there that
the reader could easily read over them without noticing.
Conclusion: 90/100
A highly enjoyable book, which if I am honest I couldn't put
down despite not being on my usual reading pile. I enjoyed the battle scenes,
the romance scenes and the friendships that grew from the book. If this review was
on Amazon, this would get five stars and I truly hope that more people give
this book a try and the recognition that it so deserves.
Buy Song of the Fairy Queen at Amazon.co.uk
Buy Song of the Fairy Queen from Amazon.com
Connect with the author
Website
Blog
No comments:
Post a Comment