Rapid Fire Book Reviews Part 1
Check out these rapid fire reviews by Anat Eliraz.
REVIEW Number 1: Keeper 829 by Michael Camarillo
It's a futuristic sci-fi book, part one in a series.
Fitting for adults and just over 300 pages long.
I am adding my review of it. If it interests you, you can read the blurb in the link and get a taste of it there too.
Though I am not a fan of sci-fi as much as fantasy, I gave this one a try- and was not disappointed!
I loved the way information was revealed without being an info dump. I loved how real places on earth were used as the scenery for the story and how some of them had more meaning than just a background.
The reader is left unsure of who to trust, who are the true 'good guys' and the scales keep tipping from side to side.
Really interesting conception of who and what we are.
I recommend this book to sci-fi lovers who enjoy a fast paced, mysterious story line. Waiting for the sequel!
REVIEW NUMBER 2: Of Blood and Fire by Ryan Cahill
This is a first book in a coming trilogy. It's about 550 pages long, and I would say fitting for young adults, maybe even 15/16 and up (no sex, but some battle scenes are descriptive)
It's an epic fantasy book. It has tropes (the village boy becoming the hero), but aside from that, it's a really great read!
The world building is excellent! And there is so much more I understand that exists but is not yet revealed. The magic system is really interesting and a lot of thought went into it.
The book is written from multiple POV's but it doesn't get confusing. The beginning is at a slow- medium pace but once the reader 'gets the basics' (there is no info dump, just the different characters)- the pace speeds up.
There is magic, there are dragons, there are different races and other creatures.
Even though it's only the first book, I really enjoyed reading it! For those who love lots of action and quite a lot (but not only) fighting and battle scenes- this book has it.
I'm looking forward to the release of book two!
REVIEW NUMBER 3: The Empire's Lion by Nathan Tudor
It's just under 850 pages (and it's book 1!), fitting for ages 15+ in my opinion. (No trigger warnings, no sex, graphic fighting scenes aren't too gory).
The world building is amazing! There is so much thought put into everything! The cultures, the people, the history, the magic system and so on!
Sometimes it seems there is just so many ways to create a magic system, but even if there are resemblances, this story has a special twist of its own.
A lot of thought and research was put into how an empire is built, politically and militarily.
I loved the details that allowed me to picture the scenes in my head. Each one of my senses was involved in this- the sights, the sounds, the tastes and down to the touch and feeling.
And though there is use of many descriptions, there is no feeling of an 'info dump'- I wanted to get that information and it was beautifully delivered.
The characters were very interesting. They were deep, they were not 'super heros'- they were believable. They each had their special characteristics and more than one surprised me as the story unfolded.
I loved the small parts written in the beginning of each chapter. For me, they added a lot and were smartly distributed throughout the book.
There are many hidden meanings in words and names used in the book, and personally- finding them and understanding them added fun to my read!
I highly recommend this book!