4 out of 4 stars
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Before I begin my review, I would like to point out that this book is sitting on the table next to me. After reading 100 pages of the free ebook I had received as a reviewer, I decided that this was an author whose work I liked enough that I wanted to support her. I found the paperback on Amazon, and waited to finish the tale until I had the book in my hands. I was not disappointed. I give this book, without hesitation, 4 out of 4 stars. King's Warrior is Jenelle Leanne Schmidt's first book, a fantasy novel that seems to deny age boundaries, similar to the Narnia tales in its sophistication and intrigue. While a young adult or child could easily enjoy it, I never felt that I was reading a book for youth. A sequel, Second Son, has since been published, and one can expect more in The Minstrel's Song saga.
The peaceful kingdom of Aom-igh is threatened with war by a land renowned for their warriors, but an ancient pact with the king of dragons* tells King Arnaud that there may yet be hope for them. Princess Kamarie, the squire Oraeyn, and Kamarie's maid Darby, are sent away in the face of impending war, both to find aid and to keep Kamarie safe. Their first stop along the way is to find the titular character, Brant, who was once the king's greatest warrior, as well as his dearest friend, before retiring to the countryside. On their travels, they pick up not only Brant, but Yole, a young boy who is far from who (and what) he appears. Their mission is far from over though, as next they must travel to the dragon realm Krayghentaliss and request assistance, as well as seek the aid of the wizardess Leila who lives deep within the Harshlands. Ancient pacts are not so simply understood though, and trouble is never far behind.
The writing style was simple, but hardly boring. The reading was very smooth, filled with just the right amount of description, distinct dialogue traits for each character, and a natural flow.
The characterization was excellent, with vivid & enjoyable characters who act in believable ways. I liked every single character, which is very rare for me, to say the least! While the villains were initially portrayed as suspiciously generic "dark warriors", eventually the reader learned more about their motives, their leaders, their moral code, and even their language (they are ot actually just "dark warriors"). No character was who they first appeared to be, rendering much richness to their depth, and while there were a couple who I felt could have been filled in a bit more than they were, I was never confused or left in the dark about them. The clever parallels between King Arnaud and King Rhendak of the dragons do not go unnoticed.
World-building was nothing radically unique for fantasy, but it was hardly boring and carried with it many surprises. Schmidt's world is one where humans and dragons once lived in peace, and even aided one another in battle, but over the years, the "myth-folk", which includes griffons, unicorns, and pegasi, vanished from the realm. All they left behind was their promise to aid the king of Aom-igh should he need them. The dragon-human dynamic was excellent, both refreshingly unique and very believable, though I do wish it had been touched upon more in the latter half of the story (never fear, the dragons do make a comeback, but there was a stretch where they were not mentioned). The dragons themselves are portrayed as very "human" in their emotions, which is a nice change from traditional high fantasy. They have their own society and their own laws. While their behavior may be strange to humans, one can understand and sympathize with their feelings. As a final note about world-building, the glossary in the back was a good sign of how much love the author put into her work.
The story itself was significantly more complex than it first appeared; one can always expect quests in fantasy, but it is rare that nearly every single character along the way has both their time to shine and their chance to explore themselves. While the politics of good versus evil in this tale were fairly straightforward, they still existed. This was far from a tale of good versus evil just for the sake of it (a common plight of high fantasy). There are many surprises to be found in the last fifty pages, and I was kept guessing as to the identity of a couple of individuals until the very end!
There were a few small things (perhaps not issues though) that ought to be addressed before I wrap this up:
- Editorial issues were at a bare minimum; I really only noticed a few incidents. A character temporarily dropped his accent at one point. A comma was forgotten. "At times" and "sometimes" were used in the same sentence. Overall though, the mistakes were minor and infrequent enough that they could be overlooked.
One of the minor characters was strongly reminiscent of Galadriel from LotR, though I believe this was fully intended (the author herself has named her children after Tolkien characters) and the author was not trying to deceive anyone in writing her as such. It came across more as a respectful tribute than laziness.
Another character, who appears about a hundred chapters from the end, is repeatedly hinted at being more than he appears, but this is never resolved. As this is a series and he is perhaps the minstrel that the series is named after, I expect this to be cleared up eventually.
Finally, if I may get on a soapbox for a moment, I would like to comment on the handling of gender and class roles. Women play a significant role in this story, as both warriors and caretakers, and they are never pressured to be one or the other (sometimes in an attempt to write "strong women" in fantasy novels, authors can inadvertently criticize those who choose to stay at home). Not only is the main character Kamarie, a princess who was trained as a squire, but some of the most powerful magic-wielders in the realm are women, and a young mother whose devotion to her daughter proves to be a deciding factor in the tide of war. Schmidt’s world is one where rulers are chosen, where social class and bloodline are nothing but a coincidence, and ones' courage and honor is what determines how said individual is treated by their peers. Another slight bonus, at least for me, was the lack of romance. No heroine and hero falling for each other, here!
King’s Warrior is worthy of 4 out of 4 stars. I would definitely recommend it for all lovers of a good story, whatever their typical genre or age group preference may be, and will be buying the next book by this author for sure!
*I do think it is worth noting that dragons were not mentioned in the summary offered when I chose this book. They definitely should have been, as not only are they critical to the story, but Schmidt’s dragons are wonderful.
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King's Warrior
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...so I've always been frustrated with books where dragons are unequivocally or mindlessly evil.
