2 out of 4 stars
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Lieutenant Erynn Yager has special abilities that she has tried to keep hidden all her life. Already enough of an outsider as the daughter of the commanding general of Korin’s military, she doesn’t need anyone to learn that her very existence is itself forbidden. Children of mixed Korin and Arranon descent were outlawed years ago, and others like her were hunted down and exterminated.
As Erynn’s ability to suppress her powers starts to slip, General Cale Athru arrives from Arranon and reveals that he knows more about her past than anyone should … and more about her future as well. Caught between two worlds that need her and a past that she’s always tried to deny, Erynn must overcome her doubts or watch everything she loves be destroyed.
Storm of Arranon is the first installment in R E Sheahan’s young adult series of the same title. There was a lot of potential in this sci-fi tale, but unfortunately, the overall delivery fell short. Beautifully descriptive language really brought the scenery to life, but the magic ended there. Despite the turmoil in her life and the range of emotions the reader is told she is experiencing, Erynn felt incredibly flat. The writing just did not evoke those emotions, and as such, her character was unbelievable and unrelatable. Many of the conversations were overly formal and stilted. In several instances, simply using contractions in the dialog would have improved this feeling.
The romance felt forced, much more like an afterthought than a necessary part of the story. It was as if the author thought “Oh, I’m writing a young adult novel with a female protagonist - there has to be a love story!” I found it distracting and would have much preferred to see Erynn develop without this aspect.
I understand that this is a young adult piece, but some plot points were simplified to the point of being ridiculous. There was one point in the story where, after just receiving a dagger inlaid with colored jewels, Erynn comes across a statue with colored jewels in it. It takes her days to solve the “puzzle” of what to do with these jewels, but the answer was insultingly simple. I could have done without this whole section, but it would have worked better if the answer had not been so blindingly obvious.
In general, the whole story was a bit too predictable and a little too tidy for my taste: everything just worked out to a degree that became unbelievable. While I can see that some people would like this story, I personally would not recommend it. As such, I rate this book a 2 out of 4.
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Storm of Arranon
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