Review by aschurk -- The Undying Queen of Ur
Posted: 09 Jun 2019, 20:16
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Undying Queen of Ur" by Abraham Kawa & Arahom Radjah.]
4 out of 4 stars
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In the first installment of an exciting new historical fantasy series, The Undying Queen of Ur — brilliantly co-authored by Abraham Kawa and Abraham Radjah — the prologue begins with the death and funeral of the beloved Queen Inanna in the quasi-Egyptian city of Ur. It is her death that begins the shift from a happy and prosperous city to the bloody and frightening Ur portrayed throughout the remainder of the novel. The prologue is especially important as it creates a juxtaposition for the reader to compare what Ur was like when Inanna was alive and what it becomes under the rule of her daughter, Arkhalla.
The first chapter opens on a battlefield that will set the stage for bringing the two main characters, Shamath and Arkhalla, together. This event is where the reader first learns about those who are known as The Undying. The Undying are essentially what we would call vampires. They live off of drinking blood, have fangs and are exceptionally fast as well as strong in comparison to their human counterparts and thankfully, they don’t sparkle. Arkhalla was the first; some might even say the mother of all Undying in addition to being the ruler of Ur. Just beneath her is her Council of 12, which she personally turned and are therefore second in strength only to Arkhalla herself.
Captured, taken into slavery, and intended to be used in a blood sacrifice to “the gods below,” Shamath’s life seems all but over. Yet, his inner strength and defiance interest Arkhalla enough to stop his death and make him her personal body slave in order to find out why that is. The Undying of her Council, however, are utterly confused and disgusted by her interest in Shamath whom they repeatedly refer to as “the wretch.” Arkhalla’s actions and leniency towards him cause blow after blow to her reputation. In the eyes of her council, she is making his slave status seem virtually nonexistent. Seeing her continuously flouting their societal norms gives the leverage needed to unite those beneath her. They begin to doubt her strength and crave her power for their own. And they intend to get it, by any means necessary.
The authors have a unique way of writing which isn’t often seen in modern-day literature. They really bring history forward, so as to draw you in and make you feel like a part of the story itself. Yet, also manage to change it enough to make it separate from its historical Egyptian influences.
Overall, the novel had a bit of a slow start. But it was so much fun to read and I felt continuously drawn in, never sure what would happen next. I especially enjoyed the moments when they went back into the memories of various characters, and you got to know their pasts. I would actually say that it was hard at times to hate some of the “bad guys” as I came to understand what motivated them.
As for what I disliked about the novel, there was an unfortunate lack of necessary commas throughout. It often forced me to go back over individual sentences to understand the intent and purpose of what I had just read. One such example of this can be found on page 420 and reads, “The weight lifted from his mind told him she was gone.” There are, of course, many sentences to choose from earlier in the novel in order to make the point. But I found this particular sentence to be especially confusing without the needed commas. However, this wasn’t enough to detract from what is truly a wonderful novel. For this reason, I would give it a solid 4 out of 4 stars and am looking forward to reading the sequel. Happy reading!
******
The Undying Queen of Ur
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like aschurk's review? Post a comment saying so!
4 out of 4 stars
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In the first installment of an exciting new historical fantasy series, The Undying Queen of Ur — brilliantly co-authored by Abraham Kawa and Abraham Radjah — the prologue begins with the death and funeral of the beloved Queen Inanna in the quasi-Egyptian city of Ur. It is her death that begins the shift from a happy and prosperous city to the bloody and frightening Ur portrayed throughout the remainder of the novel. The prologue is especially important as it creates a juxtaposition for the reader to compare what Ur was like when Inanna was alive and what it becomes under the rule of her daughter, Arkhalla.
The first chapter opens on a battlefield that will set the stage for bringing the two main characters, Shamath and Arkhalla, together. This event is where the reader first learns about those who are known as The Undying. The Undying are essentially what we would call vampires. They live off of drinking blood, have fangs and are exceptionally fast as well as strong in comparison to their human counterparts and thankfully, they don’t sparkle. Arkhalla was the first; some might even say the mother of all Undying in addition to being the ruler of Ur. Just beneath her is her Council of 12, which she personally turned and are therefore second in strength only to Arkhalla herself.
Captured, taken into slavery, and intended to be used in a blood sacrifice to “the gods below,” Shamath’s life seems all but over. Yet, his inner strength and defiance interest Arkhalla enough to stop his death and make him her personal body slave in order to find out why that is. The Undying of her Council, however, are utterly confused and disgusted by her interest in Shamath whom they repeatedly refer to as “the wretch.” Arkhalla’s actions and leniency towards him cause blow after blow to her reputation. In the eyes of her council, she is making his slave status seem virtually nonexistent. Seeing her continuously flouting their societal norms gives the leverage needed to unite those beneath her. They begin to doubt her strength and crave her power for their own. And they intend to get it, by any means necessary.
The authors have a unique way of writing which isn’t often seen in modern-day literature. They really bring history forward, so as to draw you in and make you feel like a part of the story itself. Yet, also manage to change it enough to make it separate from its historical Egyptian influences.
Overall, the novel had a bit of a slow start. But it was so much fun to read and I felt continuously drawn in, never sure what would happen next. I especially enjoyed the moments when they went back into the memories of various characters, and you got to know their pasts. I would actually say that it was hard at times to hate some of the “bad guys” as I came to understand what motivated them.
As for what I disliked about the novel, there was an unfortunate lack of necessary commas throughout. It often forced me to go back over individual sentences to understand the intent and purpose of what I had just read. One such example of this can be found on page 420 and reads, “The weight lifted from his mind told him she was gone.” There are, of course, many sentences to choose from earlier in the novel in order to make the point. But I found this particular sentence to be especially confusing without the needed commas. However, this wasn’t enough to detract from what is truly a wonderful novel. For this reason, I would give it a solid 4 out of 4 stars and am looking forward to reading the sequel. Happy reading!
******
The Undying Queen of Ur
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like aschurk's review? Post a comment saying so!