Review by Ink-Drinker-13 -- Tsalix Silverthorn and the S...

[Ink-Drinker-13]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Tsalix Silverthorn and the Scepter of Destiny" by Richard Siddoway.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Tsalix Silverthorn and the Scepter of Destiny is a book about three young men who are sent on a task by the king to retrieve talismans in order to open a sphere to release the Scepter of Power. Doing so will allow the true heir to the throne to control the land but they must retrieve it before the rightful heirs brother can get his hands on it.

Some aspects that I enjoyed about this book was the delivery. I liked that in the beginning we were introduced to each of the three young men and we were given a small back story about who they were and how they lived their normal day to day lives. The pacing of the story was good as well. At the beginning during all of the introductions I was hoping that something of substance would happen soon and boy if I didn't get my wish the following page. I also got worried towards the end of the book that the author was going to wrap up the retrieval of the last two talismans in the last quarter of the book but it became quite clear soon after that there will be a next book, at least I hope so.

One of the things that I would like to have seen more of was emotion in the characters. There wasn't enough description in some cases to give me a sense of what they were feeling about some of the things that were going on. It was hard to determine what the atmosphere in a certain situation was. In one particular occurrence I couldn't figure out if Tsalix was being cocky, which I doubt, or if maybe he was talking to himself or if maybe it was just him being matter of fact like stating that the sky is blue. In one other occurrence a string of questions is being asked. I didn't know if maybe he was panicking or he felt overwhelmed by everything but I felt that a description of him shaking his head was not enough for me to get a true sense of feeling.

I would give this book a 3 out of 4 stars. The delivery and timing of everything was just right. I enjoyed the character arc we got and I was hoping for another one but it isn't too late! Richard Siddoway knows how to leave you wanting more. It wasn't a huge cliff hanger that left you high and dry but there was enough there to leave you wanting for a sequel. I didn't give it 4 stars because I felt that it needed some more substance in some places but it was written well enough it certainly wasn't in danger of receiving 2 stars.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy or who would like to try getting into fantasy. I think it would be a good place to start for someone looking to get into this genre. There is no profanity in this book nor is there any religious affiliation. I would not recommend this to anyone who does not like the idea of magic or slight amounts of gore. A small example is that at some point we have people being struck by lightning and falling down the side of a mountain. The details aren't too excessive so I would say that it would not be much of a deterrent for most individuals. I am very hopeful for a sequel and I cannot wait until we get it.

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Tsalix Silverthorn and the Scepter of Destiny
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[MsH2k]

I do not read many fantasy novels, but I enjoyed your thorough, engaging review!

[Sou Hi]

Thanks for your informative review. I sampled this book once and thought it had an interesting start. Still, looks like the character developments are not great. I hope that could be improved.