Review of Heroes of Atlantis
Posted: 23 Oct 2022, 09:08
[Following is a volunteer review of "Heroes of Atlantis" by Ryan Carriere.]
The young adult and fantasy novel “Heroes of Atlantis” by Ryan Carriere follows Roeg and Sephonei, two outcasts in wildly different situations, whose destiny intertwines nonetheless. Roeg is looking to prove himself after being shunned by his tribe for all his life because of his debilitated hand. The mysterious rune that he has around his neck doesn’t help things and with few friends, he fights an uphill battle. Sephonei, on the other hand, is kidnapped from her family and forced to join two rune hunters working for the sinister Archmagus Sin. He wants them to head to the Mainland, a place filled with wild mystic beasts, and find the fabled Dragon Rune.
The chapters are evenly split between Roeg and Sephonei, so let me talk about them separately:
Roeg is an outcast and the author does a great job of describing him. Between the two main characters, he is the more enjoyable to follow. However, his companions are less likable. Ookum is ok, even if a bit whiny. The real problem is Ookum’s sister Tsisa. Although she is mean, reckless, arrogant, and puts the lives of her friends in danger, the story tries to portray her as a likable character. The chapters where Roeg is alone are honestly the best.
Sephonei’s chapters contain a lot more action than the ones with Roeg. The action is also well written. What is not well written is Sephonei herself. The author did not give her any personality. She has no goal and just goes along with whatever is currently happening. In the first chapter, she is kidnapped and forced to risk her life by looking for runes. Her emotional reaction is brief and afterwards, it is never brought up again. Her past is not explained, and we know next to nothing about her.
Overall, the book is very well edited, with no grammatical mistakes. I like the drawings that the book is littered with. Especially the ones with monsters are beautifully drawn. They help to imagine the fantasy world, an aspect that the book heavily neglects. The author uses terms, such as runes, Atlantis, the Mainland, and clans. However, he does not expand on them. We learn nothing about runes or Atlantis, despite them being extremely relevant to the story. I love fantasy books because they immerse me into imaginary worlds. However, this book does not do it.
I give ”Heroes of Atlantis” two out of four stars. Most of the chapters have something that annoys me, from an uninteresting main character to a dislikable friend. This, coupled with the lack of world building, makes it an unenjoyable read for me. However, one star would not be justified, since there are certain enjoyable elements and ideas that are interesting, even if not further explored.
Some people who like fantasy might enjoy this novel. It presents some unique concepts and ideas. I will try to read the next book from this series and hope that the world building and characters improve.
******
Heroes of Atlantis
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The young adult and fantasy novel “Heroes of Atlantis” by Ryan Carriere follows Roeg and Sephonei, two outcasts in wildly different situations, whose destiny intertwines nonetheless. Roeg is looking to prove himself after being shunned by his tribe for all his life because of his debilitated hand. The mysterious rune that he has around his neck doesn’t help things and with few friends, he fights an uphill battle. Sephonei, on the other hand, is kidnapped from her family and forced to join two rune hunters working for the sinister Archmagus Sin. He wants them to head to the Mainland, a place filled with wild mystic beasts, and find the fabled Dragon Rune.
The chapters are evenly split between Roeg and Sephonei, so let me talk about them separately:
Roeg is an outcast and the author does a great job of describing him. Between the two main characters, he is the more enjoyable to follow. However, his companions are less likable. Ookum is ok, even if a bit whiny. The real problem is Ookum’s sister Tsisa. Although she is mean, reckless, arrogant, and puts the lives of her friends in danger, the story tries to portray her as a likable character. The chapters where Roeg is alone are honestly the best.
Sephonei’s chapters contain a lot more action than the ones with Roeg. The action is also well written. What is not well written is Sephonei herself. The author did not give her any personality. She has no goal and just goes along with whatever is currently happening. In the first chapter, she is kidnapped and forced to risk her life by looking for runes. Her emotional reaction is brief and afterwards, it is never brought up again. Her past is not explained, and we know next to nothing about her.
Overall, the book is very well edited, with no grammatical mistakes. I like the drawings that the book is littered with. Especially the ones with monsters are beautifully drawn. They help to imagine the fantasy world, an aspect that the book heavily neglects. The author uses terms, such as runes, Atlantis, the Mainland, and clans. However, he does not expand on them. We learn nothing about runes or Atlantis, despite them being extremely relevant to the story. I love fantasy books because they immerse me into imaginary worlds. However, this book does not do it.
I give ”Heroes of Atlantis” two out of four stars. Most of the chapters have something that annoys me, from an uninteresting main character to a dislikable friend. This, coupled with the lack of world building, makes it an unenjoyable read for me. However, one star would not be justified, since there are certain enjoyable elements and ideas that are interesting, even if not further explored.
Some people who like fantasy might enjoy this novel. It presents some unique concepts and ideas. I will try to read the next book from this series and hope that the world building and characters improve.
******
Heroes of Atlantis
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon