OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Undying Queen of Ur" by Abraham Kawa & Arahom Radjah.]

Blood and war splash across the pages of The Undying Queen of Ur. It's eloquently co-authored by Abraham Kawa and Arahom Radjah. This novel tells the tale of Arkhalla, a beautiful and ferocious queen who rules over the kingdom of Ur. As the first blood-drinker in Ur, she has immense power and wields it mercilessly to form vampiric armies which conquer new lands in her name. Her city is also home to hundreds of blood-drinkers and enslaved humans. In the centuries of her reign, no one has dared to oppose her until she encounters Shamath, a slave boy whose startling defiance amuses her. She forces him to become her personal slave, much to the annoyance of the other blood-drinkers in her council. Over time, the young slave softens Arkhalla’s heart by reminding her of human elements like selflessness, love, and mercy. She starts seeing the world from a new perspective. Distracted by a blossoming romance with Shamath, she fails to realize that the royal council’s loyalty to her slowly begins to fade. Her life is suddenly in jeopardy as usurpers threaten to take her place. Will she lose her throne and her life for love?

This book consisted of seven parts. Each part drew me in deeper and deeper into a vampiric realm that boasted of blood, religion, politics, and war. I felt quite similar to Shamath, a mere human, who was thrust into this strange bloodthirsty world and forced to live by its rules. I really liked the setting of this novel and the culture of Ur. The authors did an excellent job to realistically portray this. The traditions in Ur such as blood sacrifices, religious ceremonies, and detailed descriptions of people and places seemed historical rather than fictional. At times, I felt like this kingdom and its bloodthirsty denizens actually existed.

The book’s vampire content and its eloquent writing style reminded me of Anne Rice’s famous vampire novels, but as I read it, the scenarios played out in my head like thrilling episodes of Game of Thrones. The novel did not spare the reader the horrors of war, and the dehumanizing aspects of slavery. This is exactly the sort of blatant disregard for human life that one may see in Game of Thrones. Moreover, the characters themselves seemed to mirror those in this TV series. Arkhalla’s regal character reminded me of Queen Daenerys while another character, Lord Sin, reminded me of Lord Baelish’s manipulative ways. As a Game of Thrones fan, I relished these similarities because I felt like I already knew the characters.

Despite these things, what I loved most was that the characters were given intriguing backstories and distinct personalities. They were all different from one another. Yet, readers can easily see how they evolve as they experienced different things. For instance, Shamath evolved from a defiant slave who hated blood-drinkers to a man who saw the good in the evilest person in the realm. Love was his greatest power.

I hungrily devoured each chapter of this book. It’s not every day that I come across a delicious novel teeming with my favorite bloodthirsty supernatural characters, so I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I found nothing in it which displeased me. The errors that I spotted were insignificant things like typos. As a result, I’m rating it 4 out of 4 stars. Fans of Game of Thrones will enjoy this book. Anyone who enjoys reading about vampires, medieval wars, and paranormal romance will also love this book. However, the violence, gore, and sexual themes may not be suitable for younger teens. Personally, I’d recommend it for readers aged seventeen and older.

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The Undying Queen of Ur
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Like KristyKhem's review? Post a comment saying so!

Thanks for the great review - the kind of book that I'd enjoy reading

This is such a wonderful and the book is interesting! I am greatly intrigued by the development of the Queen and Shamath's relationship. Thanks for the engaging review!

High praise indeed! From the cover, I didn't think of this as a vampire novel. I probably should have, though, as it does say undying. Anyway, it sounds like a great vampire story. Thanks!

Shielasshi_93 wrote: ↑15 Mar 2019, 07:11 This is such a wonderful and the book is interesting! I am greatly intrigued by the development of the Queen and Shamath's relationship. Thanks for the engaging review!

Thank you for commenting!

kandscreeley wrote: ↑15 Mar 2019, 07:28 High praise indeed! From the cover, I didn't think of this as a vampire novel. I probably should have, though, as it does say undying. Anyway, it sounds like a great vampire story. Thanks!

I did not realize it was a vampire novel either until I read the description! Thank you for commenting

Well, this Ur story seems quite interesting. I would especially like to see how her pursuit for power and Shamath's romantic advances play out. Your review is so informative and well-done!

DogoMulla wrote: ↑15 Mar 2019, 17:59 Well, this Ur story seems quite interesting. I would especially like to see how her pursuit for power and Shamath's romantic advances play out. Your review is so informative and well-done!

It is always wonderful when someone compliments my review! Thank you

A fantasy story about a vampire queen? Sign me up! Although I'm not a fan of GOT this book doesn't seem to have too much in common with it, so I figure that won't be a problem. Also, your summary was absolutely beautifully written, got me hooked on your review right away.

The title itself is eye catchy, though I would have never guessed the book to be vampiric. Great review. I'll totally add it to my reading list.

Ur city actually existed. It was one of the Sumerian city-states. Then all this happened in ancient Sumer? Does this book have anything to do with ancient Sumer?

Sounds like a great read. The romance sounds almost impossible, so I am intrigued by your positive review, and want to know more. Thanks!

Anne Rice was the first author that came to my mind as I started reading your great review I always loved books where fiction meets true historical events and descriptions. And the lost in time kingdom of Ur with all its horrifying traditions is so interesting to explore!

Oh my. I'd read the review of the second book for this before, but I hadn't picked up that it was a vampire series. I'm definitely glad to know what I'm getting into now and I can't wait to read it.

Dracula was of course the first thing that came to my mind. Sticking to the angst, love, evil vampire type of scenario. That's just in a relatively small way though. This actually looks like something that I would truly love to read. I enjoyed your review as well and your enthusiasm is catchy. Thank you.