Review by sabbykitty -- The Scarlet Queen:
-
sabbykitty
- Posts: 10
- Joined: 07 Feb 2021, 02:35
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 10
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sabbykitty.html
- Latest Review: My Trip To Adele by R.I.Alyaseer and A. I Alyaseer
Review by sabbykitty -- The Scarlet Queen:
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Scarlet Queen:" by Mitch Reinhardt.]
The Scarlet Queen by Mitch Reinhardt is the third book in the Darkwolf Saga. It follows the epic adventures of three individuals, Jane, Sawyer, and Geoff, whose arrival was foretold in prophecy. Along with their elf companions, Ariel and Ishara, they must work together to defeat the armies of the Shadowlord and the Scarlet Queen before she succeeds in conquering all of Alluria. Jane is struggling against the pull that the Shadowlord has left on her, and a battle is raging within her between the growing darkness in her soul and her actual and true self. With power rivaling the high druid of Alluria, Ariel, Jane is taken by the darkness and becomes a dark druid, leaving terrible destruction within her wake. Sawyer, the Stormlord, finds himself learning what it means to be a hero and a knight. Many hard lessons are learned along the way which find him realizing that sometimes one must sacrifice everything for the greater good. Geoff’s magical abilities grow as his father teaches him, and through the most dire of circumstances he learns to harness the immense power within him. The humans, dwarves, and elves know that they will need their combined might if they have any hope of defeating the Scarlet Queen, but there are forces at work that seek to tear them apart from within. Our heroes must rally together to discover what is going on within the shadows if they have any hope of keeping the armies working together to defeat the evil that threatens to destroy everything in its path.
This book is written in such a way that anyone can pick it up and begin reading it. Regardless if they’ve read the previous books or not, they will be able to jump right in and follow along with what is going on in the story. The characters are interesting and there are little details about the cultures of the dwarves, elves, and humans on Alluria that really bring the story to life. The heroes suffer realistic emotional and physical challenges, and do not always necessarily just come out on top. It is a coming of age story without being so rutted into the stereotype as to be uninteresting. The magic described within the book is believable in the way it is learned as well as the extent of the powers and what they can do. It is obvious the characters have had to train to become accomplished in their chosen paths. They are not sudden experts with their abilities. This adds to the sense of realism present in the book.
For the fact that the heroes of the story are children of prophecy who are destined to save the world, there are certain times in fight scenes where they are taken out of the fight with one hit. The combat narrative can be a bit choppy at times and does not flow as smoothly as it could. In chapter twelve the dialogue seems to change. The characters use curse words several times in the course of the chapter. Aside from this though, there is only one other instance in chapter fourteen of a swear word. It is a bit confusing why the characters cursed in just this one chapter and not anywhere else in the book, save for one other time.
All in all the book was a pretty decent read, and I give it a 3 out of 4 stars. The chapters were a good length and the story was easy to follow. There were a few grammatical errors in the book, but for the most part it was edited well. I enjoyed the book enough to want to read the others in the series. There are instances of profanity but the story doesn’t really go into the religion of Alluria. The characters hold hands and kiss but do not go farther than that.
This book would be appropriate for young adults who enjoy fiction in the fantasy genre. The characters are relatable and the language is easy to read and follow. It is full of action with lulls in the plot to help the reader get to know the thoughts and emotions of the characters in the story. This would be a good pick for someone looking to do some recreational reading.
******
The Scarlet Queen:
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Scarlet Queen by Mitch Reinhardt is the third book in the Darkwolf Saga. It follows the epic adventures of three individuals, Jane, Sawyer, and Geoff, whose arrival was foretold in prophecy. Along with their elf companions, Ariel and Ishara, they must work together to defeat the armies of the Shadowlord and the Scarlet Queen before she succeeds in conquering all of Alluria. Jane is struggling against the pull that the Shadowlord has left on her, and a battle is raging within her between the growing darkness in her soul and her actual and true self. With power rivaling the high druid of Alluria, Ariel, Jane is taken by the darkness and becomes a dark druid, leaving terrible destruction within her wake. Sawyer, the Stormlord, finds himself learning what it means to be a hero and a knight. Many hard lessons are learned along the way which find him realizing that sometimes one must sacrifice everything for the greater good. Geoff’s magical abilities grow as his father teaches him, and through the most dire of circumstances he learns to harness the immense power within him. The humans, dwarves, and elves know that they will need their combined might if they have any hope of defeating the Scarlet Queen, but there are forces at work that seek to tear them apart from within. Our heroes must rally together to discover what is going on within the shadows if they have any hope of keeping the armies working together to defeat the evil that threatens to destroy everything in its path.
This book is written in such a way that anyone can pick it up and begin reading it. Regardless if they’ve read the previous books or not, they will be able to jump right in and follow along with what is going on in the story. The characters are interesting and there are little details about the cultures of the dwarves, elves, and humans on Alluria that really bring the story to life. The heroes suffer realistic emotional and physical challenges, and do not always necessarily just come out on top. It is a coming of age story without being so rutted into the stereotype as to be uninteresting. The magic described within the book is believable in the way it is learned as well as the extent of the powers and what they can do. It is obvious the characters have had to train to become accomplished in their chosen paths. They are not sudden experts with their abilities. This adds to the sense of realism present in the book.
For the fact that the heroes of the story are children of prophecy who are destined to save the world, there are certain times in fight scenes where they are taken out of the fight with one hit. The combat narrative can be a bit choppy at times and does not flow as smoothly as it could. In chapter twelve the dialogue seems to change. The characters use curse words several times in the course of the chapter. Aside from this though, there is only one other instance in chapter fourteen of a swear word. It is a bit confusing why the characters cursed in just this one chapter and not anywhere else in the book, save for one other time.
All in all the book was a pretty decent read, and I give it a 3 out of 4 stars. The chapters were a good length and the story was easy to follow. There were a few grammatical errors in the book, but for the most part it was edited well. I enjoyed the book enough to want to read the others in the series. There are instances of profanity but the story doesn’t really go into the religion of Alluria. The characters hold hands and kiss but do not go farther than that.
This book would be appropriate for young adults who enjoy fiction in the fantasy genre. The characters are relatable and the language is easy to read and follow. It is full of action with lulls in the plot to help the reader get to know the thoughts and emotions of the characters in the story. This would be a good pick for someone looking to do some recreational reading.
******
The Scarlet Queen:
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: My Trip To Adele by R.I.Alyaseer and A. I Alyaseer
