Official Review: The Demon Emblem by Joseph Richard
Posted: 28 Jun 2014, 07:17
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Demon Emblem" by Joseph Richard.]
1 out of 4 stars
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The Demon Emblem by Joseph Richard is about Phelix, a cold-blooded killer, who failed to defend Korona, the hometown where he was born and trained, against men, and how his world burned away in a single day. He set out on a mission to inform the king of Korona’s fall.
Aralyn, a student of the magic arts (mage), doubles as an assassin together with others in a group known as the Swords of Agony. When a contract kill turns out to be a set-up, Aralyn quickly becomes the sole survivor of the Swords of Agony. In one night, her life as an assassin fell apart.
Whatever I expected of The Demon Emblem, this wasn’t it.
I don’t get the theme or underlying meaning of the story, if there is any at all (hence the short synopsis which probably tells nothing). It’s very hard to get engaged in a book when you can’t understand the point of it. Moreover, there are so many things that I couldn’t overlook while reading The Demon Emblem, I think I ended up picking out the things that didn’t fit in a high fantasy instead of enjoying the book.
First of all, characters are introduced in a way that’s too confusing - I can’t tell who the assassin is, and who else is who. Occasionally, there will be a descriptor for a character. For example, Aralyn can be associated with auburn hair. However, more often than not, I am unsure of who is who. That means, when I look back and see names like Harold, I’m thinking, “huh?”
Also, the wording is a little stiff and awkward. The Demon Emblem gives the impression of a high fantasy that’s more on the historical side, with magic and sword fighting. It didn’t read that way.
And that brings me to another point: in a high fantasy, I can tolerate the word ‘bitch’, and close one eye to the F word, but ‘hottie’ (keep in mind that this is a high fantasy that’s in a setting pretty close to a medieval era)? And when I saw the term ‘ex-boyfriend’ somewhere in between… I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or cry. What I absolutely couldn’t stand was right after using descriptions of ‘black skinned men’, the word ‘******’ appears. After that, the high fantasy setting was destroyed and I was catapulted into the the 21st century when slang and insults are hurled at other people as much as magic is in a high fantasy. It is not a pleasant experience.
The author also seems to have a penchant to place his female characters in sexual situations. There was this one scene that included a ritual and twelve virgins… A male reader might have enjoyed it, but as a female reader, I must say, it was a highly unpleasant read.
I had high hopes when I first read the synopsis, but it turned out to be a disappointment. The story was confusing because I couldn’t find a point to it, there were too many flaws (from my point of view) for me to overlook, and I couldn’t keep up with the (number and development of) characters. I didn’t enjoy the book at all. Therefore, I rate The Demon Emblem 1 out of 4 stars.
******
The Demon Emblem
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1 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The Demon Emblem by Joseph Richard is about Phelix, a cold-blooded killer, who failed to defend Korona, the hometown where he was born and trained, against men, and how his world burned away in a single day. He set out on a mission to inform the king of Korona’s fall.
Aralyn, a student of the magic arts (mage), doubles as an assassin together with others in a group known as the Swords of Agony. When a contract kill turns out to be a set-up, Aralyn quickly becomes the sole survivor of the Swords of Agony. In one night, her life as an assassin fell apart.
Whatever I expected of The Demon Emblem, this wasn’t it.
I don’t get the theme or underlying meaning of the story, if there is any at all (hence the short synopsis which probably tells nothing). It’s very hard to get engaged in a book when you can’t understand the point of it. Moreover, there are so many things that I couldn’t overlook while reading The Demon Emblem, I think I ended up picking out the things that didn’t fit in a high fantasy instead of enjoying the book.
First of all, characters are introduced in a way that’s too confusing - I can’t tell who the assassin is, and who else is who. Occasionally, there will be a descriptor for a character. For example, Aralyn can be associated with auburn hair. However, more often than not, I am unsure of who is who. That means, when I look back and see names like Harold, I’m thinking, “huh?”
Also, the wording is a little stiff and awkward. The Demon Emblem gives the impression of a high fantasy that’s more on the historical side, with magic and sword fighting. It didn’t read that way.
And that brings me to another point: in a high fantasy, I can tolerate the word ‘bitch’, and close one eye to the F word, but ‘hottie’ (keep in mind that this is a high fantasy that’s in a setting pretty close to a medieval era)? And when I saw the term ‘ex-boyfriend’ somewhere in between… I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or cry. What I absolutely couldn’t stand was right after using descriptions of ‘black skinned men’, the word ‘******’ appears. After that, the high fantasy setting was destroyed and I was catapulted into the the 21st century when slang and insults are hurled at other people as much as magic is in a high fantasy. It is not a pleasant experience.
The author also seems to have a penchant to place his female characters in sexual situations. There was this one scene that included a ritual and twelve virgins… A male reader might have enjoyed it, but as a female reader, I must say, it was a highly unpleasant read.
I had high hopes when I first read the synopsis, but it turned out to be a disappointment. The story was confusing because I couldn’t find a point to it, there were too many flaws (from my point of view) for me to overlook, and I couldn’t keep up with the (number and development of) characters. I didn’t enjoy the book at all. Therefore, I rate The Demon Emblem 1 out of 4 stars.
******
The Demon Emblem
View: on Bookshelves
Like erasmus's review? Post a comment saying so!