Official Review: The Kingdoms Of Hairpetah by Chiedu Obusez

kio · Post by **kio** » 15 Jun 2015, 15:09

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Kingdoms Of Hairpetah" by Chiedu Obusez.]

2 out of 4 stars

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In Chiedu Obusez‘s Kingdoms of Hairpetah: The Quest to the Castle of Grislick, weird events have killed off most of the major kingdoms and their rulers. After the leader falls, a storm of sorts drives the inhabitants insane. Most believe that the Queen-Witch of Gorrea, Haeghzyer, and her minions, the Riders of Shadow, are behind it. Now, it’s Sadehesia’s turn.

After Sadehesia’s ruler, Grand Duke Naeyhetor falls senseless due to unknown causes, Kansimah, lead Wizard of Light, knows his previous night’s dream is about to come true. It is up to a brave band of warriors to go to the Queen-Witch’s Castle of Grislick in Gorrea to find an ancient scroll that holds the key to defeating the witch and her numerous foes. The task, however, won’t be easy.

Well-known for his bravery, General Barendinor is selected to lead the questing band of men: Kahn, Jetrenor, Gabinor, Haezugor, Dehsius, and Baremure. They’ll have to make their way through dangerous territory, fighting off the Queen-Witch’s minions, foes, people with grudges against Sadehsia, and more, in order to reach their destination. With the Queen-Witch hot on their trail and willing to stop at nothing to destroy them, the band has their work cut out for them. To top it off, there are traitors loyal to the Queen-Witch not only in Sadehesia, but among the band of adventurers as well. Will Barendinor be able to save Sadehesia and its people in time? Will King Naeyhetor survive? Will Kansimah be able to hold off the Queen-Witch long enough for Barendinor to acquire the ancient scroll?

The plot is complex and engaging. The ending of the book is action-packed and impossible to put down. The world-building is wonderfully done and does draw the reader into the story. The way all the loose ends of the plot come together is mind-boggling and even seems to give the reader an aha moment. The ending has a warm fuzzy feeling, but is not too cliché.

There are, however, other problems with the book that were hard to get past while reading. The characters are too numerous to keep track of and the appearance of a central character takes too long to figure out. There are multiple characters that really have no purpose or minimal purpose in the story. This definitely adds to the confusion. Dynamics between main characters is really well done and would be impeccable if not for the numerous confusing characters that detract from it.

The introduction, though helpful, is extremely wordy and long. Written to feel more like an ancient story, the writing style of it is different from the rest of the book and hard to get through. The rest of the book’s writing style is still wordy, but has enough action and intrigue to make it easier for the reader to digest.

Overall, I’d give this book 2 out of 4 stars. With a little cleaning up of characters and a shortening of the introduction, this book could be an excellent addition to the world of fantasy. As is, it will probably appeal only to the hard-core, high fantasy genre fans.

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The Kingdoms Of Hairpetah
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Chieduobusez · Post by **Chieduobusez** » 19 Jun 2015, 01:24

Though it scored average according to you, I want to thank you for a wonderful review. Your appreciation for the work writers go through, especially in these though times, was well noted. Yes, it wasn't your favorite book, but you didn't drag it through a muddy street and allow the rabble throw rotten tomatoes at it. Your praise of the work was helpful, and even more helpful was your criticism. Though tough to hear, it was constructive and fair. There should be more reviewers like you who can remove sentiment or bias and be a fair judge of something. Thank you once again. I am looking forward to more reviews of my book.

Bernadette · Post by **Bernadette** » 19 Jun 2015, 05:01

Great review, the genre is not exactly my cup of tea,but, glad you enjoyed it.

Rachaelamb1 · Post by **Rachaelamb1** » 20 Jun 2015, 06:18

I'm enjoying reading the different reviews about this book. Did the title change on this one or is this a sequel? I really enjoy the high fantasy genre. I think I may like this book even there may be some things that need to be fixed. Thanks for the review.

kio · Post by **kio** » 25 Jun 2015, 12:08

The title may have changed since I haven't seen a sequel Rachaelamb1. Despite my average review rating, though, Chieduobusez, I want you to know that I'd probably read a sequel. I tend to be one of the more fantasy-driven readers I mentioned in the review and I'd be interested in seeing what happens next in the Kingdoms of Hairpetah. I hope you'll write more and I'm glad the criticism was helpful