Review of Whispers of the Obscure
2 posts
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Whispers of the Obscure" by D.J. Peterson.]
Whispers of the Obscure by D.J. Peterson is about a young alchemy apprentice named Dingus. He works for an old master named Shemp in a small village called Elmbrook. Everything changes when Shemp's old friend named Selbin shows up out of nowhere. Shemp and Selbin used to be powerful magic users who rebelled against a massive magical government called the Conclave. Now, a ruthless leader known as the Mistress and her army, the Outstretched Arm, are hunting them down. Dingus gets pulled into this massive conflict and has to go on the run with Selbin. Along the way, Dingus starts having visions, and his destiny is revealed. While trying to figure out how to stop the Mistress from taking over the world, they must avoid being killed.
Firstly, I want to talk about the parts where the author's brilliance came into play. I admire how the author used the ancient city of Apollyon and the deep history of the Conclave to explain why the characters behaved the way they did. Also, all the characters were developed well. I liked how Selbin's past was slowly revealed and how he went from being reckless to being a good mentor. Dingus, on the other hand, grew from being scared to being a confident magician. I enjoyed the part where Dingus, Selbin, and Shemp had to use a magic doorknob to enter the lower catacombs beneath the House of 1000 Rooms. The author did well to describe the magic system and how they had to pack their supplies using the magical energy of the items. When Chance the dwarf was first rescued and healed, I didn't know what to expect. But over time, he became one of my top three favorite characters. I'm already hyped about the upcoming books in the trilogy.
The character I disliked the most was the Mistress. She was just too evil throughout half of the book. But after I read the part that revealed who she used to be, maybe the dislike dropped a bit. I feel that if the author had given us more of her backstory earlier, it would have helped me resonate better with her character. I wasn't happy when Chance the dwarf decided to stay back in that village. It might have been better if the author had involved the character more throughout the rest of the book. I don't think the dislikes are enough reason to deduct any stars, so I rate the book five out of five stars. Anyone who enjoys deep fantasy lore would enjoy this book.
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Whispers of the Obscure
View: on Bookshelves
Whispers of the Obscure by D.J. Peterson is about a young alchemy apprentice named Dingus. He works for an old master named Shemp in a small village called Elmbrook. Everything changes when Shemp's old friend named Selbin shows up out of nowhere. Shemp and Selbin used to be powerful magic users who rebelled against a massive magical government called the Conclave. Now, a ruthless leader known as the Mistress and her army, the Outstretched Arm, are hunting them down. Dingus gets pulled into this massive conflict and has to go on the run with Selbin. Along the way, Dingus starts having visions, and his destiny is revealed. While trying to figure out how to stop the Mistress from taking over the world, they must avoid being killed.
Firstly, I want to talk about the parts where the author's brilliance came into play. I admire how the author used the ancient city of Apollyon and the deep history of the Conclave to explain why the characters behaved the way they did. Also, all the characters were developed well. I liked how Selbin's past was slowly revealed and how he went from being reckless to being a good mentor. Dingus, on the other hand, grew from being scared to being a confident magician. I enjoyed the part where Dingus, Selbin, and Shemp had to use a magic doorknob to enter the lower catacombs beneath the House of 1000 Rooms. The author did well to describe the magic system and how they had to pack their supplies using the magical energy of the items. When Chance the dwarf was first rescued and healed, I didn't know what to expect. But over time, he became one of my top three favorite characters. I'm already hyped about the upcoming books in the trilogy.
The character I disliked the most was the Mistress. She was just too evil throughout half of the book. But after I read the part that revealed who she used to be, maybe the dislike dropped a bit. I feel that if the author had given us more of her backstory earlier, it would have helped me resonate better with her character. I wasn't happy when Chance the dwarf decided to stay back in that village. It might have been better if the author had involved the character more throughout the rest of the book. I don't think the dislikes are enough reason to deduct any stars, so I rate the book five out of five stars. Anyone who enjoys deep fantasy lore would enjoy this book.
******
Whispers of the Obscure
View: on Bookshelves
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