Review by bdu15062 -- Herai by Aaron D Key

[bdu15062]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Herai" by Aaron D Key.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Herai written by Aaron D. Key is a fantasy fiction novel that is based around a civilisation of people who are forced to face new truths about friends and family that they never knew. The reader has to consider different characters that are to blame for what is happening in their society and only until the end of the book does everything become clearer. I recommended Herai to an audience of 15+ as there were some sexual parts and violence. The book constantly changes between two different perspectives of the plot which made it very confusing at times as I had to refer back to other pages to see where I was.

Aaron D. Key is a strong writer. In only the first chapter he set the scene beautifully and used lots of imagery and language techniques such as similes and assonance which kept me reading and wanting to know more. Throughout most chapters the plot had a nice flow and picked up good speed. Key does have a very powerful imagination and the way he introduced new characters was effortless and it made the story more exciting.

There were some downfalls to this book. The different perspectives made me very confused and I left the book still not entirely sure if I had the right idea. It was hard to concentrate in some areas of the book because I wasn't entirely sure if I had one perspective matched right with what I was reading. Some of the chapters seemed unnecessary and dulled the story. Some things seemed out of place and that made me feel frustrated as a reader because when I read a book I want something I can dive into not have to work at.

I would give Herai 2 out of 4 stars as it was hard to stay in the story because of the constantly changing perspectives. My rating can not go any higher because the story was very complicated and slow in some chapters and you have to wait till the end to make some sort of understanding of what has happened. I wouldn't give it any lower because it does have good aspects to it such as making personal connections with some of the characters and the use of techniques.

Overall I probably wouldnt recommend this to my friends because it can be a hard read in places. I don't think I would read this story again but its not a bad book you just have to invest alot of time into carefully learning what plot goes with what perspective.

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Herai
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