Review of Grim Knights (The Grim Chronicles Book 1)
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Tiffany Sun
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Review of Grim Knights (The Grim Chronicles Book 1)
[Following is a volunteer review of "Grim Knights (The Grim Chronicles Book 1)" by D.R. Martin.]
Grim Knights is a novel right in the fantasy category, with talking animals, wizards, magic, humans, and conflict that captures the reader's attention. This book was one to enjoy, and I'd rate it 4/5 stars, since Grim Knights has an amusing plot and well-edited writing, yet does lack some of the elements that make a fantasy book enrapturing, mind-blowing, and utterly brilliant.
Grim Knights tells a new and original story of the conflict between the human realms and the unbeknown animal kingdom governed by Grim the Wizard. The author foretells the story from multiple diverse perspectives, giving the reader a full view of the conflict at hand and the multiple unique personalities involved. Ranging from human views to mice, hawks, wolves, dwarfs, Grim the wizard, and his children, most evidently Howl. As suspicions arise and fear seeps among the realms, discourse is sewn between the humans and the hidden kingdom of Grimland. Filled with unexpected twists and a hidden plot, the world of Grim Knights unfolds upon the ink and paper pages.
The specific regions and notable kingdoms involved in the world of Grim Knights are well-flushed out, with precise details on all aspects, giving the reader a sense of vitality and tangibility. Throughout the book, the author also includes illustrations of specific scenes, including maps that help give one a sense of direction and position of each of the kingdoms. Yet some details added seem unnecessary in regards to the plot, with pages of description and background information on the inner workings of a kingdom, for example, the agriculture or the different districts. The overflow of facts slightly disrupts the flow and pacing of the story, lacking the palpable tension that makes a book hard to put down. Aside from that, the descriptions overall are quite adequate and deftly written.
Moreover, the plot of Grim Knights was planned with care, with unexpected twists and turns that delight the reader. The plot overall was enjoyable to read and follow, with threads of events casually dropped by the author, then eventually coming back together near the end of the novel and displaying significance, surprising the reader. Furthermore, there are unexpected secrets scattered throughout the novel. The author divulges selective ones at adequate timings, which engages the reader and lets one's imagination fly. As the saying goes, "Good books don't give up all their secrets at once". The author also incorporates a multitude of creative ideas throughout the novel. With a battle looming over the horizon, intriguing devices and strategies were designed, and the one's different animal species developed proved especially delightful.
However, the plot at times seemed disorganized and confusing, switching between the many different perspectives and time periods. Though the author did a great job of individualizing each and every character, the constant switching and occasional lack of chronological order proved slightly disconcerting. Additionally, there was a lack of suspense, which would've nicely complemented the twisting nature of the plot. The suspense paired with the plot would've fully enraptured the reader and kept me on the edge of my seat, providing a more immersive and thrilling reading experience. However, despite all this, the plot is nicely developed, the loose ends were all tied up at the end of the novel, and the reader is left with a prominent cliffhanger that allows further elaboration in subsequent installments of the series.
Finally, though plot and world-building are crucial to a novel, character development is just as vital in creating a brilliant story. In Grim Knights, there was a lack of a round main character that would've captivated the reader through empathy and through care. Possibly because of the 3rd person point of view, inner thoughts and feelings are also only shallowly explored and did not truly move the reader, lacking the emotional journey brilliant books contain. The plot itself though did have ups and downs to carry the reader along a journey. Regardless of the lack of a touching protagonist, the author expertly individualized every character to create an immersive world on ink and paper. The different species were easily discernible, each with their own intriguing and differentiating characteristics. For example, a specific style of dialogue the mice spoke, or the different types of actions and jobs each animal had.
Overall, I rate Grim Knights 4 out of 5 stars as an above-average and enjoyable fantasy book, with a light mood, occasional funny elements, quality amount of action, and a well-flushed out world in which Grim Knights takes place in. I'd recommend Grim Knights to anyone interested in a light, mystical, short & sweet read.
******
Grim Knights (The Grim Chronicles Book 1)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Grim Knights is a novel right in the fantasy category, with talking animals, wizards, magic, humans, and conflict that captures the reader's attention. This book was one to enjoy, and I'd rate it 4/5 stars, since Grim Knights has an amusing plot and well-edited writing, yet does lack some of the elements that make a fantasy book enrapturing, mind-blowing, and utterly brilliant.
Grim Knights tells a new and original story of the conflict between the human realms and the unbeknown animal kingdom governed by Grim the Wizard. The author foretells the story from multiple diverse perspectives, giving the reader a full view of the conflict at hand and the multiple unique personalities involved. Ranging from human views to mice, hawks, wolves, dwarfs, Grim the wizard, and his children, most evidently Howl. As suspicions arise and fear seeps among the realms, discourse is sewn between the humans and the hidden kingdom of Grimland. Filled with unexpected twists and a hidden plot, the world of Grim Knights unfolds upon the ink and paper pages.
The specific regions and notable kingdoms involved in the world of Grim Knights are well-flushed out, with precise details on all aspects, giving the reader a sense of vitality and tangibility. Throughout the book, the author also includes illustrations of specific scenes, including maps that help give one a sense of direction and position of each of the kingdoms. Yet some details added seem unnecessary in regards to the plot, with pages of description and background information on the inner workings of a kingdom, for example, the agriculture or the different districts. The overflow of facts slightly disrupts the flow and pacing of the story, lacking the palpable tension that makes a book hard to put down. Aside from that, the descriptions overall are quite adequate and deftly written.
Moreover, the plot of Grim Knights was planned with care, with unexpected twists and turns that delight the reader. The plot overall was enjoyable to read and follow, with threads of events casually dropped by the author, then eventually coming back together near the end of the novel and displaying significance, surprising the reader. Furthermore, there are unexpected secrets scattered throughout the novel. The author divulges selective ones at adequate timings, which engages the reader and lets one's imagination fly. As the saying goes, "Good books don't give up all their secrets at once". The author also incorporates a multitude of creative ideas throughout the novel. With a battle looming over the horizon, intriguing devices and strategies were designed, and the one's different animal species developed proved especially delightful.
However, the plot at times seemed disorganized and confusing, switching between the many different perspectives and time periods. Though the author did a great job of individualizing each and every character, the constant switching and occasional lack of chronological order proved slightly disconcerting. Additionally, there was a lack of suspense, which would've nicely complemented the twisting nature of the plot. The suspense paired with the plot would've fully enraptured the reader and kept me on the edge of my seat, providing a more immersive and thrilling reading experience. However, despite all this, the plot is nicely developed, the loose ends were all tied up at the end of the novel, and the reader is left with a prominent cliffhanger that allows further elaboration in subsequent installments of the series.
Finally, though plot and world-building are crucial to a novel, character development is just as vital in creating a brilliant story. In Grim Knights, there was a lack of a round main character that would've captivated the reader through empathy and through care. Possibly because of the 3rd person point of view, inner thoughts and feelings are also only shallowly explored and did not truly move the reader, lacking the emotional journey brilliant books contain. The plot itself though did have ups and downs to carry the reader along a journey. Regardless of the lack of a touching protagonist, the author expertly individualized every character to create an immersive world on ink and paper. The different species were easily discernible, each with their own intriguing and differentiating characteristics. For example, a specific style of dialogue the mice spoke, or the different types of actions and jobs each animal had.
Overall, I rate Grim Knights 4 out of 5 stars as an above-average and enjoyable fantasy book, with a light mood, occasional funny elements, quality amount of action, and a well-flushed out world in which Grim Knights takes place in. I'd recommend Grim Knights to anyone interested in a light, mystical, short & sweet read.
******
Grim Knights (The Grim Chronicles Book 1)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
