Review of The Shade of Highfall
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Julie Klein
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- Favorite Book: The Shade of Highfall
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Review of The Shade of Highfall
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Shade of Highfall" by Mark O'Dell.]
The Shade of Highfall. The tale of Shrew a book by Mark O’Dell is a fantastic read. The story follows Shrew a poor orphan who struggles everyday just to find, or steal what she needs to survive. She lives in the Dunns the poorest section of the city of Highfall. This city is built with two guarded walls separating it into basically three suburbs Low Reach, Middle Reach and High Reach and there should be no way for a ragamuffin like shrew to ever pass through these gates. Shrew however has a penchant for rooftops to keep her out of danger and away from authorities; from these rooftops she can see into and dream of going into these higher societies. Eventually Shrew’s skills with her quick hands and even quicker wits are recognized and will ultimately buy her passage to all of Highfall. Shrew’s adventures have only just begun and she is drawn into the fight not only to save Highfall but all of Sillaesia.
The worlds created in this book are very detailed and rich so you will have no trouble seeing Shrew stealing an apple from a market stall, or creeping through the sewers and bowels of Highfall, or even dressed as a lady in finery and jewels. I enjoyed this book as Shrew’s journey from street urchin, to an educated young lady, to a warrior fighting to save all she knows is logical and believable.
I did not find anything that I did not like about this book. One thing that really stood out to me was apart from a small smattering of damns there was no real swearing in this book. Occasionally there would be a curse calling on one of the gods names in the book - this imparted the feel of frustration etc but without the obscenity.
The only thing that I found as a downfall in this book is that as the band of characters who were trying to defend Highfall came together I got a bit confused as to who was who. You will not have this problem as there is a comprehensive glossary in the back that covers all of the characters, the gods, the taverns even the times of day and the populations of the sections of Highfall. Unfortunately I did not find this until I finished the book.
In summary, I found this book well written and professionally edited as I did not find any spelling or grammatical errors. It is a fast moving book with a female protagonist, that will keep you hooked to the end. I would give it a 4 out of 4.
******
The Shade of Highfall
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Shade of Highfall. The tale of Shrew a book by Mark O’Dell is a fantastic read. The story follows Shrew a poor orphan who struggles everyday just to find, or steal what she needs to survive. She lives in the Dunns the poorest section of the city of Highfall. This city is built with two guarded walls separating it into basically three suburbs Low Reach, Middle Reach and High Reach and there should be no way for a ragamuffin like shrew to ever pass through these gates. Shrew however has a penchant for rooftops to keep her out of danger and away from authorities; from these rooftops she can see into and dream of going into these higher societies. Eventually Shrew’s skills with her quick hands and even quicker wits are recognized and will ultimately buy her passage to all of Highfall. Shrew’s adventures have only just begun and she is drawn into the fight not only to save Highfall but all of Sillaesia.
The worlds created in this book are very detailed and rich so you will have no trouble seeing Shrew stealing an apple from a market stall, or creeping through the sewers and bowels of Highfall, or even dressed as a lady in finery and jewels. I enjoyed this book as Shrew’s journey from street urchin, to an educated young lady, to a warrior fighting to save all she knows is logical and believable.
I did not find anything that I did not like about this book. One thing that really stood out to me was apart from a small smattering of damns there was no real swearing in this book. Occasionally there would be a curse calling on one of the gods names in the book - this imparted the feel of frustration etc but without the obscenity.
The only thing that I found as a downfall in this book is that as the band of characters who were trying to defend Highfall came together I got a bit confused as to who was who. You will not have this problem as there is a comprehensive glossary in the back that covers all of the characters, the gods, the taverns even the times of day and the populations of the sections of Highfall. Unfortunately I did not find this until I finished the book.
In summary, I found this book well written and professionally edited as I did not find any spelling or grammatical errors. It is a fast moving book with a female protagonist, that will keep you hooked to the end. I would give it a 4 out of 4.
******
The Shade of Highfall
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: E M P Honeymoon by Dorothy May Mercer
