Review of The Shade of Highfall
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JodieW1
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Review of The Shade of Highfall
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Shade of Highfall" by Mark O'Dell.]
From scavenging for food as a destitute child to feasting with royalty as a trusted and courageous warrior, the story of Shrew is a cross between fantasy-action and coming-of-age epic adventure.
Mark O’Dell paints a desolate yet resourcefully cunning picture of Shrew’s early life. She is a well-known thief within the Duns who has to use her wit and artfulness in order to rummage meager day-to-day provisions for herself. On one such day, she uses her skills, whilst under the guise of a boy, to attempt to steal an enchanted purse out of the hands of another thief and is almost successful. However, she is caught by the Captain of the Watch who takes her to a children’s workhouse, dubbed The Orphanage, as punishment. This event is the very catalyst that sets her new life into motion. Shrew encounters both human and non-human mentors, as well as, adversaries throughout her escapades without whom she would not have acquired the skills and knowledge needed to defeat the enemies of Highfall and earn her the title of The Shade.
The Shade of Highfall: the tale of Shrew is exciting and engaging. Its descriptive, action-packed narrative envelopes you within its fantasy world and allows you an escape from a monotonous reality into a world where; royalty, clergymen, human civilians, deities, mages, fairies, and the spirits of the undead, all coexist. The reader is made to realize that there is no one villain but several minor ones, with agendas of their own, and, then the major one who only reveals his destructive end-goal to his co-conspirators much later. The author outlines this prescriptive tale quite successfully, ensuring that Shrew is victorious in her pursuit to preserve life in Highfall.
I rate the book, four out of four stars, as aside from being well-written and edited, it is positively enthralling with a great plot from start to finish. The characters were clearly well-thought-out and their personas remained true right throughout the chapters, either endearing or repulsing the reader - as intended. Additionally, the author’s descriptions of streets, buildings, and important landmarks are creative and imaginative allowing the reader to picture and escape to this captivating, dreamlike world where his characters dwell. I especially liked the animation of inanimate objects and weapons that captures the surrealism of the novel’s world.
There wasn’t any negative aspect of this book, for me, as I enjoy delving into a good, fantasy-action story and was not disappointed in any way.
I would recommend this book to mature-ish, fantasy-loving audiences as while there is violence due to its villain-slaying action, the book is relatively PG.
******
The Shade of Highfall
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
From scavenging for food as a destitute child to feasting with royalty as a trusted and courageous warrior, the story of Shrew is a cross between fantasy-action and coming-of-age epic adventure.
Mark O’Dell paints a desolate yet resourcefully cunning picture of Shrew’s early life. She is a well-known thief within the Duns who has to use her wit and artfulness in order to rummage meager day-to-day provisions for herself. On one such day, she uses her skills, whilst under the guise of a boy, to attempt to steal an enchanted purse out of the hands of another thief and is almost successful. However, she is caught by the Captain of the Watch who takes her to a children’s workhouse, dubbed The Orphanage, as punishment. This event is the very catalyst that sets her new life into motion. Shrew encounters both human and non-human mentors, as well as, adversaries throughout her escapades without whom she would not have acquired the skills and knowledge needed to defeat the enemies of Highfall and earn her the title of The Shade.
The Shade of Highfall: the tale of Shrew is exciting and engaging. Its descriptive, action-packed narrative envelopes you within its fantasy world and allows you an escape from a monotonous reality into a world where; royalty, clergymen, human civilians, deities, mages, fairies, and the spirits of the undead, all coexist. The reader is made to realize that there is no one villain but several minor ones, with agendas of their own, and, then the major one who only reveals his destructive end-goal to his co-conspirators much later. The author outlines this prescriptive tale quite successfully, ensuring that Shrew is victorious in her pursuit to preserve life in Highfall.
I rate the book, four out of four stars, as aside from being well-written and edited, it is positively enthralling with a great plot from start to finish. The characters were clearly well-thought-out and their personas remained true right throughout the chapters, either endearing or repulsing the reader - as intended. Additionally, the author’s descriptions of streets, buildings, and important landmarks are creative and imaginative allowing the reader to picture and escape to this captivating, dreamlike world where his characters dwell. I especially liked the animation of inanimate objects and weapons that captures the surrealism of the novel’s world.
There wasn’t any negative aspect of this book, for me, as I enjoy delving into a good, fantasy-action story and was not disappointed in any way.
I would recommend this book to mature-ish, fantasy-loving audiences as while there is violence due to its villain-slaying action, the book is relatively PG.
******
The Shade of Highfall
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind by Matthew Tysz
