Review of The Shade of Highfall
-
WintersBloom
- Posts: 4
- Joined: 12 Dec 2021, 19:17
- Currently Reading: Tales of the Otherworld
- Bookshelf Size: 287
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-wintersbloom.html
- Latest Review: The Watchmaker’s Doctor by G. M. T. Schuilling
Review of The Shade of Highfall
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Shade of Highfall" by Mark O'Dell.]
The Shade of Highfall , is the first book written by Mark O’Dell, a fantasy novel set in a time with fey and magic. Shrew is a young girl who grew up on the streets of the Low Reach in the city of Highfall, and survived by her own cunning; a sly, smart and sassy young girl with a quick and daring mind with a talent to blend into the crowd as well as the shadows. During one of her escapades, she is thwarted from getting away and finds herself being taken to an orphanage that puts the children to work. She doesn’t allow this to detour her long, and with her quick mind finds a way to escape. Though this proved more difficult than she anticipated and her endeavour lands her in an even worse job, working the sewers beneath the city. Shrew finds a mystical dagger possessed by the spirit of a warrior fey woman, who assists Shrew with her adventures and keeping her alive. With the aid of her new dagger, the life and fate of Shrew changes quickly, and her path crosses those who wish to aide her in her growth to a new person, assisting her to receive a proper education and training to hone her natural talents. Whilst all this is going on, there is a darkness brewing around Highfall, marked by those with blood red tongues, filed teeth and an unsettling air about them. The darkness wants to deceive and consume all the good around it, and unleash an evil known as the Master of Shades.
I love that the book is centered on a capable, lithe and strong young woman who has the self-awareness to know that she can’t always do things alone. Shrew is referred to as being “like a cat that had just spotted it’s prey” ( (The Shade of Highfall , page 12) and “with the agility of a cat” (The Shade of Highfall [/i], page 51). Though there were times she required saving, she was the she never looked at herself as a damsel in distress.
I feel the main downfall to the book was the epilogue, as I feel as though there should be more details and information in it, to truly pull the reader into the book. It wasn’t until the end of the book that I realized the importance of the epilogue and the information mentioned in it, rather then during the book when I first came across similar information that should have added to the mystery.
The few grammatical errors that I found required me to re-read the sentence to understand correctly before proceeding and the few spelling mistakes, I came across were just a small typo that could be easily missed. There was a single borderline profane word that appeared a few times throughout the book, the remaining words that were used for profanity were words and phrases the author made up to suit the religious following that was created for the book. Though there is a religious aspect to the book, it is minimal and not paramount to the story and could be seen more of a legend or folklore. There were a few instances when sexual content is hinted at, but they were no more then a line each that could easily be missed.
I rate The Shade of Highfall a 3 out of 4 stars . The book appears to be well written and edited, with few grammatical and spelling errors. The reason for the removal of one star is more centred around the slower pace of the beginning of the book, and what seems like loose ends throughout. I would recommend this book to young adults interested in a semi-action fantasy, who don’t mind the slightly darker undertones of the dangers of being a female around men with dark intent.
******
The Shade of Highfall
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Shade of Highfall , is the first book written by Mark O’Dell, a fantasy novel set in a time with fey and magic. Shrew is a young girl who grew up on the streets of the Low Reach in the city of Highfall, and survived by her own cunning; a sly, smart and sassy young girl with a quick and daring mind with a talent to blend into the crowd as well as the shadows. During one of her escapades, she is thwarted from getting away and finds herself being taken to an orphanage that puts the children to work. She doesn’t allow this to detour her long, and with her quick mind finds a way to escape. Though this proved more difficult than she anticipated and her endeavour lands her in an even worse job, working the sewers beneath the city. Shrew finds a mystical dagger possessed by the spirit of a warrior fey woman, who assists Shrew with her adventures and keeping her alive. With the aid of her new dagger, the life and fate of Shrew changes quickly, and her path crosses those who wish to aide her in her growth to a new person, assisting her to receive a proper education and training to hone her natural talents. Whilst all this is going on, there is a darkness brewing around Highfall, marked by those with blood red tongues, filed teeth and an unsettling air about them. The darkness wants to deceive and consume all the good around it, and unleash an evil known as the Master of Shades.
I love that the book is centered on a capable, lithe and strong young woman who has the self-awareness to know that she can’t always do things alone. Shrew is referred to as being “like a cat that had just spotted it’s prey” ( (The Shade of Highfall , page 12) and “with the agility of a cat” (The Shade of Highfall [/i], page 51). Though there were times she required saving, she was the she never looked at herself as a damsel in distress.
I feel the main downfall to the book was the epilogue, as I feel as though there should be more details and information in it, to truly pull the reader into the book. It wasn’t until the end of the book that I realized the importance of the epilogue and the information mentioned in it, rather then during the book when I first came across similar information that should have added to the mystery.
The few grammatical errors that I found required me to re-read the sentence to understand correctly before proceeding and the few spelling mistakes, I came across were just a small typo that could be easily missed. There was a single borderline profane word that appeared a few times throughout the book, the remaining words that were used for profanity were words and phrases the author made up to suit the religious following that was created for the book. Though there is a religious aspect to the book, it is minimal and not paramount to the story and could be seen more of a legend or folklore. There were a few instances when sexual content is hinted at, but they were no more then a line each that could easily be missed.
I rate The Shade of Highfall a 3 out of 4 stars . The book appears to be well written and edited, with few grammatical and spelling errors. The reason for the removal of one star is more centred around the slower pace of the beginning of the book, and what seems like loose ends throughout. I would recommend this book to young adults interested in a semi-action fantasy, who don’t mind the slightly darker undertones of the dangers of being a female around men with dark intent.
******
The Shade of Highfall
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Watchmaker’s Doctor by G. M. T. Schuilling
