Review of Grim Knights (The Grim Chronicles Book 1)

Sarah Zain · Post by **Sarah Zain** » 24 Mar 2023, 18:05

[Following is a volunteer review of "Grim Knights (The Grim Chronicles Book 1)" by D.R. Martin.]

4 out of 5 stars

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A mixture of the imagination and magic of the intertwined and different worlds of men and animals, the fear and desire of the unknown, and the attempts to obtain power and control. Overcoming all desires in order to preserve the land and the loved ones. All of these ideas and more were presented by D.R. Martin in Grim Knights (The Grim Chronicles Book 1).

The story begins with a bird watching the skies and a 13-year-old boy named Howl, son of Grim the wizard, carrying a message from his father to the kingdom of Bowden, warning them of an upcoming danger, one that the inhabitants of Bowden and Grimsland must cooperate to confront. With the question lingering, is this really what Grim plans? The author takes us with him to different places in the world of men, such as the kingdoms of Calderaun, Raunfit, and Bowden. Then introduce you to the dizzying heights of the Sig Mountains, as the author describes. Seeing Dogs Islands, the place where all magic begun. We see the magician Grim, who came from another world to find himself a stranger in a strange land, and he is confronted by the fear of humans because of his strength and his attempts to protect his territory in all possible ways.
The author has combined suspense and excitement by mixing all the elements, from animals that transform or do magic and how they communicate to the magic added by Grim's strength and the author's ingenuity in describing that, in addition to showing the difference in kingdoms, despite their contiguousness. The combination of human and animal worlds makes the storyline interesting, as you see friends and families and see the enemy that you have to beware of. Even showing the different natures and languages between the characters was a skill on the part of the author because it gave the story a kind of logic that came out of the imagination because it isn't possible that the ways of communicating for all beings are the same.

There are points that I liked, such as the addition of strong female characters who have an impact during the events, such as Queen Mariana and her daughter Princess Gwyn, who showed leadership traits, as well as Kalea the wolf and the Queen of Grimsland. Which brings me to other points raised by the author in his own way, such as accepting the other's difference, whatever this difference is. Grim suffered from people's looks because of his magic, even though he was helping them, and he still felt a lack of belonging. Until he met Kalea and lived in the Sig Mountains kingdom of animals. The author presented some men as invaders who could be possessed by greed, or, as the author said, "They will come here willing to fight for greed and gold," and how a person can turn from a friend into an enemy or vice versa. He was also able to present the other side, where the prey is natural enemies of the predator but allies to defend their safety and home. The charm of the places and the description of the surrounding terrain, the slopes, and nature. Description of the events that take place: in one moment I hear the Helmsman say, "Here comes the breakwater," and in another moment I find a group of mice presenting intelligence reports to a high-ranking hawk. All this, in a tidy and non-vulgar way, shows that the author has excelled at including events.

What caused me difficulty while reading is the author's tendency to prolong his descriptions of some places and events in an excessive way and to move from one event to another, which led to a large number of characters, which made the book long and tiring to read in some parts. Although there are some illustrations on the pages of some chapters, I think that they could have been used more, as they help to paint the picture in the reader's imagination better.

That is why I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars, and I deduct one star because of what I mentioned earlier. Overall this is a well-written and edited book in which the author managed to create a magical world full of contradictions, fights and twists. So as I continued reading, I made sure that power can give you some courage, a false sense of understanding everything around you, but true courage with all its feelings, even safety, does not come except from the sincerity of your goal and endeavours.

I recommend this book for young adults but not children because it contains swear words here and there. It will also be enjoyable for every lover of fantasy, magic, mixed worlds and unexpected twists. Fans of tracking elements while reading may find this very interesting.

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Grim Knights (The Grim Chronicles Book 1)
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Hazel Mae Bagarinao · Post by **Hazel Mae Bagarinao** » 14 Apr 2023, 01:27

It looks like a book full of magic. What is this upcoming danger? I'd like to know this in the story of Howl in this magical book. Your review is awesome!

Kavita Shah · Post by **Kavita Shah** » 14 Apr 2023, 15:40

Thank you for the good review Sarah Zain. I agree about having more pictures as they help put characters into shape and provide distinct features to readers imagination. Animals, humans, power, desire and I guess I'll add it to my bookshelves.

Sarah Zain · Post by **Sarah Zain** » 14 Apr 2023, 20:19

Hazel Mae Bagarinao wrote: ↑14 Apr 2023, 01:27 It looks like a book full of magic. What is this upcoming danger? I'd like to know this in the story of Howl in this magical book. Your review is awesome!

Thank you Hazel for your comment.
It is really an exciting book , you will enjoy reading it

Sarah Zain · Post by **Sarah Zain** » 14 Apr 2023, 20:22

Kavita Shah wrote: ↑14 Apr 2023, 15:40 Thank you for the good review Sarah Zain. I agree about having more pictures as they help put characters into shape and provide distinct features to readers imagination. Animals, humans, power, desire and I guess I'll add it to my bookshelves.

Thank you Kavita I am glad you like it.
Surly the book deserves to be on your bookshelf.

Catalina Isabel · Post by **Catalina Isabel** » 15 Apr 2023, 00:58

I tend to like books with some magic, and I also love strong woman characters! This seems like a great read. Thanks for a great and detailed review

Sarah Zain · Post by **Sarah Zain** » 15 Apr 2023, 09:50

Catalina Isabel wrote: ↑15 Apr 2023, 00:58 I tend to like books with some magic, and I also love strong woman characters! This seems like a great read. Thanks for a great and detailed review

Thank you Catalina,
I am glad you liked my review and thanks for your kind words.

Omneya Shakeep · Post by **Omneya Shakeep** » 16 Apr 2023, 18:28

This seems like an interesting book; I'm a fan of fantasy and magic novels, so this one is definitely on my to-read list. I appreciate your description and thorough analysis of the book. You did an outstanding job. This is an amazing review!

Sara Nóbrega Bartolomeu · Post by **Sara Nóbrega Bartolomeu** » 16 Apr 2023, 19:50

This book sounds very good for fans magic/fantasy fiction. I read that the illustrations are the author's creation. I wonder if that's true! Great review!

Sarah Zain · Post by **Sarah Zain** » 17 Apr 2023, 02:26

Omneya Shakeep wrote: ↑16 Apr 2023, 18:28 This seems like an interesting book; I'm a fan of fantasy and magic novels, so this one is definitely on my to-read list. I appreciate your description and thorough analysis of the book. You did an outstanding job. This is an amazing review!

Thank you Omneya for your kind words

. while reading it I felt like I actually live in that magical world. As a fan of fantasy you will enjoy reading it.

Sarah Zain · Post by **Sarah Zain** » 17 Apr 2023, 02:32

Sara Nóbrega Bartolomeu wrote: ↑16 Apr 2023, 19:50 This book sounds very good for fans magic/fantasy fiction. I read that the illustrations are the author's creation. I wonder if that's true! Great review!

Thank you Sara. Yes it's true despite I hope if there's more but the illustration gives the story something extra.

Baba Thoust · Post by **Baba Thoust** » 17 Apr 2023, 13:09

I like how you describe the scenes and what you particularly enjoyed in the book. I do like a long story, seems like the book is a series which i would very much enjoy. Great piece.

Sarah Zain · Post by **Sarah Zain** » 17 Apr 2023, 20:22

Baba Thoust wrote: ↑17 Apr 2023, 13:09 I like how you describe the scenes and what you particularly enjoyed in the book. I do like a long story, seems like the book is a series which i would very much enjoy. Great piece.

Thank you Baba for your kind words.
You will enjoy it and for a series I am sure the author did a great work as a beginning.

Seetha E · Post by **Seetha E** » 17 Aug 2023, 08:43

Hi Sarah, this seems like a long book in the slightly prolonged sections. I agree that sometimes we reader lose interest. But overall it seems like an interesting read with fiction and fantasy. Nice and detailed review.