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[Following is a volunteer review of "Roan" by E. R. Barr.]

When the bus dropped him off in Tinker's Grove, Conor Archer did not understand why the townsfolk stared at him and whispered behind his back. He was only there because with his mother's dying breath, she told him to go home to Tinker's Grove, Wisconsin where Aunt Emily, who he has never heard of, lives. The townsfolk there live and thrive off of the myths and legends surrounding their little town relating back almost a thousand years to a Welsh Prince who brought the offspring of the Selchies, dark ones as they were called, with him to settle the land. But this quiet town is not as peaceful as it appears. With science and technology clashing with the mythological and religious, can the ultimate battle of good versus evil come to fruition in this backwoods town of Tinker's Grove?

A debut novel for author E.R. Barr, Roan: The Tales of Conor Archer is a fantastical and fast-paced journey with many twists and turns. With an ever expanding plot and increasingly deep characters and relationships, this story is both complex but also entertaining. Barr embraces the language and thought-processes you would expect to find in characters living in a backwoods town such as Tinker's Grove, without over-dramatics or theatrical dialogue distracting from the storyline.

This novel covers a multitude of timelines, but blends them seamlessly so as not to confuse the reader or dilute the main plot lines. I especially appreciated how Barr weaved in the legend of Madoc ab Gwynedd, an actual Welsh Prince of times past, into the story. By including a real historical figure, it grounded an otherwise fantastical story into something a bit more real. I also appreciated that Barr offers an explanation behind most of the more magical and mythical moments in the story. As a reader, when I can understand why something exists, no matter how unbelievable it seems, it further draws me into the realities of the characters.

Roan: The Tales of Conor Archer is an original and creative epic of a tale. Once you read the epilogue, you get a feel that we have not yet even scratched the surface as to what Barr has in store for Conor Archer and his fellow followers of the Light. Overall, I give the story 4 out of 4 stars.

If you enjoy George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones saga, I would recommend reading E.R. Barr's Roan:
The Tales of Conor Archer. Similar to Martin, Barr's writing style brings life to these deeply complex characters and their multi-dimensional relationships. While the stories are both fantastical and unbelievable, both authors string the various worlds and timelines together to create a cohesiveness while still maintaining a distance between the various plot points and story lines. Also, in both stories I felt, as a reader, a little betrayed by certain character deaths and could never truly figure out where everyone would be by the end of the story. I cannot wait for the next book in both series.

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Roan
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Like CZCampbell's review? Post a comment saying so!

I liked your review. Well done.

5 star review. I really love it.

-- 06 Aug 2017, 00:07 --

It urges me to want to read it over and over. Really nice

I liked the review. I would like to read this book as it seems interesting.

I will skip this book as it doesn't sim like a good fit for me. I enjoyed reading your review. Thank you.

Thank you for your detailed review. I Will add this book to my shelves. A lot of reviewers gave it the best rating. I will read it with pleasure.