Review of Xandon and the King's Scepter
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Amy D M
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- Latest Review: Xandon and the King's Scepter by Tyson Vonn Beck
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Review of Xandon and the King's Scepter
[Following is a volunteer review of "Xandon and the King's Scepter" by Tyson Vonn Beck.]
Xandon and the King's Scepter, by Tyson Vonn Beck, is a magical young adult fantasy book that keeps the reader enthralled from start to finish!
We're first introduced to Xandon on his twelfth birthday and learn that he's an orphan who never knew his parents. Seen as an outcast and treated as a servant, Xandon has a life filled with neglect and abuse inflicted by the wealthy family appointed as his guardians. His limited amount of solace comes from the companionship of his animal charges and from the one teacher assigned to him.
One evening, Xandon sees a wisp, a mysterious being thought to be a bad omen, and things begin to change for him. Shortly after, he's unexpectedly sent off to an exclusive school in order to train as a knight. At first, Xandon is happy to have left his old life behind, though he's curious about the mysterious circumstances which took him away from it, and he misses his animal companions. While trying to adjust to his new life, Xandon's feelings of being an outcast re-emerge, and he realizes many of the negative aspects of this society. He's unsure if he should face these challenges and continue on his current path, where he can unravel the mysteries of his circumstances, or if he should leave in order to start anew, leaving behind the possibility of uncovering his past as well.
Before he can really determine how to improve things for himself, Xandon is sidetracked with shocking information. His new community is sent into upheaval when a new acquaintance is murdered, and Xandon finds himself involved in the investigation. Through this, Xandon is introduced to the soon-to-be king, Prince Val Haruk. Sensing he's hiding his true intentions, Xandon becomes suspicious of what the prince may be hiding and how it could impact things for him.
Xandon faces many obstacles and setbacks along his quest for a new life, but he also finds help in quite unexpected places. The path he's started on is dangerous, but one which could clarify the mysteries of his current situation while also leading to answers about his past. In order to persevere, Xandon will need to decide who he wants to be and if he'll allow the negative aspects of his life to continue holding him back.
My rating for this book is 4 out of 5 stars. The story is well-paced, and the characters are well developed. I really enjoyed how genuine the relationships between the characters felt, and how the author does an exceptional job of bringing you into Xandon's mindset. I love how they were so descriptive with everything. I could really picture everything so well in my mind. I also liked how the mysteries within the book are revealed a little at a time so that I wanted to continue reading to find out more.
The story and how the author built this whole different world reminded me a lot of how I felt reading the Harry Potter series. I definitely recommend this book to any fans of that series, but I also feel it's genuinely a great read for anyone who's a fan of young adult fantasy books!
The only criticism I have is for the editing. I noticed several grammatical errors within the book, leading me to question the quality of the editing. That being said, I didn't feel as though this aspect took away from the overall story. I still feel that it's worth reading even with the errors. I'll definitely be looking for more books involving Xandon!
******
Xandon and the King's Scepter
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Xandon and the King's Scepter, by Tyson Vonn Beck, is a magical young adult fantasy book that keeps the reader enthralled from start to finish!
We're first introduced to Xandon on his twelfth birthday and learn that he's an orphan who never knew his parents. Seen as an outcast and treated as a servant, Xandon has a life filled with neglect and abuse inflicted by the wealthy family appointed as his guardians. His limited amount of solace comes from the companionship of his animal charges and from the one teacher assigned to him.
One evening, Xandon sees a wisp, a mysterious being thought to be a bad omen, and things begin to change for him. Shortly after, he's unexpectedly sent off to an exclusive school in order to train as a knight. At first, Xandon is happy to have left his old life behind, though he's curious about the mysterious circumstances which took him away from it, and he misses his animal companions. While trying to adjust to his new life, Xandon's feelings of being an outcast re-emerge, and he realizes many of the negative aspects of this society. He's unsure if he should face these challenges and continue on his current path, where he can unravel the mysteries of his circumstances, or if he should leave in order to start anew, leaving behind the possibility of uncovering his past as well.
Before he can really determine how to improve things for himself, Xandon is sidetracked with shocking information. His new community is sent into upheaval when a new acquaintance is murdered, and Xandon finds himself involved in the investigation. Through this, Xandon is introduced to the soon-to-be king, Prince Val Haruk. Sensing he's hiding his true intentions, Xandon becomes suspicious of what the prince may be hiding and how it could impact things for him.
Xandon faces many obstacles and setbacks along his quest for a new life, but he also finds help in quite unexpected places. The path he's started on is dangerous, but one which could clarify the mysteries of his current situation while also leading to answers about his past. In order to persevere, Xandon will need to decide who he wants to be and if he'll allow the negative aspects of his life to continue holding him back.
My rating for this book is 4 out of 5 stars. The story is well-paced, and the characters are well developed. I really enjoyed how genuine the relationships between the characters felt, and how the author does an exceptional job of bringing you into Xandon's mindset. I love how they were so descriptive with everything. I could really picture everything so well in my mind. I also liked how the mysteries within the book are revealed a little at a time so that I wanted to continue reading to find out more.
The story and how the author built this whole different world reminded me a lot of how I felt reading the Harry Potter series. I definitely recommend this book to any fans of that series, but I also feel it's genuinely a great read for anyone who's a fan of young adult fantasy books!
The only criticism I have is for the editing. I noticed several grammatical errors within the book, leading me to question the quality of the editing. That being said, I didn't feel as though this aspect took away from the overall story. I still feel that it's worth reading even with the errors. I'll definitely be looking for more books involving Xandon!
******
Xandon and the King's Scepter
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Xandon and the King's Scepter by Tyson Vonn Beck
