ARA Review by Jabal Saghrir of King's Envoy

[Jabal Saghrir]

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, King's Envoy.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Artesans of Albia: King’s Envoy


This books centers on 6 characters: Taran, the artisan of Albia, Cal, Taran’s apprentice, Rienne, Cal’s girlfriend and a healer, Captain Robin Tamsen, Bull, a retired general, and Major Sullyan. The two main worlds in the book are the 4th realm, Albia, and the 5th realm, Andaryon, that are separated by veils that only artisans can pass through.


Taran’s father was his teacher and he died, leaving Taran without an instructor in the artesan ways and therefore no way to raise his rank. With no other artesans in Albia, Taran is forced to enter Andaryon to seek out a teacher. Things immediately go awry and Taran returns to Albia, but not empty handed. In fact, he got more than he bargained for and is therefore forced to seek out the help of the Albian military where he meets Major Sullyan, Captain Tamsen, and Bull. Taran, Cal, and Rienne end up joining the military to combine forces and solve the mystery of the Andaryan raids into Albia.


I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars because it is an interesting idea, and the opening was very captivating and fast paced. I did not give it 5 stars because it contained some typos, the dialogue and character relationships were sometimes forced, and sometimes there was explanation when none was required and other times no explanation when it would have been helpful. It was an imaginative world and the plot moved quickly. There was a lot of supposition by the characters, despite it being narrated from the third person, which was a little strange. The third person narration also wasn’t very intimate with the characters, which was unusual. Observations and insights did not come from the third person narrative, but from other characters in the book who were also narrated from the third person. It left me feeling like I never really knew any of the characters. So that is part of the reason why I gave it 4/5 stars. Overall it was a quick read and I am curious to see what happens to the characters in the remaining two books.

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