Official Review: The Chronicles of Darius by Jess Thomas

Yoli García · Post by **Yoli García** » 15 Mar 2019, 08:23

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Chronicles of Darius" by Jess Thomas.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Written by Jess Thomas, Kindred Connections is book number nine of The Chronicles of Darius series. In this installment, Darius, also known as Paden, is back on his home planet, Eiravia. Aside from being one of the future lords of Asiers, Darius is destined to become the Jewel of the universe, but his powers are still young, and he needs to learn much more about his civilization and those of other planets. Surrounded by the support of his clan and the love of his mate, Finnal, Darius could achieve greatness. However, not all the creatures of the universe are happy with his rising powers. Dark forces threaten his and his family’s safety. When aliens abduct five members of his clan, Darius, members of his family, and friends from other planets will do everything they can to save them. Will they do it? Will Darius become the Jewel of the Universe?

Kindred Connections consists of 285 pages and belongs to the genres of science fiction and LGBT. The main themes of the story are family, same-sex relationships, power, betrayal, loyalty, and friendship. The book contains sexual innuendo and banter and a few male-on-male mature scenes, so it is not appropriate for young readers. Also, the story has enough details about the past for the reader to understand the events that are happening despite it being a sequel.

My favorite aspect of this book was the strong ties among Darius’ clan. Every time he gets in trouble, which is a lot, his family is there to help him. It was touching reading how Finnal found and helped Darius after he went missing at night. After someone betrayed and attacked Darius in Orian’s court, his family took extraordinary care of him during his recovery. Likewise, Darius acted swiftly after the abduction of his family members.

I also enjoyed reading some of the descriptions that came out of the author’s imagination. The story is set in space, mainly in Eiravia, but also in other planets like Icara. The author does a sound job describing the locations. My favorite parts, though, were the descriptions of Darius’ powers. He writes music, draws illustrations, and puts his pieces in magic boxes. When he opens the boxes, these release magical and beautiful shows in the sky that become gifts to the universe. One example is: “Everyone listened to the music as it filled the air. They watched me as a child, running through the stars in glittering gold.”

The editing was my least favorite aspect of the book, which despite not been that long, felt like a prolonged read. Simply put, the author needs a new editor. Some scenes drag too much. The book has countless grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. An example is: “Lord, I saw his gifts they are truly beautiful.” Another example is: “Son, you wouldn’t hurt me Cas and Garrick would not approve.” I do not understand how the book has grammatical errors in basic sentences like these. It is a pity because the author has potential.

I debated what rating to give this book because the editing leaves much to be desired. I decided to round a 2.5 score to 3 out of 4 stars. Jess Thomas’ writing and imagination are promising. Kindred Connections is part of a modern book series that represents members of the LGBT community. Everybody deserves to see themselves portrayed in books. I would recommend this book and The Chronicles of Darius series to readers that belong to the LGBT community and those who enjoy stories set in space and characters who have magical powers. I would not recommend it to young readers and those who cannot stand lousy editing.

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The Chronicles of Darius
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Rose Harebate · Post by **Rose Harebate** » 21 Mar 2019, 02:28

Being a fan of books talking about magical powers, I might as well give this book and the whole series a chance. Thanks for an interesting review.

chiefsimplex · Post by **chiefsimplex** » 21 Mar 2019, 04:05

Well , I am not a fan of magical stories but his imagination of life on other planets sound interesting. Thanks for the review.

IamShing · Post by **IamShing** » 21 Mar 2019, 07:55

Truth is, I don't read so much about magical creatures ..good review though

Post by **kandscreeley** » 21 Mar 2019, 08:12

Due to the themes in the book as well as the poor editing, I can tell this one is not for me. It sounds like the story line might be interesting, though. I'm glad that you found some of it enjoyable. Thanks!

Jessacardinal · Post by **Jessacardinal** » 21 Mar 2019, 12:06

I am immediately impressed by this being the ninth book in the series. All too often, I read a stand-alone book that I fall in love with but never get to find out what happens to the characters. For this reason, I believe I would enjoy this book because it is part of an ongoing series.

spencermack · Post by **spencermack** » 21 Mar 2019, 12:29

You mentioning that everyone should be able to see themselves in books is awesome, and 1000% correct! Thanks for the thorough review!

Crazyreader01 · Post by **Crazyreader01** » 21 Mar 2019, 15:54

I love fantasy and sci-fi and all that stuff, but I feel like the futuristic aspect of the book is lost in the characters' names. They just feel like they're from the wrong century. Other than that though, I do like the sound of the plot. Thanks for the review!

ashley_claire · Post by **ashley_claire** » 22 Mar 2019, 10:15

You would think that if this is the 9th book in a series, the author would have the editing part down. The cover is beautiful though and I enjoy books set in space. Nice review.

Nyambura Githui · Post by **Nyambura Githui** » 24 Mar 2019, 15:00

Interesting book. I'll have to skip this one because of the mature scenes in it. Wonderful review.

Juliana_Isabella · Post by **Juliana_Isabella** » 28 Mar 2019, 14:29

It sounds like a good series, but I'm curious as to whether the other books are also edited poorly.

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 04 Apr 2019, 12:27

Since this is book #9 of the series, do you have to read the first 8 to understand the characters and the storyline? It's a shame the editing of the book was so badly done. Hopefully, the author will get those problems fixed. Great review!

Stephanie Elizabeth · Post by **Stephanie Elizabeth** » 17 Apr 2019, 12:24

This sci-fi fantasy is not really my cup of tea, but I give this book kudos for representing the LGBT community in the book. More books need to be written that are inclusive to all communities.

Great review!