Review of City of Shards

[Hubre De Klerk]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "City of Shards" by Steve Rodgers.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Larin started having strange outbursts at the young age of four years old. They were mainly triggered by anger, hurt, or hearing and seeing the phrase he used during his outbursts. His uncle held a solitary war against Oarl’s gang, and he placed his protection on the four walls of the Wormpile district. Oarl’s gang saw Larin having one of his outbursts one day, and they kept bullying him when he stepped out of his uncle’s protected walls, to make Larin have one of his outbursts. The bullying went so far that they spilled blood and broke bones at times; they even started hurting everyone associated with him, which left Larin in a very lonely and depressed state. What caused these outbursts, and what was their significance?

He found solace in the library, which was guarded by Tewin. When Tewin fell asleep, Larin would sneak into the one place where he was forbidden to go: the Lyrashi scripts. This is where you can learn about Carver creatures whose Lyrashi language brought magic into the world. When Tewin woke, Larin moved back to reading scripture. He learned about the three monstrous forces that ruled the world: new gods, old gods, and demons. Read this book to learn how this world, its different Gods and creatures, and Larin’s outbreaks come together.

The first half of the book is focused on world-building and getting to know the different characters. Although there is some action in the first part of the book, the real action and adventures start in the second half of the book. The start of the book went a little slower than the second part, but without the first part, this book would have been super confusing. The author kept enough action and interesting tidbits at the start of the book to keep it from being boring. The author did an excellent job of describing the world and characters. Although there were quite a few characters and places to keep track of, this wasn’t difficult at all with the author’s world-building techniques.

The action scenes in this book are a mix of violent fistfights, swordfights, and sorcery. Everything is explained in such detail that it feels like you are part of the fights and the inner turmoil of the characters, especially Larin. I enjoyed everything about this book and loved Larin’s character development as he learned more about himself. This book kept me captivated, and I only found one error in the whole book while reading. It shows that this book has been professionally edited. There was nothing I disliked about this book. For the above-mentioned reasons, I give City of Shards by Steve Rodgers a perfect rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

I would recommend this book to people who love epic fantasies with sorcery and godlike creatures. This book is heavy on world-building and will not disappoint with its descriptive scenes. Due to its violence, I would recommend this book to readers aged sixteen and up. If you want something different and exciting that leaves your heart pounding, then this book is for you!

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City of Shards
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[Oluchi23]

Though, i hate reading book that contains mystic power but this one seems to have a great lessons. I will have to add this in my shelf as soon as possible. Thanks.

[NetMassimo]

World-building can really make the difference in a story and this book seems to be very strong under this point of view contributing to my curiosty about it. Thank you for your great review!

[Hubre De Klerk]

Though, i hate reading book that contains mystic power but this one seems to have a great lessons. I will have to add this in my shelf as soon as possible. Thanks.

This was a fun and fast reading experience, it definitely has a twist, and everything was clearly described and explained. Thank you!

[Hubre De Klerk]

World-building can really make the difference in a story and this book seems to be very strong under this point of view contributing to my curiosty about it. Thank you for your great review!

Thanks so much for your reply! I agree with you on the world-building aspect, and also character development. Those are very important, especially in books like this one.

[Desola Orimoloye]

Great review! It is important in fantasy novels to introduce readers to the fantasy world, its characters, and its rules so as to enhance the reader's immersion in the story. And as such, world-building is an indispensable tool.

[Hubre De Klerk]

I like reading this review. It is good to know that this book contains profanity. I always do find some fun when characters exchange profane words against each other. It always intensifies the moment and makes a story lovely.

This comment made me laugh, as I have read so many reviews where people complain about the profanities in the book, even when minor. I also enjoy the profanities as it gives a personal touch to the characters. That's how I feel about it hehe

[Hubre De Klerk]

Great review! It is important in fantasy novels to introduce readers to the fantasy world, its characters, and its rules so as to enhance the reader's immersion in the story. And as such, world-building is an indispensable tool.

Thanks so much and I agree with you 100%