Review of Maegrus

[Favour Amarachi Mgbeoji]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Maegrus" by RL Rayne.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Mægrus: The Rise of Rebels is book one of the Chasm Walker Chronicles by RL Rayne. Sylvi, a bounty hunter, owes her life to Kain, a man she is supposed to hunt. At first, she tried to play smart but eventually joined his cause towards removing King Orrin and enthroning a human king. Kain, the leader of the Hallowed Legion, has the mission of liberating the human slaves and removing the crown. He forces Sylvi to join his cause after she kills his elven partner and comes to arrest him. His growing attraction to her threatens the mission. King Orrin struggles to hold onto the throne of Eltrana. He eventually learns of the mission to overthrow him. King Orrin, Kain, and Sylvi all have dark pasts, secrets, and purposes that may set Eltrana ablaze if they meet. However, that destructive meeting is inevitable. What started as a battle of lower beings soon involved the various gods, who all had to come down to end the war that had been brewing for a long time. Not only Kain and King Orrin are interested in Sylvi, but the god who desires her body as his host. Betrayals and the urgent need to stay alive and in power lead all the parties to take drastic decisions.

Rayne should be considered one of the most exceptional authors in supernatural fiction. The author's descriptive ability employed in writing the book showed a story rather than telling a story. This is one of the elements that will hook a reader into reading the book, despite its volume. An example of the descriptive nature of the book is the carnivorous description of Orrin's father feasting on the dock worker and Orrin feasting on humans. Despite how disgusting some readers may find these scenes, they still show the author's mastery of description.

Another positive is the author's use of hair-raising suspense. From the start, readers would be interested in learning whether the rebels eventually overthrew King Orrin. Another exceptional ability the author employs is the difficulty with which she makes her readers choose between the throne and the opposition. Rayne showed the strengths and flaws of the characters and showed why they are justified in their various causes: the Hallowed Legion fighting for the freedom of the human slaves, or King Orrin trying to protect his throne. Also, there are several twists and turns in the book. For example, a great turn of events is the revelation of Callum's connection with Kain. Who would believe Harlow's gender? Another twist is Ruven's brother joining forces with those he did. The author's use of flashbacks helps the reader better understand the characters. For example, one would better understand Sylvi and her actions. Another great feature of the book is its expression through the characters' points of view.

There are only two negative aspects of the book. First, the use of profanities and swearing in the book is high; this may be a turn off for some readers. Then, there are several errors in the book. For example, chapter fourteen begins with Ruven's point of view; meanwhile, the author had written Orrin at the top. Also, the paging of the book shows errors. First, the book begins with location, and then, in the middle of chapter fourteen, the book starts counting from page one.

There are several errors in the book. This shows that the book was not professionally edited. However, this is the best book I have read on supernatural existence. Since I'm constrained to remove a star for the numerous errors, I will rate the book 4 out of 5 stars. I wish I could rate the book higher if it were possible because of the positives highlighted above. I will be recommending that the story in the book be made into a movie. I honestly believe that if this is done, the movie will become a blockbuster and win several awards. To tell the truth, I cannot wait for book two of the chronicle.

I recommend this book to all lovers of archaeology, fantasy novels, books on supernatural existence, and books on adventure and destiny.

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Maegrus
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[Jennifer Coxon]

A great review. This sounds like the author is a great storyteller with a vivid imagination for detail. It's a shame about the errors, but I think I may have to give the book a go anyway.

[Sam Kryptin]

i'm a huge fan of elves and would probably read this. The profanity isn't a going to turn me off. Great review

[NetMassimo]

This seems like the beginning of an epic fantasy series that just needs a bit of polishing to fix the errors you pointed out and make it excellent. I'll look into this series. Thank you for your great review!