Review of Mining For Teeth, Wilstrom Territories

[Marie Chalupová]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Mining For Teeth, Wilstrom Territories" by Mark Steven Nordlund.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Mining For Teeth by Mark Steven Nordlund is the first book in the Wilstrom Territories fantasy series. Set on a recently inhabited continent, it blends fantasy elements with Western themes and atmosphere. The most valued and chased-after commodity is not gold but ivory, extracted from the teeth of terrifying monsters that can only be defeated by uncovering their strange and unique weaknesses. Jak and Nixie are two young people with a mysterious past who become entangled in the hunting industry and the dangerous individuals it attracts. They are both set on a path of revenge, but the end of that path might not bring the satisfaction they seek.

The most stand-out feature of this book was the world-building. We have the monsters and the somewhat bizarre methods one must employ to hunt them. I believe that book one only showed us a teaser of what is to come in that regard. Additionally, there are other fantastical elements besides the monsters that give this setting a unique atmosphere. Lastly, the inclusion of day-to-day life activities adds to the vividness of this world. While I sometimes felt the urge to return to action, ultimately, I appreciated how alive this world felt because of these inclusions.

Next come the characters. Our main duo, Jak and Nixie, are both flawed characters who went through a fair bit of character growth throughout the book, yet I appreciated how they don't just change overnight. While they weren't always the most likable characters to follow, their behavior was understandable, making them quite realistic. Additionally, there were several strong side characters, although the antagonists, while properly sinister, lacked depth beyond just being evil. However, there is potential for further exploration of their story in future installments.

As much as I ended up enjoying the book, I also had some issues with it. The story is the author's debut work, and the writing is occasionally a bit rough. My main issues were the descriptions. Every new person and place received quite a detailed description, which made especially the beginning of the book very slow. The descriptions weren't poorly written, and the author was attempting to create an atmosphere with them. However, only authors with great skill can manage such frequent descriptions without hurting the pacing. Fortunately, once I progressed past the first third, the story picked up pace, and the descriptions became less of an issue.

The story felt original with its setting and ideas, and I found the characters compelling. However, the writing was sometimes a bit rough, and there were just too many descriptions. The issues didn't impact my overall enjoyment too much, though. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

This book is well-suited for any fantasy reader, particularly those seeking a departure from the standard medieval settings. Fans of the Western genre who are open to fantastical elements might also find it enjoyable.

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Mining For Teeth, Wilstrom Territories
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[NetMassimo]

A fantasy story with a western flavor is interesting, so I'm curious about this hunt for monsters to get their precious teeth. I'll look into this series. Thank you for your great review!

[Gerry Steen]

This review describes the main components of this well-written fantasy novel. This author has great potential and will benefit from your constructive criticism. I could get lost in this fantasy book with the hunters and beastly creatures with ivory teeth. I will add this book to my bookshelves. Thank you for this well-crafted review.