Official Review: The Wrath by Star

[BookWorm07]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Wrath" by Star.]

---

2 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

The Wrath is a young adult fantasy novel written by Star and it is the first of a series called ‘Adventures of Kien Aiyo’. The book is set in a land called Bayllids which is divided into three kingdoms called 'Elter', 'Meridan' and 'Arrizi' respectively. Kien is a ten-year-old boy living in a mountain village on the border of Elter and Meridian. The story begins as he is forced to leave his village after being falsely accused of murdering the heroes of the Elter.

On his journey he meets various peculiar characters such as Rath (Hero of Elter), Marha (the golden dragon), Vaaut (the wizard), The Bounty Hunter, etc, with whom he is sent on a quest to save the kingdom of Meridian from the vengeful wizard, Labyrinth. Lies and deceit surround him, but things slowly begin to unravel as Kien learns more about himself, his companions and the magic he possessed.

Star has dealt with many themes in this novel. Kien learns to see the good and bad in all his comrades and even his enemies. He understands that people are always complex. In fact, from Labyrinth’s point of view, his actions seem reasonable and for a good cause, despite its disastrous consequences. Also, the author is clearly skilled creating a good cast as the story has a myriad of characters with their own distinct voices and ways of handling different situations.

The novel also involves a lot of politics, especially of war politics where every leader is as greedy as another. They are constantly on the lookout for any hint of weakness in their enemies so as to capitalize on it and expand their own territory. This is probably why I felt that the main protagonist Kien, could have been a little bit older than ten because it seems like a ridiculously young age to have such a good understanding of people as he seems to have. Despite all his experience during his travels, it still felt like a ridiculously short time for Kien to mature as much as he did.

Other than those few nit-picky details, I enjoyed the novel very much. It was fast paced, with enough happening to keep the reader hooked to the storyline. But I wasn't blown away by the world or the story. It wasn't necessarily badly written, but there wasn't anything that made me connect emotionally with the characters. However, the sequel with the sixteen-year-old Kien who seems to have gone into hiding makes me hope things get more interesting. So I rate this novel with a 2 out of 4 stars and recommend it to children of the age group 8-13 years, especially if they are new to the genre.

******
The Wrath
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like BookWorm07's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Jesska6029]

Great review! It's always hard for me to get into a book when I'm not emotionally connected to any of the characters. I think I'll skip this one.

[Levi]

Great overview and summation BookWorm07! Depending on where the author hails from, knowledgeable kids of a young age are not too unbelievable. Some kids in other countries have dealt with more in their short life then most of us ever have to. Other than that, a great review with an ending that will lead people on to the author's second book. Nice job!

[Rachaelamb1]

It sounds like the author did a good job creating realistic and complex characters.

[Star-Immak]

Thank you for reviewing my book! This was the first book I'd written and needed to know how it came across. Thanks again!

[zeldas_lullaby]

Great review!! I think the author has potential. I love the cover of this book--it reminds me of a tarot card. I don't prefer books with made-up names, though. (But that's just me.)

[literarycat]

Great review thanks for sharing. I look forward to finding this one

[bookowlie]

Nice review! I agree with Zeldas_lullaby - I love the cover artwork. The book seems interesting. I like books with quirky characters.

[BookWorm07]

Thanks everyone for all those lovely comments!

@Escapeartist, I agree that some children go through much more than most adults, but I still stand on Kien feeling too young for the amount of maturity he shows in the end. It felt like too much of a jump from the naive little kid in the beginning. Maybe if he was older and with some world view right from the beginning, it wouldn't have felt so odd.

Anyhow, that's just my opinion; feel free to disagree. Thanks for commenting, it was lovely!

@zeldas_lullaby and @ bookowlie, I love the cover too. It looks unique and interesting, isn't it?

@Star-Immak It was my pleasure!