Review of Keeper of the Fallen
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Jasy95
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Review of Keeper of the Fallen
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Keeper of the Fallen" by Alyssa Lauseng.]
Keeper of the Fallen by Alyssa Lauseng is a fantasy adventure novel. Sonika was born into the powerful Okami race, poised to become a leader one day. The Okami used their advanced healing techniques and wolf-like physical abilities to maintain their strong civilization, and never thought they’d be overcome by an enemy. When the violent Giahatians attacked the Okami and massacred their people, Sonika was the only Okami to escape. As a result, she had to live a life on the run, traveling from island to island, trying to escape the clutches of the Giahatians. This worked for years, until she crossed paths with one of their best assassins, Kulako. After years of being treated cruelly by his Giahatian masters, Kulako has managed to suppress his compassionate true self in order to be able to murder at a moment’s notice. Will Sonika and Kulako be able to come together to finally escape the Giahatian forces that have terrorized them for their whole lives? Or will the Giahatians be able to kill Sonika and finish the task of wiping out the Okami once and for all?
The chapters of the novel alternated in perspective between Sonika and Kulako, which allowed for their individual character development to be clearly defined and displayed. Through Sonika’s chapters, the reader learns of the incredible resilience of the Okami people. Through Kulako’s chapters, the reader observes the incredible ruthlessness of the Giahatians. They callously use any means to subjugate their people and ensure that everyone in the empire is bent to their will. The stakes were high throughout the novel, as our characters encounter violent acts, sexual and physical assault, the murder of their friends and family, and other heavy themes. That being said, the author did a good job of addressing these serious topics in a way that was compassionate yet realistic.
The world-building in this novel was executed wonderfully. Through the travels of the main characters, the reader was taken through various cities and able to encounter the many different lifestyles and cultures. The writing style was beautiful, with descriptive prose that captivated me as I was reading. Since this is a fantasy novel, I expected the Okami people to have more magical abilities. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the way that their culture and abilities were described. The author balanced their wolf-like strength, their practical knowledge, and the ability of their ancestor’s spirits to appear in the form of wolves in a manner that was unique and fascinating.
My only complaint about this novel was that I wished that it was longer. Kulako and Sonika both received rich backstories and vivid character development, but none of the minor characters did. This was unfortunate, because there were several characters that I really wanted to learn more about. However, the brevity of the novel also had positive aspects. It allowed the author to jump straight into the action without superfluous exposition or excessive descriptions.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It was a well-written novel with great characterization of the main characters as well as excellent world-building. The only thing that prevented me from rating it as a 4 was the lack of description and exposition regarding the rest of the characters. I would recommend this novel to fans of fantasy, action, and adventure. However, I would not recommend this novel to those who are sensitive to reading about physical and sexual assault. I am looking forward to reading the second novel in the series!
******
Keeper of the Fallen
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Keeper of the Fallen by Alyssa Lauseng is a fantasy adventure novel. Sonika was born into the powerful Okami race, poised to become a leader one day. The Okami used their advanced healing techniques and wolf-like physical abilities to maintain their strong civilization, and never thought they’d be overcome by an enemy. When the violent Giahatians attacked the Okami and massacred their people, Sonika was the only Okami to escape. As a result, she had to live a life on the run, traveling from island to island, trying to escape the clutches of the Giahatians. This worked for years, until she crossed paths with one of their best assassins, Kulako. After years of being treated cruelly by his Giahatian masters, Kulako has managed to suppress his compassionate true self in order to be able to murder at a moment’s notice. Will Sonika and Kulako be able to come together to finally escape the Giahatian forces that have terrorized them for their whole lives? Or will the Giahatians be able to kill Sonika and finish the task of wiping out the Okami once and for all?
The chapters of the novel alternated in perspective between Sonika and Kulako, which allowed for their individual character development to be clearly defined and displayed. Through Sonika’s chapters, the reader learns of the incredible resilience of the Okami people. Through Kulako’s chapters, the reader observes the incredible ruthlessness of the Giahatians. They callously use any means to subjugate their people and ensure that everyone in the empire is bent to their will. The stakes were high throughout the novel, as our characters encounter violent acts, sexual and physical assault, the murder of their friends and family, and other heavy themes. That being said, the author did a good job of addressing these serious topics in a way that was compassionate yet realistic.
The world-building in this novel was executed wonderfully. Through the travels of the main characters, the reader was taken through various cities and able to encounter the many different lifestyles and cultures. The writing style was beautiful, with descriptive prose that captivated me as I was reading. Since this is a fantasy novel, I expected the Okami people to have more magical abilities. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the way that their culture and abilities were described. The author balanced their wolf-like strength, their practical knowledge, and the ability of their ancestor’s spirits to appear in the form of wolves in a manner that was unique and fascinating.
My only complaint about this novel was that I wished that it was longer. Kulako and Sonika both received rich backstories and vivid character development, but none of the minor characters did. This was unfortunate, because there were several characters that I really wanted to learn more about. However, the brevity of the novel also had positive aspects. It allowed the author to jump straight into the action without superfluous exposition or excessive descriptions.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It was a well-written novel with great characterization of the main characters as well as excellent world-building. The only thing that prevented me from rating it as a 4 was the lack of description and exposition regarding the rest of the characters. I would recommend this novel to fans of fantasy, action, and adventure. However, I would not recommend this novel to those who are sensitive to reading about physical and sexual assault. I am looking forward to reading the second novel in the series!
******
Keeper of the Fallen
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Data Collectors by Danielle Palli
