Review of Kin's Quest
Posted: 22 Feb 2022, 10:58
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Kin's Quest" by Ron Root.]
After the events of Nexus Moons, Rayna, Gresham, Hagley, and Jarek arrive in Suzerain, the royal seat of Graal. Soon after settling in, Rayna receives a letter from her friend Friar Luc telling her about a map that has come into his possession which he believes will help Rayna find her mother. Gresham hopes it might also help him find his mother. But the Ravens, a group of religious extremists from the One Church, also want the map for their own purposes, and they are willing to kill to meet their objectives. Retrieving the map quickly brings Rayna and Gresham to their attention. Will Rayna and Gresham be able to keep the Ravens from getting the map? Will they find their mothers? Read Kin’s Quest: Book Two of The Tales of Graal by Ron Root to find out.
Kin’s Quest is the sequel to Nexus Moons, but it can be read as a stand-alone book. Kin’s Quest was a very intriguing story with many twists and turns throughout. It had a fast pace that seldom let up. The author also included a map of Graal at the beginning of the book, which I appreciated since it helped me keep track of where the characters were as they traveled to different cities.
The intrigue and plot twists were my favorite things about the book. The many questions I had kept me completely drawn into the story. Even when I got some answers, there were always more questions to wonder about. It alternated between the point of views of many different characters, and some of the scenes shown gave hints about the Ravens and their agenda without revealing everything, which kept my curiosity high. Some of the characters also used aliases, which added another layer of intrigue to the story as I tried to figure out the identity of the person using the alias.
The parts I disliked the most in this book were the characterizations of Rayna and a countess that Rayna ends up working for named Gwyneth. I had a hard time figuring Rayna out. In the beginning, her personality was a bit flat, and there were times that her characterization was a bit inconsistent. It took me until halfway through the story to feel like I knew her. Gwyneth, on the other hand, I just found myself not liking. She had an elitist attitude, which I could look past as it fits with her being a countess, but some of her interactions with Rayna annoyed me. For example, at one point she is angry and offended that Rayna hasn’t told her about the map and Rayna being in danger from the Ravens even though they’ve know each other for less than a week. My struggles with Rayna’s character and dislike for Gwyneth made it hard for me to get invested in their side of the story. However, I liked the other characters and thought they were well written.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book and plan to eventually read Nexus Moons. But due to the problems I had with Rayna and Gwyneth’s characterizations, I am rating this book 3 out of 4 stars. There were only nine editing errors. However, four of them were name misspellings, so I think it needs another round of editing to at least make sure everyone’s names are spelled correctly.
I recommend this book to fans of action and fantasy. There are a few scene with graphic violence and disturbing imagery, so I would not recommend this book to more sensitive readers or teens under 16.
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Kin's Quest
View: on Bookshelves
After the events of Nexus Moons, Rayna, Gresham, Hagley, and Jarek arrive in Suzerain, the royal seat of Graal. Soon after settling in, Rayna receives a letter from her friend Friar Luc telling her about a map that has come into his possession which he believes will help Rayna find her mother. Gresham hopes it might also help him find his mother. But the Ravens, a group of religious extremists from the One Church, also want the map for their own purposes, and they are willing to kill to meet their objectives. Retrieving the map quickly brings Rayna and Gresham to their attention. Will Rayna and Gresham be able to keep the Ravens from getting the map? Will they find their mothers? Read Kin’s Quest: Book Two of The Tales of Graal by Ron Root to find out.
Kin’s Quest is the sequel to Nexus Moons, but it can be read as a stand-alone book. Kin’s Quest was a very intriguing story with many twists and turns throughout. It had a fast pace that seldom let up. The author also included a map of Graal at the beginning of the book, which I appreciated since it helped me keep track of where the characters were as they traveled to different cities.
The intrigue and plot twists were my favorite things about the book. The many questions I had kept me completely drawn into the story. Even when I got some answers, there were always more questions to wonder about. It alternated between the point of views of many different characters, and some of the scenes shown gave hints about the Ravens and their agenda without revealing everything, which kept my curiosity high. Some of the characters also used aliases, which added another layer of intrigue to the story as I tried to figure out the identity of the person using the alias.
The parts I disliked the most in this book were the characterizations of Rayna and a countess that Rayna ends up working for named Gwyneth. I had a hard time figuring Rayna out. In the beginning, her personality was a bit flat, and there were times that her characterization was a bit inconsistent. It took me until halfway through the story to feel like I knew her. Gwyneth, on the other hand, I just found myself not liking. She had an elitist attitude, which I could look past as it fits with her being a countess, but some of her interactions with Rayna annoyed me. For example, at one point she is angry and offended that Rayna hasn’t told her about the map and Rayna being in danger from the Ravens even though they’ve know each other for less than a week. My struggles with Rayna’s character and dislike for Gwyneth made it hard for me to get invested in their side of the story. However, I liked the other characters and thought they were well written.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book and plan to eventually read Nexus Moons. But due to the problems I had with Rayna and Gwyneth’s characterizations, I am rating this book 3 out of 4 stars. There were only nine editing errors. However, four of them were name misspellings, so I think it needs another round of editing to at least make sure everyone’s names are spelled correctly.
I recommend this book to fans of action and fantasy. There are a few scene with graphic violence and disturbing imagery, so I would not recommend this book to more sensitive readers or teens under 16.
******
Kin's Quest
View: on Bookshelves
I'd love to read this one. Thank you for this insightful review!