Official Review: Reignfyre by Stephanie Van Auken

[debo9967]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Reignfyre" by Stephanie Van Auken.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Reignfyre: A Death and Dreams novel by Stephanie Van Auken is a book which can fit into both fantasy and science fiction. It holds appeal for the readers of science/fantasy genre. This is the first book in the series.

Carolyn Sherwood is a successful designer who lives an ordinary life in New York. The only intriguing bit about her life are her vivid dreams, which have plagued her forever. However, her boring existence abruptly ends one day when a monster murders her grandmother and she, along with her friend, is rescued by a mysterious stranger. Within the span of one day, Carolyn, or Lyn as she prefers to call herself, finds out that she is the long lost princess of Te’skor, a kingdom on the planet Daemor. Now she has to come to terms with her identity and her powers but she needs to do it soon since she is the only hope for this planet whose existence is threatened by an insane king aided by his mother. If she is unable to save Daemor, then the next planet in the line of destruction is Earth.

The story initially seemed typical of various other stories of long lost princes and princesses; however, the author has experimented with various ideas in this book. Unlike other fantasy worlds, Daemor is pretty advanced. People generate their own variant of electricity, there are high-end laboratories in the royal palace and the royalty conducts business routinely on Earth for the growth of Daemor’s economy. In fact Daemor, is a lot like Earth, with the major exception of a multitude of mythical creatures living peacefully on this planet. The author has cleverly combined elements of both science and fantasy genres.

The author has tried to piece together a story with plenty of twists and turns. At every turn, Lyn encounters secrets hidden from her and she is frustrated with the lack of answers. Her emotions are in turmoil and the author has expressed her anger well. There are other interesting characters as well, like Grim and War, the former members on the Council for protection of the Universe, who add to the humor quotient in the book.

However, in my opinion the execution of the story is pretty flawed. The author is unable to express her story completely. Despite some strong characters and good raw material for the story, the end product is a jumble of twists and reigning confusion. Towards the end of the story, I felt just as confused about the book as Lyn was about her life. If the author would have delved into the characters further and unraveled the plot with more patience, the story wouldn't have seemed so rushed. The story has potential and I hope the next book in the series turns out better than this one.

I rate the book 2 out of 4 stars.

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Reignfyre
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Like debo9967's review? Post a comment saying so!

[ananya92]

Seems like there is some good material for an interesting story. Nice review.

[debo9967]

Thanks

[maven_x]

I want to first thank you for this insightful review, as it made me want to go out and buy a copy. Initially I wasn't going to post a comment, however after reading your final paragraph, I felt it was necessary.

When I read a book I'm constantly asking the whos, whys and hows in order to better understand the subject matter. Yes the execution of the book could be better, but after questioning the who (First time, self published author) and possible why (What resources were available to her? Did she have an editor? Etc.,) I think she did a fantastic job, all things considered. I can't say that for many first time authors. Additionally, for this being the first in a series, it's a lot better than some of the other stuff that's currently available.

As for your opinion that the book is pretty flawed, I disagree. Flawed, yes, but pretty flawed? No. In fact I dare say your review is a bit flawed in itself. How many times did you actually read this prior to submitting your review for publication? I went back and read it twice. The second time around, I learned a lot more, such as Wynter's reveal during their fight in the woods that while her and Talyn may not be related by blood, they were sisters. I thought that was just a statement to confirm how close their friendship was, however that's not the case. Ms. Van Auken has done an interesting job lacing the story with hints of what's to come. Her writing is both engaging and engrossing. I had a hard time putting the book down, and she has done well in leaving me to want more. I can't say that for many authors.

While you state that "the end product is a jumble of twists and reigning confusion. Towards the end of the story, I felt just as confused about the book as Lyn was about her life. If the author would have delved into the characters further and unraveled the plot with more patience, the story wouldn't have seemed so rushed," it sounds like you were expecting a full and complete story, nicely wrapped up in a bow. Or for better illustration, you want to know everything "now". This is a series, you won't have everything revealed at once. Your response seems that you're heavily disappointed that this didn't happen. Not every book within a series has this. I recently finished a trilogy wherein each book just "ended" with me wondering what would happen next. I suspect that you've failed to look at the bigger picture, in such that the story itself is so expansive that it needs to be told over the course of several books.

I believe the more appropriate term for this is a "serial novel". If you don't know what that is, I suggest you look it up. Or if you need a clearer example look at Stephen King's The Green Mile. The story was not originally published as a complete book, but rather was published in installments.

As for the development or lack of development of some characters, I disagree. Going back to my last comment about this being told over the course of several books, I think some characters were intentionally "under developed" as you've surmised because they may play a bigger role in the next book. To have that development now, may ruin the future development of the series.

I don't know about anyone else, but I for one am very much excited to read the next book when it's available. Given the technicalities in her execution, I would actually rate this THREE stars versus the two that was given by the reviewer.

[Cee-Jay Aurinko]

I like the concept of a fantasy story set in a world much like hours. There's a slight chance I might get this book, considering your rating. I think your review is great, no matter what maven x says. What do you make of it anyway?

[debo9967]

Thanks a lot, Leon!!
I think the story has potential but I didn't find this one as impressive as Maven_x did.