Official Review: The Wrath by Star
Posted: 26 Jun 2015, 08:28
[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!
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!
