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[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Compendium of Raath Book 1: The Chosen" by Michael Mood.]

This is a review of the fantasy book written by Michael Mood that is entitled: The Compendium of Raath Book 1: The Chosen.

The story starts out with a bang as we are quickly dropped into a battle scene where we are introduced to a world of warriors, magic and monsters. The action filled prologue is just the foretaste of the deeper story to come in the rest of this novel.

There are five major characters in this book. Firstly, there is a monk who has not said a word in thirteen years and has magical abilities dealing with fire and perception. Then there is a young warrior who is looking to become one of the best fighters in the land by ultimately finding himself as a member of the prestigious Kingsguard. We also follow the story of a female cleric who can reach into people's minds to soothe and try to heal them from their troubles and injuries. There is also a young teenage girl who has suffered great loss and abuse in her life that has left her bereft of compassion. And finally, there is a powerful trader whose wealth and business are the center of his life and focus. The book follows the individual threads of these characters to weave a story that pulls them all into a quest that none of them foresaw. As the tale moves forward, new revelations and abilities emerge for each of the five. As they try to understand what is happening to them, they each encounter various trials with dangerous people, forces of evil and the deadly monsters known as Foglins.

The author does an excellent job of telling these characters stories in a way that is very engaging. He truly has put together a good mix of the magical and mortal elements of the story to make a realistic and yet still quite a fantastical tale. He kept the pace of the story going very smoothly which made it quite an easy read.

The few elements that I did not enjoy in the book were the excessive use of profanity and some adult themes that I felt were not totally necessary to the story. The language just seemed to be jammed into scenes for no real reason that I could see. Some of the themes were indeed part of the plot, but there were just ones that looked to be in there just for the sake of being there. It overall just detracted from the story.

Still, getting beyond the negative points from above, the book is a really good read. I rate this book a 3 out of 4. It think that it is worth checking it out for those who already enjoy fantasy tales and the like. I believe that it will be quite the enjoyable adventure to take with the author into his creation.

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The Compendium of Raath Book 1: The Chosen
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Thank you for this review. It sounds pretty interesting, although I might have the same issues with the book you did. The cover is strangely compelling. That may be my favorite part.

I agree with you guys, excessive profanity really throws me off in a story. the cover is really cool, though, and the story line does sound interesting

Nice review, rssllue! The book does sound interesting!

The cover actually made me feel uncomfortable...

Thank you very much @hsimone @CCtheBrave and @anonanemone for your comments and feedback! I appreciate it very much! No matter what, it sure seems that the cover elicits quite a reaction!

Great and well written review! You write great reviews yourself.

I enjoyed reading your review, but I don't think the book is for me and I didn't like the cover.

Thank you very much!

The cover has definitely been quite the polarizing piece of artwork to say the least.

rssllue wrote:Thank you very much!

The cover has definitely been quite the polarizing piece of artwork to say the least.

You are very welcome!

I think the cover may deter potential readers, though one can never know.

So what exactly is it about the cover that you do not like?

The knife and what it alludes to.

Oh, I see. I hadn't really thought of it that way. I guess they could have done a better job with the cover so there were no implications of that sort from the artwork.

I couldn't possibly last 13 years without talking. I would at least have to talk to myself, as I do far too much. That'd be a hard habit to break. Anyway, the characters sound really interesting! Awesome review It was fun to read.

Thank you very much!

Nice, balanced review! You made a really good point about some adult themes being stuck in the story just for the sake of being there. I've read books like that where an author seems to throw in themes that are totally unnecessary.

Thank you very much!