Official Review: Warphan by J.D. Mulcey

abithacker · Post by **abithacker** » 03 Apr 2016, 22:11

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Warphan" by J.D. Mulcey.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Warphan by J.D Mulcey is set in a world of shape-shifters, monsters and magic. The story begins with young Cayne whose life is thrown into turmoil when his father and brothers are summoned to war. As Cayne suffers loss and finds out a startling secret about his own family, Faylin, a girl in a nearby village discovers a secret of her own – a secret that could alienate her from everyone she loves forever. The story picks up the pace as their country plummets into war. Soon added into the narrative are Lord Darwan and Sir Burke, two military leaders from both warring nations. Armies advance and the characters must fight for their lives and their kings while questioning the validity of those who direct them. A cliffhanger leaves the reader in no doubt of a sequel.

Warphan is an engaging, exciting story that I enjoyed very much. Mulcey does a good job balancing his four main characters and making each of them memorable. Along with chapters that continually weave the stories of the four characters together, Mulcey also uniquely adds interludes. Each interlude is told from the perspective of a new character and sets up a new scene or stage for the story in an interesting and engaging technique. Mulcey’s writing is best at the fast pace of action scenes, especially combat scenes, which are descriptive but effective and give the reader a smooth narrative to follow. Mulcey touches on many different themes, including the right to rule, the testing of true loyalties, understanding and accepting one’s true self, and unwavering bravery.

Mulcey does have some threads that are unattended; for example a particular plant introduced as vital to Cayne immediately in the book is virtually ignored after one incident in the book, which was disappointing considering how much time was spent discussing it in the beginning. Cayne is developed right away in the beginning of the book but is then seldom returned to with the same intimacy and insight later on in the book, which partly disconnects the reader emotionally from his plight.

Though Mulcey does a good job keeping up with his four main characters, the rest of the characters in the book are so numerous that is it difficult to keep track of who is who, especially when it comes to remembering which country different characters pledge allegiance to. Numerous places and kingdoms also cause confusion when traveling is discussed.

I gave this book 3 out of 4 stars. Warphan is written well with good descriptions and natural dialogue. The book shows an interesting and unique insight into both sides of a conflict, but a few loose ends and numerous supporting characters can leave a reader confused and distracted from the main story line. A disclaimer to sensitive readers: the book does have nude scenes, but language is scarce. I would recommend this to readers who love books of action and magic.

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Warphan
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kimmyschemy06 · Post by **kimmyschemy06** » 04 Apr 2016, 08:04

Sounds like an interesting and intriguing book. I agree with you about too many characters and too many places being confusing for readers. Good job on the review.