Review of Roan

[Rebecca De Figueiredo]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Roan" by E. R. Barr.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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ROAN: An Urban Fantasy Novel From The Tales Of Conor Archer, Vol.1
Author: E.R. Burr.

This tale concerns Irish superstitions mingled with Ancient American Indian spirituality and traditions. There is love, goodness, and evil. The story is beautifully developed, with different facets coming together towards the conclusion. The reader is immersed in the book's magic. Although fantastical, the plot is intriguing and creates a wonderful adventure of good versus evil. There's a lot of singing, laughing, and drinking in the Irish manner, compared to the sombre image of the entity in the river and the mysterious burial mound with the two willow trees. What is buried beneath? What is this evil entity, the Piasa, living in the water, touching people's minds with its unseen tentacles, all about? Reader, read on!

Unbeknownst to Conor Archer, aged 17, evil entities are out to get him. After his mother's death, he settles at his aunt's home in the small town of Tinker's Grove, where he has many descendants. This familial line has certain characteristics, Conor being the most extreme, making him a focus of attention to the evil Dr. Drake. Dr. Drake and his partner are intent on playing around with human and animal genetic codes in a most dangerous fashion. As the book progresses, people's characters develop in surprising ways.

ROAN was written well, and I found no grammatical errors. The tone of the prose was consistent throughout, which heightened the mystery of this supernatural story. It would make an excellent Christmas gift for a teenager or young adult; although it was scary, it was not blatantly sexual or horrific.

The cover was eye-catching, with images of what to expect. As the cover states, this is the first volume, and so it will be good to see how the story progresses into volume two. Because of the above reasons, I will award it with a 5 out of 5 star rating.

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Roan
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