Official Review: Immortal' Requiem by Vincent Bobbe

Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 18 May 2018, 06:59

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Immortal' Requiem" by Vincent Bobbe.]

4 out of 4 stars

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I am so sad that this book is finished. It has given me a book hangover that I feel will last a while. What an amazing ride Mr Bobbe has taken me on with this tremendous story. Immortals’ Requiem is a book that I enthusiastically recommend to fantasy readers.

Two thousand years ago, an evil existed in the world. Known to some as the miracle child, Cú Roí was the product of two different fairy races. He was a blight on the world, existing only to destroy. He was finally defeated by the fairy Grímnir, who was tasked solely for the purpose of slaying him, and whose lifeblood was tied to Cú Roí’s. Fast forward to modern day Manchester. A man walking home at night is brutally attacked in the street. While lying on the ground waiting for death to claim him, he witnesses the resurrection of the monster slayer, Grímnir. His coming back to life means only one thing... that Cú Roí has returned.

Camhlaidh is an Elf who, more times than not, is inebriated. On an evening out at his favourite pub, Cam’s drinking marathon is interrupted by an enormous man covered in dragon tattoos. The man introduces himself as Grímnir. Cam, being a disgraced Elf, has no idea the magnitude of what Grímnir’s presence means. The two set out on a journey to find the answers that Grímnir seeks. Along the way, they encounter every type of creature imaginable, and some that are completely inconceivable. Between Cam, Grímnir and a host of humans, Elves, immortal men and Ifrit, they need to come together to vanquish Cú Roí one last time. But can all these races band together to accomplish this mammoth task?

Firstly, a warning: do not read this book if you have a problem with a lot of people dying. There is serious collateral damage throughout the story, and I would not recommend this book to anyone who is violence-averse. Although, I felt that the carnage and bloodshed were a crucial part of what made this story authentic. A lot of authors throw violence into their books because they think they need to, but I felt the agony with every inflicted blow throughout this story.

It helps that Vincent Bobbe is a gifted storyteller - the ease with which he explains events is flawless. His descriptions of different scenes are exceptionally vivid, and his world-building ability is remarkable. I pictured the settings with absolute clarity, and it has been a long time since I have felt so involved in an original world. Bobbe has a great way of personifying objects in order to bring the reader right into the story. One such example is, “The swollen sun was making its lazy dip towards the horizon, and its golden face held a blush that coloured the world.” How lovely?

Although the prologue is set in 500 BC, I love that the story actually only spans over five present days. The chapters are all told from perspectives of characters in the book. This type of narration can be so tricky. I often find that when a book is written this way, I have trouble remembering who the chapter belongs to. But that was definitely not the case here. Toward the end of the book, it wasn’t even necessary to look at the chapter heading. The characters were so intricately designed that I felt no trouble knowing which perspective each chapter was written from. And the characters were vast. Bobbe has introduced every kind of fantasy creature to his tale. This includes Elves, Ifrit, zombies, vampires and weird tentacled dog-like creatures called Barghest. What I really enjoyed, though, was that none of these creatures was conventional. They all belong in Vincent Bobbe’s magnificently created realm.

Enough gushing. I am unashamedly a fangirl. I happily give Immortals' Requiem 4 out of 4 stars. The editing of this book is superb, and I found almost no errors at all. I tried to come up with aspects that I would have improved on. There were none. In fact, I could have written a few more paragraphs on other features that I loved! I would, however, not recommend this book to a younger audience. The language is colourful and the violence is extreme. It is very clearly meant for adults. But otherwise, every fantasy reader should get into this one. You’ll thank me for the recommendation.

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Immortal' Requiem
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Jackie Holycross · Post by **Jackie Holycross** » 28 Jun 2018, 15:07

Your first sentence is the best recommendation a book can get. Glad you enjoyed it.

Dahmy 10 · Post by **Dahmy 10** » 28 Jun 2018, 15:58

From the very beginning of this review, I so fell in love with the book already...

I hope I get to read it someday and pretty soon! Great Exposition here!

Samantha Simoneau · Post by **Samantha Simoneau** » 28 Jun 2018, 18:56

“The swollen sun was making its lazy dip towards the horizon, and its golden face held a blush that coloured the world."

Wow. That's stunning. It reminds me of some lines found in H. Rider Haggard's novels. I'm going to have to read this book. Wonderful review!

DathanReeves · Post by **DathanReeves** » 28 Jun 2018, 19:41

I'm finishing up Lord of the Rings right now, so it's difficult for me to be easily invested in fantasy stories when you're reading "the bible of fantasy novels." However, I was hooked from your review, and now I have to read this book very, very soon.

gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 28 Jun 2018, 22:16

I'm definitely hooked! This sounds like a great read, with fascinating characters and a well-developed plot. Thank you for the amazing review, Bianka!

Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 29 Jun 2018, 04:19

teacherjh wrote: ↑28 Jun 2018, 15:07 Your first sentence is the best recommendation a book can get. Glad you enjoyed it.

And every word was true. Very excited for his next book

Thanks so much for the comments!

Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 29 Jun 2018, 04:20

Dahmy 10 wrote: ↑28 Jun 2018, 15:58 From the very beginning of this review, I so fell in love with the book already...

I hope I get to read it someday and pretty soon! Great Exposition here!

I hope you read it too! Thanks so much for the comments

Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 29 Jun 2018, 04:21

SamSim wrote: ↑28 Jun 2018, 18:56
“The swollen sun was making its lazy dip towards the horizon, and its golden face held a blush that coloured the world."
Wow. That's stunning. It reminds me of some lines found in H. Rider Haggard's novels. I'm going to have to read this book. Wonderful review!

Thanks Sam! For such a gory book, he managed these little gems everywhere that just made this read that much better!
Thanks for the special words

Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 29 Jun 2018, 04:26

DathanReeves wrote: ↑28 Jun 2018, 19:41 I'm finishing up Lord of the Rings right now, so it's difficult for me to be easily invested in fantasy stories when you're reading "the bible of fantasy novels." However, I was hooked from your review, and now I have to read this book very, very soon.

Is this your first time reading Lord of the Rings? I’m jealous if it is. I would love to be reading it again for the first time.
I would definitely take a fantasy break after you finish reading it though!
Thank you so much for stopping by

Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 29 Jun 2018, 04:29

gen_g wrote: ↑28 Jun 2018, 22:16 I'm definitely hooked! This sounds like a great read, with fascinating characters and a well-developed plot. Thank you for the amazing review, Bianka!

Thank YOU so much for reading my review! I had about as much fun reading the book as I did writing about it

Thanks, Gen, for the great comments

JR Mercier · Post by **JR Mercier** » 29 Jun 2018, 07:16

This book sounds AMAZING! And I don't mind the violence so YAY! Loved your review!

Paiges-reads · Post by **Paiges-reads** » 29 Jun 2018, 07:21

A book hangover?? Oh, I have such a love hate relationship with them! Love the book hate the hangover, but I have to say, that definitely is a review that has me interested! The time line being only five days, I can just imagine how quick paced and action packed it is. I love fantasy and adventure, so this is being put on the top of my "too read" list!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 29 Jun 2018, 07:59

Wow! This book definitely sounds like it's worth reading. I love how you talk about a hangover! I've read books like that before; you are so sad that they are coming to an end. Thanks for the great review. The cover is definitely interesting and makes me want to read the book even more.

Adamabir · Post by **Adamabir** » 29 Jun 2018, 11:51

No doubt this book is a high fantasy novel! I'm a big fan of Lord of the Rings series! Mentioning the elves brings back the hype of reading these kind of genre. With zombies and vampires, it will be truly an amazing read.