Review by Mouricia25 -- Roan by E. R. Barr

Mouricia Allen · Post by **Mouricia Allen** » 07 Dec 2018, 00:43

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

4 out of 4 stars

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Roan by E. R. Barr is a Sci-Fi Fantasy novel. It tells the story of an isolated Chicago teen Conor, who by a crazy twist of fate gets all the things he had been missing and stuff he would never have imagined. Conor got more than he bargained for as good and evil tend to come as a package deal.

His journey takes him to a small town in Wisconsin called Tinker's Grove where myths and legends come alive. He is forced to seek out ancestry he would never have thought existed and is groomed to be a savior to people with whom he has no alliances.

Initially, I was confused at the start of the novel, but as the story progressed, things started to make more sense. The confusion came only because there was an influx of questions while the author was putting the story in motion.

I like that there weren't any plotholes in the story and that any initial questions, in the beginning, were answered as the story progressed. I loved that the author paid a lot of attention to the details and that the story did not seem rushed, although sometimes I wanted a quicker pace of storytelling.

There were some things I didn't like about this book. However, even those issues can't take away from the fact that this was a fascinating story. I was very annoyed by Brother Luke because of his naivete. I understand that people think differently, and skepticism is not always a bad thing. However, I can't comprehend why after experiencing things first hand, he was still so obtuse.

The most upsetting thing for me in the novel was everyone trying to hide information from the person who needed it the most, then getting upset and blaming him, when he does something he shouldn't have. While I understand that giving someone too much information too quickly can burden them and may have adverse effects, I also believe that most times we cause more pain and destruction by trying to 'protect' people from the truth. So many things happened because the characters made very selfish and silly decisions.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because while I had my little annoyances, it was well written and was a great story. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves sci-fi and fantasy novels. It is perfect for book clubs as it has a wealth of points that can be discussed and enjoyed. It does have some mature content in it, and I would not recommend it for children under the age of 13.

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Roan
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