Review of Grim Knights (The Grim Chronicles Book 1)

[Sarah Schmidt]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Grim Knights (The Grim Chronicles Book 1)" by D.R. Martin.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Grim Knights, the first book in The Grim Knights Chronicles written by D.R. Martin, sets up a magical world of feuding races and medieval kingdoms, the machinations of a shapeshifting family the backbone of this novel. When news of an awakening dragon threatens the safety of the kingdom of Bowden, its king, Eorek, must plan accordingly in defence of his nation. The messenger of this terrible news, Howl, claims to be the son of Grim, a mighty wizard. He willingly lends his aid to help fortify Bowden’s army against their formidable foe. Meanwhile, a neighbouring country, Calderaun, seems to be taking action against them, giving them another source of worry. All is not as it seems, however, and the Bowden forces find their true enemy lies somewhere completely unexpected.

As an extra, some black-and-white illustrations are scattered throughout the text. These weren’t so plenty as to label it a picture book, but they helped set some scenes in context. My only note on this is that I wished some other scenes were illustrated instead of the ones that were, like any of the dragon attacks or Grim doing one of his major magic tricks.

Even with the illustrations mentioned, I find it hard to think of Grim Knights as anything other than a young adult or adult book. This is as a result of the language used—swinging profane at one time or the other—as well as the gory scenes, descriptive character deaths, and so on. With that being stated, this book is suitable for a mature audience.

Characters with questionable morality are always a favourite of mine. In this case, Grim orchestrates a plot that some may find a little concerning and somewhat antiheroic. I, on the other hand, found his pre-emptive actions to be praiseworthy, where, instead of lying in wait for a perceived enemy to strike, he made moves to protect his family and chosen ‘people’, so to speak. In this same vein, I loved how each of his children had their chance to shine and how they delivered on the "for family" theme, as well.

I found a number of grammar errors while reading and feel another round of more thorough editing is needed to weed out these mistakes.

I rate Grim Knights three out of four stars. One star was taken away because of the previously mentioned poor editing quality, which was truly the only negative. As this book has proved delightful in all other aspects, I think it’s worth recommending to fiction readers who enjoy the anthropomorphism and shapeshifter tropes. People who enjoy stories about wars between man and the animal kingdom might also find this book enjoyable.

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Grim Knights (The Grim Chronicles Book 1)
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[Katherine Powell-Polkey]

Very well written review. The name caught my attention and your review for this book has made me decide that it will make a perfect Christmas gift for my nephew. Thank you.

[Henry Patrovic]

I have read this book and it is nice to see people with the same opinions. Also, great review!

[Sarah tianna]

This story is really intriguing and captivating. I know it's difficult times being a young adult, this is the phase where your strength is tested. I look forward to reading this book. Nice review.