Official Review: The Boy in Winter's Grasp by John Scotcher

[weiwei]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Boy in Winter's Grasp" by John Scotcher.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Based on Arthurian stories, The Boy in Winter’s Grasp by John D. Scotcher is a young adult fantasy that sets in World War I era. The story follows Christopher Flyte who meets a mysterious old man after he was being sent home from school. Following a series of events, Christopher finds himself in possession of Winter’s Grasp, something that should only exist in the Arthurian legend, then to top it off, Christopher is being hunted by creature beings that should not exist in this world. And when Christopher thinks thing couldn’t get any worse, he suddenly finds himself transported to a world where King Arthur actually exists. Christopher couldn’t help but wonder if all of this is just a dream or is he slowly going insane.

Christopher is our typical protagonist who is courageous, resourceful and loyal to his friends. Unfortunately, that is all there is to it. Christopher does not possess any personality traits that makes him stands out from the rest of the characters. And of course, we have The Master who is our run of the mill antagonist in this book. There is nothing much I can comment on this character as he feels like a stereotypical villain to me without any notable qualities. I feel the only noticeable character is Sama Neeley, who is Christopher’s best friend. Sama is stubborn, unladylike and adventurous. These distinct personality traits make her a more memorable character. In contrast, the main character of the story leaves a fuzzy and fleeting impression.

My favorite part of the book is the premise and the magic system in the story. What I find so unique about the premise is that it is essentially a world based on Arthurian stories but with World War I elements in it. I am not going to divulge too much on the magic system as I believe it is something the readers should experience and find out themselves. However, there are certain aspects of the magic system that are unclear, such as the origin of the artefact and The Entity. At times, I am not even sure I fully understand the workings of The Entity or as a matter of fact, what The Entity actually is.

The pacing of the story is my least favorite part of the book. While I do appreciate the detail explanations and elaborations in the book as it certainly helps with the build-up of the story, but it also inadvertently slows things down. In my opinion, the plot of the story is too “linear” and not captivating enough. There are not enough twists and turns to make the book a page-turner. I also feel there are not enough dialogues going on in some parts of the book, and when there are, they do not feel real to me. As a result, I find it hard to get through some of the chapters.

Overall, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It is a pretty good and I love the premise of the story tremendously. However, I would like to mention there are some parts of the story that are unresolved and unexplained, which I hope there will be an upcoming sequel to address all of that. I would recommend this book to fantasy readers who love a unique premise and an interesting magic system.

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The Boy in Winter's Grasp
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Like weiwei's review? Post a comment saying so!

[ashley_claire]

Nice review! The mix of World War I and King Arthur sounds really intriguing.

[weiwei]

Thank you!

[kimmyschemy06]

The premise sounds very promising. I have always been fascinated with Arthurian legend and I would be happy to read another version of it. However, I prefer characters who are relatable and admirable even the villains. Good job on the review.

[weiwei]

The premise sounds very promising. I have always been fascinated with Arthurian legend and I would be happy to read another version of it. However, I prefer characters who are relatable and admirable even the villains. Good job on the review.

Thank you!
Yes, very intriguing premise! It is a good read but it could be better if the characters are more relatable.

[John Scotcher]

Thanks weiwei. I'm glad you enjoyed it, at least in part. The sequel (there's at least two more to come) is on track for Xmas 2017. There'll be lots more of Sama for you.
John

[weiwei]

Thanks weiwei. I'm glad you enjoyed it, at least in part. The sequel (there's at least two more to come) is on track for Xmas 2017. There'll be lots more of Sama for you.
John

It is my pleasure.
That is some really exciting news! Can't wait for the sequel!