Official Review: The Elixirist by Avraham Azrieli

[Wy_Bertram]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Elixirist" by Avraham Azrieli.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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When he falls in love with a strange, beautiful girl, Sall, son of the healer, sets out on a journey to win her heart. Believing himself unworthy of her hand just yet, Sall ventures out in search of an elixir capable of turning him into a man deserving of beautiful An. But the road ahead is laced with hardship and misery. Stranded abroad, Sall learns of a mighty army closing in around his home, and slowly, his mission changes from that of a boy in search of love, to a young man who must do everything in his power to save his people.

Set in biblical times, The Elixirist is a fantasy-adventure novel written by Avraham Azrieli. The author plotted the hero’s path through ancient Israel as it came under attack from the imposing Egyptian army. Loosely interlacing bits of scripture into his writing, Azrieli created a world that was both familiar and completely alien.

At first glance, The Elixirist might appear like a told tale, but this underdog story sets itself apart with the harrowing challenges Sall suffers, and the satisfying victory he eventually enjoys. The entire way through, I found myself rooting for the wistful, lovesick boy.

Some characters, on the other hand, I found to be lacking; An, the love interest of the hero, comes to mind. While she seemed to have a lot of presence in the story, she just was not a compelling character. In fact, besides her good looks, I could not see any reason why Sall was supposedly so desperately in love with her. In the end, she seemed more like a personified plot-point than a central character. I think the author focused more on building plot and the main character, that other characters fell flat as a result.

Another shortcoming of The Elixirst would be the terrible job of editing. I found countless errors during my reading, and that heavily impacted my enjoyment of this book. Worst of all was the fact that these typos were so obvious. I recommend another round of diligent proofing for this book.

These issues taken into account, my rating of The Elixirist comes down to 3 out of 4. The book was thoroughly fun and enjoyable with an epic climax, but the author still has some work left to do.

I recommend this to fans of fantasy and adventure. The setting would appeal to historical fiction buffs, and any reader who enjoys a classic underdog arc will find Sall’s story fascinating.

Happy reading.

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The Elixirist
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[RHD]

I would like me some adventure. This one even seems very unique. Thanks for the good review

[Drianie]

I honestly hope the author releases an edited version of this novel. The premise sounds so interesting, along with the elements of fantasy and adventure. I would love to give it a read. Thanks for your well-written review!

[AnnOgochukwu]

I like this storyline, from a boy in love, to a man with responsibilities. I also like the setting of this book, it is an interesting and classic one. I hope all the necessary corrections are made, that this book might shine.
I enjoyed reading your review, it was nicely done.

[Mbrooks2518]

Sounds like a good adventure story. Hopefully the author does some more editing. Great review!