Official Review: Umbral Ten by Douglas Murphy

ritah · Post by **ritah** » 30 Jun 2020, 23:00

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Umbral Ten" by Douglas Murphy.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Imagine waking up one day and finding everything that you knew had changed? What’s worse, you find that ten years have elapsed and that you have no memory or any recollection of the years that passed. Theodosia Archmail, the lead female protagonist of this novel, an incarnate, an apostle knight, a self-proclaimed pirate turned nun, a mercenary, and a librarian all woke up one day to find that the world had indeed turned topsy-turvy. Before they could fully comprehend their new reality, the group soon finds themselves fighting unknown forces for survival. Amidst their battles, they discover that a new destructive era had risen and that the church had come undone. In addition, food shortages, gruesome killings, and human sacrifices had become the new norm. What exactly drove their world to this place of misery and callousness? And why can’t Theo and her newly formed team recall the past ten years?

Umbral Ten by Douglas Murphy is a fictional narrative filled with adventure, dark themes, and elements of fantasy with slight hints of romance. It is the first book in an intended series bound to capture the mind of the readers with its intriguing, action-packed plot.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is “Pessimism steers us wrong just as often as optimism does, and optimism is a lot more pleasant." I like this quote because I not only found it true but also believe that the main characters were all treading difficult waters, fighting all sorts of demons, including their own, and each other’s! And while their differences threatened to break their commitment towards their end goal, it was their dire circumstances that often kept the team glued together. It was interesting to see how their personalities and perceptions of each other and the world influenced their team dynamic.

The way the characters had been driven to commit acts of sheer depravity was truly heartbreaking and for them to be judged harshly by other characters incited mixed feelings from me. I understood both fronts. I do not believe that what was done was okay, but I appreciated that certain aspects of the narrative were able to elicit such strong emotions from me as a reader. Another aspect I quite liked was the elements of mystery and brutal aspects of the battles.

Even though the author did a great job with descriptions and world-building, there were elements I found confusing especially in regards to the use of magic during battles. Some parts were hard for me to picture. In addition, sometimes preparation for spells took pages and pages. On top of that, the characters would be portrayed as being indecisive in certain scenes, which, again, would take up pages of them mulling over what decision to make. In my opinion, this slowed down the pace of the novel considerably. There were a few errors I encountered, including awkward sentences and mistakes like using ‘went’ in place of ‘when,’ etc.

This would be great for a YA audience with an appreciation for horror/dark themes. Those with a love for adventure and action will appreciate it too. All in all, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.

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Umbral Ten
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NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 03 Jul 2020, 02:38

Possibly I'm too old for this novel, but it seems well developed despite the flaws you pointed out, and I like horror/dark themes. Thank you for your great review!

Priyanka2304 · Post by **Priyanka2304** » 03 Jul 2020, 13:27

I find the concept of the story quite intriguing. Thanks for the wonderful review. Would definitely think of reading it someday.

kljrox · Post by **kljrox** » 03 Jul 2020, 18:05

Quite an interesting story, with elements of magic, fantasy, and romance. I'm very impressed with the emotional response it got from you in certain parts, that tells a lot about a book. Thanks for the incredible review.

JustineSophia2 · Post by **JustineSophia2** » 04 Jul 2020, 23:20

This book sounds really interesting. Thank you for the honest review. Worlds that have magic and characters that face struggles are really enjoyable to read. I would be interested to see how the characters deal with having no memory for the past 10 years and their abilities to understand the world around them.