Official Review: The Last of Ryn Dvarek: A Journey Into D...

Cristina Chifane · Post by **Cristina Chifane** » 03 Aug 2020, 02:23

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Last of Ryn Dvarek: A Journey Into Dreams" by D.R. O'Shea.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Everything seems settled for Cael, a 14-year-old boy who lives in a small village near Rensfort, a city in the kingdom of Kaldia. One day, he will become a blacksmith like his father Orion, and he will marry Laena, a hardworking local girl. Despite his happy life in the midst of his family, he is troubled by strange dreams at night. Could there be a connection between his nightmares and the rumors of children and even whole families mysteriously disappearing throughout the kingdom? Landon, a woodsman and traveler, might hold the answers Cael is looking for. Together with Wynn, a young girl who has recently lost her family, Cael sets off on a journey across the Five Kingdoms. Has Landon told them the truth or is he only interested in their extraordinary powers?

The Last of Ryn Dvarek: A Journey Into Dreams by D.R. O’Shea is a coming-of-age novel belonging to the sword and sorcery fantasy genre. Even if it has 483 pages, it reads easily because the 58 chapters are well-balanced and the storyline flows smoothly. In a mock-serious manner, the novel rebuilds the atmosphere of Medieval Times with sword fighting, wandering troubadours, balls, and tournaments. The narrative web is punctuated with stories within stories that contribute to the overall atmosphere and ensure the passage from one action scene to another. In fact, these stories were the aspect I liked most about the novel, mostly because they were extremely diverse and reminded me of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. For example, I fondly remember Landon’s story about the death of magic, the captain’s tale of the terrible storm that almost cost him his life, or the barkeeper’s dramatic account of the legendary deeds of the four heroes in the Great War.

The first-person narration allows us to be first-hand witnesses to Cael’s adventures. This is the reason why I think the book is primarily suitable for young adult readers who will definitely relate to both Cael and Wynn. Teenagers with a penchant for magic and mystery will quickly join the two protagonists in their initiatic journey. Apart from being highly entertaining, the book also teaches valuable lessons. There are many instances in the novel when the characters either discuss or experience the far-reaching consequences of people’s fear of anything or anybody that is different from them. The author thus delivers a wonderful message about the importance of tolerance and acceptance of difference as an indispensable feature of diversity.

In D.R. O’Shea’s novel, the journey itself takes precedence over the destination. Since they travel through all Five Kingdoms, Cael and Wynn get to know new lands and new people from all walks of life. Each encounter, be it with a mercenary or a king, is a great opportunity to learn how to cope with any obstacle life might have in store for them. Their incessive curiosity makes them search for company and gives birth to savory dialogues. With the action and dialogues having the upper hand over the descriptions, the pace of the story becomes much more alert and exciting.

Cael and Wynn are clearly in the spotlight up to the end of the novel. As they advance through their journey, new facets of their personalities are revealed. They gradually discover that they can master Maruleth (telepathy) and Dakileth (alteration or manipulation). However, their kindness and bravery are perhaps more fascinating than their magical powers. While Cael impresses with his commitment to his family and his optimism, Wynn is remarkable through her independence and inner strength. Somehow, the author manages to add some distinguishing features to the numerous secondary and episodic characters too. One minute we are drawn to Jean’s musical talent and loyalty, and the next we laugh out loud at Prince Piers’ tantrums and extravagance.

I wish the editing were perfect so that I could give D.R. O’Shea’s novel the highest score. Unfortunately, there were enough punctuation mistakes to force me to lower the rating to 3 out of 4 stars. In addition to the editing errors, there were also some other issues I was not so thrilled about. As a more mature reader, I often found the protagonists’ actions rather naïve. Sometimes, their conversations were too colloquial for my taste, and the action seemed to be dragging whenever they became obsessed with food and eating. I did not take away one point for this because I am sure young readers will actually have nothing against the things that were less appealing to me. The violence scenes were not overly graphic, and the borderline profanities were not potentially harmful for teenagers, so I see no reason why fans of sword and sorcery fantasy would dismiss this novel. Even if the author does not advertise a sequel, I certainly wait for the next book to tie the loose ends at the end of the story.

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The Last of Ryn Dvarek: A Journey Into Dreams
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baha Ibrahim · Post by **baha Ibrahim** » 04 Aug 2020, 12:19

This story is captivating right from the beginning. A bright new world with fascinating characters and surroundings and mythology made for an engaging story. I am curious where they will be heading next and what sort of adventures they will stumble upon.

thanks for the review

Valkyrie9 · Post by **Valkyrie9** » 05 Aug 2020, 02:50

It is an interesting writing style to structure a book on stories within stories. It allows the author freedom to tell the tale from the perspectives of many characters. The author has clearly put great effort into the character development. It is a pity about the poor editing, but I hope the author will pay better attention to this detail when writing the sequel. Thanks for another great review!