A review by kjroelke
Call of the Herald by Brian Rathbone
3.0
I had seen somewhere that this book was like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. That's terribly inaccurate, but that doesn't make this a terrible book. The world and fantastical ideas (namely the power of The Herald) feel very similar to [b:Eragon|113436|Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle, #1)|Christopher Paolini|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366212852s/113436.jpg|3178011], especially how the protagonist describes her experiences with her powers. It was a good read for a free book, and if you like fantasy and are looking for a fun, easy read, this will do just fine!
This book has a very slow start. That's just a thing. Know it going in and it gets better. The world feels similar to Paolini's Alagaesia, and even the way the characters travel around feels similar to his Inheritance Cycle. However, the world is not as complete and the character development is not strong. If that is a make-or-break for you, then don't read the book.
I felt like Rathbone wrote standard, American/English names and then changed them a little so they looked cool (the protagonist's name is 'Catrin' which could have just as easily been 'Catherine'). The inter-personal relationships are lacking, and I felt like the protagonist (who is a female) was too weepy and almost pathetic until the final 10%-15% of the book.
All that being said, it's free, it's fantasy, and it's part of a series. The end of the book ended up being quite a page-turner (and maybe that's because I had already invested so much time into the book) and I look forward to reading the next one (which is also free).
Also, once downloaded the Audible audiobook (which features Whispersync for Voice) was only $3, and that was awesome too.
This book has a very slow start. That's just a thing. Know it going in and it gets better. The world feels similar to Paolini's Alagaesia, and even the way the characters travel around feels similar to his Inheritance Cycle. However, the world is not as complete and the character development is not strong. If that is a make-or-break for you, then don't read the book.
I felt like Rathbone wrote standard, American/English names and then changed them a little so they looked cool (the protagonist's name is 'Catrin' which could have just as easily been 'Catherine'). The inter-personal relationships are lacking, and I felt like the protagonist (who is a female) was too weepy and almost pathetic until the final 10%-15% of the book.
All that being said, it's free, it's fantasy, and it's part of a series. The end of the book ended up being quite a page-turner (and maybe that's because I had already invested so much time into the book) and I look forward to reading the next one (which is also free).
Also, once downloaded the Audible audiobook (which features Whispersync for Voice) was only $3, and that was awesome too.