The Short:
The Gifted
The Daegmon War, Book
1
By: Matthew Dickerson
5/5 Stars
What: When a
dragon-like beast attacks her village, a young woman pulls together a band of
survivors to fight the creature.
Recommended to those who like: Fantasy, Christian, Teen/Young
Adult
The Long:
My family knows me all too well and continues to feed my
book addiction every Christmas. Some I save for a few months down the road and
some I read right away. This is one of my favorites so far.
Elynna is a simple fisherman’s daughter—or rather, she was,
until the Daegmon attacked her village.
Bereft of family and cursed with the
ability to sense when the beast is nearby, she seeks help from her kingdom’s
leaders only to find them unwilling to help. Together with others possessing
supernatural gifts, she seeks to destroy the creature once and for all.
The writing style is similar to Tolkien in many respects.
While I enjoyed the language, others may find it more tedious than the average
book. (I marked the book as teen and above due to this, not due to content.)
I really liked Elynna. She seems like a normal
twenty-something, with hopes, dreams, and relatable insecurities. The
characters in the story were diverse, so I think that most readers will find a
character with whom they relate.
I really have to tip my hat to Mr. Dickerson for his world
building. The island/continent on which the story takes place is well fleshed
out and full of diverse cultures and people. He also does an excellent job
using the terrain of the story to affect his characters’ actions, struggles,
and strategies. So often, geography isn’t used to its full extent in a story.
The story cuts right to the action and has a bit of an
abnormal story arc. In spite of this, I found the book enjoyable. I would
recommend this book to fans of Tolkien and Paolini who are up for a shorter
read with definite Christian elements.
Thoughts? Do you
enjoy a specific author’s writing style?
I think the premise sounds interesting, but I didn't like reading LOTR. I've read the series about twice, once before and once after watching the movies, and it took me about a year each time because I got bored and distracted. (Loved The Hobbit, though.) I think I might give this one a pass if it reads like Tolkien, I think :/
ReplyDeleteIt's not QUITE as bad as Tolkien, but you might still want to give this one a pass. It can be a bit of a slog at times. Thanks for the comment!
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