Reviews

Manipulator's War by Elise Carlson

faithfulgirl4's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

3.0

 This fantasy book may appeal to those who enjoy time travel, war, and sea monsters along with high stakes situations involving a lot of threats and murder. There is a lot of action that takes place in this book. At times, it became very difficult for me to keep up with who was doing what and where. There are times the writing was a bit choppy too. It's a debut author so there is definitely a lot of room for growth, and I'm sure it will take place. I had a very difficult time keeping up with the characters too. I understand that a book of this length and depth will have a variety of characters but it almost seemed too much for me. I did feel for the main characters and the challenges that they faced and the decisions that these young minds were tasked to make. I even teared up in a couple of scenes. I'm sure that there are others who really loved this book but for me, it just wasn't my style. 

kmturner86's review

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Manipulator's War by Elise Carlson is the first book in the Ruarnon Trilogy and my first book with this author. This is also my first book with a nonbinary character lead. I didn't have any particular expectations going into this book but it sounded interesting. While the story did not take off immediately for me as I got into the rythym of it all, I eventually found myself absolutey enthralled in this tale and then the pages turned faster and faster. I felt like the characters and their interactions, the plot, and details were beautifully crafted and all came together perfectly inside its fantasy realm. And at the end, I was ready for more. This book has definitely opened me up to be more willing to read outside of my norm. Never know when you'll find an absolute gem where you're not necessarily looking for one.  I look forward to reading book two! 

kpp1222's review

adventurous informative inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

A new author to me I was not sure what to expect from this young adult book. What I got was a realistic book I could not put down. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is very inclusive and not did not exclude anyone based on race, gender, or sexuality. That was a pleasure to see from a young adult story. It is great to say that there is a story out there I can recommend to friends and family members that are part of the LGBTIQA+ community. This is the first book in this book series, and I cannot wait to read the next book. If you are interested in historical young adult fiction, please give this story a read. It is well written and informative. 

tytanmom23's review

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Manipulator's War (Ruarnon Trilogy Book 1) by Elise Carlson. This is the story of Ruarnon who is the heir of Tarlah and also happens to be non-binary. Ruarnon's father who is the King thinks they can be the next ruler as long as they do their best. When Ruarnon's parents are kidnapped they must do everything they can to find them. They also have to take the Throne with the help of their Uncle but its hard because people don't want a non-binary for a leader. Ruarnon has a lot of obstacles to overcome but they are going to do their best to find their parents and prevail. When 4 students from Australia accidentally get transported to Tarlah. They are in shock trying to navigate the crazy world. Will they be able to get back home and will Ruarnon find their parents before the people do away with Ruarnon? Read this fast paced adventure to find out.

bilberrysweet's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Book has a map of the lands and is useful to reference in the novel. I appreciated all the thought that went into creating the fantasy story and the characters were realistic. In the beginning, it was confusing about the non-binary character referring themselves as a they/them. This was the first story I've read with a non-binary character. It was interesting how the author explored the idea of gender within a society where gender was neutral. Once I figure that out, I could move past the confusion and enjoy the rest of the story. You begin in one world and end up in another. This was definitely a one of a kind book!

niseag's review

adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

sturgesschildren3's review

adventurous challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This isn’t my usual genre but I was up for a bit of change and a challenge and I must say that while I won’t easily be converted this was a good read ❣️📕

There were times I just had to stop , breathe and let myself absorb and process what I’ve read there’s alit of detail and that’s not a bad thing so that’s not critique it’s just me being out of my genre and I think if this is your thing you’ll love every page ! 

wolfsbane26's review

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Ruarnon is the heir of Tarlah, the first non-binary heir as well. They have to work a lot harder because of this. Others believe they will not do well as the next heir as they have only ever been ruled by Kings. The current king, Ruarnon’s father, believes they can be the next ruler as long as they try their best. Another king had a peace treaty with the kingdom of Tarlah but as the king of that kingdom died and his son took over, there were people against keeping the treaty alive. Resulting in going behind the current king’s back to take out the royals of Tarlah. One day, Ruarnon’s parents are abducted in the middle of the night. 

Ruarnon has to take the throne of their kingdom with the help of their uncle. They have to make a lot of decisions and trust no one as people don’t like that a non-binary has taken the throne.

Meanwhile 4 teenagers are on a school trip. As they are walking along the beach, they see a trail in the woods that would make walking back so much faster. Once they enter the forest they are literally teleported to another place and time.  The teens try to backtrack, only realizing the beach is completely gone. With no way back, they venture further into this new place.

Can Ruarnon find their parents and prove to everyone that they can be ruler with no problem?

Can the teenagers make it back home? 

The book itself had all the elements to be something extremely interesting to me but it was kind of hard to keep track of who, what, where and when. Because of this I had trouble completely immersing myself in the words.

shannlynn's review

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 Manipulator’s War is incredibly detailed and I took some breaks here and there just to really wrap my head around what was happening. It was a bit difficult to get into the groove at first but once I did, I was completely enthralled! 

Ruarnon is our non-binary main character and they must prove that they are up to many challenges, including finding their abducted parents and trying to end a terrifying war in their home of Tarlah. They need to decide who to trust and rely on internal instincts in the face of opposition. The four students from Australia are in for a life-altering experience as they attempt to navigate through this unbelievable world they stumbled upon. Will they ever find their way back to Australia or will Tarlah become their new home? 

There are many emotions woven into this book and I enjoyed the multiple vantage points from different characters. I’m excited for the release of the second book in this trilogy, highly recommend for any reader interested in YA, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, or LGBTQ+ Fiction! 

tlt1970's review

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 I think this is well written, and has many turns and twist. I don't ally read this type books but it was great and i would recommend it to others