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A review by daezarkian
Soul Born by Kevin James Breaux
4.0
In short...
THE PLOT: A warrior named Karn must prepare to do battle with the evil warlord Mustafa. But can his mysterious lover, the apprentice mage Opal, and her masters be trusted? What is the truth of Karn's mysterious background?
THE GOOD: This is a fine epic fantasy yarn, peopled with realistic, flawed and sympathetic characters. "Soul Born" has a layered and intricate plot that more often than not goes in entirely unexpected directions. Breaux's world is well detailed and fully realized, and he manages to present some very familiar concepts in new and refreshing ways. (I particularly liked the jackalwares.)
THE BAD: The prose could use some tightening; there were points where I felt the novel was too long not because of the plot (which, as I mentioned, is excellent), but because the author provides *too much* detail when he should just keep the story rolling along. Character Point-of-View also shifts often and without warning, and the effect was occasionally jarring for me.
THE UGLY: Nothing ugly here, except maybe Mustafa. But so far as villains go, he's pretty bad-ass.
THE VERDICT: This is a solid read, and what few problems I had with the book had more to do with my personal preferences than any actual problem with the book itself. Breaux has a vivid imagination and a fantastic feel for his characters, and I very much look forward to reading the sequel...hey, lucky me, the sequel is coming soon! =D
THE PLOT: A warrior named Karn must prepare to do battle with the evil warlord Mustafa. But can his mysterious lover, the apprentice mage Opal, and her masters be trusted? What is the truth of Karn's mysterious background?
THE GOOD: This is a fine epic fantasy yarn, peopled with realistic, flawed and sympathetic characters. "Soul Born" has a layered and intricate plot that more often than not goes in entirely unexpected directions. Breaux's world is well detailed and fully realized, and he manages to present some very familiar concepts in new and refreshing ways. (I particularly liked the jackalwares.)
THE BAD: The prose could use some tightening; there were points where I felt the novel was too long not because of the plot (which, as I mentioned, is excellent), but because the author provides *too much* detail when he should just keep the story rolling along. Character Point-of-View also shifts often and without warning, and the effect was occasionally jarring for me.
THE UGLY: Nothing ugly here, except maybe Mustafa. But so far as villains go, he's pretty bad-ass.
THE VERDICT: This is a solid read, and what few problems I had with the book had more to do with my personal preferences than any actual problem with the book itself. Breaux has a vivid imagination and a fantastic feel for his characters, and I very much look forward to reading the sequel...hey, lucky me, the sequel is coming soon! =D