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A review by tween2teenbookreviews
The Emblazoned Red by Dawn McCullough-White
3.0
I, uh, this book was . . . interesting. Having read none of the author's previous work I didn't know what to expect of the story. The writing itself was very good and the plot was well done. I neglected reading it for a while, but when I started, I was able to finish in an evening. The book is the first in a spin-off standalone series of the Trilogy of Shadows. The story itself isn't very deep or intricate, at least from what I could tell, but it was interesting and deep enough that it could hold my attention for the length of the story. Some aspects really had me thinking after I finished, mainly the characters.
The main character is Ilka. She's a paladin and lives in a world with all sorts of monsters and beings, as well as all sorts of politics we have to deal with. Her character stands out to me partially because she was one of the few that I saw in more than one dimension. I honestly enjoyed reading her story. She has an interesting history that I wish was a bit more detailed, but added to the story none-the-less. The other character who I enjoyed was Nate. By the way his character is, I can imagine him in his twenties at most. But he's actually much older, which makes his relationship with Ilka slightly . . . odd. While I like them together, it's often considered scandalous in society. Don't get me wrong, he's funny and caring and nice, he's just not my top pick. Of the other characters, I got a feel for one of Ilka's fellow paladin's Raven, as well as the King. Some side characters that I believe either A) played a big part in the original series or B) will play a big part in this series were also introduced. The was a vampire named Augustine, who I found slightly confusing and odd. Then there's Sylian. I like him and hope to see more of him in future books. Cameo is also introduced, and she happened to be the main character in the original series. I'm definitely going to have to go and read those books to get her backstory.
The writing of this book was immaculate. I loved how the author gave some characters accents. The backstory of this magical world that she's created is very cool, and I hope to learn more about it. While the book wasn't my favorite, and was even painful at parts, it was a good book. I may not be rereading it a million times like some others I own, but it won't be forgotten either. It was a nice middle ground book. I didn't hate it by any means, but I didn't love and adore it either. Being that I don't find many middle ground books, it was a nice change. The book gets a solid four stars.
The main character is Ilka. She's a paladin and lives in a world with all sorts of monsters and beings, as well as all sorts of politics we have to deal with. Her character stands out to me partially because she was one of the few that I saw in more than one dimension. I honestly enjoyed reading her story. She has an interesting history that I wish was a bit more detailed, but added to the story none-the-less. The other character who I enjoyed was Nate. By the way his character is, I can imagine him in his twenties at most. But he's actually much older, which makes his relationship with Ilka slightly . . . odd. While I like them together, it's often considered scandalous in society. Don't get me wrong, he's funny and caring and nice, he's just not my top pick. Of the other characters, I got a feel for one of Ilka's fellow paladin's Raven, as well as the King. Some side characters that I believe either A) played a big part in the original series or B) will play a big part in this series were also introduced. The was a vampire named Augustine, who I found slightly confusing and odd. Then there's Sylian. I like him and hope to see more of him in future books. Cameo is also introduced, and she happened to be the main character in the original series. I'm definitely going to have to go and read those books to get her backstory.
The writing of this book was immaculate. I loved how the author gave some characters accents. The backstory of this magical world that she's created is very cool, and I hope to learn more about it. While the book wasn't my favorite, and was even painful at parts, it was a good book. I may not be rereading it a million times like some others I own, but it won't be forgotten either. It was a nice middle ground book. I didn't hate it by any means, but I didn't love and adore it either. Being that I don't find many middle ground books, it was a nice change. The book gets a solid four stars.