Book Review: Wrathborne by K. R. Doroc

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Intrigue. Betrayal. Violence. 

Andor has been at peace for years, but the ravages of bloody civil war are still firmly imprinted in people’s memories. When Duke Oberon finds a member of his house assassinated by the very man his King has asked him to visit in peace, he knows he has no choice but to enter the lion’s den once more. 

Erol is a young champion and supremely ambitious. When he stumbles across a mysterious captive, a man whose fate could decide the future of the kingdom, he reaches a crossroads in his life. Does he murder an innocent man for the safety of the realm, or does he help him and threaten the very peace Andor’s people have been longing for?

Plot (3 Stars): I love the idea of this book. It sounds absolutely fascinating. However, I had a lot of trouble following the story. I’ll talk a little more about that in the writing section. I think this book has the potential to be awesome!

Characters (2 Stars): I couldn’t like the characters. It was difficult getting to know them. By the time I finished the book, I felt like if the characters lived or died that it didn’t matter much to me, because I didn’t know them.

Writing: (3 Stars): I think this is where the real problem is. The author has the skills of a writer. Great words are being used and it’s descriptive, however, it needs to be tightened up. For example, one paragraph says this, “My mother gave it to me when I left home. She said nerves would kill her if she didn’t know I’d made it to the Baron safely and I needed to tell her I’d be safe, so she gave it to me before I left, saying I’d meet someone who could write.”
There are a lot of words in that sentence and I had to read it two or three times to comprehend it. This was a common occurrence throughout the book.
Another problem I had is this book is written in first person and alternates the speaker. It’s not a problem for me when books do this, because there are normally only two speakers. Not in this book. First person speakers include Varrion, Erol, Urundil, and Atticus. Four voices. Maybe flipping back and forth between the four voices is why I felt I didn’t know the characters well – I took me a while to remember which character it was? I’m not really sure. I just know it was difficult for me to follow and know the characters.

Overall: I give this book 2.5 stars **-. It was an intriguing storyline with lots of potential. I think this author can make it awesome, but after a few more edits.