Acrux Manor: The Prodigal's Curse

by Alexander Oladokun

Precocious teenager Lutwee Wiggins has spent his life in an orphanage. His humdrum life is thrown upside down as December 16th (the day that strange magic stirs worldwide) approaches. It is on that very night that Lord Abraham Hedgewick, an eccentric, shape-shifting knight who claims to have known Lutwee's parents, lands on the orphanage roof bearing twofold news: Lutwee is a descendant of a long line of warriors known as the Paladins, and he is the target of impending danger at the hands of the orphanage headmaster. After escaping to Hedgewick's home in the mysterious World Beyond, Lutwee quickly finds that training to become a Paladin is not as easy as he expected, and that the magic of the world beyond is more treacherous than

206 pages, Hardcover

First published October 14, 2012

About the author

Alexander Oladokun is the author of two novels for young adults: "The Numerous Risks of Dating Lorna Perkins" and "Acrux Manor: The Prodigal's Curse."

A college student and professional purveyor of sardonic wit, Alexander lives in Salem, Virginia where he is at work on several different projects, all of which are sassy and unfinished.

Reviews

[Alexander Oladokun · Rating 5 out of 5]

As do most goodreads authors, I shall review my own book. Not to be pretentious, but because it seemed like the sensible thing to do.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend of mine wrote this, and I was excited to read it. In the beginning, the plot was reminiscent of Harry Potter: a boy discovers magical powers and goes to a special school where he makes two best friends and has life-threatening adventures. But once the action began, the similarities ended. Lutwee grows in character and strength while overcoming various near-impossible obstacles, supported by his friends and countered by his rivals. Once or twice, I found myself questioning the plausibility of him and his companions overcoming the numerous monster-warriors who had attacked them. Three children against trained (if stupid) warriors? But I suppose that's why they are hero material. The action was fast-paced and sometimes confusing. The characters were very likable and believable, although I admit I wish the elves were a bit more elven and less human. The descriptions of the World Beyond fascinated me, and I hope to learn more about it in subsequent books.

The text needed editing; there were several glaring typos and more than one awkward sentence. I enjoyed the book overall, and I believe Mr. Oladokun has excellent story ideas, but much is lost if a reader cannot get through the writing. My advice to him is to find a harsh editor who will make him revise and edit more than he wants to. No writer wants to hear that; I know it's hard to look for mistakes in one's own work. That said, the lack of editing was the only major fault, and as the author is still under the age of twenty, I think we can look forward to seeing equally good and better stories from him in years to come.

I don't intend to discourage Mr. Oladokun from writing, at all, and I hope he knows this. My only aim is to say that, good as this is, he can do better, and I'm sure he will. I look forward very much to learning more about the Lutwee Wiggins and his life in the World Beyond.