Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange
for my honest review.
Overall: 3.5 stars
A Knight From Dein is the story of Carl Hardcourt, native to
the island nation of Dein, traveling in the war-torn country of Tenham.
Tenham's nobles are struggling against the amaleqhs, a strong but evil race
bent on adding Tenham to its conquests. Carl is given the quest of rescuing the
Heart of the elves, the Princess Taeisia - betrothed to the amaleqh king - and
regaining the support of the elven nation, which is helpless to interfere on
the humans' behalf for fear of endangering their Princess. Along the way he
meets Ella, an impetuous, revenge-driven half-elven maiden, and learns to trust
the Living One for strength and victory.
I found it quite similar to the Kingdom series by Chuck
Black, only closer to the Lord of the Rings in scope and slightly better
written. I would recommend it for mature pre-teens up to older teens and
twenties, for violence and occasional language (which was unexpected but more
realistic than a whole cast of unsaved characters who all have clean mouths.)
Concept: 3.5 stars
The concept of this book is a well thought-out and
intriguing allegory. Several components are identical to those in our world,
such as the Garden of Eden, the Fall of Lucifer, and the death and resurrection
of Christ. The new parts fit in well and add to the story instead of detracting
from it - the un-fallen elves, the amaleqhs, the Immortal Brotherhood. I support the overtly Christian theme of the book and found it
refreshing. The world is meant to co-exist with ours, which makes me feel better about the Christ figure and the original Garden having the same names as ours.
Plot: 4 stars
The plot of this book was mostly what kept me reading it. It
is not particularly fast-paced to begin with, but speeds up significantly as it
nears the climax. It includes classic elements such as quests, prophecies,
princesses, and orc-like creatures, but has enough twists and turns to keep you
guessing. It's slightly rambling, but that only resulted in it feeling more
like real life than a contrived story out of a can, and in me wishing I had
read it in a less extended period of time. I'm sure I would have been able to
follow it better if I hadn't set it down for weeks on end, but as I warned the
author when he asked me for a review, I am extremely sporadic in my e-book
consumption.
I liked the way the author switched between situations to
keep up the tension - I nearly groaned in frustration when Carl was thrown in
the dwarven dungeon, and then the perspective switched to the Tenhamese holed
up in the city of Longford with an army of amalehqs outside their doors. I
liked both almost equally well, unlike some books where I want to skip through
one part to see what's happening with the character I just left. It might have
been better, though, if he had stuck with one or two or even ten characters,
instead of head-hopping between characters I didn't know very well, such as
Felix, Cosington, and the Princess. I have little room to talk, since I have a
total of seventeen perspectives in my novel, but you know.
Characters: 3 stars
The characters are the other reason I kept reading. Ella was
my hands-down favorite. She had the clearest arc out of them all and was
probably the most relatable. I was also quite interested in how she was going
to reconcile herself to being only half-elf and an outcast. Others included the
impulsive Terrance, the steady Carl, the ambitious Arno, and the fierce Felix.
(Alliteration - how can I resist?)
Carl didn't seem to have a discernible arc, however, besides
his growth in power from an emmisary of his father's to a figure of almost
legendary proportions. I wished that had been a little clearer. Also, there
were so many princes, barons, relatives, and squires that I had a time trying
to keep them all straight. When it came to battles, I just gave up and tried to
picture what Prince So-And-So was doing with his troops. Again, this might have
been helped if I read it in a solid chunk instead of spreading it out over
several months, and it didn't hinder me much, so it's not too big a problem. My
other problem with the characters was the Princess - she felt a little too
perfect. I wish she would have had a weakness so I could identify with her, but
she - and most of the other elves, besides Ella - ended up feeling more like
gods. Which is a pet peeve of mine - if I could call Tolkien down on this too,
I would. xD
Execution: 2 stars
Here is my big beef with this book. The writing most of the
time read like a ballad instead of a modern story, with all the demands of
relatability and impact hanging over it. It's written in an old style, more
like Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, but with less detail, which upset me. I
eventually adapted and filled in a good deal of it with my imagination, but all
the same I kept feeling like there was something missing. By all means, Mr. Stone,
keep your archaic style - don't dumb it down as so many YA books are today -
but give it more punch. More sensory input, more slippery fingers and throbbing
heads instead of "it gave him a shocking headache" and "causing
him to see stars". Don't tell me he saw stars, make me see them. This is
what I say to everybody, so don't take it too seriously, but I really felt like
if it had been filled in, I would have enjoyed it much more.
Technical: 2.5 stars
This is my other big beef. The multitude of typos, passive
tense, and other small grammatical errors had me shaking my head. Practically
every time a character was supposed to have spun around, he span. I don't know
what that is, but it sounds painful. Also, too many exclamation points. I've
been worried that I use too many, but I think I know why editors warn you
against them now. By emphasizing so much, very little was actually emphasized.
After reading this book, I would like to tell all exclamation-point-users:
Throw them away. Take them all out of your prose, at least - if you must use
them in dialogue, do so, but find other ways to emphasize. However you can.
Just throw them away. xD
In conclusion: An entertaining and refreshing read, with
solid characters and a plot epic in its scope, but a few errors to be
corrected. If the author was to re-publish or write more, I would encourage him
to research the craft of writing further, and hire a proofreader. All the same, it left me smiling.
Also, a sequel about Taeisia would be interesting.
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