Book Review: Knightmare Arcanist by Shami Stovall (Blog Tour by The Write Reads)

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The Knightmare Arcanist by Shami Stovall is indeed one of its kind. The brief on the first book in this fantasy series sounded so good, that I, who barely ever reads anything other than crime and thrillers was hooked. Before we go any further, here is a big thank you to the author, the publishers and Dave at The Write Reads for giving me spot on the blog train.



So, let us start with the cover. Have you seen anything more firebrand, anything more fantastic than the art on this cover?! It is absolutely brilliant and I believe world-class!

Knightmare Arcanist is the story of a grave digger Volke Savan who yearns to be more than what the society has chosen for him. He wants to emulate his hero Gregory Ruma whose life it seems is stuff of stories and legends.

But before he can go on, on his personal adventures, Savan must become an arcanist- someone who can wield magic-  and for that he needs  to connect with a mythical creature. And he won't let anything stop him even if he has to pair up with a terrible creature called Knightmare-a walking armour made up of shadow and terror, that can turn its opponents thoughts into his/ her personal nightmares.

As our young arcanist and this mythical creature undertake a journey to know each other and defend all that they know and love against a threat of great proportions, we witness a plethora of human emotions ranging from animosity to friendship, deep yearning to regret and enchantment to disillusionment.

There are three other arcanists who accompany Savan on his arduous journey, each lending a unique colour to this magical story. Stovall's writing is very smooth and I had no trouble in imaging some action sequences  as if they were taking place right in front of my eyes. The narrative, dialogues and the plot development kept me hooked, a rarity these days.
Though the book is aimed at middle grade students yet I a grown up woman of 39 enjoyed escaping into this land where no one is perfect but are striving to do their best despite ridicule, dislike and difficult circumstances all thrown their way.

I have very reluctantly come out of this fantastical world that Stovall has created and continue my bland existence.

Don't believe me? Read the book yourself.

Comments

Rajesh Kumar said…
Nice Review. Thanks for it.
1:07 PM
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