I received a free digital copy from the author’s publicist in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
The Chronicles of Crallick, the first book in The Spirit of Amathrain series, tells the story of Crallick Oakentree, a man with a checkered past that finds himself widowed in a cruel jest of fate. As a result, Crallick becomes a failed farmer, a single father, and an alcoholic.
One day, after awaking from one of his many drunken stupors, Crallick finds his daughter has been kidnapped and his favourite drinking hole has been set ablaze.
Leaving the serene beauty of his home in Gladeholme, he travels across beautiful countryside and over a wide ocean full of danger, before tackling the seedy ports of a pirate-ridden archipelago. Still though, the kidnappers remain one step ahead of him and his accompanying friends. Crallick is intent on one thing: rescuing his daughter. Failing that, he wants to inflict his revenge upon those that do her harm.
But after ten years of drinking and aging, does he still have what it takes? Follow his Chronicles and find out.
My Review:
I think the cover is beautiful. It just screams fantasy, in my opinion. A person with a sword in the middle of a pretty forest. There’s definitely action and adventure and certainly fantasy elements.
While I love Lord of the Rings, I don’t typically read this kind of fantasy. Or, I should say I don’t read fantasy often. But this novel sounded good so I decided to give it a try.
The Chronicles of Crallick is just like another adventure fantasy. He goes through some troubles and is a drunk, but once his daughter is kidnapped, he puts on his armor once more and sets off to rescue her along with his friend, who’s daughter was also kidnapped.
They go through some trials and tribulations on their journey, which takes a whole year. I’ll be honest, I didn’t realize that much time had passed. I thought it was just a couple of months.
The plot was good, but as I said, it’s similar to most fantasy novels. The journey was great but it wasn’t as unique as I felt it could have been. It was enjoyable all the same though.
All the characters were well done, I didn’t feel as though any of them really developed though. The journey took a year and I felt like they were the same people who began the journey. They hadn’t really changed or learned anything throughout.
Still, the characters were my favorite part. They were all distinct from one another, had unique personalities and voices, and I absolutely loved their names. Crallick, for example, just rolls off the tongue and sounds so good. There weren’t any names in here I had to stop and try to sound out. I just read through them normally.
This book is easy to read and it flows well. It’s written in the third person, past tense and it’s a page-turner. The story was pretty linear and I found it enjoyable to read.
Overall, this was a good story. I think the timeline could have been done better and the plot could have been more unique, but it was still a great read with wonderful characters. It had tense moments, sad moments, and I chuckled a few times as well. If you enjoy fantasy or any sort of action and adventure, check this one out.
The Chronicles of Crallick by Brad C. Baker gets…
4 out of 5 cups
Favorite Quote:
“Doesn’t your goddess teach tranquility and peace? Why don’t you exercise it?” –Brad C. Baker, The Chronicles of Crallick
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