Greetings once more,
5/5 Stars
Dawn of Wonder, by Jonathan Renshaw. Where has this book been all my life? My childhood has returned . . . ah, this book was just such a treat. John Flanagan finally has competition in historical medieval fantasy for boys. If Ranger’s Apprentice made readers out of Gen Z, then I hope this story makes readers out of Gen Alpha. But Dawn of Wonder takes it farther than most such fiction, with a far more dramatic background and delightful character arc for the main character and a world full of unique civilizations and languages. The advertised school arc is reminiscent of Harry Potter, yet the book is not constrained to one story arc or set, so it could be described as a bit of the first, sixth and seventh Hogwarts adventures—punctuated by a few heart-pounding climaxes.
On that note, the book has a subjective flaw: inconsistent pacing. Of course, in a 700-page novel, that’s to be expected. But I’ve seen reviews saying that readers couldn’t put it down for a second due to the gripping tension on every page, which I would disagree with. One more note I would add is that the story opens in a rather unassuming place with an introductory arc that feels almost amateurish, at least given the book description—but I say this not to detract from the book’s worth, but rather to warn those who follow all the BookTube literary agent girls to NOT give up on the book ten pages in—trust me, this is a tale you won’t want to miss. Books do not need drama and suspense from the get-go. In a word, Dawn of Wonder feels . . . fresh. Wholesome. Probably the cleanest epic fantasy I’ve read in years, yet in a mature way. Enjoyable by middle-grade or YA or adult readers. I can’t wait for the sequel . . . although the author is currently a literal one-hit wonder.
4/5 Stars
Street Rats of Aramoor by Michael Wisehart, a new series I’m reading. These first two are very short, and I got them in a bundle a while back, so I’m lumping them together here. This is apparently a prequel story to the author’s first series, The Aldoran Chronicle. I knew nothing about this series going in, but the strong writing was sufficient to keep me going throughout the choppy beginning and somewhat puzzling storytelling of book one. It follows a white-eyed young warrior of the Upaka people, famed mercenary-assassins who live underground. Ayrion is driven from his home by the whim of his backstabbing clan chief. The latter half of this novel is a Ranger’s Apprentice-style adventure with some exceptionally fun sailors and pirates.
Hurricane starts off with Ayrion’s arrival in the great city of Aramoor, where he’s treated to the special welcome of one of five native street gangs. Each is named after a natural disaster, which eased my curiosity regarding the naming conventions of books 2–6. This was another solid entry, albeit short and relatively predictable. I enjoyed the detailed workings of the gangs, or “tribes”. Overall, I wish the story weren’t quite so dark and the writing a bit less crude, so that I could recommend it for younger kids, as it’s written for older teens.
I’ve a few more books I’m currently reading, but this was all I finished in June. Sorry I was a little late to write these up. Till next time!
— Jacob Gamber