Age: 14
Title: The River Kings' Road: A Novel of Ithelas
Author: Liane Merciel
Publisher: Galery Books
Pub Date: ?
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: Yes
Annotation: After the brutal massacre of a village and nobles, warring kingdoms on opposite sides of the river are thrown into approaching war. Desperation entwines the fates of a baby heir, a mercenary, and a village girl in an attempt to unravel the mystery, and prevent war. Meanwhile, a bloodwitch meddles in the affairs of the two kingdoms that may just doom them both.
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: This book is an epic story of choice really. The characters are believable and make realistic choices in the situations. The world is original, and the names are very cool. The magic in the book is very cool, and makes me shiver in places.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I was sincerely concerned about the characters, and how their stories would turn out. All of the characters had flaws and strengths, and you could see through their points of view very well.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I was unhappy with the ending, and not just from a personal point-of-view. Yes, there is going to be another book, but some major points were just left dangling. You never find out what happens to two of the MAIN CHARACTERS! That would be okay if she did a Suzanne Collins-esque ending, stopping in the middle of a scene or something, but she wrapped up one of the plots very tidily, while still leaving room for the sequel. So it felt out of place to just ignore the other part of the plot.
Comments: I also really enjoyed her writing style. The way the author moved from point-of-view to point-of-view was very interesting, and gave you a full view of the plot, without giving it all away. When done well, this style is great, but it's so easy to get wrong. Kudos to her!
Cover: The cover was awesome. I'm a sucker for knights in shining/tarnished armor, and epic battle tales, so this was great. The striking blade and costume stands out from the shelf, and gives the innocent browser a good measure of the feel of the book.
Did you finish: Yes
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
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