Hello Bookworms!

I hope you’re having a happy, peaceful week. I was on “Spring Break” from school recently but had been working on projects all week to avoid chaos later, so I definitely needed a distraction. Hence, this book review!

This time I read A Door into Evermoor (The Unbound Realm Book 1) by Kent Wayne.

Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing this author (check that out here), and I’ve had some of his works on my Kindle for quite some time, so I gave this a try.

Also, this is another buddy read with wordsmith Iseult Murphy. We got to talking on reads and she mentioned Kent’s work just as I was starting this, so we’re back at it again! This post will be my individual review, soon to be followed by Iseult and my buddy read and rant conversation.

Alright, enough chit chat. On to the good stuff!

Blurb

Jon is a well-off kid with a stable future. But he can’t shake the feeling that he’s destined for something more—something different and strange, drawn from the stuff of dreams and fantasy. After a fateful encounter with a mysterious stranger, he gets more than he wished for.

Jon stumbles into a fantasy realm, filled with Wolven and witches, goblins and gargoyles. Along the way, he befriends a thief and a Wayfarer, a High Taire Duelist and a half-Elf princess. Wyverns and dragons, wizards and spirits…these are just a few of the wonders that appear on his journey.

As a great author once wrote: “There are other worlds than these.”

GoodReads

Amazon

***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

This is my first time reading this author’s work, and I had a good time.

This fantasy novel is about a man named Jon. Bored with the tedium of everyday life, he dreams of a life filled with adventure and wonder. Little does he know, his life is about to be turned upside down when he’s thrust into the fantasy world of Evermoor. Can Jon leave behind the life he’s known, and can he survive this strange new planet?

Admittedly, this book isn’t perfect (few are for me), but there were some really good elements and a few misses along the way too.

What worked for me most was Jon’s overall character. Jon seems like your average Joe. He’s been told all his life to join the work force, keep his head down, and work for retirement. But he resents the system and longs for something more. I can definitely relate to his mindset, and I loved how nerdy he was about things since I’m a huge nerd too.

His POV helped water down the high fantasy element into digestible bits, which makes it more accessible to readers. One qualm I did have was his age. Personally, I felt he seemed more of a 21-25 year old, but it’s not that far off from his projected age of 19, so I can’t really complain too much about it.

The other characters in the book were colorful and unique. My favorites were Erany and her quirks and Nyanti and how kick arse she was in battle, but each one really stood out. Kudos to the author for that.

The plot was quite the roller coaster ride. I love portal fantasy stories, and that element really worked for me. The magic system was also really intriguing, and though we didn’t get a super in depth look at how things work, we get a fairly good idea throughout the course of the novel.

I will say that in spots the flow/pacing could get a little off the rails for me, but it always picked back up, so it never truly stagnated. I also got a bit confused from time to time with the philosophy side of some explanations, but then again I’m not a frequent high fantasy reader.

Overall, this book has a lot going for it, and if you like portal fantasy with lots of action and adventure, it’s definitely worth a try!

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

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