Review - "Keeper of the Realms: Crow's Revenge" by Marcus Alexander

Keeper of the Realms: Crows Revenge (Originally published as "Who Is Charlie Keeper?")

Original Version

'I've just had a flesh-eating giant tearing around my house and now I'm in this strange land I don't know anything about!'

CHARLIE KEEPER has been forced from her home by a bloodthirsty and terrifying stranger.

But in escaping she discovers her house holds the gateway to the REALM OF BELLANIA - a place of myth, magic . . . and an evil Lord with a very bad attitude.

NOW its fate rests squarely upon Charlie's shoulders. But before she can untangle the mystery that will save Bellania, she needs the answer to a life-changing secret her guardian, the dastardly Mr Crow, has been keeping from her . . . Just who is Charlie Keeper?

***

Just fnished the book a while ago. I am... satisfied.

Let me start by saying that this is a CHILDREN's novel. I think that is important because the book is a bit, well... childish. It's for children. Enough said.

The Characters

Charlie is a young girl, but has an iron will and isn't afraid to tell people what she thinks. She's a bit cheeky, too. I think she is definately relatable (being bullied at school and has a strong sense of good) and a generally likable character (keeping in mind the audience for this book is children). Her character isn't shallow, but quite developed, and you can definitely see her progression throughout the book regarding strength, confidence, and knowledge. We get a good insight into her background life, as well.

Charlie's friends that she makes in Bellania, Jensen and Kelko, are just SO hilarious. Their good-natured pay-outs to each other and their general... comedy? ...just make me wish I could be friends with them. They're really awesome characters and a great addition to the story.

And of course, like nearly every fantasy book, there's the wise old mentor. In this book, it's a fellow named Azariah. He is typically like all other "wise old mentor" figures in other books like Harry Potter (Dumbledore) and Eragon (Brom): knowledgable, helpful, kind, and good. Despite the concept of his character being a bit over used, Azariah is another good addition, and very necessary, substituting for her lack of family (isn't that always the case?).

Then there's the bad guys. Can't give away too much, but basically the baddies are, well... baddies. You know, the typical power-hungry, evil-to-the-core, wanna-rule-the-world type of guys. No room for repentence or mercy. Sits upon a throne of evil and sends his minions to devour all the goodness in the world. The enemy in "Crow's Revenge" is a bit over-dramatic, but I kinda like it that way. And, oh wow, some parts are just horrifying! Really... grotesque. Lovin' it, don't get me wrong, but horrible at the same time.

Generally, I love the characters, I think they're really like-able, and there's some you just love to hate! Some could do with a bit more exploration, but the book ended with a hint at a sequel, so hopefully we'll see more into the more shallow characters.

Moving on.

Places
Her house. Bigger on the inside. C'mon, "Doctor Who" much? I'm not annoyed at the idea of a house that's bigger on the inside, despite the fact that it is abundantly used in fiction. In fact, that's what made me want to buy the book. That, and the fact that her house was in London. What can I say? I just love British culture :P But the main story takes place in Bellania., well, Sylvaris really. Sylvaris is the Treman city (The Treman are this race of green-skinned, top-knot-haired fellows, they're awesome) and is described to be amazing! I won't spoil it for you, but Sylvaris is georgous. But I have an issue. This book seems to take all the things I love about Harry Potter and bundle them up to put in this more childish book that isn't as eloquently written. The life-applicable quotes, the typical "place-that-you-can-escape-to-in-a-fictional-world" type of thing, is all present in this book (Sylvaris being the typical refuge place). I mean, I love it, but it seems as though it just isn't... right. It's hard to explain, but it's like the author is trying so hard to incorporate those things and it's just SO obvious, well, to me it is. This is just a minor issue, though. There's also this Bellanian sport called "K'Changa" which just toally reminds me of quidditch for some reason. The concept of, anyway.

Additional Thoughts
Over all, this book is a good read. To me, it had this Septimus Heap/Harry Potter type of vibe. Another issue I have is the casual way in which it is written. The language is too colloquial for my liking. I just generally prefer Christopher Paolini's style of writing in the Inheritence Cycle (that smooth, eloquent, kind of formal style that makes you want to read it in a very dramatic and mysterious voice). Also, the repetitive notion of Charlie stomping her foot gets on my nerves. But that's just me being picky.
Okay, I've repeated over and over throughout this review that the book is childish. And it is, but not OVERLY. People die, some parts are quite grotesque and emotionally devostating, but because the main character (Charlie) is only 13, it makes the book childish because it's from her perspective as a child.

How do I feel about recommending this book? 

I'd say, if you don't mind books that are a bit on the childish side, go for it. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this to someone, saying "Oh my gosh, you HAVE to read this!"

Out of 10?
6.8

For more information on this book, visit  http://whoischarliekeeper.com/

Okay! So that's my first review. Hope you enjoyed. Not sure what my next review will be, or when, but hopefully you'll subscribe and stay tuned. Feedback would be appreciated, and requests are always welcome. :)

Okay! First post. Ever. Wouldn't it be weird if this blog got really famous and I'd look back and see this as my first ever post? Dream big.

Anyway. I made this blog because I wanted to share my reviews on all the books I read. Sure, there's billions out there, vlogs too, but it doesn't hurt to have another perspective. Also, I thought this blog would help with my writing. So here I am.

This is just an introduction. At the moment I am reading a book called "Keeper of the Realms: Crow's Revenge" (originally published as 'Who Is Charlie Keeper?") so when I finish that will be my FIRST REVIEW. Yay. Wooh!

I suppose that is all for now. I'll be back in a day or so to review Crow's Revenge. Don't forget to send feedback if you have any comments, or book suggestions! I am always after new material to read :)

Have a TOTALLY AWESOME day :)

~ Jess