Book Review: The Rise of Aredor (The Rise of Aredor: Book 1)

Rating: 4/5 stars.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book. I was thinking that I would at least like it. But no. It was way better than that. I loved it! It was so exciting and enjoyable to read!

Prince Corin of Aredor lived a normal life until around twelve years of age. Then he was stolen and sold as a slave. His defiance brings him trouble and he struggles to survive. But he will not be broken. Though his country is conquered by another and his family is probably dead or captured, he will not give up hope. He will survive. He will return. And he will take back his kingdom.

I loved these characters. They were characters that almost as soon as they were introduced you fell in love with them. The characters were endearing to me. Corin was, of course, my favorite. It was neat to see how he changed as he grew up. At first, he was a rambucksious boy who was always getting himself into trouble. He was funny and talkative. As he grew older and went through so much hardship, he became solemn and reserved. But there was always a quiet defiance about him. He had a temper that he barely kept under control. Emeth was awesome. He was humorous. He was a great friend to Corin. He brought him out of the darkness that Corin had sunk him. Azrahil was a great captain. He was stern, but he cared about his Phoenix Guard. Nicar was the learned in healing. He was calm and wise. Ahmed was quiet, but very loyal. I would like to learn more about him, I feel like I hardly know anything about him. Martin was fun and a bit reckless. He was so willing to do anything to save his friends.

The plot was extremely exciting. It was so fast paced. I was sucked in from the beginning. There were many dangerous battles. It got a bit violent, but I loved how medieval it felt. It felt like I was back in time on real campaigns. That was cool. People were captured. Towards the halfway point it had a Robin Hood feel as Corin took risks to take back Aredor. It was really fun. It had me stressed too many time to count. Especially at the end, I was worried.

The only problem I had was that the book was very rushed. It moved fast, which moving fast isn’t bad, but it was a bit too fast. I felt that it could have been more drawn out. That there could have been some more dialogue. The beginning was also a bit choppy with the way it moved fast through the first few years, but then it smoothed out and kept a pretty even pace.

Overall, it was a great book. One that I would recommend to all teens. I am very excited to start the next book and read more about these wonderful characters!

I got this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. 

-G. Paige