Author K.I. Coones provided me with a nicely written medieval fantasy adventure piece that is suited for young pre-teen and young teenage readers. The central character is Ralik, a boy that enters a Guild for training of weaponry and magical skills. The story falls well along with what young boys experience, making friends, sneaking around and finding adventures, and his first love at first sight of an attractive girl. The story is generally light and is a nice, smooth read, and gives some danger without much graphic detail, which to me makes this story appropriate for pre-teens. My critique is that the story line comes a bit close to Harry Potter, and the challenge the author has is to bring this story up to stand on its on, as J.K. Rowling’s mega-buster is a tough act to follow, whether one likes Harry Potter or not. My subjective opinion is that it needs to move faster into action to keep the manuscript fresh. I hope Coones has upcoming sequels to this story; as some questions about the Ralik’s parents, a pair of identical magical items that he and a girl both possess, and to see Ralik’s growth as he continues to face the challenges inside the Guild which he trains. I hope this author lets us know when a sequel is available, because I’d like to read it. Overall, 3 stars!
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