Title: Ryan and the Dark Sword
Author: R.K. Wayne
Published: April 26th 2013
Book Summary:
Ryan Thayer is your typical high school outcast: mocked, bullied, and constantly in trouble. But when he sees a girl in a house that has been abandoned for years and follows her through a mysterious gateway, he finds himself in a strange world. It is a world fighting an age-old war which has powerful implications, not only for this new land, but for Ryan’s home as well.
Forced to choose between returning home or joining the battle, Ryan decides to fight, knowing that his world’s fate hangs in the balance. He is whisked off to join the Cadyii in their mountain stronghold of Avengarde. There, along with a few new friends, Ryan is taught to use a magical power known as spectra, trained in the art of battle, and even given a magical weapon. But all is not as it seems at Avengarde. The keep has the constant buzz of secrecy around it. And then there is the matter of Ryan’s sword, whose tainted, black blade may be hiding a dark past.
As Ryan struggles through grueling lessons and a teacher who wants to kill him, Ryan has to figure out just what sort of secrets this new world – and his sword – really hold.
My Review:
This novel is very in-depth. The author spends a serious amount of time building the World, giving you the back story, and telling you about the levels of training the kids go through. Each chapter is like peeling an onion, giving you a bit more detail as you go along. It is a solid start to this interesting tale.
It did give me a bit of Harry Potter-kind of feel with the training, the Common rooms, and the relationships among a few of the students, but it did stand alone as it’s own unique story. I liked learning the back story a bit at a time as it kept the story flowing along nicely.
Rating 3 stars
Source: Provided by the author for a honest review.
