Book Review: The Orphan King

The Orphan King by Sigmund Brouwer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The last words of a dying woman would change the life of young Thomas. Raised behind monastery walls, he knows nothing of his mysterious past or imminent destiny. But now, in the heart of medieval England, a darkness threatens to strangle truth. An ancient order tightens their ghostly grip on power, creating fear and exiling those who would oppose them. Thomas is determined fulfill his calling and bring light into the mysterious world of the Druids and leaves the monastery on an important quest.

Thomas quickly finds himself in unfamiliar territory, as he must put his faith in unusual companions—a cryptic knight, a child thief, and the beautiful, silent woman whom may not be all she seems.  From the solitary life of an orphan, Thomas now finds himself tangled in the roots of both comradery and suspicion.

Can he trust those who would join his battle…or will his fears force him to go on alone?

This is just . . . not good. The writing has kind of an odd style that doesn't flow well. And I was bored silly. There is a lot of fantasy out there that is so much better than this, that there's no point in wasting time on this kind of stuff. I guess you never know until you try, but by the time I got halfway through (this book is only 200 pages), I decided not to waste any more of my reading time. No point reading something I'm not enjoying.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review

Review: Flight of Shadows

Book Details

Title: Flight of Shadows: A Novel
Author: Sigmund Brouwer
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 305
Publishing Info: Waterbrook Press, May 18, 2010

My Review
Why I read it: received review copy from Waterbrook Multnomah publisher
The Plot: In a futuristic dystopian society, Caitlyn wants to remain unnoticed.  Because of genetic experimentation, she has a deformity on her back.  But she's being hunted.  Not only by a sadistic bounty hunter, but by a government agency.  With the help of a mysterious guy named Razor, she escapes capture, but not for long.  This book is a sequel to Broken Angel, but I didn't read that, and although at times I wondered if there was a previous book (I looked it up later), I didn't feel lost or like I was missing anything. 
The Characters: Caitlyn is a very strong character, but because she is so withdrawn and slow to trust anyone, it's hard to really get to know and love her.  I was very curious about the secondary characters, especially Razor.  I wanted to know exactly what had happened to him in the past, and what he was going to do next.
The Setting: A horrible dystopic United States that I hope never comes to pass.  I don't think anything like that will, especially in my lifetime, but it didn't sound like a good place to live.
Who Should Read This? Anyone looking for a fast-paced, interesting science fiction novel set in the future.  It was published by a Christian publisher, but the religion is very minimal.
Final Thoughts: I really liked this book.  The chapters were really short, and moved from character to character, which really helped to move the story along and make sure it never got stagnant.  I was worried when I first started reading that it was going to be a little heavy on the science, especially when there was one sentence with three words I didn't know, but it wasn't bad at all (I am so not a science person).  I'll definitely read more by this author.
Grade: B
Cover Thoughts: I like the cover, but I wish the writing was a little less prominent.  It's hard to notice anything else.