Book Review | The Broken Heart of Arelium | By Alex Robins

by · February 27, 2022

 

 

 

 

TheWriteReads | Blog Tour | Fantasy
The Broken Heart of Arelium
Categories: , ,
Tags: , , , , ,
Author:
Genres: ,
Series:
Publisher:
Published: 16th March, 2021
Some Things Must Never Be Forgotten. Over 400 years ago, twelve great warriors united the beleaguered armies of men and scoured the war-torn lands of evil, pushing the enemy back into the underground pits and caverns from whence they came. To ensure their legacy, each of the Twelve founded fortress monasteries to impart their unique knowledge of war and politics to a select few, the Knights of the Twelve. But now the last of the Twelve have long since passed from history to legend and the Knights, their numbers dwindling, are harbouring a dark and terrible secret that must be protected at all costs. Merad Reed has spent half his life guarding a great crater known as the Pit, yearning for some escape from the bleak monotony. Then the arrival of Aldarin, one of the few remaining Knights of the Twelve, sets off a chain of cataclysmic events that will change Reed forever. To the north, Jelaïa del Arelium, heiress to the richest of the nine Baronies, must learn to navigate the swirling political currents of her father’s court if she hopes one day to take his place. But the flickering flames of ambition hide the shadow of an even greater threat. And deep within the earth, something is stirring.

 

 

 

 

My thoughts

 

 

 

 

Narrative and Plot

 

 

 

 

 

The Broken Heart of Arelium succeeds well in terms of drawing you into this fictional world with its epic backstories and political intrigue. The world-building is immaculate and perhaps one of the noteworthy features of the book.

Initially, each scene takes its time to paint a vivid picture of the scene in front of you. As a visualising reader, the style appeals to me personally. However, towards the end, the scenery became just a mute background while the political games took the forefront. The shift in the style kind of felt abrupt after a certain point.

However, the plot and the pacing definitely made it a page-turner from the beginning till the end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Characters and Conflicts

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even if the book doesn’t add something fresh to the epic fantasy genre, it does a good job of creating characters that fit the typical mould of the genre. The brooding guard who belongs to an order, the naive heir to a keep who is turmoiled with her own feelings, the ever-present threat which is beyond human kind’s grasp or understanding but needs to be stopped forgetting their own personal squabbles and finally, the shifting loyalties reminded me a lot of Game of Thrones in a good way.

The tropes might be similar but the characters and their journey is quite different from A Song of Ice and Fire. If at all, it helped build the suspense around the plot and you had to read more to know more. However, in the end, the twists felt a bit urgent. It could have used a bit more setting up instead of characters randomly revealing their true nature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

 

 

 

If this book were made into a series, I would watch it. I mean, why not?  Most fantasy fans must have binged The Shadow and the Bone, Witcher and Wheel of Time. In the meantime, a good dose of Arelium and the order of the Twelve seems irresistible. In short, the book delivers what it promises and makes it worth your time.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I received an e-Book from @TheWriteReads for TheWriteReads Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get your book here : Amazon_IN Amazon_US Book Depository

 

 

 

 

 

Tags:

You may also like...