The Undelightened by Bentz Deyo Review
Title: The Undelightened
Author: Bentz Deyo
Age Group: Teen/Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Series: The Undelightened, book one
Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
The bottom line: An excellent debut, I loved The Undelightened--an adventure and a coming of age story rife with romance, humor, magic, and danger--I can't wait for the sequel, and to see what's in store for Leam next! Highly recommended!
This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Leam Holt, simply put, is a loser. Once a prodigy in a family of Dark magic practitioners, he fails his delightenment--the magical ceremony every Dark child goes through at the age of eighteen--and his family shuns him, for he has stained their honor. A year later, his younger brother, Zach, has delightened. Hopeless as well as dejected, Leam is shocked when Gideon--king of Dark magic practitioners--offers him a second chance. Eager to prove himself, he jumps at it. But when he meets a beautiful young woman of Light named Eloa, he finds himself torn between what he could've had, and what he will have. And when he discovers disturbing secrets on both sides of a bloody war, he finds that he will never be the same..
What I enjoyed:
-I loved the concept of this novel--good and evil premises are really stale, but Deyo refreshed it--I really liked this creative spin on a classic idea, and it really sold the book for me
-Leam, the shunned young man who wants nothing more than to be accepted into his family, and yet the same time be himself--I really enjoyed reading his evolution from a beaten young man into a worthy hero
-The flashbacks and visions
-Zach, the snotnosed little brother who makes Leam's life hell, and makes quite the impressive, if a little goonish, villain
-Sara, the evil stepmother who plays her role to a tee--I really, really disliked her
-Bram, the man who makes the mistake of loving the wrong person and paying the price for it--I really felt sympathetic for him, despite his obvious evil
-Gideon--Gideon, easily one of the creepiest, most twisted villains I've ever had the pleasure of reading--he really, really gave me quite the case of heebie-jeebies
-The dark cast of characters surrounding the wicked leader of the dark
-Eloa, the beautiful young woman who gets caught unwillingly in a war she almost didn't have any intention of participating in
-Jace
-Sebastian and Miller
-The pacing of this novel was breakneck--I couldn't put it down, as there was action, humor, and danger on every page, ripe in every chapter for picking
-The ending--I can't wait to see what's next for Leam, and I'm so excited for the sequel!
What could've been better:
-At times Zach really got on my nerves (But that was honestly, probably the point. Lol.)
-I really wish more had been divulged about Leam's origins, as well as the Duncans
Overall, I really, really enjoyed The Undelightened! Highly recommended for fans of Harry Potter, a new favorite! Next on deck: More Than This by Patrick Ness!
Author: Bentz Deyo
Age Group: Teen/Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Series: The Undelightened, book one
Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
The bottom line: An excellent debut, I loved The Undelightened--an adventure and a coming of age story rife with romance, humor, magic, and danger--I can't wait for the sequel, and to see what's in store for Leam next! Highly recommended!
This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Leam Holt, simply put, is a loser. Once a prodigy in a family of Dark magic practitioners, he fails his delightenment--the magical ceremony every Dark child goes through at the age of eighteen--and his family shuns him, for he has stained their honor. A year later, his younger brother, Zach, has delightened. Hopeless as well as dejected, Leam is shocked when Gideon--king of Dark magic practitioners--offers him a second chance. Eager to prove himself, he jumps at it. But when he meets a beautiful young woman of Light named Eloa, he finds himself torn between what he could've had, and what he will have. And when he discovers disturbing secrets on both sides of a bloody war, he finds that he will never be the same..
What I enjoyed:
-I loved the concept of this novel--good and evil premises are really stale, but Deyo refreshed it--I really liked this creative spin on a classic idea, and it really sold the book for me
-Leam, the shunned young man who wants nothing more than to be accepted into his family, and yet the same time be himself--I really enjoyed reading his evolution from a beaten young man into a worthy hero
-The flashbacks and visions
-Zach, the snotnosed little brother who makes Leam's life hell, and makes quite the impressive, if a little goonish, villain
-Sara, the evil stepmother who plays her role to a tee--I really, really disliked her
-Bram, the man who makes the mistake of loving the wrong person and paying the price for it--I really felt sympathetic for him, despite his obvious evil
-Gideon--Gideon, easily one of the creepiest, most twisted villains I've ever had the pleasure of reading--he really, really gave me quite the case of heebie-jeebies
-The dark cast of characters surrounding the wicked leader of the dark
-Eloa, the beautiful young woman who gets caught unwillingly in a war she almost didn't have any intention of participating in
-Jace
-Sebastian and Miller
-The pacing of this novel was breakneck--I couldn't put it down, as there was action, humor, and danger on every page, ripe in every chapter for picking
-The ending--I can't wait to see what's next for Leam, and I'm so excited for the sequel!
What could've been better:
-At times Zach really got on my nerves (But that was honestly, probably the point. Lol.)
-I really wish more had been divulged about Leam's origins, as well as the Duncans
Overall, I really, really enjoyed The Undelightened! Highly recommended for fans of Harry Potter, a new favorite! Next on deck: More Than This by Patrick Ness!
Comments
Post a Comment