Book Review: The Last Quest

The Last Quest, by Samuel Robbins

Tales of Lysandria: Book 1

Pages: 167

Genre: Fantasy

My Rating: 4 stars

About the Author:

Samuel Robbins is a young Christian fantasy author who writes to glorify God in everything he does. He takes a vacation to Lysandria every once in a while. He is a member of the Young Writers’ Workshop, and has been published in popular Christian devotionals and on theRebelution.com. He blogs at samuelrobbinsauthor.wordpress.com.

Synopsis:

Simon is a boy without a home. Taken in by a kind heart in the small village of Olisford, he has grown up in the wilderness around the town, exploring the forests and hills. He longs for friendship, but no one seems to pay attention to him. Sydney is a survivor. Abandoned by her parents, she has lived by herself in the forest near the town of Olisford for years. She is beginning to wish for someone to talk to, but she isn’t sure the people in the village will accept her. When Simon and Sydney meet each other, the story of a lifetime begins. The two become fast friends, but troubles in the village quickly arise that threaten their friendship. Raids from the snowy nation of Herlenia across the Impassable Mountains are growing more common, and as Simon and Sydney enroll in the warriors-in-training program in the village, they face trials and triumphs and meet friends and enemies.A desperate battle for Olisford sends Simon and Sydney on a great quest, sending them over the Impassable Mountains, fighting raiders, and facing dangers. A smoking volcano is the site of a final battle that will determine the fate of Lysandria. In this incredible story of friendship, adventure, bravery, and sacrifice, the stakes are high like never before, and to save Lysandria from falling may cost in blood…

My Review:

Samuel Robbins’ independently-published debut novella!

I was honored to have Samuel give me a free ebook copy of this book for an honest review on my blog. So here we are!! Let’s do this!

This book is an enjoyable read from beginning to end! Full of friendship, adventure, and risky feats of bravery, I had a lot of fun reading it. The story starts off with an introduction of the main characters–two odd kids who don’t fit in with the rest of the people who live in their village. However, when the village is threatened by raiders, the kids, who are now enrolled in a warriors-in-training program, have to step up and take some matters into their own hands.

The non-stop adventure in this book and each cliffhanger kept me reading until the end! It’s light-hearted at times, but at its core, feels like an exciting, epic fantasy!

I didn’t have very many problems with the book. There are two characters named “Bruce”, and “Brunt”, and they have similar personalities. They’re inseparable brothers, so it isn’t a big problem that it’s difficult to tell them apart, but it can get frustrating at times.

I noticed a couple cliches in the story that are quite overused in fantasy stories, but they weren’t major, and I was able to set them to the side and enjoy the story!

The writing, while simple, engaging, and easy to read, was at times slightly dull. I think a quick edit to polish up the sentences and make the writing shine would have perfected that, but it wasn’t anything major. It did jerk me out of the story once in a while when a sentence was confusing or abrupt.

The combat is well written and page-turning! There are some descriptions of blood and death, but they never get too detailed, which is nice! Besides the fighting, the book is completely clean and perfectly acceptable for a younger reader.

All in all, this is a wonderful debut novella and an exciting story! I can’t wait to see where Samuel Robbins goes with his writing!

I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a thrilling, short, fantasy adventure book, probably ages 10+.

You can purchase this book on Amazon here!