A greenish hue cover outlining a kid holding a sword, a flap containing a map showing a neat outline of some kingdoms and a colophon boasting of a supernatural period thriller, my expectations were set high for "Origins, Arrkaya Book One" by Yashas Mahajan.
Book Blurb
"An ominous cloud prevails over the continent of Nyvarda, as a concealed enemy, with most political leaders already under his thumb, and a sinister army of monsters under his command, threatens to destroy Arrkaya, and the precarious balance between the existing powers…A group of young heroes, hailing from different kingdoms and classes, come together to prepare against this formidable threat, whilst safeguarding the interests of their people and fighting the mistrust among themselves…On this journey of self-discovery, they finds secrets that will change their lives, and possibly change the entire world…Time, however is running out, and the enemy is ready to strike
“Origins” proclaims to be the first book of Arrkaya series which revolves around a few kingdoms such as Arrkaya, Heiligesia and Arzi, wherein a temporary period of peace created by King Edward is disturbed by an uneventful attack by supernatural mud-like creatures (Golem) and a chain of disappearance and killings of royals in these kingdoms. The lives of the protagonists are changed as they pick up the trail, battle the supernatural, fall in love and rise up to the occasion wherein the need arises, as conspiracies uncover and hidden mutual mistrusts surfaces as they slowly come of age.
The book is written in mostly third person narrative with an occasional first person from Prince Rafael. Personally, the book feels like a Game of Thrones rip-off, which unlike the latter fails to leave a lasting impression. The flow disrupts a lot and there is a lot of switching between the storylines. The first person chapters are well written as compared to the third person ones, but they are only a few in number.
King Edward (like Ned Stark) is shown too idealistic and honourable as a character who has his human moments. There is a lot of potential for Scar which could had been better portrayed. Edward and Byron feel like supporting cast leaving a room for their growth. Zelina ends up mostly playing the love interest of Scar and Rafael. Trisha displays an occasional spark but again mostly ends up being the love interest of Byron. Rafael is comparatively well written as we are able to immerse in his first person narratives and portrays his character well. The only character that is perfectly written and truly impresses us is that of Serafina whose presence in the book is sadly very short.
Personally, I felt the lack of good editing in this book. The story line has a lot of potential but it could had been better.
For Yashas Mahajan’s maiden initiative, my overall rating would be 2.5/5.
Overall Verdict:- Could be better
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts on our work. Your candour are highly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteWhile a direct comparison to one of the frontrunners of the genre might seem somewhat harsh, the height of your expectation from us is gladdening.
As we are presently working on the next edition of the book we will attempt to incorporate as much of your insight into our editing process as possible.
I hope the upcoming sequel will satisfy your concerns regarding the character development, and that the plot will live up to its potential.
We look forward to hearing from you again.
Warm Regards.
Sorry for delay. Sure will get back to you when second part arrives
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