The cover

Amazing. Rabid rats foaming out of the mouth in a dark forest with big glowing yellow eyes…I couldn’t ask for more.

Prologue

I am a fan of mystery when it comes to the antagonist. While there was a nice setup for things to come I was disappointed when it was clearly spelled out who it is.

The First Sentence

“The noise of the crowd faded to a buzz in Justan’s mind.” – The story kicks off with a sword fight and this sentence doesn’t display the immediate urgency of battle. Needless to say, I wasn’t hooked.

The Start

Right in the beginning we are put into action. There are swords, fighting, and mages healing wounds, but shortly after the story slows down. There is a YEAR of the main character Justan training, all of this seems like unnecessary fluff that could have been cut to make a stronger story. It isn’t until later that the story actually starts.

The Halfway mark

The pace has been a bit slow for my liking. At the halfway mark I feel like I should have a general idea of the overall plot. So far I have not bonded with any of the characters; but the simple flow of the writing style keeps me reading on.

The End

As I crossed the finish line of this book I stopped and thought…”is that it?”

Overall

“Eye of the Moonrat” is the first book in the series but on its own it doesn’t stand as a complete book. It mainly followed the character Justan, but there were a few chapters of Fists (an ogre) and Deathclaw (A dragon creature called a Raptoid). I was more drawn towards their stories as opposed to Justan’s which poses a problem because after all… the story is about Justan. There is no doubt in my mind that both of those characters will eventually cross paths with Justan but their presence in this first book didn’t work. There wasn’t enough focus on them and just like the overall book their involvement was incomplete.

Trevor H. Cooley has a great imagination and crafted an interesting world to put his characters in. His writing style is simple and easy to follow which is his greatest strength. The only thing missing is the lack of focus on the story. At the time of this review there are five books in “The Bowl of Souls” series and I look forward to seeing how the author has grown.

Rating: 2/5

Link to book: Eye of the Moonrat: The Bowl of Souls: Book One

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I'm an aspiring writer and with that comes the love of reading. I purchased the kindle version of this book at regular price and all reviews are unbiased.

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