The Reading Bud

Book Blog by Heena Rathore-Pardeshi

Book Review: Almost Adept

20453138

Author: Olga Godim
Release Date: January 5, 2014
Series: None
Genre: High Fantasy | Romance | Young Adult | Magic/Elementals
Edition: mobi
Pages: 4339 (kindle pages)
Publisher: BURST
Interest: Requested by author
Source: Author (Thanks a lot Olga!)
Buy it here: Amazon

Blurb

To prove her Adept potential, seventeen-year-old mage Eriale embarks on her first magical quest. She expects a glittering foreign escapade but ends up in Grumesh, the land rife with poverty and violence, where local courier Kealan becomes her only friend and ally. Together, they survive an explosion, a treacherous incarceration, and a daring escape. Sparks of interest ignite between them, but before Eriale can explore her attraction to Kealan, she discovers blood magic running amok in the city. Her priorities must change. As an aspiring Adept, she is duty-bound to find and eliminate the blood mage of Grumesh, or the blood magic will taint the entire land. No matter the cost—her life or her heart—she can’t let the vile mage win.

Rating

5

Review

Plot | Story

A lovely concept with a fairly simple plot story. The pace of the story was great and classified this book as another of Olga’s no-nonsense book. No unnecessary melodrama, no useless twists and no over-writing, that’s how this book was and for me it was a real fairy-tale treat. This is the third book by Olga that I’ve read (the first two were Eagle En Garde and Squirrel Of Magic), and once again I’d like to say that her books are like fairy-tales for adults. I don’t know how she does this, but while and after reading her books one feels that the world is a beautiful and happy place where evil can never sustain. I love reading her and I hope you’ll do too!

Characters

The characters so well-developed that one just can’t hep falling in love with them. Eriale, the female protagonist, is just so adorable that she’ll instantly make a place in your heart. Koala, the male protagonist will do the same unless you’re a guy!

The character connect is just awesome and I’m sure I’ll never forget Eriale, just the way one never forgets Cinderella.

Romance

The romantic relation between Eriale and Kealan takes a considerable time to form and is really adorable. It’ll keep you entertained throughout the book.

Writing

The writing is amazingly easy and extremely relatable. You’ll get hooked in less than 20 pages and will not leave the book till you finish it.

She’s one of my favourite authors. Her books have made a special place on my shelf and I can’e imagine not reading her books over and over again!

Beginning

The beginning was really good. I really enjoyed it when Eriale turns a duchebag into a “muttonhead.” It was really funny and served as a great start for the book  to acquaint the reader with all the magic do’s and don’ts in the world of Eriale.

Ending

The ending was good except for the fact that the Eriale’s duel with Udolen ended too quickly, it could have been much more entertaining given the fact that Eriale was almost an adept and that the entire book ,kind of, revolved around that only! I feel that the ending needed some more magical action.

Cover Art

I don’t know how to put this, but it is quite horrible (sorry Olga!) A book this good really deserved a much, much better cover art!

All I can is don’t judge this book by it’s cover!

Blurb

The blurb is perfect. But if you’ll pick up the book just by reading it then you’ll find the ending quite dull and lacking extreme magical action.

You can also read this review on Goodreads | Amazon

Other Stuff

Opening line: “Eriale exhaled slowly behind a heavy curtain.”

Highlights: Fresh magical adventure.

Lowlights: Cover art.

Final Thoughts: A beautiful tale.

Related photo on My Instagram:

Note:

FTC Disclaimer
I do not accept any form of payment for the reviews I write or the other content I post. Books received from Authors & Publishers are designated as such. Receiving books from Authors/Publishers, in no way affects my review as it is my own opinion.

***

13 responses to “Book Review: Almost Adept”

  1. romeorites Avatar

    I really like the sound of this and am unfamiliar with the author. I agree with you about the cover. It looks a bit yuck. Story sounds good though, and like the character names. Nice review Heena. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Heena Rathore P. Avatar

      Thanks a lot Romeo! Yea the cover is a huge turn-off!
      And yea, the story is pretty good. I really liked it and I hope that they get a new edition for this one in a better cover, it might just be on top lists for magical rom-com then! 🙂

      Like

  2. By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff Avatar

    This looks like a lovely story Heena. What a great review 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Heena Rathore P. Avatar
  3. Indah Susanti Avatar

    I always admire people who write fiction like this. It’s not easy and it needs great imagination..thanks for the review Heena, I will check it out!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Heena Rathore P. Avatar

      Thanks a lot Indah! I”m glad that you liked it. Let me know if get to reading it… would love to know your thoughts as well! 🙂

      Like

  4. Molly Mortensen Avatar

    I’ve never heard of this book or author, but it sounds like she has a good style. I also dislike all of the melodrama and extra stuff that isn’t needed for a story sometimes. I always have high expectations about endings after all of the build up too. It’s a shame when it isn’t as epic as I’d hoped. Nice review. 🙂

    I liked seeing your instagram of your notes. So much more organized than mine.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Heena Rathore P. Avatar

      Thanks a lot Molly! Olga is an amazing author, trust me! If ever you wanna check out her books then don’t start here, read Squirrel Of Magic first. It’s a superb book, a modernised magical fairy-tale type stuff! I love that book and I’m very sure that you’ll like it too!

      And thanks so much for mentioning about the Instagram pic. I’ve started to take pics of all my review-notes with the book. So I thought to add those pics with respective reviews… it makes the reviews feel a bit different and more personalised!

      Have a glorious day dear ❤

      Liked by 1 person

  5. teny Avatar

    I have some doubts about this one, but may be this will work – I am going through an unpredictable phase 😀
    I almost judged it by the cover too 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Heena Rathore P. Avatar

      Hahah! We all go through this face 😉
      And yea, so did I, but the good thing was that I went ahead and read it 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  6. nekaaar Avatar

    I don’t like the cover either… looks like an Anime set up. But I’m thinking it is something that I will enjoy reading… books with bleh covers always turn out nice in my experience anyways.
    Great review!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Heena Rathore P. Avatar

      Thanks dear! I hope you like it as much as I did! 🙂
      Have a great weekend 😀

      Liked by 1 person

  7. phoenixgrey85 Avatar
    phoenixgrey85

    Sounds like a really interesting book. I love fairytales, so the minute I read that word, I was hooked!

    Like

I love reading your comments, so please go ahead…

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

I’m Heena

Welcome to The Reading Bud, my cosy corner of the internet dedicated to all things books and authors. Here, I invite you to join me on a journey of discovering under-represented books, independent and small press authors, and all things book with a touch of love and loud purrs. Let’s get Reading!

Book of the Month

Read this captivating story on the adventures and hardships of Frank Knightlite, a man who strives to illuminate darkness with his lantern in search of answers to life’s questions.
You can get it here.
February 2015
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
232425262728  

Reading is like breathing to me.

Recent Posts

  • Book Review: Ten Assholes and a Curmudgeon by Bruce Wayne Workman

    Book Details: Author: Bruce Wayne WorkmanRelease Date: September 30, 2023Series:Genre: SatireFormat: E-book Pages: 139 pagesPublisher: Blurb:About the Author Bruce Wayne Workman is a retired rubber chemist with a BS in Information Technology. He is a jack of many trades…

  • Book Review: La Finca: Love, Loss, and Laundry on a Tiny Puerto Rican Island by Corky Parker

    Book Details: Author: Corky Parker Release Date: January 26, 2023Series:Genre: MemoirFormat: E-book Pages: 208 pagesPublisher: Trinity University PressBlurb:At age forty, Parker surrendered to her Swept Away meets Swiss Family Robinson fantasy of running an inn far from her home in…

  • Book Review: TOX by Harken Void

    Book Details: Author:  Harken Void Release Date: May 29, 2023Series:Genre: Science-FictionFormat: E-book Pages: 123 pagesPublisher: Blurb:The world is dead, suffocated by the greed and neglect of the very children it gave birth to, and humankind itself is dancing on…

  • Book Review: The Dreamer: The Girl Who Dreamed the War Over by Julie G Fox and Tzuri King

    Book Details: Author: Julie G Fox and Tzuri KingRelease Date: 8th March 2023Series:Genre: Children’s FictionFormat: E-book Pages: 36 pagesPublisher: Blurb:In “The Dreamer: The Girl Who Dreamed the War Over,” readers are transported to a small town in Ukraine where…

  • Book Review: The School of Homer by Alexander Marriott

    Book Details: Author: Alexander Marriott Release Date: 2nd August 2023Series:Genre: Format: E-book Pages: 416 pagesPublisher: Pegasus Publishers Blurb:Virgil Colvin, a retired homicide detective, leaves his hometown Chicago to resurrect his honeymoon memories with his dead wife in Ithaca, Greece.…