[Book Review] The Razvak Hunter by Arel B. Grant

The Razvak Hunter by Arel B. Grant is a refreshingly unique fantasy novel featuring magic, fantastical creatures, and absolutely wonderful characters.

I'm so happy that this is the first book in the Razvak Series. I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book!

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way. 

The Razvak Hunter by Arel B. Grant

Synopsis:
Before…
Aelwyd has worked hard to become strong. As the Fairest One of Vallenthar, her power is formidable. Years of battle honed her into a fearsome warrior who never falters in front of an enemy.
However, there are shadows that when they come, they can swallow you whole.
After a hundred years of praying against it, the minute she walks into the chilling scene of death in front of her, she knows her personal nightmare is back.
He nearly destroyed her once, but she isn't a victim anymore. This time, she will stop him, or she will die trying.

Now...
Dalbran knows nothing of friends, joy, or mischief. The orphaned ward of a ruthless warrior woman, she’s never showed him love or affection. Instead she fills his days with learning the art of battle, savage teachings of how to survive in their harsh world. Days are filled with pain and exhaustion, but nighttime used to be his own. Even that is now lost, though, for something lurks in the shadows of sleep, clawing at him the moment his eyes close. He tells himself it’s okay, that he can handle it. However daunting the voices may be, however cold the hand that chokes him in the darkness, as long as it stays within the nightmare, everything will be all right.

As long as it stays within the nightmare…


My thoughts:
My goodness, this was such a fun read!

This is an author that I will definitely be keeping my eye on. Her writing style is so lovely. It's beautifully descriptive, but never goes overboard. Her character development and their dialogue is excellent. And the world that she has created here is so interesting.

As you all know, I'm not usually a fan of varying perspectives and timelines, but each storyline here were both really wonderful! It did take a bit of time for me to get used to the flow, and because of the way the chapters were organized, it was a little repetitive at first. But once I got a quarter of the way into the book, I could not put it down!

Not only was each storyline written so wonderfully, the overall organization of the book was also very well done! I LOVE books like this. Though to avoid any spoilers, I will unfortunately have to leave it at that.

I loved the characters! Whether they were main character or side characters, they all seemed so realistic. Aelwyd was a very intriguing female character. I loved the way her storyline was introduced because it forced me to be patient and wait to learn more about her slowly as the book progressed. And Dalbran was so wonderfully funny! He could have easily been a very dark character, but I'm glad he kept his humor! Even the fantastical beasts were really interesting! I hope to see more of them in the second book.

From the magical standpoint, I thought the various elements were all really interesting! Though there were a few that I wished were explained in more detail. The main element, the power of the Rose of Vallenthar, was really neat!

Beware, the negatives:
Like I said above, I thought the book was a bit repetitive at first. Specifically when it came to explaining the Fairest One and her looks and power. But per usual, that is just one of my personal reading irks.

My last slight complaint is that there were many instances where the wording was wrong.
For example:

• “He’d always felt strange sense of peace among these three’s.” 
• The word “threes” should be “trees.”
• “Nobody else sat in Rodan‘s chair is she could help it.” 
• The “is” should be “if.”
• “Didn’t you now, fairest one?” 
• The “now” should be “know.”
• “How could this had happened?”
• The “had” should be “have.”

However, the rest of the writing was so wonderful that I was able to look past these elements and not let it hinder my reading progress. 

My favorite passages:
This is my home. She savored those words as the morsels they were. She never had a home before. Not really.

Inside the Border Forests everything was bigger, meaner, darker. It was like the whole place was warped somehow, part of a universe that wasn’t all that right. And yet, he’d always felt a strange sense of peace among these trees. Like this was where he belonged.

Don’t travel in packs, huh? He was going to find the author of that study and make him shove his useless research into a very uncomfortable place. I’ll never trust stupid book again!

Today, she leaned over the wooden railing of the balcony, looking up to a sky patched with thousands of quiet lights.

“I know what you are thinking, it must have taken a great deal of practice to achieve such mastery, right? Well, you’re correct. It’s a skill that takes years to develop. I, personally, elevated the ability of talking to oneself to the category of art. I can do it for hours. Never gets boring. Comes in handy too. When the only creature you can talk to are spiders, roaches and rats, you have to be eloquent and your monologues, otherwise there’s the risk you’ll run out of topics to discuss with yourself. I’m telling you, it’s tricky stuff.”


My final thoughts:
If you're like me and are feeling pretty burnt out when it comes to fantasy reads, trust me, you'll want to give this one a go! It's so refreshingly different!

Even though I had a few issues with the wording here and there, I really enjoyed this book overall! The storyline, the characters, the world... it was all so wonderful! I will definitely be picking up book two of the series, Elven Princess, as soon as I can to see where the author takes us!

Thanks for reading!
What is your favorite fantasy novel?
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