Hello Fellow Journeyers,
What's the story about: The King's Ranger is a simple story of a grizzled ranger who takes up the calling to help a crew of young people in a quest to solve a mystery of the realm. Originally he doesn't want to take up the call, but does and peril ensures.
Next up is a fantasy story published by renowned Amazon self-publisher, AC Cobble in The King's Ranger.
I really wanted to enjoy The King's Ranger. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, who does an admirable job. I was excited for the setting, synopsis, and story about a ranger. But despite the positives, the negatives wore me down beyond redemption. First off, the dialogue was so wooden and corny it hurt to read and listen to. Next, Rew's actions and who he was supposed to be did not line up constantly. He did and said things that I couldn't picture him doing as the grizzled veteran ranger. Besides the skills he employed and knowledge he imparts to other characters, he didn't feel like a consistent older character. A simple plot can be a lot of fun when written well, but a lack of plot and having uninteresting characters drags it down entirely. It read like a first or second draft and it could've been worked on to become something quite enjoyable!
Which leads to the next problem: lack of actual stakes. Events happen, often interesting and forward-moving, but when your protagonist's only motivation is, "I won't get dragged in, but I will because of reasons," it just falls flat. The characters weren't bad per say, but none of them had much depth (except Zaine). And lastly, the final problem that made me cringe beyond belief, the villain, Alsayer. He was just the worst.
But not all was a loss, there were factors that if improved upon, could've been very good. First off, Zaine. She's the character I connected with most when she's introduced. Once the "mystery" was revealed, I was hoping for more of her. Unfortunately, this was too near the end and too late since many of her actions are told in hindsight. Next, the Thieves Guild. Also introduced far too late, but could've been interesting if expanded upon. And then the setting. The world-building was not overly complicated, but enjoyable to learn about even when the lack of plot left it unfortunately underused. Falvar specifically was a pretty interesting city to learn about.
★★ 1.5 Stars - The King's Ranger possesses great potential, with poor execution. This story possessed everything in it to make for a good story: a grizzled ranger in Rew, an intriguing side companion/love interest in Anne, and several younger characters who could experience significant growth and character arcs. Yet none of these things turned out to yield any results of merit. The "journey/quest" plot could've been utilized to greater degree as well.
Recommended For: younger audiences looking for an easy fantasy read.
Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this book, other reviews, or talk book recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.
Rating system:
★★★★★ 5 Stars: It was amazing; I loved it. Read this book; it is definitely Essential Reading!
★★★★★* 4.5 Stars: It was nearly perfect. I really loved almost every aspect of it, but a few things kept it from being amazing.
★★★★ 4 Stars: It was very worth reading and satisfying; highly recommend.
★★★★* 3.5 Stars: I thoroughly enjoyed this story, but it was lacking in certain crucial areas.
★★★ 3 Stars: It was good, but could've been better or improved upon significantly.
★★★* 2.5 Stars: I wanted to enjoy it. Certain aspects were good, it was worth finishing, but many issues.
★★ 2 Stars: It was okay, I didn't feel strongly about it.
★ 1 Star: I did not like it. It was not worth finishing or I did not finish it.
*I round up based on the system on Goodreads. Also, there is no 1.5 Stars because it does not seem to have enough differentiation.