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A Review of "The Engineer"



Introduction

Mr. Darran M. Handshaw contacted me mid-April and requested that I review his novel, and I am extremely pleased that he did! Readers, I really enjoyed this book! It was interesting and held my attention the entire time I was reading it. Additionally, the inspiration for the story is really unique and SUPER cute! But I'll let y'all read the prologue to see for yourselves--I won't spoil the origin story!

My Rating: ★★★★

Synopsis: "'We are born in the shadow of fading memories and fallen dreams, living our days within the decaying bones of an age long gone.'

 When The Engineer, Actaeon, arrives at Pyramid in the heart of Redemption, nothing goes according to plan. Mysterious raiders pursue him relentlessly across the shattered remains of the ancient metropolis, and the leaders of his homeland pay no heed to his ambitious ideas. Meanwhile, deep beneath the Pyramid, a deadly creature stirs. And, when Actaeon meets a skilled young Knight Arbiter with brilliant blue eyes, he starts down a path he could never have imagined.

 The vast, fallen city of the Ancients is home to a new people who face the constant struggle to find resources needed to survive in the dangerous ruins. For the Engineer, however, Redemption is a treasure trove of technology, opportunity, and answers. But his unique skills make him a target for those who would use his talents to achieve their own dreams of power and control.

 In his endless quest for the truth, will Actaeon discover the fallen city's greatest secrets? Or will he share the same fate as the Ancients of whom nothing remains but a whisper? 

 One thing is for sure: in Redemption, everything comes with a cost." (via Goodreads)

Thoughts and Comments

Pros

  • The language is eloquent but comfortable, which is very appropriate for an adult fantasy novel.
  • The writing is fabulous--the author goes into great detail that shows and doesn't tell, and it really helps to paint a picture of the scenery of the novel.
  • The characters are all likable in their own respective ways, which is important for me. I find it very hard to find books with characters that I end up really liking, so this was super refreshing!
  • The entire setting raises so many questions--in a good way! I found myself constantly intrigued by all of the places Actaeon went, and it left me wanting to know more about the history of the place, even though the author does a good job at filling in a lot of the necessary historical and geographical details.
  • I didn't find ANY holes in the plot, which made for an excellent tying-together. I never once felt like I had questions about what happened that demanded an answer.

Cons

  • Most of these cons are minor things, but they still stood out enough to bother me at least slightly. To begin, the author occasionally repeats words and phrases too close together in the context. The narrative would list a word or a phrase, and then have the same word or phrase written a few paragraphs down the page.
  • The main character, Actaeon, describes himself in the beginning by looking in a mirror. As one of my biggest pet peeves, I feel like I have to stress this every time I see it: please don't do this!
  • In the beginning, Actaeon seemed to fit the trope of a Gary Stu, but as the novel went on, my opinion of that faded very quickly, as I saw him begin to round out a bit more. Don't let this hinder you from continuing the book!
  • The geographical and technical terms of the universe aren't really explained in the narration. There is a glossary (which I would definitely count as a pro!) but it would be nice to see a bit of explanation in the story.
  • The narrative is a third-person narrative that is very close to Actaeon. Sometimes, however, the narrative would switch to that of an omnipotent narrative, which threw me off, but only momentarily.



Conclusion

This really is SUCH a great book! I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you're a fan of fantasy, I would absolutely recommend that you pick this one up. Additionally, if you're a fan of archaeology or engineering, this definitely should be your next read! Mr. Handshaw, thank you so much for allowing me to share in your great adventure! I sincerely hope to see more from you in the future!


Amazon Link: See here
Goodreads Link: See here
Riffle Link: See here

This fulfills my "Fantasy Romance" subgenre of the Fantasy genre!


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