So I always like to start with the basic information before I move on to my review, so here we go, the book is called Clandestine (Volume 1) Loyalty and it was written by Morgan LionHeart, it’s part of a series which includes Volumes 1,2,3,4 and a prequel as well, you can check out the full series on Amazon and Smashwords. The Clandestine series is a self published collection of fantasy novels, which was released July 2018. Clandestine (Volume 1) the book that I’ll be reviewing today follows Kai, who suffered the loss of his parents at the age of three, he was left alone until he was taken in by a foster mother who later brought him into the V.H.A (Vampire Hunting Association) when he turned 15, the story then picks up with Kai, aged 18, having undergone the rigorous training of the V.H.A and is prepared to do his job. Okay so that’s some background information on the series and now on to the actual review.
Okay, now this book was a short read but even if it was longer I still would have breezed through it because it’s a very engaging story with well developed story, it clearly all comes from a place of honestly and a genuine desire to reach the audience. The author takes inspiration from anime, and you can really feel the inspiration in the narrative.
The story itself as I said above is easy to follow, but it’s not without complexity, and it picks up on the most basic of human conditions, of loss and pain and trauma but also making something of your life and trying to do the right thing. Now I have to admit I’m not a super massive fan of fantasy novels but I was able to enjoy this one because as I said you can feel the sincerity of the writer, and that really improves the story.
I do have to point out that at times things felt a little too simple, but I’d chalk that up to the writer still developing, and honestly it didn’t really hinder my enjoyment, I will say that this story has all the telltale signs of someone still developing their style, from time to time I felt the author used too much description, I completely understand that they have their vision and I respect that, but sometimes when reading you want to be able to see things in your own way and when a story is a little too description heavy it can not only bog down a story but it also doesn’t give you the chance to picture things for yourself. However to kind of put a silver lining on that negative point, the author does paint a picture fairly well and that’s a strong component of good writing.
So with all that in mind, the strong characters and the easily engaging narrative, but the minor issues which we all have when first starting out I’m going to give this story a 3/5. You can grab yourself a copy over on Amazon, and while you’re at it why not grab Book 2, Book 3 and the prequel as well. Also don’t miss my interview with the author which you can check out here.
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