Battle for Arohanui review (Spoilers)
www.amandavanvliet.co.nz Before you dive into the review, you
should probably know what type of reader I am. I am 13 years old and am
obsessed with reading. I particularly enjoy books part of the Fantasy and Sci
fi genres. I also enjoy reading books based on true events.
The Battle for Arohanui is an
exciting and beautifully written fantasy adventure for readers of all ages. It
is full of colourful characters, amazing landscapes and has a plot that will
excite the imagination.
One of the many things that I loved
about this book was its overall world and premise. I loved that instead of
using typical, fantasy creatures such as humans, elves or ogres, van Vliet has
created her own unique and special world unlike any other I've read or seen.
The book takes place in the magical land of Arohanui, a world inhabited by the
peaceful, but powerful goats, and their protectors are the Wolfhounds of the
Royal House of Kuri te Aroha, who live in a magical kingdom with faeries and
other woodland creatures. There are tons of fascinating and unique creatures,
such as the fast talking haggises, to the gentle, lake dwelling womanatees.
During the prologue of this book, van Vliet has made sure that we understand
how the land of Arohanui works, and does an excellent job at setting the stage
for the main storyline to take place.
The second thing I loved about this
book were its characters. I absolutely fell in love with the characters such as
the main heroine, Bridie, her mother and queen, Millie, and the charming knight
Dumfrees. All these characters are relatable and well thought out, which
personally is very important to any book I read. I hate it when I have to
follow characters who I can't relate to, but van Vliet has made sure that that
will never happen. With every victory the hounds had I felt their joy, as well
as their sadness during times of tragedy. I also loved the villains too. The
first antagonist we are introduced to (spoilers), is the vicious she-dragon,
the queen of dragons responsible for the tragic, womanatee massacre that caused
the Morosium, a grieving song sung by the surviving womanatees that causes any
listener to spiral into sadness. The prologue does an amazing job at showing
what a truly black hearted creature the she-dragon is, and she immediately
becomes the one you root against as the story progresses. During the dragon's
dialogue, all her s's are extended into a long hiss, making her seem less human
and more reptilian. This was another thing I really liked about this character
because her unique style of dialogue made her seem even more alien and evil.
Our second antagonist is Gal En Skasrend, the God of evil. This character is
truly something else. He has no permanent, physical form. Instead, he takes the
form of his attacker's worst fear. This element makes him even more terrifying
than even the she-dragon, and van Vliet makes sure that the reader fears him
just as much as the hounds do.
The overall narrative of this book
was amazing too. It is written in such a way that, despite the complex plot,
the book remains easy to follow and suitable for young readers like myself.
Another thing that I liked was the fact that the book ended on a cliff hanger
(I will not spoil it for you, don't worry!) This cliffhanger kind of annoyed me
though, because I am literally DYING to find out what happens next!!!!!!
Overall, the Battle for Arohanui is
a wonderful addition to the fantasy genre. It is a book suitable for all ages
and is truly worth reading. I can't wait for the next book!!!!!
www.amandavanvliet.co.nz
