Book Review: The Reluctant Knight

Title: The Reluctant Knight

Author: Doug Glener

Genre: Fantasy

Reviewer: Jessica

Review:

“I have watched humanity for millennia, and have come to learn that, when people are endangered, they will act like an ostrich, a crow, or an eagle. Ostriches bury their head in the sand, thinking that they will be protected from a danger if they can’t see it. Such a strategy, however, does not save them. Crows are social and intelligent, but they are also petty and ill-tempered. When trouble comes, they look to their own survival first, with no thought to the welfare of the flock. But eagles soar above the mayhem. They watch the world with keen eyes, and act at the perfect moment."~ The Reluctant Knight by Doug Glener.

Percival Adler, a young boy just in high school, has been the victim of bullying. While trying to escape from his tormentors one day, he stumbles upon a world, and a quest, that will change his life forever.

One of the main things I'd like to point out about this book is that it's very well written. Great choice words, good detailing, and little to no typos. The writing flowed very nicely, and that was lovely. However, I found the first half of the book to be very slow. I had trouble getting through it. I kept finding myself wanting to read something else. But once I got past the first half, it was great. All the action scenes I had been waiting for were there. And there was also humor, which was refreshing.

However, I couldn't get attached to any of the characters. They were all a bit too flat and underdeveloped for my taste. This is something that can really make or break a book for me, and in this instance, it broke it. I was expecting to read about deep; characters with a lot of character evolution but this book did not deliver that.

Nonetheless this was a nice little fantasy story, set in a interesting world. I love how the author deals with touchy subjects such as bullying, friendship, and morale. Personally I would've liked it the book to be longer with more character development, but that's probably because I enjoy reading books of a more mature nature. I would definitely recommend this book for middle graders, and perhaps some highschoolers and adults who don't mind reading books aimed at a younger audience. 

Rating: