The Ring of Allaire - The Winter War #1 - Susan Dexter Book Review

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"The Ring of Allaire - The Winter War #1"
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Review Summaries

"With master magician Blais dead, murdered by the evil wizard Nimir, bumbling apprentice Tristan was all that was left to carry on Blais' last quest - to find and awaken the princess of Allaire and thus save all of Calandra, or to fail and doom the kingdom to eternal winter. Tristan felt ill equipped to rescue the princess, especially after hundreds of heroes and wizards, all better trained than he, had died in the attempt. But Tristan loved his master too much to do nothing less than his very best so he started with the basics that the others discounted. The first thing that Tristan had to recover was the legendary warhorse of Esdragon, Valadan, who had disappeared long ago. Then he had to persuade the Heir to the Throne, Polassar, that his was not a fool's errand, but a true chance at victory to save the kingdom. After he had gathered his companions, then Tristan had to find the location of the sleeping princess, somehow awaken her, find the tenth ring that was needed for the princess to use her powers, fight off jealous wizards, Nimir's Ice Hounds, and whatever other complications came along the way.... The Ring of Allaire is in many ways a simple fantasy tale retold, but in other ways it is new, fresh and fun. There are also plenty of little surprises to keep the reader guessing, even though some things seem obvious to the reader before it is revealed in the book. But, Dexter's characters are delightful and so fun to get to know and to travel with. I love that Tristan tries really hard and sometimes succeeds and sometimes doesn't, but he always tries. He seems like such a normal person and it is refreshing for the nice, normal guy to get ahead for once, instead of the brave, dashing hero. A fast, fun read that kicks of a delightful trilogy - I highly recommend all of Dexter's books!

Crested sapwood supportable noradrenaline runout. "
Debbie, Resident Susan Dexter Scholar

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Overall Review

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 20%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%

Tone of book - very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past
Coming of age Yes
Youngster becomes - a powerful magician
Spying & Investigations Yes
What is main char. doing? - rescue mission/escape from confinement
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - mage/magician
Age: - a teen
Has magical/special powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character: - can cast many different spells
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - soggy whimpering jelly muffin
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - magical being
Age: - long-lived adults
Profession/status: - mage/magician
Has magical powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - can talk to animals - fire/thunder/weather cntrl - mind reading - mind control - can see into the future - can cast all sorts of spells - Invisibility - can read emotions
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an above average amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters

Setting
Terrain - Mountains - Forests
Earth setting: - during "Tolkien" (fairytime) times
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

Most similar books by Gordonator ranking
The Amber Citadel - Jewelfire Trilogy 1 by Freda Warrington
The Language of Stones by Robert Carter
Dancers of Arun by Elizabeth Lynn
The Sword of Calandra - The Winter King's War 2 by Susan Dexter
The Towers Of The Sunset - Recluce 2 by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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