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azrah786's review against another edition
4.0
**I was provided with a digital copy of the book through the author in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, injury, sexual assault/rape (off page), abandonment, animal death, death of parent
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A great debut, Beckoning of the Gate has the cadence of a classic fantasy adventure.
We follow Santha, a young girl who inadvertently becomes the Keeper of an ancient key that she stumbles upon in the forest behind her house. Drawn in by the key’s power are many creatures of legend that Santha believed to be nothing but stories, their growing presence a great danger to the people of her town. The key itself steers Santha to some unknown destination, unlocking a chance for her to get away from the gossip that has shunned her from society. Thus Santha sets off on an journey to safeguard those around her but to also uncover the key’s true purpose.
Over the last few years I’ve fallen out of love with stories that involve fae and I jumped into this book not realising they were a significant element to it but you know what this book may have somewhat redeemed fae for me.
Benjamin J. Ryan is without a doubt a great storyteller. The worldbuilding in this book is brilliant, the writing immediately giving a vivid sense of the atmosphere.
The mythology, which you become more accustomed to the more you read was fascinating and there was some absolutely fantastic scenes where the unnerving, eeriness of the fae really came across. There’s a particular part of the story near the beginning with the protagonist and her mother that I still can’t stop thinking about.
I didn’t find myself able to exactly connect to Santha (or any of the characters in particular) but her development through the book was really well written. There were also some good character relationships though I feel like the one that stood out the most was the bond with Biahnd, her animal companion.
You have to push through a bit of a slow beginning but when the quest at the heart of the book kicks in I found my self really enjoying this adventurous, coming of age tale all the way through to the end.
I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the author’s future work!
Final Rating – 4/5 Stars
CW: violence, blood, injury, sexual assault/rape (off page), abandonment, animal death, death of parent
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A great debut, Beckoning of the Gate has the cadence of a classic fantasy adventure.
We follow Santha, a young girl who inadvertently becomes the Keeper of an ancient key that she stumbles upon in the forest behind her house. Drawn in by the key’s power are many creatures of legend that Santha believed to be nothing but stories, their growing presence a great danger to the people of her town. The key itself steers Santha to some unknown destination, unlocking a chance for her to get away from the gossip that has shunned her from society. Thus Santha sets off on an journey to safeguard those around her but to also uncover the key’s true purpose.
Over the last few years I’ve fallen out of love with stories that involve fae and I jumped into this book not realising they were a significant element to it but you know what this book may have somewhat redeemed fae for me.
Benjamin J. Ryan is without a doubt a great storyteller. The worldbuilding in this book is brilliant, the writing immediately giving a vivid sense of the atmosphere.
The mythology, which you become more accustomed to the more you read was fascinating and there was some absolutely fantastic scenes where the unnerving, eeriness of the fae really came across. There’s a particular part of the story near the beginning with the protagonist and her mother that I still can’t stop thinking about.
I didn’t find myself able to exactly connect to Santha (or any of the characters in particular) but her development through the book was really well written. There were also some good character relationships though I feel like the one that stood out the most was the bond with Biahnd, her animal companion.
You have to push through a bit of a slow beginning but when the quest at the heart of the book kicks in I found my self really enjoying this adventurous, coming of age tale all the way through to the end.
I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the author’s future work!
Final Rating – 4/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Abandonment, Animal death, and Blood
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