A review by whatyoutolkienabout
The Heretic by Nathan R. Allen

5.0

I want to start by saying I was surprised this was a debut novel. Allen’s writing, style and narrative showed elements of someone who really knows their craft and can execute it well. The novel grabbed me from the first page.

Allen in The Heretic weaves together a story that combines several themes and questions throughout. There is also a focus on characters and the themes of family and the church. While this is a fantasy novel it does have a touch of theological and philosophical about it, especially when we see the past and present in the differing points of view. The world building is done well but occasionally we do have a lot of information in one go. Since fantasy is a go to genre I’m used to this being the case but to some readers it might be a bit much.

I found the pace was generally good, I did find the start seemed a little slower. Then again it is setting up the novel so to be expected and things picked up more towards the middle. All in all though I really did enjoy this one and for a debut I think it’s fantastic. I will definitely be looking for more of Allen’s work in the future.

As always thank you to Love Book Tours for the copy to review. My review is always honest and truthful.