When I saw the cover for this new book by DJ Edwardson, I knew I had to read it. It spoke to me in a way most covers don’t. The story was no less compelling. I loved it. The unique story, the rich world and colorful characters, the Tolkienesque feel…brilliantly done.
A few things I liked:
- The premise
The whole idea of the story really intrigued and held my attention. A little boy is cursed with a terrible magic and our unlikely hero must set out to try to save him. Along the way he meets colorful characters, impossible challenges, and overwhelming odds. The motleys, the gypsies, the shadow-things-who’s-names-I-can’t-recall…ah, just loved it. And some of the plot twists totally threw me.
- The family dynamics
This is my favorite aspect of the story. It’s refreshing in our day and age to find a good, clean story about a healthy family. The dad loves the mom, who loves him back, they have a kid, a simple life, they’re happy…it’s so heart-warming. I also love how they immediately open up their hearts and home to little Jacob, even though he is different from them.
Contrasted to this, you have the gypsies, with their wild, selfish, unlawful ways. Which makes Roderick and his family shine all the more brightly.
- Nagan and Portia
These two surprised me. They’re hilarious. They’re flawed. I wasn’t sure what direction the author was going to take them when Nagan first showed up, but—gasp—the depth of his character arc is astounding. Brilliantly done! Loved every moment of these two. In a heavy book with lots of danger, these two brought a spot of color and laughter to the pages.
- The suspense
The author did an amazing job of pulling you from one chapter to the next. There are very few, carefully placed, slow places. DJ doesn’t let you stop for long but pulls you from one dangerous situation to the next.
Was there anything I didn’t like? Meh, not really. I wanted to knock a few heads together on occasion, but I was supposed to feel that way about them. If you are a fan of Tolkien and like quest stories, you will definitely enjoy The Last Motley.
I rate this book a high PG for thematic elements and tasteful, fantasy violence.