SPIRIT QUEST - Tim McRae

 Niri Lakani is the last surviving heir to the throne of Annwn, uncrowned ruler of the realm of Arawyn, sorceress master of the five elements and warrior guardian of Qi. She fights dark forces all across the magical realms as she looks to defeat the Mistress Witch with some help from some newfound friends.

This is about as close to a DNF as I've ever come with a book.  I was absolutely ready to delete this from my Kindle about 20% into it when I thought I'd see what others were saying about it.  Seeing an overall rating of 4.63 on Goodreads, with only five and four star ratings I was shocked!  Clearly I was missing something, or the book was going to get much, much better.

I wasn't, and it didn't.

I continued because it was either going to be a really good book, OR there needed to be some reviews that provided a different viewpoint.

First off, let's talk story.  There's nothing that really happens here.  Seriously.  It's a "wander" book - characters walk around and get into scraps. The purpose of their wandering never becomes strong enough to make this an actual quest. It is mentioned, but the characters never seem to feel impelled to a sense of urgency to accomplish the goal. Instead, we get characters who fight a little (and not always in a manner that advances this goal) and hang around and talk a lot.

Now style.  This is told in first person.  It's an odd choice because it really limits the story to what's happening to one person and we only get their perspective on everything that's happening. (Well, sort of, but more on that in a moment.) But it's been done before and it could be fine, if it works.  But I think it's partly this style that slows the book down.  

Niri spends a lot of time talking about her feelings and what's going on around her - things that aren't, again, relevant to this important quest.  We also learn later that this is a journal. And yet she's describing actions in real time:

She hovered over me, raising her sword high overhead with both hands, ready to plunge it down into my chest. I lay there, looking up at her helplessly as she pinned me to the ground with her foot. I must have been injured, for I could not move. Or perhaps it was just another dream intruding on the visions.

This just doesn't have impact.  It's first person. We know the teller isn't going to be killed, so where's the danger? And, is this really the way someone writes in their journal? 

And with first person narrative, it's almost impossible to avoid sections of info dump:

I had always found the realm of the Lycanthropes fascinating. Some there choose to live primarily as wolves, while others prefer the human form. When I say human form, I mean only that they stand erect and resemble human shape, with human-like faces and hands which are usually hairless. The rest of their bodies remain covered in thick fur with solid pads on the bottoms of their feet and sharp claws instead of toenails. When in human form, they speak human languages; as wolves they speak a language all their own.

The language is also rather problematic.  We get an odd mix of what I consider high fantasy language ("Many things did we discuss on our journey," "I shan't be long," "If ever you were to visit my home") and idioms that strike me as more modern ("Good try, pal").

It's a fantasy, so of course there's sex.  This feels so ... immature is the best way I can describe it. There's the lesbian connection:

    I do not know what prompted me, but we were getting on so well that as we walked between two stalls, I blurted out, "Is it odd tat we have both bedded the same man?!" The words came out a little louder than I had intended, much to the amusement of strangers nearby.
    Sara laughed and glared back at a few quizzical glances from passersby. "What is odd is that you are a far better kisser than he is!" she answered more discreetly than me.
    I think I may have blushed at that. "You are not too bad, yourself," I murmured much more quietly that time. "I have known a few men to fall short of your talents in that regard."

And there's the 'straight' connection:

Gryff and I, in particular, found a new level in our relationship, for that is genuinely what it had become. Though I have always prided myself in being fiercely independent and capable, I must admit I was enjoying the close companionship and intimate bond that had so quickly developed between us. Much to my surprise, I did not even mind those few rare occasions when Gryff took the lead, content as I was just to be in his company and happy for the first time in my life to let someone else make decisions.

Going back to the first person narrative ...  I've read books before, in which a first person narrative is used but it switches between characters for the different chapters.  This book also switches - but not until maybe 9/10 of the way into the book.  Then it switches for most of one chapter.

My name is Gryffin MacGregor. I was friend and bed partner to the sorceress Niri Lekani in the months leading up to her disappearance, and I have taken it upon myself to narrate this part of Nirri's journal so there may be a proper ending to her story...

But the chapter is only partly told by Gryff. Niri picks it up at the end.  So what was the purpose of this? It must be to give us a really good viewpoint of an action sequence?

What followed was a fight of epic proportions. I could not begin to relate to you here the many twists and turns, surprises, and shocks I witnessed that day as those two magical beings fought a ferocious battle that surely must rank among the greatest battles of all time.

Um...nope. The climax of the story is too great to actually be described. So we're going to get some special action?

The next part of the journey I cannot reveal to you in detail, for Torben has sworn us to secrecy. But I can say that the journey was harrowing. And not just because we flew on the backs of dragons!

Oh, this is so nice.  Tease us with what we can't actually enjoy. But maybe as it goes we'll get more...?

The next portal after that I also cannot tell you about, for its location is a secret known only to Lady Kenna (and now those of us who were there the day we passed through it - though speaking for myself, I doubt if I would ever again be able to find it, should I ever be asked to do so).

I know I've spent more time on this than I really should, given how much I did not like the book, but given the overwhelming positive reviews, I felt it necessary to show why I've rated this so low. Perhaps I can save someone else some time if they're considering a DNF.

Looking for a good book? Spirit Quest by Tim McRae is a very generic epic fantasy in a field full of such fantasies. It's the Roger Corman's Carnosaur to Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park - a weak copy that some might enjoy, but most won't even bother checking out,

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

1-1/2 stars

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Spirit Quest

author: Tim McRae

series: Shadow World #1

publisher: Mill Bay Media Ltd.

ISBN: 9781738085132

hardcover, 313 pages