SPOTLIGHT #BOOKREVIEWS: The Benighted by A.M. Dunnewin
Back in 2015 & 2016 I read and reviewed a lot of books. Instead of writing. Sigh.
Unfortunately, those reviews got lost in my blog. So, I thought I’d spotlight all the books I’ve reviewed as 4 or 5-stars. I won’t list my book review again, as you can read that by clicking on he book cover. But, I will list the blub, some other reader’s newest reviews, and an About the Author section. So, let’s get started with a book I rated back in September 2015.
The Benighted was released in November, 2013. It is the first book of The Benighted Saga. Sadly, no other books have followed in this series. It does sale for 99 cents, so if you love fantasy & Steampunk, I would recommend the purchase. If you buy and read the book, come back here and let me know what you think. Like or Not?
BLURB:
The King was dead.
His body was found slain in his room, only months after his son had been brutally murdered. Skylar Mandolyn, his daughter, has now become the last heir to inherit the throne. But instead of becoming Queen, she has been imprisoned for helping in the escape of Sir Harlin Brien, her knight who was framed for the King’s murder.
Confined to darkness, Skylar’s captors have given her no choice but to yield to a new kind of enemy: a kingdom that has advanced in both technology and warfare. It’s when she refuses that the prison uses its other means of persuasion, and although unmerciful, the whip lashings and isolation can’t suppress the memories of her family’s downfall. Pulled between her subconscious and reality, Skylar already knows who the true enemy is, because even the darkness can’t hide the deceptive hands that have destroyed them all.
With two kingdoms on the brink of war, Skylar’s only hope is in the person who has gone missing–Harlin, the knight who was sworn to protect her. The memory of him surrounds her when the darkness screams louder than the prisoners, and when Death smiles a faceless grin in between the cracks of the stone. While the tremors start to rise from the deep, crawling up through the prison’s walls, Skylar will soon see why he’s one of the benighted.
REVIEWS:
5-stars
This was a great book, I was needing another good book to read and this fell into my lap. It is a unique style of writing between the dreams and flashbacks but it makes it all worth it in the end. I can’t wait to see what the next book will hold. This was a great story with a strong heroine who fights for what she believes in. Skylar is the last queen and it takes her trials to turn her into a queen that will be strong enough to endure the war that is coming.
5-stars
I found this gem after flipping through many poorly written, or boring free ebooks. I saw a lot of negative reviews about the book needing editing, but I think it has been resolved since then with a new publisher, because the writing is really well done. This style of writing transports you inside the book, and makes you forget about reality. The characters are very authentic, and it is easy to care about them. The writing reminded me of Cassandra Clares.
5-stars
The story that A. M. Dunnewin brought to life through “The Benighted” is definitely one of the best I’ve read this year—so far! I admit that it took me quite some time to read and finish it, but that’s just because I’ve been fighting with a really bad reading slump since last year. Anyway, moving on, I now admit that I loved everything about this story. The writing was great, the world-building was spectacular, the characters were unique and very well developed, and the story itself was amazing and heartbreaking.
Through the Benighted, we get to see the painful present and the heartbreaking past that brought the family of our beloved main character, Skylar Mandolyn to ruins. One of the many things that I loved about this story was how realistic it was and how it was full of big and unexpected betrayals—yes, in other words, I loved the pain. But in the end, no matter how many betrayals fell on her or how many problems her family went through for this, Skylar didn’t give in to what they wanted from her. And I think that’s the main reason why I enjoyed her story and her character so much! She was a strong, brave and brilliant princess who knew something was wrong when her brother, the prince, died. With the help of her knight Harlin, she pieced together the pieces they discovered about what was happening around her, and once they did, it was already too late.
But is that all? Did they just gave up and followed the plan and the path the mastermind of the plan that ruined her family laid out for her? Of course not, but whatever happens next with Skylar’s torture and isolation is for you to find out, isn’t it?
4-stars
People sticking to their essential morals and principles. Therefore the bad people are bad and the good people remain good. Very well structured story with a real hero and heroine.
4-stars
Can’t wait for the next book! Would have given it 5 stars if there had been more intimacy between the main characters. The plot was good and the bad guys were fleshed out well with a good storyline. Being it on!
4-stars
If I’m being totally truthful (and I am), I would say that I started off by being impressed and then it kind of leveled off. The Benighted still received a 4/5, so, as you can see, it clearly wasn’t too awful though.
I liked Skylar. She was resilient, clever, humorous, a strong leader, and even though I can’t relate to her particular issues, I felt as if I knew her personally. Skylar didn’t really undergo character development, at least not in the normal, “selfish to generous” obvious kind of way. Rather, her experience throughout the book most definitely developed her in some way that readers will probably realize in the next book.
Sir Harlin Brien made me swoon. Oh, just swoon. I wish I could show this one quote because it made me melt, but it’s somewhat a spoiler so I shall not. He was in the book pretty often, but it was still more focused on Skylar. I think I would’ve liked to read more about Harlin and who he is, but I have a fairly good picture of him.
The other characters I enjoyed reading about are spoilers, but Dunnewin wrote the enemy pretty well. It was easy to identify them, which was Dunnewin’s intention, and then she had their actions really reinforce how evil they were and I liked that.
Dunnewin’s writing is almost flawless. Her descriptions are amazing, the dialogue was superb, and the plot was sound. I thoroughly enjoyed the flashbacks that Skylar had. They were excellent ways for me as a reader to understand the background of the story and it full served it’s purpose. I only have two complaints: The repeated descriptions of eyes and the length of the book.
Dunnewin describes a character’s eyes as “amethyst” 12 times and “ultramarine” 10 times. By the first time, I understood what color the character’s eyes were, I didn’t need to be told 11 more times or 9 more times. I just did not.
I also didn’t like how short the book was. I did truly love the flashbacks, but that’s what the majority of the book was. When the book ended, I was still waiting for more, the flashbacks and the occasional “real time” events weren’t enough. It felt as if I had read a prequel, rather than the first book of a series. But truly, this is a minor complaint, I was more irked over the eye color descriptions.
Would I Recommend The Benighted? I received the book for free so I had an “unfair” advantage, so I can’t in good conscience just yell “YES! Spend $0.99 I didn’t have to spend!”, but I think it’s a pretty good book. I would recommend it.
ABOUT THE AUTHUR:
A. M. Dunnewin grew up with a taste for mysteries and thrillers, inherited ever so lovingly from her family. An affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association, A. M.’s own stories cover a wide range of genres that tend to take a dark turn when least expected. With a B.A. in Psychology, she’s a gambler of words, obsessed with chai tea, and addicted to books – everything from classical literature to graphic novels. Other hobbies include art, history, music, equestrianism, and a good classic film. She currently dwells in Northern California.
