Read as part of SPFBO10

I have to admit, I quite enjoy the ‘as prophesized’ trope. Someone says prophecy and I immediately feel a sense of dread. “God damn it, why me?!”… “I am in this predicament because of a prophecy whispered by wizards and mad men! Pick someone else!”… Prophecy is an immediate trap for the characters and it sets the stone for the story, stat.

Now, Bringer of the Scourge, I mean… Can you get any more ‘impending doom’ than this title? Exactly! And straight off the bat with this story (it’s brilliant, we don’t waste time) we’re in the pits of a kingdom falling, we have a one-eyed wizard who can travel through the veil and see more than regular folk with two eyes, and we have a villain. And, make no mistake, the princess in this story is no doe-eyed weakling. This princess, Vi, she’s going to grasp her opportunity!

It’s a pretty cool story. It reads quick, and it definitely took me for an adventure. What I most enjoyed about this book? The prose. Loved the prose. It’s just a touch above the simple with a few words thrown in that made me use the dictionary, but hey ho, new words to me are like money found on the ground – something to celebrate! Yes, the prose is going to be something that will divide the camp, but.. well, when isn’t it? And, at the start of the story, there was some repetition to the chain of events as it was told through different POVs, so that could also throw some readers, but personally, it didn’t feel like something that took away from the reading enjoyment. Not this time.

As far as dark fantasy foes? I am pleased I got to read this. It deserves the acknowledgement. And hello, this cover so totally rocks my boat for some weird reason! All in all, nice job, McDowell!