Power Rises

I won a print copy of Power Rises by R. M. Willis in a Goodreads giveaway.

Power Rises is another of those books I have mixed reactions to.

First and foremost, as I always say; the main story is very good, I like the magical realm it is set in. The main characters are well developed and believable (at least as far as beings in a magical realm can be). Author Willis' descriptions are good, he paints a fine mental picture of the story.

Power Rises is the first installment in a series: The Ways of Power.

For me, the epilogue was so different from the overall mood of the book, it didn't work that well for me. There is nothing really wrong with it, and I can see how the continued story requires it, just an abrupt change for me.

Power Rises is an adult oriented story as demonstrated by some of the more racy dialogue and character descriptions. They were not graphic or obscene, but perhaps a little gratuitous. Not overly so, they did flow with the story, but I wouldn't let younger readers have this one. That is kind of sad because other than the sexual content, the story is very tame, too tame at times. Conflicts are worked out a little too easily, having an almost fairy tale quality. Everyone lives happily ever after when the day before things were absolutely bleak. I don't say this is either positive or negative, just my reaction.

The only real negative for me was the editing issue. They weren't horribly numerous, but they were egregious. Some times funny. For example page 200, second sentence: "Rancoth pushed the door open with a creek." Personally, I've never used a small stream of water to open a door. Does this ruin the story? Of course not, but it does disrupt the flow.

Over all, Power Rises by R. M. Willis is good introduction to the series, just needs good proofreaders. Enjoy!


Mike