The Death Song of Wen'Etra by Wesley R Turner: Book Review

 3/5

This book was sent to me by the author to review and this has not impacted the outcome of the review. The opinions stated are mine and mine alone.

First off, I have to start by saying, it is categorized as historical fiction, which is not accurate. Historical fiction must be based on real and accurate research of a specific time period. Though the characters and plot may be fictional and made up, it must be based upon real life events, or a real life people group that has been researched and proven to have existed. The author has done an amazing job at making up history. Wesley Turner's idea is both creative and unique, however this would fall under fantasy or general fiction. This can be found on Google and I quote, "While the story is fictional, the foundation must be rooted in real history, not a completely imaginary world that just happens to be "ancient". In summary: The crucial aspect is that the author is writing from research and experience, or a researched understanding of a time period that is separate and different from the author's own present." End quote. In the end this seems like a minor detail, but when people pick up a book in a genre, it comes with certain expectations, so getting that right is crucial. 

I admire Wesley's creativity and how well thought out this created history and timeline are. It clearly took a lot of time and effort to come up with, and this shows in the writing. His prologue needed to be made clear that it was not actual history, hence my note on historical fiction, however, it was excellent and crucial to understanding the rest of the book. The use of poetic language is done well, though it does lack a flow, feeling almost choppy in parts. This led to it being too repetitive at times as well. That being said, the use of descriptions was well inputted and added to painting a vivid picture in the reader's mind. Sadly, at times this did not carry over to the characters, who all felt shallow and underdeveloped. Aedliss is the main character, but by the end, I still felt like I barely knew him. Back to the point on creativity, the battle between light and darkness/good and evil, is a very traditional theme, but it was presented in a fresh way. It draws clear parallels between many religions, and made for a good comparison.

Overall, if you are looking for a book that is poetic in nature and tells a story with religious themes, then it would be a good book to read.