PROPHECY. ADVENTURE. APOCALYPTIC. Grief-stricken seventeen-year-old Henri moves to New York City after he loses his father. He starts having vivid dreams that tell of things to come, and his visions lead him to meet a wise young man, Siméon, and to reconnect with an old friend, Etlina. Henri and his friends, Siméon and Etlina, venture on adventures required to fulfill their intertwined destinies … intertwined destinies in order to bring forth a cataclysmic event to aid against the Primordial Evil.
With the guidance from otherworldly beings, Henri and his friends will do what is needed to ensure their success.
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Augur of Shadows, Jacob Rundle’s debut novel, tells the story of three young adults: Henri, Simeon, and Etlina. The three face a task of monumental, apocalyptic proportions, and Rundle successfully establishes those stakes throughout Augur. By the end, you’ll feel entrenched in the spiritual journey of these three heroes, rooting for them as they discover fantastical powers beyond anything you can imagine.
As a debut author, Rundle’s bringing a lot to the table. This story sets the stage for a much larger narrative, and I’m intrigued to see where he takes future tales. He’s also not afraid to take risks; Augur of Shadows pulls no punches as it relentlessly barrels toward its end game.
I will emphasize, however, that Rundle has a lot of room to improve the writing of his stories. A little too often, the emotions and intentions of characters were plainly stated in the text, leaving little room for the imagination to infer such feeling through the actions of the characters. However, this writing style may also be more symptomatic of young adult urban fantasy, a genre I read less than others.
The three principle characters are sufficiently unique and diverse characters; Rundle does a great job of bringing LGBT voices into an urban fantasy setting, and injecting underrepresented folklore throughout his worldbuilding. However, I sometimes felt like the characters succeeded in their tasks a little too easily; few roadblocks or consequences (other than the very end of the story) seemed to strike these characters as they resolved the increasingly complex plot.
I look forward to watching Jacob Rundle’s career. Not only did he tell an epic tale, he told it in only 203 pages. Well done.
Writing: 6/10. The writing was the weakest part of this tale; it leaves plenty of room for Rundle to improve, which is a good thing!
Character: 7/10. A diverse cast, though their personas are slightly marred by few personal consequences for many actions taken throughout the tale.
Setting: 7/10. The setting of New York City felt inconsistent in certain moments, based on my personal experience visiting the city. However, the story takes readers to a variety of exotic locales that will stimulate anyone’s imagination!
Plot: 8/10. The stakes of the tale are immense, yet I often didn’t feel as if the characters truly felt these immense stakes. However, this drastically changes during the conclusion of the tale, preparing readers for the next stages of this series.
Overall: 7/10. I’ve decided to lean toward three stars instead of four, though I preface that decision primarily on personal taste. While urban fantasy isn’t the genre I particularly read, I do encourage other readers of the genre to dive into Rundle’s Augur of Shadows, especially if you’re looking to support the debut of an indie author.
Jacob Rundle has written a unique action-packed urban fantasy novel with lovable characters.
Henri is a young teen, who after moving to NY following the death of his father, learns that his life isn’t quite as ordinary as he thought. After meeting the incredibly attractive Simeon, Henri feels an instant connection, but Simeon is also more than meets the eye. He shows Henri what his “dreams” actually mean about him and that he is a highly gifted individual; an augur. He can teleport and project through time, among other incredible things too 😉
I won’t give too much away, but after teaming up with Etlina, the bruja, this threesome become the Destined, the three (of possibly 4?- wink, wink) individuals that are to save the fate of the cosmos from the Old ones.
This book was unique in that it touched on all kinds of “controversial” elements. It deals with grief, loss, love, religion- well sorta, the end times, coming out and coming of age. You will meet angels, demons and deities, travel to exotic places, and be caught up as these three “kids” who were chosen by their destiny take on unbelievable odds and dangerous missions.
I enjoyed this book. The dialogue and wording at times was repetitive and the scenes where Henri projects got a bit confusing, but all in all, it kept my interest and I loved that it was such a one-of-a-kind idea. I enjoyed seeing Henri find himself as the tale weaved on and overcome the obstacles that he had to face in the literal face of adversity; the strength that he possessed. This book was hopeful, encouraging and adrenaline-pumping. If you enjoy apocalyptic young adult reads then this book is for you!
I look forward to seeing what and who the team encounters in the next book of the installment.