Chronicles of Messallóvaria: Dark Deception

by L.R. Engle

Times are changing in the peaceful region of Cirventia, where humans, dwarves, and elves live separately and without a desire to live any other way. When something dark and sinister enters the region, the races are thrown headfirst into chaos as this quiet sanctuary begins to transform into ash and rubble. Will the races come together to avoid falling against an unsuspecting intruder, or will they be the cause of their own demise?

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

419 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 29, 2023

Reviews

[Crayton Shepherd · Rating 5 out of 5]

”A warrior’s death is only the beginning of true life.”— Vallahar: Valkan God of Life, Death, and the Afterworld

WOW. I received this book from a Goodreads Giveaway and did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did.

Chronicles of Messallóvaria: Dark Deception is the first book by L.R. Engle. It’s a beautiful written fantasy. Multiple POVs. Immersive world and incredibly descriptive writing. Little bit of romance. No shortage of death. Epic fight scene towards the end (One way to describe it would be if Thor and Voldemort fought each other…Yep, you gotta read it to fully comprehend). Elves, humans, “Vikings”, Dwarves. It’s got it all.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the characters. Eryk is a grieving Valkan warrior, attempting to piece his life together after the loss of his wife. Ezriel is second in line for the Elvish throne, discovering how to become the leader that his people need. There are a ton of supporting characters that I won’t get into during this review, but the characters are easy to relate to, unique, and entertaining. There were other characters that I was dying to learn more about and am hoping that Book 2 provides an opportunity for that!

Another part of the book that I loved were THE QUOTES. Each chapter begins with a quote from a “Valkan God” or “Ancient Proverb”. I was amazed at the creativity that Engle uses with these quotes. Made me want to run through a brick wall.

5/5 stars. I’m extremely excited for book 2!

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book via Goodreads giveaway.
DNF at p188 44%

The good:
This is a decent debut novel. The author spent a lot of time thinking about the lineage, politics, geography, etc. I enjoyed the proverbs and quotes at the beginning of the chapters, and would have really liked to hear more about the pantheon as it seemed interesting. It is detailed - the author spends time setting up what sound like sweeping cinematic scenes to help the reader visualize being in the character’s shoes. I also really liked the artwork.

The not so good:
I couldn’t finish because I just can’t get invested in the story. It’s very tropey. Prisoners fighting in a gladiator arena. Barbaric humans and classy elves. A prince who is a skilled fighter. It just felt a little recycled, which is a shame because the lore itself was good. There were entirely too many adjectives and adverbs and descriptions. In some cases, it set the scene, and in others it just felt like fluff and slowed the story. There were cases of repeat phrases one after another as well. The pacing was pretty disjointed for me: jumping from a campfire chat to dream to history, the breaks could have been much cleaner. There were some inconsistencies (eg: paperwork to get into the town but little subsequent bureaucracy. Races that hate each other and never interact and spend their first time together with a few side eyes and then sharing all their history? Didn’t sound believable). Also, I loved the female characters like….uh….um….the elf queen who said one sentence…or maybe the dead wife in a five second vision?…/s.

I wanted to like this more than I did. I think the author has potential and I would look forward to some more refinement to the story if I were to give it another shot. I may be prematurely judging as I did not finish.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually don’t read this genre of books, but I was lucky enough to get a free copy from Goodreads. I couldn’t put this book down. The characters are well thought out and absolutely amazing. I love the multiple POVs that this book has, it makes the reading even more exciting. The fantasy in this book is awesome. I am hoping there is a book 2!!!!!!

[Joseph Opala · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not read much fantasy or fiction but could not put this book down. The descriptions of the world and characters were very well thought out. I felt connected with each of the characters. The story is engaging and exciting leaving you wanting more with every chapter. I am very excited for the next book.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot is very slow to develop and really doesn’t go anywhere. The characters are not too interesting. The writer is descriptive so maybe there is hope for a better novel in the future

[R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great debut novel! Love the characters, the creativeness, and the cover.

[Melia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ all that was missing was the hobbits….