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Rokula
Drake can't remember anything before becoming a vampire. Part of him feels like he has always been a monster and yet he has never felt connected to any of his kin, save for one. His kind ruled for countless centuries before finally being pushed into the shadows by the unrelenting advances of mankind. After man’s conquest, most monsters contented themselves with lurking unseen, but powers closer to Drake than he ever imagined forced all of monster-kind back into the forefront of humanity. Now, thirty years after monster-kinds’ discovery, Drake dances for the masses in the arena, fighting other monsters at the pleasure of his keepers - the Coven.
A storm brews on the horizon, forcing Drake to take a stand, pitting him against his past and his future. Will the monsters shake the chains of a society that fears them? Will the Coven succeed in their devious plans for control? Will Drake rise up and save them all?
A storm brews on the horizon, forcing Drake to take a stand, pitting him against his past and his future. Will the monsters shake the chains of a society that fears them? Will the Coven succeed in their devious plans for control? Will Drake rise up and save them all?
- GenresFantasy
492 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2014
3 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Roberts
3 books9 followersSarah attended the University of Florida where she earned a BA in Anthropology. She went on to earn a MA in Forensic Anthropology from the University of Central Florida and a Juris Masters from Florida State University.
In addition to reading and writing, Sarah enjoys acquiring samples for her bone collection, gardening, painting, and taxidermy.
She believes that there is beauty in the odd, the bizarre, and the things that make most uncomfortable.
In addition to reading and writing, Sarah enjoys acquiring samples for her bone collection, gardening, painting, and taxidermy.
She believes that there is beauty in the odd, the bizarre, and the things that make most uncomfortable.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 3, 2014
Drake “Roky” Rokmonov is a smoldering vampire held captive by a coven-controlled monster fighting ring, and must reconcile his bloody past with the deceptive present in order to fight for his own survival... and all of monster kind.
I admit I judged the cover, but with good reason. The cover design is gorgeous, the whole package is beautiful, and I concluded this book would be more along the lines of light Victorian Gothic romance. I misjudged. It's a blend of modernization with respectful and often laugh out loud humorous nods to fantasy monsters, each with their own unique personalities, triumphs, and tragedies.
This is the first book in a series. It's my opinion that the book felt like reading five books in one. Overall, I felt the story can use a fair amount of tightening and I couldn't decide if it's actually epic fantasy in disguise. Still, the writing is strong, the plot surprises are wonderful, and I invite you to give Rokula a chance.
I admit I judged the cover, but with good reason. The cover design is gorgeous, the whole package is beautiful, and I concluded this book would be more along the lines of light Victorian Gothic romance. I misjudged. It's a blend of modernization with respectful and often laugh out loud humorous nods to fantasy monsters, each with their own unique personalities, triumphs, and tragedies.
This is the first book in a series. It's my opinion that the book felt like reading five books in one. Overall, I felt the story can use a fair amount of tightening and I couldn't decide if it's actually epic fantasy in disguise. Still, the writing is strong, the plot surprises are wonderful, and I invite you to give Rokula a chance.
Want to read
April 1, 2015Not sure when I'll be in the mood for some good old-fashioned paranormal romp again but - after reading the author's unfiltered, unvarnished description of this novel in a group I'm in - I'm going to tuck this to the side.
She has me intrigued and - once vampires are back on my reading menu - I'm gonna give this a go.
She has me intrigued and - once vampires are back on my reading menu - I'm gonna give this a go.
August 11, 2014
Sarah Roberts and Robert Gartner's Rokula is a modern fantasy set in a world thirty years after the discovery of monster-kind. Subjugated by the Coven and treated like third-class citizens, monsters struggle to survive in a world where technology and force of numbers has given mankind the upper hand. The story's reluctant hero, Drake "Roky" Rokmonov, a vampire and once proud warrior General in centuries past, now dances for the masses in the arena at the Coven's behest. Aloof, proud, but resigned to his circumstances, Drake fights as the Coven's pet champion to survive, until a storm that's been brewing for decades breaks and he suddenly finds himself the unlikely hope of all monster-kind.
Rokula is an original and entertaining monster mash-up, with a great spin on familiar horror characters and a solid storyline. The writing was well executed, the plot creative and complex (just the way I like it), and the characters well developed. The beginning of the story felt a little choppy to me because of the constant alternating between narrators, but that's of course just a matter of personal preference; the switching back and forth made it a little difficult for me to really get a good feel for the main characters until I was almost in the middle of the book. I definitely think the beginning would benefit from a little clean up, so that the rhythm/transitions feel a little smoother. That said, Rokula was a really entertaining read, with a cast of characters I won't soon forget (Drake, of course, was fantastic, but I have a soft-spot for Hyde, Merl and Lucy). And I'm happy to say that I won't look at a kaleidoscope quite the same way again (it's always a beautiful thing when a story changes the way we see common place things).
Rokula is an original and entertaining monster mash-up, with a great spin on familiar horror characters and a solid storyline. The writing was well executed, the plot creative and complex (just the way I like it), and the characters well developed. The beginning of the story felt a little choppy to me because of the constant alternating between narrators, but that's of course just a matter of personal preference; the switching back and forth made it a little difficult for me to really get a good feel for the main characters until I was almost in the middle of the book. I definitely think the beginning would benefit from a little clean up, so that the rhythm/transitions feel a little smoother. That said, Rokula was a really entertaining read, with a cast of characters I won't soon forget (Drake, of course, was fantastic, but I have a soft-spot for Hyde, Merl and Lucy). And I'm happy to say that I won't look at a kaleidoscope quite the same way again (it's always a beautiful thing when a story changes the way we see common place things).
August 13, 2016
Okay, I got well into this book before I realized I was not its target audience. I expected a horror novel, with monsters of all kinds fighting pulverizing each other in Celebrity Death Match-type fashion. Although there was monsters of all kinds fighting pulverizing each other, it was in a ring, it wasn't to the death, and it was certainly more action than horror.
But all that's my fault. I wasn't paying attention when I took this on for review. Rokula is well-written FANTASY novel. I would call it YA even, but that may be because my usual reads have death, gore, foul language, and more gore every other four-letter word. I will rate it as I think it would appeal to true fans of its genre.
Despite not being my usual read AND its considerable length, Rokula kept my interest all the way through. And I got through it fast. There could have maybe been some chopping of the story, but length here did not mean repetition.
Rokula is a fun, cleanly written story that mashes together everyone's favorite monster tropes and then some. I particularly like the author's portrayal of Hyde, who was by far my favorite character (with a shout out here to Amun Ra).
I would not recommend this to fans of horror looking for just that, but rather those looking for a different treatment of the classical beasties that still leaves them badass, not all twinkly glittery. Fans of movies like The Monster Squad and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (but with a twist of fantasy) would probably enjoy this novel.
But all that's my fault. I wasn't paying attention when I took this on for review. Rokula is well-written FANTASY novel. I would call it YA even, but that may be because my usual reads have death, gore, foul language, and more gore every other four-letter word. I will rate it as I think it would appeal to true fans of its genre.
Despite not being my usual read AND its considerable length, Rokula kept my interest all the way through. And I got through it fast. There could have maybe been some chopping of the story, but length here did not mean repetition.
Rokula is a fun, cleanly written story that mashes together everyone's favorite monster tropes and then some. I particularly like the author's portrayal of Hyde, who was by far my favorite character (with a shout out here to Amun Ra).
I would not recommend this to fans of horror looking for just that, but rather those looking for a different treatment of the classical beasties that still leaves them badass, not all twinkly glittery. Fans of movies like The Monster Squad and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (but with a twist of fantasy) would probably enjoy this novel.
September 12, 2015
finally got around to finishing it. enjoyable read. aside some homophone errors i noticed (gate/gait, insight/incite etc) it didn't detract and i was able to shut off the internal editor the more absorbed i got into this weird universe roberts & gartner created. I'm just surprised there's yet more to this doorstoper saga lolz. will mos def continue the series.
April 17, 2014
At times funny, at times deadly serious, this was a very entertaining story that blurred the lines between literary and genre fiction. From a technical standpoint, the language used was beautiful, the structure complex. From a fun standpoint it was a wonderful high concept and executed with all the skill you would expect from a fantasy story. Great storytelling, great story. I would highly recommend to anyone who is a fan of fantasy and the old monster movies. Great book.
August 6, 2016
Rokula is about the movie monsters we know and love thrown into Thunderdome-style stakes. The book cover and the first chapter really got me going: darker than dark pasts, seething blood lust from all quarters, a main character who must face the reality of a new order bent on domination. What a hook!
Then about a 15% of the way through, the narrative lost me. What is supposed to be a major plot point ends up being an expository information dump by the main character. The rest of the story mostly follows suit, with the characters being dragged around by the plot instead of trying to achieve particular goals on their own. And in some chapters, the narrative changes so quickly from subplot to subplot, you can’t really dig into any one throughline.
Some impact characters are added very late in the game, and at least one character motivation is only revealed at the end of the book instead of at the beginning, which means that we don’t get to see the consequences and aftermath of that motivation from the get-go, which is a bit problematic from a dramatic point of view. My interest flagged as a result, and it took me a long time to get through the novel.
Having said that, I do think the story has a lot going for it. A very inventive world with a lot of detail and a fun plot will probably keep most people interested. I also admire the grit and determination that went into writing this tome. There's a very interesting mix of genres that monster mavens and even fantasy fans should really enjoy.
To me, overall, it reads more like the draft of a novel than a novel proper, but many people should have fun with this ride nevertheless.
Then about a 15% of the way through, the narrative lost me. What is supposed to be a major plot point ends up being an expository information dump by the main character. The rest of the story mostly follows suit, with the characters being dragged around by the plot instead of trying to achieve particular goals on their own. And in some chapters, the narrative changes so quickly from subplot to subplot, you can’t really dig into any one throughline.
Some impact characters are added very late in the game, and at least one character motivation is only revealed at the end of the book instead of at the beginning, which means that we don’t get to see the consequences and aftermath of that motivation from the get-go, which is a bit problematic from a dramatic point of view. My interest flagged as a result, and it took me a long time to get through the novel.
Having said that, I do think the story has a lot going for it. A very inventive world with a lot of detail and a fun plot will probably keep most people interested. I also admire the grit and determination that went into writing this tome. There's a very interesting mix of genres that monster mavens and even fantasy fans should really enjoy.
To me, overall, it reads more like the draft of a novel than a novel proper, but many people should have fun with this ride nevertheless.
April 16, 2014
I have just finished reading Rokula and is was amazing!! .. I can't wait until Rokula Reckoning comes out!! .. This book has everything that you want in a good book.. fantasy, suspense, action, comedy, and just enough romance to make you want more. There story line is very interesting and makes you want to read more. Personally I finished the book in days! I would advise anyone that is looking for a good book to read to try out Rokula! Can't wait for #2!!
Rokula
Rokula Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews