The Red Wraith

Red Wraith #1

by Nick Wisseman

As magic awakens in Early America, Naysin, a child of the Lepane nation, manifests talents that cause him to defile his tribe’s harvest ceremony. His punishment is exile. In the years that follow, Naysin’s spirit fathers keep goading him into misusing his abilities. On the island of Bimshire, he inspires a slave rebellion before abandoning it; near his former home, he marches European settlers to their deaths; and in the forests of Edgeland, he ends a battle by massacring both sides. Such acts cause much of the New World to see him as the Red Wraith, an indigenous monster who delights in butchering white innocents. The infamy is well-earned, but that’s not who he wants to be. And when he encounters a group of fellow magic-users, Naysin realizes how he can set everything right.

Genres: Fantasy, Supernatural, Magic, Historical

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 2015

About the author

Nick Wisseman lives in the woods of Michigan with his wife, kids, ten dogs, sixty cats, and forty horses. (The true number of pets is an order of magnitude smaller, but most days it feels like more.) He's not quite sure why he loves writing twisted fiction, but there's no stopping the weirdness once he's in front of a computer. You can find the complete list of oddities on his website: www.nickwisseman.com

Reviews

[Catherine Pratt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully written Sci/Fi/ fantasy at its best. I have always loved to read about native American tribes. It had love, and most importantly, magic. I should say shamaning. Not sure if it's a word but,I think you all know what I mean. The story follows him from birth to his adult years. You will laugh a little and cry a little. It's a beautiful story that follows throughout his life of tragedy and ends with a beautiful ending. Red Wraith is a highly recommended book.

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this author. You can tell he does a lot of research to create his characters, and really cares about getting the story right. I can't wait to read this book.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick Wisseman brings us a historical fiction with a touch of fantasy in The Red Wraith. The story follows a young teenager who's been exiled from his tribe for defiling a ceremony due to his uncontrollable new-found magical powers. His journey brings him to live through various historical events, from the domination of the native Americans by Europeans to the spread of a decease bound to kill millions. This book is filled with brilliant ideas and the author does an amazing job in fluently incorporating them into his book.

As the story progresses, readers are immersed in the protagonists struggle to find his purpose in life. In fact, I believe the book does an excellent job in portraying the main character's, Naysin's, pursuit of happiness. His banishment from his tribe and the discovery of his hidden talents bring him to confront various events where he needs to decide if he wants to be seen as a God or as the Devil. The author does an excellent job into astutely showing readers the benefits and the actions of the protagonist throughout this historical fiction. I truly believe that the inner conflict lived by Naysin was the forte of this novel. Reading about Naysin and his fight with his inner demons was intriguing from start to finish. Seeing him struggle between light and darkness was definitely fascinating, especially when you take into consideration the historical events as well as the beautiful fantasy twist of the novel.

The magic concept in this novel is definitely innovative. The use of "kug" and "mir" was captivating and brilliant. It managed to blend with reality seamlessly and always brought something new to the story. In fact, the whole idea was as much a learning experience for the protagonist than for readers, and that served as a great hook for readers. However, towards the ending, the use of this concept drastically became enormous and almost overwhelming. It felt like a huge leap and that the story could've benefited with a little more foreshadowing to help readers see the action scenes to come. Although the story was essentially a long journey through various historical events and a search for purpose, the plot still seemed close to messy. Aside from the brilliant exploration of the disease that ate away numerous native Americans, the repercussions of this infection and the search for answers for the protagonist, several events felt almost random and irregular.

The Red Wraith is still an innovative and brilliant novel that touches upon countless ideas. It incorporates a clever magical world and blends it perfectly into this historical fiction. Nick Wisseman's way with words definitely helped create an enchanting novel.

Yours truly,

Lashaan

Lashaan & Trang | Bloggers and Book Reviewers
Official blog: http://bookidote.wordpress.com

[Julianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fast-paced and exciting, with a good magic system - appealing, understandable, relevant to the created world. The writing was very good, the plot interesting, the settings and historical touches finely detailed, the characters engaging and believable. (Although Naysin is a teenage boy, so not always the most lovable protagonist - but I stayed interested in him and his fate even when he was acting annoyingly.)

The only thing I didn't really like is that near the end, right at the climax of an important scene where you know that Something Big is going (has) to happen, there's a 2-chapter jump back through history. I can see why it's there, because the reader is experiencing the whole novel through Naysin's eyes and that's when he gets this new information - but as a reader it was hard to stop and become interested in this back history when I really wanted to know what was going to happen next! But this was only a minor mini-annoyance: this back information break in the story was intrinsically interesting, and in general I thought the choice of having a third-person limited narrator worked very well throughout the book.

All in all, a great book by a talented storyteller!

[Alexandra Engellmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This blend of historical fiction and fantasy about Native Americans and the Europeans that disturbed their peace was a great story with a unique magic system and a fascinating setting. The most interesting to me was the concept of the protagonist, who was torn between the darkness and light, trying to find his way in the rapidly changing course of life in his country. The tension it created was both about the demons in every one of us and the hope, and so this fantasy story explores some very serious topics along with the magical world in it and the boy’s destiny.
The world-building was brilliant, without the need to shove anything into the reader’s face. There’s a lot of details, but the reader gets to explore them gradually together with the main character, and this is the best way to introduce someone to a new world, in my opinion. Otherwise it would be difficult to navigate among all the new ideas and words. The magic system was connected with the real world in an effortless way that makes it impossible not to slip into the story, wishing it was real.
The inner conflict that the boy has to fight, mixed with the fast-paced plot and unpredictable twists, turned this book into something of a surprise for me. Historical books tend to be slower, and their excitement mostly lies in their beauty and amazing settings. Here, everything worked out nicely to create a very gripping read.
Overall, a very solid and original novel that I recommend to all fans of fantasy set in the past.
*I got a free copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Alyson Stone · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book: The Red Wraith
Author: Nick Wisseman
Rating: 1 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank Nick Wisseman for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story had a very promising summary and I thought that I was going to love it, but I didn't. I just could not finish it. The writing style just wasn't for me and, I guess, the storyline wasn't either.

First off, I am not one for paragraphs upon paragraphs of things being explained to me with a few action bits thrown in now and then. I just find that some much of the explaining just really takes away from the story and really does not work for most authors. I just really don't have any other way to put it: it was too much for the amount of pages that the book had. The story just went on and on with no ending in sight. Whenever it became clear that my questions were not going to be answered right away and that there was going to be no clear ending, I just gave up.

Plus, the characters really were not all that great. I found myself having a really hard time with keeping everyone straight. What does this mean to me? It means that the characters are flat and just simply no development in them.

While this wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't my couple of tea. I know that I normally write longer reviews, but I just do not have much to say on this one.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Red Wraith, is a fast-paced book that is more than what it seems. This new world that the Author creates is wonderful and interesting mixed with complex characters, makes this book so much more. Everything that Nick Wisseman puts into this story seems very accurate, and believable. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves reading books that are different, and also people who like historical fiction.

[Mehreen Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mehreen Ahmed's review

Fuelled by unpredictable energy, the protagonist finds himself in a situation where he must set the world right. If there was a more imaginative work, than it is The Red Wraith by Nick Wisseman. Descriptive, powerful imagery and a cause to save a lost world - a dream that have all come to play in this veritable explosion of magical realism and forthrightness.

[Ron Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to read an early draft of this book prior to the finished release. While in places still a bit rough it was a fascinating read. I am anxious to read the released version of this book! Mr. Wisseman has quite an imaginative mind to create this novel.

[Cavak · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Red Wraith feels like many dark '70s and '80s fantasy films I enjoy. Exiled family, inhumane nature of slavery, death by pox, wicked gods, tricks of magic, lost loves, finding oneself. Add in a flair of Native American magic craft and homages to history. Then watch that protagonist drop and rise. Watch him gasp for air as the world seems ever so cruel to him.

Easily a story I could get lost in for hours. What an adventure. There's just one problem.

I didn't enjoy myself.

Like other reviewers have mentioned, the problem wasn't the writing craft. Very solid and impressive readability. Action comes, action goes. There's rarely a moment where Naysin waits around. Solid characterization of Naysin's world view too that remains consistent throughout the book. Magic had clear rules, and it was simple enough to understand its limitations. Even the act of Naysin instantly converting foreign languages didn't feel forced.

My major hiccup was I didn't know the exact tone that Wisseman wanted to keep throughout the book. At times, it would dip into the ancient fairytale epic, omitting the old timey language for our convenience. Other times, characters adopt a modern wit that would be out of place given the otherwise straight-laced historical setting.

A clear example is the beginning of the book. We're shoved into a violent introduction of the world without clear indications of what anything means. Then we're sent back into Naysin's childhood. Again, if we're playing the contemporary fiction card, this would be a chance to inject Naysin's own voice to the picture as he looks back on his life (complete with sarcastic commentary that worms its way into the character dialogue). By pushing us back into time without that disclosure, it felt like an odd jump. The fantasy origins and coming of age story plays straight throughout. I wondered why the novel couldn't start there in the village.

If there was enough whimsy to justify those breaks, then I'd be more receptive to when a Native American youth of the colonial xxteenth century adopts words like literally into his vernacular. Or if there was a looser grip on the old. Didn't know which one that Wisseman intended.

Naysin did not endear himself to me, but that's all right. Oftentimes protagonists of these narratives rarely do. The problem is there are rarely others who do. And when they might, they get killed off or otherwise removed from the story. Oh bother.

While I wasn't delighted by The Red Wraith, I'm delighted by hindsight. Wisseman is still writing. He later addresses and improves his characters' voices. Many of the nitpicks I have with this book would be later addressed in his recent works. Knowing that he didn't give up and kept writing warms my heart. Rather than be charmed into following another series, I'm joyful to read an author's early work and learn how much they improved in the span of six some odd years. Perseverance rocks.

Would I be interested in reading another entry to this series? Perhaps. I'd like to learn more of the world lore someday.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ben King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received this in one of Goodreads giveaways and as promised, here is my review. Apologies if it isn't as long or detailed as others. Possible spoilers.

All in all I enjoyed reading this book. The story was very fast paced but gave enough imagery to understand just what was happening. I liked the magic system of Kug and Mir and the balance that Naysin had to maintain. At a few times it seemed that there wasn't anything he couldn't do, but there was a price it took on him that limited his godlike power. Example being the battle of Edgeland where he wiped out both armies in roughly fifteen seconds. A very brilliant method used, which I do applaud, but in his anger the character overextended the balance he needed to keep and blacked out because of it.

Then the twist at the end that his powers were being fueled to unlock his fathers bonds? A very clever twist.

The historical setting was a bit refreshing. I haven't read many books from the perspective of a native American and found it a very interesting read to follow. A key part of the plot that I liked was the redemption aspect that Naysin tried to strive for. He knew the wrong he had done and wanted to make things right. He didn't always succeed, but he never stopped trying.

Anyways, there is my mess of a review. I read this while at work between calls in a call center so a re-read is definitely going to happen and I will more than likely hit things I missed my first time through. If you haven't, definitely read this.

[CallMeSensei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huh. I'm honestly not even sure how review/rate this book...

The Red Wraith is an interesting attempt a historical fiction and fantasy novel that follow a young Native American boy named Naysin. Naysin has an unusual parentage that allows him to wield two different kinds of magical forces, Kug and Mir, that are rarely ever found together in the same person. His tribe is afraid of what that means and banishes him. This is the story of what comes after: Naysin learning to use his powers, figuring out what it means to have such power, and determining what his purpose must be.

As far the as the historical fiction elements go, the author imagines an Earth with a different timeline of events. No specific time period is mentioned and places are rarely called by name so it's hard to imagine exactly where and when this takes place. But the events are familiar: taking control of Native American lands, spreading pox, forcing different tribes of people into slavery, the idea of something other as being savage, racial slurs, etc.

That fantastical elements are fascinating. The idea of two different kinds of magic, Kug and Mir, which are the embodiment of order and chaos respectively. Kug is about the body and things of solid mass. Mir seems to be more elemental: moving the wind, water, or flame. It represents itself differently in different people and can be an inborn talent or one that is triggered by some event or trauma.

As for the plot and the characters... I'm not sure how many of these characters you're actually supposed to like. They're deeply flawed human beings shaped by the traumatizing events of their world and their abilities. Pale men, Afrii, Metican, Lepane, or otherwise, none of these people are idealized or romanticized above the others. I really enjoyed that about the characters.

The plot, I felt was probably weakest part of this novel. It's a journey of finding out one's purpose in life and as such, it's meandering with lots of stops and starts. But I feel like the author wanted to include so much that some of the finer points got lost underneath all of the other elements. Something was always happening. Someone was dying. Or a new person was introduced. And these things didn't always go together. Not really. And maybe that was the point... but I thought at times that it was a little overwhelming and hard to follow.

I did enjoy this novel so I think it's a solid 3 stars... at least... I'm still not sure.

NOTE: I did receive an ARC of this book from the publisher quite some time ago. I'm sorry this took me such a long time to get around to.

[Mick Dubois · Rating 5 out of 5]

While in the previous volume we followed the lives of the 4 minor shamen, here we see Naysin's own life history. We learn that he's the son of 2 godlike creatures, brothers that have been imprisoned for centuries by their own mother. When his power and the origin of it becomes clear, he and his mother are exiled from their tribe. Eventually, he ends up as a slave. All the time his fathers try to teach him how to use his powers and do magic. But almost every time he tries to do good or be what people desire of him, things end up for the worse. He believes himself to be a failure. For years he tries to find his purpose. Why is he given this enormous powers and what has he to do with them? Can he save his people? Is he even meant to do so?
It is a sad, heartbreaking story. It shows that good intentions can still lead to disastrous outcomes. There's no real 'happy end', but real history hardly ever has, and this one will do and is acceptable for now. As I hope to read many more books about the characters I've come to love and hate. This is a delicious and clever mix of history and fantasy, but above all, it's written with love. The book contains quite a substantial amount of explaining and elaborating the mythical believes and stories of various people and tribes.
I received a free arc from the author and this my honest review;

[Yuelin Zhong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and many of its ideas were very distinct, as opposed to the too many YA books I've read in the past years. (The author was also nice enough to include a little note in the front cover, as I got this from a giveaway.) I loved how the book started and ended with the same scene- it gave me an unexpected closure of sorts Though it was well-written, I feel like many parts were confusing and I had to go back to reread the section.
Writing climaxes are hard, and it's rare that an author times it right. For this particular book, (and, of course, it may just be me) I felt like the high point of the book started a bit too early and continued for too long, to the point that it didn't feel like a climax anymore.
A part I really liked about the ending was that Tay went back to where she came from (figuratively).

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fiction with a fantasy twist. While I feel that it had a slow start personally, it definitely ended with a bang. A good choice of read for anyone who enjoys fantasy and Native American history.

*I received this book for free.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A legendary history of North American colonialism, no darker than the truth. I had this gift book for bedtime reading, probably take a couple days if read uninterrupted, while reading The Ascenders on my laptop during the day, This voluntary review is my own opinion.

[G. Edweird Cheese · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this as a Goodreads First Read.
Really really good! A fantastic mash up of historical fiction and fantasy, with lots of action and plenty of heart.
I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

[Myra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't really get into this. I put it down after about a quarter and I completely forgot I was reading it. I feel like there was a bit of interesting stuff going on .... but not enough to get me back.

[Jim Galford · Rating 2 out of 5]

A poorly conceived magic tale based upon Native american lines.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book with lots of magic and action. Loved it from the beginning.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Need a thesaurus to read this book. Liked the story line, but maybe it's just too deep for me. I prefer a more simple language. I couldn't finish the story. It was like work!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an exciting as well as interesting read. The historical details and the feel for the lived life of Native Americans is a strong element at the start of the book, and yet the fantasy elements are well placed, and it never feels like a standard "historical fiction" novel. I prefer fantasy books in general, so this blend of realistic setting with many accurate details and yet overarching fantastic/magic side is appealing. The two elements of realistic detail and emerging magic nature blend seamlessly. The world seems as if it could exist as written.
In addition to these realistic details, the world building and the nature of the magic are also thorough, nicely developed, internally consistent, and unique. The system of magic as described in the book seems unlike any I've read before, and as the character's skills progress along with his knowledge of how to use his abilities, we feel like we are learning right along with him. His abilities seem very founded in nature, which fits the themes and setting of the book. This unfolding of the reader's knowledge along with the character's provides an overarching flow to the book and the plot. Not too much is revealed in full up front, which keeps the book interesting and unpredictable.
Also stellar are the plot twists and changes, as the plot elements were frequently a surprise (in a pleasant way). The book is able to the character and the world without making it overly obvious where the story is going, and there are various parts to the protagonist's story that highlight his development and different areas of his story. The main character's circumstances and skills and desires/conflicts change throughout the book, and we have a real sense of his growth and changes as the book comes to a close. The end of the book is exciting and compelling, although it brought in earlier minor characters that I felt it was a bit hard to remember/care for because they were minor at the time (and introduced much earlier in the book). Although the book goes back into their back stories through the main character's perspective, I think some other way of helping us relate to or remember those characters who come back to affect the plot would help me care about them. As it is, there are a few too many names in that section of the book and it waters down the main through plot, which is strong. The later part of the book also provides some back details on some of the more mysterious elements from the story, and this was enjoyable to finally have some of these initial questions resolved in a narrative, storytelling manner.
The introductory chapter was not my favorite, as there was quite a bit of flashback that seemed confusing. This was done on purpose, I'm sure, to highlight the mystery of the story and get us intrigued right away and set the mood, but for me, as I wasn't already invested in the character, I couldn't get into it. For me, the book really took off with chapter 2. All in all, a very enjoyable read.

[Rajalakshmi Prithviraj · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Red Wraith is a story which intrigued me since the very first chapter. Never had much exposure to historical fiction, but this story had the power to keep me glued till the end.

Nick has a writing style that can keep you guessing whats going to come up next. His narration is undoubtedly a mix of fantasy, fiction and history, but kudos to him to have kept the historical facts as they were. Definitely well-researched I must say. Especially for me, though I am from India with not much awareness about Native Americans, this book led me on a journey towards discovering a whole new world.

What sets this story apart is that, inspite of being based on Native Americans, the descriptions regarding destruction and the way a whole community getting wiped, does ensure development of a feeling of empathy.

Naysin is a character who has the qualities of being loved, hated, sympathised and felt sorry for. His character compelled me to think about the younger generation of the modern world. Whoever says history repeats itself is right. Its so easy to mislead the youngsters because they are naive. They have the abilities to wreck havoc. But it doesnot mean that they do not realize their wrongdoings. In the ling run, they definitely feel guilty and try to atone. So the question is, isn't it the moral responsibility of we adults to ensure that whatever influence is exerted on the teenagers is positive? Such constructive influence will not only empower these youngster but also lead to a better world. Nick, hats off to you to subtly bringing this out in your story.

To sum up, The Red Wraith is a beautiful melange of history, fantasy and fiction. There are portions which appear distorted and confusing, but these are definitely very much a part of the story that unfolds with each page turn.

P.S- Your book had inspired me to read more historical fiction Nick. Its History time for me now ;-)"

[Catherine Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set on an alternate Earth during the colonization of North America, a young American Indian uses his magic powers to revenge himself on the settlers who have stolen his people’s land.

During his coming-of-age ceremony, Naysin of the Lepane tribe discovers his father is not who he was told, and that in fact he’s of somewhat supernatural origin. The revelation causes his tribe to exile both him and his mother. The lad discovers he can do magic and talk to the spirits of his fathers (there are two of them) but his life is miserable, and gets worse when he’s enslaved by white men from across the sea. As the native peoples are decimated by disease and war, and the white men spread across the land, he struggles to understand and use his powers for good.

This well-written story is engaging from the start, well-edited and very readable. It’s a bit episodic and disconnected as Naysin wanders from crisis to crisis while growing up and mastering his abilities, and the climax is a little rushed, but overall it’s a good read.

I particularly liked that Naysin’s acquisition of magic powers didn’t turn him into a morally unambiguous super-hero. He’s young, and badly treated by almost everyone. He has to learn how to use his powers. He tries to help people, but messes up, often doing more harm than good.

The setting is an alternate Earth to allow the author to re-invent history and geography to fit the needs of the story, which is a little disconcerting at first.

[Meradeth Houston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this novel a little wary of some of the concepts: I work closely with many Native American populations and individuals and am very aware of the stereotypes that arise in literature. Many times it's downright painful. Thankfully I felt that Wisseman managed to take a relatively authentic view of the population...well, with added magic. And this magic was not just found in Native Americans, nor part of their faith or society (something that J. K. Rowling has received a good deal of criticism for in some of her recent releases that utilize Native American society as "magical"). That is a whole other story :) Anyhow, Wisseman presents an interesting novel here, one that I did enjoy. I will admit that it was a bit tedious at times, as the pacing would slow a great deal. A huge amount of inner dialogue left me skimming at time. Also Naysin's "fathers," who possess him, get a huge chunk of the ending of the novel, which bogged things down for me. I never felt a connection to them, and their story didn't draw me in. Overall, this was an interesting alternate history. I did really like how Wisseman took pains to show what happened to Native American society in the face of the overwhelming death toll that Smallpox took on the continents when Europeans brought it here (and people think the Black Death was bad--it had nothing on what happened in the Americas). If you are into historical fiction with a dash of magic, this is one to check out.

[J.A. Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Red Wraith is fantasy, but the setting of the book is based in Native American history which creates an interesting mix of mystical and historical aspects. The story exist on two levels, one is the physical world where Naysin, a young indian boy, finds himself. It is a world of warring tribes and the constant encroaching of the pale men into their world. But beneath all of that is a world of light and dark magic which Naysin finds himself in possession of.

The first half of the book felt like wandering as Naysin traveled around, met different kinds of people, did some heroic and some selfish things. He also spends time trying to figure out his magical powers and trying to decide if he can trust the spirit fathers who gave them to him.

The second half, though, draws all that seemingly aimless wandering together as Naysin becomes the focal point for the epic climax which involves all of the people and stories he met earlier.

Wisseman’s does an excellent job of immersing us in the Native American landscape. My strongest memories of the book involve the feel of the world that Naysin inhabits, the feel of the magic and the connection he has to the world around him.

A good read, especially for those with an interest in Native American history.

[Melissa Polk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm very conflicted about how to review this book. First off, I got it for free as part of the Early Reviewer Program on LibraryThing. As I read the book, I felt like nothing was really happening. Oh sure, I mean, *things* happened. But it was just the main character bumbling from one random mess to another, lamenting his current situation. I didn't find any of the characters to be terribly well rounded or relatable - they felt very one dimensional. So why am I conflicted? Well, it wasn't terrible writing. It wasn't riveting, either, but it was much more readable than some books I've attempted recently. But the oddest thing is.. reading the note from the author after the story was over is what really got me. I didn't draw any of the historical things that he obviously meant for me to see. Looking back at the story with a "this is his take on an explanation for these historical things" mindset I can see how it could have been more engrossing. So yes, torn.

[Nicki Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found The Red Wraith an entertaining read. I cannot speak for any historical or cultural accuracy, knowing little of the era and native beliefs myself, but it was certainly a well-paced and interesting story, filled with memorable characters. The plot caught my attention right from the opening chapter, and I was always keen to see what would happen next. My only small gripe was a formatting issue, as I believe it was a mistake to underline the hand-speech. Underlining in anything electronic is synonymous with a link, and it is hard on the eyes. Italics would have been a far better choice; although, that may have been a publisher decision and not something the author advocated. Overall, I recommend this book to fantasy readers looking for an action-packed story with an original and fresh idea as its basis.

I received this book as a free review copy from the author.

[Diamante Lavendar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written about a young Indian man named Naysin who was the offspring of human and spirit. Having been branded and exiled from his people, Naysin was forced to strike out on his own and contend with the dueling powers inside himself as he searched for the meaning of his existence. This was the story of Naysin’s awakening to a higher calling and predestined life purpose.

The Red Wraith was a fantasy book with some history woven into it. The writer expounded on the main character’s plight and developed the story around his situation. Therefore, it had huge doses of fiction and fantasy…which is a good thing because I love both!

If you are also a fantasy fanatic, this one’s definitely for you!

-Diamante Lavendar, author of Breaking The Silence

[Heather - Just Geeking By · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book from Librarything early reviews to give an honest review. I was very disappointed with the novel, and that isn't because it was badly written. For fans of Tolkien's work or the novel the Gospel of Loki, this may be right up your alley. Personally I am not a fan of stories that go on and on and on. It felt like too much crammed into a short space of time with no inclination of how or where the story was ever going to end.

The premise and magical universe was interesting, but again, there was no resolution to my many queries and I so I gave up at 56%, unable to slog through the rest just to find out if there were ever any answers.