Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘I, Exile’ by David M. Samuels organised by Storytellers on Tour. This was a fun read, and  I hope that you will check out the book and the author, and enjoy the rest of the tour with the schedule in the banner below or (HERE).

*Disclaimer: ‘I was given a copy this book in exchange for an honest review.’*

Book Summary:

Exiled into a wasteland because of a heist gone wrong, Emelith vows to hunt down the one responsible. Except not all is what it seems in the haunted realm of the Cauldron.

Classic Swords & Sorcery meets cinematic 90’s action (Tomb Raider, The Mummy, Indiana Jones) in this rollicking thief’s tale

The Review:

Firstly, I have to say that I loved the cover, although I would say that the title is lost a little against the background. However, it was the cover, along with the comparisons with The Mummy and Indiana Jones that caught my attention, and I have to say that comparison was on the money. While undoubtedly fantasy, I, Exile was an exciting adventure romp in the vein of those movies – some of my favourite growing up – and that combined with the wonderful feel of that older style, classic sword and sorcery was right up my street.

I found the prose easy to read, without losing the depth and description to bring Samuels’ world to life. It did take me a little while to get used to the language – mixing modern slang and anachronisms, but once I had, I found that it added to the charm of the narrative and the world, and all in all was very well balanced. The pacing was also spot on. There was a lot of action with twists and turns that kept me on my toes and unable to put the book down. Yet this was balanced with quieter, slower moments to catch or breaths and to see the characters regroup and develop. For a relatively short book, it packed a punch in the best possible way.

I enjoyed Emelith as a character, in part because she was a little older than quite a lot of the main characters that we see, and being close in age made me appreciate her all the more. While it would have been great to learn more of her history and how she developed her skillset (something that might come if there are future books), but she made for a fascinating character all the same. A talented thief, but also good at diplomacy which isn’t something you see very often, but what really made her a stand out character was that even in a shorter book she underwent considerable personal growth that was both realistic but well done. She’s a strong character, but not perfect, and she learned from her mistakes.

The worldbuilding and magic were well-developed and added an extra dimension to the narrative, and I would love to have the chance to learn more about the world. In particular, I enjoyed the parts involving the necromancer, as well as the Sorceress. While it would be great to have seen more, we were given more than enough history and backstory about these elements to thoroughly pull you into the world and narrative.

Overall, this was a highly entertaining adventure story, with excellent action scenes that mean that you are never bored from start to finish. A perfect read for anyone who enjoys fantasy adventures, and in search of fun, fast-paced book, with more than a dash of that classic Sword & Sorcery feel.

About the Author:

David Samuels has contributed to Swords & Sorcery, Silver Blade, Dark Fire, and The Fifth Di… Magazines. In his free time he likes to read, play Gwent, and refer to himself in the third person.

Social Media:

Website | Twitter| Facebook| Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK| Amazon US

The Rating:

I, Exile – David. M. Samuels (Self-Published February 29th, 2020) – **** (4/5 Stars)

**

If you’ve read it, or read it in the future, please feel free to shout at me about this fantastic book.

Rowena